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Chapter 82

So, with so many parts that formed the body, the question was: how should one handle this complex machine well?

The answer to the question varied from person to person, and likewise, Se-Hoon’s answer was to focus on the blood aspect.

“A human’s blood is fundamentally similar to fuel or lubricant, and with the advent of mana, it can also be used as a separate source of power.”

Normally, people were only able to move their bodies through their nerves and muscles, however, when mana was introduced into the blood, people were able to move their muscles by controlling their blood instead of nerves.

Of course, manipulating the complex muscle system using blood wasn’t easy, so one had to first fully understand their own body.

“You can’t just let the blood within you flow freely. You have to be fully aware of where it’s going and how it’s moving throughout your body, just like how you are completely conscious of how you blink and breathe.”

And during that learning process, one was required to consciously monitor tasks that usually happen unconsciously.

Sharing his basic method of manipulating the body once again, Se-Hoon looked at Jake standing before him—or more precisely, at Jake, who was doing a handstand before him.

“Ugh... agh...”

Creakkkk-

Having been in a handstand for hours, Jake’s face was flushed red, one of his hands burrowed into the floor and tightly clenching the ground. Given his physical abilities, he should have been able to manage such a posture for ten hours under normal circumstances, but right now, the circumstances were anything but normal.

Drip-

Very thin wounds, nearly invisible to the naked eye, were scattered all across his upper body, blood welling up and dripping down from each one.

“Mmph...!”

Feeling the sensation of blood flowing down, Jake hastily tensed his body to try to stop the bleeding, but the blood that had already started flowing out was no longer under his control. Soon, like a dam bursting open, blood began dripping out from everywhere, prompting Jake to panic and look at Se-Hoon.

“It dripped again. One centimeter closer,” Se-Hoon said as he moved the Black Flame Hammer one centimeter closer to the Luminescent Sword on the floor.

“Three centimeters left. If you let your blood drip three more times, all that remains of your sword will be its shattered pieces.”

“Ugh...!”

“Also, don’t you even dare to assume that I’ll just forge you another one. If I end up breaking your sword today, I’m not going to make you another one until next year.”

Hearing Se-Hoon’s words, Jake realized that he was serious; three more mistakes and not only would his Luminescent Sword end up as scrap but he’d also be stripped of his own sword until next year.

That’s the one thing I cannot accept...!

Envisioning a bleak future where the single ray of hope that he had finally found after years would be taken away overnight, he clenched his teeth and tried to sense the blood pulsing through his body again.

Thump-!

A picture of the flow of blood spinning from the tips of his fingers to his toes was drawn in his head as his mana burrowed into his veins, solidifying its form.

Swoosh!

The blood vessels across his upper body began bulging in vivid colors, and then, like he had turned off a faucet, his blood stopped flowing out.

Se-Hoon smiled satisfactorily, realizing that Jake had managed to control the movement of his blood.

He definitely has a mutated constitution.

Normally, to control one’s blood to the extent that Jake was doing right now, it would take months just to understand the process and then at least a year to actually control it.

However, Jake had condensed the entire process into just one day, proving that he already had a thorough understanding of his body and that his mutated constitution had made it easier for him to control his blood.

The fact that mana is already blending into his blood means that he has already completed ninety percent of the work. Is this what you need to be called naturally talented?

Completely satisfied by Jake who had quickly mastered everything Se-Hoon had taught him, Se-Hoon continued watching him, pleased.

Rrring!

The alarm on Jake’s phone, placed beside him, loudly rang.

“And... done.”

Bang!

At Se-Hoon’s call, Jake immediately tumbled onto the ground without even properly executing a falling technique. His mentality and mana were too drained from excessively controlling the blood, and his body felt too stiff due to his veins being swollen. And on top of those two, he also felt the onset of anemia from losing too much blood.

“Ugh...”

Jake squirmed on the ground, on the verge of passing out from exhaustion. Seeing him like that, Se-Hoon flipped him over and brought a potion to his lips.

