I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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“Thanks to you, I survived.”

I spoke to Charlotte, who was sitting next to me.

About five minutes ago, she had saved me from a difficult situation.

“Th-thank goodness. I-I’m glad I could help… hehe.”

Five minutes prior.

I had tentatively chosen Enya.

Because at this point, Enya’s heart was still hard as a rock.

– E-Ed!

Just as I was about to say Enya’s name, a girl with green curly hair and round glasses called me.

It was Charlotte, who had been watching my situation.

– Wh-what are you doing over there! W-we were supposed to go to class together!

She said this while lowering her glasses slightly and winking.

Surprisingly, her eyes, without the glasses, were quite beautiful.

However, given the urgency of my situation, that thought was but a fleeting moment.

I decided right then and there to grab the helping hand that Charlotte had extended.

– Ah, right! After the first round, we talked about taking this class together!

– Oh! I-I said I was inexperienced with mana and that I should take this lecture!

– Oh…! Right! We agreed to come together, and I totally forgot about it.

– Luckily, the seat next to me is empty! No one wants to sit next to me…

– Huh? O-okay. I got it.

Thus, I apologized to Enya and Isabella for having prior plans and went to where Charlotte was.

Afterward, it seemed that Enya and Isabella had a bit of a spat, but the commotion settled down when Professor Gracia walked in.

As he entered, the air around us calmed, and the atmosphere shifted in an instant.

“Nice to meet you. I am Swordmaster Gracia.”

Standing in front of the podium, Gracia briefly introduced himself.

Swordmaster.

Without any grandiose titles, he simply introduced himself with that one word.

But that single word was enough to make us feel the authority of this class.

After all, there were only five Swordmasters in the entire Empire.

If it weren’t for the imperial authority, the random mass gathered here would never have had the chance to receive his teachings.

“There are mainly two methods of attacking an opponent using mana.”

While everyone wore tense expressions, Gracia finally opened his mouth.

However, his first words were neither an attendance check, a simple introduction, nor a class preamble.

He jumped straight into the lesson.

“First, one method is to use magical formulas for strikes. This involves binding magic to damage the opponent’s mind or body, or manipulating the terrain or space itself to inflict harm.”

Yet, even with the sudden start, the students became hyper-focused.

In this vast classroom, only our breaths and his voice echoed quietly.

“However, to properly implement a magical formula requires a great deal of talent. You need precise calculation abilities, geometrical imagination, and the insight to simplify complex structures. You must also have the creativity to freely combine thousands of formulas for use on the battlefield. Only a few chosen geniuses can reach this level.”

With that, Gracia glanced at Isabella.

However, the moment his gaze lingered wasn’t even two seconds long.

Soon, he turned his head and continued explaining.

“And the second method that utilizes mana is simply to ‘enhance’ the body and strike the opponent directly. In this case, even if you lack talent in magical formulas, it is possible to reach a certain level of proficiency. This means the hurdle is lower than for a mage.”

As he said this, Gracia moved on.

The students’ gaze followed him.

He remarked.

“However, does that mean that enhancement mages require less effort than magical mages? No. Enhancement mages require much more precise and detailed manipulation of mana.”

Gracia said this and pressed a switch in his hand.

Suddenly, light burst forth in front, and an image was projected onto the white wall.

It was a diagram of a human body filled with mana.

“Now, look at the image in front of you. This illustration intuitively dissects the mana capacity of my body, assuming the total amount of mana is 100%, you can see that 30% is concentrated in my right arm.”

As Gracia had stated, there was a massive mana pool in his right arm.

A full 30% of his total mana capacity was concentrated in just that one arm.

“From this, I can perform a lethal strike. Its range and lethality are comparable to that of an accomplished mage. I’ve spent countless hours honing that one strike.”

Gracia then switched to the next image.

The screen displayed an area nearly 10 meters wide completely obliterated.

“What you see here is the power of the lethal strike that I’ve trained for decades.”

