Chapter 297

Words : 2219 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

Chapter 297 Se-Hoon stepped into the monastery at the heart of Paradise, a circular building surrounding a massive tree, under the guide of Kamal. “The Paradise Monastery was established by our church to develop the next generation of Holy Artifacts. This place serves as a workshop, research facility, and educational institution...” Kamal talked endlessly, giving a quick rundown of the monastery's purpose and the different facilities, with an enthusiastic expression. Was he always this talkative? Se-Hoon couldn’t hide his surprise. The Kamal he remembered was a quiet, calm figure—an iron hand in a velvet glove kind of person. He had been the one who managed to pull the crumbling Church together after the death of the Pilgrim, even risking his life to fight against the Demon Force. But now, he seemed... different. “Did you notice anything unique about the building style? The design blends elements from other religions we’ve absorbed, and there’s even talk within the church of developing it further... “Oh, I haven’t explained our church’s internal structure, have I? People often misunderstand, but we’re a polytheistic order that doesn't outright reject other doctrines. As a result, the religions we've integrated each have their own sects within our order... “Speaking of which, this reminds me of old times. Back then, I was just an ordinary mage hero, but after meeting the Pilgrim on the battlefield...” Each story Kamal finished led to three more, and by the time he wrapped up those three, nine more emerged. His words poured out non-stop, leaving Se-Hoon staring at him in a slight daze. This... doesn’t match up with my memories of him at all. He was sure that Kamal had a reputation for silence before the regression. That was why Se-Hoon was shocked to find him being so talkative. Perhaps sensing the shock in Se-Hoon's gaze, Kamal awkwardly coughed. “Ahem. My apologies. I suppose I enjoyed talking more than I realized...” “...Oh, it’s fine. My friends were also enjoying it, right guys?” Se-Hoon asked, glancing back at the two behind him, Jake and Erika, who respectively seemed half-dazed and detached. “Y-yeah, totally,” Jake replied. “A bit, I guess,” Erika added. They both gave half-hearted responses that could have offended anyone, but Kamal just smiled. “There’s no need to worry. I don't expect everyone to remember every word.” “...Is that so?” Se-Hoon couldn’t help but wonder what kept Kamal so motivated to keep talking, despite knowing his words were half-lost on them. Seemingly sensing his doubt, Kamal then added, with a calm smile, “I just hope that even the slightest bit of it will stick with you.” Just what message did he want to get across so badly? Pondering it, Se-Hoon was about to probe further when they reached the entrance to the workshop. “We have arrived at the Paradise’s monastery workshop,” Kamal announced, opening the door to reveal a well-organized, pristine interior warmed by intense heat. Like the spotless halls, the workshop was kept perfectly tidy. Large furnaces occupied each corner, each with five openings, allowing for five people to work at once. Clang! Clang! Inside, five blacksmiths, all presumably members of the church, were hard at work in their work clothes, heating and hammering metal. Up to that point, it was a common enough sight, but what caught their eye was the pool of water in the center of the workshop. When a blacksmith dipped their forged weapon into the enormous barrel, something strange happened. Sizz- Instead of bubbles, the weapons gave off a faint glow. Then, when those tempered weapons were pulled out of the water, they could now see golden traces between the layers of metal. “Woah...” “Hm...” Noticing Jake and Erika watching in fascination, Kamal smiled and provided an explanation. “What you just saw is a process we call Baptism. It’s a process to align materials refined for mana with divine mana.” “By aligning it with divine mana... do you mean that the material now reacts to that rather than mana?” Jake asked. “Exactly. It’s a preparatory step for forging Holy Artifacts,” Kamal confirmed. “Divine mana...” Jake and Erika were clearly intrigued by Kamal's explanation. But Se-Hoon was indifferent, having studied the basic divine forging technique to death before the regression. I'm more curious why Kamal brought me here.... I’m still not following his intentions. After witnessing Se-Hoon's Sacred Flames go berserk, Kamal had suddenly suggested forging a Holy Artifact with him. And even though Se-Hoon had studied Holy Artifacts before, he still couldn’t see a clear connection between the two. Yet for some reason, Kamal had pushed for it as if it were the answer. Is there something I haven’t learned yet? While Se-Hoon was trying to figure out Kamal’s intentions, Kamal turned to face him. “So, what are you going to do?” Should he follow Kamal’s suggestion and try crafting a Holy Artifact? Or should he rely on what he already knew to tame his Sacred Flames? Mulling over it, Se-Hoon came to a decision a brief moment later, shrugging off the outer layer of his work clothes. “I’ll give it a shot.” He was already here, so he might as well try. Besides, it had been a while since he’d used divine forging techniques. Beginning by picking out the finest metal from the materials set aside, he examined it. This looks like an alloy specifically made for Holy Artifacts. Examining the alloy, Se-Hoon took out the Forgefire Hammer from his void pocket and gently tapped the metal’s surface with it. Zzzzng- The mana from the hammer coursed through the alloy, penetrating deeply to correct its crude mana array, maximizing its efficiency. Continuing to tap, the hammer further resonated with the alloy and the sound gradually sharpened, eventually ringing out clear and pure, almost like a bell. “...As expected,” Kamal murmured, smiling in admiration. With the preparation done, Se-Hoon stepped closer to the furnace. A bit hot in here, he thought, adjusting the temperature with the individual controls on the furnace. Just then, a blacksmith approached him hesitantly. “If you don’t possess divine mana, I could do the Baptism for you...” “Oh, there’s no need. I don’t think I’ll need it,” Se-Hoon replied. Ignoring the blacksmith who was taken aback, Se-Hoon placed the alloy into the adjusted furnace. In an instant, the alloy absorbed the heat, warming quickly thanks to the arrangement of the mana array he had fixed earlier. Se-Hoon then headed toward the water barrel in