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Chapter 57

[The left index finger bone of the absolute conqueror, Wurgen Kruger.

The body part of a necromancer who walks the line between life and death has become a powerful catalyst for necromancy on its own.

By imbuing it with mana, you can activate three necromantic spells that were engraved on the index finger.

*Enables the use of the skill ‘Eye of the Boundary’

*Enables the use of the skill ‘Call of the Dead’.

*Skill ‘Vision of the Abyss’ cannot be used yet]

Just his finger bone alone is a Hero-tier artifact... that’s terrifying. He truly is worthy of being a Perfect One.

Already a rival for high-tier equipment, if this severed finger hadn’t been separated from the main body so long, it might have been even more powerful.

So this is what it looks like.... It’s certainly interesting.

Before the regression, Se-Hoon had only heard about Wurgen Kruger’s secret after all of his body parts had been recovered, so this was his first time seeing one directly. It was more intriguing than he expected.

Even though it seems to have been implanted in Vollmond’s body for a long time, there’s not a single trace of contamination by demon aura...

It was classified as Hero tier, but its actual current potential could be even higher. When his thoughts reached this point, his whole body itched.

This... might be useful.

It wouldn’t be an easy forging process, given that it was a part of a Perfect One’s body, but it didn’t seem impossible. He started pondering over the schematics that began to form in his mind.

Splat-

Hearing something, Se-Hoon looked over to see something blood-red emerging from the wall.

“My... long... endure... such... mistake...”

And from it, a voice sounded intermittently while swelling continuously. Like a bag that kept having items crammed in, the mass of flesh kept expanding.

Soon, two eyes and a set of teeth indiscriminately sprouted on its body, its limbs growing before being mashed together like clay.

At the sight of what used to be Vollmond, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes.

It went berserk the moment the artifact that acted as the linchpin disappeared... their craftsmanship sure is lacking compared to the old days.

As a regressor, the technology of Exuviation at this current point in time was inferior to what he was familiar with.

Wondering if there was more to gain from here, he simply stood there and continued to observe the rampaging regeneration process.

“You...!”

Hundreds of eyes, each sprouting from the mass of flesh, all glared at him in unison.

“I’m going to kill you...!”

Even though its very existence was collapsing, Vollmond still possessed a clear intent to kill. And responding to that intent, the bloated body burst and surged toward him like a tidal wave.

But instead of running away, he continued to do as he did before—simply observing the mass of flesh.

Then, just as the thousands of teeth that sprouted from the mass of flesh were about to tear his body to shreds—

Creak-

A giant rift split the space before his eyes.

Boom!

With a massive shockwave, the advancing mass of flesh was pushed back into the walls, trembling. But rather than out of anger, the trembling was due to pure fear.

From the rift, two hands emerged and grabbed onto the sides, forcefully pulling it open.

Crack!

Stepping out from the pitch-black space, a woman with red hair, Eun-Ha, urgently looked at Se-Hoon.

“Lee Se-Hoon! You’re not hurt, right...?”

“Ah. You arrived just in time.” Like nothing had happened, his greeting was completely calm.

However, upon seeing that his entire body was covered in blood from the wounds all over and that his armor was completely destroyed, she trembled. Se-Hoon was even clutching his chest with his right hand and trembling which indicated that he might have suffered internal injuries as well.

“...”

While he had no fatal wounds, his condition was still no less than severe. The state of his body caused her entire face to stiffen.

Though she appeared emotionless externally, inside, turbulent emotions, their intensity indescribable, swirled within her.

But right before the emotions could begin to seep out, a scream echoed, shaking the entire cave.

“Rarrrrr!!!”

The mass of flesh, no longer able to possess an ego, still understood what it needed to do in this situation.

Quickly burrowing into the fissures that had been created by the previous battle, the blood-red mass of flesh shook the surroundings violently.

Is it planning to collapse the cavity and crush us with its body?

Surveying the surroundings with that thought in mind, he noticed Eun-Ha approaching him with a calm expression.

“Lee Se-Hoon.”

“Yes?”

“I plan to move you to a safe location momentarily to deal with this monster. Please understand.”

“Ah, yes.”

“You should wear this, just in case. It may look like ordinary clothing, but it’s Hero equipment, so you shouldn’t be hurt anymore.”

With those words, she took off her black jacket and draped it over him.

“Also, I plan to defeat that by consuming the Radiant Long Sword... I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise to show you.”

“Ah. Well, that’s okay...”

Seeing how she seemed more concerned with dealing with the monster than savoring his Raidant Long Sword, he wore a slightly awkward expression.

It’ll be troublesome if she doesn’t enjoy it properly.

Her evaluation of the Radiant Long Sword could potentially alter any future expectations that she had of him. So, hoping that she wouldn’t forget his original intention, he added, “Please enjoy it.”

