Chapter 111
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: The Regressor Made It All
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Keyiing!
A spherical frame formed as five golden rings embraced one another. On the surface, it merely looked like one additional ring had been added to Dane Clodel's blueprint, but in reality, the difference was immense.
"Observation start."
Wuuung!
Golden waves radiated from within the spear.
It was detecting objects capable of receiving simple enchants, and every submitted item in the testing hall reacted, beginning to glow with golden light.
A faint golden mist rose from all directions. Lea couldn't help but gasp in admiration at the magnificent sight.
"It really worked..."
Since ritual armament vessels were a type of armament, it wasn't strange for them to handle simple enchants. But a magic circle composed purely of rituals was a different story.
Unlike a completed armament as a single object, a magic circle formed solely from mana could easily be distorted by an enchant.
'And yet... he increased its versatility to handle magic circles too, by adding rings and adjusting the axes' positions... Is this really something doable in just a few days?'
To put it simply, it was like finding five dots in identical positions amid hundreds of randomly selected drawings.
It required not just talent, but 'experience' with various rituals—and Lee Se-hun had accomplished it in mere days.
'Just what is my junior's true identity?'
As Lea stared at the outrageous result with an incredulous expression,
"What are you doing? On to the next step."
She snapped out of it at Lee Se-hun's call.
"Ah, sorry."
"I get that having me here makes you feel secure, but don't get too relaxed. Stay sharp."
"...Got it."
It wasn't wrong, but his snarky warning sharpened her focus like biting into bitter ginseng. Lea moved on to the next phase.
"Celestial synchronization."
Charruruk—
The five rings rotated, shifting axes, while the golden mana that had seeped into the submitted items burrowed deeper inward.
Click!
The rings locked into axes suited for controlling the submitted items, accelerating their spin to draw golden mana toward the center.
And the moment a golden sphere formed at the spear's core...
Wuuuung!
A resonance phenomenon from mana swept through the entire testing hall.
The submitted items, crafted in wildly different ways by the participants, now harmonized perfectly, as if made by a single hand.
Those clustered by the exit wall wore expressions of disbelief at the surreal sight.
"Is that even possible?"
"How the hell do you even make something like that?"
It wasn't just difficult—it was impossible to even imagine how such a device could exist.
Everyone felt overwhelmed, as if beholding an artifact from another world, and Rebecca's pupils trembled faintly.
'He really turned Dane's design into...'.
For something like that to emerge from an incomplete blueprint she'd only jotted down her thoughts on.
As Rebecca felt awe, shock, and even fear, Lea promptly pulled out her enchant palette.
"Hoo..."
Everything so far had been preparation. Now came the real work. Dipping her brush into the palette, Lea recalled that fact.
"First one?"
At Lea's question, Lee Se-hun quickly scanned the testing hall's mana and replied.
"Start with mana-sharing network formation. Then layer ritual acceleration and stabilization to ramp up consumption."
"Okay."
Following Lee Se-hun's instructions, Lea began drawing an enchant ritual over the golden sphere at the spear's center.
Keyiing
With each stroke, waves spread from within the spear, and golden script emerged on the surfaces of the submitted items.
The simple enchants applied earlier to induce resonance were now being reshaped into 'devices' to resolve the crisis—that was Lee Se-hun's plan.
Wuuung!
The glowing golden submitted items consumed mana more stably than before, gradually handling the chaotic influx into the testing hall.
"Next—only on submissions 1, 4, 16, and 59. Engrave mana neutralization and dispersion rituals, then make them cancel each other out."
Charruk!
One ring rotated to resonate only with the specified items, engraving the enchants, and the process repeated similarly.
It was like assembling tiny puzzle pieces into a massive one. The volume was one thing, but aligning them precisely made Lea's brow furrow.
'My head's gonna explode...'
Building required care, but collapse could chain like dominoes from a single mistake via resonance.
The pressure of engraving the perfect enchant each moment. The dread of the catastrophe her error could unleash.
