Chapter 75

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Translator: Ebonarch

Chapter: 75

Chapter Title: The Sword-Eating Broadcast

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Lee Se-hun stepped out of the Martial Combat Department's main building and looked back at it with a curious expression.

"Suddenly naming me his prized disciple... That caught me off guard."

Who was Ma Gwang-su? He was notoriously picky, even more so than the Summit Climbers when it came to standards.

Yet here he was, offering to take him on as a direct disciple himself. In his previous life, Se-hun would have chalked it up to the old man losing his marbles.

"I turned him down right away... but honestly, it wouldn't have been a bad deal."

Just the secret sword art, Shallow Charge Sword, was powerful enough to rival the techniques of the Summit Climbers. And more than that, it came with solid backing.

The informal group called the Executors, who devoted their lives to slaying demons.

Ma Gwang-su was their founder.

"I made good use of them a few times in my previous life."

From renowned high-rank heroes everyone knew to ordinary citizens you could spot anywhere. Executors were hidden all over the world, so they were handy for getting help even in remote areas.

But the reason Se-hun had rejected Ma Gwang-su's offer outright was really nothing major.

"If you take another master, it'll make me look incompetent. Don't you dare become anyone's disciple without my permission if you don't want to die."

A warning from his master in his previous life.

It was all in the past now, and there was no real need to keep the promise anymore. Still, it was a vow he'd made to himself, so he didn't want to break it lightly.

"Master... Come to think of it, he's probably still alive and well right now."

As the genius who created the monstrous skill Eternal Flame Divine Magic, Se-hun planned to seek him out eventually. Unfortunately, it wasn't feasible at the moment.

At this point in time, his master was being hunted by various groups, constantly changing identities and wandering from place to place.

"No rush, though."

Anyone else might get caught in the butterfly effect and die horribly, but not his master.

With that certainty, Se-hun pushed thoughts of his master aside and checked the skills he'd just acquired.

"Both are solid."

Pilfering Eye would make it easy to spot openings in enemies or analyze potential collaborators for forging gear.

Shallow Charge Sword wasn't fully mastered yet, so it had risks in real combat, but as an S-rank, its power was reliable enough.

"Perfect timing, right before practical training."

This should let him ace the subjugation exercise, rack up points without issue, and snag any hidden materials easily.

Just as Se-hun started to feel satisfied with how smoothly things were going...

"Hey!"

A clear voice rang out sharply from afar. Se-hun turned toward the sound, which hit his ears like a hammer.

A silver-haired girl charging over with a fierce scowl, an arrow of mana floating in the air ahead of her. At Louise's appearance, Se-hun blinked in confusion.

"What the..."

"Come here."

Before he could finish, she grabbed his wrist and yanked him along swiftly.

Her urgent demeanor left him baffled, but he followed silently as she dragged him into a back alley near the bus stop.

"What's so urgent you had to drag me to a shady spot like this?"

Louise released his hand and fixed him with a sharp glare.

"Rumors say you picked a fight with that Bier bastard. That true?"

"I didn't start it. I just gave him some advice, and he lost it."

"You... Hah."

She let out a deep sigh like he was a headache, her expression complicated as she stared at him.

Angry on one hand, grateful on the other. Her awkward look flustered Se-hun.

"What's with the kid all of a sudden?"

Was there a reason Louise would react this strangely to his clash with Bier?

After a moment's thought, Se-hun belatedly recalled the scar on Louise's neck, hidden behind the choker he'd made ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her.

"No way... You think I fought Bier because of you?"

"What? That's... Uh?"

Se-hun looked incredulous, and Louise panicked at his reaction.

An awkward air settled between them, then Louise's eyes shook wildly as realization dawned.

"No. No no no no. Am I crazy?? I just thought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you were stirring trouble and might drag me into it. What nonsense is this? Ridiculous..."

"Really?"

"Yes! Why else would I come find you!"

She yelled desperately, denying it. Se-hun glanced at the floating arrow beside them.

"You tracked my location with Word Spirit Magic, right?"

"...So?"

"I told you before. Word Spirit Magic grows stronger the clearer the caster's mental image."

The arrow pointed straight at him. Se-hun smirked at the tracking spell.

"Pulling off something as precise as location tracking with Word Spirit Magic isn't easy..."

"..."

"You must've been pretty worried about..."

Thud.

Louise clapped a hand over his mouth, glaring with a flushed, embarrassed face.

"Shut up."

She looked ready to blast him with Word Spirit Magic any second.

Deciding to quit teasing, Se-hun nodded, and Louise pulled her hand away, changing the subject.

"So, what's your plan going forward?"

"For what?"

"The Valmuts will pull some crap, so you need to prepare. Don't wanna end up with a hole in your throat like me?"

She tapped the choker as she spoke. Se-hun pondered briefly before answering.

"I don't think I need more prep."

"...No more prep?"

"Got a reliable ally on the way."

If he'd attacked the Valmuts with just blueprints, production issues would've tanked it before any real damage.

"But if word reached Ha Baek-yeon, that's a game-changer."

Ha Baek-yeon, Origin Bow Master.

One of the Summit Climbers and humanity's strongest archer. Once her eyes locked on you anywhere in the world, no arrow could miss.

Dragging a monster like that into this mess? Even the Valmuts could do nothing.

"Even if they could, they wouldn't waste it on something this minor."

Prep was done; all he had to do was watch. Louise eyed his relaxed reply oddly.

"Where do you even get this stuff?"

"It finds me. I'm kinda amazing, you know."

"..."

Why had she worried about this guy? Sighing inwardly, Louise spoke lighter now.