“Hm?”

“Because I forged it just for you, Dean.”

Caught off guard by his unexpected comment, she looked somewhat dazed before slowly nodding.

“I will savor it properly.”

Finishing what she had to say, she drew upon all the residual energy left from her escape, amplified her mana, and immediately grabbed him. Then, looking up at the hole in the ceiling that had been blown wide open, she gathered all her strength.

“Hph...!”

And threw him up toward the hole with all of her might.

“Ahhhh-!” Se-Hoon’s terrified scream faded away in an instant.

Now alone in the cavity, she took out the last weapon remaining in her void pocket. With a sharp, pure white aura, the longsword slightly illuminated the dim cave.

Seeing the Radiant Long Sword display its presence so elegantly and unmistakably, she swallowed her saliva unconsciously.

He made this for me...

Despite knowing it was just smooth talk, she couldn’t help but feel excited. Trying her best to suppress her exhilaration, she gently bit into the blade just above the guard.

Until now, she had consumed equipment without leaving a single piece behind, but in actuality, it wasn’t necessary to go that far to draw out its energy. What was important when devouring equipment was consuming the power held within.

In other words, if she so wished, she could gain all the energy that the equipment could provide in just a single bite.

Crack!

The blade broke, and the power of the Radiant Long Sword melted in her mouth.

[‘Radiant Long Sword’ has been devoured.]

[Unique skill ‘Soul Furnace’ has been activated.]

Enjoying the texture of the finely honed blade and the magic circuits housed within, she savored the savory taste of the blacksmith’s craftsmanship which blended exquisitely with everything.

The clarity of the flavor, unimaginable for Rare equipment, both surprised and perplexed her.

This is...

It was certainly the first time she had tasted the equipment that Se-Hoon forged, yet the taste evoked a sense of longing for some reason. It was as if she had tasted and longed for it before.

While confused by the inexplicable emotion, something unexpected happened to her.

[The first furnace ‘Flame Alteration’ has reached its critical point.]

[The second furnace ‘Crimson Eye’ has been activated.]

The heat being emitted by her burning crimson hair shifted, transforming her eyes into blazing scarlets. Feeling the amount of power brewing inside of her, she was astonished. The heat and rising energy within her body had surpassed her expectations.

Crimson Eye in one go?

Her unique skill, Soul Furnace, caused physical transformations and an increase in her abilities each time the energy inside her body reached a certain level.

The first stage, Flame Alteration, could be activated by consuming any equipment, but the second stage, Crimson Eye, was different. She normally had to consume the equivalent of ten pieces of perfect-quality Rare equipment to reach this level of energy.

However, the Radiant Long Sword had somehow achieved this in just one go.

What on earth...

Seeing that Eun-Ha was confused by the situation she had never encountered with any piece of equipment before, the mass of flesh reacted swiftly.

Until now, it had been trying to kill her at all costs, yet it was currently trying to flee in fear by attempting to burrow into the ground. Unfortunately for it, Eun-Ha knew that letting a monster with the regenerative abilities of a B-rank go would be a hassle even if it was weakened.

“Tsk.”

She wanted to savor the sensation more, but there was no time.

With a frown on her face, she clenched her right fist.

Rrrrr-

Then, along with the intense engine noise that was resonating from within her body, her right fist began to blaze. It exuded an immense amount of heat, completely created by the energy she absorbed and her mana.

Unable to withstand the heat, the sleeve of her specially-made dress shirt melted away. Her now exposed arm, reddened up to the elbow, shone brilliantly in the dim cave.

And the moment all that power was concentrated into her fist—

“Hmph...!”

A red meteor plummeted toward the floor of the cave.

***

“Ugh...!”

Confirming that the whipping wind had ceased, Se-Hoon immediately looked down.

The scenery of Mount Silver Moon was nowhere to be seen, his vision completely covered by dark clouds filled with mana. Seeing that, he realized Eun-Ha had thrown him beyond the clouds. He marveled at her strength.

I wonder if she properly savored it.

Compared to before the regression, everything from his equipment to his physical abilities was inferior, but there was one aspect in which he had an advantage. In this timeline, he finally managed to grasp the taste of equipment by directly experiencing it through the use of Iron Desire.

It’s still a bit ambiguous since there weren’t a lot of chances, but it’s certainly better than not knowing what it tastes like at all.

Back then, when he was forging the Radiant Long Sword, he had actually been consciously keeping the taste of the equipment in mind while forging it. After all, he had recently experienced the taste for himself, and when combining the stories Eun-Ha had told him before the regression, he had felt like he could make something that tasted good.

Thinking that she might be tasting it right about now, he looked down with a tense expression.

I wonder if it ended up tasting mediocre because of my meddling.

