Chapter 33: The Regressor Does It All

A massive circular building reminiscent of a colosseum.

Staring up at the building, which stood out for its size even in Babel, where large buildings were common, Lee Sehoon was dumbfounded.

‘Even before the regression, I felt it... but the scale is really different.’

The circular building, known as a symbol and landmark of Akalkuf, is where all the weapon departments are located. Lee Sehoon moved his steps and looked around, taking in the sight of the ‘Flavium’.

‘The weapon departments are divided by sections of the building. They say it’s divided, but it’s all one entity.’

While administratively dozens of departments reside here, in reality, the entire Flavium is a massive conglomerate known as the ‘Weapon Department’.

In Akalkuf, it was common for multiple departments to form groups, and Flavium was the largest of them all.

‘That’s why it’s so damn big...’

Lee Sehoon, who was curiously examining the surroundings, headed towards the center and looked at what appeared before him.

‘Is that the park?’

A natural park surrounded by buildings.

With a large lake and densely planted trees, it exuded a mysterious atmosphere. On the outer track, several cadets were jogging lightly.

“How many kilometers is one lap here?”

“...4 kilometers.”

“Wow, that’s really wide... How many laps do you usually run?”

“...I run about 10 laps in the morning and the same in the evening.”

Yeon Seongha, who considers 80 kilometers as a warm-up, is not normal by any means. However, considering he is among the top in Babel, his statement isn’t that strange.

“Is there anything else in the park? The lake seems to have something special too.”

Since he had only heard about this place before the regression, Lee Sehoon asked about the things he was curious about. Yeon Seongha, who was not particularly inclined to answer, frowned and glared at him.

“I need to focus. Can’t you be quiet?”

“Nope.”

“...”

“After staying up all night, how can I focus more? Besides, I’ll naturally focus once we get to the training ground, so I might as well rest a bit now.”

Some people, once they relax, find it hard to get back into focus, while others can concentrate anytime, anywhere. Yeon Seongha belonged to the latter group, so it was better for him to relax when he could to recover his concentration.

Yeon Seongha, who had been staring blankly at Lee Sehoon, sighed and replied.

“...There’s a garden decorated with flowers, but you can’t see it from here. I don’t know much about the lake either.”

“Who takes care of the garden?”

“The gardeners, I guess. The plants that cadets plant personally are maintained by the owners.”

Lee Sehoon, who was relentlessly bombarding Yeon Seongha with questions, and Yeon Seongha, who was reluctantly answering, were observed by other cadets passing by in the corridor. They all looked at them with wide eyes, as if they had seen a ghost.

“...Was that Yeon Seongha-senpai just now?”

“The one next to him seems to be the top student of the first year in Borshifa...”

“No, what is this...”

Yeon Seongha, who wouldn’t even glance at someone without talent and wouldn’t interact with anyone except for duels, was now having a casual conversation with a new student from Borshifa?

The shocked gazes from the surroundings made Lee Sehoon chuckle.

“What did you do to get them to look at you like that?”

“I only did what was necessary.”

“Then it must have been a mess...”

If there was a reason to fight, he would fight; otherwise, he would ignore it.

While Lee Sehoon was shaking his head at Yeon Seongha’s attitude, which showed no interest in anything other than getting stronger.

“Is it okay not to go to the auction that’s happening today?”

“Hmm? Oh, the second-year auction?”

The regular auction of the Refining Department, where the white light longsword he made last week was being exhibited. It was an important moment that determined the budget for the first semester, but...

“Why bother?”

Lee Sehoon replied indifferently.

“Even if I watch, it won’t affect the bidding price. It will sell well on its own.”

He was curious about the level of the second-year students in the Refining Department, but he could check it anytime if he wanted to.

Right now, it was better to resolve Yeon Seongha’s issues before dealing with such trivial matters.

“Got it...”

Yeon Seongha, who was nodding silently, seemed to be thinking about something. Lee Sehoon smiled.

“Don’t worry about me, just do your best. Don’t let your hard work go to waste.”

“...Have you been acting too cocky since yesterday?”

“Should I use honorifics? Yeon Seongha-senpai~ like this?”

“Enough. It sounds sarcastic, so don’t.”