the center of the workshop, leaving the alloy to heat. Normally, Baptism requires forging with a hammer imbued with divine mana. While it was possible to forge Holy Artifacts using mana, divine mana increased the tool's efficacy several times over, making it almost essential. Therefore, blacksmiths that didn’t possess divine mana usually didn’t forge Holy Artifacts, but that didn’t mean it was impossible. Fwoosh! Se-Hoon channeled his mana into the Forgefire Hammer, causing it to heat up to a bright red hue, just shy of melting, before submerging it in the water barrel. Sizz- The divine mana naturally seeped into the hammer as it cooled. Then, when the divine mana had fully coated the surface layer, Se-Hoon infused the hammer again with mana again, blocking any more divine mana from seeping in. Woong! The infused mana formed a barrier around the divine mana, forcing it to condense and accumulate on the surface in a distinct form. Now, the divine mana clung to the hammer like a shell. With everything ready, Se-Hoon checked the alloy in the furnace. That side looks like it’s ready, too. Se-Hoon pulled the hammer from the water. Woong- From the previous red, the hammer’s hue had shifted to a radiant gold, causing those in the workshop to gasp at this sight. Meanwhile, Se-Hoon had swiftly retrieved the alloy with tongs and began forging. Clang! Clang! Each strike of the hammer reshaped the alloy, and in no time, it began taking the form of a sword. Pausing what they had been doing, the other blacksmiths looked on, astonished. Not only were they amazed by his skill in forging, they were also amazed by how the divine mana transferred from the hammer to the blade. With each strike, the divine mana embedded itself into the blade, forming small, nail-like imprints. And that process repeated until the fragments of divine mana formed a circuit along the weapon’s surface. “Wait...that’s an engraving process,” murmured one of the blacksmiths. Engraving divine mana circuits into a weapon to create a Holy Artifact was typically done after Baptism. In the Pilgrimage Church, they were never done simultaneously due to the difficulty involved. Clang! Clang! After all, embedding divine mana circuits into metal that wasn’t yet aligned well with divine mana only increased the load stress on it, creating a high risk of failure. Even the smallest mistake would leave the weapon as nothing more than scrap. Why is he going through all this trouble instead of just Baptising it? Is there some hidden advantage here that we’re missing? The surrounding blacksmiths all tried to think of a reason, remembering Se-Hoon's fame, but the answer was surprisingly simple. It’s so that I could handle the entire process. The blacksmiths that were blessed with divine mana could do the engraving themselves. But because Se-Hoon had lacked divine mana before he regressed, he had to rely on others, meaning he often had to rework things hundreds of times to get them just right. And one day, after frustrating repetitions of the same process over and over, he developed a simultaneous method to allow him complete control. It’s not so hard once you get used to it. Clang! Se-Hoon forced the divine mana into a nail shape with his mana, driving it into a specific part of the blade. A trace of normal mana did seep into the weapon during the process, but it was such a small amount that it wouldn’t cause any issues. Woong! When the divine mana on the hammer’s surface was almost used up, the mana circuits took shape, finalizing the sword as a Holy Artifact. With the process nearly complete, Se-Hoon quenched the blade in the water barrel at the center of the workshop. Hissss! The blade gleamed in the water, radiating a golden light. Unlike the other Holy Artifacts, which only absorbed a modest amount of divine mana, Se-Hoon’s sword drank in far more since it was already enchanted as a Holy Artifact, enhancing its quality above that of the other swords. This should be it. It was the same divine forging technique he had used before the regression. The process left him nostalgic, but that was all; it hadn’t brought any insight into his Sacred Flames. Why did Kamal tell me to forge this in the first place? Did he intend for Se-Hoon to enjoy the process and clear his mind? Or perhaps he hoped Se-Hoon might accidentally awaken his divine mana from this? No... Kamal wouldn’t suggest something so random. Though his personality was different from what Se-Hoon recalled, the essence of it shouldn’t have changed much. He was still a man who held his values firm while being kind to others—a respectable elder among the often erratic heroes. Something clicked in Se-Hoon’s mind. Essence? The word lingered on his lips. Repeating the word multiple times in his mind, he glanced back at the golden sword in the water, contemplating a question that had long puzzled him. Why does the divine mana of the Pilgrim and the Apostate share the same essence? If the two’s divine mana attributes differed, they would have clashed. And even if they were identical in attributes, they would have reacted differently depending on their nature. So why did their divine mana resonate as if they were fundamentally the same? Pondering it, a memory from before the regression was stirred up, a piece of advice he’d once received. “The resonance of the Black Flame Wheels and the Complete Source Resonance isn’t all that special, really. The reason that others don’t understand it is because they overthink it.” “Ignore all the intermediate processes—look only at the beginning and the end. You can only reproduce true resonance when you connect these two extremes.” It was what the Mad Dog had told Se-Hoon when he’d taught him the Inferno Ring. At the time, Se-Hoon had brushed it off as convoluted mysticism, but now he had begun to see the wisdom in it. Align the beginning and the end to converge the entire process as one. It was similar to how the displacement of marathon runners was always the same, no matter what path, speed, or time each runner took. As the concept crystallized in Se-Hoon’s mind, something about the sword submerged in the water began changing. Woong- The golden glow of the sword took on a dark hue, swirling and merging into a brilliant gray light—an unfamiliar, forbidden radiance. The sight stunned everyone in the room. [‘Divine Mana (A)’ and ‘Purified Earth (D)’ have combined into ‘Divine Power (A+)’.] [Skill ‘Pilgrim’s Prayer (A+)’ has been acquired.] A new power had settled within Se-Hoon.

Chapter 297

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