Chapter 223

Words : 1626 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

Chapter 223 Returning to Babel from his meeting with Baek-Yeon, Se-Hoon enjoyed his first moment of leisure since the summer vacation began. Aside from when he headed out to work on the Synesthetic Mindscape Storage Devices for the Pleasure District whenever Dawn called, he used all of his time to research the powers of the Perfect Ones. Each day was peaceful without major incidents, and a week flew by before he knew it. Hmm... I think we should be almost ready by now. According to Amir, who had contacted him a few days ago, the signs he had mentioned were starting to appear throughout the Pleasure District. Now, once the final preparations were complete on his side, he could begin the assault at any time. The only question remaining is when should I make those final preparations... Pondering it over while finishing a hastily eaten sandwich, his breakfast that morning, he suddenly heard a loud noise from the front door. Bang, bang, bang! Ding dong, ding dong! Wondering who it was, he sent a Shadow Thread to press the intercom button and saw Lea slumped with her face practically plastered against the door. “Right on time.” Chuckling at the timely arrival, Se-Hoon pressed the button on the intercom with the Shadow Thread to open the door. Shortly after, Lea walked into the kitchen, practically dragging her feet. “Ugh...” Awkwardly stopping before the kitchen table, Lea made a strange noise. Looking at her from up close, the color of the dark circles around her eyes had deepened to black, and her pupils were only half-focused. She looked completely dazed. Seeing her like that, Se-Hoon curiously asked, “How long has it been since you last slept?” “About... four days...?” Lea's voice was full of uncertainty like her memory was fuzzy. Feeling sorry, Se-Hoon gave her a wry smile and stood up. “Want some coffee?” “No... I’ll just get even more sleepy if I drink something now.” “Really? Then at least sit down—” “No.” Cutting him off, Lea waved her hand feebly and the look on her face became more determined. “I’ll fall asleep right away if I sit down now. I’ll show you the finished product and then leave right away.” Realizing her eagerness to show the finished product that made her come straight here instead of taking a nap from those words, Se-Hoon acquiesced. “Alright, let’s do that.” “Whew...” Taking a deep breath, Lea pulled out the completed Inkstone Bracelets from her void pocket and placed them on the table. Wooong- Placed on the table together, they immediately began resonating with each other. Typically, additional enchantments would eliminate any resonance the original possessed, but Lea’s enchantment made the resonance even clearer than before. So she perfectly replicated the enchantments. Pleased that her skills had improved significantly since the first time he had seen her work, Se-Hoon put the bracelets on his wrists and ankles. Hmm. These don’t feel like anything. In the past, just wearing them would have drained his strength, but now that his physical abilities had improved, the bracelets didn't affect him at all. Shaking his body lightly, Se-Hoon looked up at Lea, who was staggering. “Now all I have to do is summon Abgrund, right?” “That’s right.... Then the enchantment will activate.” Having gained Lea's confirmation, Se-Hoon immediately summoned Abgrund from beyond the boundary. Woong- Glowing, the enchantments engraved like constellations on the surface of the Inkstone Bracelets lit up all at once when Abgrund appeared. An invisible link began forming between the equipment, and when it stabilized, the Netherworld’s darkness mana stored in Abgrund naturally began flowing into Se-Hoon’s body. “Oh...” Unlike before, when he had to forcefully draw it out with the power of Boundaries, the mana moved much more smoothly. Seeing Se-Hoon marveling at the feeling, Lea rubbed her eyes and explained, “I noticed that no matter how well one can handle the power of Boundaries, there seems to be an inherent incompatibility with the living. It was like an unsolvable mismatch.” “There’s definitely some truth to that.” Although Se-Hoon had become accustomed to using the power of Boundaries to draw darkness mana from the Netherworld, he still couldn’t say he had full control over it. To make a comparison, it was as if he was drinking from a saucer instead of a cup—there was still a strange disconnect. But now that disconnect had completely disappeared. “So, I designed the enchantment to use the bracelets as a medium to allow you to harness the power of Boundaries. Simply put, it’s like tricking both the darkness mana and your body simultaneously with an intermediary.” “Tricking them both... huh?” Thinking about Lea’s explanation, Se-Hoon drew out darkness mana from the Netherworld again. Sss- Gathering at his fingertips, the summoned mana rose into the air and transformed consecutively into an axe, a spear, and a dagger. During the process, he focused on the movement of the mana, which had become much more refined than before. If it’s like this... Recalling what he had been recently researching about the power of Boundaries, Se-Hoon compressed the darkness mana into a single point. “What are you doing?” “Shh.