Chapter 79: The Reincarnated One Completes It

The artificial island where Babel was situated, being of considerable size, was equipped with various buildings in each district.

Resorts for leisure, research facilities of companies and guilds that had cooperative relationships with Babel, and the 'summer houses' of influential families were among such buildings.

"This way."

"Hmm..."

Isehoon, who had come to the seaside of the island with Jake, looked at the summer house of the Myers family.

'Prettier than I thought?'

It was a large and splendid building that could easily accommodate ten people, but compared to the other summer houses he had seen on the way, it was below average in size.

Surprised by the unexpected appearance, Isehoon followed Jake into the entrance.

"Hmm?"

The sound of someone in the living room. And as if sensing it, a person suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor.

Long blonde hair tied up carelessly, a wrinkled white shirt, and creased dress pants. The man, whose face looked worn out, suddenly lit up upon seeing Jake.

"Jake!!!"

"U-Uncle?!"

"You little brat!!"

In the blink of an eye, the man crossed the corridor, grabbed Jake under his armpits, and lifted him up.

Standing over 190 cm, the man made Jake, who was around 170 cm, look like a child. Isehoon couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"U-Uncle. The friend... beside you..."

"What about the friend! You should greet your uncle first, whom you haven't seen in half a year, right?!"

"Ugh!"

While playfully shaking Jake, the man smiled cheerfully. Isehoon, who saw Miles Myers, had a curious expression.

'To think the Mad Swordsman had a side like this... unexpected.'

A-grade hero, known as the 'Mad Swordsman' for swinging his sword without rest until the battle was completely over whenever he saw blood on the battlefield.

Despite his reckless fighting style, he had survived for quite a long time and was an excellent swordsman, recognized as a quasi-S-rank in his later years.

'The problem was that he ignored anyone not from his family...'

Due to his eccentric personality, he had several conflicts before the reincarnation, but they had significantly decreased after he started dealing with Aria.

'Thinking about it, this time...'

While Isehoon was silently observing how he would react, Miles, who had been playing with Jake for a while, put him down and turned his head.

"Sorry, I had too much fun in front of the guest. If you felt bad, I apologize."

"It's fine. It's been half a year since you last met. Don't worry about it, and enjoy more."

Impressed by Isehoon's calm response, Miles looked at him curiously, then smiled and extended his hand.

"Jake has a good friend. I'm Miles Myers, Jake's uncle. Call me Miles."

"I'm Isehoon. Nice to meet you."

As the two shook hands amicably, Jake, who had been messed up in the blink of an eye, ran his hand through his disheveled hair.

"By the way, what brings you here, Uncle? I heard you've been very busy lately..."

"Why else? I heard our nephew is finally having the succession ceremony, so I came to support him."

"......So you're the one conducting it?"

"Of course. Why? Disappointed it's not your older uncle?"

At Miles' question, Jake flinched, then quickly composed himself and answered.

"Father is busier than Uncle. I didn't expect it."

"Disappointed and still putting on airs... Let's talk about the rest inside. Bring your friend."

Miles, who had seated Isehoon and Jake on the sofa in the living room, headed to the kitchen and asked.

"Anything to drink? I have just about everything."

"I'm fine."

"I'm fine too."

"Alright? Then I'll just drink alone."

Miles grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and sat on the opposite sofa, popping the cap off with his thumb.

Pop!

The cork came out easily, and Miles started drinking straight from the bottle, looking as if he were drinking water.

'Was he an alcoholic from the start?'

Isehoon knew he drank as much as Mad Swordsman, but he didn't expect it to be this bad even back then.

While Isehoon was marveling at the resilience of high-ranking heroes, Jake, sitting beside him, closed his eyes in embarrassment and said.

"Uncle... Can't you drink that later?"

"Hmm... No, no. My head doesn't work well these days if I don't drink this."

Miles, who had drunk half the whiskey in one gulp, smiled and looked at Jake.

"So, what about that sword you got recently?"

"Ha... Here."

Jake sighed and took out the Lightglow Sword from his subspace pocket, handing it to Miles with his free hand.

"Quite unique. Let me see..."

Miles examined the Lightglow Sword with one hand, and his face showed confusion, then his movements suddenly stopped.

"......"

He put down the whiskey bottle he was holding and began to examine the Lightglow Sword seriously.

After a while, he looked at Isehoon, who was sitting next to Jake.

"Aria said you made this sword. Is that true?"

"Yes, I made it."

"Did you use Jake's blood when making it?"

Miles, who could identify the materials used in the sword with just a brief look, seemed quite knowledgeable about weapons. Isehoon nodded.

"Yes. I thought using Jake's blood would prevent the weapon from breaking."

"Indeed. This is a method I never thought of... No, even if I had thought of it, I wouldn't have been able to try it."

The idea was possible, but the resources needed to realize it were immense. To complete it so soon after meeting Jake was impressive.

'Thought Aria found him interesting... He's an unbelievable guy.'

Miles, who examined the Lightglow Sword again, put it on the table and asked.

"It should be fine for the succession ceremony, but... do you know how dangerous this method is?

"I know about the risks related to bio-weapons. I was also warned by Senior Aria."

Miles nodded at Isehoon's answer.

"Right. It's fine to this extent, but it's better not to use it. Especially since this field is under strict scrutiny due to the Puppeteer."

The Puppeteer, who used heroes' bodies to create tools that could replicate their abilities.

The bio-weapon field, which was somewhat allowed in the early days, became strictly regulated due to the Puppeteer, a madman.

"It's too late for what's already made, but... if you don't want to be sponsored by the mines, don't talk about the process of making the Lightglow Sword."

