<h4>Chapter 123</h4>


    ring destruction—there was no better description to describe the result of Erika’s showcase of her capabilities.


    It made two of Babel’s staff members, who were responsible for investigating the situation, rushed over in the blink of an eye.


    Erika’s actions hadn’t resulted in any casualties, but she had still unleashed a powerful skill in the residential area, destroying a mountain and park near the dormitory that also doubled as training grounds for students. As such, she would normally be guaranteed to receive some demerit points. Yet, that wasn’t what happened.


    <i>“Hmm</i>. With such a tricky piece of equipment involved, it’s no surprise an ident like this urred.”


    Because there were always exceptions, no matter what it was.


    “Pardon? Strictly speaking, such powerful skills should only be unleashed in designated training areas...”


    “Did you not just hear her? It was only because a simple enhancement spell caused the crow to go berserk, resulting in this ident.”


    “Ah, yes...”


    “Also, despite the chaos, these students managed to quickly bring the situation under control to prevent any casualties. Ignoring that effort would be unfair to Miss... <i>ahem</i> to these students.”


    Faced with the obviously biased defense by the Department of Spells professor, the other staff member, who hade from the headquarters of Babel, tantly showed their disapproval.


    “I see. Then, for the punishment...”


    “I assume you guys must be pretty busy nowadays due to the expo that ising up. Thus, our department will deal with it by making sure to provide proper education to prevent this from happening again,” immediately replied the Department of Spells professor.


    Considering the professor’s words, the headquarters staff member eventually nodded.


    “Alright then. We’ll report that the matter has been handled by using internal education.”


    “<i>Haha.</i> Thank you.”


    With the report finished, the headquarters staff member scratched his head and promptly left. And once he was out of sight, the professor turned to Erika.


    “I’ll also be going now. Please be careful for the time being.”


    “Sure.”


    Bidding them a polite farewell, the professor departed, leaving behind Erika and the fascinated Se-Hoon.


    <i>Having authority sure is something.</i>


    If it had been a student without any backing, they would have received demerit points before the professor even arrived. Inparison, Erika had simply gotten away with it scott-free.


    Noticing Se-Hoon’s fascinated look toward her, Erika tilted her head.


    “What?”


    “It’s just a little surprising that you got off without any demerits.”


    “Well, that’s because I’m an honor student.”


    It was an unexpected answer.


    “Not because of your family’s name?”


    “The only thing my family’s influence did was allow me to skip the minor investigations. The result just now would have been the same if it were any other honor student.”


    <i>So, being an honor student means getting that kind of leniency. </i>Erika’s calm answer piqued Se-Hoon’s interest quite a bit.


    He knew that Babel shamelessly favored talent and achievements, but he didn''t expect the disparity in treatment to be this significant.


    <i>In other words, as long as the results are good, they don’t mind if the process is a bit rough.</i>


    Satisfied by the useful tip he learned, Se-Hoon smiled.


    “Thanks. I feel like this coulde in handyter.”


    “Sure,” responded Erika with a little nod before looking at Se-Hoon.


    “So, how are we going to settle the ount?”


    “ount? Oh, right.”


    Figuring out what she meant, Se-Hoon recalled the things he had previously received from Erika.


    <i>I was paid in advance with the Yin-Yang Pill, and she even acquired the Purifying Earthstone for me and assisted in the ck Arms as well.</i>


    However, when considering the value of the Spirit Bone Armor—which helped enhance one’s abilities and guide their direction for the future—she ended up with a small profit, which made it a bit tricky to ask her for something specific in return.


    Pondering for a moment, Se-Hoon decided on a solution.


    “Instead of settling it with money, just get me something else.”


    “Something else?”


    “Materials, potions, or even helping me out when somethinges upter. Whatever’s convenient for you.”


    Telling someone to get them “something” usually meant “I don’t know what I want, but you should figure it out,” but this time, he genuinely didn’t care.


    <i>She’ll probably bring something useful for herself,</i> he thought.


