The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 27

“She’s a former professor?”

“Yeah. She said that it was five years ago when she retired and opened the hardware store. Interesting, right?”

As Se-Hoon walked through the park while listening to Lea’s story, he grew puzzled. He couldn’t fathom why a former professor of the Department of Blacksmithing was running a small hardware store. Given her skills which seemed comparable to those of In-Cheol, one of the world’s top 100 blacksmiths, it was even more perplexing.

“Does she have a backstory?”

“Who knows... I haven’t heard anything specific. Whenever I ask her, she just tells me to be quiet.”

“Hm...”

“Ah. It’s nothing special, though. Over the past ten years, quite a few professors of the Department of Blacksmithing have left.”

“Really?”

This was something Se-Hoon hadn’t known before his regression. The detail intrigued him.

So professors have been leaving for the past ten years...

It could have been for personal reasons, but after considering that the Department of Blacksmithing had become one of the weakest departments in Babel Academy, it was a significant piece of information worth looking into.

I should look into it.

It was worth investing time in since if his affiliated department grew, so would the support for him. As Se-Hoon pondered various thoughts, Lea tapped his shoulder.

“What did you think of my skill in enchantments?”

“Ah, it was good. Your fundamentals are solid. I saw you in a new light.”

“...Cough. It was really nothing much.”

Flattered by the unexpected compliment, Lea chuckled awkwardly. But Se-Hoon wasn’t finished and continued, “But you’re too conservative.”

“What?”

Her face stiffened as if she had been hit where it hurt or as if her pride had been wounded.

Confident that he had pinpointed her issue, Se-Hoon pressed on without hesitation.

“When you were enchanting at the hardware store, you were able to come up with a better method but didn’t use it, right?”

“That... well... yes. But... how...” She looked at him incredulously.

Back in the workshop, she had hesitated only for a moment before moving her brush to reapply an enchantment. How did Se-Hoon deduce such a thing from such a subtle pause?

His talent for enchantments seemed to surpass any simple explanation.

“Being unable to think of a better way is one thing, but choosing not to go with what you come up with is worse, especially if fear of failure is your reason. That’s as good as not having any talent at all.”

“Ugh...”

“Whether it’s enchanting or blacksmithing, the artisan’s imagination is crucial. Imagination is a weapon and a talent in and of itself; do you think it’s reasonable to suppress that?”

“Ow...”

As his indifferent assessment continued, Lea grimaced, as if pierced by a blade.

Like I didn’t know that.

She had identified her issue long ago and had tried everything to overcome it for over a year, even spending all her savings, but nothing had changed.

She thought of the item locked away in her workshop’s safe. The aftermath of the incident that plunged her into this slump refused to leave her mind.

Grind-

She gnashed her teeth in frustration and self-loathing, and that caught Se-Hoon’s eye.

So... this is the kind of person she really is.

Her attempts to hide her slump had obscured her true character, but now Se-Hoon had a clear understanding of it.

Having achieved his goal, he ceased the criticism and offered a solution.

“Take a look at this.”

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Lea looked at the object he was holding. His hand held a dagger which was simple in design with a black base and had basic enchantments. It was far from extraordinary, something completely unlike the Inkstone Bracelets.

“What about it?”

“Just watch; I can’t show you for long because I have stuff to do later."

Confused, she watched Se-Hoon who was planning to show her what he was talking about to help her understand.

While Se-Hoon had only selectively learned enchantment techniques before his regression to aid his forging, he still understood the basic structure of enchantments in general.

Unlike blacksmithing, which builds from scratch, enchanting is like overlaying an additional image over an already complete image.

If tasked to place a stone beneath the water’s surface, a blacksmith would craft an entirely new stone to insert under, whereas an enchanter would inscribe the image of a submerged stone onto the surface of the water.

Thus, the essence of enchanting was imitation and reproduction. The technique was akin to a dream, ethereal and intangible, yet to the observer, it was no different from the genuine thing.

It won’t be easy to demonstrate with just the basics alone... but I have something perfect to help.

Done with inspecting the dagger’s enchantments, he covered them with his hand and summoned Scarlet Lotus, his elemental mana.

Fwoosh!

A burst of flames appeared in his hand, instantly erasing the protective enchantment on the dagger. The protective enchantments now gone, he applied a newly learned skill.

White Light Surge

A white, sharp aura blossomed and covered the dagger.

Lea looked down in surprise at the incomplete imitation of the white light, which appeared when a blade was honed to perfection, that was created through mana.

How is this method even possible...?

Typically, skills that enhanced equipment strengthened its entire structure. White Light Surge, however, only fortified the shell on the surface, leaving both the core and deeper parts of the dagger untouched.

She wondered why he chose such an inefficient method.

