Chapter 32
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Regressor Makes It All
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A private training room located in District 3 to the north of Aqar Quf.
This facility had been created for cadets who shied away from training in public spaces, and it was a privilege granted to only a select few even at Babel Academy.
Rankers within the top 100 of the Martial Hall rankings. Top students in the top 30 of their respective departments. Or cadets who had earned approval through an interview with their department head.
Since access required meeting at least one of these conditions, most cadets graduated without ever getting a glimpse inside.
[Access permit confirmed.]
Lee Se-hun gained entry with surprising ease, thanks to Yeom Seong-ha.
A short mechanical chime rang out as the training room door slid open. The interior was lined floor-to-ceiling with stark white tiles etched in a grid pattern, creating a rather barren scene.
"Can't you change the skin on this thing? Put something on."
"It's fine like this."
"Not for me. Hurry up and switch it."
"Pathetic..."
Yeom Seong-ha muttered under his breath before tapping at a panel in midair to adjust the settings. Mana flowed across the walls, transforming the scenery in an instant.
A low hum filled the air.
A quaint house topped with blue tiles, surrounded by a courtyard wall. Beyond it stretched endless treetops swaying in the breeze and rolling mountain ridges, all under a clear blue sky that added a refreshing touch.
'Not bad.'
Lee Se-hun slowly took in the surroundings and spotted a plaque reading 'Flame Flower Sect' above the tiled roof. He grinned.
"You called it pathetic, but looks like you use it plenty. Got a case of homesickness?"
"My master sent it to me. I use it occasionally."
"Sure, sure. I'm sure you do."
"You never listen."
Ignoring Yeom Seong-ha's glare, Lee Se-hun ran his hand along the courtyard wall.
'Reproduction rate around 80%... That's twenty years ahead of the outside world.'
Environment shaping via mana. At this point in time, the technology was still in active development with poor efficiency, yet they provided it on this scale to cadets.
It was a sight possible only because this was Babel.
'This could be useful for forging later on.'
Lee Se-hun committed it to memory before turning to Yeom Seong-ha, who was shooting him a dissatisfied look.
"The weapons I mentioned earlier?"
"...Wait."
Yeom Seong-ha tapped the panel again, and a section of the courtyard floor parted to reveal neatly arranged spears rising up.
Standard gear provided by Babel to cadets using the training rooms. There was a wide variety from spear tips to shafts, and the craftsmanship was solid.
'Hm. This'll do nicely.'
Lee Se-hun selected a suitable pair and approached Yeom Seong-ha, who stood there blankly. He held them out.
"Take them."
"..."
Yeom Seong-ha eyed the two spears Lee Se-hun offered with an odd expression.
Short spears, roughly 150cm and 100cm long. As Babel-provided gear, they had no major flaws, but the issue was that there were two of them.
"Are these really the weapons I have to use?"
"Yeah. My arms are getting tired. Grab 'em."
"Hm..."
Single spears were awkward enough, but dual-wielding?
As Yeom Seong-ha pulled a face, Lee Se-hun lightly spun the spears and pointed the butt ends at him.
"You said it yourself. If I can do it, you'll do anything."
"...I did."
Once spoken, a word must be honored no matter what. Yeom Seong-ha accepted the spears, adjusting his grip this way and that before tentatively executing the basics of the Crimson Ring Remnant Flame Spear.
A whoosh cut through the air.
The two spears traced large and small circles, leaving trails in the empty space. As Yeom Seong-ha's eyes narrowed at the clumsy motions—
'...Hm?'
His expression relaxed, and the spear tips began moving more fluidly.
The two short spears interlocked with perfect spacing, dominating the surrounding space. The range was narrower than his usual long spear style, but the density made up for it.
'Now that I've incorporated Black Spirit Thread, this might actually suit me better...'
It still felt awkward handling each hand independently, but once he got used to it, he'd be stronger than before—that much was clear.
As Yeom Seong-ha stared at the spears with a bemused look, Lee Se-hun pulled out his bond stone, the Crimson Inscription Black Stone.
"What's that?"
"Your training tool. Hold on."
Lee Se-hun closely examined the black and red patterns etched into the Crimson Inscription Black Stone, then infused mana into his fingertip and struck it lightly.
A sharp clang rang out.
The stone split cleanly into three pieces, as if cleaved by a knife. Yeom Seong-ha looked mildly surprised.
"How'd you do that?"
"Just watched and hit it right. Now bring the spear tips over here."
