Chapter 138
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: The Regressor Makes It All
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“You...”
Kim In-cheol couldn’t find the words at the sight of Lee Se-hun.
Joy at the fact that someone like him had come to rescue him. And fear that he might have dragged an innocent bystander into this.
Caught in those indescribable emotions, Kim In-cheol’s lips trembled before he suddenly realized something and shouted urgently.
“Run! Now! That thing won’t die from an explosion like the one just now!”
“Yeah, I figured as much. I know.”
Lee Se-hun replied calmly, grabbing the spear shard piercing Kim In-cheol’s shoulder and yanking it out in one swift motion.
Splurt!
Blood gushed from the gaping hole. Without missing a beat, Lee Se-hun began emergency treatment using the power of the Fourfold Stone.
Shwick!
Silver threads burrowed into Kim In-cheol’s battered body, aligning broken bones, stitching torn muscles, and reconnecting mana circuits.
“Guh...”
The sensation was like being vivisected without anesthesia. Kim In-cheol shuddered in agony, but Lee Se-hun didn’t flinch, continuing the treatment steadily.
Once he’d stabilized the body enough to keep it from collapsing, he pulled a potion from his subspace pocket and applied it.
Sizzle!
“...!”
The body bubbled and frothed, healing at an accelerated rate.
Kim In-cheol could no longer even scream, reduced to trembling violently. Lee Se-hun watched with an intrigued expression.
Is it because I peeked into his memories before? The treatment’s going better than expected.
Thanks to glimpsing Kim In-cheol’s memories through the Dream Tusk Path, experiencing his body and mental image firsthand, the Fourfold Stone treatment was working beyond expectations.
That takes care of this side. Now...
With Kim In-cheol’s emergency care done, Lee Se-hun finally glanced toward where the motorcycle had crashed.
Roooar!
A massive pillar of fire shot into the sky, incinerating the surrounding forest.
On the way here, he’d used the Fourfold Stone to remodel the motorcycle itself into a weapon, but it hadn’t been enough against this foe.
Crack—Crunch—
A chilling sound echoed from beneath the wreckage.
The enemy’s shredded body was regenerating rapidly. Lee Se-hun sized it up and turned to Kim In-cheol.
“Professor.”
“Speak...”
Kim In-cheol looked even more haggard than before the treatment. Lee Se-hun gave an awkward smile.
“Looks like I’ll need your help after all.”
“...You won’t run even if I tell you to?”
“Nope. Too late for that anyway.”
With the motorcycle smashed, what good would running barefoot do against something stronger than him?
Kim In-cheol gave a wry smile at Lee Se-hun’s response and forced his limp body upright.
Drip...
He’d barely risen when blood oozed from the barely closed wounds. His body was so fragile it could tear at the slightest touch.
Ignoring the pain and fear, Kim In-cheol steadied his breath and asked.
“What do you need me to do?”
Lee Se-hun drew the Flame-Stacking Sheath holding the Five-Colored Flame Blade from his waist and handed it over.
“Heat it up. As hot as you can.”
“...”
What did he plan to do with tools that weren’t even Hero-grade?
Kim In-cheol couldn’t fathom it, but instead of questioning, he nodded.
“Got it.”
“I’ll leave it to you then.”
Entrusting the prep work to Kim In-cheol, Lee Se-hun dove into preparations for the imminent battle.
Whooo...
The blade of the crescent glaive used by the assassin who ambushed Yeom Seong-ha earlier. And the Lv. 2 bond stone extracted from Lea.
Clutching both in his left hand, Lee Se-hun activated Bond Engraving.
[Bond Engraving 'Ore Prospecting' activates.]
Crunch!
Under Ore Prospecting’s effect, the two materials melted into a lump of molten metal and seeped into his body, forging blood essence.
A fragment of a Hero-grade weapon. Combined with Lea’s bond stone ‘Explosive Growth,’ which amplified material potential to its limits, the synergy was tremendous.
Vrrrrm!
The taste of armament exploded from his mouth, surging through his entire body.
