Chapter 27
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Regressor Makes It All
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"A former professor?"
"Yeah. He said he retired five years ago and opened up a hardware store in Aqar Quf. Isn't that crazy?"
Lee Se-hun furrowed his brow as he listened to Lea's story while strolling through the park. A guy who'd been a professor in the Forging Department was now running a little hardware store?
It wouldn't be so strange if he lacked skill, but this was someone who seemed on par with Kim In-cheol, one of the world's top hundred artisans. That made the whole thing even more baffling.
"Must be some backstory."
"Who knows... I never really heard anything specific. Whenever I'd ask, he'd just say it was too noisy or whatever."
"Hmm..."
"Oh, but it's not that big a deal. Quite a few professors from the Forging Department have left over the past ten years."
"...Really?"
This was info he hadn't known before his regression. Lee Se-hun's expression lit up with mild interest.
'Professors leaving since ten years ago...'
It could just be personal reasons for each one, but considering how the Forging Department had become the weakest division in all of Babel, it felt pretty significant.
'Guess I should look into it.'
The bigger the Forging Department got, the more support it'd funnel his way. Better to dig into anything useful.
As Lee Se-hun mulled this over, Lea tapped his shoulder.
"More importantly, how was my enchantment?"
"Oh, it was solid. Your fundamentals are rock-solid, no flaws there. I saw it clearly."
"...Hmph. What, for that?"
Lea grinned sheepishly, clearly not expecting such praise. Lee Se-hun chuckled and continued.
"But you're way too narrow-minded."
"...What?"
Lea's face stiffened.
It looked like he'd hit a nerve—maybe pricked her pride.
Confident he'd nailed it, Lee Se-hun pressed on without hesitation.
"Back at the hardware store when you did the enchantment. A better approach came to mind, but you didn't go for it, right?"
"W-Well, yeah, but... What the hell...?"
Lea stared at him in disbelief at the pinpoint critique.
She'd only hesitated for a split second before checking the stripped enchantment and moving her brush. And he'd noticed that tiny difference?
This went beyond just having a knack for enchantment.
"You can't help what you don't know, but knowing and not doing it? That's different. Especially if it's out of fear. Might as well say you got no talent."
"Urgh..."
"Imagination is key for enchanters and smiths alike. It's their weapon, their gift. Suppressing it? Ridiculous."
"Kuh..."
The more bluntly Lee Se-hun critiqued, the more Lea flinched like she'd been stabbed, letting out pained groans.
'It's not like I don't know...'
She'd long identified her own issue and spent over a year trying everything— even draining her emergency funds—to smash through it. But nothing changed.
That thing buried in her workshop vault. The aftermath of that incident had her trapped in a slump she couldn't shake from her mind.
Grind...
Humiliation at being called out by a junior. Self-loathing aimed at herself. As Lea unconsciously ground her teeth, Lee Se-hun's eyes gleamed.
'As expected... So that's her type.'
Her efforts to hide the slump had obscured who she really was, but now it all clicked perfectly.
Mission accomplished, Lee Se-hun eased off the whip and pulled out the carrot he'd prepared.
"Check this out."
Lea looked at the hand he extended.
A short dagger gripped in it. Black base with a simple enchantment etched on—nothing special compared to the Ink Spider Ring.
"What's this?"
"Can't show it long 'cause I've got stuff after, so focus."
"...?"
Perplexed by his cryptic words, Lea watched as Lee Se-hun demonstrated instead of explaining.
Before regressing, he'd cherry-picked enchantment knowledge useful for forging, but he still grasped the basics.
'Unlike forging, which builds from the ground up, enchanting overlays a finished image.'
If forging created the stone and sank it below the surface, enchanting carved the submerged stone's shape onto the surface.
Thus, enchanting's essence was imitation and replication. A technique without substance, yet indistinguishable to the eye—like a dream.
'Not easy to show just basics, but luckily I've got something fitting.'
Lee Se-hun lightly traced the enchantment on the black dagger, covered it with his hand, and summoned his attribute mana, Crimson Flame.
