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Chapter 96

Right after the promotion ceremony had ended, Sung-Ha publicly requested for a duel. The sudden challenge, causing a stir in the arena, was met by the opponent.

「Good. Come at me.」

In his heavy voice, Lee Won-Ryong—a middle-aged man with short, red hair and a scar shaped like a flame on his left cheek—accepted the challenge. The duel then started after the two each received a practice spear from below.

Boom!

With each swing of his spear, Won-Ryong’s flame rings burst forth, seemingly about to swallow the entire sparring arena. And the receiver of it, Sung-Ha, was barely managing to block and withstand it with his Black Flame Wheels.

The duel between an A-rank hero treated as near S-rank and a newly promoted B-rank hero in his third year at Babel was, as expected, completely one-sided.

Thump! Smack!

Not long later, Won-Ryong’s spear struck Sung-Ha, who had been solely focused on defending, in the abdomen. Continuing the assault, a series of strikes across his face, shoulders, and the rest of his body came.

Won-Ryong unleashed an onslaught of attacks without a moment of hesitation, beating Sung-Ha all over his body, trying to publicly humiliate him. Yet, Sung-Ha didn’t cry out in surrender and continued to try and parry the attacks to the very end.

Like that, Sung-Ha kept getting pushed back, and eventually, his body finally reached the edge of the sparring area.

Crack!

Won-Ryong’s final strike, aimed at Sung-Ha’s solar plexus, shattered his two spears and knocked him out of the arena.

Boom!

He fell to the ground below and twitched briefly before slowly getting up.

With his face and lips all covered in blood, he looked up at Won-Ryong, standing above the arena with unwavering eyes.

「I will challenge you again next time.」

The video then ended with that declaration of war.

“...”

Sitting on the sofa in his living room, Se-Hoon moved his gaze from the TV to the protagonist of the video on the other side of the sofa. There, Sung-Ha sat silently, looking back at him.

Seeing his confident demeanor, Se-Hoon sighed deeply.

“Crazy bastard...”

He had never imagined that Sung-Ha would promptly challenge the Sect Master in public once the promotion ceremony concluded. Dazed by his unimaginable actions, Se-Hoon endured the headache coming on to calmly ask, “Let me hear what you have to say first. What was your reason for all this?”

Although Sung-Ha was someone who tended to charge ahead without looking back once he made a decision, he was also someone who would carefully assess the situation before coming to a conclusion. As such, there had to be a reason he made such a declaration in public.

“The current sect master has started to purge those who had been maintaining neutrality. It seems he wants to clean up the entire Flame Sect before I even get to make my next move,” Sung-Ha calmly explained.

“So you played your hand a bit early?”

“Yes.”

Se-Hoon nodded thoughtfully at his response.

If what he says is true, then he definitely should have stepped in now.

It was inevitable that Sung-Ha would surpass Won-Ryong in the future, but that didn’t mean there would be absolutely no conflicts between them along the way. And on top of Won-Ryong, those who sided with Won-Ryong for their own interests would likely be hostile regardless of Sung-Ha’s qualifications or abilities.

Since that was the case already, it was best for Sung-Ha to seize any opportunity to check them without hesitation.

The public’s opinion of this incident hasn’t been bad either.

Se-Hoon glanced at his phone and read the news articles he had looked up before watching the video.

“Yeom Sung-Ha, the youngest mentor of the Flame Sect, challenges the Sect Master.”

“Will mentor Yeom Sung-Ha, wielding two short spears, bring a new wave to the Flame Sect?”

“Flame Sect spokesperson: ‘Mentor Yeom Sung-Ha’s flame ring techniques and spear techniques are independent of the teachings of our sect. We have no plans to adopt them until their efficiency is proven.’”

It seems like they intended to embarrass him in front of everyone... but it really backfired.

While it was true that Sung-Ha was beaten to a pulp and ultimately defeated, those with a discerning eye saw the event differently. Even if the result of the clash between two different flame rings was a one-way onslaught, Won-Ryong hadn’t been able to instantly subdue a B-rank hero. It was true that Won-Ryong hadn’t used his full power, but it still suggested two important things. Either Won-Ryong’s skills are lacking... or Sung-Ha’s talents are off the charts.

Either way, it forced people to consider Sung-Ha as the potential next sect master seriously.

Truthfully, Se-Hoon slightly admired how well Sung-Ha had seized the opportunity despite the abrupt situation.

Is it because he’s currently weaker? He’s making his moves more intelligently than before.

If it had been the Mad Dog, he would have already smashed all his opponents and established himself as the rightful successor of the Flame Sect. But while that method would be quicker, considering the future of the Flame Sect, a more roundabout way was likely better.

“Now I understand how your face ended up like that... but I still don’t understand why you’re hunting the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter?”

Even with some context from the video and news articles, it was still hard for him to understand what this had to do with the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter.

Sung-Ha remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, answering, “In return for the various benefits that the mentors of the Flame Sect receive, they have to regularly take on missions. That’s why they hand out a simple mission right after a promotion to accurately test the new mentor’s skills.”