    It was just like how Eun-Ha had “gifted” him mountains of professional books before the regression to guide him toward forging the kind of equipment she wanted. He was fine with that though; Se-Hoon intended to use this small reward to figure out exactly what Erika was trying to get out of him.


    “<i>Hmm</i>... alright. I’ll think about it.”


    “Alright. I’ll be off then.”


    “Okay. See you next time.”


    ***


    Having parted ways with Erika, Se-Hoon descended to the dormitory main floor while reviewing the list of tasks at hand.


    <i>I should be finished with all pending requests now... so next should be Kim In-Cheol.</i>


    Walking aimlessly, he began to organize his thoughts about the uing task.


    <i>Before the regression, Kim In-Cheol was suspected of being a part of Offering, a sub-group of Watchers. He also has possession of the Fire Heaven Greatsword, a Five Elemental Equipment, which likely made him a target of the me Sword cksmith Hunter. He did die suspiciously early too...</i>


    Reviewing the list of information he had, Se-Hoon came to a conclusion: In-Cheol was a cksmith with a suspicious past.


    <i>Getting people like him to talk is the most challenging part, </i>thought Se-Hoon with a frown.


    Moreover, he was currently a student—a position that made it even harder to get information from him.


    <i>Ugh. I should just meet him face-to-face and see what happens.</i>


    There were many things he had to do over at In-Cheol’s ce anyway, so he decided to take things one step at a time.


    With his n of action decided, Se-Hoon took out his phone and sent a message to In-Cheol: Can I visit your workshop today?


    Confirming that the message had actually been sent, Se-Hoon waited calmly. Before long, his phone vibrated, indicating an iing call.


    “Yes, Professor.”


    —When do you n oning over?


    “I don’t have any other sses today, so I cane whenever it’s convenient for you, Professor.”


    —Perfect. I’ve just finished my schedule for the day and am about to head back. Tell me where you are; I’ll head over to pick you up.


    Promptly sharing his location with In-Cheol, Se-Hoon moved towards the road. Shortly after, a menacing red motorcycle approached.


    “Get on.”


    “Yes, sir.”


    Feeling the wind as the red motorcycle raced along the road, Se-Hoon looked at In-Cheol’s back and abruptly called out, “Professor.”


    “What is it?”


    “If we had a Legendary-tier material among the byproducts of the Vermilion Bird, can we possibly repair the Core of the Shattered me—”


    <i>Screech!</i>


    Before Se-Hoon could finish his question, In-Cheol mmed the brake of his motorcycle out of nowhere and turned around.


    “Did you receive it from the Chairman?”


    His expression was beyond mere surprise; he almost looked desperate.


    Seeing that, it was hard for Se-Hoon, who was still taken aback by the intense reaction, to answer, but he managed to quickly say, “N-no. After studying the Southern me Feather for a bitst time, I just thought it might be able to fix the Core...”


    “I see...”


    Finally managing to calm down his emotions, In-Cheol became slightly embarrassed.


    “Sorry for startling you. I got a bit excited thinking you might have actually acquired Legendary material of the Vermillion Bird.”


    “No problem. It’s my fault for not exining properly.”


    “<i>Hmm</i>. Let’s keep going then.”


    As In-Cheol started up the motorcycle again, Se-Hoon, having collected himself, narrowed his eyes.


    <i>So, he did manage to find some way to repair it.</i>


    From In-Cheol’s reactions, Se-Hoon was able to deduce that using the byproducts of the Vermilion Bird would likely increase the chances of repairing the Core of the Shattered me.


    <i>But then, why would he seek out another method if that’s the case?</i>


    Lack of confidence in the repair method, difficulty obtaining the required materials, or perhaps keeping a promise with Ludwig—various possibilities crossed his mind. And after considering all of them, he came to a simple conclusion.


    <i>I have no clue at all.</i>


    With the minuscule amount of information he had, he couldn’te to any definitive conclusion. Thus, instead of dwelling on such useless thoughts, he decided to focus on the thing he was sure about.


