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Chapter 66

“The next assignment is a small shield made of alloy number twenty-one. It should weigh 1.2 kilograms with a diameter of twenty-eight centimeters. The main theme of the assignment is recoil, so try to pay attention to dealing with that aspect during the forging process. Also, it has to at least be normal tier to be submitted, so keep that in mind.”

“...”

“...”

Nervous of what In-Seong might say next, the students looked on with way expressions. And upon seeing their faces after a glance, In-Seong wore a slight smile before continuing.

“And, just like the previous assignments, you can submit this assignment anytime before the end-of-semester evaluation. Be thankful for the professor’s consideration.”

“Ah...”

“No way...”

Hearing about the relaxed submission period, the students all sighed and covered their faces. While it might have seemed good because of the extra time, in reality, it wasn’t.

The assignments in this class were graded on a curve. Meaning, that the better the other students’ submissions were, the lower their own would score, which naturally turned it into a game of strategy.

I’m not good at making shields. But maybe it\'s doable if I invest about two weeks...

I want at least an A in this class... I wonder how much the others will do...

While there was a big gap among students when it came to their ability to utilize various materials and their specialties, there wasn’t a significant one if it strictly came down to their basics. And that was especially true with such a lenient deadline.

As a result, those in the lower ranks of the grade grit their teeth to score points here, but those in the upper ranks had a similar mindset and did the same to avoid falling behind.

“Hehe...”

Throughout the semester, the students would observe each other’s equipment and endlessly repeat the forging and designing process while using what they learned.

Watching them, In-Seong had a content smile on his face. He remembered how much he also struggled in this Metallurgy class when he was a student. Back then, he wanted to bash the professor, but now he respected the professor’s spirit of not going with a different grading method despite numerous complaints.

After all, it’s only in the early stages of enrollment that you get to struggle like this.

Right now, the foundation of each student might all be at a similar level, but with more time at Babel, the gap between them would only become wider based on each of their talents. Being able to witness such a competition between these students was a spectacle only available up until their second semester.

Meanwhile, as In-Seong was watching the students struggle, terrifying flames erupted in a corner of the workshop.

Fwoosh! Clang! Clang!

Separate from the other students, Se-Hoon was in a zone of his own, heating and hammering the metal in front of him.

Sizz!

Unlike the other students, he finished forging his equipment in the blink of an eye, like time was being fast-forwarded at several times the speed. Very quickly, the finished equipment started to pile up on one side.

Clink-

Having completed the four backlogged assignments due to his two-week hospital stay, he gathered them all and presented them to In-Seong.

“I would like to submit these.”

“...”

In-Seong looked at the equipment presented to him with a complex expression.

Had it been any other student, he might have scolded them upon seeing their lack of effort regardless of the quality, but he knew that Se-Hoon’s equipment was too good for such criticism.

“All of them are Advanced tier, with above-average quality...”

Have there been any Advanced-tier submissions before?

Looking at Se-Hoon, who had surpassed exceptional and was standing on a completely different level, In-Seong licked his lips briefly and nodded.

“Well done.... The professor said you don’t have to come to class until the next assignment if you’ve submitted everything, so do as you please.”

“I’ll be going then,” Se-Hoon said, immediately leaving now that his business here was done.

Seeing him leave, the students watching his back started murmuring among themselves.

“Is he really injured? Why does he look perfectly fine?”

“He must not have been that badly injured.”

“Did you not see the photo? He was brought to the hospital covered in blood, in Dean Ryu’s arms.”

They were talking about the photo that had stirred up the general forum on Tower, which showed Eun-Ha carrying a blood-covered Se-Hoon to the infirmary. It had quickly become a hot topic for discussion, not just because of his injury but also due to the rare expression of urgency on the typically stoic face of Eun-Ha.

“There’s a rumor that Dean Ryu personally provided him with an elixir.”

“What? No way.”

“Why not? It’s entirely possible, considering she took him hunting personally over the weekend.”

Photos of the two walking together through the Void Terminal had also been posted, raising several suspicions.

However, neither Se-Hoon nor Eun-Ha seemed to be bothered by the rumors, with both offering no official clarifications. As a result, even more speculative opinions emerged.

“Even if he looks okay on the outside, who knows what his internal condition is. I also heard that he completely wasted all of the materials in an intermediate-level forging session.”

“Yeah, I heard about that too. Didn’t Professor Kim In-Cheol have to save him from almost causing an accident?”

“There’s also a rumor that he received an injury to his mana circuit from a demon. If that one is really true, then it’s only a matter of time before he falls behind.”

No matter how amazing someone’s talent was, it was inevitable that they would fall behind if they couldn’t properly manipulate their mana.

And so, with Se-Hoon not clarifying anything, days passed. With each day that had passed, speculation about Se-Hoon’s injury and eventual underperformance grew, and then when he was seen struggling to manipulate his mana, it exploded.

But before anything could happen, the weekend had approached.

“What did you even do?” Lea curiously asked, sitting across from Se-Hoon.

