Finally done, two months learning history, two months learning holy magic, and two months learning dwarf continent culture. Seeing as how the days, months, and years are made by the hero then I have used up half of the year sitting in from of the desk learning from a book. Learning in basically a trades class, and a dwarf society, I imagined the 'learning on the job' kind of deal. I have the hero to thanks for this again, they made a lot of technological advances in every sector of the civilization that I have go through the same experience I had in the modern world.

This isn't enough to irritate me but the way the historians glorify the hero really irks me. 'Oh the heroes are geniuses!', 'They found dirt and started to write out the formula to unlock the secrets of the world.', 'Stars shine in the sky only to provide the heroes light so they may continue to share their glory to the world.'. The calendar, coinage, education, military strategy and the metric system. If only they knew that those aren't their idea but a product of hundreds of years of civilization in our modern world. 

The worst is the self-made memoir of one of the hero titles 'heroic bliss'. It's cringe-y how a hero writes a book drawing various position on how he fucks different women of different races in different positions and they treat it as the most mysterious and amazing thing in all of creation. I don't want to believe it's one of the thickest book available at the library.

So in this year I did six months of desk work, one month of acquiring the blacksmith job, and one month of making a blade for the auction. If this the modern world then we should go into vacation next until the next school year but I hope we don't. I don't have anything else to do so I prefer to just go through the school work and finish this thing fast.

I did keep using the mana expanding tool but if I trust the last time I checked the numbers, I only gained 3 mana in three months. It does grow every time I use it all up but I don't know by how much.

"Good morning Brill, it looks like we are back to the academy. Finally freed from that government building."
"Morning chatterbox, I think the main reason you hate it is because of the teacher. You talk too much and get dragged into an endless 'young generations' talk with him."
"ugh..."

Even if chatterbox slimmed down as a backlash of a heart break and focusing all his attention to school, he is still quite big. Among all of the class, he is the softest looking. Most of us have strong, solid builds but he is someone who is just getting there.

"Hey, hows it going you guys?"
"Morning, victor. Nothing much, chatterbox is just missing our history teacher."
"It can't be helped. He is his best friend after all, hahahaha"
"Ah, just leave it!! Come let's go to class before we're late."

"Welcome back metal beaters! I hope you learned a lot during your time away from the forge because you will never get the chance to do that again, unless you pay them outside of school."

I don't think anyone would pay to be subjected to something like that again. If someone wants to check or learn from history, they could just go to the library and search there.

"Many of you might have liked the experience or hated it. I don't care either way but I have some good news for all of you. Usually the school continues throughout the year with a two week break at the end of the year but since we earned a bit more this year, you will be given a vacation. Raaaah!!!"

This isn't good news for me! What would I do with a month? They won't close the dormitories right? No, that is a stupid question. I enrolled when the school was closed and I was already given a room at the dormitory so its open for sure. I mean not everyone who comes here lives at the town, we do have other students from distant places.

The problem really is what to do. I can focus on training my mana but I would rather strengthen my mastery on forging. I can keep expanding my mana throughout the year myself but I don't have the resources needed to practice forging alone.

"However, don't get too happy yet. From today until your vacation, we will marathon a bulk order. Things like these happen often especially when a new town is established or a grand food festival."

Grand Food Festival! When I get the chance, I will surely visit the place this is being held. I do wonder why a food festival needs a bulk order of kitchen knives? If it is a bulk order then I assume it needs more than 10-20 sets of knives and maybe other types of knives too.

"For the following two months, you will need to create at least 100 knives. This is the standard minimum of a bulk order so get used to it. Normally, bulk order are commissioned a couple of months before they need it but no one really follows that custom. Most of the bulk order you get are rush order that needs 100 knives done in a month. Since you are still students and just recently acquired the [Blacksmith] job, we decided to lighten your workload to let you adapt. This is also a small award for you all since we earned more than expected for the school budget."