    <i>Kim In-Cheol is obsessed with the byproducts of the Vermilion Bird.</i>


    Even just that made it usible that the deal at the ck Arms was supposed to lure in Ludwig and, by extension, In-Cheol.


    By the time Se-Hoon had finished sorting out his thoughts and reached that point, the motorcycle had arrived at In-Cheol’s workshop.


    “Let’s head in.”


    “Yes, sir.”


    ***


    Entering the workshop adjacent to In-Cheol’s home, Se-Hoon immediately inspected the five furnaces attached to the wall.


    “By the way, what happened to the pieces of the Divine Tree that I gave you before?”


    “Ah, just a moment.”


    Grabbing a pair of tongs hanging nearby, In-Cheol walked over and opened the second furnace.


    <i>Woosh!</i>


    A st of hot air rushed out and warmed up the room as soon as he lifted the lid. Not wasting any time, In-Cheol inserted the tongs into the furnace and pulled out a ck rod about thirty centimeters long.


    “<i>Hmm</i>, this looks about right...”


    Examining the rod closely, In-Cheol lightly tapped a panel on the wall, causing a container filled with blue liquid to appear on the floor before him.


    <i>Is that cont made from magic stone liquid?</i>


    Giving In-Cheol his full attention, Se-Hoon watched In-Cheol immediately submerge the rod into the container.


    <i>Fwoosh!</i>


    mes erupted on the surface of the cont, likely a result of the mana inside the liquid reacting to the rod. Yet, despite that it was <i>burning</i> due to the intense heat, the cont wasn’t boiling at all.


    <i>Bubble, bubble!</i>


    It wasn’t untilter when the mes died down that the cont began to boil. Upon observing that behavior, In-Cheol carefully removed the rod from the container.


    <i>Sizz-</i>


    Hidden by faint clouds of steam, a burnt-ck rod came out. It looked shinier and much sturdier than when it had just been taken out of the furnace, and there was no trace of the Divine Tree left.


    “This should do. Take a look,” said In-Cheol, cing the back rod on the workbench.


    Se-Hoon approached to check the information window.


    <strong>[<u>Selective Firewood</u>]</strong>


    <strong>[Tier: Hero] [Quality: Poor]</strong>


    <strong>[A wooden rod that consumes and burns mana.</strong>


    <strong>It uses the mana infused within it as fuel to ignite or strengthen mes, protecting the target from heat until all of the mana is used up.</strong>


    <strong>*Can use absorbed mana as fuel</strong>


    <strong>*The target being sapped of mana is protected by the me.</strong>


    <strong>*Enables the use of the skill ‘Selective Fire’]</strong>


    <i>As expected, he made it so that it burns up mana first.</i>


    Imitating the real process, In-Cheol created a simr effect to how heat was blocked by the steam created when wet hands touched molten metal.[1]


    <i>As long as a sufficient amount of mana is supplied, it can withstand any me, no matter how hot it is—and that includes the heat of the Shattered me.</i>


    Furthermore, the absorbed mana could be used to strengthen the me, helping to maintain the temperature of the Shattered me to some extent. He saw some ws in it, but it was a decent approach, so Se-Hoon was still satisfied with it.


    Interrupting Se-Hoon’s examination, In-Cheol cautiously asked, “What do you think?”


    “It looks good. It’s a shame that the wearer is exposed to the heat until it’s worn and doesn’t have any means to control the heat, but it should serve as a solid prototype.”


    Hearing Se-Hoon’s response, In-Cheol unconsciously disyed a satisfied expression. He was d that Se-Hoon, with just a brief inspection, understood all of its ws.


    “My idea was to first ensure the wearer’s protection, and then gradually addponents to control the heat.”


    “In that case, we should forge a scabbard next. How about using Inkstone Ore for it?”


    “I’ve considered that too. However, Inkstone Ore is not ideal for maintenance, so I’m still pondering how to manage that.”


    “Oh, I’ve recently learned a skill that might help with that...”