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn Shushing Lea, Se-Hoon focused on the compressed mana in his palm. Woong- “Did that old grandma really have to bring that up...? Anyway, what are you trying to ask me?” Changing the subject smoothly, the Seeker focused her attention on Se-Hoon as he began to explain his upcoming plan. “Hmm...” The Seeker pondered for a long time before finally whispering the answer to him, “It does seem doable. Based on the information I have and what you’ve provided me, there shouldn’t be any technical issues.” “That’s a relief.” “However, I’m concerned about whether that Lea girl can keep up with you.... Are you sure she can handle it?” While the Seeker did acknowledge Lea’s undeniable talent and skills, she also knew that life was unpredictable. “Don’t worry.” But Se-Hoon was completely calm. “When it comes down to it, she’ll do whatever she can to get it done.” He was absolutely certain of that. After all, the only alternative was her death. It was an unchanging truth that applied to most people, which he had learned from first-hand experience before the regression. *** I was not strong enough... As her lifelong regret played back in her mind, Lea, who had been sleeping like the dead, suddenly jolted awake. “Huff... Huff...” Cold sweat drenched her entire body, and her head throbbed with pain. She had dreamt of that dreadful day when both her parents had vanished—a nightmarish day that had been plaguing her for decades. Running a hand through her disheveled hair, Lea tried to shake off the lingering terror. “Is today my unlucky day...? Hmm?” Muttering to herself, she tried to reach for her phone when she noticed something amiss. Taking a closer look, she noticed the layout of the room was different from her own. Awakening in an unfamiliar room, she blanked out. Then, when she abruptly realized where she was, her eyes widened. No way... Realizing whose bed she was in, she practically leaped out of it. “He could’ve just left me on the sofa.... What is this... eek!” The state of the bed made her let out an involuntary shriek. Looking at the sheets soaked with sweat from her nightmare, she broke out in a fresh wave of cold sweat. This... this is bad. Regardless of her closeness with Se-Hoon, there were still standards of dignity to maintain. Spotting her hairpins and ornaments on the nightstand, she quickly activated a newly inscribed enchantment. “Setting!” With the influx of her mana into the hairpins and ornaments, they began rising into the air and flew toward the bed. The three hairpins then started rotating in a circle above the bed, and when the blue pin and red ornament glowed, the sweat on the sheets started to evaporate. “Phew...” At the sight of the bed linen becoming fresh and dry again, Lea let out a breath of relief. Just then, the bedroom door creaked open. “You’re already awake... Hmm?” Stepping into the room, Se-Hoon paused and puzzledly surveyed the room before looking curiously at Lea. “Did you spray perfume or something...?” “Aghhh!!” Bang! Letting out a scream, Lea rushed to the window and opened it so forcefully that it nearly shattered. Sparkling, the green hairpin quickly began ventilating the room’s air. Whoosh! Confused by everything that happened in the blink of an eye, Se-Hoon gave Lea a perplexed look. “What’s up with you all of a sudden?” “Shush. Don’t ask any more questions. I have my personal standards too, you know.” “Uh, okay... sure.” Baffled by Lea’s uncharacteristically desperate appearance, Se-Hoon moved on to the main topic. “Get dressed and come out. We need to move quickly.” “Huh? We’re going somewhere?” “We’re going to the Puppeteer’s hideout, like I mentioned before.” “Oh, right... wait, what?” Her hands freezing, Lea, who was about to tie her hair up, looked at him in confusion. She was becoming more and more bewildered. They were heading to the Puppeteer’s hideout now? While it wasn’t entirely surprising, since he had told her that they would go one day, why did they need to hurry? “...Who’s coming with us?” “Who else? Just you and me.” “No one else is coming?” “Nope.” Falling silent, Lea then cautiously asked, “Can I submit my resignation right now?” To that request, Se-Hoon smiled gently at her. “Nope.”

Chapter 223

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