Chapter 91
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Ascendant Emperor's Ring
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"Oh..."
Lee Se-hun slipped the golden ring, the Ascendant Emperor's Ring, onto his right ring finger, his face lighting up with wonder.
The thick sense of presence emanating from the ring felt remarkably similar to the unidentified phalange—the index finger bone of Jürgen from Silver Moon Mountain—that he had obtained before.
'Authority... He really gave me something I never expected.'
Some might scoff that it was just Hero-grade, but that was only because they didn't understand what this authority truly entailed.
With this single ring, one could study endlessly how the Ascendant Emperor wielded space and how that power functioned.
In short, this authority was akin to a manual for reaching the realm of 'Summit Climber.'
'Well, it just means it's possible, nothing more.'
Just as talent determined one's achievements even when studying the same thing, the authority of a Summit Climber was no different.
Even the Pilgrim had generously taught the divine magic he created to the faithful of the Pilgrim Church, yet until the day he died, he never produced another Summit Climber.
'I've felt this before... I just can't figure out what Summit Climbers really are.'
Transcenders who had climbed the Hero's Tower to the very top.
But even they couldn't clearly explain the conditions or the method to achieve it.
'I wonder if I can...'
Could he analyze this power—or hone himself—to ascend to the Summit Climber realm?
As Lee Se-hun pondered this possibility he never even had time to consider before his regression, a voice called out.
"Cadet Lee Se-hun."
Ludwig, who had been watching quietly, spoke up.
"Have you ever handled spatial abilities before?"
"Ah... No, I've never used them directly."
He had crafted artifacts imbued with spatial powers and made simple applications of them, but he had never wielded that power firsthand.
Spatial abilities demanded innate talent more than calculations, and without it, Lee Se-hun found them difficult to grasp.
"Hmm. Then it might be a bit much to use right away."
Ludwig pondered for a moment, then swiped two fingers through the air as if scrolling on a phone screen.
Click!
A tiny inscription engraved on the inside of the ring. At the sight, Lee Se-hun flinched involuntarily.
'This crazy old coot...'
If Ludwig had reversed the pressure used to inscribe it, his finger would have been shredded like minced meat.
Unsure if it was intentional or not, Lee Se-hun wore a sullen expression. Noticing this, Ludwig looked sheepish.
"Ah, right. You have a good eye for detail. My apologies. I acted out of habit and unintentionally threatened you."
"No, it's fine. You didn't mean to... More importantly, what did you engrave?"
"I've inscribed a few useful spatial spells for you. Take a look."
At Ludwig's words, Lee Se-hun checked the information window again.
* Skill 'Space Compression' can now be used.
* Skill 'Space Leap' can now be used.
* Skill 'Space Distortion' can now be used.
Three new spatial spells etched into the Ascendant Emperor's Ring.
These were common types used by spatial ability users—useful not just in combat but also in forging.
"Start by familiarizing yourself with handling space through those. With your talent, you'll get the hang of it quickly."
"Understood."
If it was explained this kindly, there was no reason he couldn't. Ludwig smiled softly at Lee Se-hun's confident expression.
"Then I'll look forward to it."
After Lee Se-hun left, a voice emanated from the white hole.
[I thought you'd toss him some decent armor or something, but authority? What's your angle?]
"What angle could there be? I simply thought that power would be more useful to him than anything else."
The voice growled in response to Ludwig's calm reply.
[That's exactly the problem. What if he analyzes your authority?]
A Summit Climber's power was transcendent, but something like the body of the unidentified Jürgen Kruger scattered across the world could certainly be exploited.
Yet handing over authority sealed within it was no different from exposing a weakness. The voice didn't like it one bit.
[The others might be clueless, but that old kid is dangerous. He might actually dissect and use your authority.]
"Your evaluation of him has improved."
[...Do I sound like I'm joking?]
Rumble─
The president's office trembled faintly.
A pressure that could crush even high-ranking heroes like insects poured from within the white hole, but Ludwig smiled calmly as he spoke.
"Calm down. As I've said before, if our powers are studied, we shouldn't fear it—we should welcome it."
[That's rich coming from the guy who wrecked half of the 'Molting' research facility just for messing with a Summit Climber.]
"That was only a matter of time. And..."
Ludwig's gaze fell on the article on his desk, its front page dominated by a massive photo of Lee Se-hun alongside Jake.
"That boy has power."
[Power?]
"Summit Climbers and the Ten Evils. Heroes and demons. Humanity and the Myriad Demons' Mire."
The two forces dividing the world. Ludwig smiled, confirming that all their interests were now turning toward Lee Se-hun.
"Things will shake more than we imagined. So we should lend him a bit of strength."
To make it shake even greater, and to propel him further forward. After a moment of silence, the voice replied flatly.
[You sly bastard...]
Clank─
The white hole sealed shut into a golden keyhole and vanished. Ludwig turned to gaze out the window.
"It's time to move..."
But no one could predict in which direction that flow would turn.
The next day.
Entering his personal forging room in the Forging Department, Lee Se-hun fired up the furnace and lounged in a chair, staring at his right hand.
"Space Compression."
Pop─
A clapping sound erupted above his palm the moment he uttered the activation word.
Two spaces compressed from opposite sides, bursting the air between them. Lee Se-hun calmly analyzed the phenomenon.
'The pressure's decent. Used right, it could crush a finger.'
After gauging its power, he picked up a flint stone in his right hand and tossed it lightly.
"Space Leap."
Whoosh
The flint stone flying toward the furnace vanished suddenly, only to reappear moments later inside the lidded furnace.
Roar!
The furnace blazed fiercely from the flint. Lee Se-hun reviewed the activation process.
