Chapter 10

Words : 2032 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Begin Chapter 10 of "The Regressor Can Make Them All" with: Chapter 10 Today was the first day of class. Normally, freshmen would be trying their... Find out more!

Chapter 10 Today was the first day of class. Normally, freshmen would be trying their best to establish themselves in the hierarchy, but it was different here at Babel Academy. “Were there classes today?” “No, no. They said the first day is only for tests.” “Ugh. We’re going to be sweating buckets again.” Most departments encouraged freshmen to socialize even before the entrance ceremony. They greeted each other and started casual conversations, as ties had already formed among them. Naturally, cliques that ruled over the classes had also formed. And, for this class and the Department of Blacksmithing, the leader was Hans, who was second-ranked in the department. “Where should we have our lunch later?” “Oh, sorry. I have an appointment with Howard sunbae later.” “Howard sunbae... you mean the top-ranking third-year student of Borsippa College? You guys know each other?” Hans chuckled and nodded in response to the unconvinced reaction from his classmate. “Our families are close, so we meet sometimes. He said we should meet up so he can give me some advice on academy life.” “Wow... will other sunbaes be there too?” “I’m not sure, but I did hear that a few top-ranking sunbaes from other departments will join us.” “Then it seems you’re getting introduced to them ... lucky you.” As Hans spoke, both the students who sat around him and the ones who were far away leaned in to listen. Most of the students admitted to Babel Academy were children of well-known heroes, guild masters, or company CEOs, which meant that there was an unspoken hierarchy in the classrooms. In this class, Hans was right at the top of that hierarchy. Dealing with people like these is a piece of cake. The Barmuths were well known around the world for their blacksmithing, and they were a leader in the development of alchemical forging. It was obvious that Hans ruled over the entire class, as his background was outstanding even among classmates who came from relatively well-off families. “Hm. I’ll ask the sunbaes later if I can bring some friends along.” “Really? I’d really appreciate it if you would!” “Can you also bring me with you, please?” “No need to worry, guys. We’re meeting in a spacious place; there should be plenty of room left for you all.” The moment Hans mentioned this, the other students exchanged glances with each other. Then, after hesitating for a while, a few finally mustered the courage to stand up and cautiously approach Hans. Click! The atmosphere in the lecture room changed drastically when Se-Hoon entered the room with a sharp look in his eyes; it was as if he had just killed a man. His face was full of discontentment, and he seemed ready to explode in anger at any moment. Seeing him, the students all tensed up as if they were about to witness a volcanic eruption. “...” Noticing the changed atmosphere, Se-Hoon slowly looked around the room. His eyes landed on Hans, who was surrounded by other students. “...” “...” Faced with the same ferocious expression Se-Hoon had when he entered the room, Hans maintained a calm demeanor, but his gaze flickered faintly. What is up with him? Even though they clearly looked like they were about the same age, when Hans’s eyes met Se-Hoon’s, Hans couldn’t help but cower. It was as if he were facing an insurmountable superior. Overwhelmed by this instinctive fear, Hans bit his lips. It looks like he knows his place now. Se-Hoon smirked when he saw Hans’s reaction. He was worried that Hans might belittle him and pick a fight without understanding how puny he actually was. But judging by his reaction, it seemed he had clearly learned how drastically far apart they were in terms of skills. Having assessed the situation in the department, Se-Hoon slumped down on a seat in the corner. “Whew...” “Woah...” When he sat down in the corner, the students exchanged subtle glances and murmurs. The center of attention seemed to have shifted toward him. Hans’s grasp over the class, which he had been gradually building since the freshman orientation, was now instantly handed over to Se-Hoon. “...” Hans bit his lips and clenched his fists tightly. At that moment, In-Cheol opened the door and stepped into the room. The students, who had momentarily been in a commotion, promptly composed themselves. In-Cheol stood by the podium and briefly scanned the room. “It looks like everyone’s here. Today is our first class, so we should probably just go over attendance and introduce ourselves... but we’ll leave those things aside for now, and I’ll give you a quick overview of the courses.” He tapped a panel on the podium, and three documents appeared in midair. “Our academy encourages students to be independent learners. In simple terms, that means you can take any class you want as long as you pass your major classes.” The curriculum at Babel Academy allowed students to take up to dozens of classes in a semester, which included not only classes within the College of Borsippa but also those of other colleges. But there was one thing to be careful of. “However, once you sign up for a class, you cannot drop it mid-semester. And once you receive three failing grades, you will be expelled from the academy immediately. Please keep this in mind.” The students were given freedom, but they were held responsible for their choices. That was Babel Academy’s motto, and it was something the students had to remember until the day they graduated. Problems regarding this matter occurred very often, so In-Cheol gave them a stern warning. “Registration for elective classes for this semester is available through the Registrar's Office until the end of the week, so you all better be diligent and do your research when you have time. Understood?” “Yes!” “I assume this is enough for registration and whatnot; now, let’s talk about the major courses.” Before