Baek Sia.
Ordinary family background, ordinary middle school life.
One day, while assembling her hobby Gundam robot, she discovered that the robot came to life and moved, confirming that her abilities had awakened. After undergoing an ability assessment, she was admitted to the academy.
Naturally, everyone assumed she would grow up to be a blacksmith, but Baek Sia instinctively longed to march across battlefields and defeat monsters like the heroes she saw on TV.
Due to her abilities not being suited for combat, she was placed in the lowest Class E, though some even thought she might not pass the academy entrance. However, Eve, recognizing the uniqueness of her abilities, promoted her to a higher class.
Rumors spread quickly that she had been elevated to Class D by Eve’s recommendation. D Class students, fearing that upper-class students might consider her talented and exclude them from group formations, almost ostracized and bullied her.
Despite severe bullying, Baek Sia demonstrated strong willpower, refusing to abandon her hero’s path under any circumstances.
Her first encounter with the protagonist occurred during a student council president election. Even after a crushing defeat, rather than bowing down to classmates threatening her with expulsion if she didn’t withdraw, she firmly declared she would never drop out, even if it cost her life. The protagonist intervened when a student was about to assault Baek Sia, marking the beginning of their bond.
Having learned about Baek Sia’s talents, the protagonist introduced her to a blacksmith friend in Class A. Later, after disappearing for a while following the protagonist, she suddenly resurfaced during midterm evaluations, presenting the protagonist with state-of-the-art equipment. This marked the rise in the recognition of her value.
Inside the gate, where magical power flows strongly, most electronic devices fail to function properly. However, she developed new types of radios and electronic gadgets, and eventually crafted cutting-edge weapons and battle suits resembling those from superhero movies, significantly contributing to her prominence.
The sight of Baek Sia stoking the forge while seated in front of a store or weapon enhancement interface was so endearing that she placed in the top 10 of popularity polls. Establishing early ties with Korea’s top blacksmith wouldn’t hurt either.
‘Since there’s no limit to the number of weapons Baek Sia can create in her lifetime, and gaining more experience in weapon crafting before meeting the protagonist could enhance the performance of the first weapon she’ll make for him.’
“President… Why are you here…?”
-Yoon Se-ah?! Why is the student council president here? If she finds out about the bullying we’ve done to her, won’t we be finished?
-Why does it seem like both the director and the student council president have parachuted here for her?!
“Quiet, everyone. I’ve heard that Baek Sia is here.”
‘Let me look around…’
Surveying the scene, I saw startled freshmen due to the sudden appearance of a famous figure and a few cadets visibly terrified of being caught bullying Baek Sia. Everything unfolded as expected.
-Crash!
-Who dares defy me…!!
Among them, a child who had been thrown into the trash can, after defiant mumbling and spotting my face, realized they couldn’t fight back and stayed still.
-Why is she like that? Is she crazy?
-This is the end. Some say she’s a guild heir. If the potion supply is cut off, won’t the guild collapse?
‘You’re no different yourselves.’
Even those berating the student from afar for bullying Baek Sia were equally riddled with the same defeatist mindset.
‘!!!’
-Tap, tap!
Until one or two minutes ago, everyone was looking at the ruler of this classroom, but upon realizing I saw them as worthless, one of the fierce-looking students rushed to the door and fled.
‘This is the world-class Raon Academy?’
I understood why students from other academies in Korea apply to transfer to Raon.
‘Yet, the academy level outside Raon in Korea must be…quite dire.’
Anyway, I hoped the students filled with rotten attitudes wouldn’t set foot on the path of a hero.
‘Should I ask Dukbae to handle it?’
I’m not trash like Yoon Seong-ho. Anyway, with the episodes at Raon Academy unfolding, many will be shocked by the tough assignments and high-level classes and drop out. I should probably ask Eve to raise the admission cut-off line a bit.
“Excuse me…”
A student, who had fallen down, raised their hand slowly and stood up.
“Yes, do you know where Baek Sia is?”
