Chapter 28

The returnee has made it all, Chapter 28

Aria Myers, the top student in Akalcof's 4th year, and Yeom Sung-ha, the top student in the 3rd year of the spear technique department. The appearance of these two students, who are renowned for their fame and martial prowess even among Babel's current students, made the atmosphere in the arena even more heated.

- Alright! Before we start the sparring match, let's take a look at their records!

Lan Fang, seemingly excited by the atmosphere, smiled and displayed an information window in the air.

[Aria Myers] - 932 matches, 932 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses

[Yeom Sung-ha] - 1,238 matches, 714 wins, 128 draws, 396 losses

The moment the two people's records appeared in the air, all the students gathered in the arena gasped and looked at Aria.

While Yeom Sung-ha's win rate was not low considering he was ranked 10th, it was impossible to compare with Aria, who had won all her matches.

- By the way, these two students have had frequent sparring matches, officially 256 times. If we include unofficial matches, it's over 400! And the win rate is...

Lan Fang paused for a moment, then slapped the table forcefully and shouted.

- Aria Myers' perfect record!!!

Aria, who had not even given a draw in over 400 matches.

The audience in the stands were amazed, and their gazes, filled with various emotions, were fixed on the two.

Watching this, Lee Se-hoon naturally realized who the main character of the day was.

'This kid gets such treatment.'

While the current Yeom Sung-ha is undoubtedly talented and skilled, there's nothing else to say but that he's up against a tough opponent this time.

- Oh, this story is getting too long. Let's wrap up the miscellaneous talk and...

A moment of silence hung over the arena, and without waiting for anyone to make the first move, Aria and Yeom Sung-ha raised their weapons and aimed them at each other.

The moment the golden and dark red mana that rose from their bodies burned the air.

- Start!

At Lan Fang's command, the two clashed.

Bang!!

Yeom Sung-ha's spear, wrapped in dark red mana, tore through the air. Instead of retreating, Aria smiled calmly and swung her three swords.

A golden sword covered in golden mana. The movement was as light and smooth as turning the pages of a book, but...

Clang!

Yeom Sung-ha's spear blade was deflected as if a bomb had exploded.

A sudden opening. Aria tried to exploit the gap, but Yeom Sung-ha's mana moved first.

Whoosh!

The trail of the spear blade. The scattered mana burst into flames, and Aria, slightly bracing herself, swung her three swords again.

Whoosh!

This time, the flames scattered with a light strike, but it was enough for Yeom Sung-ha to regain his stance.

The returning spear blade swung fiercely again, and the thin three swords moved smoothly to block it.

Boom!

The flaming spear dominating the center of the arena and the golden swords weaving through the gaps.

The audience, who had been dumbfounded by the incredible level that was beyond that of a student, finally came to their senses and cheered.

From the first match, the atmosphere in the arena was heated, and Lee Se-hoon looked at Yeom Sung-ha, who was fighting with all his might.

'He's still young, after all.'

From basic physical abilities to techniques, there's nothing that can be compared to his wild dog days.

It's natural considering it's 31 years ago, but the problem is that he's below the expected level.

'He's supposed to be the successor of the Flame Wheel Residual Fire Spear, so I thought he would have received full support...'

Did he not receive as much support as expected?

Considering his age, Yeom Sung-ha's state was strangely disappointing, and Lee Se-hoon watched the changing tide of the match.

'The distance is already closing.'

The greatest advantage of the spear, distance, is gradually disappearing.

Yeom Sung-ha, aware of this, tried to maintain the distance, but Aria easily broke through his resistance and steadily closed in.

'Well, where to start...'

Having been close to Yeom Sung-ha more than anyone, Lee Se-hoon could see the points that needed to be corrected.

Yeom Sung-ha's chronic habits and the flaws of the Flame Wheel Residual Fire Spear, and the disharmony caused by them.

There were many things to point out, but the most annoying was the weapon, his area of expertise.

'A cross-shaped form that can skillfully perform both offense and defense. By adding flexibility to the spear shaft, it can easily respond even when the opponent closes the distance.'

The swirling dark red mana in the spear shaft and the occasional bursts of waves around it suggested that it had the effect of scattering stored mana.

In terms of completion, it was a decent spear that Lee Se-hoon couldn't criticize much, but...

'He just doesn't have the eye for it.'

It didn't suit the wild dog Yeom Sung-ha at all.

Clang!

The spear blade struck again, and the scattered mana was about to burst into flames along the trajectory.

Bang!

But before that, Aria's golden hand cut through the residual mana and compressed the distance in one go.

His stance was broken, and the 'trajectory' of the flames created by the Flame Wheel Residual Fire Spear was cut off.

In a situation where the outcome was already decided, Yeom Sung-ha's eyes glowed.

Whoosh!

Abandoning the spear shaft, Yeom Sung-ha tried to regain his stance and swing his fist. It was a desperate move, driven by his obsession with victory.