While they were having this pointless conversation, they arrived at the public training ground on the first floor of Flavium. Lee Sehoon looked at the people who had already arrived.

The uniforms, with flames embroidered on the sleeves and the bottom of the pants, and a picture of the Flame Wheel on the right shoulder, had numbers written in Chinese characters at the center.

‘Those must be the number of Flame Wheels.’

Lee Sehoon, who was examining the neatly lined up disciples of the Yanhuamen, glanced at the man standing at the front.

‘If he has seven 七, he must be the leader.’

The man, with a slender but sharp gaze, looked a bit thin on the surface, but the muscles visible through the sleeves and the bottom of the pants showed that he was well-trained in both physical strength and mana.

As Lee Sehoon was examining his body, the man took a step forward and bowed.

“It’s been a while, Young Master.”

“...”

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly at the title ‘Young Master,’ but he quickly relaxed and replied calmly.

“It’s been a while. Instructor Kang.”

“It’s been half a year since I last saw you, and you’ve improved a lot. The Head of the Sect will be pleased to see you.”

Yeon Seongha looked at the disciples lined up behind the man.

“Who are they?”

“Oh, they are the disciples selected by the Head of the Sect. He said they should broaden their horizons by watching the duel between you and me. You are the most outstanding after the next Head of the Sect...”

“Kang Hyunwoon.”

Yeon Seongha cut off the man, Kang Hyunwoon, and continued calmly.

“The next Head of the Sect hasn’t been decided yet. Be careful with your words.”

“...Ah, I apologize. I must have been mistaken.”

Though he was smiling, his eyes were not. Lee Sehoon, observing Kang Hyunwoon’s reaction, roughly grasped the internal situation of the Yanhuamen.

‘They must have been treated like outcasts.’

While he didn’t know the details, it seemed that Master Yan Jinxian and Yeon Seongha were in a difficult position within the Yanhuamen, treated like thorns in the flesh.

He knew they were treated poorly, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad. As Lee Sehoon was racking his brain, Kang Hyunwoon looked at him.

“By the way.”

Kang Hyunwoon looked at Lee Sehoon, who was standing next to Yeon Seongha.

“I was wondering who your companion was, but you seem to have formed a friendship with one of the top students of the first year. Impressive.”

“...Just a casual acquaintance.”

“Even that is impressive. To form a connection with such a promising individual... You’ve changed a lot since half a year ago.”

Kang Hyunwoon, feigning admiration while looking at Yeon Seongha, had a sharp gaze.

‘The fool who only knew training has started to use his head.’

Verifying Yeon Seongha’s strength was just a precaution, but it couldn’t be taken lightly.

Considering the possibility of noise in the already settled issue of succession, Kang Hyunwoon quickly organized his thoughts and spoke.

“Now, let’s proceed with the skill assessment...”

“I will apply for the Seventh Flame Wheel.”

“...What?”

Kang Hyunwoon, taken aback, asked, and Yeon Seongha replied calmly.

“Exactly. Prepare for it.”

Yeon Seongha, who seemed to indicate that no further words were necessary, stepped onto the training ground. Kang Hyunwoon’s eyes narrowed deeply.

The Yanhuamen treats those who have reached the Sixth Flame Wheel as successors, but this is only an external stance.

In reality, one must reach the Seventh Flame Wheel, obtain the qualifications of an instructor, and gain the support of other instructors.

In short, Yeon Seongha had never been treated as a successor within the Yanhuamen.

‘Is he finally crossing the line?’

If he had remained at the Sixth Flame Wheel, he would have been treated appropriately as the adopted son and disciple of the founding Head of the Sect. Why is he kicking away his own fortune?

Kang Hyunwoon’s eyes turned cold, and Lee Sehoon, observing his reaction, smiled slightly.

‘He’s starting to pay attention from the Seventh Flame Wheel onwards.’

Currently, Yeon Seongha, who has entered Babel and shown incredible talent, is being recognized as a promising individual even outside the sect.

If he reaches the Seventh Flame Wheel and declares his intention for the Head of the Sect position, the Yanhuamen will no longer be able to act freely due to external scrutiny.