    Discussing for a long time, In-Cheol epted and fine-tuned the details of several of Se-Hoon’s suggestions with some contemting after each one.


    <i>He for sure knows about the original form of the Shattered me, the Fire Heaven Greatsword, </i>realized Se-Hoon, in the midst of their discussion.


    If In-Cheol hadn’t known about it, he would have focused solely on repairing the Core and reducing the escaping heat. However, he also paid attention to several other functions, including the key feature of being able to designate what the me burns.


    <i>Is there something specific he wants to burn?</i>


    What could he be aiming for? Musing over In-Cheol’s still mysterious intentions, Se-Hoon’s attention was brought back by In-Cheol’s serene voice.


    “...Thank you.” Then he continued, standing up to face Se-Hoon, “Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve finally made progress after years of being stuck in the same hole.”


    “You don’t really need to thank me; all I provided were the materials. It’s your hard work that made this possible, Professor.”


    “No, without those materials, I wouldn’t have even been able to attempt this method.”


    Shaking his hand firmly, In-Cheol grasped Se-Hoon’s hand.


    “Thank you, truly.”


    It was a sincere expression of gratitude and even a new Fatestone had been created. But...


    <i>Hmm. The bond level didn’t rise? </i>It made him make a curious expression.


    Given In-Cheol’s reaction, he should have felt like Se-Hoon had given him quite a bit of help, yet the oue seemed mediocre.


    <i>Perhaps he’s still keeping quite a distance inwardly.</i>


    Again, due to theck of information about In-Cheol, it was impossible to make a clear judgment. The recurring uncertainty was beginning to frustrate Se-Hoon.


    <i>Should I justy it all out?</i>


    He could mix in a bit of falsehood to coax out whether In-Cheol was from Watchers and the fact that the Shattered me was the Fire Heaven Greatsword without raising too much suspicion. But still, he didn’t. Se-Hoon hadn’t didn’t want to take the risk of damaging their Rtionship and, more importantly, his favorable impression of In-Cheol as a person.


    <i>If he were a shady character, I would’ve introduced him to my hammer right away.</i>


    He struggled over whether there was a cleaner and more discreet method. Then, in the midst of his struggle, a single regret came to his mind.


    <i>If only I could see through his memories with the Phantasmal Spyde like how I looked through my memories...</i>


    Since he was able to ess memories from the past until his body forcibly shook him out of them, it should be possible to look through In-Cheol’s memories too, as long as he could figure out a way to somehow tap into them. At this point, Se-Hoon’s racing thoughts stopped.


    <i>Wait. Wait. Wait. Why not just...</i>


    Using the Phantasmal Spyde to peer into his own memories required extracting memories bound within his Fatestone and embedding them into his consciousness. If that was possible, shouldn’t it work with someone else’s Fatestone too?


    <i>Squeeze.</i>


    “Huh?”


    Puzzled at the sudden pressure on his hand, In-Cheol looked down.


    And saw Se-Hoon’s hand tightly gripping his own.


    <i>What is he up to?</i>


    In-Cheol tried to pull his hand away, but Se-Hoon didn’t let go.


    “Why are you doing this all of a sudden?” asked In-Cheol, bewildered.


    Se-Hoon, still holding his hand, raised his head.


    “Thank you, Professor.”


    With a very bright smile, Se-Hoon looked at In-Cheol.


    “Hmm?”


    “Thank you so much! I’ll be off now!”


    After a vigorous handshake, Se-Hoon rushed out of the workshop without properly saying goodbye. It took In-Cheol aback.


    Then, he chuckled softly.


    “I guess I’m notpletely out of touch yet...”


    Feeling a sense of aplishment from having imparted some wisdom to a young man, In-Cheol made an awkward smile.


    <i>Just a quick look!</i>


    Meanwhile, as In-Cheol stood there, smiling, Se-Hoon was sprinting toward his dormitory with all his might, eager to glimpse into In-Cheol’s past.


    1. If you’re interested, I believe the author is referring to the <u>Leidenfrost effect</u>. ?