Chapter 35

The Regressionist made it all 35th Episode

"Your seat is over there."

Led by Erica, Iseun stood in front of an empty seat and wore a strange expression.

"You said earlier that it was just a coincidence that we met."

"Yeah."

"Then why do you have a seat for me?"

Two seats were conspicuously empty. Iseun, who found the situation suspicious, looked at Erica with a bewildered expression, to which she calmly replied,

"Just in case something like this happened."

"…Yeah. I guess so."

In any case, it was more comfortable than standing. Iseun sat down and opened the catalog in front of him.

'Total of 36 swords.'

The items to be auctioned today were already set up on the stage, with six swords placed on each stand.

'Hmm… There are no outstanding second-year students…'

He hadn't seen any of the names before, and even the iron sword made by the top student of the second year was, to be honest, inferior to Hans.

Iseun's expression turned cold as he observed the low quality. At that moment, the auctioneer walked out from behind the stage and stood in front of the podium.

"I will now begin the regular auction for the second-year students of the Refining Department. The items are iron swords, and there are a total of 36 swords. Please refer to the catalog for detailed information."

The lighting inside dimmed slightly, and the stage lights became brighter, naturally drawing everyone's attention. The auctioneer, confirming this, smoothly continued the explanation.

"Before we start the auction, I will explain the special quality verification process added to this auction."

As the auctioneer spoke, the lighting focused on the center of the stage, and a white cloth on a cart reflected the light in all directions.

"This white cloth, called Seukgeumbo, is made by weaving fine threads from the melted fur of the magical beast 'Baekho.' It is soft yet as hard as metal and has excellent resistance to cutting."

As the auctioneer explained, an employee holding a sword slashed the Seukgeumbo from top to bottom.

Kagagak!

Sparks flew in all directions. The scene, which seemed impossible to believe, left everyone in awe. The employee then applied more force.

Kagagak—Pak!

The sword, unable to withstand the force, broke into two pieces. The employee held up the broken pieces, revealing the completely chipped blade.

"Thanks to this, we can easily distinguish items that have reduced durability to enhance their cutting power. This auction aims to identify such defective items using Seukgeumbo."

"Wow, this sounds interesting."

"It seems they are well-prepared."

The verification method, which could potentially break the items, was something rarely seen in regular auctions. The participants, intrigued, watched with interest. It seemed like a setup to highlight Iseun, who was clearly the top student of the year.

"Will they break all the second-year students' swords for dramatic effect?"

"Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't go that far. They'll probably use a worn-out Seukgeumbo to cut through the swords."

Whenever a promising student emerges in any department, some staging is inevitable. The participants viewed the verification process with Seukgeumbo as part of this setup. Michael, watching the scene from behind the stage, smiled.

'Things are going smoothly.'

The reason for the quality verification was clear, and the justification was in place. Even if this event were to be questioned and investigated later, it would be seen as a case where the deputy head of the department was enthusiastic about the emergence of a new promising student.

'Of course, that's assuming the verification is successful.'

Iseun's Baegwangchangjian was undoubtedly excellent, but it couldn't overcome the 'limit' of swords specialized in cutting power.

Using only iron to surpass this limit would be an unfair task for a student, but that wasn't something Michael, as the deputy head, needed to worry about.

'I hope it meets my expectations.'

Michael smiled as he looked at Iseun, who was sitting in the audience, and the auctioneer, having finished all the explanations, began the auction.

"Let's start the auction now. The first sword is by student Joseph…"

As the auctioneer called out, an employee picked up the sword from the stand and lightly slashed the Seukgeumbo.

Kagagak!

"Oh…"

"The color is different, isn't it?"

In the previous demonstration, dark sparks flew, but this time, blue sparks shot up. The unexpected scene drew gasps of amazement from the audience, and Erica looked at Iseun.

"Do you know why this is happening?"

"It's a characteristic of Seukgeumbo, specifically the fur of Baekho, called Seukgeummo."

S-grade magical beast Baekho.

Since it was caught so long ago, many people only knew that its body was hard, but its actual abilities were more complex.

