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Chapter 102

“Flame Sect announces new collaborative relationship with the Seraphim Guild.”

“The Flame Sect’s youngest mentor, Yeom Sung-Ha, subjugates an A-rank wanted criminal.”

“Lee Won-Ryong, the Sect Master of the Flame Sect: ‘The upcoming innovation will usher in a new golden age for the Flame Sect.’”

In the section of news articles related to the Flame Sect, Sung-Ha’s article came up somewhere in the middle. It hadn’t garnered much attention since An Gil-Hyun wasn’t that well known, but Se-Hoon still took it as a positive sign.

The fact that an article exists means that Sung-Ha has become noteworthy enough that the Flame Sect can’t just cut off all of the attention in advance.

And since that had become the case, Lee Won-Ryong couldn’t easily use the same overt tactics as before. At this rate, if Sung-Ha continued to develop his skills and spread his fame gradually, he would soon be able to challenge Lee Won-Ryong for the position of Sect Master.

I’ve also asked Kasar for a favor, so Sung-Ha should be fine for now... though the Seraphim Guild is a bit concerning.

He clicked on the most-viewed article to examine its contents.

The Seraphim Guild, one of the world’s top 100 guilds and the famous sponsor of the S-rank Weapon Eater Ryu Eun-Ha, has announced a new cooperative relationship with the Flame Sect.

Yuriel Oppenheimer, the guildmaster of the Seraphim Guild, stated: “The Flame Sect possesses the excellent technique, Inferno Ring, but has suffered significant losses due to their underdeveloped armament system.” He plans to overhaul the entire system...

In short, the Seraphim Guild had announced that it was supporting the Flame Sect in the creation of a new armed force.

I remember they called themselves... Eden.

Eden was once a world-renowned hero training and nurturing institution, but it shut down due to financial difficulties and was reorganized into the Seraphim Guild. It was where Eun-Ha had grown from infancy to the youngest S-rank hero.

I heard that Yuriel Oppenheimer invested in her when he recognized her talent.

The guildmaster of the Seraphim Guild, Yuriel Oppenheimer—a man in his fifties who looked to be in his thirties with reddish-brown hair—was an A-rank hero who even looked related to Eun-Ha, perhaps because of his hair color.

There wasn’t actually a personal relationship between them.

Yuriel Oppenheimer only invested in Eun-Ha’s talent because he was the chairman of Eden. It was a strictly business relationship that would end about five years from now, due to the absence of a renewal of the contract.

After their contract ended, the Seraphim Guild disappeared due to financial difficulties.... And by the time I met Yuriel, their relationship had completely ended.

Since he had only ever met Yuriel and Eun-Ha, Se-Hoon was concerned about how they would act in the future.

If they’re in a cooperative relationship with the Flame Sect, it would be quite uncomfortable for them if I continued my relationship with Ryu Eun-Ha.

They would likely end up just asking Eun-Ha to refrain from meeting him, but would she quietly heed that request, now that she had acquired a taste for his equipment?

Curious about the answer, Se-Hoon decided to ask Eun-Ha about the Seraphim Guild the next time he met her.

“Lee Se-Hoon.”

Awoken from his thoughts, Se-Hoon looked toward Professor Ricaros, the muscular giant standing on the training ground, who called out to him.

“It’s your turn. Come up.”

“Okay,” Se-Hoon said, casually slipping his phone into his void pocket and stepping onto the training ground.

“...”

Eyeing his opponent—Hans, the third son of the Barmuth family, who was holding up his blue rapier with a tense expression under his blonde, slicked-back hair—Se-Hoon casually scanned him from head to toe.

Pretty average.

With just one glance, he was able to tell that Hans was neither too weak nor too strong; Hans was just someone with basic skills.

No longer concerned, Se-Hoon idly rotated his wrist, held the Forgefire Hammer, and waited for further instructions.

“The sparring will end immediately when one side is subdued or surrenders. If you fall out of the arena, it’s an automatic loss. Keep that in mind.”

Done with the brief explanation, Ricaros stepped back, and Hans positioned his rapier forward, assuming a stance. His demeanor was explosively intense; he looked as if he might charge forward and pierce through Se-Hoon’s chest at any moment.

“Hmm.”

However, Se-Hoon simply let the Forgefire Hammer dangle loosely by his side, prompting Hans to frown due to the seemingly vulnerable state.

This guy...

How much was Se-Hoon underestimating him, to consider that bizarre hammer a weapon?

