Chapter 78: The Regressor Completes It All

Barmut, who had suffered his first defeat at Mugu Industry, and the newly forming medium and small workshops alliance.

And the Pilgrim Sect, which volunteered to become their patron.

The emergence of this new organization with considerable potential was causing a stir throughout the Hero Industry.

However, Babel, which was just a step away from it, was buzzing for a different reason: the 'Punishment Practice' that was less than a week away.

“Have you heard where we’re going this time?”

“To the Black Lotus Flood. I really don’t want to go there.”

“Make sure you have your detection tools ready. There have been plenty of seniors who lost their way and messed up their practice.”

When it was revealed that the designated practice site was the Black Lotus Flood, the freshmen from Akalup and Ur, who were required to participate, sighed deeply.

It was the most challenging danger zone among the candidates.

While a little effort could earn them points due to the high difficulty, a small mistake could ruin their practice.

“What are you going to do about this practice?”

“I thought about going if it was an easy place, but I’m going to skip it. I don’t want to get hurt and mess up other exams, ending up in the hospital.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll skip it too.”

On the other hand, the freshmen from Borsipa, who chose to participate, declared their absence calmly when faced with the challenging location.

For them, the Punishment Practice was merely an additional part of their technical skills. There was no reason to risk it.

While the students were busy preparing for the practice and assignments,

“More! Squeeze out the blood!”

“Gah!”

Iseun was squeezing blood from Jake’s finger.

Squish!

The blood that flowed out fell into the basin filled with magic stone liquid and was instantly sucked into the core of the water golem.

Hum!

The core of the water golem, now even darker red, began to glow.

Seeing the magic stone liquid in the basin respond to the light, Iseun looked at Jake, whose face had turned pale.

“A little more! Just a little more!”

“You’ve said that at least ten times already… Gah!”

Ignoring Jake’s useless words, Iseun squeezed out more blood. A moment later, the core of the water golem suddenly stopped moving.

And at that moment, an ominous tremor began.

Whoosh!

All the magic stone liquid in the basin was sucked into the core of the water golem.

As the core absorbed the magic stone liquid, it returned to its original blue color.

Iseun, noticing the change, shouted at the wobbling Jake.

“Now! Pour it in!”

The two of them opened the lid of the plastic container and poured it into the basin.

Each container held at least ten million won worth of magic stone liquid.

It was a significant amount, but Iseun and Jake poured in seven containers without stopping.

The moment the core of the water golem, which had been continuously absorbing the magic stone liquid, returned to its original blue color,

Clang!

A clear metallic sound rang out, and the shape began to change.

Crack, crack

Blue crystals sprouted from the inside and spread outward.

Jake looked at the core of the water golem, which had transformed from a fist-sized sphere into a cross-shaped crystal mass, with a curious expression.

“What happened?”

“The maturation is complete, and the core of the water golem has fully mutated. Since the main ingredient was your blood, it has transformed into a unique mineral that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”

“Unique…”

While Jake was mesmerized by the new mineral, Iseun carefully took it out of the basin and examined it.

‘No leaking mana… and the internal circuitry is normal. It worked as designed.’

This time, the weapon had to be made with a prepared frame, allowing the material to naturally mutate, which introduced many variables.

The biggest issue was the use of Jake’s blood as the main ingredient, but fortunately, the mutation was completed without any problems.

“I’ll process it, so stand back a bit.”

“Got it.”

Jake stepped back, and Iseun took out the White Light Dagger, enchanted by Rea, from his subspace pocket.

Hum

The pure white aura on the dagger’s blade. Iseun added his White Light Stream to sharpen the blade even more.

Swoosh

With each swipe, the seemingly hard crystal pieces were cut smoothly. Jake, watching from the side, had a curious expression.

‘That technique… seems even more solid than before.’

The aura was stable and unshaken, and the ‘density’ inside felt tightly packed.

‘Before, it was just mimicking a sword aura… but this time, it feels closer to the real thing.’

Noticing the significant improvement, Jake observed it with a serious look. Iseun, too, was puzzled by the White Light Dagger’s aura.

‘Why is it so effective?’

