[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss":3,"chapter-i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-69":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Became the Academy’s Final Boss",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1319807,1753,"Chapter 69","i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-69",69,"\u003Cp>Chapter 69\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my question, Dan Chun-woo’s face twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s with that trashy tone? Makes me want to smash your face in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So touchy. Anyway, got any recommendations for a good smith?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I carefully asked, watching his expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, I hadn’t really expected a proper answer from someone with his personality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that, among the guys who’d come with me, Dan Chun-woo seemed to know this place the best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it came to weapons, he was always dead serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But surprisingly, a kind answer came back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It depends on what kind of weapon you use. If you want a magic-type artifact with various functions, go to Chil-ho. If you want a smith who stays true to the essence of weapons, Sa-ho…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to his explanation, a certain question popped into my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s with those names?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chil-ho, Sa-ho, Il-ho… It wasn’t even proper numbering, and for disciples of a so-called master craftsman, their names all sounded bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re thinking their names sound strange, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you just read my mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smirked and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Most people who learn the smiths’ names react the same way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So why are their names like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All the official smiths of Chiwoo Workshop are adopted sons of Gu Ryun, that old man. He took in war orphans and taught them his craft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what’s that got to do with their names?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a possibility crossed my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were ten official smiths at Chiwoo Workshop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bit too many for one person to name each of them with care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if you added the eccentric reputation of the so-called master craftsman to that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No way…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As he took in more and more apprentices, he got lazy with naming them. So he just numbered them instead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, that old man’s unbelievable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Told you. He’s just a cranky old geezer. Anyway, you’re trying to repair Baek Hyun-joong’s sword replica, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How the hell did he know that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d acted uninterested during the award ceremony, but looks like he’d been listening to everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That sword is closer to a magic artifact than a regular blade, so you should go to Smith Chil-ho.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah? Thanks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, he not only answered my question without complaint, but even added a detailed explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, he wouldn’t even talk to me — just flat-out ignore me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because this was about weapons?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, to get this kind of kindness out of him, he’d have to get thoroughly beaten by Park Siwoo in the upcoming midterm episode and go through a reformation arc first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be that his duel with the Sword Empress had already changed something in him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Things were starting to deviate little by little from the normal scenario, so maybe his character development was happening earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thanking him, I headed toward the workshop of Smith Chil-ho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But… why was Dan Chun-woo following me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chil-ho’s workshop, true to its reputation as a specialist in magic artifacts, had a rather fascinating appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were far more machines than in other places, and the complex magical circles drawn here and there created a mysterious atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From between the gaps of the scattered machinery, a deep, booming voice echoed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A rare customer, huh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a massive figure emerged from between the machines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I saw him, I froze in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A huge, muscular body, a hideous face, and dark greenish skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An orc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was there a monster in a place like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Dan Chun-woo casually spoke to the orc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Been a while, old man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re still as curt as ever. I heard you got kicked out of your clan, yet somehow you made it in here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spare me the nonsense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The orc then turned to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your friend looks pretty startled. First time seeing a talking orc?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How often do you think people get to see a talking orc?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At my reply, the orc burst into hearty laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha! Fair enough. I know I’m… special.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Special?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Compared to humans—or even among monsters—I possess an exceptional intellect. A genius, one might say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The being before me felt utterly alien yet incredibly fascinating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, in Become a Hero, there were indeed demi-humans capable of communication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they only appeared within dungeons encountered beyond Gate Fragments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had never appeared directly in the real world like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That raised another question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are there any other demi-humans like you who can communicate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As far as I know, no. I’m… something of an anomaly. But perhaps there are others somewhere—those not consumed by demonic influence, like me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Chil-ho began slowly recounting his past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to him, he’d been sold to humans as a child so young he couldn’t even remember it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though trading monsters was now considered a grave crime, decades ago it had been common practice to buy and sell them as ornaments or collectibles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During that time, he’d been rescued by heroes and raised by the master craftsman himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, he wasn’t the result of some magical experiment—just a natural anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chances of something like that happening must’ve been astronomically low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So then, why did you come to me? If you sought me out, it must be about a magic artifact.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d been so shocked by his identity that I’d nearly forgotten the reason I came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took out the Guardian’s Sword I’d brought with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a short, unimpressed comment upon seeing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quite the worn-out piece of junk. You want me to repair this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s closer to an enhancement than a repair.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it passes through my hands, improvement is a given.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took the sword from me, pulling a monocle from his pocket and putting it on to inspect the blade closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An orc wearing a white lab coat and monocle like a scientist—it was oddly mismatched, yet somehow suited him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he examined the sword, he kept letting out small exclamations of admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is something… To think someone crammed this much spellwork into such a relic. Still, it doesn’t look like the work of a professional. The inscription method is far too crude.