his regression, he had extensively dealt with this alloy in the pursuit of acquiring a new skill, but the alloy was otherwise useless to him. If he leveraged that experience, it would be easy to conceal his skills from In-Cheol. But he didn’t see the need to do so. I'm already an honor student; there’s really no point in hiding the entirety of my powers. Keeping a trick up his sleeve might work in a fight, but since he was a blacksmith, hiding his skills would only make him look bad. For the sake of the people that he planned to meet in the future and for the possible funding he might receive from Babel Academy, it was best for him to show off his skills here. While I’m at it, should I just go all out? If he forged it too perfectly, others might raise suspicions against him. But if he forged something that they wouldn’t even be able to tell what it was, there wouldn’t be any doubts. Having made his decision, Se-Hoon channeled his mana into the projection alloy. Infused with mana, the ingot’s shape started changing gradually. He pondered what to forge to amaze everyone in the room. Various shapes filled his mind, and naturally, the blueprints for those designs were also drawn out. One by one, the completed blueprints piled up in his mind until they became a pile. Boom!!! A huge explosion ripped through the entire room. *** Located on the seventh floor of the main building of the Department of Blacksmithing, the exhibition hall was where the graduation works of previous students were typically displayed, and they usually attracted few visitors. However, during the period when the projection alloy works of the freshmen were showcased, it was a different scene. Visitors flocked from all corners of the academy, looking to collaborate, entrust projects, or discover new talents or potential apprentices. And this year’s exhibition, in particular, was notably different. “Wow, there are so many people here.” “Are they all here because of Lee Se-Hoon?” “To be honest, it’s hard not to take a look at his work.” Se-Hoon was the honor student that the Department of Blacksmithing hadn’t been able to produce for over twelve years. Not only had he already forged Rare-tier equipment, but he had also given a demonstration during the entrance ceremony that had overshadowed Jake Myer’s and Erika Inoue’s. He had prevailed over these two students from prestigious families who had been known as prodigies even before they entered the academy. The buzz around him was so great that he was considered one of the biggest names in the lineage of honor students, so onlookers came from all over. “I heard that Jake and Erika already came by to look.” “Ah, I heard that too. Erika came in a couple of hours before the exhibition opened and went in first.” “Come to think of it, those two weren’t the only ones...” Rumors spread that not only the fellow honor students of the freshmen but also famous undergraduates had come to see Se-Hoon’s work, so naturally, a mass amount of attention was drawn. Consequently, skeptical conversations about his work began to emerge. “Isn’t he still just a freshman?” "Honestly, the works made by freshmen are all pretty much the same. It’s kind of ridiculous to say that the lines are different or the grain is different.” “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Sure, Se-Hoon was still just a freshman. Those in technical fields naturally held prejudice against newcomers, and a few entered the exhibition hall with that condescending attitude. Then, reaching the innermost section, they arrived in front of Se-Hoon's work, which seemed to be occupying the entire spacious hall by itself. “...” “...” In front of the gigantic exhibit, measuring five meters, everyone was left speechless. There were swords and spears, shields and axes, sickles and claws, gauntlets and staves, and an uncountable variety of equipment sticking out in an eerie formation throughout a sphere. The sight alone was staggering, but what was even more astonishing was the intricate craftsmanship of each protruding weapon. “They somehow look pretty good.” “They seem better than my current weapon.” Despite knowing that equipment made from projection alloy was unusable, for some reason, they found that these pieces looked even better than the ones they were using. They all stared at the exhibit speechlessly, overwhelmed by the sheer perfection of the work, and only later did they notice the sign at the bottom of the display. “While forging this exhibit, an anomaly occurred where nineteen projection alloys in the surrounding area were absorbed. Considering it as an inherent mark of Lee Se-Hoon’s capabilities, we are presenting this as is.” Everyone was confused when the explanation informed them that the work was created by an unexpected event. This is... How should we describe it? Se-Hoon’s work set itself apart from all the other exhibits, and therefore, the reviews about it were quite diverse. “It’s probably just a coincidence resulting from his skill.” “It’s not like there have never been such cases.” The majority of people described the work as a result of the peculiarity of his skill, regarding it as not particularly impressive. “How are we supposed to evaluate something like this?” “Isn’t this just the result of using multiple pieces of projection alloy? He forged under an entirely different condition, which obviously made the result different from everyone else’s.” “It’s been a while since the Department of Blacksmithing had an honor student. Are they pushing the ‘genius’ narrative for him?” The general consensus was that they couldn’t really judge Se-Hoon based on this work alone. His work was so different from what was expected that there were more negative reactions than positive ones. “I have some different thoughts about it.” “Same here.” But there were also some positive responses, and they all conveyed the same sentiment. That amount of projection alloy was insufficient to fully portray Lee Se-Hoon’s abilities.

Chapter 10

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