Chapter 68
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Shangri-La's Extravagant Banquet
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The banquet hall on the first floor of Shangri-La.
It had been created by linking all the rooms on the first floor with spatial magic, making its vastness staggering. But what was even more astonishing were the facilities decorating the interior.
Whoosh─
Water spurted from the central fountain, taking on the shapes of birds and fish that moved as if alive. Above it hung a massive chandelier that scattered a soft glow, illuminating the entire banquet hall.
Humanoid golems dressed in suits served food, while dozens of musical instruments floated in the air, playing melodies on their own.
Beyond that, countless rare decorations hard to see outside adorned the hall, leaving the cadets who had just passed through the labyrinth slack-jawed in awe at the opulent scene.
"Wow......"
"What is this......"
They had thought they'd grown accustomed to Babel's facilities, but this sight made it clear that those were mere appetizers.
As they stood overwhelmed by the scene beyond common sense, the hosts who had invited them approached with amused chuckles.
"What, over this? There's even more fun stuff inside."
"I'll introduce you to the people I mentioned earlier. Let's go."
If they were captivated by this spectacle, recruitment was already half successful. The cadets entering the hall were gradually being drawn in.
Erika, standing indifferently by the entrance and watching it all, muttered flatly.
"Useless......"
Neither the promising prospects who had been invited nor the exchange society members hosting them held any value in her eyes.
She gazed at the utterly meaningless display without a flicker of emotion, and the cadets milling nearby swallowed dryly under her stare.
'What kind of look is that......'
'Can't even approach her......'
The top student of Ur and eldest daughter of the Inoue family, who had led this exchange event. With her flawless background and talent, everyone wanted to build connections, but her unique aura made it hard to even approach, let alone speak.
As they circled warily, hoping for an opening, a voice cut through.
"Ah. There you are."
A blond young man in a crisp white suit—Jake—approached Erika and greeted her casually.
"When did you get here?"
"Just now."
"Yeah? Oh, that dress suits you."
"Yeah."
Erika responded with curt, disinterested replies, while Jake seemed unfazed. The cadets watching cautiously exchanged puzzled looks at the pair.
'What's this? Were they close?'
'Inoue and Myers aren't on good terms, though......'
To anyone who knew about the incident at the exchange event two years ago, the scene was downright awkward. But the two ignored the stares and kept chatting.
"Where's Lee Se-hun?"
"Still in the labyrinth."
"Ah, right, that thing. How long's it been?"
"5 minutes 43 seconds."
"......What?"
Jake's face lit up in surprise at Erika's words.
Anyone else might struggle, but Lee Se-hun handled even tricky mana stone liquid with ease. For this labyrinth, clearing it in under 5 seconds would be normal.
'Was the injury that bad? Didn't look that serious...... Or did someone tamper with the labyrinth?'
It wouldn't be surprising if someone watching cadets stumble through for amusement had meddled. As Jake pondered going to check, the entrance creaked open.
Screech
Lee Se-hun stepped into the banquet hall.
"Finally made it...... What's this, were you waiting for me?"
He spotted the two and smirked. Jake eyed him curiously, as Se-hun looked utterly unfazed.
"Why'd it take so long?"
"Hm? Oh, I was sightseeing a bit and got lost."
"......Sightseeing?"
Was this labyrinth connected to other rooms? Jake frowned at the unfamiliar info, while Se-hun recalled the corridors he'd wandered.
'Looked like Ludwig's handiwork, so I checked it out...... Spatial magic's no joke.'
Shangri-La's spatial magic divided the massive mansion into thousands of blocks that could be freely reassembled like a puzzle.
Grasp the structure, and even without spatial magic knowledge, you could navigate somewhat—which is why a few mistakes led him astray.
'Still, got an unexpected gain out of it.'
While lost, he'd stumbled into a waiting room for voyeurs. There, he'd run into Pierre Valmut, and right after parting, a new alert appeared.
A bond has been established with target 'Pierre Valmut'.
'A bond from one word...... Guess I really got under his skin.'
The bond with Pierre wouldn't be friendly like his others, but it wasn't a bad gain for Se-hun.
'At least I know he's conscious of me enough for a bond to form.'
This level of fixation meant something might go down soon. As Se-hun organized his thoughts, Erika approached with a serious look.
"For real?"
She stared intently at him.
"You went to other rooms besides this one?"
"Just a few. A voyeurs' lounge, a storage room full of junk. Oh, and a room with a magic circle."
Se-hun spoke casually, but Erika's expression grew graver.
'Monitoring room, warehouse, and control room......'
Each was under ironclad security. If he'd really navigated them, he'd essentially cracked Shangri-La's spatial magic.
'Even if it's lax for the exchange, without dedicated spatial magic training, that's not easy. This qualifies as Magic Aptitude A—no, S rank.'
Not just intuitive spells, but precise calculation-heavy magic too. Erika's eyes gleamed at the new talent she'd spotted, making Se-hun uneasy.
'She'll level up the bond at the first chance.'
Smooth progress was nice, but that glint was unsettling. Dodging her gaze, he scanned the exchange hall.
"Anyway...... the stares are pretty intense."
Even just entering, an unusual number of cadets gathered. As an encirclement formed, Jake grinned.
"You're the stars today, freshmen."
Talents invited to exchanges usually gained sponsors at their first one—unless flawed.
Failing to recruit here could mean losing them for years, or forever.
