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Chapter 138

So he asked, “Do you need some help?”

Surely it would be faster if someone with bigger hands like himself helped her. However, the girl shook her head.

“No, you\'re not good with your hands, Number Twelve.”

“...”

Her response baffled the man. He couldn’t believe that such a young girl was saying such a thing to him, a person who was confirmed to be the chief researcher next year. But he didn’t complain about it, as it would be ridiculous to get worked up over the words of a child. Besides, the child was just making it apparent that she wanted to do the task herself.

A peculiar silence settled over the dining table before the man broke it by changing the subject. He was unable to endure it.

“Where is your dad?”

“He went to work. He told me he’s going to be busy because of the upcoming Offering Ritual next week.”

“...”

The man briefly stiffened at the words “Offering Ritual” which naturally came out of the girl’s mouth.

The Offering Ritual required one to dedicate their soul to the completion of perfect equipment. As countless trials were conducted over the years, he kept feeling more and more unsettled by the process.

Am I getting tired of it...?

Trying to excuse himself, he told himself he was just tense because the ritual was such an important project. It was during this time when the girl finally spoke first.

“Aren’t you the one leading the ritual this time?”

“Yes... along with the other researchers.”

“How will it proceed?”

The girl never looked up and just kept kneading the dough. She seemed mature for her age, perhaps because she had lived alone with her father for the past few years.

The man hesitated briefly, barely able to bring himself to answer.

“First we stabilize the body. After that, we will synchronize it with the vessel and transfer the soul inside. This time, it will be done through flames.”

“Flames...”

“The flames will naturally envelop the body and melt the soul inside. There won’t be any pain.”

Hearing the words he added, which were obviously meant to sound reassuring, the girl’s hands paused. But moments later, she resumed kneading once again.

“My dad told me not to worry about it because he will make sure that this Offering Ritual will be the greatest of all time.”

“...”

“I’ve never seen Dad so happy. He wasn’t even that happy when I made him snacks for the first time...”

The girl’s muttering carried a heavy sense of resentment and bitterness.

He wasn’t able to understand why, but the man couldn’t look at her face and promptly lowered his gaze. In fact, the Captain of the Guard’s daughter had always made him uncomfortable. She looked like any other child one might see around the facility, yet her mature demeanor caused him to be filled with an inexplicable unease.

That damn guy...

If the Captain of the Guards had invited him, shouldn’t he at least stay and greet him? The man cursed the Captain of the Guards inwardly.

“But I’m glad. He was so discouraged when Mom’s ritual failed.... Dad will surely be happy if I do well this time.”

“...”

“And everyone is telling me how great the Offering Ritual is. They say it’ll bring ultimate happiness that is incomparable to anything one can find in this universe.... Even the boy who used to bully me was envious enough to whine about it.”

The Offering Ritual provided a chance to escape their imperfect bodies and create perfect perfect equipment. It would bring them an unimaginable sense of fulfillment and a heightened ecstasy that would fill their souls, allowing them to transcend the limitations of the flesh. At least, that was what Offering had taught the kids here, and it wasn’t exactly wrong, as it was all based on research results.

It’s not completely wrong, but...

Plus, those chosen as materials for the Offering Ritual all voluntarily dedicated their souls, as coercive means like torture or threats would only result in a lower quality or a distorted performance. Therefore, regardless of what the public’s opinion on the ritual was, there was no real problem with their actions. After all, it was they who decided to offer themselves rather than endure the harsh reality.

Anxiously trying to convince himself they were in the right, the man’s thoughts began to spiral.

“Number Twelve.”

The girl\'s heavy voice reached him.

“It is a good thing, right?”

“...”

“I want to hear it from you. You\'re the smartest person I know... and I believe you won’t lie to me.”

“...”

“Please... I just want to hear you say it.”

Hearing her earnest plea, the man clenched his fists and bit his lips.

He was being torn apart internally, but he still managed to open his mouth to answer.

“If you believe it is, then it will be.”

Though the Offering Ritual was the path to paradise for most, if one didn’t believe in the existence of that paradise, then where would it lead them...? Even he, who was known for being smart, was unable to answer such a thing. Thus, he could only give the best answer he had.

Still unable to look up, the man glanced toward the young girl and saw the small hands kneading the dough finally come to a full stop at the edge of his vision. Then, he saw drops begin to fall on them.

Only now was the man able to raise his gaze.

“I\'m scared...” the girl whimpered.

He would never be able to forget the face that he saw.

***

“...!”

Realizing he had finally awoken, In-Cheol noticed that he was drenched in a cold sweat.

Taking stock of his surroundings, he saw that his workshop was filled with a purple mist, so he held his breath and rushed to activate the ventilation system.

Whirr!

Kicking into action, the ventilation system expelled all of the hallucinogens and stimulants mixed in the air, along with the dream mana that enhanced them.

