Chapter 2

The Regressor Completes It All - Chapter 2

"This is your final warning. If there's any more disturbance, you will be expelled, so be careful."

The invigilator, who had warned in a cold voice, left his seat, and the gazes that had momentarily gathered around him quickly dispersed.

Since this was an important exam for admission to Babel Academy, there was no need to pay attention to whether others made mistakes or not.

Instead, the candidates thought that one of their competitors had been eliminated and redoubled their efforts on the weapons they were creating.

"......"

The candidate who had been warned, Lee Sehoon, looked down at his hands with a dazed expression.

'Back to 31 years ago? Why? Why is this happening?'

He wondered if it was like a flash of his life before death, but the sensations he felt through his five senses were too vivid to be just that.

Fiddling with the cheap hammer in his hand, he tried to recall his memories, and after a while, a faint memory surfaced.

[The mental image of the weapon '───' has manifested.]

[The mental image skill 'Return to Origin (原點回歸)' is being refined.]

'So, it’s the manifestation of a mental image...'

The phenomenon where a powerful skill is imbued in a weapon created using a soul stone.

He had experienced this many times while creating numerous weapons, so it was familiar, but there was one peculiar point.

'This is the first time it happened with my soul stone.'

Despite creating thousands, even tens of thousands, of weapons with his soul stone, the manifestation of a mental image had never occurred.

So why did that mental image manifest then, and why was he sent back to the past?

Unable to understand the situation even after thinking about it, Lee Sehoon came to one conclusion.

'...Is it a coincidence?'

Thinking about it, the first time the mental image manifested was when he was hurriedly making something during an attack at his workplace.

So, perhaps this time, his mental image manifested by chance, and as a result, he was sent back to the past.

With this extremely weak conclusion, Lee Sehoon momentarily had a dazed look on his face before bursting into a hollow laugh.

'I must be crazy.'

Either his mind was crazy, or the world was crazy. One of the two.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand, but he was standing in the past again.

And it was the very first moment of the many regrets he had at the end.

'There’s nothing to think about... I know what to do.'

Finally, with a clear head, Lee Sehoon turned to check the remaining time.

'One hour.'

Glancing around, he saw that the other candidates were almost done with their forging. Observing this, Lee Sehoon looked at the iron he had been refining.

'What a mess.'

He had hammered it wildly, trying to make it look impressive, but the center of gravity was all over the place, and the shape was uneven.

It was trash that wouldn't even sell as a decoration, and Lee Sehoon stroked his chin.

'Maybe I should start by refining it.'

The evaluation might drop a bit, but as long as he passed the exam, that was all that mattered.

With this thought, Lee Sehoon picked up the hammer again.

* * *

"Disgraceful."

Professor Kim Incheol, who was observing the candidates, muttered with a displeased expression.

He hadn't expected much from Group 3, which consisted only of supplementary candidates, but their level was even worse than he had imagined, leaving him feeling hopeless.

'Even if the status of the Metallurgy Department has declined...'

The candidates were handling the fire and hammering the iron without any proper technique, just pouring magic and skills into it.

Could this really be called "refining"?

'Recruiting more candidates won’t solve the problem.'

As he sighed, Kim Incheol was smoothing his eyebrows when a metallic sound echoed through the exam room.

Clang─

The sound cut through the hammering of dozens of candidates, resonating in his mind. Kim Incheol's eyes widened.

Clang─ Clang─

Slow but regular, and a clear, pure sound without any noise. Intrigued by this unusual sound, Kim Incheol looked around.

'Who is it?'

The depression he had felt moments ago vanished, and he scanned the room to find the source of the sound. Soon, he spotted someone.

Clang─!

A young man swinging the hammer calmly, without any tension.

At first glance, it seemed like he was hitting the iron randomly, but the iron beneath it was being refined more clearly than any other in the room.

'...He seems like a different person.'

Although the candidates' level was disappointing, he had still checked their basic techniques for evaluation.

According to Kim Incheol's memory, Lee Sehoon's skill was in the lower-middle range, and in Group 3, which consisted of supplementary candidates, he was at a level that would never get into Babel.

'Come to think of it, he was sitting dazed after being scolded by Han Inseong earlier.'

It was rare, but sometimes a candidate would suddenly awaken a skill and improve to an unrecognizable level.

Perhaps this candidate was in such a situation.

'Interesting.'

He had thought that all candidates would fail without any need for evaluation, but maybe he would have to properly assess this one.

Just as Kim Incheol, who had been sitting indifferently, straightened up to observe Lee Sehoon.

Crack─!

The best work in the exam room shattered.

* * *

When he started forging, Lee Sehoon began with a very light heart.

Babel's reputation wasn't low, but it was just a training institution. Given his fame and skills before the regression, he was confident he could pass with his eyes closed.

"......"

This forging was a kind of check to confirm his physical condition from 31 years ago.

