Biased?
Biased?
Amber gave her a pleading look, eager to show off her capability to her new friend. "So… can I?"
Evelyn didn't think the professor would give them any decent rewards for such a basic thing, but decided to play along anyway. "Sure, what shape do you have in mind?"
"Uh… I didn't think about that."
Evelyn smiled. "Why not make it a ball, then? You like it, right?"
The auburn-haired girl jumped excitedly. "Really?!"
"Yep."
Amber picked up one of the hammers confidently. "That's easy, then!"
The hammer itself wasn't anything special, being just a grade one artifact with no enhancements at all except for enhanced durability and weight. But since the professor probably just intended to test the thinking and physical ability of the students, it shouldn't matter much.
Although Evelyn didn't know for sure, she felt that a sphere should be one of the strongest in this type of collision test. After all, it would have the fewest number of failure points possible, and should be far less likely to fall apart than any other shape.
Of course, hammering a metal cube into a sphere was easier said than done, especially without heating it up. But with a sufficient amount of strength and a strong enough hammer, it should be possible.
Evelyn of course had no idea how strong Amber was, and decided to let the girl give it a go while she viewed her status. At the same time, she also adjusted the system interface to better suit her preferences.
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-Amber Hydrangea: Level 14
—Affection: 17% (Budding)
-Experience: 65 / 140
Special Physique: Blessed Spirit
—Physique → Strength: 70 [+50] = 210 KG + 150 KG
—Spirit Power: 51 / 51
—Soul Value: 70 / 70
—Vitality: 421 Years Left
-[ Abilities / Enhancements ]
—[Encourage], [Taunt], [Strengthen], ???
-Cultivation Method: Fiery Spirit [Grade 5]
-Equipment:
—[Mother Loves You (Necklace), Grade 2 (upgradeable)]: Physique +50
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Although Amber's level was the same as that of Rufus, except for spirit power, her attributes were much higher than the boy. Considering how conceited and proud he was, Evelyn assumed he was used to being touted as someone 'excellent', so there was no way for Amber to be classified as 'trash', right?
What was interesting was how she had an artifact that almost doubled her already high strength, making the rest of the students gape in shock as she easily transformed the cube into a compact ball of metal.
They couldn't help but be a little jealous of Evelyn, who had managed to luck upon such a strong partner. Combined with her getting the favor of that fairy teacher earlier, many started to believe that she had to be the luckiest girl in their batch.
Evelyn chuckled. 'If they knew I had almost three times her strength, wouldn't their reaction be funny?'
After almost ten minutes, Amber proudly presented her end result to her friend, and Evelyn spent a few minutes to carefully perfect the shape.
Of course, it was still not 'perfect', the surface of the cube was quite rough, but this was the best she could do with just a hammer.
After half an hour, the professor waved his hand as all the 'products' flew back to him on their own as the students watched nervously.
"So, you brats know the first rule of my class — don't speak when you don't need to. Let me tell you the second rule, then. I don't baby my students. No matter what we're doing it's always your own responsibility to protect yourself."
The buff professor grinned at the nervous crowd of students. "If you decide to chuck your head under your partner's hammer, that's totally on you. Unlike the other professors who like to make sure you don't even get scratched, I won't even care even if you die, got it? Now, I don't need to elaborate why I mentioned this rule before I start with the collision test, right?"
The students hurriedly rushed to get some larger weapons that could shield them from the shelves while the professor watched them with a smile.
Amber was one of the fastest, and managed to snag one of the largest round shields in the hall, although Evelyn didn't feel like she would need it, she still praised the little girl for doing a good job.
Of course, she would rather watch the show unobstructed, so after assuring Amber that she could put it up fast enough if needed, she set the shield aside as the professor started with the collision test.
The professor's warning was not without reason, because each of the metal chunks weighed at least fifty kilograms, and when they collided at a high speed, any chunks that flew off could easily deliver a fatal injury if they hit the right spot.
The students were terrified, but Evelyn noticed that the professor had actually woven a very thin net of spirit power around himself to make sure that a fatal situation didn't really occur, in stark contrast to his earlier words.
The professor's method was actually quite fair, with each of them being separated into groups in such a way that they all went through the same number of rounds before facing each other.
Since their product was decently compacted and not bent into a fancy fragile shape like many others, it was no surprise when it managed to reach the final round, however, the other team came as a surprise.
Of course, the professor only mentioned the name of the final winner, but Evelyn clearly recognized that the sphere that broke in the end was her own.
The professor actually gave her a pointed look, which Evelyn found a little strange. "Let this be a lesson. You cannot have bookish thinking here. A round shape without flaws? Hah. Flaws will of course appear after a few collisions. It will never retain that kind of perfect shape. Rufus, great job! Your faceted design was far more flexible. As expected of a Stonehardt! I'll hand you your reward later."
Rufus finally gained some courage as he puffed out his chest.
Perhaps it was fate, though Evelyn hadn't even noticed that Rufus was also lurking in the same class. She had assumed he was in some other course, but apparently, the boy had been hiding behind others this whole time, intentionally avoiding her sight.
Even if he 'won' though, Evelyn didn't care about such a minor thing.
Amber hung her head low. "S-Sorry, because of me—"
Evelyn sighed. "Don't mind such a small thing. Didn't we get to the last round? It could have gone either way."
What she didn't say was that the professor was clearly a little biased, and even if their 'product' was better, it may still have lost anyway.
Afterwards, the professor finally introduced himself by his name, Harlan Stonehardt, and began their actual lesson, teaching them about the various heating techniques they will be using in forging as well as the basics of artifact formation.
Most importantly, each of the students finally received the book called 'Arms Codex: I' which contained all the basic knowledge they would need for this course. This was all she needed, anyway.
Evelyn still listened to his lecture, though there weren't many things that she couldn't already understand from a glance at the book, and the whole session was as disappointing as her first class in beast taming. At least this one didn't accuse her of cheating.
The worst part was that Evelyn could tell that the professor was actually quite knowledgeable and proficient. He just didn't care about them much, and his bias for the Terran students was clear for all to see. 'And I really thought that Maker's Mansion would be different, huh… shame.'
Her guess was confirmed moments later.
"I haven't been back to Terrazyme for a while. You guys just arrived from back home, so the Terrans stay behind a little, yeah? The rest can leave."
Evelyn rolled her eyes as she left with the others, wondering if he would give them private lessons. Anyway, she didn't need to rely on his help. She ignored the taunting look from Rufus, and was the first to walk out of the class, followed shortly by Amber.
The girl followed her all the way to the White Lily Palace, where she reluctantly waved her goodbye, making Evelyn shake her head in both amusement and exasperation.
Although she really didn't mind if the girl followed her around, she had no intention of sticking to the classes and schedules for too long, and planned to figure out a solution for herself after talking with Aurora tomorrow. Hopefully, Amber could adjust herself soon enough.
When she finally entered her 'apartment' though, Evelyn realized that her plans might be pushed forward a little, because there was a certain platinum blonde girl playing some strange board game with Cecilia on the floor.
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~ To be continued ~
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