Chapter 29: The Reincarnated One Does It All

‘...What is this?’

Despite witnessing the scene before his eyes, Yan Chengha found it utterly unbelievable.

The residual flames left by Yan Lun Zanhua Chuang normally only react to the ‘Explosion Control’ magical power wave created by the caster.

Therefore, in today’s sparring, it would be impossible for someone like Aria to control them, let alone take over the control.

‘But... it was taken over.’

The moment the boy’s hand, wrapped in magical power, touched his residual flames, all the explosive trajectories twisted and poured towards him.

Yan Chengha’s thoughts momentarily halted as he realized that Yan Lun Zanhua Chuang had been completely ‘destroyed.’

Whoosh!

Instinctively, he swung a punch at Yi Sehoon.

Bang!!!

The punch narrowly grazed Yi Sehoon’s nose.

If the previous punch had been enough to put someone out of commission for four weeks, this one could easily result in a twelve-week injury or even a disability.

‘This kid. He’s on the verge of losing it.’

The thoughts in his eyes almost disappeared.

Before his reincarnation, there were many reasons why Yan Chengha was called a mad dog, but the biggest one was his reckless execution.

Once he decided to do something, he would carry it out regardless of whether it was to his disadvantage. His obsession was almost compulsive, and the first incident that demonstrated this was the massacre at Yanhuamen, his own sect.

‘So it wasn’t just talk...’

Yan Chengha’s complaints, which he had dismissed as mere grumbling, were indeed true. Yi Sehoon continued to dodge and deflect the punches coming at him.

Whoosh! Bang!

The scene created by the ‘Explosion Control’ jade, which had been absorbed by the probe, but Yi Sehoon remained calm and assessed the situation.

‘The effect of the probe is almost over... and my body is also reaching its limit.’

Someone would come when they heard the explosions, but if they were even a little late, he would be hit by that punch and suffer serious injuries.

‘...There’s no choice, I guess.’

Though he didn’t want to, he had no other option.

Instead of just creating a connection, Yi Sehoon decided to completely dismantle the Yan Chengha in front of him.

Whoosh!

A massive fist, wrapped in magical power, rushed towards his nose.

Kaboom!!!

The shockwave that swept the entire open space. Yan Chengha, who had swung the punch with enough force to shatter a head, looked at the scene before him.

He frowned and asked the blond youth, Jake, who had grabbed his fist with both hands, “...Do you know each other?”

“Y-Yes... for now...”

Jake, who was answering Yan Chengha’s question, was trembling with both hands.

He had managed to block the punch, but he couldn’t completely deflect the shock, and his entire body was numb starting from his hands.

‘What was he thinking...’

If he hadn’t intervened, the punch would have at least caused serious injuries, and in the worst case, it could have been fatal.

Jake was bewildered by Yi Sehoon’s reckless action. Yan Chengha, who had been silently watching, now looked at Yi Sehoon behind Jake.

“...”

Yi Sehoon, with his hand on his chest, looked at him calmly. Seeing that he showed no signs of being intimidated, Yan Chengha retracted his fist.

“...Go.”

“I understand! Sehoon, let’s go!”

Jake, who had been waiting for this, pushed Yi Sehoon’s back towards the park exit.

Unable to resist the rough push, Yi Sehoon only turned his head to look at Yan Chengha.

“Remember what I said...”

“Don’t say nonsense and just go...!”

Pushed by Jake, Yi Sehoon disappeared from the open space without finishing his sentence. Yan Chengha, watching his departure, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

‘It was dangerous...’

Thinking of making the opponent half-dead just because Yan Lun Zanhua Chuang was destroyed.

If that had happened, the reputation of Yan Lun Zanhua Chuang would have plummeted, and he and his master would have been in a difficult situation.

Feeling fortunate that he had come to his senses, even if it was late, Yan Chengha suddenly recalled the last scene.

‘...’

Was it really because he had come to his senses, or because he felt an unknown threat?

Thinking about the arrogant junior’s behavior, from start to finish, which he couldn’t understand, Yan Chengha muttered to himself.

“Yi Sehoon...”

A name that stuck in his mind from their first meeting. It was indeed a significant development.

* * *

“Why did you pick a fight with that senior?”

Jake, who couldn’t understand, asked calmly.

“I didn’t pick a fight. I just said what was true.”

“No... You could have really died if you had made a mistake!”

Yi Sehoon chuckled at Jake’s fuss.

“Dying? At worst, I would have rolled on the ground a few times and that’s it.”

“...What?”

Yan Lun Zanhua Chuang, despite its rough appearance, required delicate magical power control.

The punch just now looked like it was swung to kill, but if Yan Chengha had wanted, he could have adjusted the power by releasing magical power in reverse.

‘The last punch. It wasn’t meant to finish me but to knock me down.’