Silence engulfed the entire classroom.

The destructive power was overwhelming.

To think that a single sword swing could cause such devastation.

But I was thinking, a single missile could probably do that too, right?

As I pondered this useless thought, Gracia returned to the previous image and spoke.

“However, the mana capacity of each person varies significantly. A prime example is the swordsman Irelya, who has 40% of his mana capacity concentrated in his head. He has talent in magical formulas, allowing him to combine martial arts and magical formulas, which is why he has become the strongest swordsman.”

Gracia mentioned Enya’s father as an example.

Enya’s body flinched.

Because out of nowhere, her dad got summoned here.

“Thus, for enhancement mages, understanding one’s own mana capacity is the most important thing. If your mana capacity is low in your legs, you need to devise a way to compensate for it. Conversely, if there’s a lot in your chest, you should actively utilize it to maximize your strengths.”

Beep.

Gracia pressed the switch in his hand.

The slide transitioned to the next one.

“Now, here’s the hierarchy of swordsmen. Swordrunner – Sword User – Sword Expert – Swordmaster – Grand Swordmaster. However, Grand Swordmaster is a rank that exists solely to honor the legendary swordsman ‘Kassel,’ so I’ll omit that from this class.”

Grand Swordmaster Kassel.

A figure active about 340 years ago who is venerated as a god among swordsmen.

As far as I know, the roots of current martial arts and weapon skills all stem from ‘Kassel Style.’

“Now then, let me ask you a question. Where do you think you, in these four ranks, belong?”

In the midst of this, Gracia posed a question.

As everyone fell silent, he suddenly pointed at me.

“Edgar Fix, I’ve heard tales of your vast knowledge. Why don’t you answer? What is the average rank in this classroom?”

“………”

It was such a sudden call-out that I froze.

With everyone’s gaze fixed on me, I recalled the setting book I had glanced at from playing this game dozens of times.

Based on that content, I spit out the answer.

“Sword User.”

“Oh? And what’s your reasoning?”

“If I remember correctly, you need to have an efficiency of over 60% in mana usage to be classified as a Sword User.”

“Could you elaborate a bit more?”

“……… The standard rank for this class is B rank or higher. And to receive a B rank, one must have trained enough to demonstrate destruction equal to the mana expended during the first and second assessment rounds.”

In other words, if you use 100 mana, you must produce 100 in destructive power; if someone uses 100 mana and produces less than 60, they would not have received a B rank.

Gracia smiled satisfactorily and said.

“Correct. There can be no Sword Runners among my students.”

Shudder!

Charlotte trembled greatly.

She looked around with uneasy eyes.

However, Gracia continued explaining nonchalantly.

“As Edgar Fix indicated, a Sword User means that the efficiency of their mana has reached a certain level. 60-70 is a low-level Sword User, 70-80 is a mid-level Sword User, 80-90 is a high-level Sword User, and 90-100 is the top-level Sword User.”

Hmm.

I am a high-level Sword User.

Elena mentioned that to me last time.

With just a bit of training, I could reach the top level.

“When you become a top-level Sword User, you can advance to the Sword Expert stage. At this stage, one must manage their mana efficiently according to their own mana capacity. Look at the next screen.”

The slide changed to the next page.

Penggrrr- Enya twirled her pen.

She looked indifferent, as if she already knew everything.

Finally, Gracia began speaking again.

“Now, on the screen is Swordsman A. Swordsman A was born with the capacity to hold 60% of their mana in their left hand. But just because their mana capacity is 60%, do you think they can fill 60% of their total mana in that space?”

“………”

“No. Unless they train, even filling 30% would be difficult. They wouldn’t be able to showcase their strengths.”

I felt a pang in my chest.

Because I was already capable of doing that.

After all, I can allocate mana using the engraved formulas on mana stones without any specific training.