Those emotions tormented Lea amid the frenzy, yet her brush never faltered.
'I can do this.'
It was grueling, painful—but unlike the past where she'd been powerless to act, now she could.
Wuuung!
Her father's legacy, once a source of misfortune due to her mistakes.
Seeing it fully activated, saving people, made Lea's eyes shine.
'I'll make it succeed...!'
This time, she'd prove the spear's worth to everyone. Resolve burned in her eyes.
"...Impressive."
Charles sincerely admired as he pressed the switch hidden in his sleeve.
Thung—
Like a droplet rippling across a pond's surface, discordant mana stirred amid the perfectly resonating submitted items.
"...!"
Lee Se-hun, quickest to notice, swiftly manipulated the spear.
Kwaaaang!!!
A submitted item on the periphery exploded.
"Ex, explosion!!"
"R-run!!"
Destroying was far easier than building. The calmed chaos unraveled from one blast, and some cadets tried manipulating mana again.
"Ugh... those idiots..."
The cadets' interference, plus the explosion, disrupted Louise's control over the testing hall's mana. Submitted items began overloading one by one.
Wuuuuung!
Mana waves ballooned wildly via resonance.
The sheer scale made prior rampages seem trivial, twisting Lee Se-hun's expression.
'That bastard... targeting Lea even now.'
A mana erosion device hidden among the submissions.
Charles had activated it to erode Lea's mana via resonance.
'I deflected it for now, but... it's dangerous.'
Until just now, it had been salvageable. But Charles's meddling pushed it beyond peaceful resolution.
Rampage from resonance required simultaneous control of everything to subdue.
'...No choice.'
They'd have to smash the exit barrier and escape, accepting some damage.
Shifting plans, Lee Se-hun clutched his solar plexus—
"Not yet...!"
Lea's hands seized the spear's golden sphere.
Wuuung!
The moment she grasped the core linked to all submissions, the computational processes the spear had handled flooded her mind.
"───Ah."
Her vision whited out briefly, then cleared. Her upper lip felt wet, and a metallic tang coated her tongue.
Just a fleeting connection had overloaded her brain, snapping consciousness and bursting her nosebleed.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Lee Se-hun yanked Lea away by the shoulder, staring in shock.
Even mere resonance was risky; during rampage, one misstep could turn her brain to mush, leaving her an idiot.
"Haa, haa..."
Catching her breath at his call, Lea gazed at the spear and spoke in a trembling voice.
"I can... still do it..."
"You call that state 'can do it'? Don't talk nonsense."
Any further, and Lea could really get hurt. Judging so, Lee Se-hun turned to Louise.
"Louise. Gather max mana and blast over there."
Snap.
The hand clutching his shoulder tightened. Turning back, he met Lea's gaze.
"Just a bit more... then I can. Really..."
"..."
Her pale face contrasted with her clear, shining green eyes full of conviction. As Lee Se-hun wavered—
"Just help her."
Louise spoke calmly, still controlling mana.
"If she's that insistent, she must have something. You're not doubting Lea, are you?"
"Not that, but..."
There were limits to using crises for growth. Plus, a bit longer and even he couldn't handle it alone.
'Better cut it here.'
Regrettable for Lea, but right. As Lee Se-hun opened his mouth—
"It's fine."
Louise's voice whispered in his ear.
"I don't know how far ahead you're thinking, but I didn't waste time growing into a deadweight dragging your ankle."
"..."
"So let her go as far as she can."
Turning, Louise met his eyes steadily.
"This time, I'll help."
Her unexpected words stunned Lee Se-hun momentarily, then he chuckled.
"Alright."
Genius types always grew so fast—it never ceased to amaze.
With a new ally in the pinch, some breathing room emerged. Steadying himself, Lee Se-hun told Louise,
"Can you obscure our view from around us?"
Requesting word-spirit magic amid controlling unstable mana wasn't easy, but Louise replied with the spell.
"【Night Veil】"
Chwaak!