Finally able to breathe, he surveyed the interior of his now clear workshop and soon spotted a familiar figure across from him.

“...”

Leaning against the wall, looking at him, was a man. And though the face of the man was gaunter than he remembered, the characteristic smile made by the corner of his lips helped him recognize who he was.

A moment of silence fell as In-Cheol quietly observed the unforgettable figure. It was at this moment that the man, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter, decided to speak.

“Long time, no see.”

“...Yes, it\'s been a while. Captain of the Guards.” In-Cheol couldn’t help but wear an awkward expression as he addressed his old friend with the title from his memories.

At the form of address, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter chuckled and said, “I gave up being the Captain of the Guards a long time ago. Now... just call me the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter.”

“The Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter... so it was you.”

“That\'s right. After stirring things up a bit while looking for the traitor, that nickname somehow stuck to me.”

An enigmatic criminal who only attacked and severed the hands of blacksmiths who mastered forging fire-attributed swords. Yet, even though such an infamous person was before him, In-Cheol regarded the familiar adversary of his calmly.

“Were you the one orchestrating the recent incidents to target me?”

“Not exactly. Well, yes and no... it\'s complicated. I don\'t know the full details myself. All of those decisions are made by the people above me,” replied the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter with a shrug.

With a grin, he continued, “You\'re looking quite aged though, even though mana is supposed to prevent aging.... You look like you\'ve taken the full brunt of twenty years.”

His playful words made him seem like he was meeting an old friend, yet the emotions beneath them were volatile, ready to explode at any moment.

Knowing that better than anyone, In-Cheol kept his senses sharp and ready for whenever the man decided to attack.

“I don’t think that\'s something you should be saying.”

“Ah, you got me there.”

The Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter let out a bitter laugh and sighed.

“Even though I trained hard, there seems to be no answer to mental stress. I haven’t been able to sleep for even two hours a day, and whenever I do, I always end up having nightmares.... It’s truly exhausting.”

The Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter then slowly lifted his head to meet In-Cheol’s gaze.

“So, Number Twelve... or should I call you Kim In-Cheol now?”

“...Call me whatever you want.”

“Sure. Anyway, In-Cheol, I noticed you sleeping quite peacefully earlier...” Trailing off, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter\'s eyes began to gleam. Staring straight at In-Cheol, he asked, “What did you dream about?”

Did he refrain from killing him while he was asleep just to hear this answer? Raising his guard due to his abnormal mindset, In-Cheol honestly answered, “Memories of the laboratory.”

“Is that so? I thought you\'d completely forgotten about it, after becoming one of the world\'s top one hundred blacksmiths and a professor at Babel... but it seems like that wasn’t the case.”

To the response filled with both sarcasm and relief, In-Cheol gloomily stated, “The past isn’t something that will just disappear.”

Even though he had left the lab, even though he had wandered the world, and even though he had settled in Babel to start a new life, the past he lived as Researcher Number Twelve refused to vanish.

Unable to escape his path, a piece of it now stood before him.

“That\'s a good answer. I was worried you might have forgotten.”

Swish.

With a satisfied look, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter stopped leaning against the wall and looked at In-Cheol.

“I\'d like to chat a bit more, but... we\'re a bit tight on time. Let\'s save the detailed conversations for next time.”

“...next time?”

“Yes.”

He smiled at In-Cheol\'s question.

“For you’ll be coming with me today.”

Bang!

The moment the last syllable left his mouth, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter kicked off the ground with his left hand extended forward. He closed the distance to In-Cheol in an instant.

He had already been a skilled A-rank hero in the past, so, twenty years later, his abilities had become S-rank. Compared to In-Cheol, who had lived his entire life as a blacksmith, the situation was overwhelmingly one-sided.

Click-

Which was why he had prepared everything for this moment.

Clang!

A thick barrier sprang up around In-Cheol, blocking the left hand, and spots on the walls opened, revealing weapons that began launching mounted bombs wildly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions swept through the workshop in the blink of an eye.

These weren\'t just ordinary bombs; they all contained special substances that interfered with the flow of mana and were even laced with poison, lethal even to high-ranked heroes.

But this won\'t be enough to kill him.

Certain that there was a reason Offering had sent the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter alone, In-Cheol moved while the traps bought him some time and opened the lid of the furnace he had positioned himself in front of.

Whoosh!

An enormous amount of heat burst forth.

At its center was the fiercely heated Shattered Flame, which In-Cheol grabbed with his bare hands and pulled out.

Sizzle!

Even his body, highly resistant to flames, began to burn instantly due to the sheer heat. Gritting his teeth, he attached the black hilt he had prepared, the Selective Firewood, to the Shattered Flame.

Fwoosh!

The Selective Firewood ignited upon touching the Shattered Flame, but it didn\'t burn up due to the mana contained within it. Seeing that it worked, In-Cheol infused even more mana into his left hand holding the Selective Firewood, pushing the Shattered Flame deeper into it to combine them.