“If one layer isn’t enough, divide it into more.”

He controlled White Light Surge and mingled it with Scarlet Lotus’s flow-control property. This combination turned a portion of the white, sharp aura red and made it surge as well.

He then mixed the newly formed red portion with the rest and coated the dagger with the result. Then he tossed it toward a flowerbed for Lea to see.

Shnnk!

The dagger pierced through a petal and embedded itself in the ground. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary, simple throw that used mana.

But then, along with a slicing sound, the flower that was below the dagger—completely untouched by it—was cleanly bisected, showcasing an extraordinary technique.

“...”

The sharp aura clinging to the blade’s edge, which was influenced by the flow-control nature of Scarlet Lotus, had trickled downward and sliced the flower in two. It was as if the falling droplets had transformed into blades. Though technically different, this technique could also be seen as a form of enchantment, causing Lea’s face to freeze and her eyes to widen in astonishment.

Let’s see how this goes... This was an impromptu demonstration that used Se-Hoon’s knowledge and skills before the regression. Although it wasn’t a proper technique, he knew that it would impress and stimulate Lea.

She’s not stuck, just simply gathering her potential.

Invisible to the eyes, geniuses, even in their hesitation, unconsciously always prepared the way to move forward.

And if that obstruction was breached by a trivial trigger...

“Se-Hoon!!!"

An outpour of inspiration, like a bursting dam, would be released.

“Let me borrow that! I’ll make it work properly, please, please!!!”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement and her body trembled. She rushed over to grab the dagger from the flowerbed.

Uhm, she’s a bit too much.

He had anticipated excitement from breaking her slump, but he hadn’t expected it to be to this extent. Seeing her seemingly on the verge of tears if not given the daggers, he felt it was fortuitous and pulled out the other nine daggers as well.

“Take these as well and...”

“Thank you! I love you!”

Before he could even finish, she ran off somewhere like mad after grabbing the rest of the daggers and the one embedded in the flowerbed. Seeing her disappear in a frenzy, he looked down at the hand that had briefly touched hers and smiled contentedly.

Such youth.

[Extracting bond from subject ‘Lea Claudel’]

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

***

After Lea left, Se-Hoon didn’t head back to the dormitory but toward a different area of Aqar Quf. He had a specific place he wanted to visit today.

There are so many people...

Even as he approached the area, crowds had already started to gather. The area was bustling with people from all years, from freshmen to upperclassmen, all mixed together. The sight indicated that the entirety of Babel Academy’s interest was currently focused here.

Se-Hoon looked toward the building he was approaching.

I guess that’s the Hall of Martial Arts.

Contrary to its old-fashioned name, it was a modern-style six-story building. It was one of the buildings that symbolized Aqar Quf, and its fame was well-known by those both inside and outside the academy, as proven by the crowd today.

He observed the place with interest, due to it being much larger than what he had heard.

“Huh?” A familiar voice came from behind as he stood there observing.

“What? You also came to watch?” asked a blond young man who naturally approached him. In an instant, Se-Hoon recognized the man was Jake.

“For a bit. Did you come to see it too?” asked Se-Hoon as he nodded in response to Jake’s question.

“Ah, I came because my friends said we should watch.”

Following Jake’s gaze, Se-Hoon turned his head to see four students huddled together. At a glance, they seemed reasonably useful. He believed that it was likely that they were friends Jake had been close with since before admission.

“Are you here alone?” asked Jake.

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Hm... then, do you want to join us? My guys wouldn’t mind if it’s you,” Jake casually invited, a kind smile on his face.

Se-Hoon looked at him with a curious expression due to the invitation.

Strange. I thought he regarded me as a rival...

Even though Jake must be internally gnashing his teeth, he was still so friendly; it was odd. Jake had to be either really naive or just cunning.

Observing Jake’s expression, which showed no ulterior motives, Se-Hoon shook his head.

“No, It’s okay. I prefer watching comfortably on my own."

There were also a few things that Se-Hoon needed to check personally.

With a disappointed expression, Jake nodded.

“Alright. See you next time, then!”

Jake waved his hand goodbye as he returned to his group, and Se-Hoon turned his head.

“...”

And he immediately spotted Erika standing quietly in front of the entrance to the Hall of Martial Arts.

Normally, he would think that she was waiting for him. However, after what just happened with Jake, Se-Hoon thought that similarly, she might be waiting for another friend. With that thought in mind, he naturally walked toward the other entrance.

“...”

There, he once again saw Erika standing conspicuously at the entrance. He was unable to understand how she had suddenly moved there.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m waiting,” she calmly replied.

Though it might seem like she was putting on an act, coming all this way just to wait for him, her genuinely puzzled gaze suggested that this was no act; she was just an oddball.