“Sword Experts are required to ‘distribute their mana efficiently.’ In other words, assuming they could allocate 60% to their left hand, 5% to their right, 15% to their head, 10% to their chest, and 5% to each leg, when they manage to allocate their mana precisely in proportion to their capacity, we say they have reached the pinnacle of a Sword Expert.”

Apologies, but I could already do that.

Because I was leveraging the mechanism of the Blue Dragon.

“And when you reach this stage, you can awaken your ‘Clear Sight.’ This lets you see through the mana flow of your opponent, a state that marks the entry into being a Swordmaster.”

Gracia said this and activated his Clear Sight.

At that moment, his two eyes began to glow a blue hue.

“At this stage, you will be able to predict what magical formula your opponent will use. There’s a big difference between knowing and not knowing when to evade, allowing you to simplify your defenses while making more audacious attacks.”

As Gracia continued his explanation, I wanted to give Clear Sight a try myself.

But unfortunately, I couldn’t trigger it.

Because for Clear Sight to activate, the mana control receptors need to be honed to extreme levels.

‘Could I connect the optic nerve and the mana stone?’

Connecting them seemed plausible.

While I was having these thoughts, Gracia spoke the next words.

“From here on out, it’s an area I can’t explain. It’s a stage where you establish fundamental methods of movement, breathing techniques, evasion techniques, mobility techniques, and attack techniques based on your own mana capacity.”

·····Listening to Professor Gracia’s explanation made me realize how monstrous Enya truly was.

Enya hasn’t awakened her Clear Sight yet, but she’s already developing her own sword technique called ‘Drawing Technique.’

However, I questioned whether the Drawing Technique was a suitable style for her mana capacity.

“Now, today, I will check your mana capacities. Your assignment from this point on is to use the information you discover about your mana capacity to select your own training methods and weapons, and then report back to me next week at this time. Now, Enya Cruel, please step forward.”

Gracia said and called Enya forward.

He carefully observed her with his Clear Sight and continually expressed admiration.

“Certainly, the blood of Irelya does not deceive. Honestly amazed. To reach this level at your age. You’ll awaken your Clear Sight before the year ends. Do you have a sword technique in mind?”

“……… Drawing Technique.”

“Drawing Technique? What kind of sword technique is that?”

“It’s a technique that converts the friction generated when drawing the sword into energy to strike the opponent.”

“Heh… Given your skill level, this joke is tragically bad. Bring back a rough idea by next week. Next.”

Gracia received Enya’s serious answer as a joke.

Thus, he continued to assess each student’s mana capacities in turn.

During this process, Charlotte was scolded for not training her mana enough.

Finally, it was Isabella’s turn.

“Honestly, I’m puzzled as to why you’re here.”

“I want to understand the weaknesses of enhancement mages.”

“Really? So what weaknesses have you identified?”

“Well, I haven’t discovered any yet. I think I need to attend more classes to figure it out.”

“… Alright. Then I’ll give you a different assignment. Starting today, I’ll provide you with the mana capacity information of the students every week. Based on that information, you will deduce their sword techniques and research their countermeasures. Now for today, number 4…”

“But.”

Suddenly, Isabella interrupted Gracia.

With a smile, she said.

“You don’t need to tell me. I can also use Clear Sight.”

With a whoosh- the blue light glimmered in her eyes.

She grinned and added her next words.

“And if I mix in specialized formulas here, I can also have Dark Sight.”

As her eyes turned completely black, Gracia chuckled.

“Hehe… I had forgotten that a magical mage could use Clear Sight at their peak. Very well, then you choose. Investigate the mana capacities of five students each week and report back to me their sword techniques and weaknesses.”

“Well, okay. That sounds fun.”

With that last remark, Isabella returned to her seat.

Finally, Gracia called my name.

However, the expression on Gracia’s face as he looked at me was something to behold.

It was as if he were saying, ‘What the heck is this brat?’

He muttered with an incredulous look.

“How could it be… that your mana capacity is like this?”