Chapter 9: The Reincarnated One Completes It All

After the opening ceremony, Lee Se-hoon, who was summoned by Ryu Eun-ha, stood face to face with her in an alley.

“……”

“……”

“Hey. I need to... cough.”

A faculty member, who was about to enter the alley to clean up, quickly turned around as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.

The situation of the top student and the department head standing side by side must have looked like a bomb about to explode to others.

‘But it’s not like that.’

Although her expressionless face might look angry, given Ryu Eun-ha's personality, if she had called him for such a reason, she would have pointed out the mistake from the beginning and given a warning.

Then, why is she standing here in silence with someone right in front of her? There was only one possible reason.

“...Did you really intend to use it just now?”

It only happened when he found a tempting weapon.

“The fireworks in the Five-Color Flower Blade have a nature to collide with each other. So, I made the fire flow through the Fire Adhesive Grass to control it.”

“It wasn’t just to increase the transmission power, then.”

“There was that intention, and I also thought of a technique that could be used together.”

Lee Se-hoon's casual response made Ryu Eun-ha look at him intently.

When he first chose the topic, he only thought about the weapons complementing each other. However, Lee Se-hoon had gone beyond that, creating an explosive effect.

‘The fact that he also applied the weapon skill Wild Fire to it... means he intended it when he made it, right?’

That such a delicate process was added during the short refinement process was impressive.

Realizing that Lee Se-hoon's abilities were even more outstanding than she had expected, Ryu Eun-ha felt her mouth dry.

‘Beyond imagination.’

It must feel like this when you cut into a schnitzel without thinking and find it full of cheese.

Swallow.

The prospect of Lee Se-hoon's abilities, which she wanted to taste immediately, made Ryu Eun-ha unconsciously swallow.

[Your connection with 'Ryu Eun-ha' has been established.]

A new notification window appeared in front of Lee Se-hoon's eyes.

‘...That was incredibly fast.’

Before the regression, it took several times of feeding weapons before the connection was established, but this time it happened without feeding.

Although it feels a bit unfair considering his current lower skills compared to before, there's nothing he can do about the difference.

‘A promising student and an average blacksmith in the industry. It’s obvious which one is more attractive...’

Regardless, there's no harm in having a connection with Ryu Eun-ha.

He had handled connection stones many times and knew how to use them. Besides, she was the department head of Borshifa and a high-ranking official who might be responsible for his academy life.

‘Still, it might have changed from before the regression, so I should confirm it clearly.’

While pondering how to naturally extract the connection, Lee Se-hoon decided on a simple method.

“Ugh...”

Suddenly, Lee Se-hoon grabbed his forehead and fell forward.

Seeing him fall defenselessly, Ryu Eun-ha instinctively reached out to catch him.

“Are you okay?”

With a slightly embarrassed expression, Lee Se-hoon nodded.

“I used a bit too much mana... I'm fine.”

Correcting his posture naturally, he grabbed Ryu Eun-ha's arm, which was supporting him.

‘Extract connection.’

[Extracting connection from 'Ryu Eun-ha'.]

[Your connection with 'Lee Se-hoon' is at Level 1.]

Ryu Eun-ha's connection seeped into his body.

‘Good.’

Having naturally completed the connection extraction, Lee Se-hoon straightened up, and Ryu Eun-ha looked at him seriously.

“Next time, if something like this happens, please inform me in advance. This time, the principal was lenient, but next time, you might face disciplinary action.”

“Yes, I will be careful.”

Seeing Lee Se-hoon's sincere reflection, Ryu Eun-ha nodded and glanced around.

“Since the opening ceremony is over, let's proceed with the previous transaction...”

“Ah, there you are.”

Kim In-cheol, interrupting Ryu Eun-ha, entered the alley and looked at the two of them.

“The principal is about to hold the presentation ceremony. Can I take Student Lee Se-hoon now?”

“...Understood.”

With a seemingly indifferent but subtly dissatisfied expression, Lee Se-hoon nodded with a slight smile.

“I'll see you later.”

As Lee Se-hoon and Kim In-cheol left the alley, Ryu Eun-ha, left alone, looked at their backs with an expressionless face.

Rumble.

And a small sound, like a complaint, echoed.

* * *

‘Nothing has changed, whether in the past or now.’

Ryu Eun-ha, who tries to eat any interesting weapon she finds.

Although it was satisfying that even she, known as a gourmet, found it interesting, Lee Se-hoon was not complacent.

‘It’s just because it’s a new menu now.’

At first, the new taste might keep her interested, but once she gets used to it, his weapons will eventually become just another 'rare' grade weapon.