“What?”

Hearing her question, Se-Hoon, who was inscribing an enchantment on cheap pottery, glanced at her.

“How can someone be underestimated so much in just a week? It doesn’t make sense,” Lea said, looking back at him with a completely puzzled expression.

The hero industry was known to be perilous, and it was often that a single injury could plummet one’s reputation, but rumors and suspicions usually remained unconfirmed until proven. However, that wasn’t the case when it came to Se-Hoon.

The rumors and slanders about Se-Hoon had spread too rapidly, to the point that it was almost an accepted fact that he had suffered an injury that affected his ability to manipulate mana. She knew that he had kept his success in forging the Phantasmal Spyblade a secret, but even then, the atmosphere was unnervingly abnormal.

Seeing the confusion on her face, he remained indifferent.

“Because I’m showing suspicious aspects and not denying anything. I think that’s enough to raise these doubts.”

All of the controversy surrounding him could be easily quelled by just a single word from either Jung-Wan, Eun-Ha, or In-Cheol—his attending physician, the Dean of Borsippa, or the leading professor of the Department of Blacksmithing respectively—yet the rumors continued to spread.

The reason was simple. At his request, all three individuals—Jung-Wan, Eun-Ha, and In-Cheol—had refrained from commenting.

“It’s natural that people might think that there’s some truth to the rumors if I stay too silent despite all the accusations. And, of course, those who dislike me are definitely adding fuel to the fire.”

There was no way that Vice Dean Michael, who was coveting the position of Dean of Borsippa and wanted to take control of the Department of Blacksmithing, wouldn’t be seizing this opportunity to stir things up.

Hearing his explanation, Lea nodded in understanding, though her expression was still full of puzzlement.

“Still... if the rumors turn out to not be true, wouldn’t all this have been for nothing? What’s the point of going through all this...” she questioned.

At the end of the day, rumors were just rumors. No matter how much people talked about them, Se-Hoon wouldn’t suddenly develop an injury and lose his skills.

Well, that guy probably believes that he can turn the rumors into reality. Se-Hoon thought, his response going unsaid.

Taking advantage of the chaotic moment to genuinely render him incapacitated seemed excessive, but his actions had changed the circumstances.

If the Barumuth family has joined forces with Watchers to shut down the Department of Blacksmithing...

If they were aiming for something beyond mere power at Babel, then it was definitely worth a try to them.

It was a good chance to erase Se-Hoon thoroughly, as the talent he had demonstrated could elevate the Department of Blacksmithing from ruin to the leading department of Babel.

I have to keep an eye on them.

He recalled the memories he had seen through the Phantasmal Spyblade. Those were indeed events that had happened in the past, but being able to read through the documents before leaving was something that hadn’t occurred before.

Therefore, he couldn’t be sure if the information he had seen was accurate.

Yeah. For now, I can’t say take anything for sure...

Done recalling and organizing the information he had glanced over—especially the last piece that was related to In-Cheol—in his head, he stopped his brush.

“I’m done.”

“Oh? That was fast. Let me see.”

Taking the pottery from him, Lea turned it all over in her hands, examining the enchantments inscribed onto its surface.

The lines were inscribed cleanly without a single mistake, and the framework perfectly encapsulated the patterns he had been taught, with visible adjustments made in several places.

Did he use barrier magic as a base? The connections between the patterns seem a bit loose.... No, it’s structured that way to be filled out by the mana. What kind of beginner can display such techniques...?

It was clear he hadn’t been formally trained in enchantment before, yet his skill in it was several times better than many of those in the Department of Enchantments.

No, wait. I should see if it activates first.

However, if it didn’t function properly, then it didn’t matter how impressive the enchantment pattern looked, it would just be meaningless. Carefully examining the pottery, she slowly infused it with her mana.

The freshly inscribed enchantments absorbed the mana and began to faintly glow, causing the air around the pottery to slightly tremble.

Soon, the pottery began drawing in the air, which created a soft noise from within.

Whoosh-

Despite all the windows being closed, the sound of the wind echoed in the room.

Feeling the faint vibrations coming from the pottery, she quickly turned it over and shook out its contents.

Whoosh-

And out came a small green whirlwind that spun on the desk.

The whirlwind created by the pottery made from wind attribute materials and Se-Hoon’s enchantments lasted for about twenty seconds before it collapsed and disappeared.

“...”

Observing the remnants of the whirlwind quietly, she blurted out, “I can maintain it for over a minute.”

Her statement sounded more like she was trying to protest than boast. Hearing that, Se-Hoon gave her a slight smile.

“Who asked?”

“You’re so annoying. You can just be the best at everything then.”

Ending that conversation with that “praise”, she set down the pottery, an assignment for the Ancient Enchantments class, next to her and looked at him again.

“Anyway, now that you’re done with your assignment, let’s work on enchanting together. My condition’s pretty good these days, so I’ll help you with any difficult materials you manage to bring. Oh, didn’t you mention that you’re planning to have the Inkstone Bracelets enchanted? How about we enchant those?”

