Chapter 92
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: The Regressor Makes Everything 92
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Having seated Ryu Eun-ha inside the workbench, Lee Se-hun grabbed three identical mass-produced longswords and stood before the forge.
'Common grade. And to my eyes, it doesn't have any particularly special flavor.'
From Ryu Eun-ha's sensibilities, it felt like a baked potato dusted with sugar. Not inedible, but an awkward combination nonetheless.
'For the first one, something light.'
Lee Se-hun examined the mass-produced longsword, drew the blade in one smooth motion, and began forging.
Kaang! Kaang!
He heated the blade, refined its off-balance center of mass and mana circuits to be more precise. With a whetstone, he honed the edge, completing one sword in the blink of an eye.
'Good. That's enough for this one.'
Setting the refined longsword aside, Lee Se-hun picked up another and tuned it much the same way, then finished forging the last one.
Before quenching, he recalled one of the bonds he'd extracted previously—Jake's uncle, Light Sword Miles Myers.
'A selective personality that only opens up to family. Aggressive in battle, but at root, it's closer to disregard for his own life.'
Based on what he'd seen before his regression, and it didn't seem much different now. A decent bond stone formed with a good feel.
Wuuung!
A mineral that condenses light.
Infusing it with mana unleashes a burst of light carrying slight heat and explosive power.
It shatters when all stored light is released.
*Releases all internally stored light in an instant.
'Fits the light sword vibe perfectly.'
Confirming the nature of the light sword bond stone—Radiant Burst Stone—Lee Se-hun gripped it in his right hand.
Bond Engraving 'Radiant Burst Stone' activated.
Hwaaak!
A brilliant light erupted from his palm.
Channeling it through the sheath into the blade's core, Lee Se-hun plunged it straight into the quenching bath.
Chiiik!
Smoke and light leaked from the quenching fluid. As they began to fade...
Bond Engraving 'Radiant Burst Stone' fully consumed.
Having infused all the light, Lee Se-hun drew the blade out.
A vivid yellow pattern etched into the blade's center. Confirming the light had permeated deep inside, he finished the remaining work and presented the three swords to Ryu Eun-ha.
"This is..."
"Try them one by one and tell me the differences."
"Understood."
Her eyes lit up at the promise of tailored flavors. Ryu Eun-ha swiftly sat on the chair before the workbench and eyed the longswords.
"Bon appétit."
With a solemn bow, she bit into the first refined longsword.
Kaduk.
The basically tuned longsword entered her mouth, and her impassive gaze softened ever so slightly.
"Mm... Much better than the original. More umami, like it's been properly cooked."
"Try the next one right away?"
"Yes."
Kaduk kaduk.
Ryu Eun-ha crunched through the second refined longsword, pondered briefly, then replied.
"Similar to the first, but smoother going down. If I had to pick one to eat often, it'd be this."
"How about the Dragon Soul Furnace charge rate?"
"Charge rate..."
Closing her eyes in thought, she opened them with mild surprise.
"This one's at least 1.5 times higher... The gear itself isn't that different..."
The processes were nearly identical, yet the radiant blood charge differed by 1.5 times. Lee Se-hun's eyes gleamed at her words.
'As expected, the gear's performance and Ryu Eun-ha's satisfaction are separate.'
Just minor tweaks within performance limits had boosted the Dragon Soul Furnace charge by 1.5 times.
This confirmed her unique skill, Dragon Soul Furnace, judged on wildly different criteria.
'Taste... Or rather, the direction she's pursuing.'
The difference between the two swords: the latter was already "finished" with extra polishing, making further refinement tough.
In other words, the more "complete" the gear, the higher her evaluation.
'Need more research for sure.'
One test wasn't conclusive, so Lee Se-hun decided to investigate further next time and looked at the flustered Ryu Eun-ha.
"Now the third one, please."
"Ah, yes. Got it."
Nodding, she steadied her mind and carefully lifted the third longsword.
"..."
Just holding it lightly, she could feel the difference.
Sensing her heart oddly quicken, Ryu Eun-ha hesitated, then bit down hard.
Kaduk.
The moment the fragmented blade seeped into her body, her eyes widened, and the tips of her hair blazed scarlet in an instant.
Hwaruk!
A reaction incomparable to the previous two. She devoured the remaining blade in a flash and slowly spoke.
"This one's... completely different from the first two."
"How so?"
"Same ingredients, but it turned into entirely different food. Simply put... like a baked potato becoming potato chips."
Lee Se-hun wore an intrigued expression at her assessment.
'Normal tuning is like adding seasonings... but Bond Engraving changes the recipe entirely.'
He hadn't perceived "flavor" before regression, so it was unclear then, but the bond stone's effects exceeded his expectations.
"And the charge rate?"
"Charge rate... Feels like 1.5—no, maybe 2 high-grade gears."
A common-grade gear charging equivalent to two high-grade ones. Possible due to the low grade, but no negligible feat.
'Hm. Starting to get a sense.'
As Lee Se-hun savored her tastes and the solid gains...
"...It's good."
Ryu Eun-ha, savoring the longsword's flavor, unconsciously smiled softly.
"Really delicious."
Target 'Ryu Eun-ha' feels deep empathy.