'Blacksmiths are especially hot commodities.'
A strong hero ends with one, but a strong weapon can be reused across owners.
Thus, groups with power and capital craved technical talents, especially armament makers, more than heroes.
Cadets nearby eyed chances to speak. The sight evoked Se-hun's pre-regression memories.
'The blacksmith who made Mad Dog's Spear! Kill him!'
'Is that your Violent Dog lover? Come quietly, and we'll spare your limbs.'
'Freedom for the boss!!'
Just for ties to the Three Dogs, he'd faced kidnappings and assassinations nonstop, dodging crowds who panicked at his face later.
'Haven't felt this friendly crowd in ages.'
The unfamiliar goodwill felt awkward but not bad. Smiling at the two watching him, Se-hun said,
"Then let's act like the stars."
Standing still made him a sideshow, not the lead. Jake grinned.
"Yeah. I'll guide you."
As Jake led, the encircling cadets flinched and parted hastily.
They wanted to talk, but with Erika and Jake—whose families loomed large—no one dared approach rashly.
"Excuse us."
"......"
Jake politely cleared the way, while Erika scanned them coldly, committing faces to memory.
Under the duo's iron defense, no one mustered the courage. Then,
"Um, excuse me......!"
A timid-looking young man approached Se-hun.
"I have a question about armaments...... C-can you spare a moment?!"
His words stumbled from nerves. Se-hun eyed the frail-seeming brown-haired youth.
"Out of the blue?"
"Ah, uh! That's Adam Viner, second-year top of Martial Combat."
"Hm......"
At the intro, Se-hun studied him, and Jake whispered,
"Senior I know. No bad intentions."
"Yeah?"
Trusting Jake's word as a fellow Martial Combat student, Se-hun nodded.
"What's on your mind?"
"R-really?"
"Spit it out."
Adam took a deep breath, then spoke tensely.
"It's not much, but my new gauntlets feel off in combat. Checked 'em, no issues......"
"Results unreliable, huh. Got them here?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah!"
Adam fumbled a black gauntlet from his subspace pocket. Se-hun took it, swinging it lightly like dusting a toy.
The casual play drew odd looks from onlookers. Then,
"The mana circuit between index and middle finger's slightly misaligned."
Se-hun tapped a spot.
"......Really?"
"Subtle, but efficiency drops. Hard to notice, good senses."
Fiddling the seam, Se-hun eyed Adam puzzled.
"But who inspected this? Obvious if you have eyes."
Tricky from afar, but simple up close. Adam grimaced.
"Well......"
Glancing around, he hesitated. Se-hun waved it off.
"Never mind. No need to hear about some hack who missed it."
Too busy with talents for incompetents.
Back to the gauntlet, he flicked the flawed circuit.
Ting─
The clear ring satisfied him. He handed it back.
"Fixed."
"......Huh?"
"Just a tweak. No biggie."
Adam and onlookers stared oddly at his nonchalance. Fixing delicate circuits risked ruin—top student or not, hard to believe.
"......"
Adam donned it cautiously.
Clack─
It fit smoothly as his mana flowed in.
"......Huh?"
No off-feel; smoother than before.
"Tuned inefficiencies too. Get a pro to match the other side."
Repaired and calibrated in one go. Adam blinked, then bowed.
"Th-thanks. Payment?"
"I'll send my account. Send whatever."
"Got it. Truly thanks!"
Adam got the number via text, bowed repeatedly, and left. Onlookers eyed warily.
'That skill...... just show face and......'
'Inoue and Myers don't mind if not recruiting.'
'Miss this, regret forever!'
They edged closer with estimates ready—then,
"Move!"
A hulking youth shoved through.
Over 2 meters, ferocious face that cowed first-timers, suit straining over bulging muscles.
"You?"
His growl carried menace, but Se-hun looked up unflinching.
"What?"
"You're the punk badmouthing my gauntlets?"
Face twisted for a swing. Se-hun's expression hardened at the feral vibe.
Late to grasp, the giant—sensing dominance—pressed—
"No wonder they sucked; you gave 'em to a non-major...... Sorry. Thought hobby work, wouldn't rag so hard."
"......What?"
"Hey, why trust Aqar Quf for armaments? Pros from majors, duh."
"......"
Air grew heavy. Jake smirked awkwardly.
"Ahem. Douglas-senpai's not Aqar Quf."
"What? Ur then?"
"No. Forging Department second-year top."
"......"
Se-hun eyed the giant, Carter Douglas: flushed crimson, fists clenched white-knuckled.
Stroking his chin,
"This it?"
Deflated mutter.
"You bastard!!!"
Forgetting Pierre's orders, Carter lost it and swung.
Jake jumped in; Erika's eyes iced over.
Se-hun calmly eyed the approaching fist—and empty air beside it.
Thud
A black rod sliced air, blocking effortlessly.
"Wha......"
Carter's eyes bulged, paling at its owner.
Step
Space split; a youth emerged from the corridor.
Jet-black hair like Erika's, rimless glasses, cold elite vibe laced with sticky unease.
'This guy......'
Familiar. Se-hun narrowed eyes. Erika whispered,
"......Onii-san."
Inoue family head. S-rank hero who slew countless demons, sealed one of the Ten Evils: Greed.
And possibly complicit in corrupting sister Erika into a demon.
"Nice to meet you."
Inoue Ren smiled at Se-hun.