Chapter 125
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Observer "Offering"
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Observer 『Offering』.
The group centered around blacksmiths—as the name implied—believed they could forge perfect weapons by making offerings.
To that end, they had offered something to the armaments they created through the "Offering Ritual." And among those sacrifices, the most commonly used material was humans. More precisely, their souls.
"Whenever they produced something decent, didn't they package it as a 'weapon infused with the artisan's soul'? Those bastards wanted to make it even more stable. Utter lunatics, the lot of them."
The more a soul was infused into an object, the higher its completion rate. So they started embedding souls from the very beginning.
It was the kind of deranged idea only a madman would come up with, just as his master had said. But the problem was that it actually worked.
The mana dwelling in a human body, combined with their mental image.
That unknown power born from the two dramatically elevated the armament's completion. Emboldened by their convictions, 『Offering』 pressed on with their research.
They used humans, monsters, demonkin—anything with a living soul—as materials.
'Won't you join us?'
In the end, they even turned themselves into materials for their weapons.
Recalling the proposal he'd heard from one of 『Offering』's underlings before his regression, Lee Se-hun unconsciously furrowed his brow.
'Still pisses me off thinking about it.'
The moment he'd heard it, he'd called in the allied forces to stop the Offering Ritual. But all that remained was an empty laboratory and a completed "Mythic-grade" armament.
'Excellent.'
And the only one left was the Demon God of Annihilation, Merylun, clutching it in satisfaction.
'Looking back, it's a miracle any of us survived that day...'
Merylun alone had already been a handful for anyone short of a Summit Climber. But with the Mythic-grade weapon from 『Offering』, he'd become an outright catastrophe.
If not for the Lead Scout's covering fire, they wouldn't have survived with even thirty percent intact—they'd have been wiped out on the spot.
'Kim In-cheol was from 『Offering』...'
Did that mean he'd forged something using human souls as well?
As Lee Se-hun sank deep into thought about it—
[The Awakening Dream has activated.]
Splash—!
It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped straight into his mind.
'This thing's trigger is always so vague.'
Snapping free of his train of thought in an instant, Lee Se-hun grumbled inwardly as he scanned his surroundings.
"Hup...!"
"Sloppy."
Clang!
Jake swung the gleaming blue blade of his Radiant Sword with all his might, only for Ma Gwang-su—mana casually wrapped around his training sword—to deftly parry it.
Remembering he was in Body Control class, Lee Se-hun rubbed his eyes.
'Better stay sharp out here.'
He wouldn't get lost in distractions mid-battle, of course. But you never knew when or where trouble might strike, so maintaining tension was wise.
As Lee Se-hun tightened his loosened focus—
Crack!
A sharp impact echoed across the sparring ground.
Thud!
No time for a proper landing—Jake faceplanted and crumpled.
He wasn't stirring at all; he'd clearly lost consciousness. Yet even then, his hands gripped the Radiant Sword tight.
'Stubborn kid...'
Lee Se-hun chuckled at the sight. Ma Gwang-su, looking down at Jake, tapped his shoulder with the training sword before delivering his verdict.
"Not bad."
It might not sound like high praise, but coming from Ma Gwang-su, it meant Jake was seriously skilled.
'And he went out of his way to knock him out—means he was tricky to subdue.'
Lee Se-hun had wondered if he'd be awkward wielding a sword himself, but he'd adapted fast, judging by that bout.
As Lee Se-hun watched with interest, Ma Gwang-su turned and pointed his training sword at Jake.
"Get this punk outta here."
"Yes, sir."
Lee Se-hun hopped onto the platform, grabbed Jake by the ankles, and dragged him off to the side.
Then, gripping the Five-Colored Flame Blade in one hand and Little Light's hammer in the other, he faced Ma Gwang-su.
"Here I come."
"Bring it."
Lee Se-hun settled into stance. Ma Gwang-su lowered the training sword from his shoulder. Their eyes locked, tension peaking—
Thump!
Lee Se-hun kicked off the ground, shooting forward.
The Five-Colored Flame Blade thrust straight for his heart. Still flawlessly efficient, no wasted motion—but not impossible to block.
Clang!
Ma Gwang-su's training sword batted it aside easily. Then he slipped into the opening with agile precision.
Instead of panicking, Lee Se-hun calmly backstepped, swinging Little Light's hammer with full force.
Thoom!