To cater to Eun-Ha, a couple of blacksmiths before the regression had fallen into a slump while experimenting with this and that, and Se-Hoon himself was one of them.

Recalling those nightmarish memories, he grew anxious.

Swoosh-

Suddenly, a red light burst through the clouds.

“That’s...”

Seeing a sight he shouldn’t have been able to see yet, his eyes widened in shock before quickly covering his ears with his hands.

Following the red flash that tore through the clouds, soaring high into the sky, was a fearsome roar that reached him even through his palms covering his ears.

Naturally, the resulting shockwave also headed his way, but the jacket thrown over his shoulders neatly shielded him and prevented him from being swept away.

“Ugh

Unable to close his eyes in time, he had to wait for the red afterimages to fade before he was able to look down again.

Before his eyes, through the clouds that had a gigantic hole torn through them, were hundreds of uprooted trees that were unable to withstand the shockwave. Landslides had also completely transformed the terrain in several places.

Meanwhile, the terminal in this danger zone had deployed its defense mechanisms to its fullest extent, thinking they were under attack by monsters and demons.

“Wow...”

From high above the chaos, he naturally looked toward the epicenter of the explosion that had created this mess.

“She’s crazy...”

A giant crater, hundreds of meters deep, had been gouged out. Everything from the dungeon to the small mountains around it had been completely annihilated.

Seeing the devastation caused by Eun-Ha, he couldn’t help but wear an expression of disbelief.

All this from devouring just the Radiant Long Sword? That can’t be right...

For her to produce such power, she would need to be at least the second stage, Crimson Eye. He knew that such a stage normally required her to consume about ten pieces of Rare equipment, so only disbelief remained in him.

Whoosh-!

While he had been staring in disbelief, a red meteor started soaring up toward him.

“We’re going down now.”

Upon hearing that voice, he felt like someone had grabbed him, and then in the blink of an eye, he fell rapidly downward toward the center of the crater.

“Ugh...”

Now on the ground, he felt unusually dizzy, perhaps due to his weakened state. Watching Se-Hoon staggering about, Eun-Ha looked at him with a serious expression.

“Lee Se-Hoon.”

“Yes, yes...”

“What exactly did you do with the Radiant Long Sword?”

No matter how much she thought about it, it seemed impossible that Rare equipment could produce such power. Facing her question filled with doubt, Se-Hoon, tried to calm his nausea before responding.

“I just tailored it to your taste.”

“Excuse me?”

“I thought you might prefer this flavor, so I made it with that in mind. Was it not to your liking?”

“No... it’s just...”

She was unable to answer, finding herself at a loss for words.

Every piece of equipment she had consumed until now wasn’t tasteless, but every single one had always left her thinking that something was off. There were always minor disappointments—such as if it were only a bit less sweet, less rich, less spicy, or less bitter—but there was no way to adjust them.

No one ever understood...

She was the only one in the world who knew the taste of equipment, so there was nobody who understood and could tailor it to her taste. Thinking that such a situation would never change, she gave up on expecting that someone could forge something that matched her taste. After all, it was less disappointing if it was impossible in the first place.

“...No.”

But today, a young blacksmith who had just begun to realize his genius had managed to do the impossible and revitalize her tastebuds. With the satisfying taste still lingering in her mouth, she once again remembered the nature of the longing that she had initially felt: the joy of meeting the long-awaited person who could understand her.

“It was really delicious.”

[The bond with ‘Ryu Eun-Ha’ has increased to Lv.2.]

[Since the bond has increased to Lv. 2, a relationship has been established. Your relationship with ‘Ryu Eun-Ha’ is currently ‘Empathy’.]

[Relationship: Empathy]

[To someone who has been isolated for a long time, finding someone who understands them can, by itself, act as a solid pillar of support.

Although fully understanding and empathizing with each other may not be easy, gradually expanding that connection can lead to an unbreakable bond.

*A Fatestone is created whenever the subject feels like you empathize with them.

*The maturation rate of the Fatestone increases whenever the subject feels understood.

*Currently created Fatestone: None]

Upon reading the notification messages that popped up, Se-Hoon wore a perplexed expression.

What the...

Just by catering to her taste, he had increased their bond to level two. While he knew such a thing might have been possible if things turned out really well, he had never expected it to be this easy.

Caught off guard by this unexpected situation, he had to ponder his next course of action. But before he could decide on something, Eun-Ha spoke up.

“I have a proposal for you, Lee Se-Hoon.”

Looking at Se-Hoon, who was still in her arms, Eun-Ha had an earnest expression. Her face, without its usual stoic look, was openly displaying desire. Watching her eyes sparkle like she had discovered Legendary equipment or something even more amazing, he immediately came to a realization.

“Would you make my meals every day from now on?”

The effect turned out to be much stronger than he had anticipated.