Chapter 97: The Returner Takes Care of Everything

At the Korean gate located on one side of the interdimensional terminal.

In front of a pillar in the bustling lobby, Yeom Sung-ha stood with his arms crossed, looking at his watch.

“...”

1:50 PM.

Although the agreed time was 2:00 PM, Yeom Sung-ha was not pleased with the situation of waiting here.

‘He could have just made the window, but he had to do something unnecessary...’

What could a blacksmith possibly contribute by coming here?

Feeling as if he was carrying a heavy burden, Yeom Sung-ha frowned and then uncrossed his arms.

“...A waste of time.”

If it was a window, there would be plenty at the workshop. Just as Yeom Sung-ha was about to head towards the gate,

“Ah, this way?”

Lee Se-hoon naturally followed beside him.

“...When did you get here?”

“Just now. You looked pretty anxious, so let's hurry.”

Lee Se-hoon smiled casually and gestured towards the gate. Yeom Sung-ha’s eyes narrowed, then he turned his head.

“I’ll leave you behind if you fall behind.”

Saying this coldly, Yeom Sung-ha strode forward. Seeing this, Lee Se-hoon chuckled and followed him through the turnstile.

Beep—

The turnstile opened with a short mechanical sound as he presented his student ID, and a wide corridor appeared as they walked through.

The gate connected to various parts of Korea.

Unlike the gates for dangerous areas used only by heroes, this one was mainly used by ordinary citizens, so the atmosphere was quite relaxed.

“So, where is the workshop?”

“...”

Instead of answering Lee Se-hoon’s question, Yeom Sung-ha walked silently towards the terminal in Gangwon Province.

‘This big guy is just acting like a kid.’

Seeing this, Lee Se-hoon chuckled and followed. As he did, strange gazes began to pour in from around them.

Gazes that curiously examined his face, gazes that pretended to be accidental but carefully observed him and Yeom Sung-ha, and finally, gazes that seemed familiar but were hard to place.

From these various gazes, Lee Se-hoon could roughly distinguish who they were.

‘Ordinary people and the guys sent by Yeomhwa Gate, and that old man Ma Guangshu.’

He thought they might have asked for help from the Long-range Seers as before, but this time, it seemed the power struggle within Yeomhwa Gate had led to direct action.

‘Or maybe it’s because of the word “promise.”’

Before the regression, Ma Guangshu was mostly indifferent, except for killing Dopplegangers and Mains.

However, among the few things he showed interest in were promises, or more precisely, people who kept their promises.

‘He used to say that the most annoying people were those who went to great lengths to keep a promise.’

Indeed, every time someone came to the workshop, he would call them foolish, but it was often heard that he secretly helped them behind the scenes.

‘There must have been some story behind it... I wonder if I can hear it this time.’

He rarely talked about himself, but this time, things were different from before, and perhaps it was possible.

While thinking this, Lee Se-hoon was walking when

“...”

He saw Yeom Sung-ha standing still far ahead.

He had been walking ahead, but now he was waiting, as if he was really going to fall behind. Lee Se-hoon looked at him with a bewildered expression and followed.

“Hey, are you setting a concept right now?”

“...”

“Just saying you’ll help and getting a thank you would be enough, but you have to insist on this unnecessary pride...”

“Shut up.”

Without meeting his eyes, Yeom Sung-ha continued to stride forward. Seeing his consistent behavior, Lee Se-hoon smiled wryly and followed.

“Tsk...”

Ma Guangshu, wearing a baseball cap, also quietly followed behind them.

***

Vroom—

Getting out of the taxi, Lee Se-hoon slowly looked around.

“Pretty quiet...”

A small village nestled in a valley, with rice fields and only about five houses, none of which seemed to be occupied.

As he carefully observed this eerie village, Lee Se-hoon noticed smoke rising from a workshop on a hill.

“Is that it?”

“Yeah.”

Answering briefly, Yeom Sung-ha started climbing the hill. As he followed, Lee Se-hoon noticed an abandoned house.

‘Hmm... It seems he did some preparation.’

Various traps hidden around the house. It seemed he had put in some effort, but to Lee Se-hoon, some parts looked sloppy.

‘I’ll need to fix them if I’m going to use them properly.’

Noting a few areas, Lee Se-hoon continued up the hill and looked at the workshop in front of him.

It looked like a cozy rural house, but it was equipped with the latest chimneys and protective facilities.

It seemed like someone with an attachment to old houses had renovated it. Lee Se-hoon looked at it curiously.

‘I wonder if there’s a story behind it...’

As he observed the aged appearance, Lee Se-hoon was looking around when

Bang!

The workshop door opened, and an old man came out.

“...”