Yi Sehoon, who had been with Yan Chengha before his reincarnation, could tell the difference.

That’s why he stopped just before crossing the line.

‘Still, he’s definitely softer than before the reincarnation.’

If Yan Chengha had been the mad dog, one of them might have been in serious trouble. Thinking about the past, Yi Sehoon chuckled.

[The connection with ‘Yan Chengha’ has been established.]

‘It’s here.’

Yi Sehoon calmly accepted the notification that appeared before his eyes.

It would be strange if the connection hadn’t been established after all that commotion. This was expected, so Yi Sehoon began to think about the next problem.

‘How to extract the connection and how to level it up.’

Yi Sehoon knew a lot about Yan Chengha, but strictly speaking, it was only about the ‘mad dog Yan Chengha.’

Even the same person can change based on their experiences. Especially, the soft behavior just now made it hard to believe he was the same mad dog.

‘Some adjustments might be necessary...’

The effect of the connection stone might also change a bit. However, since his innate talent hadn’t changed, Yi Sehoon wasn’t too worried.

‘Well, I’ll think about this part gradually...’

Having roughly organized his thoughts about Yan Chengha, Yi Sehoon looked at Jake, who was still puzzled.

‘This guy is also pretty good, after all.’

Jake had intervened without giving Yan Chengha a chance to retract his magical power and blocked the attack without retreating a step.

Considering he was still a first-year and hadn’t entered the Hero’s Tower, it was a remarkable skill.

‘He’ll be useful...’

Yi Sehoon, who had raised his evaluation of Jake, looked at his hands that had blocked the attack.

“Are your hands okay?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. This part is tougher than the rest.”

Jake flexed his hands to show that they were fine. They were slightly red, but there were no visible injuries.

‘Tough hands...’

Yi Sehoon, who had memorized Jake’s characteristics, was considering various options when Jake spoke up.

“By the way.”

Jake, recalling the purpose of coming here, looked at Yi Sehoon with a serious expression.

“Did you say something strange during the match?”

“Strange?”

“Yeah. Did you say anything bad about... Miss Aria, for example?”

“Aria... Aria Myers?”

Yi Sehoon’s question made Jake nod.

“Yeah. Did you say anything?”

“Hmm... I didn’t say anything special.”

“Really? But why...”

“I just said I didn’t like her style because it’s unlucky.”

“...”

Yi Sehoon’s answer left Jake speechless, and he sighed deeply.

“I should have warned you...”

Jake, looking at Yi Sehoon with a troubled expression, continued.

“You should be more careful in the future. Miss Aria might take an interest in you.”

“In me?”

“Yeah. She seems to have heard what you said at the arena.”

“...”

Yi Sehoon looked at Jake with a bewildered expression.

The arena was filled with the cheers and conversations of many students. The distance between the audience and the arena was at least a few hundred meters, yet she had heard his voice clearly?

It wasn’t just a matter of good or bad hearing; her perception was at an absurd level.

‘Even if she’s at the A-class hero level... this is still monstrous.’

It’s an unbelievable spec, befitting a future perfect ascender.

Realizing that he had inadvertently declared war on Aria, Yi Sehoon thought for a moment and then answered nonchalantly.

“So what if she’s interested?”

“You can’t take it so lightly. You don’t know, but Miss Aria is...”

“Narrow-minded and perverted?”

Yi Sehoon’s question made Jake flinch, and he quickly looked around nervously.

By not denying it, Jake’s reaction confirmed it. Yi Sehoon chuckled and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry. She’s not the type to hire someone to beat you up, right?”

“Well, not to that extent, but your life might get a bit harder...”

“That’s fine. It’s what I wanted, actually.”

Given the current situation, Yan Chengha’s main focus was on beating Aria.

If he could attract the attention of this rival, his presence would naturally grow.

This would make it easier to reform Yan Chengha.

“...Why do you dislike Miss Aria so much?”

Jake, who couldn’t understand Yi Sehoon’s reaction, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Usually, a blacksmith would only talk about wanting their weapons to be used, but why was Yi Sehoon showing such hostility?

Recalling his past, Yi Sehoon thought to himself.

‘This sword was also pretty useless.’

The weary voice, the disgusted look, and the unwavering step towards the legion of demons.

One of the perfect ascenders who had fought on the front lines of humanity had suddenly disappeared.

“Well...”

What followed was the ‘Light Devouring Demon God,’ who had used the remains of a demon god as a sword.

“Her appearance is just...”

It was a distant future event, but to him, it had already happened. He couldn’t view this psychopathic narcissist without prejudice.

“I’m leaving.”

Yi Sehoon, who had unilaterally ended the conversation, turned and left. Jake, watching his back, had a strange expression.

Was there something between them that he didn’t know? Or did he really believe in the strange concept of physiognomy? One thing was clear: their compatibility was poor.

“...”