Glug, glug.

Thanks to the potion that went down Jake’s throat, the swollen veins of his upper body subsided, and his heart started to beat furiously, trying to replenish the lost blood.

Wondering if the extraordinary rate of recovery was due to his youth or talent, Se-Hoon smiled slyly as he looked down at Jake.

“It’ll probably be easier for you to feel your blood right now since it’s moving more vividly. Keep an eye on it even as you rest.”

“Yeah, alright...”

“And...”

Despite Jake just wanting to rest, Se-Hoon continued talking incessantly.

Meanwhile, Kwang-Soo, who had been observing everything from a distance, wore a peculiar expression.

Where in the world did that guy learn such a Blood Art?

Although Blood Arts, or blood manipulation techniques, sounded evil due to the name, in reality, that wasn’t the case at all.

Using someone else’s blood requires one to expend several times more mana, making it inefficient, but using one’s own blood is structurally dangerous.

Blood Arts, which were once considered actual techniques, were currently only regarded as mere folk remedies. However, unlike the general perception of Blood Arts, what Se-Hoon had just taught Jake was on a completely different level.

Understanding and controlling the body using one’s own blood... it sounds insane, but it should be a viable technique if mastered.

If one managed to learn how to perfectly control the blood throughout their entire body, they would be able to continue fighting even if vital spots like carotid arteries were hit. They would also be able to further strengthen their blood vessels to create internal armor-like protection.

Such an ability would be incredibly useful in real combat, where even a minor injury could lead to death.

And that training method... it looks bizarre, but it’s pretty systematic.

The training method had two main points to it. The first was forcing Jake to stand on his hands; this corrected the abnormal inverse flow of blood and made it overall easier to master the sense of control. The second was etching cuts all over his upper body; although the placements appeared haphazard at first glance, each was strategically placed to prevent the disordered blood from overflowing and bursting out.

Intrigued, Kwang-Soo had paid close attention to Se-Hoon’s bizarre Blood Art the entire time.

“Have you been waiting?” Se-Hoon suddenly asked him, having finished Jake’s training session.

“That Blood Art, who did you learn it from?”

“Ah, you’re talking about that? I created it myself.”

“...What?”

Seeing Kwang-Soo’s surprise at his unexpected answer, Se-Hoon calmly added an explanation.

“I actually modified and improved a Blood Art I learned from a cheap manual that I bought at a market. It turned out better than I thought, so I’ve been diligently practicing it until now.”

In reality, however, it was one of his master’s techniques that he had been taught before the regression. But of course, he couldn’t explain it like that, so he gave a vague answer.

It wasn’t like Kwang-Soo could verify his story either, seeing as how he made it out to be something that happened before he enrolled in Babel. But regardless, it didn’t matter in the end because he was sure that Kwang-Soo would believe such a narrative from the start.

Hmm... considering that he learned the Celestial Infinity Blade by eye, it’s not an impossible story, Kwang-Soo thought.

After all, if Se-Hoon could steal his own Vision Sword Techniques, what would make such a story unlikely?

Praising his own technique in his mind, he shook off his doubts about Se-Hoon and looked toward Jake, who was far away from them.

“So why are you teaching that to him?”

“Ah. I thought it might help him since he has a mutated constitution. Plus, we have the subjugation practical coming up soon.”

Unable to speak about the succession ceremony, Se-Hoon gave another suitable, vague response.

Hearing that, Kwang-Soo nodded in response, seemingly satisfied.

“Well, with his skill level, just learning that minor technique would make him a top swordsman, prepared for many unexpected variables. It’s a pretty decent choice.”

“...You actually think highly of it? I thought you would take a dim view of it since you barely teach your classes.”

According to Jake, Kwang-Soo held his classes barely once a week, and even then, they weren’t classes but sparring sessions that always ended up with Jake being beaten to a pulp.

Of course, thanks to that experience, Jake’s stance had stabilized and his techniques became sharper, but he hadn’t been taught any special technique like the Eyes of Clairvoyance, unlike how Se-Hoon had.

