Chapter 38
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Duel's End and a Sword Offered
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Before his regression, Lee Se-hun had heard all sorts of stories from the Three Dogs.
Miserable events from their childhoods. The backgrounds behind the crimes each had committed. And the reasons for their bizarre behaviors that defied common sense.
It had started as a ploy to raise their bond levels, but as time passed, the Three Dogs began spilling out the emotions they'd bottled up, one by one, like complaints to a confidant.
And as their bond levels rose and the stories delved deeper...
Whoosh!
The Three Dogs taught Lee Se-hun their personal techniques—ones they'd never passed on to anyone else.
Clang!!!
A blue fist aimed at the spear blade was smacked away in one swift motion, only for a short spear to rush in from the opposite side.
In the blink of an eye, the black spear tip closed in, and Jake swiftly thrust his fist to meet it.
Clang!!
The instant they collided, his fist was flung to the right. He pulled back the first fist he'd deflected and swung it again, but his opponent did the exact same.
Clang-clang-clang!
Blue fists wrapped in compressed mana and spear tips blazing with flames whipped toward each other without respite. Their attacks interlocked endlessly, as if they'd rehearsed them in advance.
Anyone else watching would think Aqar Quf's top student, Jake, was holding back for Lee Se-hun's sake—but nothing could be further from the truth.
'What the hell is this...?!'
When Lee Se-hun first created the Flame Ring Ember Spear, Jake had been a bit surprised but hadn't panicked much.
He'd heard from his friends that Lee Se-hun and Yeom Seong-ha had walked through the Plavium together on Monday, chatting away.
He didn't know the exact nature of their relationship, but if it was close enough for that, it wasn't so strange that he'd know about the Flame Ring Ember Spear.
Whoosh!
The problem was the Flame Ring Ember Spear Lee Se-hun wielded.
Originally, the Flame Ring Ember Spear was a spear art focused on overwhelming firepower, dominating wide spaces to pressure the opponent. So against another firepower-heavy style, it usually devolved into a contest of strength.
'Here it comes again...!'
Clang!
But the version Lee Se-hun used employed two short spears, narrowing the controlled space at the cost of density—but vastly increasing it.
As a result, Jake's plan to destroy the weapon through sheer force had gone completely awry. He hadn't recovered his initial breathing room and was being dragged along from start to finish!
"Hup!"
Whoosh!
The spear tip grazed past his chin.
He thought he'd dodged it by a hair when Lee Se-hun's wrist, gripping the shaft, twisted half a turn and yanked inward.
"Ugh?!"
Clang!
The Black Ten Spear's blade whistled past his nape.
It was a technique anyone could attempt with its cross-shaped blade, but executing it with such precision was another matter entirely.
It had been blocked by the barrier, but in real combat, it could have been fatal. Jake's body stiffened for a split second at the realization, and in that gap, Lee Se-hun's assaults poured down even more relentlessly.
Whoosh! Clang! Boom!
Spear tips, shafts, and embers lingering in the air spat flames as they pressed him without mercy. Though he was being pushed back helplessly, Jake's eyes gleamed as he bolstered his defense.
'I still have a chance...!'
The physical prowess Lee Se-hun was displaying was purely a temporary skill effect. Proof lay in the flames flickering at his scalp, gradually dying down.
The moment the skill wore off and his physical abilities dropped—that was his window. He could turn this disadvantage around completely.
Focusing solely on that moment, Jake fortified his guard. Lee Se-hun clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight.
'Tch. He's caught on.'
He'd been countering aggressively at first, but now he was purely defending.
No doubt he'd figured out the duration of Prospect Flame. His mind had cleared too—his stance had stabilized.
'Aqar Quf's top student isn't just for show.'
If things continued like this, the instant Prospect Flame ended, he'd be countered and lose. Confirming the shift, Lee Se-hun checked his own condition.
'Body's moving as expected, at least.'