Whoosh!
Deep crimson mana flared like fire in his palm.
Erasing the enchantment—even the protective formula—in one go, he then activated a newly learned skill.
'White Light Flow.'
Shhh—
Pure white radiance bloomed over the black dagger.
Lea looked down in shock at the incomplete recreation of White Light via mana.
'What kind of method is this...?'
Most weapon reinforcement skills wrapped and strengthened the exterior. But Lee Se-hun's White Light Flow only bolstered the outer 'shell'—not even the core depths.
Why choose such inefficiency? As Lea puzzled over the structure—
"If one layer won't cut it, stack layers."
His Crimson Flame seeped anew over the White Light Flow.
"Make it look like one from above. But clearly divide the inside."
White Light Flow's radiance mixed with Crimson Flame's 'flow' property. The pure white glow reddened, then began trickling down.
Coating the dagger by blending the two, Lee Se-hun tossed it sideways into a flower bed for Lea to see clearly.
Thud!
The black dagger pierced petals and stabbed the dirt.
At first glance, no different from a mana-charged throw.
Slice—
But the flowers below—untouched by the blade—neatly bisected, proving its extraordinary nature.
"......"
The radiance on the blade flowed downward via Crimson Flame's property, slicing the flowers.
Droplets turning into blades. Technically different if nitpicked, but as an enchantment technique, Lea's eyes went wide, her face frozen.
'Wonder how it'll land...'
Improvising with pre-regression knowledge and skills. Not perfect technique, but it'd look different to Lea.
Long staring at her issue, bottled up. Some called slump stagnation, but Lee Se-hun saw genius differently.
'Not blocked. Accumulating.'
Invisible to the eye. Geniuses unconsciously prepared paths forward even in hesitation.
And if that bottleneck burst from a tiny trigger—
"Junior!!!"
Inspiration floods like a broken dam.
"L-Lend me that! I'll make it properly and return it, pleasepleaseplease!!!"
Her murky green eyes sparkled wildly, body trembling with excitement.
In a blink, she grabbed his shoulders, pointed at the flower bed dagger, and begged. Lee Se-hun looked faintly overwhelmed.
'She's intense.'
He figured she'd get hyped breaking her slump, but not this hyped.
She looked ready to cry if refused, so deeming it perfect timing, Lee Se-hun pulled out the other nine daggers he carried.
"Take these too and..."
"Thanks! Love you!"
Before he finished, she snatched the handed daggers and the flower bed one, then bolted off like mad.
Watching her frenzied back, Lee Se-hun glanced at his touched hand and smiled in satisfaction.
'Young indeed.'
Extracting bond from target 'Lea Clodel'.
Bond with creator 'Lee Se-hun' is Lv. 1.
After sending Lea off, Lee Se-hun headed not to the dorms but elsewhere in Aqar Quf.
He had a specific spot to check today.
'Crowded already...'
Even from afar, people swarmed—freshmen mixed with upperclassmen.
The scene screamed that all of Babel's attention was here. Lee Se-hun eyed the approaching building.
'That's the Martial Hall, huh.'
Despite the old-fashioned name, it was a sleek six-story modern structure.
One of Aqar Quf's icons, famed inside and out—proven by today's crowds alone.
Even bigger than the rumors suggested, Lee Se-hun peered curiously when—
"Huh?"
A familiar voice from behind.
"What, you here to watch too?"
A blond youth sidled up naturally. Lee Se-hun nodded at Jake.
"Sort of. You too?"
"Yeah, friends dragged me."
Following Jake's gaze, four or so cadets clustered together.
They looked decent enough—probably buddies from before enrollment.
"Came alone?"
"Pretty much."
"Hm... Wanna join us? They'd welcome you."
Lee Se-hun eyed Jake's friendly smile with faint surprise.
'Weird. He should just see me as a rival...'
Grinding teeth inside yet acting chummy? Either a total softie or sly fox.
No ulterior motives showed on Jake's face, so Lee Se-hun shook his head.
