Chapter 31
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Regressor Makes Everything
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Having finished their conversation, Lee Se-hun and Yeom Seong-ha arrived late at the forging room. Lis, who had been demonstrating in front of the cadets for a while, narrowed his eyes.
"Didn't I tell you to come quickly?"
"My apologies. Senior Yeom said he wanted to talk about something related to his flame rings for a moment."
"......That's right."
Lee Se-hun answered confidently, while Yeom Seong-ha spoke bluntly. Lis clicked his tongue briefly at the sight.
"Tch...... From now on, save the personal talk for after class."
He wouldn't tolerate slacking off without the skills to back it up, but if they had the talent to justify it, there was no reason to complain.
The paused lecture resumed, and Lee Se-hun, who had taken a seat in an empty spot, glanced around the forging room.
'It's just the basics, huh. Half of them are already sketching designs.'
Confirming he didn't need to pay close attention, Lee Se-hun quietly stood and examined the materials stacked in one corner of the room.
'Hmm. Even the standard issue stuff has some decent options.'
These were basic materials provided to ease the cadets' financial burden, separate from the earlier allocated budget, and their quality was better than expected.
'The places I went before regression had me slaving away in professors' workshops like a slave, getting materials instead of pay......'
As he selected materials while reminiscing, the cadets who noticed him returning to his seat looked perplexed.
'He just grabbed materials right away?'
'No need for verification drawings?'
Weapons using residual mana had highly complex mana circuits, so it was standard to meticulously draft and verify designs before forging.
But to skip even a single blueprint and jump straight into production?
The cadets—and even Lis mid-lecture—gaped at this unconventional approach.
Amid the stares pouring in from all sides, Lee Se-hun felt one particularly sharp and turned to look.
"......"
Yeom Seong-ha, eyes wide open as if he wouldn't miss the slightest movement. Feeling the mix of suspicion and anticipation directed his way, Lee Se-hun couldn't help but smirk.
'Your eyes are gonna pop out, punk.'
His gaze sharpened even more upon seeing the smile, but Lee Se-hun neatly ignored it and inspected the materials he'd chosen.
The main materials for this forging were 'crimson fire stone' and 'dark cloud stone'.
Minerals containing fire-attribute and darkness-attribute mana respectively—solid, unremarkable choices.
'Ratio around 7:3 should work...... Let's start with heating.'
Roar!
The forge blazed to life, fueled by mana as kindling. Lee Se-hun checked the temperature and tossed in the prepared crimson fire stone and dark cloud stone.
"......Just throw them in like that?"
"Won't the attribute mana just burn off......?"
A mistake even beginners avoided, made by the department topper no less. As everyone watched in confusion, Lee Se-hun rolled up his right sleeve and peered into the forge.
'Here it comes.'
Crack!
Cracks formed in the heated stones, and attribute mana leaked from the fissures.
The two forces clashed violently with the forge flames, burning fiercely as if about to be consumed. Lee Se-hun immediately wrapped his right arm in crimson flame and plunged it into the forge.
"Hngh......!"
"Ugh......!"
The cadets gasped at the hair-raising scene. But Lee Se-hun casually stirred the flames inside with his right arm.
Whoosh─
With each motion of his crimson flame-wrapped hand, the two attribute manas blended with the fire.
He kneaded the interior like dough for a good while until he felt resistance in his palm, then swiftly withdrew his arm.
Vmmm!
A flame of red and black intricately intertwined rotated slowly.
The cadets' jaws dropped at the mystical sight, and even Lis stared in shock.
'Flame infusion......?'
'Flame infusion'—controlling flames to imbue attribute mana.
A high-difficulty technique requiring not just mana control but flame mastery. And Lee Se-hun had done it simultaneously for both fire and darkness attributes!
'So that's why brother was so relaxed......'
It felt like watching a master blacksmith with decades of experience. Overwhelmed by the sheer talent, Lis forgot the lesson entirely in admiration. Lee Se-hun frowned and shook his stinging right arm.