The Flame Ring Ember Spear, personally taught to him pre-regression by Mad Dog. Back then, he'd been cursed out for his pathetic imitation, but now he could at least recreate it decently.
That was because the power of the Four-Faced Stone, absorbed through Prospect Flame, had 'adjusted' his entire body to match.
'In that case...'
Now he needed real 'technique,' not just basics. Deciding as much, Lee Se-hun kicked Jake's body and leaped back.
The narrowed distance opened again, and instead of pursuing, Jake steadied his stance and eyed him.
"Planning to end it with your next move?"
"Maybe?"
"What if I don't let you?"
He'd charged to finish quickly, but now that he knew prolonged fights were disadvantageous, there was no need to engage.
Running until the skill expired was something Jake was seriously considering. Watching him, Lee Se-hun replied calmly.
"Nothing I can do if you're scared."
"...What?"
"Aqar Quf's top student getting wrecked twice by Borsippa's top? That'd look pretty bad, right? I get it, so do whatever. I won't call you a coward."
Lee Se-hun smirked faintly as he settled into position.
Jake's eyes widened, his face flushing hot—then draining of color as cold rage settled over his body.
Crunch—
Had he ever gotten this furious yet stayed so calm?
Until now, he'd swung for his sister's request and another inheritance rite. But he felt the reason shift.
'I absolutely... won't lose twice...!'
The competitive fire born from his first defeat.
For the first time feeling this toward a peer his age, Jake's eyes blazed as he lowered his stance.
Grip—
Two fists planted at his waist.
Back hunched low, head bowed to the ground, elbows skyward.
It looked utterly defenseless for facing an opponent head-on, but Lee Se-hun licked his parched lips at the sight.
'If I half-ass this, he'll smash me flat.'
Invisible to the eye, but the mana compressing inside those fists felt ominous.
Amazed by Jake's freakish grip strength, Lee Se-hun steadied himself.
'Fine. Let's end it here.'
He dipped the two spears slightly, crossed the tips vertically, then drew up all his mana.
Vrrr—
Blood heated by Prospect Flame and crimson flame attribute mana raced through soul-link magic channels, surging ferociously through his body.
This alone could flatten most Aqar Quf freshmen—but his opponent was the grade's strongest, the department top.
So for maximum caution, Lee Se-hun unleashed the mana from the Ink Spider Rings on his right arm and ankle.
'Burst Ring.'
Shhh—
Unlike usual, dark attribute mana seeped quietly into his body.
The 'Black Ink Soul' Yeom Seong-ha had left in the rings during training entered him, and Lee Se-hun grimaced at the pain wracking his body.
"Grgh..."
Taking in attribute mana one didn't possess was strictly forbidden.
Inefficiency aside, a body without the circuits could rebel, causing mana rampage.
To others, this looked like suicide.
'Temporary channels... been a while.'
But of course, he had a way.
Kreeeng!
A metallic ring echoed inside him.
Hastily forged paths spread through his body, and the crimson flame kicked the encroaching black ink soul into them.
"Hah...!"
Boom—!
Soul-link magic meant vivisecting one's body into dozens of parts while alive.
To first-timers, it seemed insane—and pre-regression Lee Se-hun had struggled immensely even with one path.
But now, he perfectly understood how his body could be divided.
In other words...
Fwoosh!
There was no attribute mana Lee Se-hun couldn't handle.
Flame and darkness gathered at the crossed spear tips. Fully harnessing both, Lee Se-hun drew a deep breath and stilled his eyes.
Vrrr—
Mana's hum spread quietly as their breaths halted. Muscles and mana synchronized perfectly, all power converging—that instant.
Boom!
They kicked off the ground, charging at each other.
The gap closed in a blink. With less than a second to impact, Jake's legs suddenly slammed the ground.
Thud!
In true stance, his clenched fists opened, palms pressing together in prayer.
"Ngh...!"
Kreeeng—!