A deeper resonance than blade-on-blade.
Ma Gwang-su's training sword skidded back, unable to fully deflect the shock. He eyed it with interest.
'Targeted the force center, huh? Looks brute-force, but the technique's smart.'
A fraction off, and he'd have countered instead. But Lee Se-hun had nailed it without a millimeter's error.
Clang! Thoom!
Thrusting blade met blocking hammer.
Their balance built like they'd been at it for years. Against C-grade skill and power, breaching was out of the question—defense was all he could manage.
'Time to up the ante on this one.'
Confirming Lee Se-hun's growth, Ma Gwang-su regripped his sword and clashed with the incoming Five-Colored Flame Blade.
Creeeak—!
The blade slid inward along the edge.
Lee Se-hun flicked his wrist to block, but Ma Gwang-su adjusted seamlessly.
Crack!
Predicting the move, he crushed the force center.
The same technique that had subdued Amir earlier returned on Lee Se-hun. Before he could react fully, it plunged deep inside.
Aiming for wrist or chest.
His finishing strike could pierce either effortlessly. Lee Se-hun's eyes widened.
'Now...!'
He detonated the mana in the Five-Colored Flame Blade.
Boom!
"?!"
An unexpected explosion from the flat.
The backlash flung Ma Gwang-su's sword aside. Little Light's hammer followed, targeting the sword's axis.
'Damn...'
It could snap or shatter at this rate. Ma Gwang-su twisted to recover, but couldn't fully block.
Thraaash!!!
The hammer smashed the flat; the training sword flew far off. Lee Se-hun exploded mana through his soles and charged.
Boom—!
An acceleration that would've shredded his body before. But last night's settled earth-affinity mana, "Pure Land," let his circuits absorb the recoil perfectly.
New technique, enhanced physique.
Lee Se-hun exploited the gap flawlessly, thrusting the Five-Colored Flame Blade at Ma Gwang-su's heart.
Vmmm—
A crude sword materialized in midair, aimed at his throat.
"...Isn't this a bit cheap?"
Lee Se-hun halted a hair's breadth away, squinting. Ma Gwang-su grinned back.
"I've used Imperial Swordsmanship since B-grade. Think you're the only one who can hide power?"
Imperial Swordsmanship: freely manipulating a sword remotely. An advanced application—B-grade heroes could manage it with the right setup.
"So you mean, back in B-grade days, you conjured a sword from thin air with sword aura and threatened my throat with Imperial Swordsmanship—in one second flat?"
But pulling it off like that was another level.
Like the difference between slicing meat on a board versus suspended by string in midair.
'Maybe A-grade, but B? Who you kidding.'
Ma Gwang-su paused at the question, then shrugged nonchalantly.
"Well, it was a dagger back then. Speed was the same, though."
"If I'd seen the dagger, I'd have fought accounting for it."
"Then I'd have fought accounting for what you'd account for. You know how vicious I was at B-grade? Got conscripted in that damn emergency—"
Out came the old war stories. Even pre-regression, he'd ramble endlessly when drunk. Lee Se-hun sighed inwardly.
"Yeah, yeah, got it. You win."
What else could he say? Ma Gwang-su cleared his throat awkwardly, changing the subject.
"Ahem. Not bad overall. If you'd properly learned Heavenly Swarm Sword from me and pulled off something similar, you could've countered that last attack."
"...Ah. I see."
"Not sword aura like mine, obviously. But a small dagger? Piece of—"
Seizing the moment, Ma Gwang-su launched into Heavenly Swarm Sword's virtues. Lee Se-hun realized why he'd played so dirty.
'Wondered what that was about. Just wanted me to learn Heavenly Swarm Sword.'
No way he'd take a disciple, so he was highlighting perks to spark interest.
'Not a bad technique, sure...'
A straightforward swordsmanship that grew endlessly with the user's training.
Pre-regression, Ma Gwang-su's feats with it were legendary. Solid pick—but the attitude soured it.
"Focus on Heavenly Swarm Sword from today, and in a few years, you'll see fruit—"
"Pass."
"...Tch."
Play it casual, and he'd learn fine. But no—he insisted on mastering everything else first.
Made sense for a secret sword art, but Lee Se-hun didn't see the hype.
'Plus... I can kinda figure it out just watching.'
Examining the hovering sword aura, his eyes narrowed. Ma Gwang-su smirked.
