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Chapter 106

The effect varies depending on the synesthetic mindscape and the amount of mana infused into the incantation, while the duration depends on the material of the target.

An inscription that has not been removed can be reactivated by infusing mana.

*Duration of inscription varies depending on the target

*Dormant incantation inscriptions can be reactivated by infusing mana]

“Huh...”

As Se-Hoon read through the information message about his newly acquired skill, he couldn’t help but be surprised that his skill, Incantation: Attribute, had been upgraded. But what was even more surprising was how the skill was named.

It’s not Incarnation Inscription: Attribute, but just Incantation Inscription...

Normally, skills of certain series were harder to acquire than individual skills. For example, simply swinging a sword downward wouldn’t typically result in one learning a simple skill like Sword Technique: Downward Strike.

However, these basic and simple skills did exist, albeit rare, and one important condition existed for one to acquire them.

A genuine lack of talent...

Taking the sword technique analogy, managing to execute a downward strike would only be considered a distinct technique when there was such a lack of talent that doing so merited recognition from the system as a skill.

That meant that just like before the regression, when he barely managed to learn an application method of Incantation Magic, the system recognized that he lacked talent in it and thus deemed it commendable, granting him the skill Incantation: Attribute.

Incantation Inscription... does acquiring it mean I’ve developed my own unique application method?

And since Incantation Inscription was a new application of Incantation Magic he developed himself, the effect was perfectly suited to his use.

“Ignite Flame.”

Fwoosh-

The casually casted incantation had immediately created a flame the size of a fingertip in the air, which disappeared as soon as it exhausted all of its mana. And normally, that would have been the end of it. However, Se-Hoon’s Incantation Inscription left a small trace behind.

Is that the incantation I used earlier?

Seeing the pale form of the letters overlapping in midair to resemble a flame, Se-Hoon reached out and infused mana into it.

Fwoosh!

Like it had never faded, the flame burned brightly again.

The scene made Se-Hoon recall flashes of memories from the past.

“Why... why can’t you do this? Even a seven-year-old can do it, so why can’t you? Just tell me already that you’re doing this on purpose!!!”

“I’ve felt disillusioned with life a few times, and half of those times were when I was teaching you Incantation Magic...”

“Why am I teaching you such advanced skills again? It’s almost like you’ve managed to learn the easy ones. Sigh, just shut up and listen if you don’t want to get pounded again.”

The Blast Dog had started off her lessons with anger and regret before she eventually accepted it and started to use violence. He wondered how many wounds her verbal abuse had caused.

He had desperately wanted to show off and fight back with Incantation Magic, but back then he genuinely lacked talent, so all he could do was respond back with insults.

Recalling those feelings, Se-Hoon felt a mix of pride and melancholy as he watched the flame before him burn out again.

“Hey.”

Breaking him out of his melancholy, Luize, who had been practicing in the background, approached while scratching the back of her head.

“I’ve managed to spread the incantation but can’t seem to gather it back. What am I doing wrong?” asked Luize, looking utterly puzzled since she couldn’t grasp the concept.

Hearing her ask him for help, Se-Hoon, who couldn’t help but compare her to the Blast Dog and her harsh criticisms, chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Ah, I was just reminiscing about someone. There was just a friend of mine who used to say I had absolutely no talent.”

His response made Luize glance at him suspiciously, wondering if he was mocking her.

“No talent?”

She hated to admit it, but who else could match his talents that spanned various fields?

Grinning, Se-Hoon replied, “Yeah, there was someone like that.”

Despite the reversed roles, nothing would change. Just like the Blast Dog, who continually cursed and heavily sighed but never gave up on teaching him, Se-Hoon was going to teach Luize earnestly.

Shaking off the memories with a stretch of his neck, Se-Hoon said, “You said you’re having trouble after the spreading, right? If that’s the case, just imagine how people gather around after hearing a rumor and keep that synesthetic...”

Afterward, he spent several hours teaching her Incantation Magic until they stepped out of the main building of the Department of Martial Magic at dusk.

“It seems like the day is going by faster than usual...” Luize said, looking up at the sky with a mixed expression.

It didn’t feel like much time had passed, yet it was already evening. She then turned to Se-Hoon.

“Aren’t you supposed to finish the prototype by tomorrow?”

“Ah, that’s no problem. I managed to come up with a good method while practicing earlier.”

He originally thought it would take some time since he planned to use Incantation: Attribute, but acquiring Incantation Inscription had given him some leeway.

Hearing that he had time, Luize glanced at a clock and asked, “Oh, really? Then... do you want to grab dinner together?” She looked somewhat awkward, seemingly not used to inviting others.