His body hair stood on end as the blood essence raced wildly through him, the tips of his hair staining a vivid crimson.
Roooar!
If it had merely seemed like a similar reinforcement skill before, now it truly resembled using a Dragon Soul Furnace.
Heat began to flicker not just in his hair, but in his eyes as well. Lee Se-hun realized this was the manifestation of the Dragon Soul Furnace’s second stage: ‘Crimson Eyes.’
They said the second stage is different... and they were right.
Where the prior enhancement merely bolstered the body, now all his senses sharpened, allowing him to perceive far more.
Senses extended in all directions. Detecting the enemy rising from the motorcycle wreckage in the distance, Lee Se-hun drew the Morning Light Hammer and advanced.
The moment the Flame Blade Hunter—its body wreathed in flames—entered his view...
Thud—
The flames erupted, and it charged right at him.
The Flame Heaven Blade swung for his throat. Its body enhanced mid-regeneration placed it at the pinnacle of A-rank, and the armament neared Legendary grade.
In contrast, Lee Se-hun was barely scraping A-rank with improvised gear and a time limit. A head-on clash would end in obliteration.
But...
I see it.
His razor-sharp senses assured him they could bridge the gap.
Clang—!
The Flame Heaven Blade clashed with the Morning Light Hammer.
A difference in power that should have shattered the hammer—and half of Lee Se-hun along with it—but the Flame Blade Hunter’s swing glanced off harmlessly, as if deflected by its own wielder.
———!
Stunned by the unexpected outcome, the Flame Blade Hunter roared savagely and flailed the blade wildly, but the results were much the same.
Clangclangclang!
Lee Se-hun’s Morning Light Hammer deftly struck the flat and edge, deflecting attacks. Blind punches and kicks were evaded with ease.
He moved with the leisure of humoring a tantrum-throwing child. Kim In-cheol, heating the Five-Colored Flame Blade, gaped in shock.
What in the world...
He’d seen Lee Se-hun’s enhanced physique, but dominating—no, overwhelming—the Flame Blade Hunter was impossible.
Staring in disbelief at the surreal scene, Kim In-cheol soon realized how it was possible.
Has it lost its reason?
The Flame Blade Hunter charged ferociously after regenerating, roaring. At first, he thought it mere rage, but every movement lacked finesse.
Right. It rushed a hasty specialization ritual without proper preparation...
A true specialization ritual attuned the body to the armament over time.
But the Flame Blade Hunter had revived the Flame Heaven Blade’s origin and forcibly welded it to its body using Vermilion Bird power.
The result wasn’t a body tailored to the blade—it was fully fused with it.
———!
Boom!!
Forgotten decades of honed technique, it swung wildly, dragged by the Flame Heaven Blade.
Its clumsy movements belied lethal power—a graze would kill—so Lee Se-hun honed his senses further.
Bang!
The Flame Blade Hunter stomped the ground. Power surged up its body to the blade.
Lee Se-hun’s eyes traced that single flow clearly, then countered with the exact opposite.
Battleslay Technique: Mirror Strike
Clang—!
A perfectly mirrored force exquisitely deflected and dismantled the attack.
But before he could savor it, the Flame Blade Hunter roared louder, swinging madly.
Boomboomboomclang!!
He parried successfully, but it wasn’t effortless.
Each blade deflection tore at his hands. Dodging fists and kicks left his body aching as if struck, even from near-misses.
This thing hits like a damn truck...!
Technique bridged the power gap, but it was temporary. Worst was the Vermilion Bird’s regeneration.
Crack!
Even shattering wrists and joints did nothing; flames flared, and it regenerated instantly.
At this rate, decapitation would regrow mid-severance.
Half-hearted attacks would backfire. With Ore Prospecting’s time limit ticking, this was the worst matchup.
Clang!
Instead of panicking, Lee Se-hun calmly hammered the blade and eyed it.
Just a bit more...
Crimson-stained flat with faint cracks remaining. He hammered relentlessly like forging.
As the heat in his eyes began to fade...
