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Chapter 9

“...”

“...”

“Hey you, clean this up too... ahem.”

The faculty member, who was in charge of cleaning up the alleyway, deftly turned away as if he hadn’t seen the two facing each other.

He had witnessed a standoff between an honor student who had gone off-script during the ceremony and the Dean who was responsible for that student’s actions. To onlookers, this situation would have seemed like it was going to explode any second.

But this isn’t exactly that kind of situation here, you know.

While Eun-Ha’s expressionless face might make her seem angry, considering her personality, if she called him out for such a matter, she would have pointed out his wrongdoings at the start. So, why was she standing silently without uttering a single word? There could only be one motive behind her action.

“Was that intentional?”

She had found delectable equipment to gobble up.

“The flames stored in the Five-Flame Sword have a tendency to collide with each other. That’s why I designed it so that the flames freely flow through the Flaming Scabbard, which makes it easy to adjust them.”

“So you weren’t just aiming to increase their spreadability.”

“Well, while I also had that in mind, I also considered the different sets of skills that could use the compatibility between the two pieces of equipment.”

She stared intently at Se-Hoon as the latter casually explained his reasoning.

When the topic of the additional test was first revealed, he envisioned the two pieces of equipment synergizing to a certain extent. However, they ended up surpassing the level of merely assisting each other and produced an explosive boosting effect.

And also utilizing the skill Untamed Fire on top of it... it seems he also intended that, huh?

She found it unbelievable that he was able to apply such meticulous adjustments in such a short amount of time. Her mouth dried up as she reevaluated Se-Hoon’s abilities, which far exceeded her expectations.

He’s worth much more than I imagined.

Was this what it felt like when a large amount of cheese unexpectedly oozed out of a cheap pork cutlet?

Gulp.

She swallowed hard at the thought of his abilities. She couldn’t accept just looking forward to it in the future; she wanted a taste right now.

[A bond has been successfully established with the subject ‘Ryu Eun-Ha’.]

A new information window appeared in front of Se-Hoon.

This is quite early.

Before the regression, it had cost him several pieces of equipment to form a bond with Eun-Ha. But this time, a bond had been established without even feeding her a single piece. Although he felt a bit uneasy considering that his current skills were much lower than they had been back then, such differences were unavoidable.

An average blacksmith or a promising student with a bright future? It was obvious which was more attractive to her.

Regardless, forming a bond with Ryu Eun-Ha was a pretty good outcome for him. Having dealt with her Fatestone several times, he was already familiar with how to utilize it. Adding on to that, she was the Dean of Borsippa, so she could provide lots of support for his academic life.

I should still check if the activation method of Bond Extraction is the same as before.

After contemplating how to extract the bond from her, Se-Hoon chose to resort to using a simple method.

“Ugh...” He suddenly collapsed while clutching his forehead.

Reacting to his fall, Eun-Ha naturally reached out and grabbed him.

“Are you okay?"

Noticing that she was worried about him, he nodded sheepishly.

“I just used a bit too much mana... I think I’m fine.”

He softly took hold of her arm while getting up from his collapsed posture.

Bond Extraction

[Extracting bond from subject ‘Ryu Eun-Ha’]

[The bond with the host is Lv. 1.]

The bond seeped inside his body.

Nice.

He hadn’t alarmed her at all when extracting the bond. When he stood up, however, he found Eun-Ha staring at him sternly.

“Next time, if you want to do something like this, please let me know in advance. This time, the chairman covered for you, but next time, you could face disciplinary action.”

“Yes. I will be more cautious next time.”

After observing his sincere reflection, she nodded her head and looked around cautiously.

“So, since the entrance ceremony is over, let’s proceed with our deal—”

“Ah. Here you were, ” a voice said. Kim In-Cheol had arrived at the scene just in time to cut off Eun-Ha.

“The chairman would like to proceed with the awards right away. May I borrow Lee Se-Hoon for a while, ma’am?”

“...Okay.”

Se-Hoon laughed internally at the subtle discontent evident on Eun-Ha’s expressionless face.

“I look forward to seeing you soon, ma’am,” said Se-Hoon, bowing politely.

Se-Hoon and In-Cheol left the alley, leaving her alone. She stared at their retreating figures with a blank expression.

Then, a soft, displeased sound echoed from the alley.

Growl.

***

She’s still the same as before.

Ryu Eun-Ha was someone who was always eager to consume any equipment that she found fascinating. While Se-Hoon was satisfied that Eun-Ha, known for her discerning taste, took interest in his equipment, he didn’t let his guard down yet.

She’s only acting like that now because she’s new to my equipment.

At first, she might keep searching for that new taste, but once it became a little familiar to her, his equipment would simply end up tasting the same as ordinary Rare-tier equipment.

I am getting sick of your weapons, Se-Hoon.