‘I’m tired of your weapons...’

Before the regression, he had to endure humiliating evaluations because he didn't realize this, but this time, he won't be complacent.

‘And since we met early, I can aim for Level 5.’

Before the regression, the connection level with Ryu Eun-ha was Level 4, one level lower than the highest Level 5 he achieved with Samgeon, which left him with much regret.

Especially considering that she died before reaching Level 5 and that he couldn't prevent her death due to his own inadequacy.

“I regret eating your weapons...”

The muttering by his ear, a phrase he couldn't forget even if he wanted to, made Lee Se-hoon's eyes narrow.

‘Tsk...’

It's already a thing of the past, a thing that no longer exists. While Lee Se-hoon was trying to shake off the memory, Kim In-cheol, who was walking ahead, spoke.

“Here we are.”

A massive mansion built on one side of the central square where the opening ceremony was held.

This was the old main building, the Marduk Mansion, known as the heart of Babel Academy.

“It’s a historical place where Babel began. You won’t get to come here often, so take a good look this time.”

After giving a brief explanation, Kim In-cheol resumed walking, and Lee Se-hoon followed him into the mansion.

From the garden outside to the inside, the mansion was lavishly decorated, and it was hard to believe it was built over 40 years ago.

‘It’s less about good maintenance and more like it’s been preserved...’

While Lee Se-hoon was examining the mansion's atmosphere, which had a subtle vibe, Kim In-cheol arrived at the door of the principal's office and looked at him.

“Just in case, be polite in front of the principal. As you know, he is in a different position from us.”

“I won’t let you worry. Do you think I don’t know that?”

“...”

Kim In-cheol had a strange expression at Lee Se-hoon's calm response.

If he had been tense, there would have been no worry, but his excessive calmness made him feel uneasy.

‘Right. He’s not someone who doesn’t know the basics...’

Shaking off his unnecessary worries, Kim In-cheol carefully pushed open the door to the principal's office with both hands.

The large windows offering a view of the central square, the bookshelves filled with old books, the faded red carpet on the floor, and various antiques and old furniture placed around.

‘All old-fashioned.’

The room, which was a mix of brown and red, was both elegant and worn out, unlike the luxurious exterior of the mansion.

The old man sitting at the desk in the room, Principal Ludwig, greeted Lee Se-hoon with a smile.

“Welcome.”

“...I apologize for the intrusion.”

As Lee Se-hoon bowed and entered, the door closed silently as it had opened.

Suddenly being alone with the highest authority of Babel, it would have been a suffocating situation for someone with a weak nerve, but Lee Se-hoon met his gaze without blinking.

‘Ascension Ceremony...’

One of the strongest representatives of humanity, and the person who, before the regression, had fought to the death with the Six Great Demon Gods, including Mieochien.

Seeing the hero who remained a legend until the end up close, Lee Se-hoon briefly evaluated him.

‘Indeed, he’s worthy of being an ascended one.’

So strong that it’s hard to believe he’s human, and so inscrutable that it’s impossible to know what he’s thinking.

Feeling a sense of discomfort from the same bad vibe as before, Lee Se-hoon was about to respond when Ludwig asked with a gentle smile.

“Have you seen everything you wanted to see?”

A question that seemed to know he was assessing him. While other students might have been flustered, Lee Se-hoon shook his head calmly.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Is it because of the lack of time?”

“It’s because of my lack of ability.”

Before the regression, it would have been impossible to gauge Ludwig’s power with his current body.

Answering honestly, Lee Se-hoon then asked Ludwig, who was still looking at him.

“Have you seen everything, Principal?”

During the time he was being assessed, the old man couldn’t have been examining the wall patterns.

At Lee Se-hoon’s question, Ludwig looked surprised and then smiled deeply, shaking his head.

“I couldn’t see everything either. It seems my ability was lacking.”

“Ah.”

He had just spoken his mind, but suddenly he had become a madman who had criticized an ascended one’s ability.

Recalling Kim In-cheol’s earnest request, Lee Se-hoon was about to add something when Ludwig spoke first.

“Let’s leave the mutual assessment for another time and focus on the business at hand.”

“Ahem. Understood.”

Ludwig, smiling, looked at Lee Se-hoon.

“The weapons you showed today were all interesting. While I can’t say there were no regrets, there were more aspects that I found promising.”

“...”

The regretful evaluation made his eyes twitch and his heart boil, but Lee Se-hoon quickly suppressed his emotions.

He had been prepared to hear such an evaluation since he first submitted his weapons.