The faint fear Hans had about facing Se-Hoon swiftly turned into anger and greed.

It doesn’t matter. Father’s attitude toward older brother Vier has grown colder lately, so if I could just score against this guy now...

Fueled by the hopeful thought that his father might reconsider his views on him, Hans gripped his rapier tightly.

“Start!”

“Haah!”

Hans let out a battle cry and stomped the ground.

Thud!

Like a compressed spring, he surged forward and immediately activated his main skill.

Double Accel

Whoosh!

Blue mana wrapped around his body, accelerating him and he quickly closed the distance with Se-Hoon, who was still leisurely standing his ground.

Then, right before he attacked, Hans activated the weapon skill of his rapier.

“Icing Needle!”

With his shout, ice sprouted from the tip of the rapier. The combination of the two skills quickly shortened the remaining distance further, and the icy blade got closer and closer to Se-Hoon’s chest.

I won...!

Hans’s eyes sparkled with the certainty of his impending victory, having successfully used the combination attack that even the sunbaes of the Swordsmanship Department praised.

Whoosh!

But like a fly, his ice blade was easily swatted away by the Forgefire Hammer.

Crack!

Listening to the sound of the ice blade shattering that filled the air, Hans’s eyes widened in shock.

What...?

How did his attack, which was just moments away from reaching Se-Hoon, countered so easily? How was his ice blade, which was strong enough to pierce steel, shattered so effortlessly with just a single strike?

Not realizing Se-Hoon had skillfully stepped back to create distance, Hans stared blankly ahead, allowing Se-Hoon to seize the opportunity to strike.

Whack!

Se-Hoon’s fist connected squarely with Hans’s face.

“Ugh...!”

If this had been an actual battle, then Hans’s nose and his teeth would have been smashed apart. However, thanks to the protective devices in the training arena, he was able to stand up unharmed and reassume his stance. But...

“The winner is Lee Se-Hoon.”

Despite seeing Hans stand back up, Ricaros declared Se-Hoon’s victory.

“Wait a minute! I can still fight!” Hans protested, feeling it was unfair to end the match just because he took a punch.

“Are you planning to fight barehanded?” Ricaros asked with a look of disbelief.

“What? What do you mean... huh?”

Finally realizing that the rapier he should have been holding was nowhere to be seen, Hans reflexively looked straight ahead.

“Hmm... it seems a bit bent...”

There, Hans saw Se-Hoon inspecting the rapier in his hands with a look of dissatisfaction.

“I... accept my defeat.”

Taking his bent rapier back, Hans dejectedly descended from the platform and sat beside the other students who had also been defeated by Se-Hoon earlier. All of them had been subdued by Se-Hoon with a single strike, leaving them disheartened. Their physical superiority, which they once prided themselves on, had now been proven insufficient.

Are we at the Department of Blacksmithing or the Department of Weapons...

As Se-Hoon chuckled at the students’ pointless fixations, Ricaros approached with a smirk.

“It seems you’ve learned a lot from Professor Ma Kwang-Soo. I never expected you to improve this much...”

“It’s just self-defense. So, do you think this is enough?” Se-Hoon asked.

Ricaros pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“At your level, there’s no need for you to continue attending the class. I’ll report this to the faculty; you are now free to do as you please.”

“Thank you.”

Confirming his exemption from Understanding Tools, one of his major classes, he thanked Ricaros again before stepping outside.

With this, I’ve passed Understanding Tools too.

Since he was already exempted from Metallurgy due to completing all of the assignments early, the only remaining major class was Ore Analysis.

And while he still had some elective courses, those classes were less frequent, which meant he was ultimately left with more free time.

I should use this time to catch up on some backlogged things...

While pondering which tasks to tackle first, he suddenly felt a vibration from his pocket.

Vrrr-

He took out his phone and looked at the name of the caller: Aria Myers.

He had a feeling that it was about time for her to contact him, but even though he actually received the call, he wasn’t particularly pleased.

Hesitating, he stared at the continuously vibrating phone before eventually sighing and answering.

“Hello.”

—Long time, no see. How have you been?

Hearing Aria’s gentle voice coming through the phone, Se-Hoon calmly replied to her awkward greeting, “Well, as usual, I’ve been getting by. How about you? I heard from Jake that you were assigned on a tough mission.”

—The target had tamed three A-rank magical beasts, so it took a bit longer than expected, but it ended well. After just a few more tasks, I’ll be back at Babel.