"Nah, pass. Wanna watch solo, relaxed."
Plus personal stuff to verify. Jake nodded, looking regretful.
"Alright. Catch you later!"
Lee Se-hun turned from waving Jake rejoining his group and—
"......"
Spotted Erika standing still at the Martial Hall entrance.
Normally he'd assume she waited for him, but like with Jake, maybe friends.
Thinking that, he headed to the south entrance naturally.
And—
"......"
There she stood again at the new entrance, statue-still.
"...What're you doing?"
"Waiting for you."
Erika answered Lee Se-hun's question flatly.
At this point, it felt like an act, but her blank stare said otherwise. Just a weirdo.
He'd seen plenty oddballs pre-regression, so he shrugged it off.
"You'd go if I told you to?"
"Yeah. I can watch from a bit away."
"...Figures."
Couldn't complain about distance, and company wasn't a real issue anyway.
Decision made, Lee Se-hun gave a wry smile and jerked his chin inside.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
Entering the Martial Hall, staff checked cadet IDs or tickets, then the passage opened to a vast hall.
Shops hawking food and drinks. Stadium-sized scale made Lee Se-hun whistle, scanning around.
'Ridiculously flashy for no reason...'
Expensive even for hero events, yet mostly cadets used it daily. What were they thinking building it this grand?
As he eyed Babel's incomprehensible scale with mixed feelings—
Roooar!!!
Cheers erupted from the inner arena.
Match starting. Lee Se-hun bypassed concessions straight to the stands.
Dazzling spotlights rained from above.
Thousands of cadets packed seats. Center arena: two cadets stood rigid.
-Welcome, new Babel freshmen, to our Martial Hall's famed Ranking Battles!!
A lively voice boomed from speakers, holograms popping up in four directions mid-air.
A round-faced woman with twin bun pigtails appeared inside.
-I'm Lan Fang, the Martial Combat Department's youngest professor, handling commentary for today's exhibition matches! Nice to meet you all!
Cheering swelled at her waving greeting.
Babel hosted friendly events for cadet growth, but the top draw was this Martial Hall's 'Ranking Battles.'
All cadets competed in martial prowess, ranked simply.
Straightforward, blood-pumping—especially force-related, drawing outside eyes.
'Plus yearly ranking rewards. No reason not to join if you're confident.'
Fame and gain without loss. That was Ranking Battles.
-First up, today's fighters! Starting with this one!
Lan Fang's shout spotlit the left cadet: a slim blond woman with a rapier at her hip.
-Aqar Quf's 4th-year top student, heir to the Myers family—which never fails to produce S-rank heroes! Undefeated Ranking 1 for three years, smashing records: the flawless superhuman! Our champion!
She stood basking in lights, smiling leisurely—like light emanated from her.
Even over-the-top commentary felt right amid her radiance. Cadets gasped; Lan Fang hammered it home.
-Aria Myers!!!
The blond waved to thousands roaring. Lee Se-hun's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Tch. Seeing her sooner than expected...'
Babel's strongest cadet, already an active A-rank hero, true genius.
Pre-regression, she conquered Hero's Tower: the 'Holy Swordsman' Aria Myers.
Biggest prospect yet, but Lee Se-hun felt sour.
'Didn't wanna see her.'
They'd cross paths eventually, but later the better. That's how grating she was to him.
-And challenging that champion: today's first contender!
As if mindful of his mood, commentary shifted eyes opposite naturally.
"......"
Black-haired youth aimed a cross spear downward, staring ahead.
Even under harsh lights, his face stayed resolute. Lee Se-hun's eyes widened.
-Aqar Quf Spear Arts 3rd-year top, inheritor of Korea's intangible cultural asset, Flame Wheel Remnant Spear! Boasting Ranking 10: next-gen prospect!
Slightly different from what he remembered, but those eyes burned with demon-god-facing ferocity.
No need to confirm. Lee Se-hun grinned unconsciously.
-Yeom Seong-ha!!
Future thug, one who'd shock the world: Mad Dog Yeom Seong-ha appeared.
