I Refused To Be Reincarnated

As Moira's words lingered, loud, mocking laughters reverberated from the crowd.

Nova lowered her head, looking at her feet in sadness as her eyes watered.

'I hope you won't be depressed. I know you can be the best,' she thought, a silent tear rolling down her cheeks.

Meanwhile, Adam's eyes narrowed into slits.

"You knew you lost the challenge and decided to flee without judging my creation?"

Through gritted teeth, his voice echoed his outrage, eliciting another wave of mockery.

However, this time, the teachers broke the oppressive atmosphere.

"Don't humiliate yourself further, boy."

"Your rare affinity and mastery over wind and mana are impressive for your age, but your character is problematic."

"Correct! Follow our dear dean's advice in the future. Hahaha."

"Oh really, blind dogs? Let me show you, then!"

His voice dripping sarcasm, he pushed on the blade encased in the sturdy workbench.

SHLING

A blinding metallic shine and slicing noise deafened the platform.

The students' mocking remarks hung frozen in their throats as their jaws dropped. The teacher's eyes enlarged, and their derisive grins seemed to petrify on their faces.

Before everyone, the blade cut through the sturdy, enchanted wood as if it were made of mere paper.

"You wanted a functional enchanted item? Here you have one! Now that you have humiliated yourselves enough, I'll take my leave."

He snorted and spat on the platform to show his disdain.

'Arrogant? Me? With all the training I put behind every word and every action, who dares belittle me? They are the real arrogant bunch of hard-stuck mages.'

As his jaws clenched, his frustration eclipsing his success, the experienced teachers recovered control over their features. In a flash, they muttered various spells to increase their speed.

Their robes fluttering with the wind in a spectacle of colors, they blocked him before he could jump down.

"Wait there, little friend. It seems there is a misunderstanding."

"You can't leave before we judge your creation, right?"

"Yes, yes. The second I saw you, I knew you could create something incredible."

"..."

"Do you think I'm blind? You are the one who mocked me the most!"

Faced by the sharp remark, the teacher coughed as his ears burned.

"Don't listen to him. I'm genuinely interested in your rare affinity and talent."

A lady reaching his chest interjected, her brown eyes firm and back straight. She dusted her elegant azure robes and fixed a lock of blue hair before adding.

"Let me assess your blade. I'll give you complete feedback on what works and what you can improve."

The students below recovered their voices and felt their hearts race against their chests.

"Yes!"

"Let teacher Elara be the judge!"

"She is the most honest teacher in the academy!"

They yelled encouragement, essentially because their eyes sparkled with unquenched curiosity.

Amidst the raucous students, Nova yelled the loudest as her cheerful smile stretched to reach her eyes.

"He is an ununderstood genius. You are just all blind!"

Faced with the general excitement, he grumbled and clicked his tongue. However, a teacher's opinion of his first creation would be valuable. He wouldn't admit it out loud, though.

"Be done with it fast. I have better things to do."

Understanding his natural frustration, Elara nodded. The wind ruffled her beautiful hair as she picked up the glinting blade.

She felt the smooth pommel kiss her palm with its relief carvings. Not only did they give the weapon an artistic style she didn't dislike, but it also allowed for a firmer grip. Meanwhile, the polished frame reflected her face like a mirror as the cold, sharp edges screamed danger.

"The clean lines and simple engravings are a solid eight. To truly elevate it to a masterpiece, consider adding more intricate details like a guard and decorative flourishes on the blade itself."

She nodded before her eyes trembled, and the sword shook in her hand. Like the others, she felt like a lost traveller seeking an oasis in a desert. Even holding the weapon didn't resolve the mystery of the enchantment. Where are they engraved?

Too intrigued to wait, she instantly cast an analysing spell to feel the enchantment directly.

"Eye of Truth."

With a soft mutter, her eyes narrowed as an arcane glint flashed in them. However, she dropped the blade the next second and stepped back. Icy sweat covered her forehead, and her legs trembled for a moment.

"Elara?"

A teacher moved to support her shaky body, his face a complex mask of confusion and worry.

"N-No!" She yelled, shaking her head. She didn't want to believe what she had seen.

Yet, her self-developed spell was praised as the best in the academy. Even Moira wasn't better at appraising items than her.

"H-He is not a genius... He is a monster!"

Her forced stutter deafened the platform as Adam and Nova simultaneously exploded into laughter.

"You know nothing but still judged me on a first impression basis or on what someone told you. I don't need your rating. The enchantments are perfect! Not because I'm a genius or a monster. Because I learned and trained, you fools!"

Without waiting for their answers, not that they could give any with how decomposed their faces turned, he lept down the platform.

The students parted like a human sea, their whispers an inaudible murmur fading behind him as he took determined steps towards his room, his head held high.

Meanwhile, the teachers gathered around Elara, asking about the blade.

"H-He forged an epic weapon!"

She blurted out, holding her forehead and still failing to believe it was true.

The other teacher's eyes rolled, and their lips curled downward into hideous grimaces.

However, they almost fainted when she continued.

"It reached the second tier! With two tier-one materials, he enchanted it three times and made it reach the second-tier standard!"

A deafening silence engulfed the academy. No one could believe her words. They were just too shocking.

The passing mark for a first-year student was to make a tier one item possessing one enchantment. Most didn't bother with challenging items and just crafted trinkets or simple rings with trivial functions like a negligible increase in focus or speed.

Yet, the blade's enchantments...

"Doubled sharpness, extreme durability, and a ten percent increase in mana recovery."

She gasped, choking on her words as the gravitas of the situation settled over them like a dark mantle.

"Moira alienated a monster in the crafting fields. Shepard warned her about his prowess. I've read the letter with my own eyes. Yet, she placed her pride above the rest! Because of her, he hates us all!"

Her eyes trembled, and a feeling of loss tightened her chest. With such a disciple, any mentor's name would resound in Durazmarn for a century.

"What can we do? Everyone mocked him, including the students..."

Another teacher interjected, shaking her head at the whispering crowd below.

They fell silent, their brows creasing into somber frowns and their minds racing.

After a moment, Elara massaged her eyes and sighed.

"Like he did, we need to change his impression of us with actions. Don't bother flattering or trying to win him over with materials. With his character, he'll scorn you more."

Upon hearing her, Nova almost spat her drink into laughter.

"If she knew! Hahaha."

After all, she had seen how Alexander bought him with a tier four material...