Crack—
Cracks spread across the Flame Heaven Blade’s flat.
Thud!
Lee Se-hun stepped forward first. Hands crossed, drawing power to his waist.
The blade descended to split his skull. Beyond the Morning Light Hammer’s capacity, he forged a sharper, fiercer armament within.
Shallow Charge Sword
White Light
Pure white sword aura pierced from his forward foot through his body. Shaping it into a blade, Lee Se-hun crossed his hands and swung full force.
Claaaaang!!
White Light slipped into the crack first, then the Morning Light Hammer struck behind, driving the impact inward.
The Flame Heaven Blade—source of the Flame Blade Hunter’s power. The blow exploited the gap, reaching its core.
“Impressive.”
The Flame Blade Hunter’s clear eyes met his.
Roooar!
The blade that should have shattered scattered like flames. Its empty hand thrust forward.
Splurt!
A crimson blade from its hand pierced his chest. Lee Se-hun’s eyes widened, hands trembling as he dropped the armament.
Thud.
The Morning Light Hammer hit the ground; White Light dispersed into the air.
Weaponless, Lee Se-hun grabbed the blade piercing his chest with his right hand in a final struggle.
Sizzle!
Smoke rose from his palm. The Flame Blade Hunter stared silently before speaking.
“Your technique and response were flawless. The one flaw? Assuming too easily I was berserk.”
“Hah... hah...”
“For someone like me, for whom battle is daily life, fighting—or getting hit—restores reason quickly.”
Fleeing instead might have let him escape by luck.
Though others might die in his place—what meaning in that?
Orders were to capture alive if possible... but for this guy, death might be mercy.
Without regeneration or the blade, even he wouldn’t have won easily. Acknowledging Lee Se-hun’s skill, the Flame Blade Hunter glanced back.
The promising star the world watched, his student, dying to save him—what would that feel like?
I’ll never let you die.
He’d make him pay for twenty years of suffering. Burning with that grudge, he eyed Kim In-cheol.
But Kim In-cheol’s face showed puzzlement, not horror. At this mismatch, the Flame Blade Hunter felt unease—
“Space Distortion.”
The Ascendant Lord Ring on Lee Se-hun’s right hand, gripping the blade, warped space.
Crack!
Sensing the force, the Flame Blade Hunter reflexively kicked Lee Se-hun away.
Boom!!
Lee Se-hun smashed through trees. Without time to check if he lived, the Flame Blade Hunter eyed the blade.
“What...”
Massive cracks spiderwebbed its entire flat.
Lee Se-hun’s space distortion had utterly twisted and ruined its core.
Roooar!
Flames leaked wildly from the cracks; those on the Flame Blade Hunter’s body distorted too.
Unsettled, it tried controlling the flames hastily.
Vrrrrm!
But the more it tried, the fiercer they raged, cracks spreading, power scattering wildly.
As if the souls inside fled—the violent reaction made it shriek hysterically.
“Why... why are you trying to escape...!”
Wasn’t paradise—their dream—right there?
Eyes bloodshot at the writhing betrayers within, it gritted its teeth.
This won’t do...
The already flawed ritual. Further distortion risked total failure.
Even if all plans failed, even if the blade fell to the enemy—it couldn’t end like that.
His daughter’s soul had to be proven worthwhile.
Reinforce the broken vessel first. For that, I need...
A compatible soul. Its eyes turned to where Lee Se-hun flew.
A promising talent even Gongyang noted. That soul would more than suffice.
With that thought, it dashed urgently.
Roooar!
Flames spread wildly, devouring trees, igniting the forest.
Amid the blaze, it spotted Lee Se-hun.
“That was close...”
Lee Se-hun stood, covered in blood.
His chest, stabbed by the blade, had only torn clothes; his body was intact, faint purple flames flickering around.
Finally understanding, the Flame Blade Hunter’s eyes bulged. Lee Se-hun smirked.
“Your technique and response weren’t bad... but believing naively I’d fallen for your ruse was your fatal mistake.”
It thought it hid its restored reason well, but Lee Se-hun had known from the start.