Then, the instant the two objects were merged, the flames trying to consume his left hand disappeared.

The Selective Firewood’s effect protected him from the flames, blocking the heat of the Shattered Flame.

“Huff... Huff...”

Now able to control the Shattered Flame, albeit imperfectly, In-Cheol was ready to face the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter.

Fwoosh!

Due to the heat of the Shattered Flame, the barrier protecting him from the explosions finally gave up and melted away.

With the obstruction gone, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter emerged from the thick smoke. His body had been pierced by dozens of pieces of equipment, each one at the Hero tier and filled with powerful curses that were continuously gnawing at him.

If he were an ordinary hero, he would have already been dead.

“Haha... you\'ve prepared well.”

Even in such a state, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter was able to laugh as if he were enjoying it. The sight of his grotesque figure made In-Cheol tighten the grip of both of his hands around the Shattered Flame.

“It\'s time to end this,” coolly declared In-Cheol.

“Ah, yes. It must end.”

Nodding slowly, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter grasped his empty right arm.

“I\'ve already seen all your desperate attempts.”

Drip.

Starting as a trickle, crimson flames soon poured from his severed shoulder like blood and formed the shape of an arm. And once formed, a long sword emerged from it, one that resembled the Shattered Flame but held even greater power.

The sight made In-Cheol’s face pale with dismay.

That is... no, it can’t be!

But regardless of what he believed, the battle had yet to end.

Both men simultaneously swung their flame swords at each other, without any sort of cue.

And a colossal blaze, burning brightly like a sun, engulfed both of them.

In-Cheol wanted to see the result, but his vision was still blurred and showed no signs of returning. He also couldn\'t hear anything, perhaps because his eardrums had burst.

Whatever the reason was, the silence that surrounded him was so profound that he wondered if he had died. But soon, his senses began to return gradually.

With his sense of touch back, he suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness and his swaying body, as well as the breeze that brushed past. His sight came back next, and his foggy vision slowly cleared, revealing the surrounding landscape.

A forest...

He found himself in a mountain behind the workshop.

Realizing he had been thrown hundreds of meters, he inspected his body. It was a mess; his body had been broken in so many places that finding an intact spot would be quicker. Blood was also trickling from his mouth, possibly due to the mana backflow from the recent collision.

And worst of all were his hands, which were still holding the Shattered Flame. His left hand was completely charred like a piece of coal, and his right hand was severely burned.

Is this the end...

Somehow though, despite his condition, he felt no pain in his body.

He could tell death’s shadow was approaching, yet instead of fear, he felt worry. In-Cheol fervently hoped that he managed to take down the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter with his last strike.

But a relaxed voice unwelcomingly echoed from the opposite side, “This is a mess.”

Walking up to In-Cheol leisurely, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter held his flame sword and picked up the Shattered Flame with his other hand. Flames sparked from the wounds all over his body, but he gradually healed them.

Wound by wound, the area around each one melted. He pushed out each piece of equipment piercing him before healing the melted areas afterwards. Realizing the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter hadn’t been capable of such a thing the last time he had met him, In-Cheol connected the dots.

“You\'ve undergone a Specialization Ritual...”

The Specialization Ritual enhanced one’s body using Offering’s own perfect equipment. It was a procedure reserved only for completed products and those whose abilities were recognized.

“Yes. After restoring the core you failed to recover, I implanted it into my body.”

The core of the Shattered Flame, which In-Cheol had left behind back then, had revived thanks to the power of the Vermillion Bird and the Sacred Fire Furnace. And it was now inside of the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter, giving him both the regenerative abilities of the Vermillion Bird and firepower comparable to the strength of the Shattered Flame.

“Finally, we are reunited...”

Tenderly gazing at the Shattered Flame in his hand, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter\'s expression was filled with joy. His daughter\'s soul was used as the base to complete the vessel, so by merging it with the core implanted in his body, he could complete the perfect equipment and reunite with his daughter again.

He had long awaited such a moment.

“Don\'t... do it...” In-Cheol’s squeezed out, interrupting the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s joy. He then barely managed to continue and say, “if you combine them... your daughter\'s soul will forever be trapped inside.... Do you really want that to—”

Unable to finish, In-Cheol was flung through dozens of trees and slammed against a massive rock by the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s kick.

“Ugh...”

Blood gushed from In-Cheol’s mouth and his vision blurred.

As he tried to catch his breath, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter approached and grabbed his hair, forcibly lifting his head.

“How dare you lecture me, you filthy traitor?! What? My daughter will be trapped inside?”

“...”

“My daughter has dedicated her soul and body to the perfect equipment and went to paradise first. She has achieved what her mother couldn\'t at such a young age.”