Before the regression, he had been subjected to a lot of humiliation because he wasn’t aware of her deteriorating interest in his equipment. However, this time, he would make sure not to make the same mistake again.

And since I met her this early, maybe I could even aim for a level-five bond.

The maximum bond level he had been able to reach with her before was level four. He deeply regretted it then, as it fell a step short of the highest level, level five, which he had achieved with the Three Dogs.

His regrets were mainly because of her premature death and his own shortcomings for not preventing her tragic fate.

“I regret eating your equipment...”

Her murmur lingered in his ears. Unable to forget it even until now, he furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure.

Tsk...

Well, it was all water under the bridge. As Se-Hoon tried to forget about it, In-Cheol, who was walking up ahead, spoke up.

“We’re here.”

They had arrived in front of a massive mansion that stood on one side of the central square where the entrance ceremony took place. This was the Marduk Mansion, the previous main building, often known as the heart of Babel Academy.

“This mansion is a historic site of Babel Academy. It’s not a place you get to visit often, so take a good look at it now.”

After giving a brief explanation, In-Cheol walked away, and Se-Hoon followed him into the mansion.

The entirety of the mansion, from the outside garden to the interior, was lavishly decorated. It was unbelievably well-maintained for a place built over forty years ago.

Rather than being maintained properly... it feels more like it’s frozen in time.

Se-Hoon examined the eerie atmosphere surrounding the mansion.

“I’m saying this just in case,” said In-Cheol after they had arrived at the door of the chairman’s office. “Please act politely while addressing the chairman. As you should know, he is in a completely different league than us.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not clueless about such things, you know.”

“...”

In-Cheol was perplexed by Se-Hoon’s calm reply. If the young man had been nervous, he wouldn’t have been worried, but Se-Hoon being so relaxed made In-Cheol uneasy.

Yes. It should be fine. He’s not someone who doesn’t know basic etiquette...

Shaking off his worries, In-Cheol carefully pushed open the door with both hands.

In the room, there was a huge window overlooking the central square and bookshelves lined with old books. The floor was covered with a faded red carpet, and there were various antiques and old furniture scattered around.

These are all old-fashioned.

Completely contrasting with the splendid exterior of the mansion, this room was a quaint and worn-out space with a blend of brown and red. Seated at the desk was an old man—chairman Ludwig Schubert, who welcomed Se-Hoon with a smile.

“Welcome.”

“... Hello, sir.”

As Se-Hoon bowed politely and stepped inside, the door closed silently, just like it had opened.

Suddenly, he was alone in a room with the most powerful man in Babel Academy. For someone with a weak mentality, Ludwig’s presence alone might have been overwhelming, but Se-Hoon stood there with unwavering composure.

The Emperor of Ascension...

Ludwig was one of the strongest of humanity, and the only man who was able to fight to the death with the Destroyer of Heavens.

Seeing this legendary figure up close, Se-Hoon nodded to himself.

He truly lives up to his title of a Perfect One.

He was incredibly strong, to the point where one might doubt if he was truly human. He was also inscrutable, making it impossible to discern what he was thinking. Se-Hoon’s encounters with him had always made him uncomfortable, both in the past and present.

“Have you finished looking at everything you wanted to see?” asked Ludwig, as if he knew that Se-Hoon was appraising his stats.

While other students might have been taken aback by his question, Se-Hoon just shook his head calmly.

“Nope. I wasn’t able to see everything.”

“I see. Was there not enough time?”

“No, it’s just that I don’t have the capability to do so.”

If it were before the regression, he would have been able to give a proper appraisal of Ludwig. But in the state that he was right now, it was an impossible feat.

After this honest reply, he questioned Ludwig, who was still looking at him, “Have you finished your appraisal, Chairman Ludwig?”

There was no way that Ludwig was idling around and examining the patterns on the wall while Se-Hoon was appraising him. At Se-Hoon’s question, Ludwig looked surprised, then shook his head with a smile.

“I wasn’t able to appraise you fully either. It seems I was incapable too.”

“Ah.”

While Se-Hoon had been just saying what came to mind, he had ended up looking like a crazy person who was criticizing a Perfect One for not having enough skills.

Se-Hoon was about to apologize, since he remembered In-Cheol’s earnest request, but Ludwig spoke first, “Let’s take the time to understand each other when the opportunity arises again. For now, let’s focus on the work at hand.”

“Understood.”

Ludwig smiled and looked at Se-Hoon.

“The equipment that you displayed at the entrance ceremony was intriguing. I can’t say that they were perfect, but there was more about them that I could look forward to.”

“...”

Se-Hoon’s eyes twitched, and a pang of discomfort surged within at the disappointing assessment, but he quickly composed himself. He was already prepared for such criticism when he submitted his first weapon.

I shouldn’t think in terms of who I was before the regression. I have to face the reality now.