The different properties of its fur, skin, flesh, and bones combined to create an extremely strong defense. Among these, the fur, Seukgeummo, had the property of 'mimicry.'

"The fur mimics the sharpness of metal weapons, reducing the durability of even the best weapons. It's a lousy ability."

"Amazing."

"It's not for nothing that it destroyed hundreds of hero-grade and even legendary-grade weapons. If you add the skin, flesh, and bones, it would be even more formidable."

As Iseun explained about Baekho to Erica, he recalled a memory from before his regression and stroked his chin.

'Come to think of it, wasn't the Seukgeumhohwang being made around this time?'

A legendary-grade armor made using the byproducts of Baekho.

It was the only equipment that used Baekho's 'heart' and was highly praised for almost perfectly reproducing the original's defensive power.

'I'd like to get my hands on the heart, but how can I do that…'

It was unknown who made it, and it first appeared in the black market, making it difficult to find. As Iseun pondered this, Erica, who had been watching him, looked puzzled.

"Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"If sharper swords are at a disadvantage, then your sword would be the most disadvantaged."

"Well, that's true."

Iseun smiled as he looked at the Baegwangchangjian, which was shining brightly on the stage.

"If I hadn't made it properly, that would be the case."

Kagagak!

Each time a sword was slashed against the Seukgeumbo, different colored sparks flew, and most of the swords ended up with slightly chipped blades.

"The 25th sword has been verified. The starting bid is 2 million won…"

Once the verification was complete, the auction began immediately, and most of the swords were quickly sold after a few calls.

Most of the items were high-grade without any weapon skills, and the 1,000 participants at the auction were only interested in one item.

"Finally… the 36th sword. We will now verify the quality of the Baegwangchangjian made by Iseun, the top student of the first year in Borshipa."

The employee carefully lifted the last remaining Baegwangchangjian and showed it to the audience.

The sword, shining coldly under the lights, exuded a sharp aura that made everyone in the auction hall look at it with bright eyes.

"Hmm…"

The employee, aware of the unprecedented attention, took a deep breath and slowly brought the blade of the Baegwangchangjian toward the Seukgeumbo.

Kiiing!

A completely different scene unfolded on the stage.

Instead of the blade being chipped, a strange sound was heard as if the blade and the cloth were interlocking. At the same time, the white aura surrounding the Baegwangchangjian spread out and seeped into the surroundings.

Kagagak!

Sparks flew from the protective gloves of the employee holding the hilt.

"Ah…!"

Realizing that his hand could have been cut by the spreading aura, the employee jumped back in shock and dropped the Baegwangchangjian, which fell to the floor.

Puk!

The Baegwangchangjian pierced the floor of the auction hall.

The sudden situation left the participants with wide eyes, and a heavy silence fell over the hall.

What had just happened? Even the auctioneer, unable to understand the scene, was speechless.

"May I explain?"

Iseun, standing up, spoke calmly.

"Ah… well…"

"Please let him come up."

The auctioneer, unable to make a quick decision in the unexpected situation, was prompted by Kim Incheol, who was sitting in the front row.

"The person who made the weapon can explain it best, can't he?"

"Ah, yes. I understand."

Since it was his instructor, there was no problem. With the auctioneer's permission, Iseun climbed the steps to the stage.

The attention he received was incomparable to when he was in his seat. Iseun, looking at the audience with ease, pulled the Baegwangchangjian out of the floor.

"Your… protective gloves…"

"Ah, it's fine."

No matter what, he wouldn't cut his hand on a sword he made.

Iseun, dismissing the employee, lightly examined the blade of the Baegwangchangjian and looked at the audience.

"First, let me explain the characteristics of the Seukgeumbo, specifically the fur of Baekho, called Seukgeummo."

Iseun repeated the explanation he had given to Erica, and the audience murmured.

Those with a bit of insight realized that the quality verification was highly disadvantageous for Iseun's Baegwangchangjian.

"Thus, a sword focused on sharpness would easily break when tested with Seukgeumbo. However, my Baegwangchangjian is a bit different."

Iseun, holding the Baegwangchangjian so that the blade was clearly visible, stroked the white aura on its surface.