Yeom Seong-ha hesitantly extended the spear tips, and Lee Se-hun securely bound two pieces of the stone to each one.
From a distance, the spears now resembled rods. Confirming the setup, Lee Se-hun stepped back and eyed Yeom Seong-ha.
"From now on, left hand makes crimson rings with Crimson Flame Soul, right hand releases Black Spirit Thread. Got it?"
"Just release the Black Spirit Thread with the right?"
"Yeah. Right hand doesn't even need to move. But don't let the release cut off."
"Hm... Understood."
Following Lee Se-hun's instructions, Yeom Seong-ha released both mana types simultaneously.
Flames roared to life.
A heavy darkness dispersed into the air.
The crimson rings increased steadily even as both manas flowed. Then—
A pop echoed from the spear tip in his left hand.
"What was that...?"
"Proof that you unconsciously let Black Spirit Thread leak into your left hand."
Yeom Seong-ha's eyes narrowed slightly at Lee Se-hun's words. He'd thought he was using only Crimson Flame Soul, yet Black Spirit Thread had mixed in.
That meant he couldn't properly control his own mana.
"It's natural for multiple attribute manas to blend when you possess them. But yours is so messy it's holding each other back."
"Hm..."
"Probably because you've just been suppressing the Black Spirit Thread instead of controlling it. Get used to handling both at once, and you'll make six rings in no time."
Yeom Seong-ha pondered Lee Se-hun's explanation before asking,
"In that case, wouldn't training to make black flame rings—"
"Roughly 'black crimson rings'."
"...Right. Wouldn't training those be better?"
"It'd have some effect, but the training efficiency would suck."
Once the basics were solid, black crimson rings would come naturally—no need to take the hard route.
Yeom Seong-ha mulled it over and nodded.
"Got it. I'll trust you this time."
"Good. Now put these on too while you train."
Lee Se-hun fastened the Ink Spider Rings around Yeom Seong-ha's limbs. His eyes twitched, but he muttered calmly,
"You have good stuff."
"Then work hard."
"Don't worry. This matters to me too."
Yeom Seong-ha replied earnestly, then resumed swinging the spears, drawing crimson rings and scattering darkness.
Pops rang out intermittently.
The Ink Spider Rings drained his mana faster than before, but Yeom Seong-ha didn't blink, repeating the drill relentlessly.
Each pop came later than the last, and the awkward spear movements smoothed out bit by bit.
'Maybe because it's the training method his future self devised. He's adapting fast.'
Like stealing a cheat sheet with solutions included, Yeom Seong-ha zeroed in on what worked for him and grew stronger in the blink of an eye.
Lee Se-hun smiled wryly at the astonishing pace.
'I could never get it no matter how hard I tried...'
Recalling the pre-regression Mad Dog who sighed and scolded him endlessly. Lee Se-hun gazed ahead.
'Let's see just how great past-you really was.'
Settling into a corner of the courtyard, Lee Se-hun observed Yeom Seong-ha's movements intently.
Shifts in his center of gravity, muscle flexes. Breathing patterns and the mana wavelengths circulating through his body to the spear tips.
"..."
Yeom Seong-ha's body froze briefly under the dissecting gaze but quickly resumed training as if nothing had happened.
An hour passed, then two, reaching three.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
With his mana depleted and breaths ragged, Yeom Seong-ha slowly turned.
"What are you... staring at... so hard...?"
Lee Se-hun continued scrutinizing his exhausted breathing and motions as he replied.
"What else? Collecting data."
"Data?"
"For the weapon I'm making for you."
"..."
Yeom Seong-ha's eyes widened at the unexpected answer. Lee Se-hun chuckled.
"I'm making it partly for the assignment submission, so don't get your hopes up."
"...Who'd expect anything from a first-year's gear?"
Grumbling, Yeom Seong-ha refilled his mana with an explosion orb and kept training.
A breeze recreated by the training room swept past them, rustling the trees gently.
Yeom Seong-ha swung his spear silently in the Flame Flower Sect courtyard. The scene was like a painting, stirring something in Lee Se-hun.
'This must be where the Crimson Ring Remnant Flame Spear began.'
These days it used a flashy ten-story building in central Seoul as its main hall, but he'd heard the Flame Flower Sect's original headquarters had been deep in the countryside woods.
Yeom Seong-ha's childhood home. Seeing the landscape he'd only heard about, Lee Se-hun naturally asked,
"Any reason you have to hold onto the successor position?"