A part of him wanted to lob the Five-Flame Sword and the Flaming Scabbard into the furnace for making him receive such embarrassing reviews, but for now, he needed to restrain himself.

As Se-Hoon took a deep breath, Ludwig laughed softly and continued, “So in honor of your talent and hard work, I’m offering you two rewards. Tell me what you need.”

This gift from Ludwig was only given to honor students of each college.

It was anything that Ludwig could grant at his discretion. He would accept any kind of request, such as skills, armor, elixirs, or letters of introduction.

He’s offering me two rewards? He’s more generous than I thought.

He had been pondering whether to increase his mana or enhance his memory, but it seemed there was no need for such deliberation. Feeling a bit relieved, he answered right away.

“I would like to receive materials that can help increase my memory and mana.”

“Hm. Memory and mana.”

Ludwig mumbled as if he was intrigued by Se-Hoon’s answer. Then, after a moment of contemplation, he reached out his hand toward the empty air above him and performed a unique gesture.

Click.

His two fingers lightly traced the air, and a golden keyhole appeared in midair. The keyhole rotated slowly at a 90-degree angle, then split apart vertically and revealed a white space.

Thud. Thud.

Two objects fell out of the space and landed on the table.

One was ivory engraved with mysterious patterns, and the other was a piece of dark-colored ore. Se-Hoon was bewildered when he saw these objects.

“These are...?”

“They are your rewards.”

“...”

The reason Se-Hoon asked about these objects wasn’t that he didn’t know what they were. In any case, it didn’t seem like Ludwig would take them back and give him something else, so he felt it was safe to express some surprise.

Ludwig chuckled and pushed the two items to the end of the desk.

“Take a look at them first.”

“Ah, yes.”

Se-Hoon walked up to the desk and lightly stroked the two items. The two items trembled faintly, and an information window popped up in front of him.

[Inkstone Ore]

[Tier: Hero] [Quality: Excellent]

[A shard of darkness from the night.

It seeks to consume all but the darkness.

*Drains magic from anything it contacts]

This piece of ore appeared distorted due to how matte the surface was.

His eyes widened at the sight of this rare material, which he’d seen a few times before the regression.

Ha. I never thought I\'d manage to get hold of one already.

Although it was just Hero-tier material, it was not easy to get one due to its ability to absorb mana. This ore alone was enough to surprise him, but the real deal was the other reward.

It was a piece of pure white ivory with surreal patterns.

[Dream Ivory]

[Tier: Hero] [Quality: Average]

[The molar of the Dream-Eating Baku.

It is imbued with dream mana, allowing you to travel between reality and dreams.

*Enables the use of dream mana to connect to the user’s dreams]

A Dream Ivory...

It was a special material that allowed not only physical connection but mental connection as well, making it even rarer than the inkstone ore. While the inkstone ore could be found if one knew where to look, the Dream Ivory was much harder to come by. It was scarce, and it was also monopolized by the magicians who were researching dream mana.

“...”

These rewards were completely unexpected, and his mouth twitched in joy as he looked at the two items.

A well-known blacksmith, like he was before the regression, could obtain these materials, but that was in no way the case for a mere student. It was bizarre to him that he was able to obtain these rare materials so easily.

It should be hard for me to use these materials with my current stats... but I do have a clue as to what I should do with them.

Of course, there was no way he could do something with these rewards right now, but with a little preparation, he could probably use them soon. As he was busy planning in his head, Ludwig asked with a smile, “Do you like your rewards?”

Without hesitation, Se-Hoon nodded.

“They’re perfect.”

***

After Se-Hoon exited the room, a low voice echoed from beyond the white hole in the air.

“How come he’s the only one to be rewarded with two items?”

The mere act of communicating its intentions caused the surrounding atmosphere to tremble, and the entire room creaked under the weight of its presence.

Ludwig answered calmly, “I only gave him two items because it seemed like he could handle them, unlike the other students.”

“Is that so? He did seem rather precocious...”

“If you saw him that way, it means he has enough depth in him,” Ludwig said calmly as he observed Se-Hoon, who was walking down the corridor.

His method of perceiving objects was by combining his own mana with the ambient mana.

A curious look crossed his face as the scene became clearer than the naked eye could see.

I still can\'t perceive his limits.

Until now, he had been able to appraise all of the potential that the honor students, who had visited earlier, had by the time they left the room. However, he still couldn’t fathom Se-Hoon’s underlying potential, even after observing him as he walked through the central square after leaving the mansion. It was as if his potential was boundless. After realizing this, Ludwig looked at the white hole again.

I was planning to reward him with three items... but I shouldn’t be too excessive.

He decided to reward him with the remaining one depending on how Se-Hoon would handle the two he received today.

Amused for the first time in a long while, Ludwig continued to observe Se-Hoon until he had left the central square.