Having seen his fair share of unique individuals before the regression, he accepted it and just looked down at her indifferently.

“Will you still follow even if I say no?”

“I will. Since I can just watch from a bit further away.”

“Right.”

It wasn’t like he could stop her from watching from further away, and besides, having someone beside him wouldn’t be much of an issue in the first place.

Having come to a conclusion, he smirked and gestured with his chin toward the entrance.

“Let’s go in.”

“Okay.”

Before they entered the Hall of Martial Arts, the staff members checked their student IDs or tickets. After showing their student IDs, they soon reached a wide hall at the end of the passage.

All around them, countless shops were selling various foods and drinks. The scale, reminiscent of a giant sports stadium, made Se-Hoon click his tongue as he surveyed the surroundings.

They’re always unnecessarily lavish...

Though this hall was occasionally used when inviting heroes from outside the academy, it was over the top for a facility, considering that it was still primarily used by students. The thought of this made Se-Hoon question what the creators were thinking when they first planned out this building.

As he pondered the incomprehensible scale of Babel Academy, a roaring cheer suddenly erupted from the center of the hall.

Realizing that the scheduled match had begun, he left the snack area and immediately made his way to join the audience.

There, dazzling spotlights poured down from the ceiling, illuminating the two students who stood prominently at the center of the arena. Surrounding them, thousands of students filled the stands.

—Welcome, freshmen of Babel! We sincerely welcome all of you to a ranking battle, the highlight of our Hall of Martial Arts!!

A lively voice boomed from the speakers, and a four-way projection appeared in midair. On the projections, a woman with her hair tied in round buns on both sides, giving off a bubbly impression, made her appearance.

—To introduce myself, I am the youngest professor of the Department of Martial Arts, Lan Fang. I am in charge of broadcasting the event match today. Thank you for your attention!

The crowd erupted into cheers again as she greeted them while waving her hands.

Babel Academy hosted several events under the guise of friendly matches to foster the improvement of the skills of the students, the ranking battle held in the Hall of Martial Arts being one of the most notable among them.

It was a simple event where students used their martial arts to compete and were then ranked accordingly. It was simple yet invigorating for everyone involved. Additionally, the focus on martial prowess attracted significant external interest.

Plus, with annual rewards based on the ranking, there’s no reason not to participate.

If one was confident in winning, there was nothing to lose, whether it was in terms of fame or practical benefits. That was precisely what the ranking battle was.

—First, let’s introduce today’s players. Starting with―!

At Lan Fang’s shout, the spotlight suddenly focused on the student standing on the left. She was a blonde woman who held a slender rapier at her waist.

—The top-ranking fourth-year student of Aqar Quf and the next head of the Myers family, which had fostered countless S-rank heroes! An unbeatable superhuman who has dominated the number-one spot of the Hall of Martial Arts rankings for three years in a row, setting a new record! Our champion!

The woman smiled leisurely under the spotlight. It was as if the light was emanating from her. As all the students marveled at her glamorous appearance, which made even the exaggerated introduction seem reasonable, Lan Fang shouted out her name as if to drive the point home.

—Aria Myers!!!

Aria, the blond woman, waved to the cheers of thousands of students.

Her introduction made Se-Hoon’s brows furrow slightly.

Tsk. I met her earlier than I thought...

She was currently the strongest student in the academy, a real genius who was already acknowledged as an active A-rank hero. Before the regression, she was termed Holy Swordsman after finally conquering a Tower of Heroes.

She was the biggest name among the prospects he had seen so far, but he wasn’t pleased.

I didn’t want to see her.

He knew that they would meet someday, but he wished it could have been later. She was just that displeasing to Se-Hoon.

—And now, the first to challenge such a champion today!

As if realizing that Se-Hoon was in a bad mood, Lan Fang’s commentary naturally directed everyone’s gaze to the opposite side.

“...”

There stood a black-haired young man lightly aiming a cross-shaped spear downward, his focus solely ahead.

Even under the intense spotlight, his face remained stern. The sight of him shook Se-Hoon’s gaze significantly.

—The third-year top-ranking student of Aqar Quf’s Department of Spear Arts. The inheritor of the Inferno Ring, a South Korean intangible cultural heritage. The promising next-generation contender who proudly holds the rank of ten in the Hall of Martial Arts!!!

Though slightly different from the person he knew, Se-Hoon saw the same spirit in the man’s eyes that he saw when that man was standing before the Harbingers.

Without needing further confirmation, Se-Hoon found himself smiling unwittingly.

—Yeom Sung-Ha!!!

Finally appearing was the future troublemaker, one of the figures who shocked the entire world—Mad Dog Yeom Sung-Ha.