With a nod, Se-Hoon replied, “Sure, why not?”

“Then there’s this place I saw before...”

“Se-Hoon!!!”

Hearing a booming voice echoing from afar, they both turned their heads and saw someone running toward them from a distance.

“Huff... huff...”

With hair frantically tousled from repeatedly being pulled and a white lab coat that had been bunched up around the elbows, Lea appeared looking like she had been rolling on the floor. On top of that, her student uniform and face were smeared with magic stone powder, presenting a disheveled sight that left Se-Hoon shaking his head.

Did her workshop explode or something...?

As he marveled at her disheveled appearance, Lea soon reached them, gasping for air and trying to speak.

“Need... help... urgent... cough, cough!”

She broke out into a violent coughing fit, her breathing ragged from sprinting so hard that she might collapse. Sighing at her state, Se-Hoon placed a hand on her back.

Activating his Blood Art, he stimulated various parts of her body to allow her to naturally regulate her erratic breathing.

“Whew... thanks. I feel much better now...”

“So? What’s all this about so suddenly?”

“Ah, right. There’s something I’d like to ask you about for my submission to the competition. Do you have time now?”

“Time? Well, the thing is—”

“Hey,” a cold voice sounded, interrupting his response.

Looking at him with narrowed eyes, Luize asked, “Weren’t we going to eat?”

Observing Luize’s visibly upset reaction to Lea’s sudden intrusion, Se-Hoon wore a troubled expression.

Right, this one holds grudges for a long while.

Deciding it was better to just handle Lea’s request after eating, he spoke up to inform Lea.

“Then—”

“Se-Hoon.”

But once again, a cold voice cut him off.

Turning her head, Lea, who had been looking at Luize, asked, “Didn’t you say you were going to motivate me? You weren’t lying, were you?”

“Of course I wasn—”

“Wait, who do you think you are, interrupting every time someone talks?”

Annoyed, Luize glared at Lea, who turned her head and scoffed.

“So, you can interrupt, but I can’t? What a joke.”

“What is really a joke is your appearance right now. Getting that dirty at your age is really a sight to behold.”

“Like the way you talk isn’t. Do you think it’s something to boast about, going around and swearing at everyone like that?”

“...”

“...”

The two glared at each other, aggressively inching forward. Seeing that, Se-Hoon instinctively stepped back.

With her eyes glowing a frosty blue, Luize glared down at Lea, who glared right back with her murky eyes which were underlined with dark circles. Like that, the glares continued for a while before one of them spoke in a simmering voice.

“Get lost.”

“No.”

Locked in a tense standoff, neither side was willing to back down. Cautiously observing both of them, Se-Hoon made a serious expression.

Do these two just not get along... actually, maybe they’ll have some sort of chemistry, considering they both always resort to swearing?

While the current situation was tense, if they were given the right opportunity, they might get along surprisingly well. Then, as he was assessing their compatibility, both girls spoke to him simultaneously.

“Hey.”

“Se-Hoon.”

Luize and Lea were now both glaring at Se-Hoon.

“Decide which one you’ll go with.”

“I trust you’ll make the wise choice.”

Having expected that the choice would be passed on to him and that he would have to deal with the aftermath himself, Se-Hoon deliberated for a brief moment before taking out his phone.

“Hmm...”

“Uhm...”

Upon seeing that he was just calmly tapping on his phone instead of answering, Luize frowned in frustration.

“What are you doing when we’ve asked you to decide?”

“Takeout.”

“...What?” asked Lea in confusion, taken aback by the unexpected response.

“We’re going to eat at the workshop.”

Leaving those words, Se-Hoon walked past the two and headed to the store where he placed an order.

***

“...”

“...”

Gazing at the hastily cleared desk—now laden with pizza, chicken, and pasta—Luize and Lea, sitting opposite each other, wore peculiar expressions.

How did it end up like this...

Something’s off about this...

Wasn’t it usually choose one or the other, and if unable to decide, dodge the question itself entirely? Feeling somewhat played by Se-Hoon, both of their expressions soured up.

“Why are you guys not eating?”

Having returned from washing his hands, Se-Hoon sat at the head of the table and looked at them curiously. At his nonchalant demeanor, Luize and Lea glanced at each other.

You go first.

Okay.

To avoid talking over each other, they tacitly decided on an order, deciding that Luize would speak up first.

“Okay, I can understand why we came here, but why did you choose what we’ll eat on your own?”

“You said you wanted to eat, and she said to come here, so naturally, I should be the one who gets to choose the menu. Isn’t that fair?” Se-Hoon answered.