Even without much concentration, the White Light Stream’s aura was sharply honed. Sensing something odd, Iseun checked the flow of mana in his body and quickly realized the cause.

‘…The Thousand Insect Sword?’

The Thousand Insect Sword technique, which he had learned by observation, was naturally blending with the White Light Stream, reinforcing its foundation.

‘Hmm… now that I think about it, they do have similar aspects.’

The White Light Stream was a technique that mimicked the aura of a sword he had created, while the Thousand Insect Sword was a technique that refined internal mana into a sword.

Both centered around the concept of a ‘sword.’ Realizing this commonality, Iseun had an interested look.

‘Maybe I can combine them.’

With renewed interest, Iseun linked the two skills more closely.

Swoosh

The pure white aura extended even thinner and sharper, and the speed of cutting the crystal increased.

The resistance he had felt before was now completely gone, and it felt like a single misstep could cut off his fingers along with the crystal.

‘Good. This is exactly the feeling I wanted.’

But instead of being afraid, Iseun felt like he had acquired a good tool and sharpened the aura even more. The shape of the sword for Jake began to take form.

Swoosh

A long handle about 40 cm and a guard about 30 cm. Where the blade should be, a 15 cm frame protruded, resembling a blue crystal cross more than a sword.

“…”

A somewhat unique shape for a sword. But Jake felt his heart swell with excitement rather than disappointment.

It looked a bit strange, but as it neared completion, he felt a sense of familiarity and longing, as if he had recovered a lost item.

‘That’s my sword.’

Even without touching it, he was naturally confident.

Jake watched the final cuts with a pounding heart and dizziness from anemia.

Hum!

A brilliant light extended from the blue cross.

[Weapon ‘Radiant Sword’ has been completed!]

[A sword made by an outstanding blacksmith for a single swordsman! The skill and creativity of creating a new mineral for a perfect sword are worthy of praise.]

[The grade of ‘Radiant Sword’ is ‘Hero’.]

[Skill ‘White Light Stream (C)’ has been absorbed by skill ‘Thousand Insect Sword (S)’.]

“…Huh?”

Iseun, who had been scanning the consecutive notifications, looked surprised. The White Light Stream being absorbed by the Thousand Insect Sword?

This was a situation he had never encountered before the regression. Iseun immediately checked the information of the Thousand Insect Sword.

[Thousand Insect Sword淺充劍] [S]

A sword technique that refines internal mana into a sword.

It uses all the body’s strength to form a sword aura, which is sharper and more powerful than a regular sword aura.

If a sword is completed within the body, it can be formed more quickly and efficiently.

Further effects have not been acquired yet.

*The nature of the sword aura changes depending on the mana used.

*Physical fatigue accumulates with each use of the sword aura.

*Currently completed sword: [White Light 白光]

‘The Thousand Insect Sword is the superior version of the White Light Stream.’

The phenomenon occurred because the Thousand Insect Sword was the perfect upper-level version of the White Light Stream. Iseun found it interesting.

“Ahem!”

Jake, who had been waiting on the side, gave a loud cough.

“Can I see it now? I feel like my heart is going to burst.”

His face, which had been pale, now had a flush of excitement. Iseun, amused by his enthusiasm, handed over the Radiant Sword.

“Here, take a look.”

“T-thanks.”

Jake, careful not to break it, took the Radiant Sword and nervously checked the information window.

[Radiant Sword 辉光剑]

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

A sword made by processing a special crystal.

It can generate ‘crystal water’ by consuming mana and can be formed into a blade by applying pressure to the handle.

It can absorb mana and moisture from the air to strengthen the blade, but additional mana and mental energy are consumed depending on the size.

*It can generate ‘crystal water’ by consuming mana.

*It can absorb mana and moisture from the air to strengthen the blade, but the consumption of mana and mental energy increases with the size.

*It can use the skill ‘Blue Radiance 青辉星’.

“…”

Jake’s eyes widened as he read the information window of the Radiant Sword.

To create a Hero-grade, upper-middle-quality weapon using a rare-grade core of a water golem was impressive.