Whoosh—

But before his body could move, Aria's golden three swords reached his neck.

He tried to resist until the end, but even that was not allowed. In that situation, Yeom Sung-ha looked at the three swords aimed at his neck and slowly spoke.

"...I lost."

"Good job."

Aria briefly spoke and retracted her three swords, and at that moment, Lan Fang loudly announced.

- Sparring match over!! The winner is Aria Myers!!!

The thunderous cheers that erupted with the announcement.

The students, who could hardly believe they were fellow Babel students, were excited and their eyes sparkled at the high-level sparring match.

If the current heroes had come and performed the same sparring match, they would have only thought it was a distant future and reacted with admiration.

But the two were only 2-3 years apart as fellow students. The sense of familiarity from their status stimulated the competitive spirit and desire for improvement of those in the audience.

'They're all energetic...'

Some might realize the difference in talent and become discouraged later, but since this is Babel, a few might catch up to them.

Thinking it was a curious place, Lee Se-hoon looked around and suddenly noticed the unusually quiet person next to him.

"..."

Erica, who was looking at the scene expressionlessly. Her indifferent reaction made Lee Se-hoon have a strange expression.

"Wasn't it interesting?"

"Yeah. Since the fields are different, there wasn't much to learn from."

"Then why did you come?"

Lee Se-hoon asked, looking puzzled, and Erica answered calmly.

"I was curious about who you came to see."

"..."

She was a bit strange from the beginning, but now that a relationship has formed, she seems even stranger.

While Lee Se-hoon was looking at her with a puzzled expression, Lan Fang's voice echoed from the arena.

- Now, we were going to conduct interviews with the two contestants, but due to personal reasons, we will only conduct an interview with Aria Myers and move on to the next sparring match.

With Lan Fang's guidance, Yeom Sung-ha bowed and the spotlight shifted to Aria.

A scene as if she were the true protagonist. It was fitting, considering the event's name was "Aria Myers' 9th Consecutive Matches."

"Since fighting nine ranked opponents in a row is tough, I'll skip the empty interview time and answer questions instead?"

The audience erupted in cheers at Aria's question, and in the meantime, Yeom Sung-ha walked down from the arena.

He looked the same as usual, but Lee Se-hoon, who had known Yeom Sung-ha for a long time, immediately recognized the gait of someone who was upset.

'Kid...'

He seemed immature in many ways.

Lee Se-hoon chuckled and turned around, and Erica, noticing this, asked with a puzzled look.

"Leaving?"

Did she not think he came to see Yeom Sung-ha? Lee Se-hoon turned his gaze to the arena below.

Aria, standing brightly under the bright lights. Whether in the future as a holy swordswoman or as a student, her presence was always the same.

A charisma that made even those who saw her for the first time feel a sense of reverence. She was a figure that Babel students could not help but admire, but...

"I don't like that style."

Lee Se-hoon looked at Aria, who was smiling and waving, with a wary eye.

"It's just annoying."

Turning his head as if there was no need to say more, Lee Se-hoon walked out. Erica's expression darkened slightly at his back.

Had Lee Se-hoon ever shown such intense emotions before? He always seemed calm, which made it even more unusual.

'It's a relief that he didn't come to see his brother, but...'

Even now, his appearance was a bit concerning. Deciding to change her plans and follow him, Erica was about to take a step when...

"..."

A strange sensation from behind. Erica slowly turned her head toward the training ground.

"An interesting freshman? I don't think so..."

She met the eyes of Aria, who had been chasing after Lee Se-hoon, who had already left.

"Maybe it will happen."

* * *

Whoa!

Cheers echoed from behind. The battle with the 9th-ranked opponent had started, but that was a lower priority for Lee Se-hoon, who looked around.

'With his personality, he wouldn't just go back...'

Yeom Sung-ha, who could become a complete mad dog when he lost his temper, was usually a somewhat decent guy with a strong sense of pride and no backbone.

He valued his dignity greatly and had a habit of being alone until his bad mood passed.

'There's a place he might like...'

Recalling his memories from before the regression, Lee Se-hoon wandered around the martial arts hall and soon found a young man in a secluded spot in a nearby park.

"Huff... huff..."

Yeom Sung-ha, eyes closed, catching his breath. Seeing him up close, Lee Se-hoon felt a bit strange.

'Is he still alive...'

He was a bit of a dog, but he was one of the pillars of the resistance and ultimately sacrificed his life to defeat the Demon God of Destruction.

Regardless of his personality or behavior, he was someone who had shared a purpose with him, which brought up many thoughts.

'Well... at least he's not twisted yet, so maybe this time it will go a bit smoother.'

If he could start a conversation, he could use the information he knew to re-establish a relationship and obtain the affinity stone.

Just as he was about to approach,

"Are you a freshman?"

Yeom Sung-ha, eyes still closed, spoke calmly.

"Did you watch the sparring match?"

"…Yes. What of it."