"Gonna learn by watching? Don't bother. You'll tangle your mana."
"I'm not that sloppy."
"Lost a guy that way once. What you see ain't everything."
At Ma Gwang-su's serious warning, Lee Se-hun eyed the aura again.
'Fair. Visible's not all there is.'
Secret techniques deeply embedded the user's mental image.
To wield properly, you needed the form and the image. Miss it, and it could backfire.
'Ma Gwang-su's mental image, though...'
Pre-regression, without his Unique Skill "Blacksmith of Bonds," it'd been hard to grasp. But as a regular customer, he'd picked up plenty.
And this time, regressing with the skill meant their bond was already forged.
'Extract the bond and study it close... might work.'
With the idea in mind, Lee Se-hun scrutinized the aura closer. Ma Gwang-su flinched.
'No way... Nah, impossible.'
Basics, sure—he'd demonstrated those. But sword aura Imperial Swordsmanship? Not copy-paste material.
Even as he dismissed it, a nagging doubt made him watch oddly—
Vmmm!
A buzz from his pocket. Ma Gwang-su pulled out his phone, frowned at the caller.
"Gotta take this. Be back."
He dismissed the aura and headed out. Watching him go, Lee Se-hun stroked his chin.
'That reaction usually means doppelganger trouble...'
Had they found a trace? As he eyed the door curiously—
"Urgh..."
A groan from below. Jake staggered up.
"Ah... Lost again, huh."
Rubbing his bruised jaw, he grimaced wryly. Lee Se-hun grinned.
"Don't sweat it. Knocking you out was the easy option—means you fought well."
"Yeah? Nice spin, but blacking out every time sucks."
Good intentions aside, passing out consistently stung. Seeing Jake's regret, Lee Se-hun pondered, then asked.
"That acupressure I taught you. Still practicing?"
"Yeah, whenever I get time."
"Next hit, tense your blood like you're hardening your whole body on impact. Might tank one."
"Harden..."
Jake mulled it over. The door creaked open—Ma Gwang-su poked his head in.
"Got a dispatch. Outta here."
"Dispatch?"
"Yeah. No clue when back, so self-study til—wait, no."
Something clicked. He eyed Jake.
"What'd that Luke punk say earlier?"
"Inviting active heroes for special classes..."
"Perfect. Assignment: beat those rookies. I'll tell him—take 'em with."
"Huh? How're we supposed to—"
"Fail, and grades drop—plus I beat you. Later."
He shut the door abruptly. Lee Se-hun, who'd listened quietly, asked Jake.
"Active heroes? What's that about?"
"After the Black Lotus flood, Babel started emphasizing real combat more. Department head's inviting pros for special classes."
"How many?"
"All Aqar Quf departments, so probably over a hundred."
"Hmm..."
Lee Se-hun's expression turned peculiar.
Inviting pros for experience. Sounded fine on paper. But the timing...
'Right when Ur's Magic Engineering Expo hits, Aqar Quf gets flooded too...'
Coincidence maybe. But knowing the Ten Evils eyed Ludwig warily, it smelled fishy.
'If Borsippa joins in...'
Unlikely, but who knew. As he pondered suspiciously—
Vmmm.
Pocket buzz. Phone screen: "Aria Myers."
"Who?"
"My sis."
"...Pick up?"
Feeling a twinge, Lee Se-hun answered anyway.
-Got a sec?
Her soft voice. He glanced at Jake.
"Sure. What's up?"
-Just checking on that mass-produced sword-aura armament prototype we discussed.
"Ah, that. It's..."
He reviewed his mental blueprint before replying.
"Design's done. Can start forging anytime."
-Great. How about entering it in this expo?
"...Expo?"
Sensing something off, his expression shifted.
-Guess you haven't heard. Borsippa's hosting top Forging Department grads for an exhibition.
"Grads..."
-Expo'll draw crowds anyway. Showcasing your prototype there? Not bad, right?
Lee Se-hun hesitated, then asked.
"When's the exhibition?"
-Prepping this week, opens next weekend.
Aqar Quf's hundred-plus pros. Ur's expo. Borsippa's show.
Influx amid department events. Too perfectly timed for coincidence. His eyes narrowed.
'These bastards...'
Something was brewing at Babel.
Convinced, he paused, then replied.
"Sounds good."
If they were scheming, dive in and wreck it. Eyes gleaming, Lee Se-hun checked his materials.