“That’s just because he doesn’t need much teaching. Is this guy lacking in physical abilities or techniques? Apart from not being able to properly wield a sword, he’s flawless.”

“...Now that I think about it, that’s true.”

“The only thing he lacks is experience, and that’s why I’ve been tough on him. If he knew how to wield a sword, he might even be an S-rank by now.... But well, what can’t be done, you know, can’t be done.”

Despite Kwang-Soo’s indifferent demeanor, he seemed to have a clear understanding of Jake, which surprised Se-Hoon—he had never expected that much out of Kwang-Soo.

Hm. So Ludwig did have his reasons for appointing him as a professor after all.

Though Kwang-Soo was always grumbling about not wanting to teach anyone, once he took on the responsibility, he always aimed to fulfill his duties as an educator.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that if he had dedicated himself to teaching, he might have been the Dean of Aqar Quf by now.

Seeing his attitude right now...

Experiencing a new side of Kwang-Soo that he had never seen before, Se-Hoon pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I have a favor to ask of you, Professor.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Actually, Jake has recently managed to wield a sword.”

“...?”

Kwang-Soo quickly turned to face him, thinking he had heard nonsense. Instead of explaining, Se-Hoon presented the Luminescent Sword to him.

“This is a sword I’ve forged for him. Take a look.”

“This is...”

Recognizing it as the thing Se-Hoon was using to threaten Jake, Kwang-Soo immediately took the sword and examined its information message.

“...”

How could a sword that so many blacksmiths failed to create be created so easily?

Watching Kwang-Soo’s expression turn incredulous, Se-Hoon got to the point.

“To properly use that sword, he needs to be familiar with my Blood Art. However, I’ll be a bit busy preparing for the subjugation practical myself. Could you take over his training for now?”

“...Alright.”

“Now, you don’t need to be that... wait, excuse me, what?”

Surprised by the unexpected agreement, Se-Hoon looked at him with wide eyes.

“I said I’d do it. Is there a problem?” responded Kwang-Soo gruffly.

“No, there’s no problem at all...”

Truthfully, Se-Hoon had expected Kwang-Soo to just outright refuse or try to negotiate with a weird condition like becoming his disciple, but instead, Kwang-Soo just readily agreed.

Did he have a daytime drink? Se-Hoon tried to reason, puzzled

If that was the case, then it was no wonder he had smelled a hint of alcohol; perhaps the alcohol Kwang-Soo had drunk before coming was affecting his judgment.

Kwang-Soo’s brows furrowed slightly upon receiving Se-Hoon’s suspicious gaze, but he quickly calmed himself and said, “There’s not much time left until the practical. You should go on now.”

“Ah, yes... but don’t you need an explanation on how you should teach him?”

At his question, Kwang-Soo sliced the tip of his index finger with the outer edge of his other hand.

Sssk-

Before a drop of blood could fall from the tip of his finger, it was reabsorbed into his skin. The neat control over his blood, which was way cleaner than Jake’s, made Se-Hoon marveled slightly.

“I can learn from watching too. I’ll make sure he can do as much as I can, so don\'t worry.”

“Okay. Thank you very much.”

Giving Kwang-Soo a bow, Se-Hoon turned to leave the training ground.

“Ah. And take this with you.”

Whoosh!

Remember something, Kwang-Soo threw a book accurately into Se-Hoon’s hands. Catching it, Se-Hoon read the title on the front.

“Mortal Combat Techniques...?”

The title was simple and to the point; the book likely described different methods to kill during combat. Intrigued, Se-Hoon looked at it curiously, which prompted Kwang-Soo to gesture toward it.

“It’s based on the strange sword technique you showed me at the beginning. It’s a bit too annoying to explain everything right now, so just come find me if you ever face any difficulties.”

