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Chapter 23

Ah... here we go.

Before class, he had already exhausted his physical strength, and now, after fiddling with the ingot throughout the class, his mana was drained as well.

The exhaustion crept up, but it was countered by a surge of endorphins. As he staggered, he could feel the mana in his body drying up.

“Lee Se-Hoon.”

In-Cheol, who also hadn’t left yet, called out to him.

“Yes?”

“I have something to discuss with you.... Do you have a moment?”

Since this was today’s last class for today and he had no other schedule, Se-Hoon nodded after briefly considering it.

“Yes, I do.”

“Good, let’s head up to my office.”

Se-Hoon glanced around the room when they entered In-Cheol’s office which was on the second floor of the main building. The office was neatly organized, but due to the lack of personal items, it barely showed the occupant’s presence.

Well, to judge a blacksmith, you have to look at their workstation.

As he scanned the rather uninteresting room, In-Cheol gestured to the sofa across from him.

“Have a seat.”

“Yes.”

When Se-Hoon sat down, his body immediately loosened and started to sway. At the sight, In-Cheol’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine. I just had a long day...”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Didn’t the intermediate-level forging session just occur yesterday?”

“I’ve been a bit busy, but otherwise I’m alright. You don’t need to worry about me.”

If he insists that he is fine despite that pale complexion, what can I possibly do? In-Cheol reluctantly nodded, as he felt a strange sense of stability emanating from Se-Hoon despite the current state of his body.

“If you say so... ah, is that the equipment you forged yesterday?”

“Yes. Would you like to have a look?” Se-Hoon said as he rolled up his sleeves.

“If you would allow me.”

Receiving the bracelet from Se-Hoon, he examined its rough shape and the information message. Soon after, a surprised expression showed on his face.

“Remarkable. To be able to handle Inkstone to such an extent already... the internal spell pattern is unique; what did you use?”

“I applied the structures of barrier spells I learned recently. So I made it by...”

Since Se-Hoon felt like he didn’t need to keep it a secret, he explained the entire process as In-Cheol marveled silently.

To think that he can skillfully incorporate a spell he learned not so long ago into the equipment...

Although learning spells and integrating spells into equipment might seem like similar techniques, they were of entirely different disciplines.

The ability to masterfully do both was extraordinary. Although In-Cheol had served as a professor at Babel Academy for many years, he had never encountered a student with such broad knowledge and exceptional potential.

Though I was uncertain about him until just now, it seems my intuition was right.

In-Cheol finally recognized that Se-Hoon had the potential to revolutionize the Department of Blacksmithing and the entire blacksmithing industry.

Although In-Cheol had planned to gradually increase his support for him throughout the semester, he now felt that there was no need to wait. Reassured of Se-Hoon’s capabilities, he composed his expression.

“Lee Se-Hoon. I have a suggestion for you.” He spoke earnestly after returning the bracelet.

The sudden change in demeanor made Se-Hoon pull himself together.

“Please, go ahead,” he said with a nod.

“Would you be interested in taking a minor course that I’m teaching?”

At this proposal, which he had already somewhat anticipated, Se-Hoon put on a curious look.

“Do you mean the Origins of Equipment course?”

“Exactly. Do you know what it covers?”

“Yes. I’ve looked into the class before.”

The Origins of Equipment class that In-Cheol taught was, as the name suggested, a study of the fundamental nature of what makes up equipment. Even outside the academy, its reputation was well known.

The reputation wasn’t just because In-Cheol, one of the world\'s top 100 blacksmiths, was teaching it, but also because of the substantial budget it received from Babel Academy which ranked it among the top-funded courses.

I remember Ludwig saying he was particularly interested in the course.

Besides its role as an academy for nurturing promising talents, Babel Academy also served as a research institution that supported its professors. After all, without such conditions, it wouldn’t have been easy to employ famous heroes as professors here.

Actually, it would have still been possible because of who the chairman is.

Heroes who were able to conquer a Tower of Heroes had immense influence simply due to the title that came with conquering one. Thus, Ludwig was able to establish Babel Academy, and as a part of it, In-Cheol’s course on the Origins of Equipment naturally garnered attention.

But if I remember correctly, it didn’t end that well...

Before the regression, Se-Hoon had never heard of In-Cheol’s name. The study that Origins of Equipment focused on was also dismissed as nonsense.

For some reason, it seemed In-Cheol had failed to produce significant results, and as a result, he lost the support of Ludwig and faded into obscurity.

If I consider the future, then taking this class might be a waste of time...

But considering only the present, it was one of the most supported courses in the Department of Blacksmithing due to Ludwig himself. Regardless of how the study during Origins of Equipment ended up, any significant findings could help him garner more of Ludwig’s interest which, consequently, would lead to more benefits.

