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Chapter 74

The Eyes of Clairvoyance that Kwang-Soo had developed boasted a level of difficulty that ranked among the top out of every technique he had created so far.

Even he himself had failed two to three times out of every ten attempts. That was why he couldn’t believe that Se-Hoon could pull it off without even practicing it once.

He doesn’t seem talented enough to pull this off...

Experiencing the incomprehensible situation, Kwang-Soo looked on with a complex expression.

A few moments later, Se-Hoon finished warming up and turned around.

“How do you want me to show you?”

“You can just start by activating it first.”

The Eyes of Clairvoyance was a technique that directly enhanced one’s vision—and was also one of the most rarely used techniques in the world. It was so rarely used because vision skills and techniques could lead to potential side effects if not controlled perfectly since the eyes, weaker than other organs, were easily affected by mana.

“If you feel like it’s not going to work, stop immediately. Otherwise, you might end up having to see hallucinations for the rest of your life.”

Among all the organs, the eyes were the most difficult to heal once damaged.

Se-Hoon nodded at Kwang-Soo’s warning.

“There’s no need for you to be worried.”

“Worried...? Just hurry up and show me.”

Seeing how Kwang-Soo was grumbling yet urging him on, Se-Hoon smiled slightly and slowly recalled the activation method for the Eyes of Clairvoyance—something he had been taught before the regression.

The activation method itself isn’t that difficult.

All it consisted of was inserting a set amount of mana into a predetermined path. Of course, the path was very narrow and complex, and even the slightest lapse in mana control could result in injury.

Soul Honing

But it was an easy task for Se-Hoon, who could freely divvy up his body.

Click-

A temporary mana circuit formed along the path of the Eyes of Clairvoyance, and following its creation, mana seeped into it.

Soon, gray mana appeared on his retinas.

This special type of mana, altered by the unique operating method of the Eyes of Clairvoyance, swirled slightly above his pupil before stabilizing like a lens.

Confirming that the activation was successful, he slowly gazed through his altered vision.

“Ho...”

His view of the surroundings was like it was straight out of a black-and-white photograph.

Everything from the ceiling of the lecture room to the floor of the training area turned black and white, but there was one thing that still had color.

Kwang-Soo’s body still had gray hues moving along a certain path within his body.

So this is how it looks.

What Se-Hoon was experiencing right now was the Eyes of Clairvoyance’s most basic usage: Observation.

It was a vision technique specialized in detecting the mana of living beings, which was why he couldn’t view the mana in the various facilities in the room, including the training area.

Hm. It feels less like detecting mana and more like sensing the Synesthetic Mindscape within it.

Meanwhile, as Se-Hoon mused over the somewhat familiar sensation, Kwang-Soo was frozen in shock, his mouth open in surprise.

He actually pulled it off?

He immediately began thinking that he was seeing things, but the glossy look in Se-Hoon’s eyes and the way his gaze followed the mana flow in his body made it clear that he had successfully activated the Eyes of Clairvoyance.

Activating it on his first try—more skillfully than himself at that—was beyond his expectations.

Lee Se-Hoon... I need to take a closer look at him.

Until now, he simply thought that Se-Hoon would only be of help to him after graduation, but after seeing that display of skill, it seemed appropriate to assume that he was guaranteed to pass the qualification exam for the Executor role.

With his assessment of Se-Hoon now revised, he abandoned his initial plan to teach him simple swordsmanship and took up a proper stance.

“Can you see how my mana is moving?”

“I can’t see the details, but I can see how it’s flowing overall.”

“Good. Then, I’m going to show you a new sword technique.”

Holding a training sword, Kwang-Soo slowly took a stance and looked at Se-Hoon.

“If you can accurately see through this sword technique, I’ll consider it a pass. Can you do it?”

Discerning that Kwang-Soo’s attitude had changed, no longer doubting his abilities, Se-Hoon responded confidently in satisfaction.

“Absolutely.”

“Here I go.”

Kwang-Soo loosely dangled the sword toward the floor. He appeared completely negligent at first glance, but to Se-Hoon, whose eyes were enhanced by the Eyes of Clairvoyance, the situation seemed completely different.

Assuming his stance, mana began racing through Kwang-Soo’s body, then when his body turned completely silver, he began to move forward.

Swoosh-

He extended his right foot smoothly, basically gliding over the ground. Normally, he would have swung his sword in tandem with that movement, but for some reason, his sword remained pointed at the ground.

His movement, more akin to sweeping a broom than an actual sword technique, would have been a strange scene to anyone watching, but Kwang-Soo continued to move like that with a serious expression.

Sssk-

He moved with smooth footwork, the point of his sword still pointing at the ground at every instant. Then, suddenly, Se-Hoon noticed something out of place.

Is that an... afterimage?

