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Chapter 158

“He really does look like him.”

“Wow, what a nasty expression he’s wearing...”

Glancing at him from afar as they passed by, visitors of the terminal all murmured something. There were even some, seeing this as an opportunity, who tried to approach. But they were quickly stopped by a piece of paper placed beside him.

“Anyone that talks to me now will never be able to do business with me.”

Though it was hastily written, its content couldn’t be ignored. Deterred, the ones who wanted to do business exchanged glances with one another.

If he really means it...

The Guild Master might even straight-up fire us.

At this moment, they all collectively realized something—Se-Hoon was the one giving opportunities, not them. They then promptly retreated, worried that they had possibly offended him.

Meanwhile, the focal point of all the gazes was lost in thought alone, completely ignoring his surroundings.

Yeom Jin-Hyun, huh...?

Jin-Hyun, the founding father of the Flame Sect and the master of Sung-Ha, was always someone Se-Hoon had thought he would meet someday. But he hadn’t expected that day to be today.

In hindsight, it’s strange that he didn’t contact me until now.

He had taught Sung-Ha many things, knowing he would become the Mad Dog. To him, it was a natural decision; however, to others, it must have looked different.

It must be strange, seeing him get so close to a random guy, using darkness mana he’s never used before, and even modifying his spear technique to dual-wielding.

Moreover, Sung-Ha challenged the sect master, and he also ended up in intensive care because he fought off the active-duty heroes colluding with the Demon Force—all because of Se-Hoon’s influence. An ordinary person would have been terrified for Sung-Ha.

Thinking like that, Jin-Hyon only contacting him now could be seen as somewhat neglectful.

I heard he was quite rough during his active-duty years... I wonder how he is now.

Feeling half-expectant and half-worried, Se-Hoon continued waiting. A while later, he suddenly felt a gaze and looked up to see a tall young man and a hunched, small old man walking side by side.

Squinting, he tried to take a closer look at his awaited guests, when he abruptly felt a series of nonstop vibrations from his pocket.

Vrrr- Vrrr- Vrrr- Vrrr- Vrrr-

Glancing down, he saw messages from Sung-Ha.

Sung-Ha: Behave politely in front of my master.

Sung-Ha: If you frown or speak rudely, you’re dead.

Sung-Ha: If you talk nonsense about me, you’re dead.

Sung-Ha: In any case, if you upset my master, you’re dead.

.

.

.

Seeing the endless messages, Se-Hoon looked up at the tall young man, Sung-Ha. While hiding his phone slightly behind his back so that the old man next to him wouldn’t see, Sung-Ha’s fingers were typing away on his phone.

The sight made Se-Hoon involuntarily chuckle.

He’s being quite fussy.

The nagging was a bit annoying, but in some sense, it wasn’t a bad thing. After all, the mere fact that he was being preemptively nagged meant that Sung-Ha wanted him to make a good impression on his master.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. If he didn’t care at all, he would’ve just watched from the side and hit me whenever he didn’t like my reactions.

Feeling a bit appreciative, Se-Hoon just nodded slightly toward Sung-Ha instead of replying.

“...”

And upon seeing that, Sung-Ha returned the nod and put his phone away. Shortly after, the two people approached.

Speaking first, the old man, Jin-Hyun, apologized in a deep voice, “Sorry for being late. I set out early, but my slow pace seems to have made it take a bit longer.”

Straightening his posture, Se-Hoon bowed. “No problem. Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Lee Se-Hoon.”

“Hmm.”

Going by his expression, it seemed Sung-Ha was satisfied.

Nodding, Jin-Hyun returned the greeting, “Yes, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Yeom Jin-Hyun.”

With the straightforward introduction done, Se-Hoon took a closer look at Jin-Hyun for the first time. His hair was completely white, his face was etched with numerous wrinkles, and though his baggy uniform obscured his body, his gait revealed much about his condition.

He looks like a typical fallen hero.

His body, ravaged by time and battle, appeared to be broken all over the place, and the mana within him also appeared to have dissipated beyond recovery.

He’s probably B-rank... no, practically C-rank or lower now.

Seeing his current condition, it was hard to believe that he had once been an S-rank hero.

Se-Hoon’s eyes deepened with sympathy; such a tragic state was something he had seen a few times before. He had heard about Jin-Hyun\'s deteriorated condition, but seeing it firsthand was more startling than he had imagined.

At this rate, he might even...

“Ahem!”

Just before he was about to fall into deep thought about the visible signs of Jin-Hyun\'s decline, a loud cough awoke him.

Feeling Sung-Ha’s glare, Se-Hoon belatedly realized his thoughts had been about to wander off again.

“Ah. Uhm, shall we continue our conversation at the restaurant? I’ve reserved a nice place,” Se-Hoon said in a hurry.

“I will follow your lead.”

“Then let’s head to a taxi stand first.”

Following behind Se-Hoon, Jin-Hyun suddenly stumbled, nearly falling forward. Noticing, Se-Hoon moved to catch him, but Sung-Ha had already moved to support him.

“Master, are you alright?”

“Yes... I’m fine. It seems I’ve walked a bit too much.”

“It might be better if you used a wheelchair...”

“Don’t worry. It’s not that bad yet.”

“But...”

The back-and-forth between Jin-Hyun\'s stubborn refusal and Sung-Ha’s concern continued.

So that guy can make that kind of face too.

Taken aback, Se-Hoon observed how Sung-Ha, who was usually scowling or mocking him, was now showing an expression full of genuine worry. It revealed a lot about just how significant the person Yeom Jin-Hyun was to him.

