Chapter 142
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: The Visitor Frenzy
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Early in the morning, Lee Se-hun awoke from sleep amid the agony of his entire body feeling like it had been butchered. He examined the notification window hovering before his eyes.
Kim In-cheol has chosen the path of rehabilitation.
Atonement through repeated service lies ahead.
"Rehabilitation, huh..."
Lee Se-hun, grasping to some extent what decision the reformed Kim In-cheol had made from the notification's contents, immediately dismissed the window.
'If he chose it himself, then that's that.'
Atonement wouldn't be easy, but as long as he was alive, he could repeat the process countless times to wash away even a fraction of his sins.
There was nothing more he could do about it now, so Lee Se-hun neatly organized his thoughts on Kim In-cheol and looked around.
'Come to think of it, they said I'd been unconscious for a week.'
A time that was short if short, long if long. But given the scale of the incident that had occurred, it must have been quite the uproar.
His thoughts reached that point, and Lee Se-hun picked up his phone—which he hadn't touched during yesterday's checkup—and turned it on.
Vrrr!
No sooner had he powered it on than the vibrations went wild. Startled by the intense reaction, Lee Se-hun checked the notifications.
Most were messages from last night, and word of his regained consciousness must have spread, as many asked about his condition. But one stood out sharply among them.
It was nothing but a demand to settle the piled-up payments. Lee Se-hun narrowed his eyes at Yeom Seong-ha's consistent single-mindedness.
"This guy... sigh. Whatever."
He hadn't expected anything from him anyway, so it didn't faze him.
After replying that he was fine to everyone except Yeom Seong-ha, Lee Se-hun immediately scoured the internet for news from the past week.
"Pointless Security System. Is Babel's Safety Really Okay Like This?"
"Academy President Ludwig: 'An unprecedented incident involving multiple Ten Evils. It's not just Babel—humanity as a whole needs to be on alert.'"
"UD Group Chairman Jurgen: 'Ascendant Emperor can't keep pace with those around him. He'll bring even greater disaster someday.'"
"What a mess..."
A week had passed since the incident, yet far from being resolved, things had devolved into a chaotic blame game.
Naturally, the main target was Babel for failing to prevent it. As Lee Se-hun skimmed the details, his expression turned ambiguous.
'This is actually pretty well-contained, though...'
The Orchestrator, the Puppeteer, and the Dream Demon—three of the Ten Evils had shown up in person, and internally, Dawn and Oblation had collaborated.
The former were powerhouses no group could handle easily without a Summit Climber, and the latter had used long-planted insiders, making countermeasures difficult.
If this had happened in another city or training institution, tens of thousands of casualties wouldn't have been surprising. Limiting it to dozens was only possible because it was Babel.
'Looks like that Jurgen guy's stirring things up.'
Jurgen Kruger, UD Group's chairman and one of the unidentified Summit Climbers like Ludwig.
They'd long competed subtly over influence in the hero industry, so he was seizing the chance to hammer Babel relentlessly.
'But even so, it shouldn't be easy to push Babel this hard with just this.'
Any cool-headed look would show it wasn't preventable in advance, and Babel had done its utmost to contain it.
So what justification was he using for this media war?
Lee Se-hun, focusing on the most-viewed news, quickly found the cause.
"Damage was minimized because the Myriad Demons' Mire barrier weakened. And get this—it was done by one person, a third-year cadet no less...")
"'Vermilion Bird dominating the exhibition hall—who subdued that beast? Two cadets! What were Babel's faculty doing...?")
Criticism aimed at Babel—or more precisely, its faculty. Lee Se-hun wore a troubled expression.
'...Because of me?'
Cadets on-site had grasped the situation and responded swiftly, minimizing damage.
To the average eye, it was just impressive cadets. But considering Babel was an educational institution, it turned subtly problematic.
'What were you doing while the cadets handled it?'
Cadets, next in line for protection after civilians, solved the crisis—while active heroes and educators did nothing.
With Yeom Seong-ha's might rivaling A-rank heroes and Louise's speech magic being unparalleled, to outsiders, Babel looked incompetent.
'Didn't see this backlash coming...'
They'd prepared secretly to draw enemies in and prevent info leaks, but who'd have thought it'd become ammo to attack Babel?
As Lee Se-hun gave a wry smile at the unforeseen situation, scanning articles and reactions—
Knock knock.
"Coming in."
Ahn Jeong-wan entered the room with a light knock.
"Sleep well?"
"Ah, yes."
It hurt a bit getting up, but this was decent. Ahn Jeong-wan nodded in relief at Lee Se-hun's nonchalant reply.
"Just a quick check, so relax."
Ahn Jeong-wan approached, pressing a palm-sized portable scanner to his body. Status data appeared on the terminal in his hand.
"...?"
Ahn Jeong-wan frowned curiously at the terminal's reading. Recovery speed was benchmarked against those with similar physical stats.
In other words, 580% meant his injuries were healing over five times faster than peers.
"...Did you sneak some elixir yesterday by any chance?"
"Pardon? No. I've just been sleeping straight through since then..."