Ultra-compressed mana clashed. Amid pressure threatening to burst his palms, Jake parted his fingertips slightly, forming a vent.
Myers Style False Sword Form.
Azure Construct Light Thread.
A single beam of light slashed across the arena floor toward Lee Se-hun.
A blade of compressed mana. Crude in execution, but at that density, it qualified as sword aura.
Facing the department-top's strike, Lee Se-hun didn't dodge—instead lowering further and gripping his shafts tight.
'A bit lower.'
It looked flawless, but really just wild mana discharge.
Spotting the gap in the Light Thread, Lee Se-hun twisted his wrists, aiming both crossed tips.
Flame Ring Ember Spear—Modified.
Dark Light Half-Moon.
A red half-moon chasing darkness whipped the blue beam.
KABOOM!!!
A ferocious shockwave erupted on impact.
Over half the arena's barriers shattered instantly, emergency shields activating to envelop them in layers-thick walls.
"......"
"......"
Two spear tips crossed at Jake's throat. Praying hands a handspan from Lee Se-hun's solar plexus.
Without barriers, decapitation and piercing—mutual death. Staring calmly at the ambiguous result...
"......I lost."
Jake sighed deeply, withdrawing his hand from Lee Se-hun's chest.
A bond has been established with target 'Jake Myers'.
The bond formed the moment defeat was conceded.
It signaled that Jake had truly acknowledged him through this duel. But rather than joy, Lee Se-hun eyed him curiously.
"Not a draw?"
Hero-grade gear and Aria's commission on the line, yet he accepted defeat so cleanly.
Jake scratched his head awkwardly at the question.
"Well, I could argue that if I wanted..."
Lee Se-hun's short spears lowered from his throat. Seeing the tips just barely off, Jake gave a wry smile.
"But only my weapon broke. Hard to call that a draw."
Jake's Light Thread lay in ruins, while Lee Se-hun's short spears remained pristine.
Thus, he didn't insist on a draw and accepted his loss gracefully.
'Plus, using Light Thread and still tying? That's basically a loss...'
Among techniques Jake could wield properly, Light Thread deserved the 'sure-kill' label.
He'd unleashed it full-force—a move he'd never shown peers—and still hadn't won. No other conclusion fit.
"......"
The frustration that had boiled over now sank into deep emptiness. Though he'd admitted defeat, it didn't sit right.
'If only I had a sword...'
He wouldn't have yielded range, nor would his weapon have snapped.
Petty as it might seem, the regret lingered. As Jake stared dejectedly at his hands...
"One thing I'm curious about."
Lee Se-hun, watching him, spoke up.
"Can you not use a sword or something?"
The odd disconnect he'd sensed in their prior bout. He'd dismissed it as imagination then, but this duel confirmed it.
'This guy's been doing swordsmanship barehanded.'
Those unfamiliar with Myers swordsmanship might miss it, but Lee Se-hun—who'd analyzed it pre-regression—felt the difference clear as day.
'No one that skilled at swordplay avoids using one on purpose.'
There had to be circumstances he hadn't known before.
Jake hesitated at the question, then nodded bitterly.
"Complicated situation."
"Someone forcing you not to...?"
"Nah. More like I'm the one who's not ready..."
Jake gave a bitter smile, rubbing his swollen red hands. Lee Se-hun grasped the gist.
'It's that grip strength.'
Freakishly strong beyond his physical stats. Likely the culprit forcing his inefficient style.
"Anyway, I lost the duel, so the hammer's yours..."
"Hey, Jake."
"Yeah?"
"Want me to make you a sword?"
"...Huh?"
Lee Se-hun smirked at Jake's stunned look.
"One you can use without breaking it."
Handled right, he might skyrocket Jake's bond to Lv. 2 fast.
Grinning confidently, Lee Se-hun...
A bond has been established with target 'Ma Gwang-su'.
"......Huh?"
He belatedly noticed Ma Gwang-su standing blankly at the classroom entrance.