An old man with white roots in his black hair. He looked at Yeom Sung-ha with wide eyes and then looked up at the sky.

“Is it over...”

His expression was empty, and his voice weak. Seeing this reaction, as if he had given up on life, Lee Se-hoon whispered to Yeom Sung-ha.

“Why is he acting like that?”

“...I don’t know.”

Frowning, Yeom Sung-ha approached the old man, Park Jin-hwan.

“What’s going on?”

As Yeom Sung-ha asked, Park Jin-hwan slowly lowered his head and looked at him.

Then, as if he had just snapped out of a daze, he distorted his face and grabbed Yeom Sung-ha by the collar, shaking him.

“How many times did I tell you that you’d be killed by the head of the gate, whether it’s you or me, the moment you came looking for me? Are you really crazy enough to want to die?!”

He seemed more frustrated than angry. Yeom Sung-ha stood firm and spoke without flinching.

“I won’t die.”

“Why won’t you die? Are you going to give up the head of the gate now?”

“I’m here to protect, so I won’t die.”

“So you’ll die, I told you that, you idiot... huh?”

While yelling at Yeom Sung-ha in frustration, Park Jin-hwan suddenly noticed Lee Se-hoon and widened his eyes.

“Who are you...?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m a first-year student in the Refining Department of Babel...”

“Lee Se-hoon?”

Interrupting the introduction, Park Jin-hwan asked with a dubious look.

“Are you the Lee Se-hoon who was the top of your class and made a sword for the monster Myers...?”

“If you mean the monster Jake, then yes, that’s me.”

Nodding, Lee Se-hoon’s expression made Park Jin-hwan look dubious.

“Why is someone like you here...?”

“Because the guy next to me asked for help.”

“He came along on his own.”

Speaking bluntly, Yeom Sung-ha. But seeing this, Park Jin-hwan looked even more surprised.

‘He didn’t use his fists...?’

To end things with words while showing such an unpleasant expression. This unbelievable scene made Park Jin-hwan recall a rumor he had heard before.

‘Is it true that Lee Se-hoon and Yeom Sung-ha are close...?’

He thought it was a fabricated rumor to frame Yeom Sung-ha for colluding with outsiders, but it seemed he had been mistaken.

Surprised by the unexpected situation, Park Jin-hwan looked back and forth between the two and then regained his composure.

“L, let’s go inside and talk.”

“I’ll scout the area first.”

Saying only what he needed to, Yeom Sung-ha went to the backyard. In the end, only Lee Se-hoon followed Park Jin-hwan into the workshop.

“If I had known guests were coming, I would have cleaned up... Please overlook the mess.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

Embarrassed, Park Jin-hwan and Lee Se-hoon entered the workshop, and Lee Se-hoon slowly looked around.

‘An old workshop.’

Except for the furnace and a few important tools, everything was old-fashioned, and the deep soot marks everywhere gave a sense of its age.

As he carefully observed the interior, Lee Se-hoon’s eyes were drawn to a weapon displayed on one wall.

‘Wow...’

A red spear about 2 meters long, stored in a transparent case.

The triangular spearhead was sharp and pointed downwards like a harpoon, and the shaft had grooves at regular intervals for the first third.

‘It’s designed to stab and then use the flames that burst from the grooves to slash.’

A terrifying weapon that would send anyone to the afterlife with a single strike.

Seeing its heroic-grade appearance, Lee Se-hoon examined it with interest, and Park Jin-hwan asked casually.

“Why are you looking at it like that?”

“Oh, I just thought it was well-made.”

“...Is that so?”

“Yes. I can see that the maker paid attention to the owner’s minor habits, and I like the design.”

Although there were some inefficient parts, the careful attention to detail compensated for them.

‘It’s a demanding weapon, but once you get used to it, it can last a long time.’

A weapon made not just for a high rank but tailored to the user. This was the direction Lee Se-hoon aspired to, and it was also a form he liked.

“Seeing that... I can understand why your name is so well-known.”

Impressed, Park Jin-hwan looked at the displayed spear and said calmly.

“That’s the spear used by the first head of Yeomhwa Gate when he was active. It took me a year to make.”

“The first head of Yeomhwa Gate...”

The former S-grade hero who created the Yeomhwa Gate and the Yeom Lun Zan Hua Spear, and the adoptive father and master who raised the orphan Yeom Sung-ha.

Seeing the spear he used before retiring, Lee Se-hoon looked interested.

“Thinking about it, young people these days probably don’t know much. He last acted 35 years ago.”

“I’ve heard that he was the only S-grade hero among the heads of Yeomhwa Gate.”

“...That’s right. It wasn’t for a long period, though.”