'Still too much for now.'
He'd hoped the Flame Artisan skill and crimson flame could handle it, but apparently, it couldn't fully withstand that heat.
'A bit less mixed than planned...... But the flow is what matters.'
To others, it looked like standard flame infusion, but Yeom Seong-ha must be seeing something entirely different. Properly conveying that was the real goal of this forging.
'Watch closely.'
To keep the flame's flow steady, Lee Se-hun finely adjusted the forge's internal mana via foot pedals. Watching from afar, Yeom Seong-ha's eyes widened.
'That's......'
Inside the forge, the two attribute manas intertwined.
The fire-attribute mana spun rapidly in a circle within, while the darkness-attribute mana slowly enveloped it from outside.
Perfectly meshed together, Yeom Seong-ha wore an incredulous expression.
'Those attributes clash badly, so how......?'
Fire-attribute mana expanded outward with fast movement; darkness-attribute eroded inward with slow movement.
Opposite in nature and structure—how could they blend like that?
Enraptured, Yeom Seong-ha quickly grasped the secret.
'The right ratio to balance them. And...... positioning based on mana traits.'
Place inward-eroding darkness on the outside, outward-expanding fire on the inside. They'd lock together in equilibrium.
Simple in theory, but tricky in ratios and flows. At that perfection, it could spin faster without breaking the perfect 'circle'.
'......Circle?'
The realization hit. A scene naturally formed in Yeom Seong-ha's mind.
Roar!
His murky dark-red flame ring accelerated faster, splitting into two colors: a red circle wreathed in black haze.
Vmmm─
Visualizing the completed 'flame ring' form, Yeom Seong-ha naturally understood.
His other attribute mana, banned because it hindered mastering the Flame Ring Remnant Blaze Technique.
"Ah."
It had been holding him back.
After the lecture ended, cadets tentatively gathered around Yeom Seong-ha, who stood blankly in the forging room.
They didn't know why, but his mood seemed better than during class.
"Um...... Senior. How about lunch together......?"
Hans and his crew approached more politely this time, eyes gleaming. Yeom Seong-ha slowly spoke.
"I'm in a good mood right now."
"Th-then......"
"So get lost before it sours."
"......"
The cadets slunk away, shoulders slumped. Yeom Seong-ha turned to the one left alone in the room.
"Get the gist?"
Lee Se-hun grinned as if he'd already heard the answer. Though the smug look irked him, Yeom Seong-ha nodded honestly.
"Thanks to the flow you showed, I found the key."
"Good. Then make one."
"......Don't order me around."
Grumbling, he still traced a circle in the air, forming a flame ring.
Roar!
Dark-red flames rose as usual, circling faster than before. Black pushed to the surface, red sank inward.
A vivid red flame ring edged in black haze—the 'Black Flame Ring,' symbol of Mad Dog Yeom Seong-ha. Lee Se-hun was impressed.
'I showed an example, but to nail it on the first try......'
Yeom Seong-ha's attributes: A-rank fire 'Crimson Flame Soul' and A-rank darkness 'Black Darkness Soul'.
He only used the fire one, due to Flame Flower Sect tradition.
'The Flame Ring Remnant Blaze Technique reaches mastery only with pure flame.'
That tradition forced him to suppress his Black Darkness Soul. Fine at first, but as mastery grew, problems arose.
Flames muddied to dark-red; rings hard to form. Control slipped.
'Even regressed from seven to six rings because of it.'
Technique understanding clashed with mana usage.
But today's insight would let him reclaim seven rings soon.
'And awaken his unique skill too.'
Yeom Seong-ha's unique skill: 'Source Resonance'.
Tough now, but once awakened and mastered, he could match Aria Myers evenly—whom he'd overwhelmingly lost to before.
"Not bad. Since you made it, let's see how many you can do."
"I said don't order me."
"Will you?"
"Wait."