“I’ll take the course.”

“Are you sure? According to what I’ve heard, you’ve already registered for a fair number of minor classes...”

“It’s alright, this will only be the third... no, the fourth class.”

Barrier Compositions, Physiology Control, Ancient Enchantments, and now, Origins of Equipment—it was a seemingly well-balanced selection of classes.

If I feel like I need to take more, I’ll look into clubs.

His first semester would be enough with these classes. At Se-Hoon’s confident demeanor, In-Cheol nodded.

“If you’re fine with it, then I look forward to working with you.”

“I look forward to it too.”

They naturally shook hands, and in that moment, Se-Hoon subtly extracted a new bond.

[Extracting bond from subject ‘Kim In-Cheol’]

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

Hm... there’s still no sign of leveling up.

It seemed he needed to actively participate in the classes to see any improvement in the level of the bond. Disappointed, Se-Hoon let go of his hand after finishing the extraction.

“I’ll be taking my leave then.”

“Sorry for keeping you for so long when you must be tired. Then... ah, I almost forgot.”

In-Cheol stood up and walked over to his desk to fetch a small wooden box that he extended toward Se-Hoon.

“What’s this?”

“Your enrollment gift. I prepared it as a token of appreciation for the help you’ve given me by joining Babel Academy.”

Surprised by the unexpected gift, Se-Hoon made a startled expression which prompted a humble smile from In-Cheol.

“It’s nothing exquisite. Go ahead, open it.”

Se-Hoon nodded and opened the box.

Whoosh!

A subtle light and warmth seeped out, drawing an intrigued look from Se-Hoon. The box contained a red hexagonal piece of ore.

“Is this Scarlet Jade?”

“I heard you could wield Scarlet Flames, so I thought this might help.”

Scarlet Jade, as the name implies, contained the essence of the Scarlet Flame that Se-Hoon had mastered, making it an item he could significantly benefit from. Extracting its essence and absorbing it could permanently enhance his Scarlet Flame.

This gift was definitely expensive. Especially since he managed to obtain one that is such high purity.

With an ore this refined, he could not only enhance his Scarlet Flame but potentially evolve it to a new level.

Pleased by the thoughtful gift, Se-Hoon nodded in gratitude.

“I’ll make good use of it.”

“I’ll be satisfied if it helps you in any way. Can you handle the extraction on your own?”

Extracting the essence was akin to neatly separating the peel and pulp of fruit without damaging either—a task that was not so easily accomplished even by upperclassmen.

“There is no problem.”

But to Se-Hoon, such concerns were irrelevant.

“I can manage on my own.”

In-Cheol smiled as if he had expected Se-Hoon’s nonchalant response.

“Good. Then go and rest now.”

“Thank you. I’ll be on my way then.”

Se-Hoon swiftly exited the room, the previous signs of fatigue nowhere to be found. In-Cheol smiled wryly at the sight.

Youth sure is good.

***

Returning to the dormitory, Se-Hoon immediately changed into comfortable clothes and assessed his condition.

“Right now... my remaining mana should be about seven percent.”

The faint traces of mana that he sensed before were now mostly gone, and his body felt heavy like a sponge soaked with water. It felt like he was an ordinary human that hadn’t noticed mana.

Satisfied with his body condition, Se-Hoon felt like he had depleted just the right amount of mana.

The most optimal situation would have been less than 1%, but considering that this is my first time, this should be enough.

Sitting in a cross-legged position on the floor of the living room, he examined the Inkstone Bracelets wrapped around his wrists and ankles.

Each bracelet contained a blue line, the thickness covering about one-third, that ran through the middle. It was an indicator of the amount of mana stored inside the bracelets.

With this amount, I can continue with the quenching process... maybe it’s time to start on it.

After confirming that all preparations were complete, he took out the Scarlet Jade, which he received from In-Cheol, to examine it.

[Scarlet Jade]

[Tier: Rare] [Quality: Perfect]

[A gemstone containing the essence of Scarlet Flames that has the attribute of melting ores.

*Can quickly melt mixed ores]

Quite excellent, as expected.

Scarlet Jade of such quality would be worth nearly ten million won. As he was just a student. materials of this grade sparked Se-Hoon’s eyes with anticipation.

I’ll scrape you down all the way to the marrow.

With Scarlet Jade in hand, he closed his eyes to contemplate the forging process he was about to begin.

Typically, those without special skills could only wield two to three types of elemental mana due to the risk of the mana conflicting within the body.

The higher the tier, the higher the risk. Even with careful control, the different elemental manas tend to interfere with each other.

While these minor influences might be deemed negligible for students specializing in combat, they were fatal to blacksmiths as precision was the key to forging.

As a result, most blacksmiths stuck to a single type of elemental mana which was suited to their affinity, but Se-Hoon was different.