"..."
Ahn Jeong-wan pulled a strange face at the answer and rechecked the terminal.
'No traces of elixirs for sure... So this is pure natural recovery?'
Delicate areas like organs, blood vessels, and mana circuits healing this fast?
The speed was shocking, but what amazed Ahn Jeong-wan most was how cleanly his body was recovering.
'At this rate, misalignment risks should be present...'
A phenomenon when recovery outpaces bodily control—could worsen to mana crystallization if mishandled. Yet Lee Se-hun's body showed no disruption.
'With this speed and control, two months... no, full recovery sooner.'
Amazed at Lee Se-hun's markedly improved physique since last admission, Ahn Jeong-wan considered variables and prescribed accordingly.
"Condition's better than expected, so light walks or rehab should be fine. Start moving carefully on a schedule from today."
Lee Se-hun, gauging his reaction, asked tentatively at the positive response.
"Then hospital stay...?"
"No need for the full three months at this rate. But any sign of worsening, and we'll extend it—don't overdo it."
"Got it!"
"And..."
Inputting results into the terminal, Ahn Jeong-wan looked at him.
"Visitors? If you want quiet, I'll block them longer."
"Hm... Think it's okay to allow them. Seems like everyone's worried."
His condition wasn't bad enough to refuse, and more importantly, he needed to catch up on events during his coma.
'There'll be stories not in the news too.'
Ahn Jeong-wan nodded.
"Alright. Setting it to approval-only for now—meet when you're up to it. Use the terminal on the table."
"Understood."
Ahn Jeong-wan left after the brief explanation. Lee Se-hun got out of bed and picked up the terminal on the table.
"Visitor requests... Looks like a crowd's gathered."
Approval system to prevent a stampede if opened freely.
'Wonder how many.'
Curious, Lee Se-hun switched settings to accept requests.
And after a brief moment—
Riiiing!
"...Huh?"
Hundreds of notifications poured in like they'd been waiting.
The lobby of Ascus Ward.
As a top-three global medical facility, it bustled daily—but today's atmosphere was different.
"..."
"..."
People scattered throughout, eyeing each other warily.
Cadets from all years and departments mingled with non-ordinary visitors: officials from nations, corporate reps, media from the hero industry.
All gripped phones, staring intently—like hundreds in sync, eerie.
"Nothing today...?"
"At least give a clear answer..."
Tense, anxious gazes on screens. The odd tension lingered until—
"It's up...!"
A cadet's startled shout sent everyone surging to the desk.
"High Team Leader from Hero Association dispatch. Requesting visit to Cadet Lee Se-hun..."
"From UD Industries. We'd like to request a visit to Cadet Lee Se-hun—please include our company name..."
"Note that we brought a modest gift too...!"
Names, affiliations, even gifts specified for relay. More auction than visits—the reason was simple.
'Mass-produced sword ki must be secured at all costs!'
'Fall behind now, and we'll lag for years...!'
The mass-production technique once deemed impossible, realized by Lee Se-hun.
Unclear on completion or power yet, but a monumental invention shaping the hero industry's future.
Thus, all scrambled for any edge, eyes inevitably on its developer.
'Heard Myriad Demons' Mire targeted the tech and Lee Se-hun.'
'Inoue Erika and Jake Myers blocked the theft attempt.'
'Treating him as a mere cadet here would be brain-dead.'
In an unpredictable hero world, visits decided leadership. Everyone eyed who’d enter first—naturally converging on the prime suspect.
"..."
Blond youth Jake on the sofa, grimacing down at his bread bag.
'Should've come later...'
He'd come casually after a "fine" message, but the lobby was savagely competitive.
Uncomfortable under wary stares, Jake glanced around awkwardly—spotting a girl seated apart.
"..."
Inoue Erika, statue-still facing front. An intangible pressure kept people away, eyes averted.
'...Head home?'
Feeling queasy, Jake debated leaving when—
Vrrr.
His phone buzzed short. All lobby eyes snapped to him.
Startled by the spectacle, Jake checked the message.
Glancing around, Jake replied.
No better word. Sighing after sending, he felt an odd gaze nearby and turned.
"..."
Erika, now staring blankly at him with her doll-like face and deep eyes. Jake swallowed dryly, firing off to Lee Se-hun.
Seemed healthy enough; later was fine. Unadapted to the battlefield lobby, Jake slipped out fast. Watching his back, Erika's lips curved faintly.
'Good.'
With Jake gone, she was now top contender for mass-produced sword ki talks.
Confident she'd be called soon, Erika quietly waited, gift bundle in hand.
"Is Department Head Ryu Eun-ha here?"
"Yes."
"You may enter."
Ryu Eun-ha rose from the corner at the staff's call and headed inside.
"Patient Lee Se-hun will accept no more visitors today. Please head out."
"Damn..."
"As expected of Department Head Ryu..."
The waiters grumbled and dispersed; the bustling lobby emptied in moments.
Erika, left behind, gazed down at her gift bundle.
"..."
Her face fell as she fiddled with the wrapping.