“The Seventh Flame Wheel assessment includes a duel with an instructor, unlike the previous ones. I think it’s too early for you, but are you sure you’re ready?”

“...”

“Considering Master Yan Jinxian, who is in the main sect, you should reconsider...”

“You talk too much.”

Yeon Seongha, cutting off Kang Hyunwoon, looked at him calmly.

“Are you afraid of losing your instructor position?”

“...This is something you brought upon yourself.”

Kang Hyunwoon, speaking coldly, walked up to the training ground and lightly tapped the hexagonal box, a subspace pocket, at his waist.

Whoosh!

A red spear, softly drawn and vibrating with mana, appeared. The blade was transparent like a piece of crystal, with red mana heat emanating from it in strands.

‘Hmm. That must be at the Hero level...’

The main material seemed to be the Hero-level ‘Dragonfire Stone,’ which is strong and contains fire elemental mana, making it quite useful.

Since it was a rare material, Lee Sehoon was interested in examining it. However, his eyes gradually distorted as he noticed something.

‘...Who made this?’

To use such a material to make something like this?

As Lee Sehoon’s expression became increasingly sinister, Yeon Seongha also pressed his subspace pocket and drew out his equipment.

Whoosh─

Two short spears emerged from the dark space. The longer one had a straight blade with a red glow, and the shorter one had a cross-shaped blade with a black glow. Both were clean and well-maintained, without any additional decorations.

Simple but showing the skill of the maker.

Yeon Seongha, holding the new weapons, made Kang Hyunwoon’s eyes widen.

“Could it be... you’ve changed your weapons?”

“Yes.”

“...I see. There was a reason for this sudden change. I don’t know what to say about this.”

Kang Hyunwoon, chuckling as if he was amazed, looked at Lee Sehoon, who was below the training ground.

“You are more impressive than the rumors. To change Young Master so much with just two ‘crude’ short spears. I’m impressed.”

“...What?”

“I’ll speak well of you to the Head of the Sect when I return. After all, this will resolve a troublesome issue.”

Now that he knew the reason for Yeon Seongha’s change, there was no need to pay attention to him. As Kang Hyunwoon was about to turn away.

“The spear.”

Lee Sehoon smiled brightly, almost frighteningly.

“You’d better take good care of it.”

“What...?”

“It’s cruder than mine. You bastard.”

“...”

Kang Hyunwoon, taken aback by the unexpected response, soon distorted his gaze.

‘A mere cadet, acting so arrogantly...’

No matter how outstanding a top student of the first year, he was still a cadet. In terms of power, he was in a position that couldn’t even compare to Kang Hyunwoon, a Hero-grade A.

Yet, such insolent behavior. Kang Hyunwoon, aware of the Yanhuamen disciples standing behind him, was about to emit genuine killing intent when.

“Kang Hyunwoon.”

Yeon Seongha’s mana pressed down on Kang Hyunwoon first.

“Do I have to urge you three times?”

The mana was overwhelming, something he couldn’t handle with a single eye. Kang Hyunwoon, realizing it wasn’t the time to focus on Lee Sehoon, reined in his killing intent.

“...I apologize. Let’s begin.”

Kang Hyunwoon, giving Lee Sehoon one last glare, continued.

“This Seventh Flame Wheel assessment will be a ‘Domain Duel.’ The conditions for passing are victory or a draw. Any objections?”

“None.”

“Then let’s begin.”

Not just the Sixth, but the Seventh Flame Wheel must be achieved.

Even if he had reached it before, the situation now required him to surpass two levels in one night.

If the other Yanhuamen disciples heard this, they would have called it madness, but Yeon Seongha was unfazed.

‘The verification is already complete.’

Recalling the sensation he felt in the early morning, Yeon Seongha slowly infused his mana into the two short spears, ‘Red One Spear’ and ‘Black Cross Spear’ in his hands.

Whoosh─

The mana flowed through his arms, filled the spear shafts, and gathered at the tips of the blades.

Yeon Seongha, looking at the two short spears that accepted his mana smoothly like a part of his body, swung them in the air.

Whoosh!

Crimson flames drew a circle in the air and then separated into two colors through acceleration. The red Flame Wheel, wrapped in black mist, made the Yanhuamen disciples