Chapter 70

The returnee did all the work, Chapter 70

"Then I'll see you next time!"

"Sure. I'll be looking forward to it."

"Th-thank you!"

The cadet bowed deeply, as if addressing a superior, and left. Ryou watched his departing figure and spoke calmly.

"That guy just now showed a bit of potential. Put in a good word for him to the Archery Department and increase his support."

"Yes."

"And the one from the Alchemy Department in front of him seems to lack talent, so cut it down drastically. If he clings on, have him sign a contract."

"Understood."

The members of the Exchange Association who had brought the cadets nodded in response to Ryou's instructions. This was the selection process for new students.

Some might think it was just a matter of lining up the cadets, but in reality, it was different.

The cadets selected by the Exchange Association were supported by various companies, guilds, and high-ranking heroes, each with their own background.

'They've become even stronger than before.'

Especially since Ryou took control of the Exchange Association, it has become more organized and started receiving support from various groups.

An elite group that has firmly united, originating from Babel. A new force is being created that did not exist before.

As Erica quietly observed the scene, Ryou, after checking the time, smiled.

"Let's call it a day here. Good work, everyone."

"Thank you for your hard work."

The cadets bowed and left, and Ryou, now alone with Erica, spoke calmly.

"When I become a fourth-year, you'll have to take over, so pay close attention today. Once the foundation is more solid, it will be a great asset to the family."

"Understood."

Though she thought it was meaningless, if it was necessary for the family, she would do it. Erica's dry response made Ryou glance at her and slowly speak.

"By the way, I'm a bit disappointed with that friend, Isehun."

"..."

"I thought he would be able to notice something like the Black Mist."

The Black Mist, a divination technique that connects the subject and the caster.

On its own, it has no effect as a curse, but its true value lies in its use with other techniques.

The connection through the Black Mist allows curses and other techniques to penetrate resistance and seep deep into the body.

"Even a flick of a finger can rob one of their freedom, yet the person doesn't even realize it. What a ridiculous story."

Just like Carter, whom he had chased out of the banquet hall earlier, Ryou could have summoned Isehun and made him kneel if he so desired.

Feeling the unstable mana through the still active Black Mist, Ryou sighed with disappointment.

"There's no need to observe him further... What do you think?"

"..."

At Ryou's question, Erica recalled Isehun's appearance from earlier.

'He definitely noticed it.'

The moment the Black Mist embedded itself in his right hand, Isehun's consciousness had briefly turned towards it.

A faint reaction that would be hard to notice if one wasn't already observing him closely. Based on this, Erica deduced Isehun's intention.

'Given the level of the dispelling technique he showed before, he could easily dispel the Black Mist. But he left it... which means he intends to counter it.'

If that was the case, the action she needed to take was clear. After quickly reaching a conclusion, Erica replied indifferently.

"If that's what you think, then do it."

Her response, though seemingly indifferent, conveyed a sense of certainty. Ryou's expression became interested.

'So sure, huh.'

Was there something he hadn't seen? Ryou, who had been about to dispel the Black Mist, hesitated for a moment before changing his mind.

'Observing him a bit more wouldn't hurt.'

As Ryou, who was looking at his indifferent sister, Erica, thought carefully, a sudden commotion arose from one side of the banquet hall.

A burst of light and murmurs. And the movement of mana transmitted through the Black Mist.

Recognizing that the source of the light was the demonstration hall prepared by Barumut, Ryou quickly understood the situation.

"Vier..."

Despite seeing him step in, he still dared to act. Irritation rose in Ryou's eyes as he headed straight for the demonstration hall.

As he pushed through the crowd and arrived, he saw a new weapon being assembled in mid-air.

* * *

The Alchemical Weapon.

A versatile weapon that can be assembled in various forms according to the situation, it was a type that would play a significant role in the future of the weapon industry.

However, in its early days, it did not receive much attention, and two main reasons were cited.

"First, the performance was terrible, and the stability was nonexistent. This scar on my chest wasn't from a monster but from a faulty prototype."

One of Isehun's regulars, the S-rank hero 'Weaponmaster,' often complained about how he nearly met his end due to a prototype he had been given in the past.

Isehun remembered the name because he had heard the story repeatedly, and it was the very 'Iron Whip' in front of him.

'Sure enough... this thing is bound to explode.'

It had excellent output and 18 transformation modes, which was decent. Overall, it wasn't bad, but the problem was its structure, which was extremely unstable.

'The refining was a mess, reducing its durability, and the magic circuit was forcibly expanded to increase the number of transformation modes, making the threshold too low.'

To put it simply, it was like stacking blocks in a reverse pyramid without any adhesive.

It looked grand on the surface, but in reality, it was so unstable that it could collapse with the slightest touch.

'With such low durability, it's hard to use it as a regular cold weapon... It would be better to specialize in weapon skills.'

Having decided on the direction for improvement, Isehun immediately began manipulating the Black Spirit connected to the Iron Whip.

Click! Creak—

The pieces that had been completely disassembled were rearranged and began to reassemble under Isehun's control.

A sword with small blades layered like an alligator's tail. It was a rather deformed shape, but there was no sense of instability anywhere.

Clank!

After assembling the last piece, Isehun immediately grabbed the completed sword.

"Let's see... Waiter, come here."

Calling a passing golem, Isehun picked up a piece of fruit from the tray.

He threw it into the air and lightly swung the Iron Whip in his hand.

Pang—!

A sound of air being torn, and a blade of wind split the fruit in half.

Boom!

The blade of wind, after cutting the fruit, continued to extend and collided with the protective magic on the ceiling of the banquet hall. Even with a light swing, it had such power.

