Chapter 58: The Reincarnated One Completes It

After returning from Eunwolsan to Babel.

Isehoon was immediately carried to the Askus ward, cradled in Ryu Eunha’s arms.

This was because he was covered in blood from being slashed by Polmont’s claws and his body was under immense strain from forcibly enhancing his physical abilities.

‘It’s not that serious, though.’

To Isehoon, the severity of injuries is only determined by whether or not they can be refined. Therefore, his current injuries, which allowed for refinement with a bit of caution, were not too bad.

"Just stay still."

However, Ryu Eunha dismissed Isehoon’s claims and proceeded with the examination. Soon, the results came in.

"Six weeks of recovery."

"…What?"

Surprised by the unexpected duration, Isehoon looked at Professor An Jeongwan, who conducted the examination, with a bewildered expression.

"Did you say six days by mistake?"

"It’s not a mistake; it’s six weeks."

"But, how can such an injury…"

He had pushed himself a bit, but six weeks seemed too long.

Seeing Isehoon’s reaction, An Jeongwan sighed and continued.

"Let’s start with this."

Snap—

An Jeongwan flicked his fingers, and three images appeared in the air.

They were diagrams of the human body showing muscles, bones, and magic circuits. The muscles were torn in many places, and the bones had cracks all over. The most serious was the magic circuit, which was shriveled in many areas and two-thirds blocked, indicating a very poor condition.

"In my 30 years as a doctor, I’ve never seen someone damage their body so meticulously."

Usually, when the body reaches its limit, the weakest parts start to fail, leading to severe injuries.

However, Isehoon seemed to have evenly distributed the damage, resulting in minor injuries all over his body with no major injuries.

"Your body is like cracked glass. It looks fine on the surface, but if the stimulation is too strong, it will shatter and collapse."

"Then, it’s just a matter of not receiving any stimulation…"

"How will the treatment proceed?"

In response to Ryu Eunha’s question, An Jeongwan erased the images and answered.

"Since the magic circuit is weakened overall, rapid treatment is dangerous. We will likely activate the natural healing ability. We will also apply special bandages to protect your body."

"Please take good care of him."

"Not that. I also have something to say…"

Isehoon’s opinion was ignored, and the treatment proceeded swiftly. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was wrapped in gray bandages.

"These are special bandages with physical assistance and magic suppression enchantments. They shouldn’t interfere with daily life, so don’t worry."

While Isehoon frowned at the uncomfortable sensation of the bandages, which adhered finely to his muscles, Ryu Eunha nodded to An Jeongwan.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Then, I’ll take my leave."

As An Jeongwan bowed and left, a heavy silence filled the room.

"…"

"…"

The atmosphere was different from the silence at Eunwolsan. Feeling an indescribable discomfort, Isehoon cautiously looked at Ryu Eunha.

Ryu Eunha, sitting in a chair with her head slightly lowered, seemed lost in thought. Isehoon’s expression turned strange.

‘I can’t tell what she’s thinking.’

Among the high-ranking heroes, Ryu Eunha was relatively easy to deal with.

She treated blacksmiths well if they made good weapons, and if they made poor ones, she would dismiss them without hesitation.

Some might call her cold-blooded, but her standards were clear, making her not too difficult to handle.

‘But this time is different…’

Ryu Eunha proposes regular supply contracts to blacksmiths she likes, with the duration varying based on their skill.

Before the reincarnation, Isehoon had a weekly contract. Compared to other blacksmiths, who might get a monthly contract at best, this was a significant difference.

Therefore, Isehoon had tried to gauge the distance based on the pre-reincarnation standards.

‘But will you make my meals every day from now on?’

All his plans were erased by the recent proposal.

Even before the reincarnation, when their relationship was at Level 4, the maximum was once a week. Now, at Level 2, asking for daily weapon supplies was unprecedented.

‘The difference in taste is so significant.’

How could he gauge the distance with Ryu Eunha? While Isehoon was deep in thought,

"Student Isehoon."

Ryu Eunha, who had been lost in thought, raised her head and spoke.

"Do you remember the proposal I made at Eunwolsan?"

"Yes, to make meals every day…"

"…"

At Isehoon’s response, Ryu Eunha’s eyes twitched slightly, and she lowered her gaze before continuing.

"More precisely, it was about supply. I apologize for the ambiguous expression."

"Ah, no. There’s no need to apologize. Making meals isn’t a wrong statement."

In fact, Ryu Eunha could maintain her body with weapons alone and didn’t need to eat regular food.

She could eat, but it didn’t taste good and was inefficient.

"Hmm… I’m glad you understand."

After clearing his throat, Ryu Eunha looked at Isehoon again and continued.

"Anyway, even though I proposed it suddenly, it was a sincere offer."