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smith Chil-ho continued muttering incomprehensible jargon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced at Dan Chun-woo, who merely shrugged, as if he was used to this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After studying the Guardian’s Sword for a long time, Chil-ho suddenly carried it over to one of the machines in his workshop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Borrowing this for a bit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without answering, he immediately activated the machine and began scanning the sword from various angles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh, hey… my sword’s going to be fine, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chil-ho turned the sword around for quite some time before finally handing it back to me, seemingly satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve got a rough idea of how to modify it. It’s been a while since I felt this fired up. But… there are a few things that bother me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Things that bother you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. First is the cost. Since you’re that rude brat’s friend, I doubt you’ll care much, but… it’s going to be expensive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Money’s not a problem. It’s not like I’ll be paying for it anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled out the Engraved Badge from my pocket and showed it to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is… so that’s how that disrespectful brat was able to get in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. The Swordmaster Family will be covering all the expenses, so don’t hold back. Make it the best you can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In that case, I’ve got nothing to worry about. The cost was going to be so high that I was afraid even a perfect job wouldn’t cover it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait—how high are we talking here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I asked, he leaned closer and whispered in my ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Holy…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t stop my jaw from dropping at the price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just how many zeroes were in that number?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, if not for the Engraved Badge, I wouldn’t even dream of affording it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the game, that amount would take weeks of nonstop auto-hunting to save up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then again, how absurd was the Swordmaster Family’s wealth to be handing out something this valuable to Academy cadets?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, even Dan Chun-woo standing next to me looked a bit different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned, clearly annoyed at being left out of the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, what’s the second problem?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The second is time. You probably came thinking it’s just a repair or enhancement, but to be honest, this is more like creating an entirely new weapon. Actually, even harder than that. It’s like reviving a life while preserving its original form.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s going to take that long? You already have the blueprint from the existing weapon—shouldn’t that make it easier than building from scratch?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me, what’s easier—creating a person or bringing one back to life?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of example was that? Still, phrased like that, I understood immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, how long do you think it’ll take?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If crafting a normal weapon takes up to two weeks, this will take at least a month—maybe longer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, that was an unexpected setback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Chil-ho was right, it meant I wouldn’t be able to use the Guardian’s Sword for at least a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I mentally calculated the upcoming schedule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was there any episode where I’d need the Guardian’s Sword within a month?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the midterm exams a few weeks from now, there weren’t any major events.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem was what came after that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it was done within a month, that would be fine, but if it took longer, I’d have to adjust some of my plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, missing this opportunity to upgrade the Guardian’s Sword would be a waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game, the Guardian’s Sword was already an excellent auxiliary item on its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to upgrade it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No way I could pass that up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it was something I’d never even attempted in-game, the potential reward outweighed the risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currently, the Guardian’s Sword could trap an opponent and completely block their vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That allowed me to move freely inside the subspace without worrying about being discovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it could be upgraded beyond that…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the smith spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem lost in thought. Still hesitating because of the production time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pretty much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guardian’s Sword was overwhelmingly powerful for now, but as time went on, its advantages would fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enemies would grow stronger, and there’d be fewer foes it could actually trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the sword was enhanced, if its performance wasn’t remarkable, it might be better to just use it now and make the most of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you tell me roughly what kind of enhancement it’ll get after your work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I explained in detail, you’d just get a headache, so I’ll keep it simple. When it’s finished, its current output might actually drop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? It won’t get stronger?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be precise, the sword’s power will fluctuate based on your own strength. The stronger you get, the greater the sword’s abilities will become.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, I realized just how stupid all my earlier worries had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guardian’s Sword would become a growth-type weapon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then of course I had to do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Growth-type weapons were extremely picky about their owners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the wielder was weak, they’d be worse than a cheap weapon from the shop—but if the wielder was strong, they could reach endgame-tier performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the longer a weapon stayed with its owner, the greater its potential became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, even if it took time, leaving the Guardian’s Sword in his hands was the right call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get a top-tier weapon—I couldn’t miss it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I handed the Guardian’s Sword to him and bowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll leave it in your care. Please do your best.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. I’ll put everything I’ve got into it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t wait to see how the reborn Guardian’s Sword would turn out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I stepped out of Smith Chil-ho’s workshop, Park Siwoo and Helena were already waiting for us, their commissions apparently finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by their smiles, they seemed satisfied with the weapons they’d ordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Dan Chun-woo—he hadn’t even made a request since he’d just followed me around the whole time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then why did he even come?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t you place an order?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one here meets my standards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seriously? Even with the skills of these smiths?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was that the confidence of someone who already owned a top-tier item?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, with the exception of Dan Chun-woo, we finished our weapon commissions and returned to the Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>",2066,"2026-06-05T19:04:26.866Z",1,"novelbin.me","73f75d6c8814981204c371717bc831a81c25f07120a0aaccb29a61a7ebb73bbd","i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-120","i-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-chapter-119",137,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-became-the-academy-s-final-boss-cover.jpg"]