100!?!?!? That is the minimum?!!???!! What kind of event would need that much knives? I understand if we are at war and the thing I'm making is weapons but knives? Wait, maybe the event last for a couple of weeks and need to accommodate a huge amount of crowd. I guess I can justify the amount of knives on that circumstances. I do hope these 'rush orders' pay well since doing this kind of work would exhaust apprentice. At least I imagine works like these belong to apprentice, since it seems menial and they are kitchen ware. I always pictured expert blacksmiths making weapons for every order.

"Remember, a true blacksmith never picks a job. No matter how basic and how easy it is. A true crafter gives their all the moment they accepted the work."

Teacher, please stop contradicting my thoughts every single time please!!

"You will all be making 20 chef knives, 20 cleavers, 20 fillet knives, 20 butcher's knives, and 20 boning knives. I will give you the design for each type of knives along with the specifications that we want. As a little gift and test, you are free on how you want to make it and on what kind of design you want. We will reward those who exceptional knives with silvers so give it your all."

You better not short change me again, I need money after all. I could make Damascus knives to boost my design and earn a ton. Usually the problem here would be the time but I have a lot of mana so I can breeze through 100 knives in two months. This will not only help me gain mastery in forging but also help me increase my mana. Also, when I run out of mana from using [Blacksmith] skills then I can increase my strength and forging techniques. It's not good to rely on magic all the time after all.

"During these two months, we will allow you to use the workshop 24/7 so go crazy. Even if you want to stay here the night to work through the project, feel free. We do have rule however, don't touch or go near any forge except your own. If we find you sabotaging other students then we will punish you blacksmith style."

I wonder if we can make more than 100. I also hope they pay me if I went over the requirement. I do wonder, what they mean by punishment blacksmith style?

"You can get all the materials you need from the huge stockpile we arranged outside. If you make more than a 100 then we will pay you based on the quality so don't hold back and make as many as you can."

Nice, I can make easy money with this. However, considering the school this is an actual bulk order that they need to fulfill. Also, even if they say they will pay depending on the quality, they will still short change us compared to a true job.

"Next rule, don't make a mess. Clean and organize your workspace. You can do what you want when you own your own forge but clean everything if you are working for someone or working in someone else's place."

This is normal and easy for me too, as a former butler I have confidence in my cleaning skills.

"That is all, go ahead and start. We won't supervise you so if something dangerous happens, give us a shout."

"Hey chatterbox, what did he mean by punishment blacksmith style?"
"You are from a blacksmith family, how come you never heard of it?"
"They don't teach us anything until we start our own shop. I told you this before, don't waste my time and just explain it."
"Sheesh, alright. Blacksmith style punishment is simple them throwing you into the fire. Since we gain fire resistance as a passive, we only feel intense pain with only a slight chance of death. Of course they base the intensity of the flame from your [Fire Resistance]."
"How would they know how much fire we can take though?"
"Experts blacksmiths know how much heat a metal could take before it melts. It's a type of instinct, or so they say."
"So it's all guess work."
"Yeah... Incidentally, merchant style punishment is sending you to acquire goods with half the money needed. You can haggle, earn money, or trade for the goods. As long as you get the goods through commerce then you are forgiven. However, since most of the trade partners are merchants too, almost no one could haggle down the price to half so most opt to earn the money by starting a mini business on the way to the trade."
"By the way, fighter style punishment is a brawl against armoured opponents."
"Oh hey victor, are you going to overnight?"
"Of course, I don't have enough mana to finish early, and I don't have enough forging skills that amount of proper knives in time. Can you help me by giving me some of your surplus Brill?"
"No. Also, if I gave you mine then the teacher would know. Even if he doesn't care that much, he is still skilled enough to know who made which, you know."
"I thought so."
"Don't worry, let this great blacksmith Bell teach you, for a fee."
"You are in even more trouble than me, you know. You don't have a lot of mana too and you still don't have enough endurance to continuously work through the night. At least I have these muscles to help me, I just need to take proper care when making the handle so I don't break them."

Both of you have problems. It is not my problem though since I just need to keep making things until I drop. This is basically a free farming of money and xp.