Chattering as if she hadn’t just been grumbling moments ago, her mood shifting quickly. Amused yet perplexed by her rapid change, Se-Hoon brought up something he had been postponing until now.

“There’s something I want to show you first.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Just wait and see.”

Saying no more, he began to unbutton his jacket and shirt.

Upon seeing his unexpected action, her eyes widened in surprise. Then, after what was seemingly a long process to her, that surprise turned into an involuntary exclamation when his bare skin was fully revealed.

“Oh...”

Although she might not know much about muscles, it was clear at a glance that his muscles were pretty impressive. She couldn’t help but stare intently at the area near his sternum. Then, at that moment, a familiar purple flame burst forth.

Fwoosh!

“Ah!”

Completely startled—due to being broken out of her intense focus on his muscles—she jumped up. Seeing her exaggerated surprise, Se-Hoon amusedly looked at her.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“How can I not be surprised when flames suddenly spurted out of your body? Wait, is that... the Phantasmal Spyblade?”

“Yes. It’s been absorbed into my body.”

“What... wait a minute!”

Clatter!

She crawled under the desk and quickly emerged beside him, pressing her face close to his sternum to examine the flames of dreams.

“It really is connected to your body.... But even if it is made of dream mana, how can it have such an interaction...?”

Completely bewildered, she examined the flame from various angles. Meanwhile, Se-Hoon checked the information message about the newly acquired skill again.

[Dream Storage] 『A』

[A void space accessed by crossing the boundary of dreams.

Utilizes the substitution characteristic of dream mana to store objects within the body. However, storage is not possible when the user’s dream mana is exhausted.

*Objects can be stored within the body.

*Storage is not possible when the user’s dream mana is exhausted

*Currently stored objects: Eternal Nocturne’s Phalanx, Phantasmal Spyblade]

In an era where void pockets already existed, one might question the significance of the skill, but he knew the real convenience it offered.

There’s no risk of anything being stolen, and I can pull out objects without any extra movements.

In a way, it was like a secret weapon. But aside from all that, what he found particularly intriguing was the kind of space Dream Storage utilized.

“Give me your hand.”

“Huh?”

Stopping her intense examination, Lea obediently extended her hand, which Se-Hoon grabbed and immediately thrust toward his sternum.

Fwoosh-

The hand penetrated the flames and was engulfed up to her wrist. The sight made Lea’s eyes sparkle—her hand definitely should have pierced through his heart.

“Oh... wow... what even is this? My hand went into your body.”

“I can’t store your hand, but passing it through works just fine. Interesting, right?” he said as he stirred the space with her arm.

Although others might have been disgusted by the sight, regardless of the actual sensation, Lea was amazed, wiggling her fingers inside.

“It feels more like touching smoke than flames. And there’s something lightly touching the tips of my fingers.... Wait, don’t tell me, are those my enchantment patterns?”

“Correct.”

The enchantments carved into the Phantasmal Spyblade were floating in the mysterious space.

Hearing his confirmation, she became even more intrigued by the sensations at her fingertips. Se-Hoon added an explanation.

“It seems like this happened because of the interplay between dream mana, the enchantment patterns, and the skills I possess.”

“This is amazing. Equipment becoming a permanent skill... this is the first time I’ve heard of such a phenomenon in my life.”

If it became known that he had created such a piece of equipment, it was definite that all of the useless rumors circulating outside would disappear. Pondering for a moment, she decided to ask something, just in case.

“Are you going to keep this a secret too?”

“It has to be. It could become a huge hassle otherwise.”

“Right. Everyone would come running, trying to study it.”

While his response slightly disappointed her, she quickly shook off the thought and withdrew her hand before asking, “So, what’s the reason for showing me this? Don’t tell me you just wanted to brag.”

“I’m planning to study how this Dream Storage was created. Let’s take a look at it together whenever we have time.”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation upon hearing the answer she hoped for.

“Ah... there’s really no one else like my underclassman! This is why I love—”

“I’m not going to work with you if you talk nonsense.”

“... Although it’s not really to the extent of love, this is why I adore you! You’re the best, the best!”

Upon seeing how she playfully diverted the conversation again, he looked at her with a mix of amusement and incredulity.

Giggling, she continued and asked, “So, when do we start? Right now? We might figure out something if we spend the entire weekend on it. I’ll buy lots of food and coffee, so let’s pull an all-nighter. How about it?”

Unfortunately, he shook his head, despite seeing how eager she was.

“Not this week.”

“What? Why... ah, right. The Noblesse is tomorrow.”

Upon remembering that the social gathering was tomorrow, a part of her became surprised.

“That’s unexpected of you. I thought you didn’t like those kinds of places.”

“I don’t.”

“Then why are you attending?”

Buttoning up his clothes, a sly smile began growing on his face.

“Because I don’t like it.”

“...?”

Done adjusting his appearance, he looked at her and grinned.

“I’m going there to make a fuss.”