By 'sponsored,' it could mean being kidnapped and used to create weapons.

Isehoon, understanding the genuine concern in Miles' advice, nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. Let's get started then."

Miles, who finished the remaining whiskey in one gulp, stood up and nodded at the two.

"Follow me."

Descending the stairs leading to the basement, the lights in the ceiling turned on, revealing a neatly arranged training room.

Equipped with the latest training equipment and a sparring arena with protective devices, Miles went straight to the sparring arena and gestured to Isehoon.

"Friend, stay far away. There are protective devices, but they're not as sturdy as those in Babel."

"Understood."

"Jake, bring your sword up."

"......Yes."

Jake, holding the Lightglow Sword, climbed up to the sparring arena. Miles, standing opposite him, tapped his subspace pocket at his waist.

Whoosh!

A golden sword, which had not been maintained for a long time and had a jagged edge like a saw, appeared. Despite its worn appearance, the aura emanating from the sword was not ordinary.

Drip

A golden aura, like blood, dripped down and embedded itself in the floor of the sparring arena. Isehoon's eyes narrowed at the strange phenomenon.

'More like... sword qi?'

It seemed the sword qi accumulated in the sword was flowing out, but the notable point was that Miles was not using his own mana.

'That means someone else infused the sword qi... Who could it be?'

While Isehoon was intrigued by the strange weapon he had never seen before the reincarnation,

"This sword has been passed down from our great-grandfather."

Aria, who appeared silently beside him, explained calmly.

"It represents the goal of our family."

"......It would be nice if you made some noise when you appear."

Isehoon, who almost attacked reflexively, calmed his breath, and Aria smiled amusedly.

"You reacted immediately, yet you're complaining. Are you scared?"

She didn't miss the murderous intent he had suppressed upon hearing her voice.

Impressed by Aria's still superhuman senses, Isehoon inwardly sighed and calmly replied.

"Wouldn't it be a disaster if I attacked?"

"Don't worry. I'd feel bad if you hesitated because of me."

Aria, who believed Isehoon could easily handle her attacks, suggested he just attack. Isehoon looked at her with a bewildered expression.

"Why don't you just make some noise when you come?"

"That wouldn't be good. I might develop bad habits."

"......"

Isehoon, who found Aria as difficult to reason with as before, sighed and changed the topic.

"So, how does the succession ceremony work?"

"It's simple. Jake needs to touch his sword to this one, 'Origin,' and receive the sword qi."

"Receive sword qi?"

Isehoon, surprised by the unusual method, looked at Aria, who nodded.

"It means to feel the sword qi of our great-grandfather, who was close to the peak, and strive to improve. It's also a process to check how proficient he is in our family's sword techniques."

Isehoon, understanding Aria's explanation, looked at the Origin in Miles' hand again.

'Receiving sword qi... The method itself is good.'

The sword techniques of the Myers family might have changed over generations, but the core would still be maintained.

If Jake, a genius, could directly feel the sword qi of a hero who had reached a higher level, he would gain many insights.

"Originally, we would make a custom sword based on the results of the succession ceremony, but Jake's order is reversed."

Isehoon, hearing Aria's story, looked at Jake.

'A custom sword...'

Was the Lightglow Sword really 'perfectly' tailored to Jake's body?

While Isehoon was thinking, the succession ceremony began in earnest on the sparring arena.

"Alright, let's see it."

"Yes!"

At Miles' words, Jake infused mana into the Lightglow Sword and gripped the hilt tightly.

Crack

A pale blue blade formed from compressed crystals. Miles, fascinated by its mysterious appearance, which seemed to contain starlight, smiled.

'It's called a sword, but it's practically sword qi.'

The mana compressed inside the blade. While its cutting power was reduced due to poor release, its strength was strong enough to withstand a collision with sword qi.

'I thought it was special enough to receive a hero rank... It's well-made.'

Miles, who revised his evaluation of the Lightglow Sword, extended the Origin in his hand.

"Do you know the method?"

"Yes."

"Don't be nervous; accept it naturally."

At Miles' words, Jake nodded and slowly brought the blade of the Lightglow Sword to the Origin.

Hum─

The golden sword qi, which had been flowing down, naturally transferred to the Lightglow Sword and settled on the blade.

'This... is sword qi...'

The sense of fulfillment as the sword filled up and the confidence that he could cut through anything.

Jake, feeling the sword qi of his ancestors, was entranced by the sensation, and Miles watched him with satisfaction.

'A kid who has never properly wielded a sword can maintain this... '

Talent doesn't lie, does it? Miles, seeing his nephew finally showing his potential, wished he would gain even more insights and continued to transfer the Origin's sword qi.

While the two on the sparring arena were focused on the succession ceremony,

"Hmm."

Aria, who had been watching, smiled softly.

"Not bad. Better made than I thought."

"......Really?"

"Of course. Jake, who hasn't been able to properly practice sword techniques, is stably receiving the sword qi. It's an excellent sword."

Aria, smiling brightly, looked at Isehoon.

"True to being the top of the class."

The praise from Aria Myers, who was known as the strongest among the students, was something anyone would be proud of, but Isehoon felt something off.

'Something about what she's saying...'

Despite her bright appearance, she seemed hollow inside. Isehoon, feeling this, looked at the Lightglow Sword in Jake's hand again.

The blue blade, naturally receiving the golden sword qi, and the slightly blurred boundary between the two colors caught Isehoon's eye.

"Next time..."

"Wait a moment."

Interrupting Aria, Isehoon turned to the sparring arena.