Pre-regression, the Mad Dog had ranted noisily about the events that led to his downfall but always skimmed over this part.
He'd only said everything went wrong after losing successor status—never the details of what caused it or what happened.
So Lee Se-hun wanted to hear it if possible, but...
"..."
Yeom Seong-ha swung his spear in silence, as if he hadn't heard.
'Yeah... Too soon to ask directly?'
He hadn't heard it even at bond level Lv.5 pre-regression. Asking at Lv.1 now was bound to get this reaction.
'Did I make him wary? One slip-up with this guy could be a headache...'
As Lee Se-hun frowned, regretting his impulsiveness—
"My master wants me to become sect leader."
Yeom Seong-ha replied while swinging his spear.
"As his disciple, I follow his will. No other reason needed."
It felt genuine, not an evasion. Lee Se-hun stroked his chin.
'Less "master wants it" and more "father wants it," probably.'
The Flame Flower Sect's founding leader, Yeom Jin-hyeon, who had adopted the orphan Yeom Seong-ha and raised him from childhood.
A former S-rank hero forced into retirement by injury. The world dismissed him as a has-been stripped of all power in the sect, but to Yeom Seong-ha, he wielded absolute influence.
'Better look into Yeom Jin-hyeon.'
Pre-regression, he'd met the Mad Dog after Yeom Jin-hyeon died and the sect was wiped out. Now both were alive and well.
To smooth things over with Yeom Seong-ha going forward, investigating Yeom Jin-hyeon and the Flame Flower Sect seemed key.
'If the master's so insistent, befriending Yeom Jin-hyeon might make things easier.'
Telling him to get close could bump the bond level straight to Lv.3. As Lee Se-hun entertained such idle thoughts—
"Why are you helping me?"
Yeom Seong-ha asked in return mid-swing.
"Did someone put you up to it?"
His suspicion mixed with genuine curiosity. After a moment's thought, Lee Se-hun answered honestly.
"You know the Six Great Demon Realms?"
"...Yes."
A place where the Myriad Demons' Mire had swallowed everything, twisting the ecosystem itself.
Now infamous as a monster-infested hellscape, Lee Se-hun knew its hidden secret.
'The core sustaining the demon realm's environment—that's a fragment of a Demon God.'
Pre-regression, he'd only learned after the Six Great Demon Gods fully manifested, leaving him helpless. Not this time.
"I plan to enter every demon realm. For that, I need guys to watch my back—and materials for their weapons."
Not spilling everything, just the essentials. Lee Se-hun laid out his plans openly to Yeom Seong-ha.
"Figured the next Flame Flower Sect leader would be solid in skill and cash, so I'm helping."
"...Pragmatic."
"Obviously. We barely know each other—why help for free? It's all give and take."
Of course, there was also preventing him from becoming the worthless mutt called Mad Dog, but saying that now would just get him labeled insane.
Yeom Seong-ha pondered before speaking slowly.
"You're still not my type."
"That so?"
"I'd go into the demon realms myself to get stronger. Can't trust others."
"Fair point..."
Lee Se-hun readily agreed, and Yeom Seong-ha stared before adding,
"I said it before. If I accept help, give fair compensation."
"You did."
"Then help me become Flame Flower Sect leader."
"...What?"
"I'll join you in the demon realms."
Yeom Seong-ha proposed the deal casually. Lee Se-hun couldn't help recalling the pre-regression Mad Dog.
'Make me a weapon. Then I'll kill the Demon God.'
He always kept his word, no matter what. Seeing that resolve in the still-immature Yeom Seong-ha, Lee Se-hun chuckled unwittingly.
"No regrets?"
"I don't regret things like this."
"Heh... Fine. If you're that set on it, you're trustworthy."
"..."
As Yeom Seong-ha seriously weighed if the deal was unfair, Lee Se-hun pulled an ore from his pocket—the one he'd forged as a class demo.
"What's that?"
"What else? Weapon material."
Lee Se-hun covered the ore with his right hand, strange mana rippling within.
Bond Engraving 'Crimson Inscription Black Stone' activated.
A hum emanated as two waves pulsed from inside Lee Se-hun's right hand.
"...!"
Yeom Seong-ha stared in shock at the aura dwarfing anything he'd produced before.
"Now, even if you hate it, I'll make you sect leader."
Lee Se-hun's eyes gleamed as he declared Yeom Seong-ha's future.