"Contact me if you need help. If it's smashing that Bier prick, I'm in."

Her mana flared with enthusiasm. True to form, she grew stronger against hated foes. Se-hun nodded.

"I'll call if needed, so train hard and don't drag me down."

"I oughta... snap your neck."

She shot him a glare, grumbled, and stomped out. Watching her go, Se-hun said calmly,

"Thanks for worrying."

"..."

Louise paused mid-step, then grumbled back gruffly.

"Wasn't worried."

She fled the alley like it burned. Se-hun chuckled at her embarrassed retreat.

"More fun to tease than before. She even knows gratitude."

Some ways, she echoed the Violent Dog from his past life; others, she was totally different.

As he marveled at how their meeting had changed her...

Vrrr.

His pocket buzzed briefly. Checking his phone, Se-hun read the new message.

Reading Yeom Seong-ha's message, Se-hun stared before rubbing his eyes and muttering,

"This guy's the same as ever..."

A week after the exchange meet ended.

The clash between Se-hun and Bier had spread through Babel until almost everyone knew. It buzzed not just among cadets but professors too.

"What do you think'll happen to that Lee Se-hun kid?"

"What do you mean? He'll end up with Inoue or Myers. What else?"

"Yeah. Department Head Ryu can't cover for him alone against the Valmut weight class."

Individuals rebelling against groups had happened before, but the endings were always the same.

Resist solo till a mysterious death, or seek shelter elsewhere to dodge the heat.

"Pops up one every time we forget. Remember that Aqar Quf guy? Pissed them off like this, got blacklisted, still hasn't graduated years later."

"Some people gotta learn the hard way."

Defeat was a given; curiosity focused on which group Se-hun would join.

His talent and skill in the clash had obliterated all doubts—overwhelmingly.

"Whoever snags Se-hun, Inoue or Myers, will wield massive influence in the hero industry."

"Gotta pick a side quick, either way."

A being who might shatter the fragile hero industry balance.

As eyes locked on his moves, a peculiar rumor spread.

"Heard of Carlton Forge?"

"The sword workshop that nearly went bust under Valmut pressure. Why?"

"Word is their new D-rank mass-produced sword is no joke. Insider spots are already negotiating contracts."

"Really? But Valmut owns that market..."

Valmut dominated low-grade mass-produced gear.

Suddenly, small workshops were challenging that growing empire.

But reactions were skeptical—Valmut's tech was top-tier, and these shops were has-beens.

"Hype before launch. Makes no sense a failing forge pulls that off."

"Handmade scam pretending mass-producible. I've fallen for that before."

No proof, all doubt. Then, a video hit a major global site.

A bizarre title: "eating show" for gear comparison.

Normally dismissed as clickbait, but the channel name stunned viewers.

"Ryu Eun-ha? The S-rank hero...?"

"Deepfake? Nah, she'd get it yanked."

Ryu Eun-ha shunned media—no interviews, let alone streams. Her sudden upload?

Intriguing enough to click. On screen, the red-haired woman appeared.

[Hello. I'm Ryu Eun-ha, Department Head of Borsippa at Babel and an active S-rank hero.]

Her usual deadpan as she eyed dozens of gear pieces before her.

[Today, I'll compare Valmut Inc.'s top-selling D-rank mass-produced longsword with a new release.]

Brief intro done, she fetched two longswords from off-screen and placed them on the desk.

Plain mass-produced designs. But one blade gleamed sharper than the other.

[This is Valmut Inc.'s longsword. The brighter-bladed one is Carlton Forge's new model. Explanation over—time to eat.]

She introduced them, then chomped the Valmut sword from tip to hilt methodically.

Crunch crunch.

The whole blade vanished in a blink, her hair tips flickering like embers.

[Charge rate: about 1% at stage 1. Decent for mass-produced. Biased toward durability, so cutting power lags, but mana conductivity is solid...]

Face unchanged, her analysis matched experts—sharper in spots.

[This mana circuit structure worsens compatibility with special mana, creating weaknesses. Worst match: holy power, probably.]

She fetched a holy-power orb and infused the sword.

Humm!

Golden glow on the blade. She showed it close-up, then tapped a spot.

Crack!

It snapped in half instantly. Displaying the cross-section,

[As you see, holy power corrupts the internal circuits. Durability drops, and...]

She dissected the Valmut sword verbally, smashing eight before finishing.

[Now, Carlton Forge's new longsword.]

She gripped it, bit the tip.

[...]

Unlike the Valmut, she paused. Her lip twitched up faintly.

[As expected...]

Murmuring satisfaction, she devoured the rest.

Whoosh.

Hair flared brighter than before. Calmly,

[Charge rate: 3% at stage 1. Top for D-rank mass-produced. Excellent durability and cutting power—30% better than Valmut's.]

[Mana conductivity 10% higher, but compatibility is outstanding. Minimal variance across mana types; even accepts holy power...]

Same tests as Valmut's. All superior results. Done explaining, she gripped both.

[Brief summary over. Final cross-comparison.]

Arms wide, she slashed inward without hesitation.

Clang!

Sparks flew; Valmut's sword sheared clean.

[That's it. Evaluation ends. Shields next time.]

Video cut abruptly. 30 raw minutes, no subs or edits—brutally straightforward. Viewers couldn't look away.

First, it was truly Ryu Eun-ha, famed S-rank whose gear insight artisans praised.

Second, the content was pro-level with explosive impact.

"Exposing this so bluntly..."

"This'll spread like wildfire."

Her public gourmet review rocketed through hero circles, wildfire-fast ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on dry grass.

A day later:

The controversy that rocked the entire hero industry erupted.