“...”

Silenced by his strangely persuasive argument, Luize closed her mouth.

Lea then chimed in.

“Still, normally, you should choose one person...”

“Then I’d be the only bad guy here. It was you two who started swearing and fighting at first sight, so why should I take the blame?”

“...”

Lea quietly shut her mouth, silenced by his response like Luize. Watching the two who had gone silent, Se-Hoon clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk. You both really have tempers.... Anyway, let’s eat up; it seems we’re all hungry.”

Then, like he had nothing more to say, Se-Hoon picked up a slice of pizza and began eating, causing both Luize’s and Lea’s expressions to simultaneously twist in annoyance.

Ugh, if I could just kill this son of a...

He’s so annoying, even when he makes the right point.

Noticing each other’s expressions, Luize and Lea awkwardly looked away, trying to hide their mutual irritation.

Eventually, amidst the awkward munching, Luize broke the ice.

“You’re Lea Claudel, right? The honor student of Borsippa in your freshman year?”

“Ah, yeah. You knew?”

“I enrolled in the same year as you, though I’m still a sophomore because I took a leave of absence... I’m Luize Valente.”

At Luize’s introduction, Lea furrowed her brows for a moment before her eyes widened upon remembering something.

“Oh! Are you the one who destroyed that annoying jerk, Gerwin?”

“That’s right. You know who Gerwin is?”

“Know him? That trash has been messing around since freshman year, relying on his family’s name. You really did a good job wrecking him.”

“...Hmm.”

Upon finding a shared topic of interest, the atmosphere seemed to relax slightly, and they started to exchange a few words more naturally.

Pleased by the sight, Se-Hoon continued to silently eat with a slight smile on his face.

Having a common ground is really important.

Whether it was a shared frustration or a specific topic of interest, one thing in common could quickly forge connections between youths.

“Don’t you sometimes really want to smack him when he acts all high and mighty like that?”

“He does talk like a jerk. I feel the same often.”

Finding another shared topic of interest, Luize and Lea eagerly aired their grievances.

“He never explains properly when he’s up to something. Like right now, if we were going to eat together, he could at least let us choose the menu. He’s so annoying...”

“Ah, and just yesterday, he started ordering me around about what enchantments to do. I was really frustrated...”

Like a dam had broken, their complaints flowed endlessly as they animatedly discussed their frustrations.

Now no longer pleased, Se-Hoon cleared his throat to bring them back to the matter at hand.

“Ahem. So, what was it that you wanted to ask?”

“Can’t you see that we’re eating right now?”

“Isn’t it rude to talk business at the dining table?”

“...”

With the pair now teamed up against him, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes, feeling slightly betrayed.

They don’t even appreciate the help I gave... these ungrateful bastards...

Displeased, he seriously contemplated how to handle these thankless partners, but at that moment, Luize and Lea exchanged looks before chuckling.

“It’s just a joke, man.”

“Don’t get all worked up over a little teasing.”

“...Fine, just get to the point then.”

Their playful banter had lightened the atmosphere further, showing that their earlier hostility had softened into a more friendly rivalry and paving the way for a more relaxed conversation.

Still chuckling, Lea retrieved an object from the back.

“It’s this.”

“Hmm...”

The object featured four rings interlocking with each other. It looked similar to an ancient astronomical instrument called the Celestial Sphere, but it was charred black and slightly dented in places.

“This is the thing that exploded?”

“Yeah. It blew up right after I engraved a new enchantment into it. I think there’s something wrong with the object itself.”

“Hmm. I need to know exactly what this is first.”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

Walking back to where she got it, Lea rummaged through various items before returning with a blueprint.

“Here.”

The blueprint showed a device similar to the one she had handed over. However, since many parts of it were smudged or written unclearly, it seemed incomplete.

The creator is Dane Claudel... is that Lea’s father?

But despite its incompleteness, the blueprint that seemed to carry its own story caught Se-Hoon’s attention. He read through the details closely.

A control device that artificially creates a resonance phenomenon through simple enchantments. The concept itself is quite go... wait.

A sinking feeling crossed his mind, stirring a vague memory. Trying harder to remember, a story soon resurfaced in Se-Hoon’s mind.

“You wouldn’t get it. At the end, the dolls suddenly began to resonate with each other, amplifying their power.... If Ryu Eun-Ha hadn’t arrived in time to destroy the device, we would all have been annihilated.”

Remembering Kwang-Soo grumbling after participating in a raid against the Puppeteer, Se-Hoon looked again at the blueprint.

“...Damn.”

And realized that it was the blueprint for the Puppeteer’s secret weapon.