Curious himself, Yeom Seong-ha formed black flame rings.
In a blink, five floated in array. Then flames rose for the sixth.
Fizz! Roar!
"......Huh?"
The new flames fizzled without forming a ring. Lee Se-hun looked puzzled.
"What're you doing?"
"......It won't form."
"What?"
"No capacity for a sixth flame ring."
Yeom Seong-ha concentrated fiercely, eyes narrowed. Still no sign. Lee Se-hun realized belatedly.
'Takes more focus for black flame rings.'
Faster spin plus dual-attribute balance—natural limit.
'Can't reclaim seven; down to five instead......'
Unexpected, but Lee Se-hun wasn't worried.
Seemed like regression, but black flame rings were stronger. Familiarity would increase count naturally.
As he brushed it off—
"......Trouble."
Yeom Seong-ha muttered grimly.
"Trouble? Why?"
"The Flame Flower Sect sends instructors periodically to check successor candidates' skills. And......"
He paused, voice heavy.
"If Flame Ring Remnant Blaze Technique falls below six rings, you're stripped of successor status."
Lee Se-hun stared blankly, then asked.
"Wait. Can't you just be strong?"
"The sect transmits the intangible cultural asset Flame Ring Remnant Blaze Technique. Skill mastery trumps raw power."
True to their martial lineage, they prioritized technique perfection. Lee Se-hun, who'd never heard this pre-regression, grimaced.
"Then revert to the old method like before......"
"That won't work either."
"Why not?"
Instead of explaining, Yeom Seong-ha formed a ring the old way.
But as the sixth tried forming, Black Darkness Soul surged, devouring the flames—stuck at five.
"Trying the old way, Black Darkness Soul slips control. Can't use it anymore."
"......"
There was a saying in blacksmithing:
Novices make trash effortlessly; experts can't even if they try.
Intentional failure is hard too. Yeom Seong-ha was there now!
"S-so, when's this instructor coming?"
"Tomorrow."
"......Tomorrow?"
"Yeah. Tuesday."
Lee Se-hun rubbed his temples.
Could reclaim successor status after fixing six rings? Not easy.
Pre-regression, Mad Dog said expulsion followed disinheritance swiftly.
'Timing differs, but probably same now.'
His dark expression confirmed it. Cursing inwardly, Lee Se-hun thought coolly.
'Still time.'
Five-ring regression was temporary. Grasp the feel, six rings quick.
'Issue is grasping it in one day......'
What training for Yeom Seong-ha? Recalling, a memory surfaced.
'Damn uncomfortable thing. If I'd gotten it back then, I couldn't have used it.'
Mad Dog griping about the first weapon Lee Se-hun made him. Infuriating then.
Tap─
Now, it was the solution.
Hand on Yeom Seong-ha's shoulder, Lee Se-hun swiftly extracted the bond.
Extracting bond from target 'Yeom Seong-ha'.
Bond with creator 'Lee Se-hun' is Lv.1.
"What're you......"
"Quiet."
Ignoring the puzzled Yeom Seong-ha, Lee Se-hun visualized the image he knew.
Unyielding convictions. Deep loyalties, humbling pride for debts.
Contradictory yet consistent—that was 'Mad Dog' to Lee Se-hun.
Vmmm─
Red mana churned in his hand like clay from his thoughts. Then the bond stone emerged.
Red flecked with black, etched with rippling circular patterns—cruder than pre-regression.
'Youth explains it.'
Performance similar enough. Lee Se-hun checked the info.
Bond stone showing traces of unawakened 'Source Resonance'. Perfect material. Lee Se-hun eyed Yeom Seong-ha.
"You. Keep successor status, you'll do anything?"
Caught off-guard, Yeom Seong-ha nodded firmly.
"I will."
"Good."
His word was ironclad. Eyes gleaming, Lee Se-hun continued.
"Then we change your weapon first."
"......What?"
Time to overhaul from the roots.