He saw a faint silver afterimage in the shape of a sword trailing in front of Kwang-Soo. Realizing this afterimage was the essence of the sword technique that was currently displayed, Se-Hoon sharpened his senses further with the Eyes of Clairvoyance.

His vision, still clear despite being black and white, had now started to appear as a black background covered in white lines; the movement of mana within Kwang-Soo’s body became clearer.

He saw the mana race through Kwang-Soo’s body, starting from the foot that stepped forward, then through the knee, pelvis, spine, shoulder, and elbow, before finally heading toward the tip of the sword. And the moment that stream of light extended outward—

Whoosh!

The silver sword split the air, leaving an afterimage behind.

“Finished.”

Kwang-Soo stopped his technique and looked at Se-Hoon.

“Were you able to understand what kind of sword technique it was?”

“Um...”

Pondering the question for a moment, Se-Hoon extended his hand forward.

“May I borrow the sword, please?”

“Here.”

Catching the sword Kwang-Soo threw to him, he took a stance slowly, just like the one he had observed.

A bit more relaxed...

He further relaxed his body as mana rapidly began circulating throughout his body according to what he saw.

Seeing Se-Hoon take the exact same stance as he did earlier, Kwang-Soo felt both admiration and some sort of disappointment.

It seems he was only able to grasp my preparatory stance.

He had hoped that with such talent, Se-Hoon would be able to see through one of his Vision Sword Techniques, the Celestial Infinity Blade, but it seemed like his expectations were too high after all.

Accepting the result, he was about to critique Se-Hoon’s stance for the deficiencies he had observed, but before he could, Se-Hoon moved.

Swoosh-

Se-Hoon swung the sword, which had been pointing at the ground, naturally upward toward the sky.

“What the...”

Then, he moved his feet the exact same way Kwang-Soo had earlier, the sword following the afterimage Kwang-Soo had produced earlier.

Whoosh!

Gradually, his mana began matching his own physique as he continued to follow the movement of the sword he had seen. His movements, which were initially slow, started to speed up.

It’s not enough. I need to reduce the discrepancy between my physique and mana even more...

He instantly began cutting out and improving upon the inefficient parts of his movements, taking Kwang-Soo’s earlier demonstration as a reference. Although it wasn’t an easy task to improvise his movements based on a technique he had only seen once, it was sort of a different situation this time.

I just need to align my movement properly based on the essence of the movement I observed through the Eyes of Clairvoyance.

Using the Eyes of Clairvoyance, which could glimpse into one’s mana and the Synesthetic Mindscape within, he was able to recreate the framework of the technique. With the framework done, all he needed to do was fill in the flesh with what he had been able to figure out from his observations of Kwang-Soo’s sword, a weapon he had tirelessly refined before the regression.

“Hmph...!”

He had initially planned to perform the technique only once, but somehow, he ended up naturally repeating it multiple times, reaching closer and closer to perfection with each repetition.

But then, during the moment all his mana surged from his toes to his fingertips and converged into the sword, he heard a sound.

Crack!

The sword shattered into pieces.

“Huff... huff...”

His fluid movements were inadvertently broken, Se-Hoon caught his breath and looked at the sword in his hand, frowning. The sword was shattered beyond recognition, only the hilt remaining.

Such a poorly forged sword.

He hadn’t expected the sword to fail him like this, leading to an inconclusive result.

[Skill ‘Eyes of Clairvoyance (A)’ has been acquired.]

[Skill ‘Celestial Infinity Blade (S)’ has been acquired.]

“...?”

Two notification messages popped up before his eyes. He sort of understood why he had acquired the Eyes of Clairvoyance, but the notification that followed filled his mind with questions.

Celestial Infinity Blade? Isn’t that one of Kwang-Soo’s Vision Sword Techniques?

It was a bizarre sword technique that he heard was impossible to master even if he was reborn. Unconvinced, he had made numerous attempts, but he never even came close to grasping it.

Yet... he had acquired it so simply just now. Se-Hoon turned to Kwang-Soo, bewildered.

“Um...”

“You’ve acquired it, haven’t you?”

Kwang-Soo’s tone made it seem like he already knew. And upon hearing it, Se-Hoon paused and made a confused expression.

“I think so...???”

“What do you even mean by ‘think so’....”

Seeing Se-Hoon’s confused expression, Kwang-Soo recalled the scene he had just witnessed with an incredulous look.

It was interrupted, but... that was definitely sword aura.

Not just any sword aura at that; Se-Hoon had almost displayed the Celestial Infinity Blade, a skill, developed by Kwang-Soo himself, that no one else had been able to replicate.

Facing the unexpected outcome, he looked at Se-Hoon for a moment before making a decision.

“You passed for now. I guess I’ll help you out then.”

“Thank you.”

It was a natural result; Se-Hoon had not only seen through the sword technique but also executed it perfectly.

And to Se-Hoon, who was still slightly bewildered, he was content that he was able to secure Kwang-Soo’s and his associate’s assistance.