Park Jin-hwan shook his head, looking nostalgic.

“Let’s stop talking about the past. It’s all in the past now.”

“I understand.”

Although he wanted to hear more, such stories are best heard when emotions are high.

The two sat at a table in the living room and faced each other.

“Let me introduce myself first, even though it’s late. I was the exclusive blacksmith for Yeomhwa Gate, Park Jin-hwan.”

Hearing this, Lee Se-hoon’s eyes lit up with interest.

“Was...?”

“I’ve been dismissed. I was demoted to a shiny-sounding position as an advisor yesterday.”

Smiling wryly, Park Jin-hwan composed himself and looked at Lee Se-hoon.

“Do you know exactly what the current situation is?”

“I heard that Yeom Sung-ha and you are to be eliminated by the head of the gate, Yi Won-yong.”

“Even knowing that, you came... Does that mean you support Yeom Sung-ha?”

To ask a first-year student who just enrolled this year if he supports them. Some might laugh at this, but Park Jin-hwan thought it was the most important situation right now.

‘This kid is no longer an ordinary student.’

Kim In-cheol, the representative of the small and medium-sized blacksmiths’ union ‘Myers,’ who completely ousted Barmut from the mass-produced weapon industry, and Ryu Eun-ha, who played a significant role in creating that situation.

It was widely known that these two were Lee Se-hoon’s guardians, and it was also rumored that the Myers and Inoue families were eagerly waiting for a chance to recruit him.

‘There’s also the rumor that he became the disciple of the Broken Sword Ma Guangshu, and that he gained favor with the Sword of the Army, Kasar, through this incident.’

While the goodwill towards Lee Se-hoon might not directly translate to support for Yeom Sung-ha, it could at least serve as a check on Yi Won-yong’s actions.

Therefore, how much they could involve Lee Se-hoon would determine the future of Yeom Sung-ha, the neutral faction including himself, and the recovering Yeom Jin-hyun.

“Support... I guess you could say that. I want Yeom Sung-ha to become the head of Yeomhwa Gate.”

Hearing this, Park Jin-hwan was taken aback and then asked, composing himself.

“Can I ask why?”

“I made a deal to help him in exchange for assistance when I enter the Six Great Demon Caves later.”

“Six Great Demon Caves? What...”

Why would he go to that terrifying place, which even S-grade heroes don’t easily enter?

Thinking it might be a joke, but seeing his serious expression, Park Jin-hwan realized Lee Se-hoon was serious.

‘I thought it would be something like forming a cooperative relationship with Yeomhwa Gate...’

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Park Jin-hwan was at a loss for words. Then, Lee Se-hoon continued calmly.

“Don’t overthink it. Isn’t it common for blacksmiths to seek out strong heroes?”

“That’s... true.”

“So, I’m trying to help Yeom Sung-ha within my capabilities. I have no other motives.”

“Within your capabilities... I see.”

While he couldn’t be sure if others would help Yeom Sung-ha, he would do his best. Impressed by Lee Se-hoon’s willingness to take risks and follow, Park Jin-hwan bowed his head.

“Thank you.”

“It’s a mutual deal, so don’t mention it. I’ll make sure to get a good deal from that guy, so don’t be too grateful.”

“It’s fine. The money he spends is all the gate’s money.”

Smiling, Park Jin-hwan. Confirming that the atmosphere had lightened, Lee Se-hoon brought up the topic of the attack.

“The village was empty. Did you send everyone away?”

“Yes. If it’s an attack by Mains, there’s a high chance of being used.”

There are countless ways to brutally kill civilians and blame it on Yeom Sung-ha’s incompetence.

Therefore, a few days ago, Park Jin-hwan had sent everyone away to prepare for any possible situation. Impressed by this thorough handling, Lee Se-hoon nodded.

“You did well. So, the traps in the houses were all set by you?”

“...Did you notice them?”

He had prepared the traps by using all his assets, but to be noticed so easily?

“I noticed the parts that weren’t as well hidden. I think a little adjustment will do. Can I finish them?”

“...Alright. If there are any shortcomings, they need to be fixed.”

In other circumstances, he might have thought, ‘What does a young guy know?’ But for some reason, he didn’t feel that way about the young man in front of him.

‘The rumors weren’t exaggerated... they were lacking.’

This strange feeling that can only be understood by meeting in person. As Park Jin-hwan looked at him with tense eyes,

“I have one more suggestion.”

“What is it?”

“I made a spear for Yeom Sung-ha this time, but the spearhead is a bit disappointing.”

Looking at the red spear hanging on the workshop wall, the weapon of Yeom Jin-hwan, Lee Se-hoon spoke confidently.

“Can I use this as material?”