Chapter 80: The Reincarnated One Completes It

*Whine*

A faint tremor emanated from Origin. Miles, having confirmed the end of the succession ceremony, gazed at the golden sword energy maintained by Jake.

‘About 90% stability. Compared to Aria... No, it’s disrespectful to compare them.’

Aria, the first in the family to maintain the predecessor’s sword energy at 100%. In terms of swordsmanship talent, she was truly an exceptional case, an outlier.

‘Still, this level is enough to aim for S-rank.’

The potential far beyond his own, which had stagnated at A-rank. Miles felt proud of Jake’s talent and examined the Light Sword once more.

‘And at this level, there’s no need to create a dedicated sword.’

Despite his worries, everything had gone smoothly during the succession ceremony, and Miles felt satisfied.

“...Hm?”

Suddenly, a young man appeared on the training ground.

Miles, recognizing him as Jake’s friend, Isehun, who had made his sword, looked puzzled.

‘Why is he here all of a sudden?’

Perhaps he had some urgent business.

As Miles watched Isehun approach, he noticed something in his right hand.

‘A hammer...?’

Confused by his purpose, Miles was taken aback when Isehun, now on the training ground, narrowed his eyes at the Light Sword.

‘As expected...’

The golden sword energy from Origin had seeped not just into the blade but also inside. It might look like the sword was simply filled with energy, but the reality was different.

‘It’s been tainted by the energy.’

A sword, which should cut everything except itself, must never be tainted by anything.

Even the slightest contamination would turn it into a completely different sword.

‘Even if it’s the predecessor’s sword energy.’

Having decided how to repair it, Isehun moved behind Jake, and Miles’ eyes narrowed.

‘No ill intent, but...’

If Jake was disturbed, the control over the sword energy could loosen, potentially harming everyone.

Even with protective measures, it was still dangerous, so Miles decided to subdue Isehun.

[Just let it be.]

A calm voice in his ear.

Turning to look, Miles saw Aria watching from below the training ground, her expression perplexed.

‘Let it be...?’

If it were anyone else, he would have dismissed it, but Aria, who had never spoken frivolously, made him hesitate.

While Miles was pondering, Isehun, standing right behind Jake, drew back a black-flamed hammer.

*Clang!*

He struck the hazy blade of the Light Sword with all his might.

“Gah?!”

A powerful vibration echoed, as if his grip would burst.

Jake, who had been completely focused on accepting the sword energy, was startled but instinctively gripped the hilt tightly.

*Crack!*

A massive crack spread across the blade, and a blue light seeped through the gaps.

Jake’s face paled at the precarious sight, but something different happened.

*Hum─*

The magic power, which had been sparkling like stars on the blade, connected through the cracks, and the light grew brighter.

And the moment the blue light pushed out the golden sword energy from Origin:

*Swish*

The sword energy of Origin began to turn blue.

“What...”

Origin, which had always passed on the predecessor’s sword energy.

The sight of the sword, a symbol of the family, turning blue with the energy of a distant descendant made Miles’ eyes widen.

‘What’s happening...’

Faced with an unimaginable scene, Miles froze, and Jake, holding the Light Sword, was no different.

“This...”

A sensation different from when he had absorbed Origin’s sword energy.

The overwhelming fullness, as if his hands would burst, made Jake’s arms tremble.

The Light Sword, which had been lighter than a similar-sized two-handed sword, suddenly felt hundreds of times heavier.

‘Wait...’

No matter how strong his grip, the weight was a different matter.

Before the overwhelming weight could knock him over, Jake instinctively loosened his grip.

*Crack!*

The blade of the Light Sword shattered.

“Ah...”

Blue particles scattered in the air.

The weight he had felt from the Light Sword vanished, and Jake realized what had happened.

‘My sword energy couldn’t handle it...’

To think that he couldn’t withstand the energy of a sword he had created, while naturally accepting the predecessor’s sword energy, which was nearly at the peak.

Jake, stunned by this absurd fact, stared at the broken hilt of the Light Sword.

“Hm...”

Isehun, standing beside him, looked puzzled.

“This is strange... It shouldn’t be like this...”

Miles, who had just regained his senses, approached Isehun and grabbed his shoulder.

“What did you do to Jake’s sword? Did you create that blue sword energy? How...”

Miles, still uncomposed, spoke excitedly, and the pressure in his grip increased, distorting Isehun’s expression.

‘This guy needs to control his strength...’

Had he forgotten that he was an A-rank hero and Isehun was a student? The pressure only grew stronger, and just as Isehun was about to move:

*Slap!*

Miles’ hand was slapped away, and Isehun was pulled back.

“Are you okay?”

Aria, supporting his back and standing in front of him, looked like a knight rescuing him from danger. Isehun, though, looked uneasy.

“Yes. It... didn’t break.”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

Aria, smiling softly, released her hand and looked at Miles, who still hadn’t grasped the situation.

“Uncle, you should calm down.”

“Huh? What... Oh.”

Miles, alternating his gaze between the slapped hand and Isehun’s shoulder, finally understood and looked embarrassed.