"Supply…"

"Eating the white light longsword you made was a huge shock. Regardless of the weapon’s grade, I felt an emotion I had never experienced before."

"To that extent…"

"It’s not an exaggeration, but the truth. The satisfaction I felt at that moment was comparable to the legendary-grade weapons I’ve eaten in the past."

"…"

Isehoon’s face twitched at Ryu Eunha’s repeated praise.

While it’s not bad to receive praise, it was hard to get used to coming from Ryu Eunha.

‘Can’t you make it better?’

‘Not bad, but not impressive. Try harder.’

‘Is this really your limit?’

Her evaluations were either constructive criticism or complaints. There was a reason blacksmiths avoided her.

But now, Ryu Eunha was using the word ‘moved’ and giving high praise.

Feeling both pleased and strangely uncomfortable, Isehoon was deep in thought when,

"So… what do you think about the proposal?"

Ryu Eunha carefully observed Isehoon and asked.

"I’ll pay at least ten times the market price for all weapons. I can also support the cost of materials and the workshop’s facilities."

The condition where he only needed to focus on making weapons, ignoring other trivial matters, could potentially allow him to grow faster in Babel.

"Sorry."

Isehoon immediately shook his head in refusal.

"If the conditions are unsatisfactory, I can raise them…"

"The conditions are sufficient. I just want to gain various experiences rather than being tied to one place."

"…I see."

Ryu Eunha, seeming to understand, muttered bitterly. Isehoon thought to himself,

‘It’s a lie, though.’

While Babel was a good educational institution, it couldn’t offer experiences that would make him reject such a generous offer.

But the reason Isehoon refused the regular supply was simple: the proposer was none other than ‘Ryu Eunha.’

‘She might be moved now, but she’ll change once she gets used to it.’

After living in a foreign place for a long time, eating home-cooked meals might be touching at first, but after a few months, it would become routine and lose its appeal.

If he started supplying weapons daily, he might eventually receive a ‘tired of it’ evaluation.

‘And I need to observe more.’

Understanding the taste of weapons changed the nature of his relationship with Ryu Eunha from before the reincarnation to ‘empathy.’

Whether this was positive or negative was unknown, so it was better to take it step by step and observe Ryu Eunha’s changes.

‘I don’t want to regret it twice.’

While briefly recalling his pre-reincarnation memories, Isehoon quickly pushed them aside and bowed.

"I’m sorry for rejecting your proposal."

"No, it’s fine. Thinking about it, asking for a weapon every day was too much. I’m the one who’s sorry."

Seeing Ryu Eunha slightly dejected, Isehoon brought up a plan he had thought of.

"Instead of supply, how about we do research together?"

"…Research?"

"Research on the taste of weapons as you perceive it."

Regular supply would be a strict transaction, but research, being an experiment, would be different.

‘If it fails, I can just say it was part of the process.’

Moreover, he could get a budget from Babel under the pretext of research, making it a win-win situation.

At Isehoon’s proposal, Ryu Eunha thought for a moment and nodded seriously.

"That’s not a bad idea. The topic is likely to be approved by the principal, and even the failed works… hmm."

Clearing her throat again, Ryu Eunha continued.

"Anyway, it seems fine."

"Then, when the results come out…"

"Coincidentally, the principal said to call you as soon as your treatment is over. It would be best to discuss it then."

"…What?"

Who called? Just as Isehoon was about to ask with a puzzled look,

Whoosh!

A strange sensation enveloped his entire body.

Before he could react, Isehoon, who had been lying in bed, was standing upright, and the surroundings had changed to a familiar space.

An old, antique-like, and elegant room.

Isehoon found himself in the principal’s office in the Madurk mansion, facing the old man who had called him.

"It’s been a while. How have you been?"

The old man, Ludwig, greeted him with a gentle smile. Isehoon’s expression slightly stiffened.

‘He’s calling me like this to avoid being called a complete ascender… using a really shabby method…’

Moving him from the hospital room to the principal’s office was impressive enough, but making him stand naturally from a lying position was even more so.

It was evidence that he could manipulate the process of spatial movement freely.

If Ludwig were an enemy, Isehoon’s body would have been torn apart during the transition.

"Hmm."

Reading Isehoon’s expression, Ludwig’s interest was piqued.

‘His understanding of spatial movement is quite high.’

Usually, students who are called this way are just amazed. It’s rare for them to immediately think of what can be done with it.

In a way, it showed both a rich imagination and a cautious nature. As Ludwig found it amusing,

Thud—

The space distorted, and Ryu Eunha landed in the principal’s office as if she had been flung.

"Sorry for being late."

"No, it’s not your fault. It’s my lack of proper summoning."

Unlike Isehoon, who was dragged in without resistance, Ryu Eunha seemed to have some resistance.

