Alchemist of Metals

Path of Metal Alchemy

Julian wasn't dreaming, but it didn't feel like he was awake either. But, deep inside his head, a memory film played out on fast-forward which is his early life as an unwanted child left on a doorstep, the tragic death of his overworked grandmother, a brutal orphanage, and a failed college time that carved his path into the Army. 

There, he had discovered his obsession with firearms: bolts, springs, and the chemistry between the machines. He remembered opening his own small gun shop at forty-six, only for his life to be snuffed out by a panicked thief's bullet.

"Life was cruel too, huh?" he thought as the final scene faded.

Bwahhhh!

A blaring horn shattered the silence. Julian sat upright, gasping as pain flicked through his bruised chest and forehead as he remembered Lisanna’s brutal beating. But as he touched his head, he realized his wound had been carefully cleaned and bandaged.

Was it that guard? he wondered before the horn sounded again, demanding action.

He scrambled out of his bed and dressed in his Zoldyck uniform — white buttoned shirt, black trousers, polished shoes, and a short black cape. Outside, lines of disciplined students stood under the eyes of stern guards.

The classroom bearing the crossed revolver crest of the Zoldyck family, Julian walked into the room by keeping his head down, sitting on a seat near the edge.

The doors swung open immediately, and a lady with snow white hair swaying like sunlight walked in. She wore a long coat, wavering behind her and emanating an overwhelming pressure on the children.  She was Athena Zoldyck.

"Good morning, children of Zoldyck," Athena's voice echoed effortlessly through the room. "I know most of you are still scared from yesterday's trial... But you should be glad. You're alive. The dead don't get second chances, but you who survive do. Don't waste it."

Her words are cruel but compelling which hardened the resolve in the room. Athena turned to the board, revealing a bold sentence. Path of Alchemy – Zoldyck Lineage.

"For the next three weeks, you will study the foundations of Alchemy… huh.. specifically our family's path: Gun Alchemy. Because during the third trial, every one of you will undergo your awakening ceremony."

Julian leaned forward, his heart throbbing fastly. Gun Alchemy...

A brilliant mainline student named Miya stood up. “Alchemy is the power to transform and combine natural resources.” 

Athena smiled, nodding her head in approval.

"Alchemy lets us manipulate matter in any form," Athena continued, walking over to a table holding steel ingots. Raising her hand, a soft white light swirled with black shards shimmered around her wrist. The solid steel melted without heat, floating and twisting through the air before forming into a revolver.

The class gasped in shock.

"This is Gun Alchemy," Athena announced, puffing her chest up. "Understanding the chemical bonds of metal and the structure of a gun, reshaping it with your will. But you cannot perform real alchemy without reaching a certain level of Cognis… your mind is your engine."

She pointed to the ranking chart displayed on the board:

★ Novice Alchemist (26%–30%)

★★ Binder Alchemist (31%–43%)

★★★ Adept Alchemist (44%–50%)

★★★★ Meister Alchemist (51%–59%)

★★★★★ Arcanist Alchemist (60%–65%)

★★★★★★ Grand Arcanist (66%–71%)

★★★★★★★ Alchemist General (72%–76%)

★★★★★★★★ Alchemist Scholar (77%–80%)

★★★★★★★★★ Alchemist Sage (81%–88%) – Highest ever reached

★★★★★★★★★★ Philosopher (89%–∞%) – Mythical, never achieved

"Completing the Trials of Metal will graduate you as Binder Alchemists," Athena explained. "The Philosopher rank is a legend, no one has ever reached infinite Cognis, though 88% is the highest recorded in Brimstone. Survive, grow, and if you reach 26%, you will unlock your alchemist state."

Sitting at his desk, Julian's head stirred once. The guns, the chemistry, the transformations.. they aligned with the engineering expertise inside his past-life memories. With this knowledge, I have a chance of surviving.

The weeks that followed passed slowly.

Every morning, Julian pushed his body through unorthodox military drills and specialized calisthenics he pulled from his memories, ignoring the strange looks from other students. He forced down the strict diet required for physical conditioning, battling constant exhaustion and lingering trauma in his brain.

After training, he locked himself in the vast library, studying texts on metal properties, energy flow, powder reactions, and alchemical fusion theories linked to Metallica, the eastern industrial city governed by the Zoldycks.

While Lisanna kept her distance, likely biding her time and lower-house students whispering behind his back, Julian grew tougher, and deadlier.

Three weeks later, the trial hall shimmered under harsh torchlight. Athena stood at the front, arms folded. The air was filled with tension.

Trial Two was here. Julian clenched his fists, his breathing was steady and his mind clear because he was ready.