‘I can’t think based on my pre-regression self. I need to face reality.’

Although he wanted to throw the Five-Color Flower Blade and Fire Adhesive Grass into the furnace for causing this, he had to endure it for now.

Seeing Lee Se-hoon take a deep breath, Ludwig continued with a gentle smile.

“Thus, to commend your talent and effort, I will give you two rewards. Tell me what you need.”

The presentation ceremony for the top students, where Ludwig personally gives rewards based on his discretion, allowing requests for various items like skills, weapons, elixirs, or letters of recommendation.

‘But giving two rewards... That’s more generous than I thought.’

He had been pondering between mana enhancement and memory improvement, but it seemed he didn’t need to.

Feeling a bit relieved, Lee Se-hoon immediately answered.

“I need a reward to enhance my mana and a reward to improve my memory.”

“Hmm. Mana and memory.”

At Lee Se-hoon’s answer, Ludwig seemed intrigued, thought for a moment, and then extended his hand into the air.

Click.

With a light swipe of his fingers, a golden keyhole appeared in the air. It slowly rotated 90 degrees, split vertically, and revealed a white opening.

Boom. Thud.

Two items fell onto the desk from the opening.

One was a dark stone, and the other was an ivory with strange patterns. Lee Se-hoon had a peculiar expression at the unexpected rewards.

“What is...?”

“These are the rewards for you.”

“...”

Although he didn’t ask out of ignorance, it seemed there was no intention to change them.

Seeing Lee Se-hoon’s puzzled expression, Ludwig smiled and pushed the two items to the edge of the desk.

“Take a look.”

“Ah, yes.”

Approaching the desk, Lee Se-hoon lightly touched the items.

Then, the two items faintly trembled, and an information window appeared before his eyes.

[Dark Heavy Stone (墨重暗)]

[Grade: Hero] [Quality: Supreme]

A dark fragment that fell from the night.

It has the property of trying to absorb everything except darkness.

* Absorbs mana from all objects it comes into contact with.

Distortion symptoms appear near its completely matte surface.

Having seen the Dark Heavy Stone, a rare material he had seen a few times before the regression, Lee Se-hoon’s eyes widened.

‘Wow. I didn’t expect to see this so soon.’

A Hero-grade material, but difficult to obtain due to its mana-absorbing property. This alone was surprising, but the real deal was something else.

[Dream Ivory (夢象牙)]

[Grade: Hero] [Quality: Medium]

The tooth of a dream-eating mack.

It possesses the illusory magic that can traverse the boundary between reality and dreams.

* Can use illusory magic to interact with dreams.

‘Dream Ivory...’

A white ivory with grotesque patterns.

A special material that allows not only physical but also mental interaction, making it much rarer than the Dark Heavy Stone.

While the Dark Heavy Stone could be found with some effort, the Dream Ivory was scarce and monopolized by mages studying illusory magic, making it hard to obtain.

“...”

Although the rewards were different from what he expected, he couldn’t help but smile as he looked at them.

If he were a successful blacksmith like before the regression, it would be different, but as a mere student, it was incredibly difficult to obtain such materials.

To get such rare materials so easily was a stroke of luck.

‘It’s a bit difficult to handle now... but I have an idea of how to use them.’

Of course, it was impossible in his current state, but with a bit of preparation, it could be done soon.

While Lee Se-hoon was planning in his mind, Ludwig asked with a smile.

“Are you satisfied?”

Without hesitation, Lee Se-hoon nodded.

“Perfect.”

* * *

After Lee Se-hoon left the principal’s office, a low voice echoed from the white opening in the air.

[Why did only he get two rewards?]

The mere transmission of the voice made the surrounding air tremble with a sense of oppression. Ludwig calmly responded to the massive call.

“Unlike the others, he had the capacity to handle it.”

[Is that so? He did seem a bit mature...]

“It means he has depth that can impress even you.”

Ludwig, still seated, looked at Lee Se-hoon walking down the corridor.

The method of recognizing objects by combining his mana with the ambient mana. In the more vivid scenery than what he could see with his eyes, Ludwig’s interest grew.

‘I still can’t see the end.’

When the top students he had met earlier left, he could see all their potential.

But even now, as Lee Se-hoon walked out of the mansion and across the central square, he couldn’t see the end.

It seemed as if there was no limit to his potential. Ludwig looked at the white opening.

‘I originally planned to give three, but it might be too much.’

The remaining one would be given based on how he handles the two he received today.

Feeling a rare sense of enjoyment, Ludwig continued to watch Lee Se-hoon until he left the central square.