“And your mission is to kill the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter?”

“Not exactly. The mission is to protect a blacksmith affiliated with the Flame Sect; they’re expected to be attacked by the hunter.”

“Expected, huh...”

The Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunt was a case that had been left unsolved even before Se-Hoon’s regression.

It doesn’t make sense that such a meticulous guy would have been so careless that the Flame Sect could anticipate his next move...

Suddenly recalling the earlier conversation about how Won-Ryong had started purges, he asked Sung-Ha, “The blacksmith you are supposed to protect, is he disliked by the Sect Master?”

“From what I’ve heard... yes.”

“Figures.”

While it was unclear if the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter would truly show up, it was clear that whoever showed up would also be targeting Sung-Ha. It seemed that despite the attention from the recent duel, Won-Ryong was unabashed in hiding his intentions, putting a troubled look on Se-Hoon’s face.

“Can’t you just refuse to take this mission?”

“If I do, a new mission will be assigned to me immediately. And if I refuse to undertake a mission more than three times without a valid reason, I will be stripped of my mentor title.”

“Yeah, that figures.”

With that idea shot down, Se-Hoon began contemplating again. A while later, he finally gathered his thoughts.

“Alright. I’ll figure something out within three days.”

“The payment will be—”

“But.”

Se-Hoon cut Sung-Ha off and looked him in the eyes.

“Only on the condition that I can go along with you on the mission.”

Sung-Ha’s eyes widened in shock at this statement, then his face contorted as if he had heard an insult.

“You’re talking nonsense. Why would I take you...”

“So you’re saying you don’t want a Hero-tier spear?”

“Kuh...”

Sung-Ha had immediately faltered, his expression turning displeased. Then, he stood up and looked at Se-Hoon coldly.

“Do whatever you want, whether that’s following me or just dying for all I care.”

With that, he walked out of the room, ending the conversation. Se-Hoon just watched him leave, clicking his tongue all the while.

“When someone offers you help, just saying thank you would do.... This guy can’t even warn someone properly.”

Although he wanted to let Sung-Ha fend for himself, he had to do something. Despite his flaws, that troublesome man was the ace of his team, capable of defeating a Harbinger of Destruction in the future.

With Sung-Ha gone, Se-Hoon also stood up and then infused his mana into the Ascension Ring.

Whoosh!

A void space opened in midair, dropping a void box on the ground. Normally, it was impossible to store void space items using spatial abilities like this, but Ludwig had tweaked something to make it possible with the use of the Ascension Ring.

Well, since he’s the one who literally created the void space spell, what couldn’t he do with it?

Planning to inspect the field of void spaces later on, Se-Hoon promptly took out a material he previously had an eye on.

Whoosh-

Out came the heartwood of a tree, with lotus stems rooted all over.[1]It was smaller than the pieces used for making the Crimson Flame Rod, but its density was incomparable.

[Divine Tree Root]

[Tier: Hero] [Quality: Awful]

[The root of the Divine Tree that grew in the Black Lotus Seas.

It’s a part of the roots that directly supplies nutrients to the tree’s core and specializes in absorbing mana.

*The properties change depending on the infused mana]

This root of the Divine Tree was a material one tier higher than the pieces of the Divine Tree from before. Due to its specialization in absorbing mana, it had matured rapidly, making it a rare drop among all the other drops.

“And then...”

Se-Hoon placed his hand on his solar plexus and activated Dream Storage.

Fwoosh!

Reaching into the purple flame that burst out, he pulled out the Eternal Nocturne’s Phalanx, which was densely engraved with characters.

I haven’t taken this out in a while.

Like the Ascension Ring, it was an object containing the power of a Perfect One. He had kept it hidden, fearing that Wurgen might detect its presence, but seeing that there had been no word of it so far, he deemed it safe.

And since it had been a while, he checked the information message.

[Eternal Nocturne’s Phalanx]

[Tier: Hero] [Quality: Perfect]

[The left index finger bone of the absolute conqueror, Wurgen Kruger.

The body part of a necromancer who walks the line between life and death has become a powerful catalyst for necromancy on its own.

By imbuing it with mana, you can activate three necromantic spells that were engraved on the index finger.

*Enables the use of the skill ‘Eye of the Boundary’

*Enables the use of the skill ‘Call of the Dead’

*Enables the use of the skill ‘Vision of the Abyss’]

Hmm. It seems like I can use Vision of the Abyss now.

Previously, it had been marked as unusable when he first inspected the phalanx after snatching it from Vollmond. It was likely the same skill that had sealed Eun-Ha temporarily back then.

It should be quite useful since it even works on an S-rank hero just by making contact...

It seemed like a good idea to keep it ready for use when things got a bit risky. Finished with his brief reexamination of the phalanx, he brought it close to the root of the Divine Tree.

Crunch!

“?!”

The moment the two came into contact, the root began to shrink and turn black at a tremendous speed. Alarmed by the rapid change, he quickly pulled the phalanx away.

Crunch-

But despite his effort, the root continued to turn black, and after a while, it had shrunk by about ten percent of its original size.