“But you’ll have to be my apprentice starting today.”

“...Excuse me?”

“It’s one thing if you learned the Eyes of Clairvoyance, but since you’ve learned one of my Vision Sword Techniques, you’re going to have to pay the appropriate price.”

Seeing Se-Hoon’s face—full of bewilderment due to Kwang-Soo’s reasoning—Kwang-Soo waved his hands in dismissal, incorrectly thinking he had understood Se-Hoon’s thoughts perfectly.

“There’s no need for thanks. Just start preparing yourself because mastering the rest of the Vision Sword Techniques won’t be easy.”

“...”

“And from now on, you should address me as Master and treat me with respect. Understand?”

When Kwang-Soo’s pompous speech finished, not even a moment had passed before Se-Hoon came to a conclusion in his mind.

“I refuse.”

***

Now left alone in the classroom, Kwang-Soo was lying down on the bed with a frown.

“Such an impudent brat...”

How dare Se-Hoon refuse him, even when he had offered to take him in as an apprentice and teach him his Vision Sword Techniques, especially the Celestial Infinity Blade.

He had never faced a rejection like this; even A-rank and S-rank heroes often begged him to take them as apprentices.

Should I just beat him until he submits? Actually, judging by that look in his eyes, I don’t think he would bow down even if I beat him to death.

Seeing a bit of himself in Se-Hoon, he realized that persuading him wouldn’t be an easy task. Soon, frustration surged through him, prompting him to sit up abruptly from the bed.

“Wait. Why am I even worrying about this? If he doesn’t want to be my apprentice, then so be it!” he yelled to himself.

However, before the echo of his voice had faded in the classroom, the image of Se-Hoon mastering the Eyes of Clairvoyance and the Celestial Infinity Blade technique with only a single attempt resurfaced in his mind.

“Grrr...”

Continuing to ponder for a long while on the bed, he eventually muttered in an irritable voice, “If only he wasn’t that talented...”

Now that he knew having Se-Hoon on his side would undoubtedly make both the transmission of the Celestial Infinity Blade technique and the search for the Doppelganger much easier, he couldn’t stop pondering how to deal with such a stubborn brat.

Well, I should fulfill my part of the promise first...

Knowing Se-Hoon was more of a materialistic person, he thought it might be possible to make Se-Hoon accept being his apprentice if he could somehow show Se-Hoon the amount of influence he exercised.

With that thought, he grabbed the phone from the bedside table and made a call.

—You’re late.

The call connected immediately after one ring, as if the person on the other end had been waiting.

“Were you watching?”

—I wasn’t watching; it was just in my field of view. There are gaps everywhere since Ludwig is away.

Hearing the leisurely voice of the woman on the phone, Kwang-Soo scowled. Then, the woman spoke again, her voice full of the intention to tease.

—What a sight to see, the high and mighty Ma Kwang-Soo pandering to a kid and even resorting to making a call.

“...Shut up.”

—Shut up? It’s hilariously entertaining, though.

Kang-Soo’s eyes twisted in deep annoyance at the woman’s cheeky voice. He sighed deeply.

“Can we get to the point?”

—You mean the Barmuths?

“Yes.”

—Well, okay. They do deserve some attention since they’ve started disturbing such a promising talent.

Hearing the woman’s ready agreement, Kwang-Soo sighed in relief. It would have been extremely troublesome for him if she thought there was a lack of reason.

“Then, once I finish compiling the list of those that have to be protected—”

—Ah. But there’s one condition.

At the belated mention of a condition, Kwang-Soo frowned, but he quickly accepted it with a sigh.

“What is it?”

—That kid from earlier. He seemed quite insightful.

The woman’s interest in Se-Hoon completely startled Kwang-Soo.

“You’re not thinking of... teaching him, are you?”

—Not to that extent yet. But I’ll be sending over my sibling’s grandchild, so make a place for them.

Taken aback by her tone, which suggested a willingness to teach depending on the outcome, Kwang-Soo hesitated.

“Alright. I’ll make the arrangements once they come.”

—Good. Oh, I’ve got a call from an S-rank. I’m going to have to hang up.

Unable to even respond, the call ended abruptly. Kwang-Soo wore a complex expression as he stared at the phone.

Perhaps he’s not just an ordinary prodigy...

To think that he would immediately catch the attention of the world’s most discerning Perfect One—Visionary Ha Baek-Yeon—made him something else.

But despite his admiration, Kwang-Soo felt an odd sense of unease. He wouldn’t lose to anyone in terms of skill, but in terms of recognition, he knew he was no match for a Perfect One.

“...Is there anything else I could try?"

For the first time in his life, he had found someone who he wanted to be his apprentice. Determined not to let this opportunity slip away, he lost himself in his thoughts, brainstorming ways he could persuade Se-Hoon, grumbling the entire time.