Chapter 64
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Mirage Peeking Blade
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Having read the information window, Lea slowly examined its form.
The blade narrowed slightly toward the tip, shimmering in a violet hue. The edge was semi-transparent, like cut gemstone, with her enchantments faintly visible within.
A straight, neatly crafted crossguard and a handle as white as a white orchid.
Its elegant yet luxurious design drew an unwitting gasp of admiration from Lea.
"So this is what it means to be well-crafted..."
The magic circuits perfectly contained the weapon's power, and the shaping was evenly balanced.
Her enchantments meshed seamlessly with it all, forming the ideal collaboration between blacksmith and enchanter.
Lea stared piercingly at the Mirage Peeking Blade, pondered for a moment, then asked Lee Se-hun with a serious expression.
"Junior."
"What."
"My heart's pounding like crazy. Feels like love. Mind if I confess?"
"..."
Lee Se-hun stared at her in disbelief as she spouted nonsense out of nowhere while inspecting the weapon.
"No. Don't."
"Tch... Fine."
Lea smacked her lips in disappointment at his firm refusal but didn't sulk too much.
In truth, it was just excited rambling upon seeing the finished piece.
Smack!
Of course, it didn't sound that way to others—or to the family elder.
"Aaaah!!"
Lea arched her back and shuddered from the sudden slap on her back. Rebecca approached from behind, narrowing her eyes.
"Love this, love that? Teasing your junior with idle chatter... I can't even!"
"T-Teasing? It was a genuine feeling from the bottom of my heart..."
Smack!
"Gaaah!"
Rebecca silenced her with another firm slap, not wanting to hear more, then sighed and turned to Lee Se-hun.
"Cadet Lee Se-hun. If it's alright, may I take a look at the finished product?"
"Ah, yes. Please, go ahead."
How to use the Mirage Peeking Blade was a secret, but he had no intention of hiding its performance.
"Thank you."
With his permission, Rebecca snatched it from Lea and read the information window.
"Truly Hero grade..."
She'd guessed as much from its completed form, but confirming it herself was still unbelievable.
The six grades—Common, Advanced, Rare, Hero, Legendary, Mythic—placed it fourth: Hero grade.
In the weapon world, this was a turning point.
Not the weapon aiding a hero, but a hero aiding the weapon's power. That's why it was called Hero grade.
'Most cadets only reach this after graduation and gaining experience...'
Of course, with Lea the enchanter's help and the consumable nature—losing functions once the dreamlike flames were spent—it wasn't a full Hero-grade weapon.
But considering the tricky materials like Dream Tusk and Southern Flower Ash, his skill was more than sufficient.
'Making a Hero-grade weapon solo is only a matter of time...'
A talent rivaling the current third-years, dubbed the greatest class ever—not just his second-year peers.
Rebecca now fully understood why Professor Kim In-cheol had spoken so confidently. As she watched him with interest,
"May I take a look as well?"
Kim In-cheol, arriving late, asked Lee Se-hun.
"Of course."
"Thank you. Let me see."
He took the Mirage Peeking Blade from Rebecca, glanced at the information window, then carefully inspected the blade.
"Records say the Vermilion Bird's feathers were crystalline flames. Did you reference that?"
"Yes. It retained a crystalline form when I first got it, and mixing other ores seemed like it'd make the performance crude, so I tried this."
"Hmm... Good choice. Otherwise, controlling it with the dreamlike mana would've been tricky..."
Admiring the violet dreamlike flames within the Mirage Peeking Blade, Kim In-cheol couldn't hide his awe.
'Incredible... Handling such flames like this.'
Dreamlike mana, which even skilled mages struggled with, combined with notoriously hard-to-control Southern Flower Ash.
Could he have forged something like this with those mirage-like flames? Kim In-cheol gauged it mentally and knew the answer.
'Impossible.'
He might succeed after multiple tries, but nailing it first go, controlling every variable? Beyond even him.
"Hoo..."
Exhaling a sigh laced with emotions, he returned the blade to Lee Se-hun with a smile.
"We just approved the first-semester budget, but looks like I'll need to request more funds."
"Pardon?"
"Can't just let a Hero-grade weapon slide. We take what's due."
Rare grade could be handled internally, but Hero grade? No way.
This would reach Department Head Ryu Eun-ha and even President Ludwig Schubert.
And if word spread outside? Babel and the hero industry would buzz, inquiries pouring in.
"You might get named commissions from outside. Usually for third- and fourth-years..."
How many requests would fly his way? Kim In-cheol wryly smiled at his impending workload when,
"Hmm... Could we let this one slide?"
Lee Se-hun spoke calmly after a moment's thought.
"Slide? You mean no report?"
"Yes. Report it as a Rare-grade success, or a total failure."
"Any special reason?"
At Kim In-cheol's puzzled question, Lee Se-hun smiled awkwardly.
"I want to be underestimated right now."
Not shine, but be overlooked. At this bizarre statement, Kim In-cheol pondered, then his eyes gleamed.
"...I see. Next weekend, right."
He instantly linked it to the Noblesse exchange. Lee Se-hun nodded at his sharp insight.
"It's related. Could I ask you to?"
"Hmm. I'm fine with it, but..."
Kim In-cheol glanced sideways. Lee Se-hun followed his gaze to Rebecca.
