Chapter 123

Chapter 123 Glaring destruction—there was no better description to describe the result of Erika’s showcase of her capabilities. It made two of Babel’s staff members, who were responsible for investigating the situation, rushed over in the blink of an eye. Erika’s actions hadn’t resulted in any casualties, but she had still unleashed a powerful skill in the residential area, destroying a mountain and park near the dormitory that also doubled as training grounds for students. As such, she would normally be guaranteed to receive some demerit points. Yet, that wasn’t what happened. “Hmm. With such a tricky piece of equipment involved, it’s no surprise an accident like this occurred.” Because there were always exceptions, no matter what it was. “Pardon? Strictly speaking, such powerful skills should only be unleashed in designated training areas...” “Did you not just hear her? It was only because a simple enhancement spell caused the crow to go berserk, resulting in this accident.” “Ah, yes...” “Also, despite the chaos, these students managed to quickly bring the situation under control to prevent any casualties. Ignoring that effort would be unfair to Miss... ahem to these students.” Faced with the obviously biased defense by the Department of Spells professor, the other staff member, who had come from the headquarters of Babel, blatantly showed their disapproval. “I see. Then, for the punishment...” “I assume you guys must be pretty busy nowadays due to the expo that is coming up. Thus, our department will deal with it by making sure to provide proper education to prevent this from happening again,” immediately replied the Department of Spells professor. Considering the professor’s words, the headquarters staff member eventually nodded. “Alright then. We’ll report that the matter has been handled by using internal education.” “Haha. Thank you.” With the report finished, the headquarters staff member scratched his head and promptly left. And once he was out of sight, the professor turned to Erika. “I’ll also be going now. Please be careful for the time being.” “Sure.” Bidding them a polite farewell, the professor departed, leaving behind Erika and the fascinated Se-Hoon. Having authority sure is something. If it had been a student without any backing, they would have received demerit points before the professor even arrived. In comparison, Erika had simply gotten away with it scott-free. Noticing Se-Hoon’s fascinated look toward her, Erika tilted her head. “What?” “It’s just a little surprising that you got off without any demerits.” “Well, that’s because I’m an honor student.” It was an unexpected answer. “Not because of your family’s name?” “The only thing my family’s influence did was allow me to skip the minor investigations. The result just now would have been the same if it were any other honor student.” So, being an honor student means getting that kind of leniency. Erika’s calm answer piqued Se-Hoon’s interest quite a bit. He knew that Babel shamelessly favored talent and achievements, but he didn't expect the disparity in treatment to be this significant. In other words, as long as the results are good, they don’t mind if the process is a bit rough. Satisfied by the useful tip he learned, Se-Hoon smiled. “Thanks. I feel like this could come in handy later.” “Sure,” responded Erika with a little nod before looking at Se-Hoon. “So, how are we going to settle the account?” “Account? Oh, right.” Figuring out what she meant, Se-Hoon recalled the things he had previously received from Erika. I was paid in advance with the Yin-Yang Pill, and she even acquired the Purifying Earthstone for me and assisted in the Black Arms as well. However, when considering the value of the Spirit Bone Armor—which helped enhance one’s abilities and guide their direction for the future—she ended up with a small profit, which made it a bit tricky to ask her for something specific in return. Pondering for a moment, Se-Hoon decided on a solution. “Instead of settling it with money, just get me something else.” “Something else?” “Materials, potions, or even helping me out when something comes up later. Whatever’s convenient for you.” Telling someone to get them “something” usually meant “I don’t know what I want, but you should figure it out,” but this time, he genuinely didn’t care. She’ll probably bring something useful for herself, he thought. It was just like how Eun-Ha had “gifted” him mountains of professional books before the regression to guide him toward forging the kind of equipment she wanted. He was fine with that though; Se-Hoon intended to use this small reward to figure out exactly what Erika was trying to get out of him. “Hmm... alright. I’ll think about it.” “Alright. I’ll be off then.” “Okay. See you next time.” *** Having parted ways with Erika, Se-Hoon descended to the dormitory main floor while reviewing the list of tasks at hand. I should be finished with all pending requests now... so next should be Kim In-Cheol. Walking aimlessly, he began to organize his thoughts about the upcoming task. Before the regression, Kim In-Cheol was suspected of being a part of Offering, a sub-group of Watchers. He also has possession of the Fire Heaven Greatsword, a Five Elemental Equipment, which likely made him a target of the Flame Sword Blacksmith Hunter. He did die suspiciously early too... Reviewing the list of information he had, Se-Hoon came to a conclusion: In-Cheol was a blacksmith with a suspicious past. Getting people like him to talk is the most challenging part, thought Se-Hoon with a frown. Moreover, he was currently a student—a position that made it even harder to get information from him. It uses the mana infused within it as fuel to ignite or strengthen flames, protecting the target from heat until all of the mana is used up. *Can use absorbed mana as fuel *The target being sapped of mana is protected by the flame. *Enables the use of the skill ‘Selective Fire’] As expected, he made it so that it burns up mana first. Imitating the real process, In-Cheol created a similar effect to how heat was blocked by the steam created when wet hands touched molten metal.