Bond stone generated for target 'Ryu Eun-ha'.
A Lv. 2 bond stone from Ryu Eun-ha.
Seeing her satisfied with plain common-grade gear brought a strange expression to Lee Se-hun's face.
'Was her face always this expressive?'
Rich emotions rare even before regression. As he watched, past memories overlaid the scene.
Severed left arm, chest riddled with holes. Her fading eyes, losing light, looked at him and murmured bitterness for the first time.
'I regret eating your gear...'
Her final words. The last bond stone seeped into him as she gripped his hand.
That bond stone let him forge gear to slay the Demon God of Annihilation who killed her, but questions lingered after.
'Why regret it?'
He couldn't know her exact thoughts then, but her true regret permeated through the bond stone.
As that long-released memory surged back...
Skill 'Awakening Dream' activated.
The scene before him washed away like ink in water.
"Cadet Lee Se-hun?"
Ryu Eun-ha looked at him curiously.
Realizing it was just a past memory, Lee Se-hun closed his eyes briefly to sort his thoughts, then replied.
"I was thinking of tuning the rest the same way and feeding them to you. Sound good?"
Her eyes widened, then lit up as she nodded eagerly.
"Y-Yes! I'd eat as much as you give."
"Lots to go through, so I'll speed it up."
Lee Se-hun rolled up his sleeves, heated the piled mass-produced gear, hammered away stray thoughts.
'The present matters more than the past.'
No regrets this time—for her or him.
With that, he refined all thirty-plus pieces and fed them to Ryu Eun-ha.
Hwaruk!
Her hair rippled vividly once enough accumulated. Confirming the perfect amount, Lee Se-hun stepped forward.
"Department Head. Can you gather flame in your hand?"
"Ah. Yes. Of course."
Her softened expression sharpened as she summoned radiant blood. Her palm glowed red, radiant flame blooming.
Seeing it, Lee Se-hun channeled his fire-attribute mana, Crimson Flame, wrapping her hands.
"Wait..."
"It's fine. Just slowly release the flame outward as much as possible."
"...Understood."
Trusting his confident tone, she nodded and gradually released the radiant flame.
Sususu.
Radiant flame seeped inward along the Crimson Flame's flow.
The Dragon Soul Furnace's radiant flame was fierce and volatile, but Lee Se-hun sustained it by "circulating" it.
'Maybe because I used Bond Engraving on tempered steel once... Feels smoother than pre-regression.'
Having received all her radiant flame, he slowly withdrew his hands, spreading them open.
Wuuung.
A circular flame hovered over both palms, with scarlet flame circulating in a ring inside.
Perfectly controlled radiant blood flame left Ryu Eun-ha stunned.
"How..."
Flames that rampaged and vanished when passed to others now meekly held form.
As she stared in disbelief, Lee Se-hun inspected the flame and spoke.
"Department Head, could you grab the Dragonite and hammer over there?"
"Ah, yes!"
She fetched the two materials from the workbench. Lee Se-hun eyed the Dragonite first.
"Place the Dragonite in the center."
She hesitated, then nodded and set it down.
Wuuung—!
As he cupped his hands to form a circle, the Dragonite wrapped in flame melted into molten metal instantly.
"This is... alchemy forging."
"Yeah. Seemed compatible with radiant flame."
A slight mistake could ruin not just impurities but the ore's core, 'ore nucleus.' But with his experience, no such slips.
'Now, Dragonite's ore nucleus deepest in. Then Crimson Flame, then radiant blood in order...'
Arranging the three flows in sequence into a single mold, Lee Se-hun looked at Ryu Eun-ha.
"Now insert the hammer's red side here. When I signal, activate the gear skill 'Attribute Convergence.'"
"Got it."
Nodding, she gripped the Black Flame Hammer and inserted the red face as instructed.
Chiiik!
One face of the Black Flame Hammer heated, slowly melting into the mold in his palm.
The moment the envisioned mana circuit fully etched...
"Now!"
Pang—!
All materials fused via the Black Flame Hammer.
Bursting air and flame seeped into the hammer. Confirming the aftermath, Lee Se-hun withdrew his hands.
A natural flame pattern on one face. Impressed by the cleaner-than-expected result...
Gear 'Black Flame Hammer' changed to 'Ore-Melting Hammer'.
A hammer forged from Dragonite.
Coated with Dragonite infused with special flames, it generates powerful flames capable of melting ore.
Amplifies attribute mana coated on both sides.
*Amplifies two attribute manas.
*Usable Skill: 'Attribute Convergence'.
*Usable Skill: 'Ore-Melting'.
"Oh..."
Cleaner effects than anticipated.
Lee Se-hun felt anew how much he'd grown since starting.
'Not perfect, but solid mid-tier.'
This hammer could now properly serve in "combat." As he examined the Ore-Melting Hammer...
Gulp.
A loud rumble from ahead.
Lifting his head, he saw Ryu Eun-ha staring at the Ore-Melting Hammer with an odd gaze.
"Department Head?"
"..."
"...Department Head?"
At his repeated calls laced with unease, she met his eyes, pondered, then shyly opened her mouth.
"Just one bite..."
"No."