“...So, it’s this powerful.”

It was truly a part of a Perfect One, seeing as how it exceeded his expectations in terms of performance.

The root had now been imbued with dense darkness mana; the sight of it made Se-Hoon fall into deep thought.

With this, it seems I have ample time to forge the spear... so the only remaining concern is dealing with the assassin from the Flame Sect.

Since the recent duel had taught them that Sung-Ha would likely be able to beat mediocre B-rank assassins, they were likely to prepare more thoroughly.

They’re likely to send at least an A-rank. And they might also prepare something extra.

While they might be able to fend off a single A-rank assassin, if there were multiple of them, then it would be challenging to deal with, especially since there could be other factions also possibly targeting Sung-Ha. Therefore, they needed a reliable ally this time.

They needed someone skilled in killing assassins, a veteran with extensive combat experience. And a cranky old man known as Ma Kwang-Soo fit that requirement perfectly.

“I guess I’ll have to whine a bit for this,” Se-Hoon thought with a smirk, picturing it.

***

On the next Sunday morning, a sharp clanging of metal resonated from within the classroom of the Department of Martial Arts, unbefitting of how it was supposedly quiet on the weekend.

Clang!

Two iron swords collided in midair.

Though the sight of the swords targeting each other’s vital points was chilling to watch, the two exchanging blows were talking calmly.

“So you’re going to follow him there?” asked Kwang-Soo in disbelief, fending off a sword aimed at his neck.

Aiming at Kwang-Soo’s heart next, Se-Hoon responded, “If I send him there alone, there’s a high chance something will go wrong. I should go and help.”

“This would sound absurd to anyone else.”

A freshman from the Department of Blacksmithing was going to help Sung-Ha, the top-ranking third-year student from the Department of Spear Arts, the tenth-ranked student in the Hall of Martial Arts, and a top B-rank hero aiming to be promoted to A rank?

If the proud students of Aqar Quf heard that, they would snort in disdain.

“People just don’t know him well enough. That guy can fight people head-on, but he wouldn’t know what hit him if attacked from behind.”

“And you think you’ll know?”

“Well...”

Krrr-

Before he could finish his reply, Kwang-Soo’s sword slid down Se-Hoon’s and dove toward his wrist. However, instead of being hit, Se-Hoon twisted his wrist halfway and kicked the back of his sword in the blink of an eye.

Clang!

The swords deflected off each other once again, forcing both of them to step back. Taking advantage of the moment, Se-Hoon quickly regained his composure and caught his breath.

“To some extent,” Se-Hoon finished.

“...”

Kwang-Soo wore a sour expression upon seeing how Se-Hoon had adeptly deflected his sword. It was somewhat of a serious strike intended to dissuade Se-Hoon’s careless thoughts, yet he had neatly parried it.

What a monster...

It had been less than a month since he taught Se-Hoon the Mortal Combat Techniques, so he never expected that Se-Hoon would be able to handle it so well already.

Kwang-Soo cleared his throat and forced the conversation forward.

“Ahem. Anyway, this isn’t something you should get involved in. Won-Ryong might be obsessed with the sect master position, but surely he wouldn’t make such a desperate move, would he?”

“What if he really does?”

“Then... Yeom Sung-Ha would probably die,” Kwang-Soo said, casually scratching his chin. “But that’s the path he chose. He asked for it himself in the end.”

If Sung-Ha were to give up on the sect master position, he would easily be able to live as a high-ranking hero without ever putting his life in danger. Yet, he had walked right into Won-Ryong’s trap on his own two feet by insisting on becoming the next sect master, so he had no right to complain about his situation.

“Well, that’s true.”

“So...”

“But what can I do?”

Se-Hoon sighed deeply and looked at Kwang-Soo with a bitter smile.

“I’d already promised to help him.”

“...”

“Anyway, that’s just how things are, so I won’t be able to attend the next class. If you don’t hear from me after that, just assume that things have turned sideways.”

Leaving behind those words, Se-Hoon nodded, placed his practice sword back in its rack, and left the classroom.

Now alone, Kwang-Soo stood there with an incredulous expression on his face.

“That lunatic...”

Why had he made such a promise and, more foolishly, kept it and invited danger? He felt a rising irritation at Se-Hoon’s foolish actions.

Clearly, he’s not someone who’s going to survive for long. Maybe this is for the best.

If Se-Hoon was going to die before him, persuading him to learn the Celestial Infinity Blade would be pointless after all. Convincing himself of that, he was about to brush off his thoughts about Se-Hoon, but then, a memory suddenly surfaced.

“You promised me, okay?”

The image of a young man smiling at him made him pause for a moment. Then he sighed deeply.

“Why is it that none of the guys who talk about promises are ever normal...”

Grumbling in dissatisfaction, he pulled out his phone and texted a second-year student whom he was scheduled to teach on Wednesday.

Kwang-Soo: I’m going out of town.

1. Remember that the Lotus Trees mentioned earlier were the secret roots of the Divine Tree, hence why Se-Hoon pulled out the heartwood of a tree that had lotus stems rooted over it ☜