Responding with a slight grimace to Yeom Sung-ha's question, Lee Se-hoon felt a twisted feeling.

'To have to use polite language with him...'

Feeling more than just uncomfortable, but knowing this Yeom Sung-ha could be different from the one he knew, he had to be cautious.

While Lee Se-hoon was holding back, Yeom Sung-ha slowly opened his eyes.

"To find me, you must be... quite skilled."

Speaking calmly, Yeom Sung-ha looked at Lee Se-hoon and then paused, slightly frowning.

'Why is he like that?'

A clearly bad reaction. Sensing the strange atmosphere, Lee Se-hoon realized something was wrong.

"Are you the top student in Borshifa's department?"

Yeom Sung-ha's voice was slightly lowered.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to have a talk... that's all."

The future of the Yeohwa School, improvements to the Flame Wheel Residual Fire Spear, and the special 'aptitude' possessed only by the Three Dogs.

He couldn't say it all at once, but there was a mountain of things to discuss.

Therefore, Lee Se-hoon wanted to start the conversation as soon as possible, but...

"Go away."

Yeom Sung-ha showed no intention of talking.

Turning his head and closing his eyes again, he started to regulate his breathing, completely ignoring Lee Se-hoon. This made Lee Se-hoon's expression slightly twist.

"It won't be bad for you to listen. How about...?"

"If you don't know, I'll tell you just once."

Cutting off Lee Se-hoon's words, Yeom Sung-ha slowly spoke with his eyes still closed.

"I hate weaklings."

"..."

"A weakling who thinks he's on par with me because he has some insignificant talent and can't do anything on his own is even worse."

The firm voice, calm but filled with disdain, made Lee Se-hoon recall a memory from before the regression.

'Your role is to make weapons from behind. Don't step forward arrogantly.'

The first time he met Yeom Sung-ha, who had joined the human alliance, before the regression. At the time, he thought it was just a bad personality, but Lee Se-hoon realized it was his own misconception.

"So, whatever you want to talk about, go away."

Yeom Sung-ha wasn't just bad-tempered.

"Blacksmith."

He was a bad-tempered dog who wouldn't even treat someone as a person if they were weaker than him!

'...Yeah, that's right.'

Seeing this, Lee Se-hoon couldn't help but laugh.

The Three Dogs might have been okay in their youth, but thinking about it now, it was a naive thought.

Those rotten guys wouldn't be good just because they were young. Realizing this deeply, Lee Se-hoon looked at Yeom Sung-ha again.

'At least he's better than in his wild dog days.'

Before the regression, if he had said to go away and then tried to talk again, he would have been stabbed with a spear, but now he had the patience to explain once more.

Seeing a glimmer of redemption, Lee Se-hoon pondered how to respond.

'Looking at his attitude, there's no way to resolve this with words.'

Yeom Sung-ha needed to be hit at least once for the conversation to start. The question was whether Lee Se-hoon could hit Yeom Sung-ha.

There were openings to exploit, but his physical abilities held him back.

'Even if I can pull with Iron Grip, I don't have the right tool... Ah.'

His gaze shifted to his right hand, and he naturally recalled the spirited girl he had just met.

Her personality of approaching those who could help her without hiding her talent, and the faint distrust she had for him, which was now fading.

Whoosh—

Following his understanding, a faint light flowed from Lee Se-hoon's hand and formed a gemstone.

[Affinity - Explosive Amplification]

[Grade: High] [Quality: Best]

A gemstone of various colors mixed together.

It has excellent performance as an amplifier that maximizes the potential of mixed materials.

*Enhances the potential of synthesized materials.

A gemstone of various colors, like a mixture of enchanted palette dust. Despite its messy appearance, it looked elegant, and Lee Se-hoon couldn't help but smile.

'Good.'

This affinity stone would be useful now and in the future. Smiling at the unexpected benefit, Lee Se-hoon heard Yeom Sung-ha's voice.

"Looks like you're not leaving."

Feeling the movement of mana, Yeom Sung-ha opened his eyes again.

"It's your own doing."

Yeom Sung-ha, now ready to attack, turned his body. Even this made Lee Se-hoon feel a heavy pressure, but he didn't blink and faced him.

"I have something to say, just once."

Yeom Sung-ha, walking calmly as if he didn't care what Lee Se-hoon said, had a calm but heavy presence. Lee Se-hoon smiled.

"The history of the Flame Wheel Residual Fire Spear will be broken because of you."

The moment these words were spoken, Yeom Sung-ha's body stiffened, his eyes widened, and his breath caught.

He never imagined he would hear such words from a junior who had just entered this year, let alone someone much weaker than him.

But this was only for a moment. Realizing the meaning of the words, Yeom Sung-ha's body moved again.

Boom-!

In a single step, he was right in front of Lee Se-hoon.

A tightly clenched fist and the mana trailing behind it. If it hit, his head would shatter and his body would explode without a trace in the flames that followed.

[Affinity Seal '