"The 'aura' on the Baegwangchangjian is not just a reflection of light. It is a phenomenon where the magic power circulating through the sword is condensed."

"Magic power?"

"No matter how we look at it, we shouldn't be able to feel any magic power…"

If the aura were made of magic power, they should have been able to feel it.

Iseun smiled at the puzzled expressions of the audience.

"It's normal not to feel much magic power. It's made from a small amount of magic power in the air, like a firefly."

Iseun lightly swung the Baegwangchangjian in the air, and the white aura on its surface became even more vivid. As he swung the sword, more magic power was absorbed into the blade, strengthening the aura.

"Of course, it's not just a glowing light like a firefly. The magic power is compressed and emitted in a controlled arrangement… to put it simply, imagine a very thin aura attached to the blade."

The density of the magic power is not as high as a sword aura, but it is sharp enough to be called an 'aura.'

"Then, the phenomenon that just occurred was due to the auras interlocking?"

Iseun nodded at Erica's appropriate question.

"Right. When identical auras interlock, they don't cancel each other out but resonate. And from this, we can do something interesting."

Iseun, having finished his explanation, took a deep breath and looked at the Seukgeumbo.

'If I make a mistake, it could really break or be cut.'

Either way, if that happened, it would tarnish his reputation. He needed to do it perfectly, but his body was not in the best condition.

He was still feeling the effects of staying up all night to help Yeom Sung-ha.

'Still, I'm confident… but it's better to be cautious.'

What methods could he use now? As Iseun checked what he had, he noticed Erica staring intently at him.

'Come to think of it, didn't she strengthen an ordinary crow during the opening ceremony?'

The technique was possible because the components of the spell were perfectly aligned. The boundary he showed during the invitation and the precision Erica demonstrated were impeccable.

'Once she sets a goal, she executes it with no room for error. And to achieve this, she moves boldly.'

A method that pursued extreme efficiency with no waste. The image of Erica formed in Iseun's mind, and it manifested in his hands.

Woo!

A mineral that seemed to be made by connecting thousands of thin iron wires. Iseun immediately checked the performance of the newly created Yinyuan stone.

[Innate - Sajie Stone]

[Grade: High] [Quality: Medium-Low]

An artificial mineral with compressed and tuned magic power.

When mixed with other minerals, it adjusts the disordered internal magic power arrangement.

*Adjusts the arrangement of the materials used together.

'Good.'

The performance perfectly matched what he needed, and Iseun immediately gripped the Sajie Stone.

[The innate 'Sajie Stone' has been activated.]

Chirak!

A silver thread seeped from his hand and connected to the Baegwangchangjian. The aura, which had been faintly shimmering, gradually subsided, turning the blade white.

The shimmering caused by the emission of magic power was perfectly controlled, forming a shape similar to a sword aura.

"Creating such a clear form with such a small amount of magic power…"

"Surely it's not a sword aura…?"

The incredible skill left the audience in awe. Iseun, smiling, looked at the blade.

'It's done.'

This was enough to refine it.

Iseun, extending the Baegwangchangjian forward, slowly slashed it over the Seukgeumbo.

Kiiing—

The aura emitted by the Seukgeumbo and the aura emitted by the Baegwangchangjian perfectly interlocked, covering the blade in a V-shape.

Iseun, confirming this, pressed the Baegwangchangjian down a bit more.

Kagagak!

Sparks flew as the auras collided, and Iseun quickly pulled the blade toward himself.

Skaang—!

A sharp metallic sound accompanied the sharpening of the Baegwangchangjian's blade.

[The weapon 'Baegwangchangjian' has been upgraded to 'Rare' grade.]

[Baegwangchangjian]

[Grade: Rare] [Quality: Low]

A long sword with a white aura.

The blade, polished to its limit, now possesses a strong and sharp aura due to the alignment of the magic power. The assigned magic power is compressed and emitted from the blade.

*Assigning magic power enhances the cutting power.

*Can use the skill 'Baekye'.

'Hmm. This is good enough…'

He managed to enhance the blade, which couldn't be properly sharpened with a regular whetstone. While it was still inferior to using a special