Initially, vital strikes got no reaction. Then, subtle awareness rippled through its body.
Decades of technique... that became its hindrance.
From then, he baited heart strikes, using Dream Tusk Storage at the critical moment to deflect.
Then the ring shattered the blade’s core vessel.
“...Yes. My mistake.”
Suppressing boiling rage and power, the Flame Blade Hunter continued.
“So, as respect, I propose: complete this armament together?”
“...”
“My daughter’s soul inside... add yours, and it could reach ‘Mythic’ realm!!”
Desperate to convince, it pleaded.
‘Mythic grade’—what every blacksmith dreamed of once in life.
Reaching it, even across timelines, would be monumental.
“Who asked for that?”
“Well...”
“Your dead daughter? The souls screaming to escape from within—do they really want that?”
At Lee Se-hun’s sharp question, it stared, entranced, at the rampaging blade.
————!
Twisted faces faintly visible in the flames. Its pupils shook, then it clenched its jaw.
“No... impossible! This is paradise...!”
Aaa—
A familiar voice whispered in its ear. Its convulsing body froze.
“Daughter...?”
Did she want to say something?
Faint mutter after the call. Indecipherable, slurred words—it strained to listen.
It hurts
The child’s feeble cry reached her father’s ear for the first time.
————!
A beastly howl erupted. Reason shattered; suppressed blade power lashed out wildly.
Power devouring the forest, on the verge of explosion. Lee Se-hun gauged its scale.
That size... this whole area’s toast.
Near houses—if evacuation incomplete, countless deaths, including theirs.
He reached for Kim In-cheol approaching beside him.
“Hand it over.”
“...”
Kim In-cheol eyed the Five-Colored Flame Blade, heated to his limit.
Vrrrrm.
The sheath’s function maxed it out, but it was a speck against the Flame Heaven Blade.
What could such a trifle do?
If I sacrificed my soul to mend or contain it...
Maybe even save Lee Se-hun. As he steeled himself—
Smack!
A kick grazed his jaw, dropping him.
“I said give it—stop overthinking... tch.”
Lee Se-hun snatched the Five-Colored Flame Blade from the fallen professor and faced ahead.
Roooar!
A world blanketed in flames, a ferocious blaze poised to consume all. Like cracking an egg on a boulder—victory impossible.
In that unreal scenario, Lee Se-hun recalled his master’s old words.
Forget fancy forges, top materials, ample time—that’s bullshit. Clear your head.
Forges get wrecked, materials scarce, time always short—that’s a blacksmith’s reality.
So what must a true blacksmith hone above all?
To show the answer drilled into him, Lee Se-hun thrust the Five-Colored Flame Blade into his heart.
Splurt!
The flame-heated flat pierced chest to back.
First time post-regression experiencing that bizarre vertigo. Through the heart-burning heat, he summoned his blood’s soul data.
Spirit-Forging Body Enchantment: Demonic Blood Ki
Crunch—Crunch—
Dripping blood coated the blade; it recreated armaments engraved in his soul.
Technique using soul and body as forge and vault.
The Spirit-Forging Body Enchantment’s secret unfolded from his hand.
Splurt!
A single sword forged inside his heart.
Blade crumbling like charred coal, branches mimicking the Ink Spider’s form—withered and pathetic.
Gripping the grotesque ‘demonic sword,’ Lee Se-hun extended it sideways, unleashing flames.
Drip...
Flames dripped like blood, spreading into the burning forest.
Dark red flames devouring the Flame Heaven Blade’s fire. At the eerie sight, the wailing Flame Blade Hunter shuddered and looked.
Roooar!
Lee Se-hun, backlit by the inferno, dangled the demonic sword, staring.
That loathsome, terrifying foe restored its reason briefly.
————!
Burning all remaining power, it charged.
Body crumbling to massive flames, Flame Blade Hunter and blade hurtling forth. Lee Se-hun swung the demonic sword.
Soul-Origin Weapon: Starflame Radiance
Dark red flames consumed the world before his eyes.