[1] As long as a sufficient amount of mana is supplied, it can withstand any flame, no matter how hot it is—and that includes the heat of the Shattered Flame. Furthermore, the absorbed mana could be used to strengthen the flame, helping to maintain the temperature of the Shattered Flame to some extent. He saw some flaws in it, but it was a decent approach, so Se-Hoon was still satisfied with it. Interrupting Se-Hoon’s examination, In-Cheol cautiously asked, “What do you think?” “It looks good. It’s a shame that the wearer is exposed to the heat until it’s worn and doesn’t have any means to control the heat, but it should serve as a solid prototype.” Hearing Se-Hoon’s response, In-Cheol unconsciously displayed a satisfied expression. He was glad that Se-Hoon, with just a brief inspection, understood all of its flaws. “My idea was to first ensure the wearer’s protection, and then gradually add components to control the heat.” “In that case, we should forge a scabbard next. How about using Inkstone Ore for it?” “I’ve considered that too. However, Inkstone Ore is not ideal for maintenance, so I’m still pondering how to manage that.” “Oh, I’ve recently learned a skill that might help with that...” Discussing for a long time, In-Cheol accepted and fine-tuned the details of several of Se-Hoon’s suggestions with some contemplating after each one. He for sure knows about the original form of the Shattered Flame, the Fire Heaven Greatsword, realized Se-Hoon, in the midst of their discussion. If In-Cheol hadn’t known about it, he would have focused solely on repairing the Core and reducing the escaping heat. However, he also paid attention to several other functions, including the key feature of being able to designate what the flame burns. Is there something specific he wants to burn? What could he be aiming for? Musing over In-Cheol’s still mysterious intentions, Se-Hoon’s attention was brought back by In-Cheol’s serene voice. “...Thank you.” Then he continued, standing up to face Se-Hoon, “Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve finally made progress after years of being stuck in the same hole.” “You don’t really need to thank me; all I provided were the materials. It’s your hard work that made this possible, Professor.” “No, without those materials, I wouldn’t have even been able to attempt this method.” Shaking his hand firmly, In-Cheol grasped Se-Hoon’s hand. “Thank you, truly.” It was a sincere expression of gratitude and even a new Fatestone had been created. But... Hmm. The bond level didn’t rise? It made him make a curious expression. Given In-Cheol’s reaction, he should have felt like Se-Hoon had given him quite a bit of help, yet the outcome seemed mediocre. Perhaps he’s still keeping quite a distance inwardly. Again, due to the lack of information about In-Cheol, it was impossible to make a clear judgment. The recurring uncertainty was beginning to frustrate Se-Hoon. Should I just lay it all out? He could mix in a bit of falsehood to coax out whether In-Cheol was from Watchers and the fact that the Shattered Flame was the Fire Heaven Greatsword without raising too much suspicion. But still, he didn’t. Se-Hoon hadn’t didn’t want to take the risk of damaging their Relationship and, more importantly, his favorable impression of In-Cheol as a person. If he were a shady character, I would’ve introduced him to my hammer right away. He struggled over whether there was a cleaner and more discreet method. Then, in the midst of his struggle, a single regret came to his mind. If only I could see through his memories with the Phantasmal Spyblade like how I looked through my memories... Since he was able to access memories from the past until his body forcibly shook him out of them, it should be possible to look through In-Cheol’s memories too, as long as he could figure out a way to somehow tap into them. At this point, Se-Hoon’s racing thoughts stopped. Wait. Wait. Wait. Why not just... Using the Phantasmal Spyblade to peer into his own memories required extracting memories bound within his Fatestone and embedding them into his consciousness. If that was possible, shouldn’t it work with someone else’s Fatestone too? Squeeze. “Huh?” Puzzled at the sudden pressure on his hand, In-Cheol looked down. And saw Se-Hoon’s hand tightly gripping his own. What is he up to? In-Cheol tried to pull his hand away, but Se-Hoon didn’t let go. “Why are you doing this all of a sudden?” asked In-Cheol, bewildered. Se-Hoon, still holding his hand, raised his head. “Thank you, Professor.” With a very bright smile, Se-Hoon looked at In-Cheol. “Hmm?” “Thank you so much! I’ll be off now!” After a vigorous handshake, Se-Hoon rushed out of the workshop without properly saying goodbye. It took In-Cheol aback. Then, he chuckled softly. “I guess I’m not completely out of touch yet...” Feeling a sense of accomplishment from having imparted some wisdom to a young man, In-Cheol made an awkward smile. Just a quick look! Meanwhile, as In-Cheol stood there, smiling, Se-Hoon was sprinting toward his dormitory with all his might, eager to glimpse into In-Cheol’s past. 1. If you’re interested, I believe the author is referring to the Leidenfrost effect. ☜