'It creates a tunnel... It demands focus and mana, so I can't use it recklessly.'
It would work well for thrown weapons like the White Light Dagger, but teleporting his whole body was impossible for now.
Deciding to use it cautiously, he picked up a sheet of paper and activated the final spatial spell.
"Space Distortion."
Hum
A faint warp appeared above his palm. In that instant, half the paper vanished somewhere, then protruded upward from the center of the remaining half.
A T-shaped paper, seamlessly fused as if it had always been that way. Lee Se-hun whistled in awe.
'Still terrifying no matter how many times I see it.'
It didn't just sever a part and send it elsewhere—it reconnected it seamlessly.
Since it was paper, it simply stuck together, but a finger would have been cleanly severed.
'Not that it'll be that easy to use...'
Like Space Leap, the stronger the effect, the more it depended on the object's size and presence of mana, drastically altering the difficulty.
Space Distortion in particular failed easily if conditions were even slightly off, making it practically impossible for a human body.
'Still, the distortion phenomenon itself is intriguing.'
What could he do with it? As Lee Se-hun pondered while gazing at the Ascendant Emperor's Ring, a voice called out.
"...Cadet Lee Se-hun?"
Ryu Eun-ha, entering the forging room, looked at him with a peculiar expression.
"Ah, you've arrived?"
"Yes. But..."
Her eyes fixed intently on the golden ring on his right ring finger—the Ascendant Emperor's Ring—with a strange look.
"Where did you get that ring?"
"Ah, the president gave it to me as compensation for this incident."
"Compensation..."
She murmured softly, glaring at the ring with wary eyes. Surprised by her unexpected reaction, Lee Se-hun looked puzzled.
'What's this about all of a sudden?'
Had something happened between her and Ludwig recently?
Noticing his curious gaze, Ryu Eun-ha quickly composed herself as if nothing was amiss.
"A fine reward. It seems he was impressed by your performance this time."
"Yeah, that's what it felt like. So this is too generous for..."
"It's not generous."
She cut him off sharply and added firmly.
"Cadet Lee Se-hun, you received 'due' compensation. You have 'no' need to feel indebted or sorry toward the president for this. Understood?"
Approaching with a blank expression, she unleashed a barrage of words. Though slightly flustered by her passionate insistence, Lee Se-hun nodded.
"Yes, yes. Got it."
"...Ahem. Sorry. As before, you tend to undervalue yourself, so I had to say it."
Clearing her throat to regain composure, she stepped back and surveyed the forging room.
"So, how do you plan to forge today? Your message said you needed my help..."
"Ah, I'll explain now."
Regaining his focus, Lee Se-hun led her to the workbench and showed her the prepared materials.
A dark red ore, a hammer with one face stained crimson, and piles of mass-produced artifacts. Examining the ore, Ryu Eun-ha's eyes gleamed.
"This is the Dragon Lung Stone you got from the president before."
"Correct."
Ore that accumulates fire-attribute mana.
Stimulating its internal mana along a specific path releases the stored fire-attribute mana in an instant.
* Can store and release fire-attribute mana.
The material he had received from Ludwig to modify the Black Flame Hammer during the Silver Moon Mountain incident.
He had put it off due to lack of opportunity until today.
"I plan to use this Dragon Lung Stone to modify the hammer."
"Modify... Then what about these mass-produced artifacts?"
"Ah, those are for you, Department Head."
"...?"
Why give her mass-produced gear when forging artifacts? Puzzled, Ryu Eun-ha suddenly recalled the Dragon Lung Stone's effects and widened her eyes.
"Don't tell me... you plan to use my flames as a material?"
"Exactly."
The flames 'Mineral Blaze' produced by her unique skill 'Dragon Soul Furnace.'
Lee Se-hun intended to capture it in the Dragon Lung Stone to modify the Black Flame Hammer.
"Hmm..."
Her expression turned slightly complicated at his words, then she spoke in a subdued tone.
"I'm sorry, but that's..."
"Difficult because the Dragon Lung Stone might melt?"
"...You knew?"
She looked at him in surprise, and he nodded.
"Yes, I looked up the data beforehand."
Ryu Eun-ha was called Weapon Eater not just for devouring artifacts, but because she had an affinity for it.
Her Mineral Blaze excelled at destroying artifacts—and ores in general.
Thus, those who faced her often survived by luck only to lose all their gear and end up penniless.
'Before my regression, I blew a fortune trying to make use of it once.'
It took a year of research and 80% of his savings. Lucky he found a way, or he might have regressed from sheer frustration right then.
As Lee Se-hun recalled old memories, Ryu Eun-ha asked with slight surprise.
"Then you've found a way to handle Mineral Blaze?"
"Not certain yet—just a hypothesis. We'll check today, and if it looks good, test it on the Dragon Lung Stone."
She pondered his confident words.
Her flames had wasted countless artisans' time and money. It seemed reckless, but her eyes caught the golden ring on his right hand.
'A ring with the president's power... He wouldn't give something like that lightly.'
He had said no interest in recruiting before, but that was then. This performance might have changed his mind, and the ring was proof.
At this rate, he might get hooked on Ludwig's rewards and stay at Babel forever.
'Can't let that happen.'
She couldn't lose this promising talent—and her protégé—so easily.
Steel ing her resolve, she clenched her fist and nodded with a determined expression.
"Understood. Should I eat them right now?"
Looking ready to devour the mass-produced artifacts on the spot, Lee Se-hun gently blocked her path.
"No, there are a few experiments I want to run first."
"Experiments...?"
At her puzzled look, he smiled faintly.
"You'll like them too, Department Head. Enjoy."