Part of Louise's gathered mana enveloped the two. Confirming it, Lee Se-hun turned to Lea.
"From what you're saying, you've spotted a pattern. But if that's all, odds are fifty-fifty. Rampaging like this means massive fluctuations."
"..."
"What you need now is 'experience' to calculate those fluctuations too."
Drawing his white light dagger, Lee Se-hun slashed his palm without hesitation.
Sweek
Bleeding deeply yet not a drop fell. Clenching his fist, he whispered softly,
"Blood fuels and lubricates the body—and now with mana, it serves as individual propulsion too. And I believe it can hold 'records'."
Like sharing unknown knowledge, like chanting an incantation, red energy rippled in his grip.
"Souls unbound by flesh, purest material. Extract memories from it into blood."
Wuuung
Operating soul-binding magic, he filtered blood from his body into his palm, envisioning a hammer in his mental image and striking hard.
Kang!
A faint tactile feedback in his hand. Opening his palm revealed a finger-sized red crystal.
"That's..."
"If you understood what I just said, you can accept it. Got it?"
At Lee Se-hun's question, Lea stared at the blood crystal, then nodded as realization dawned.
"This crystal means you're passing it to me, right?"
Accepting it would let her briefly become Lee Se-hun, naturally absorbing his memories.
Grinning at her answer,
"Perfect."
Pop.
He shoved the crystal into his mouth.
Sruruk
It melted instantly on his tongue, metallic tang flooding as info replayed in his mind.
Mana patterns once grasped only by form now filled with framework and variables via 'experience'.
Her brilliant talent, overwhelmed by lacking experience—imbalance aligned for the first time.
"Found it!!!"
Whoosh!
She seized the spear's core without hesitation.
Wuuung!
Vast computations flooded her mind, processed by set formulas, outputting an enchant like a result.
Confirming it, Lea gripped her brush and engraved the new ritual atop the golden sphere.
Chajak—!
The spear's rings rotated artfully, not hindering her strokes. The golden sphere filled densely with rituals,
"Restart!"
and the golden sphere swept outward.
Pang─────
The black curtain around them, Lea's gathered mana, all rampaging mana in the testing hall—everything vanished in golden waves.
Kugugung
The mana barrier blocking the exit crumbled easily, the partition rose, revealing the corridor.
"I-it opened!"
"Is everyone alright?!"
Ivory Tower staff from the opposite side rushed in. With everything seemingly resolved, cadets sighed in relief yet harbored doubts.
"What the hell just happened...?"
"Wasn't it the Tower handling it...?"
But the timing was too perfect. As everyone puzzled over the trio who seemed responsible,
"No way..."
Ran Fei, grasping the situation, looked dumbfounded.
"You hijacked the Ivory Tower's system and restarted it? Using that device for resonance?"
At Ran Fei's words, others blanked momentarily before faces hardened in realization.
The Ivory Tower's management system, crafted by top hero mages—it had been overtaken by cadets.
Even in rampage, it was absurd.
"Right? Oh, and I got a bit excited and wrecked one more thing..."
"One more?"
Restarting alone was incredible—what else? As Ran Fei eyed sheepishly grinning Lea perplexedly,
"P-professor Charles...!"
An Ivory Tower staffer rushed up in panic.
His dire expression, and recognizing him as a Dawn member under him, stirred odd unease in Charles.
'No way... impossible.'
Cadets couldn't do much. Composing himself, Charles asked,
"What's wrong? Calm down and speak."
"W-well..."
Glancing around, the staffer swallowed dryly and whispered,
"The Tower's system is rampaging, overloading and destroying all equipment with a specific mana pattern."
"Specific mana pattern?"
"Yes. It's..."
Hesitating, he continued,
"The new models we recently acquired."
"..."
New models. Charles's jaw dropped.
Dawn's devices, smuggled into Babel disguised as standard gear for new talent and materials.
"Saw some weird mana ritual rampaging the emergency engines, got pissed, and nuked everything related. Haha!"
All that equipment—vaporized in an instant.