While the amount of magic stone liquid used in the maturation process was significant, even considering that, creating a result one grade higher than the material was a remarkable achievement.

‘If it’s known that I made a Hero-grade weapon on my own before even finishing the first semester…’

It might not just boost Iseun’s rising reputation after the exchange meeting but explode it.

Deciding to keep it as secret as possible to avoid increasing competitors, Jake carefully held the handle of the Radiant Sword with both hands.

Hum─

The Radiant Sword, now in Jake’s hands, trembled slightly.

The handle and his hands seemed to meld together, and his internal mana naturally flowed into it.

“Wow…”

Jake couldn’t help but exclaim at the sensation in his fingertips.

He had held hundreds, maybe thousands of swords while at home, but this was the first time he felt such a sensation.

‘It feels like it’s part of my body.’

A well-crafted weapon, they say, feels like an extension of your body without needing to spend time on it. This must be what it feels like.

Feeling his heart race, Jake looked at Iseun with trembling eyes.

“N-now what do I do?”

“First, grip it tightly. That’s the most important part.”

“Oh, right.”

Nodding, Jake looked at the Radiant Sword again.

No matter how well-made a sword was, it wouldn’t matter if he couldn’t hold it properly.

He was afraid it might break if he applied even a little force, but Jake steeled his resolve.

‘Trust it.’

Iseun’s skills, the massive material costs, and his own blood!

Deciding to trust all of it, Jake’s eyes shone as he gripped the handle with all his might.

Bang─!

The air in his hands exploded outward, and the surrounding mana distorted, warping the scenery for a moment.

Jake, who had closed his eyes reflexively after the exchange with Iseun, slowly opened them.

“Wow…”

The handle was intact, without a single crack.

Seeing this unbelievable sight, Jake felt his emotions well up.

‘Finally…’

While his other siblings and cousins had been practicing with swords since the age of seven, he had never been able to wield even a wooden sword properly.

The sense of alienation he felt in a family known for swordsmanship. Finally, he had taken a step forward, and Jake felt his eyes well up as he muttered.

“Thank you. Really…”

A heartfelt expression of gratitude. Iseun, seeing this, smiled and pointed to the empty blade.

“Thank me after you see it in action.”

“Right, right.”

Jake, chuckling, infused his mana into the Radiant Sword, and a blue, glass-like crystal sprouted from above the guard.

As he gripped the handle tightly, the crystal trembled and compressed.

Crack─

The volume decreased, and the blade became sharper. Blue light filled the inside, and the complete Radiant Sword revealed itself to the two of them.

“Wow…”

The transparent blade, like glass, with blue mana sparkling inside like stars. It felt more like a work of art than a sword, and Jake couldn’t help but marvel at it.

‘With this…’

He could pass the family succession ceremony with the highest score in history. Feeling his heart swell, Jake looked at Iseun.

“Can I thank you now?”

“Well, that’s enough.”

“Really, thank you. I’ll pay you more than you deserve, no, so much that it might seem excessive.”

Iseun, seeing Jake’s enthusiastic expression, smiled slightly.

“You’d have a hard time making me feel excessive.”

Considering he had to give as much as the headmaster Ludwig, could Jake’s piggy bank really provide that much?

Unaware of the comparison, Jake laughed confidently.

“Don’t worry. I may look like this, but I’ve never been short of money…”

Hum

A vibration from his pocket. Jake quickly took out his phone and tensed up when he saw the caller.

“Hold on, I’ll take this… Yes, sister. I’ve received the call. Yes… I was just about to call you…”

Jake, who had put away the Radiant Sword and answered the call politely, looked like he was on a video call. Iseun found it amusing.

‘What kind of pressure did he face…’

Iseun, feeling sorry for Jake, watched his back.

“Yes? No, not necessarily… No… Yes… Understood…”

After hanging up, Jake turned his head and cautiously spoke.

“I… have one favor to ask.”

Jake, desperately emphasizing that it wasn’t his will, made Iseun chuckle.

“What is it?”

“Can you come with me to our family’s villa?”

“Villa?”

Iseun’s question made Jake nod awkwardly.

“My sister wants to invite you to the succession ceremony.”