She hadn’t tied her hair into a ponytail; her long bangs fell disheveled over her face, and her loose uniform seemed deliberately oversized. I naturally assumed it wasn’t Baek Sia…
“I…I’m Baek Sia.”
‘Looks different from the illustration?’
I guess I was only searching too hard for someone who looks exactly like the illustration.
<><><><><><><><><>
<Info>
<Name: Baek Sia>
<Age: 18>
<Tendency: Investigation, Madness>
<Skill List>
<Talent Blacksmith (A)>
<Greatly increases the success rate of crafting and enhancing weapons>
<Craftsman Master (S)>
<Can materialize something they perfectly understand the structure of; adds extra combat effects from their personally created creations>
<Statistics>
<Strength: C>
<Defense: D>
<Magical Power: F>
<Health: F>
<Agility: D>
<Luck: A+>
<><><><><><><><><>
‘Yes, it’s Baek Sia.’
Anyway, I’ve found her.
“Nice to meet you, would you mind accompanying me for a moment?”
The person who will make my staff.
…
…
…
After class, since bringing her to the student council room might make her feel uncomfortable due to Kang Ayul and others being there, I prepared an empty club room with chairs and full-length mirrors.
“Is your class going well?”
“Oh, yes…thanks to you.”
Since I was still the student council president at the time, I still retained a fair amount of authority at the academy.
Fortunately, after that incident, the D class students stopped bullying Baek Sia.
“Thankfully.”
“Come here for a moment.”
“Uh…?”
When I motioned her to a chair in front of the mirror, Baek Sia looked at me slightly surprised.
“When wielding a sword, such long bangs can block your vision. Although I’m not an expert, may I cut your bangs?”
“A…Ye-Yes!”
After styling her hair like in the original work, ‘Obscure Female Student 1’ instantly transformed into ‘Asoma’s Top 10 Popular Character.’
“Is…is this my face?”
“After tidying it up, it turned out this way. Do you like it?”
“Eh…Yes, I really do.”
Rather than grabbing her hand after noticing her surprised expression at her changed appearance, I tidied up her hair and took her to another location.
“This is a section for students whose main activity is not combat…or rather…the mechanical engineering class.”
The sound of water flowing and intense heat hitting my face. We were at the academy’s blacksmith shop.
“Clang! Clang!”
“Sssssss…….”
The sounds of water boiling and cooling continued. Steam spewed from the chimney, signaling the intense heat of the forge, and beside me stood Baek Sia, her face visibly contorted with discomfort.
“Bringing me here…is it because you, like Director, want me to abandon the Striker role and transfer into the mechanical engineering class?”
At the sight of the blacksmith’s shop, her PTSD symptoms seemed to manifest, causing her to look at me uncomfortably, threatening to collapse the rapport we built.
“Um…you can think that way, but I have a different opinion from the Director.”
I roughly drew a human figure on the blackboard.
“Syah’s skills are <Craftsman Master(S)> and <Talent Blacksmith(A)>. Though they are considered perfect for the mechanical engineering students…but if we change the perspective, they are incredibly powerful skills.”
I added steel armor to the human figure on the blackboard. Some parts turned into missiles, others into light swords and shields—futuristic parts.
“If <Talent Blacksmith(A)> produces high-performance armor that Syah wears, and <Craftsman Master(S)> provides corrections…”
Soon, the figure on the blackboard transformed from a frail human into a knight in armor similar to Gundam models, fighting in a battlefield.
Baek Sia’s eyes began to shake vigorously.
“How does it look? Isn’t it cool?”
How many people in her lifetime, having been rejected as a Striker, would hear someone tell her “You can be a Striker.”?
Ordinarily, Baek Sia would have grown through the process of raising herself up alone, but unfortunately, I’m too weak to wait for that.
“……President, please help me. This might sound like a crazy suggestion, but…if there’s something you ask of me, I will definitely comply…”
The girl, who had previously resisted transferring classes, now stared at me with the eyes of a madman, hooked on something…
“The moment a genius commits…”
“Of course, I have such intentions. The Yuseong Group always welcomes talented individuals.”
I absolutely have no intention of letting her go.