“Phew...”

After exhaling lightly, he focused on the Scarlet Jade.

He felt the essence of the Scarlet Jade pulsating; it was more pure and more intense than any flame he’d wielded before. He slowly began to draw it into his body.

Hiss!

Smoke immediately rose from his palms, and his entire body heated up as sweat poured down like a waterfall. Normally, his mana would have shielded him from the heat, but right now, his mana was nearly depleted.

Bubble-

Together with the essence of the Scarlet Jade, the sensation of his blood boiling began to spread from his arms throughout his entire body.

As his body had almost no mana left, his body instinctively tried to absorb anything that was similar to mana. This helped the essence of the Scarlet Jade spread to every corner of the body.

“...”

But although it was good for him, it felt as though flames were flowing through his veins from his head to his toe. Yet, despite the pain from his insides seemingly burning and melting that would have been unbearable for most heroes, Se-Hoon managed it with just a slight grimace.

I guess it’s because I’m young. My body’s pretty resilient...

When he tried the process before the regression, the pain he felt was simply like being burned with a lighter. However, now, it felt like heated metal was searing his body. Perhaps it was due to his younger body not having been desensitized to the pain like his old one was.

Enduring the agony, Se-Hoon recognized that the essence of the Scarlet Jade was rampaging within him and began to guide it along a specific path.

You go this way.

He meticulously created a new magic circuit within his body exclusively for the Scarlet Flames to ensure that there would be no interference no matter what other elemental mana he might use in the future.

As he visualized the blueprint in his mind, the essence of the Scarlet Flames swiftly settled into its designated path as if it understood where it needed to go.

It excitedly raced through its designated magic circuit. To prevent the essence from running wild and eventually dissipating, he calmed his mind and envisioned a hammer with his imagination. Then, with all of his might, he struck down on his body with it.

Clang!

His body jolted at the sound of metal ringing.

“Cough!”

He coughed dryly as the sharp pain brought him to full alertness. He looked down at himself, gasping for breath as he felt the lingering sensation of being crushed by the hammer.

It’s complete.

The newly established magic circuit and the Scarlet Flame essence running through it confirmed that his body had been successfully forged. He quickly channeled the mana stored in the bracelets into his body.

Adrenaline

Mana burst from the bracelets and seeped into his parched body, cooling down the heat of the Scarlet Flames. The refreshing sensation made him completely forget the heat he had experienced until just now, and he finally let out the breath he had been holding.

“Phew...”

Like steam, his breath dispersed.

The entire process completed, he began to survey his surroundings. Hours had passed, and it was now dark outside. He looked out the window at the night view of Babel Academy and smiled.

[Skill ‘Soul Honing (S)’ has been acquired.]

[The effect of ‘Soul Honing’ significantly boosts all stats.]

[The elemental mana ‘Scarlet Flames (F)’ has been enhanced to ‘Scarlet Lotus (E+)’.]

At the barrage of notification messages, he immediately checked to see how much his stats had changed.

[Lee Se-Hoon]

[Strength - D (105) Endurance - D (100)

Mana - D (119) Agility - E (87)]

[Soul Honing] 『S』

[The body is the most primal material that a blacksmith can forge and refine.

Refining the body’s mana circuits can enhance physical abilities and strengthen the powers contained within.

*Mana Circuit ‘Scarlet Lotus’: Enhances control over flames and enables the creation of new paths for flow]

[Scarlet Lotus] 『E+』

[Fire-attributed elemental mana that evokes the image of scarlet flames. It possesses specialized properties for melting metal and can control the flow of the flames it makes contact with.]

“Woah...”

Before the regression, Se-Hoon didn’t feel much difference after acquiring the skill as he was already quite established. However, this time, the increase in stats was tremendous.

Of course, his original stats were so poor that this dramatic improvement was expected, but it was still a satisfactory outcome for him.

Still below average, but... efficiency is what matters in the end.

On top of his stats improving, his efficiency in handling mana had also been enhanced, effectively making his actual performance equivalent to 1.5 times what his stats indicated.

At the sight of his newly enhanced body, he naturally recalled the first time he learned Soul Honing.

You’re giving up without even giving it a try? Why would you, especially when you have all the materials? Are you a fool?

He thought of his master, an unmatched genius who casually attempted what others deemed suicidal and succeeded. They were a monster with a human face; a monster who ruthlessly forced their ordinary disciple, Se-Hoon, to use his skills and pushed him to the brink of death.

After briefly reminiscing about his always-confident master, he repeatedly clasped and unclasped his fists.

That’s right. I should use everything at my disposal.

There was no reason to pick between future allies or enemies.

With a firm resolve to leave no regrets behind this time, he prepared to push his newly empowered body to its limits.