‘An S-rank can withstand it to some extent, it seems.’

While Isehoon was observing this, Ludwig looked at both of them.

"So, what happened at Eunwolsan? I’ve been getting constant inquiries from outside, and it’s time to sort things out."

While minor incidents could be ignored, the disappearance of an entire mountain peak in a dangerous area couldn’t be hidden.

"I’ll explain first."

Standing next to Isehoon, Ryu Eunha briefly summarized what happened at Eunwolsan.

Listening quietly, Ludwig’s expression became interested when she finished.

"A hidden A-rank dungeon in a D-rank dangerous area… It seems it wasn’t an ordinary dungeon."

After thinking for a moment, Ludwig looked at Isehoon.

"I heard you dealt with the monsters while Professor Ryu Eunha was incapacitated… Can you explain what happened?"

"Sure."

In response to Ludwig’s question, Isehoon told the story, omitting the finger of Wurgan Kruger.

Given its connection to a complete ascender, there was a good chance Ludwig would take it.

"Cutting off the finger triggered a strange object, which caused a malfunction… I don’t know where the object went."

"Hmm…"

Ludwig looked at Isehoon, as if questioning if that was all.

While other students might have been intimidated, Isehoon met his gaze without blinking.

Just as the gaze was about to intensify,

Slightly—

Ryu Eunha, standing beside him, intervened, separating the two.

"Since Student Isehoon’s condition isn’t good, it’s best to wrap things up quickly."

"Hmm…"

At Ryu Eunha’s action, Ludwig’s eyes sparkled, and he smiled, nodding.

"You’re right. I was too insensitive. I’m sorry."

"No, it’s fine."

"I understand the situation. Given the current circumstances… it’s best to act as if the dungeon never existed."

Looking at both of them, Ludwig spoke calmly.

"If the professors couldn’t find it, there must have been a reason. Now that the evidence is gone, there’s no way to prove it. If we don’t, Babel’s incompetence will be highlighted."

"I agree."

"There’s no need to create unnecessary noise when the freshmen have just enrolled. So, this incident… Yes, it’s best to change it to a goblin attack."

Ludwig, smiling gently, instructed to cover up and manipulate the incident. Isehoon was surprised by how familiar he seemed with this.

‘I thought he wouldn’t be a completely clean person, but he’s really seasoned.’

A figure who could step outside the law when necessary. Isehoon, who had only known the Ascension Master’s appearance before the reincarnation, observed him closely.

"Still, this is a bit disappointing for you."

Looking at Isehoon, Ludwig had a troubled expression.

"Discovering an A-rank dungeon that the professors couldn’t find, and fighting an A-rank monster, even if weakened… All of that will be erased."

"Well, yeah…"

While this incident could have brought him some fame if it were known, it wasn’t entirely positive.

‘If I’m unlucky, I might draw attention from the observers.’

The ‘Shedder’ involved in this incident was more interested in monsters, but losing one of their test subjects and a complete ascender’s body would have them furious.

So, for Isehoon, it was a good thing that the dungeon incident was covered up.

"A bit disappointing…"

In this situation, showing disappointment would be foolish.

"Something to show those who ignore me…"

"…Ignore you?"

A low, ominous voice came from the side. Despite the threatening tone, Isehoon avoided eye contact and observed Ludwig’s expression.

"Hmm…"

After thinking for a moment, Ludwig nodded as if reaching a conclusion.

"Still, it’s a bit unfair to just let it go. Is there anything you need?"

"Anything I need…?"

"Exactly. Whatever you need, I’ll provide it. I’ll compensate you for the fame you would have received."

While the answer was vague, it was different given that the speaker was the principal of Babel and the Ascension Master.

‘The fame I would have received…’

Ludwig must have some calculations in his head. Checking his needs, Isehoon started with the least valuable.

"I want to research the taste of weapons as perceived by Professor Ryu Eunha. Can you approve it?"

"Hmm… With Professor Ryu?"

Ludwig looked at Ryu Eunha, who nodded.

"Yes."

"Then, this boy must have matched your taste?"

"Yes. While I can’t be certain from one time, it was the closest among the weapons I’ve eaten."

At Ryu Eunha’s answer, Ludwig smiled brightly.

"Of course, you should research that. I’ll approve it separately from this incident. What’s next?"

Not treating it as compensation, Isehoon inwardly rejoiced and brought up the next request.

"I want the upcoming extermination training ground to be the ‘Black Lotus Flood.’"

Surprised by the unexpected request, Ludwig looked at Isehoon.

"That’s an unexpected request. Is there a reason?"

"I think I can gain the fame I missed out on there."

While the real goal was to monopolize the special materials hidden there, there was no need to explain that.

Nodding