He seemed genuinely annoyed, but he was also being quite considerate, offering Se-Hoon more of his time. Surprised again by his unexpectedly gentle demeanor, Se-Hoon looked at him with a peculiar expression before quickly bowing his head again in thanks.

“Thank you.”

“If you’re really grateful... no, never mind. Just go.”

Though puzzled by Kwang-Soo’s abrupt turn of his head, Se-Hoon still left the training ground, leaving Kwang-Soo, who sighed quietly, behind him.

“Do I really need to go this far...?”

The thought of going to such lengths just to potentially take a new student under his wing made him dreadful, but upon seeing the Blood Art Se-Hoon demonstrated and the Luminescent Sword in his hand, he reconsidered his viewpoint.

With Ha Baek-Yeon and who knows who else thinking about taking him, it’s better to just teach him quickly rather than waste time deliberating.

Finally coming to a decision, he decided to just leave it up to Se-Hoon on what to do with the legacy of the Celestial Infinity Blade once he had successfully passed it on to him. With that new mindset, he looked toward Jake.

“Khuk...”

Far from focusing on his blood, Jake had somehow fallen asleep. Picking up the Luminescent Sword lying next to him, he approached the sleeping Jake and tapped the floor lightly with his foot.

“Ah, of course I wasn’t sleepi... Professor?”

Startled awake, Jake looked around in confusion.

Examining the Luminescent Sword in his hand once again, Kwang-Soo calmly said to Jake, “Lee Se-Hoon has entrusted your training to me.”

“Huh? What do you mean...?”

“He has to prepare for the subjugation practical, too. He told me you’ve got the basics down already, so he asked me to take care of the rest.”

“Ah. That does make sense.”

Jake truly didn’t want his training sessions to interfere with Se-Hoon’s own preparations for the subjugation practical.

Maybe I can get some rest now...

Although he was learning fast, with the practical around the corner, managing his condition was also crucial.

But unfortunately for Jake, who was sighing in relief internally, Kwang-Soo spoke up.

“I actually saw you train; it seemed to be quite soft.”

“...Huh?” Jake exclaimed.

The words “In what way?” almost escaped his mouth, but he held them back.

“If you’re going to learn something new, you should always increase the training intensity when you’re on a roll. From what I can tell, you should be able to handle 1.5 times the current intensity easily,” said Kwang-Soo, aiming his fist at the Luminescent Sword.

Like a kidnapper making demands, he looked at Jake with fierce eyes.

“From now on, you’ll control your blood while spinning on your hands for thirty minutes. You have a total of five lives. If you bleed more times than that... you know what happens, right?”

Tap, tap.

He lightly tapped the sword with his fist.

Staring at him blankly, Jake eventually closed his eyes tightly.

Kill me...

A clear drop of blood formed at the corner of his eye and trickled down.

***

“Faster!”

“Save me... aagh!”

Hearing the desperate cries echoing from the training ground, Se-Hoon smirked. It was an all-too-familiar scene.

Mhm. That’s how it should be.

Even though Jake was already learning quickly, learning a bit faster wouldn’t hurt. But because being too harsh could breed resentment, he had delegated the task to Kwang-Soo, who could squeeze out Jake’s effort more cleanly.

At this rate, Jake will get the basics down pretty fast.

The Blood Art Jake was learning was essential for mastering Soul Honing, which allowed complete control over one’s body. Although Jake was only going to learn parts of it, even mastering those parts would allow him to correct his unconscious habits quite easily.

Okay. With Jake taken care of... maybe I should start preparing, too.

There wasn’t much to prepare for the practical itself, but finding the target he was after required him to prepare many things. His main objective for this practical was to monopolize all of the drops from subjugating the Divine Tree, a hidden monster and material within the Black Lotus Seas. Before the regression, he hadn’t managed to do it.

I’ll make sure I get them all in my hands this time around.

With the materials he would be obtaining this time, he planned to forge Sung-Ha’s spear, some bows, and some staves—basically anything that caught his fancy. Thinking about that moment, he headed to the workshop with both of his eyes sparkling intensely.