Under their expectant looks, she pondered briefly and nodded.
"We got a rare treat today. Least I can do. Whatever Cadet Lee Se-hun wants."
"Thank you."
"No need. You gave Lea a great experience, so I'm just repaying."
"Urgh... Still hurts..."
Rebecca glanced at Lea rubbing her back, then continued softly.
"Call on us anytime for more."
"Yes."
"Then we'll head out. Come along."
"Ah, yeah. I'm off."
Rebecca headed out, and Lea waved as she followed. A more centered demeanor than when they arrived.
'She's found her direction.'
Whatever Lea's goal and the Ivory Tower prelims prize, she'd handle it fine now.
As Lee Se-hun watched Lea's retreating figure,
"...I have to ask."
Lea turned back and stood before him again.
"My enchant today. Honestly, out of 100—what score?"
A sudden grading demand.
But her serious, unsmiling face made Lee Se-hun think before answering.
"Around 70."
"Passing grade?"
Still serious, she pressed. He replied evenly.
"70."
It met the specs, but barely. Production errors required compromises, no gains elsewhere.
Harsh for someone shaking off a slump, but Lee Se-hun was firm here.
'If she wilts from honest feedback, she won't last days.'
Resolved, she must self-assess coldly.
Lea pondered his blunt answer, then spoke again.
"What about this?"
Her brush, dipped in green powder and wind-attribute manastone dust from the enchant palette, began tracing runes in the air.
Swish─
Fluid strokes branched into dozens, forming a new pattern. Dozens of enchants organically linked in one.
An improved version of the prior one: amplified effects, plus runes aiding dreamlike flame control.
"Whoa..."
The finished Mirage Peeking Blade sported even better enchants, like corrected answers.
Irrelevant since it couldn't be reapplied, but Lea's talent—refining it in minutes—was undeniable.
"This... around 80."
"80? No, at least 90!"
"Self-assessment and real differ. Common enough."
90+ by his standards meant top 100 artisan. 80 as a cadet was impressive.
Lea narrowed her eyes at his confident stance.
"Fine. Up 10 points at least."
She'd have moped before, but not now.
Her mind raced toward 90s, 100s—enchants to floor him.
'You'll be a fair milestone.'
Savoring her new goal, she declared boldly to him.
"One day, I'll make you cheer and applaud. Junior."
She'd surpass him, no doubt.
The bond level with target 'Lea Clodel' has risen to Lv. 2.
A relationship has been established with the rise in bond level. Your relationship with target 'Lea Clodel' is 'Overthrow'.
Relationship: Overthrow
The instinct to surpass one greater than oneself is the most intense bond.
Twisted, it becomes problematic; as friendly rivalry, nothing more positive exists.
• Bond stones generate when superior to the target.
• Bond stone ripening accelerates when superior to the target.
• Currently generated bond stones: None.
The notification floated before his eyes.
Beyond it, Lea's confident smile left Lee Se-hun dumbfounded.
A 31-year veteran blacksmith, vowing to best his rare self until world's end.
Ridiculous, yet oddly stimulating.
'Getting caught would be embarrassing.'
No slacking planned anyway, but to avoid this genius? More effort needed.
Resolving thus, he grinned at her.
"Looking forward to it, senior."
That evening.
Back at the dorm, Lee Se-hun sat on the dark living room sofa, gazing at the Mirage Peeking Blade on the table.
Hummm.
At night, it faintly scattered violet aura.
The dreamlike flames had intensified, but perfectly contained—no leaks.
'Push the desired into the dream boundary and burn...'
How to use it to fully view pre-regression memories? Tricky, but he'd had a hunch from the start.
Steadying his breath, he placed a hand on his chest and extracted his own bond.
Humm─
Faint light rippled in his palm, soon forming his semi-opaque bond stone.
Upgraded bond level, yet still unclear use. But maybe now.
'Bonds are tangled emotions and memories built over time.'
Muddied together, inseparable—but isolating them might reveal memories alone.
Verifying his hypothesis, he pulled the Unnamed's Index Bone—etched with tiny runes—from his subspace pocket and activated its skill.
'Eye of the Boundary.'
Swish.
Dark mana flowed from his finger, up his body, settling in his eyes.
A lens-like foreign sensation. Soon, faint black outlines appeared across his vision.
Eyes seeing object boundaries. Touching lines didn't break them, but great for 'distinguishing'.
'Finding a needle in sand, spotting empty shells in chowder at a glance.'
Useful in forging and beyond. Lee Se-hun marveled again that such power fit in one finger bone.
'Felt it pre-regression too—Summit Climbers aren't human.'
Adjusting to the altered sight, he slowly turned to his bond stone.
'...I see it.'
Intricate outlines etched complexly inside the small stone.
Like cracks everywhere. He memorized and internalized it precisely.
'Alright...'
No knowing how far it'd go, but worth trying. Steel himself, he pressed the bond stone to the blade.
'Mirage Flame.'
Whoosh!
The blade unraveled into flames, swapping part of the bond stone to dream and burning it.
When one component alone remained amid the stone's makeup,
Humm─
The dreamlike flames shrank, nothing left to burn.
At that, Lee Se-hun gripped the handle reverse-handed without hesitation.
Stab!
And plunged it into his heart, consciousness fading.