As everyone stared in amazement, Vier approached Isehun, almost lunging at him, and snatched the Iron Whip, checking the information window.

[Iron Whip: Wind Slash]

[Rank: Hero] [Quality: Upper-Middle]

An alchemical weapon made from a spirit stone.

Due to its organically connected joints, it can move flexibly like a whip, and the magic circuit accelerates the wind to create a blade of wind.

*Can create a blade of wind by infusing mana.

*Can use the skill 'Wind Slash'.

*Can transform into other weapons.

"..."

Originally, the Iron Whip was a low-quality Hero-rank weapon, and no matter how it transformed, its quality never improved.

However, the Iron Whip Isehun had created had its quality raised to upper-middle. This meant that he had truly 'improved' the Iron Whip in that instant.

'What an unbelievable...'

Vier had chosen the Iron Whip as bait because its flaws were easy to spot, but he believed it was impossible to fix them.

Yet, Isehun had immediately improved the flaws that even the researchers couldn't fix. The fact that he could do this was so unbelievable that Vier's eyes turned cold.

'He must be eliminated.'

If he missed this moment, he would be in an even more untouchable position next time.

Vier quickly made his decision, composed his expression, and glared at Isehun.

"It's a trick."

"What?"

"You must have just increased the output to raise the rank without considering stability. Did you think I would fall for such a trick?"

The crowd murmured at the accusation of a trick. Vier continued, capitalizing on the atmosphere.

"How dare you try to deceive me so boldly right in front of me. Did you think I was that foolish?"

Vier's voice, filled with not just hostility but also disgust, made the other cadets feel as if it were true.

"Is it really a trick?"

"But the quality did improve."

"You said he just increased the output. Stability is crucial for alchemical weapons, so if that's lacking, it's meaningless."

Vier, the top student of the third year in the Refining Department and the next successor to Barumut, versus Isehun, the first-year department head but with controversies like injuries and other issues.

It was obvious where the cadets' trust would lie, and gradually, skeptical and questioning gazes were directed at Isehun.

If he couldn't provide solid evidence, it might really turn out that way. Isehun understood what Vier was aiming for.

'He's going to cling to this.'

And he could roughly predict how Vier would cling to it. So, Isehun smiled and said,

"If you're really dissatisfied, test it."

"..."

"If you used a shortcut as you said, overloading would occur when you suddenly infused mana. That's how we can verify it."

As everyone watched Isehun, who exuded confidence, Vier, gripping the Iron Whip, spoke coldly.

"Don't regret it."

Hum—

Gray mana gathered in Vier's hand, showing the considerable amount he had accumulated from consuming elixirs. The Iron Whip began to tremble.

Even without fully infusing mana, it was already unstable. It could break just by infusing it, but Vier used his skill 'Resonance of the Origin' to ensure it.

Squeal—

An A-rank skill that resonates his mana with the origin of metal, usually used during refining, but it can also be used to 'damage' weapons naturally.

'It will be more damaged than planned... but it's unavoidable now.'

Since it would effectively avoid suspicion, it wasn't a bad thing. Vier, resolved, infused mana into the Iron Whip in one go.

Creak—!

The Iron Whip began to make a metallic sound, as if it would explode at any moment.

The blades, unable to contain the mana, trembled, and the gaps between them widened, as if they were about to break.

Vier, seeing this, tried to destroy the blade by shattering the origin.

Crack!

A gray blade appeared before his eyes.

"..."

The blades, which had been connected like a spine, separated and spread out in the air, and the gray mana Vier had infused created the blade.

A scene so different from what was expected. Everyone was stunned, and someone muttered in disbelief,

"Blade aura...?"

The shape was too distinct to be just a clump of mana. It was clearly a blade aura, and everyone, including Vier, stared in disbelief.

'How...?'

Blade aura weapons already existed, even though mass production had failed. The reason others were so surprised was due to the manufacturing process.

'To create a blade aura weapon, a hero who can handle blade auras must process the magic circuit...'

Even with the same magic circuit, it couldn't create a blade aura without being processed by a blade aura user. This special requirement was one of the obstacles to mass-producing blade auras.

Yet, Isehun had overcome this obstacle, not only by fixing a weapon they called a failure but by improving it.

"..."

The moment he realized this, Vier, without hesitation, infused his mana, turning his eyes gray and using Resonance of the Origin at full power.

Boom

The blade aura, which had been maintained clearly, began to waver and crack internally with a tearing sound.

As the cracks spread to the Iron Whip and it shattered,

Boom!

An explosion sounded, and the gray blade auras shot out in all directions.

'So that's how it is.'

Isehun knew Vier had personal feelings, but he didn't expect him to choose a method that would harm other cadets.

As Isehun's eyes turned cold and he was about to release the mana he had prepared,

"Hmm."

A white hand extended from the side.

Swish

The blade aura fragments, which had left afterimages, disappeared without a trace. Isehun's eyes widened in surprise at the overwhelming display. The owner of the hand walked out from the side.

Clack clack

A white jacket draped over her shoulder, an elegant red dress hugging her body, and long golden hair that seemed to emit light on its own.

No one dared to speak in her presence, and she casually examined the blade aura fragments in her hand.

"Real blade aura..."

The woman, who seemed interested, lightly clenched the blade aura fragment.

Crack

The blade aura fragment, harder and sharper than any steel, crumbled like dust and scattered.

The woman, who had demonstrated how she had eliminated the blade aura fragments that had just exploded, was the current strongest student at Babel, the future ascender and the God of Extinction.

"Shall we talk?"

Aria Myers smiled brightly at Isehun.