Blazing with furry, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter abandoned his previously calm demeanor, revealing his repressed anger and disgust. He couldn’t accept that In-Cheol had dared to insult his daughter.

“Do you, a hypocrite who betrayed your comrades and hid your past, think you have the right to speak so highly?”

“...”

“Answer me, Number Twelve, no, Kim In-Cheol.”

Steeling his waning consciousness, In-Cheol fulfilled the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter\'s demand.

“I... once believed it was acceptable to use human souls as materials if they were willing to.... They all sincerely strove to create the perfect equipment... as did I.”

Back then, In-Cheol would have also gladly sacrificed himself if his turn came. He had joined Offering with such resolve from the beginning anyway.

“But... as time passed, the rituals, once performed only with volunteers, changed.... Instead of volunteers... we started selecting who the materials should be... and then persuaded them...”

He had believed that the new way of acquiring the materials for Offering Rituals might work if done properly, but...

“Were they really persuaded? And if the inside of pieces of perfect equipment really is paradise... then what is it like in the failed ones?”

If the materials were volunteering themselves, knowing that they could be trapped in hell for eternity, he wouldn\'t stop them. But since the whole process was no longer transparent, he felt as though Offering was surely committing unforgivable sins.

“Materials sourced from all over the world... children taken from orphanages and slums... do you really think Offering... never intervened at all?”

Could it really just be a coincidence that the souls most suitable to use as materials all just happened to be orphans and the impoverished that could easily fall into their hands?

Once he started to have those doubts, they continued to grow endlessly, cracking In-Cheol’s belief in Offering little by little before it was completely shattered by the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s daughter.

“Your daughter was terrified of the Offering Ritual... yet she hid her fear because she wanted you to be happy.”

“...”

“Did you really not know? If you truly thought of her as your daughter... you couldn\'t have possibly not known—urgh.”

Stopping In-Cheol from finishing his sentence, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter pieced In-Cheol’s thigh with his flame sword.

Sizzle!

The blade melted his bones and muscles, burning his nerves. The faint sense of pain remaining went wild, sparking his blurry vision back to clarity and revealing the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s face.

“Your sophistry is long-winded. It\'s despicable how you twist things to suit yourself.”

“...”

“My daughter was scared... so be it. If you insist on believing that, then I\'ll show you myself.”

Pulling out the flame sword from In-Cheol’s thigh, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter then pulled out one of the remaining weapons lodged in his own body, a short spear, and stabbed it into In-Cheol’s shoulder.

Shank!

“Ugh!”

The spear pierced through his body and embedded itself deeply into the rock behind him, pinning him in place. Then, with a twisted smile, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter stepped back.

“Watch closely.”

Gripping the Shattered Flame with his flame-wreathed right hand, the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter infused it with the power from its core.

Voom!

Flames surged into the cracks covering the Shattered Flame, mending the blade until it became a vermilion-colored sword. There was now a red crystal orb, with flames coiling around it, glowing ominously where the guard should be, connecting the handle and blade seamlessly.

Fwoosh!

Just like that, the only missing Five Element Equipment, the Fire Heaven Greatsword, was completed after decades.

As its power radiated in all directions, a voice—no, a scream resounded in the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s ears.

“Aaaaah-”

He immediately recognized the voice as his daughter, an unforgettable memory that had sustained him to this day. Overwhelmed with joy, tears welled up in the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter’s eyes.

“Yes... I won’t lose you again... I won’t send you away anywhere...”

He could clearly feel the soul within the Fire Heaven Greatsword, and the sense of unity with it made him feel as though he was finally rewarded for the countless years he had endured.

“Aaaaaaagh—!”

In-Cheol, on the other hand, was consumed by unending despair.

From the blazing sword, the screams of hundreds of thousands of souls used to create it and its core erupted. They burned like kindling, creating powerful flames.

It was a horrific sound that made In-Cheol groan in despair.

So... this is how it ends.

Was he about to fail to achieve his goal of liberating the enchained souls? Defeated by an overwhelming sense of helplessness, In-Cheol stared at the sword despondently.

Vrooom-

Coming from out of nowhere, a massive red motorcycle cut through the forest and crashed into the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter.

Thud!!

Upon contact, silver wires shot out from the motorcycle and tightly bound the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter. Then, it sped forward into the distance while grinding him against the ground.

And moments later, when it had gone a considerable distance—

Kaboom!!!

In-Cheol stared in stunned silence. In the blink of an eye, his beloved bike, which he had modified over many years, suddenly crashed into the Fire Sword Blacksmith Hunter and dragged him away before catastrophically exploding.

Why is my motorcycle...

He couldn’t fathom what had just happened.

“Phew.”

Meanwhile, the destroyer of his bike had finally managed to stand up after a forceful landing.

Se-Hoon grinned at In-Cheol.

“Your savior has arrived!”