Though left unsaid, Aria had successfully tracked and eliminated an A-rank demon mine and three A-class magical beasts all by herself. And considering the time it took, the demon must have been desperately escaping until it was finally cornered and subjugated.

At this level, she must be considered top-tier, even among A-rank heroes.

If she managed to climb a few more levels in a Tower of Heroes, she could even aim to become S-rank.

Her incredible level of skill left Se-Hoon mystified—it was unbelievable for a fourth-year.

In a year or two, she might even break the record for the youngest S-rank hero.

Although he knew that Eun-Ha, by nature, wouldn’t care about such records, he was still a bit curious to see how she would react.

As his train of thought diverged to how Eun-Ha might react, he was abruptly brought back by Aria’s calm voice.

—You don’t seem interested.

Feeling a chilling sensation, like a knife was pointed at his throat, Se-Hoon quickly cleared his throat and replied, “Ahem. It’s not that; I was just thinking about something.”

—Really? I’d like to hear what it was, but... I have a tight schedule after this, so let’s get to the point.

Ending that topic with a rather nonchalant reply, Aria then brought up the main topic.

—Thanks for helping Jake. I heard my brother was being a burden, and you even fixed his sword; we owe you a lot.

“No worries; I’ve actually received a lot of help from Jake too. Does this mean your previous request is considered resolved?”

Although he thought that he had done enough, he still needed to make sure that Aria was on the same page.

—Of course. If that coward has decided to transfer to the Department of Swordsmanship, it means my request is perfectly resolved. Don’t worry, I won’t be changing my words for this.

“...”

Her answer made a particular expression appear on Se-Hoon’s face. He could practically see her making a slight smile as she responded, revealing that she had some sense of trust in Jake.

Just like how she was before the regression, she would usually exude a twisted feeling like there was something off about her, but whenever Jake was brought up, a hint of humanity managed to peak through.

A brother is a brother, I guess.

Before the regression, Jake had been long dead by the time he met Aria, so he had never heard about their relationship or what she thought of him.

If she cared about him, then perhaps Jake wasn’t as worthless as he had initially thought. Se-Hoon began wondering if he had been too hasty in his judgment of Jake.

I should keep an eye on their relationship as well.

Having identified something new to observe, he gathered his thoughts and then asked, “So about the reward...”

—As we discussed before, I’ll provide anything I can for the help you provided. Think carefully about what you want to ask for.

Even though Aria was powerful, she wasn’t as strong as an S-rank hero yet, so Se-Hoon threw away the thought that she was ideal for escort missions and began thinking that she was the perfect way to secure an item.

I remember I effectively used her to secure items before the regression too.... In that case, I first need to find out where that thing is.

As he pondered where he should start looking, Aria curiously spoke up again, seemingly having remembered something.

—Ah, right. How is the mass production of sword aura equipment going?

“Ah, it’s actually...”

Se-Hoon had already prepared everything on his end long ago, but he wasn’t sure if his partner, Lea, was ready yet. Worried that he might drag Lea into trouble, he hesitated for a moment.

Hearing his hesitation, Aria continued.

—I’m not trying to rush you. My father called me earlier.

“Your father, as in... Aaron Myers, the head of the family?”

—Yes.

Aaron Myers, the Light Dragon Sword, was the current head of the Myers family and an active S-rank hero. The fact that such a powerful and influential figure was showing interest in him made him curious.

“What did he say?”

—There’s an event we are preparing for this summer, so he wants the production line secured and manufacturing started before that. Do you think you can meet the deadline?

“Hmm... that’s a bit tricky.”

Truthfully, he could start immediately if he wanted, but he decided to be vague about his answer; being too assertive could cause problems, but above all, he wanted to hear what additional conditions might be offered from their side first.

—If you can meet the schedule, he said he’d provide you with another benefit on top of your compensation. So, give it your best shot.

“What exactly is this benefit he’s talking about?”

Hearing the blatant curiosity about what benefits a family of their scale could offer from the other end, Aria smiled slyly.

—A warehouse.

“...A warehouse?”

—You’ll be allowed to pick anything from our family’s warehouse.

Decades of expertise in swordsmanship had earned the Myers family a vast amount of wealth and a massive reputation, along with countless treasures not shown publicly. So the prospect of access to the secretive warehouse where all that was stored—a place he had visited once before the regression—made Se-Hoon’s eyes sparkle.

“I’ll immediately start on the prototype and then show it to you.”

With that, he quickly headed towards the main building of the Department of Enchantments.