Classroom of the Elite: Monster Academy

Ayanokouji - Life Creation

The rhythmic sound of metal against metal reverberated in my ears. I raised my arms, brought it down, and repeat. This motion is what I had executed the most ever since I entered this academy. When I first started, my body would become stiff and sore after hours upon hours of continuous forging. But now... the hammer feels as if melded into my arm and every move I make feels as natural as breathing.

The comforting warmth from the furnace caressing my face, the clang of metal that had now become a soothing melody in my ears. Who could have thought that a laborious action like this could turn into something so relaxing...

Is this what being one with metal means?

Ding!

With a final swing, I brought down the hammer, sending countless sparks and a resounding echo that marked the session close. A pillar of light burst forth, reaching a meter and a half in length, signifying the completion of a first-grade thousand refinement.

Placing the hammer down, I lifted the object in front of me, inspecting its details.

"That's a big one," uttered a voice.

Surprised, I snapped my head to the source. It was Hori Kyouko.

"Trespassing is not an admirable trait."

"You sound like Horikita-kun," she laughed.

"What are you doing here? No, more importantly, how did you get in?" I asked.

Leaning on the wall, she crossed her arms and pouted. "I knocked many times, you know? But you didn't answer at all. So, I let myself in... and as to how, well it's a trade secret," she said with a wink.

For the past two months, I had been interacting with Hori a lot. It is a given as she works at the Acceptance hall on some days, but she also has been providing me with lessons and tips on blacksmithing from time to time.

Though we are both in the 4th rank, she has been forging for at least a decade longer than me, so there was a lot to learn from her own experiences. It was free of charge too, so it was a gesture I greatly appreciated.

I did notice someone coming in earlier, but I completely forgot about them.

"You were so engrossed with what you're doing that you didn't even notice me," she sighed, and took a step closer, eyeing the object on my hands. "So, is that a commission? Whose?"

"Mine."

"Eh? I thought you used daggers?"

"I was only trying it out. I don't think it suits me," I told her.

The daggers were something I've thought of on a whim. While introducing myself, I gave a fake martial soul as a means to protect myself - a temporary cover.

In an environment completely alien to me, there is no way of me knowing what kind of dangers I'll face. It may be a bit too cautious, I admit, but keeping your cards hidden is most of the time, the correct choice.

Of course, if someone were to investigate hard enough, they would eventually know what my true martial soul is. The look on Horikita's face when she found out the truth was amusing, and makes it somewhat worthwhile, to say the least.

After all, those who possess pure elemental martial souls are very rare. Even more so for Ultimate Elements like mine.

Ultimate Element is what you would call when the purest form of an element reaches the pinnacle. It is able to not only suppress weaker forms of the same element, but also overpower and take control of it. Normal weaknesses do not apply to these elements, and are immediately nullified, unless it is of the same tier. Meaning, that the ice created by someone who has Ultimate Ice will never melt, unless it is against someone with an Ultimate Fire martial soul.