It was impossible to create like he did in his prime, and compromising to some extent was clearly the wise choice.

Clang.

But looking at the sword, or rather, the long, pointed piece of trash, coming from his hands, his rationality couldn't take it.

His body wasn't properly trained, so he couldn't even hammer properly, and his magic was so weak that he couldn't even use it for tempering, let alone forging.

Thud─

There was no choice. This was the best he could do in his current state.

He understood this intellectually, but his body felt like it was covered in hives, and his face twisted with anger.

A true craftsman who wouldn't compromise on even a 0.01mm error, let alone a microscopic one, and who would smash weapons worth millions without hesitation.

"Ah!!!"

The so-called "Debt Collector Blacksmith" would never tolerate such a thing.

Crack─!

The sword he struck on the anvil split cleanly in two, and the eyes of the invigilator and all the candidates widened.

While it was common for candidates to get frustrated when their work didn't turn out as they wanted, no one had ever destroyed their work like this.

'How dare he...!'

The face of the invigilator, Assistant Professor Han Inseong, who had warned Lee Sehoon earlier, contorted in anger.

To behave so rudely in front of Professor Kim Incheol, the head of the Metallurgy Department, was unthinkable!

Determined to expel him this time, Han Inseong stomped over to Lee Sehoon.

"Invigilator... sir."

His body froze at the fierce gaze of Lee Sehoon.

A young man, a few years younger than his nephew, and a mediocre candidate in the lower-middle range of Group 3, which consisted of supplementary candidates.

"......"

Yet, standing in front of him, he couldn't find the words to speak.

It was as if he was facing a senior from his Babel days who would always find reasons to complain and cause trouble, the same oppressive feeling he got from Lee Sehoon.

"I have something to... say."

Struggling to maintain his composure, Lee Sehoon spoke, and Han Inseong swallowed hard.

"What... is it?"

"I want to... remake the assignment. Can you... give me the materials?"

Han Inseong's eyes trembled, unsure if Lee Sehoon was making a request or a threat.

Normally, he would have scolded him for such insolence, but for some reason, he couldn't speak.

His rational mind told him to refuse, but his instincts held him back. The look on Lee Sehoon's face made him feel like he would be killed on the spot if he refused.

"Um."

Just as Han Inseong was hesitating, Professor Kim Incheol, who had approached, picked up the broken sword fragment.

Kim Incheol examined the fragment with interest, and the surrounding candidates murmured.

Unlike Assistant Professor Han Inseong, Kim Incheol was the head of the Metallurgy Department and a renowned master blacksmith, one of the top 100 in the world.

"You."

Kim Incheol placed the broken fragment on the anvil and looked at Lee Sehoon.

"Do you think it was right to break this?"

A meaningful question that could be interpreted in many ways.

If it were another candidate, they might have panicked, thinking they had made a mistake.

"Yes."

For Lee Sehoon, it was a question that required no thought.

"I don't want to submit something like that."

"......I see."

Kim Incheol pondered for a moment, then looked at the dazed Han Inseong.

"Assistant Professor Han, do you have any materials left?"

"Uh? Yes, I do."

"Bring them over. It's not against the rules."

"But... sir..."

Before Han Inseong could protest, Kim Incheol said,

"Should I bring them myself?"

"No, sir!"

With a short reply, Han Inseong rushed to the material room and returned a moment later with a large box.

"Huff... huff... I brought the iron ingots and flintstones."

"Good job."

Patted on the shoulder by Kim Incheol, he checked the remaining time and looked at Lee Sehoon.

"There's only about 40 minutes left. Will this be enough?"

"It will... be enough."

While it wouldn't be possible with normal methods, there was a way to make it work. Kim Incheol smiled at the determined look in Lee Sehoon's eyes.

"I'm looking forward to it."

The invigilators returned to their seats, and Lee Sehoon looked at the materials in front of him.

The quality of the iron ingots was uniformly excellent, and the flintstones were of high quality, with several types available.

This was to leave no room for excuses about inadequate preparation, and Lee Sehoon was satisfied.

'This should be enough.'

While it would be a bit rough, creating something always came with its fair share of pain.

Taking out a new iron ingot and a few types of flintstones, Lee Sehoon stood in front of the slightly cooling forge.

He concentrated the little magic he had in his right hand and made the flintstones collide in his palm.

Snap! Thud!

A spark and a popping sound, like flint striking flint.

Sometimes, the fire would flash in his hand like a flickering lamp, and everyone in the exam room watched in amazement at this bizarre sight.

'If magic enters the flintstones, they must be incredibly hot...'

'Where is that burning smell coming from...'

Something was about to happen. Everyone sensed it.

Crack─

A distinct, resonant sound, different from the previous collisions, as all the flintstones rang in unison.

At this sound, Lee Sehoon's eyes widened, and he threw the flintstones into the forge.

───BOOM!!!

A burst of multicolored flames erupted from the forge's mouth.