Vroom—

Feeling a vibration in his pocket, Jake took out his phone and read the message.

[It seems you’ve made an interesting friend. Keep me updated.]

Was she planning to use him as a middleman in the future? Jake sighed deeply and read the end of the message.

[Please, from a narrow-minded and perverted sister. ^^]

“Oh.”

He realized that he was in bigger trouble than Yi Sehoon.

* * *

Monday morning.

Yi Sehoon, stepping out of the dormitory, frowned at the sensations from his body.

‘I pushed it too hard...’

The side effects of using Residual Explosion and the probe. His body felt like it was being torn apart, but thanks to the Lingyan Shen magic, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

‘Even after a full day of rest, it hasn’t recovered.’

Using materials like Residual Explosion in one go and the strong backlash on his body. He decided to use it cautiously in the future and arrived at the lecture hall.

“Phew...”

Sitting down, Yi Sehoon slowly looked around the lecture hall.

After a week, everyone seemed more familiar, but they still flinched when his gaze met theirs.

“T-The... exchange event... will... be... scheduled... soon...”

Hans, in particular, stuttered and flinched every time their eyes met, showing his heightened sensitivity as the second-in-command.

‘Interesting.’

Yi Sehoon chuckled and continued to tease Hans.

Clunk, clunk—

The door of the lecture hall opened, and a professor with a short and rugged appearance entered on a cart golem.

Everyone stared in amazement at his intense presence. The professor, sitting on the cart, tapped the board at the back.

“Pay attention!”

Despite his small stature, his voice boomed.

The students, who had been relaxed, straightened up, and the professor crossed his arms.

“I’m Riss Doba, and I’ll be teaching you Refinement for the next two weeks. The subject is ‘Attribute Refinement.’”

Refinement, a required major, changes professors periodically throughout the semester to expose students to various fields. This is to assess their potential and suggest specific majors for the second semester.

“If you think it’s just basic and can be skipped, go ahead. I’ll fail you without hesitation.”

Riss’s warning made the students tense up.

Riss was quite famous in the Refinement Department. He had once grabbed a student by the collar and smashed his ribs on an anvil, fed up with the student’s arrogance.

‘Avoid it because it’s dirty. Remember that.’

‘Have you ever seen someone try to assert their pride to a dog?’

‘If you don’t want to get hurt, avoid it.’

Recalling the advice from seniors, the students straightened up, and Yi Sehoon, observing them, understood the atmosphere.

‘He seems to be a good professor.’

Yi Sehoon smiled slightly as Riss continued.

“Before we start the class, I’ll distribute the evaluations of last week’s refinement assignments and the first-semester budget.”

The first budget they would receive since entering Babel. It was money they could use privately, so the students looked forward to it.

“Come up and take yours when I call your name.”

Riss called out names one by one and distributed the papers. The students were either pleased or disappointed as they read the contents.

As the list went on, everyone’s gazes turned to one person.

‘How much will he get?’

‘Probably three times more than me.’

Yi Sehoon, who had created an overwhelmingly impressive item, was the top student in the department. How much budget would he receive?

Everyone watched with tense expressions.

“Finally... Yi Sehoon.”

“Here.”

“Your budget hasn’t been determined yet.”

The unexpected announcement surprised the students, and Riss added with a displeased look.

“Your assignment was of such high quality that it will be auctioned off with the second-year students this Wednesday. Your budget will be determined based on the auction price, so please wait a bit.”

Yi Sehoon, understanding the situation from Riss’s explanation and expression, had a rough idea.

‘Since he’s singled me out... is he planning something?’

If it was orchestrated by Michael, it wouldn’t be good, but Yi Sehoon decided not to worry too much.

If it were a serious issue, Kim Incheol would have intervened. It was probably manageable.

‘And... it might be an interesting spectacle.’

Yi Sehoon smiled slightly and nodded calmly.

“I understand.”

“...”

Seeing that Yi Sehoon wasn’t particularly worried, Riss looked displeased.

‘Why isn’t he arguing? What does he think is good about this...’

If Yi Sehoon had objected, Riss might have tried to resolve it, but now that option was gone. Sighing deeply, Riss changed the topic.

“Now, back to the class... today we’ll start with how to apply fire attribute magic in refinement. Specifically, how to handle ‘Residual Magic’ to prevent it from dissipating from weapons.”

Yi Sehoon, intrigued by Riss’s explanation, thought about the perfect combination with Yan Chengha, whom he had met over the weekend.

‘This is perfect.’

He had been planning to brush up on his basics before obtaining the connection stone. Satisfied, Yi Sehoon listened as Riss continued.

“And to help with the Residual Magic lesson, a student has volunteered to assist.”

“Student?”

“Who is it?”

As everyone wondered, Yi Sehoon, sensing something, instinctively looked at the door.

“Come in.”

Creak—

Yan Chengha, with a