“Sorry. I was too excited...”

“It’s understandable. I’ll take care of the guest until you calm down. Jake?”

“Yes, yes!”

Jake, who had been watching, quickly responded to Aria’s call.

He knew better than anyone that the smile his sister was wearing was one she used when she was in a bad mood.

“Come up when Uncle calms down.”

Jake, understanding Aria’s intention to talk alone with Isehun, nodded quickly.

“Yes, I understand.”

Though he had many questions about what just happened, he knew it would be unwise to bring them up now.

Aria, satisfied with her brother’s response, smiled at Isehun.

“Shall we go upstairs and talk?”

Aria, who had quickly taken control of the situation and was leading him, made Isehun realize who was in charge here. He smiled wryly and replied.

“Let’s go.”

***

Isehun and Aria sat across from each other at a round table in the backyard of the cottage.

“Hmm...”

Aria, resting her chin on one hand, looked at him intently.

Her long hair, shimmering gold in the sunlight, and her deep, golden eyes gave her an appearance that inspired both admiration and awe.

But every time Isehun looked at her, he saw a different scene.

‘This was just a mediocre sword...’

He muttered in a weary voice, looking at Aria with tired eyes and his bloodstained hands.

The unpleasant scene made Isehun’s expression slightly contort.

[The Awakening Dream has been activated.]

*Whoosh─*

A cold sensation swept away the杂念 in his mind.

Isehun, confirming that the memories overlaying his vision had disappeared, sighed inwardly.

‘This is also a kind of illness...’

He needed to separate his pre-reincarnation life as much as possible, but some parts were difficult.

While Isehun was sorting out his slightly messy thoughts:

“I found you a bit ambiguous at the exchange meeting.”

Aria, who had been watching him, smiled softly.

“You really don’t like me, do you?”

“...”

He had tried to hide his emotions, but it was hard to do so in front of someone as perceptive as Aria.

Since he had anticipated this, Isehun had a prepared response.

“I have pride as a blacksmith.”

“Pride?”

“I can’t like someone who treats my sword like a stick.”

“...”

Aria’s eyes widened slightly at Isehun’s response, then she covered her mouth and laughed softly.

“I see. I overlooked that.”

Aria, recognizing the valid reason, smiled contentedly at Isehun.

“Then I need to improve. I don’t want to be disliked by someone I like.”

“...Indeed.”

Isehun, inwardly snorting at Aria’s straightforward criticism of his skills, thought:

‘If she really liked me, we would have a connection. This is just...’

Her reaction when he first praised Jake’s sword was also not something to judge superficially.

‘This is why I didn’t want to show anything...’

Isehun, wondering if what he had shown was not entirely negative, was interrupted by Aria.

“The sword you made earlier.”

Aria, who had been observing his reaction, smiled faintly.

“It was quite interesting.”

Compared to Miles’ shock, her reaction was lukewarm, but Isehun realized it was genuine and was surprised.

‘Just that much...?’

He had just noticed and fixed a flaw while inspecting it, yet to receive such a positive evaluation from a hero-level weapon.

Isehun, looking uneasy, prompted Aria to continue.

“The ‘fragment’ in Origin is a very fluid force. It fills the void when the other side is empty, and when the other side is full, it tries to fill its own void.”

Aria, explaining the source of the predecessor’s sword energy, saw Isehun ponder for a moment before asking.

“So, the initial Light Sword Jake created had a void in its blade.”

“Yes. Of course, the cause was our foolish brother...”

“Improving such flaws is a sign of a master’s skill.”

Aria, intrigued by Isehun’s perfect interruption, looked at him with interest.

“It’s really fascinating. Despite meeting only a few times, I feel a sense of familiarity. Is this what they call good chemistry?”

“I’m just used to dealing with people.”

Isehun, not agreeing with the notion of good chemistry, seemed like a wild dog restrained by a leash, growling until the end.

‘Really interesting...’

How long had it been since she had such thoughts while talking to someone? Aria, wanting to know more about Isehun, brought up a suitable topic.

“Anyway, I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal?”

“I finally got a good sword, but Jake will likely misuse it. Can you help him?”

“Hmm...”

Isehun, pondering Aria’s proposal, asked calmly.

“What’s the compensation?”

“Anything within reason that I can provide.”

Though vague, Aria’s response implied she would meet most reasonable requests.

“I’ll do it, then.”

Isehun’s immediate acceptance pleased Aria, and she smiled.

“My brother may be lacking, but I’ll leave it to you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Sure. Be careful.”

Isehun, nodding, turned to leave the cottage but paused and asked.

“Senior, how did the succession ceremony go for you?”

How had the fragment in Origin reacted to Aria’s talent? There was a moment of silence before:

“My great-grandfather’s sword energy.”

Aria’s weary voice answered.

“It was a brighter color than now.”

The predecessor’s sword energy had long been replaced by a more superior swordsman. Isehun, surprised by the answer, muttered to himself.

‘Bad luck...’

Indeed, he and Aria were not a good match.