Se-Hoon approached Jin-Hyun.

“Sir, let me help you.”

“No, there’s really no need...”

“Don’t worry. It’s not what you think.”

Activating Shadow Thread, Se-Hoon connected a thread to Jin-Hyun\'s body and quickly set up a simple barrier inside.

Swish

Now reinforced, the creaking in Jin-Hyun’s body eased and his movements soon stabilized. Surprised, Jin-Hyun widened his eyes.

“Is this...”

“I’ve adjusted your body to make it a little easier for you to move. Is this alright?”

Staring at Se-Hoon, Jin-Hyun nodded after a brief moment.

“Yes, this should be fine. Thank you.”

“Then, let me continue guiding you.”

As Se-Hoon turned around to start walking again, he caught a glimpse of Sung-Ha’s expression.

“Hmm.”

“...”

Seeing the subtle satisfied smile on his face, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes. Then, he moved forward.

Matching Jin-Hyun’s place, Sung-Ha was following a step behind when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Taking a quick cautious glance at his master, he checked his phone.

Se-Hoon: Stop smiling so annoyingly.

“...”

He struggled to suppress his twitching expression.

***

The meal at the Korean restaurant began without any significant conversations, contrary to what Se-Hoon had expected.

“It\'s a relief that there were no aftereffects. Still, try to be more careful of injuries in the future.”

“Yes, I plan to be more cautious from now on.”

During their meal, all Jin-Hyun talked about were light topics like the Demon Force’s assault on Babel and the injuries Se-Hoon received. From that and his table manners, he was the definition of polite.

It’s hard to believe someone like Sung-Ha could come from a person like him...

Though he wasn’t Sung-Ha’s biological parent, Sung-Ha still should have learned a lot from watching him. Yet somehow, Sung-Ha had turned out to be a complete psychopath. The contrast between the two was honestly a marvel.

“That was a good meal. I haven\'t had such a proper meal in a long time.”

Having finished eating, the dishes were soon cleared, and simple desserts and tea were served.

“I’m glad you were satisfied.”

“Who would be dissatisfied with such care?”

Smiling faintly, Jin-Hyun sipped his tea.

Then, straightening up, he made eye contact with Se-Hoon.

“Shall we get to the main topic now? Is that alright with you?”

“Yes. The soundproofing here is thorough, so please feel free.”

Nodding, Yeom Jin-Hyun slowly began, “The reason I asked to meet suddenly today is because I wanted to ask you something.”

A question about Sung-Ha, perhaps? Se-Hoon patiently waited, and soon, Jin-Hyun quietly asked, “What are you planning to do?”

“...Are you asking what I am planning to do with Yeom Sung-Ha?”

“No, it has nothing to do with Sung-Ha. I’m rather curious about what you want to accomplish.”

The unexpected question surprised Se-Hoon.

I thought this was going to be about Sung-Ha.

Given how his disciple was in the intensive care unit, he assumed the conversation would revolve around that. But he had guessed wrong, so he hesitated.

Jin-Hyun continued, “I heard that you want to explore the Six Great Demon Realms. Helping Sung-Ha is part of that deal, correct?”

“Yes.”

“What I’m curious about is what you want to achieve with the materials obtained from the exploration and the equipment subsequently made from them.”

He was asking about the step after visiting the Six Great Demon Realms, a topic Se-Hoon had never discussed with others.

Se-Hoon took some time to think. After that, he answered, “I plan to completely erase the Demon Force and the Abyss of Demons from this world.”

Whether it was the Ten Evils or the Harbingers of Destructions, they were all just a stepping stone until Se-Hoon could ultimately eliminate the cancerous Abyss of Demons from the planet.

“Erasing the Demon Force and the Abyss of Demons... and what role would Sung-Ha play in achieving that goal?”

“If everything goes according to plan, he will be a trustworthy ally. He’d be someone even more capable than the Perfect Ones.”

Listening from the side, Sung-Ha questioned if he heard correctly.

More than the Perfect Ones...?

Was he really being evaluated that highly? It was so unexpected that Sung-Ha’s expression became unfathomably complex.

A silence ensured. A few seconds later, Jin-Hyun finally nodded. “I see. Then there’s no problem.”

“What do you mean by ‘no problem’?” asked Se-Hoon.

Taking another sip of his tea, Jin-Hyun calmly said, “As the heights that Sung-Ha will reach greatly depends on what your goals are, if your goals were mediocre, I would have ordered him to sever ties with you.”

His voice was as firm and full of conviction. It was as if the previous pleasant atmosphere had been a lie.

He was testing how far I planned to nurture Sung-Ha.

If it turned out Se-Hoon just planned to use him as an A or S rank ally, Jin-Hyun would have instructed Sung-Ha to cut ties without hesitation. But upon hearing Se-Hoon’s goal of erasing the Demon Force and the Abyss of Demons—tasks even Perfect Ones couldn’t easily achieve—he deemed Se-Hoon was someone worthy he could entrust his disciple to.

He might be more of a peculiar person than I thought.

Rather than worrying about his disciple’s hospitalization, Jin-Hyun only cared about how much he could grow.

Placing his empty teacup down, Jin-Hyun asked, “So, what do you plan to do now?”

“Well, actually...”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry too much. I was just asking in case there’s anything I can help with.”

He sounded pleased. Currently, Jin-Hyun seemed like he would help with anything he could provide.

Taking the offer, Se-Hoon contemplated for a bit before asking, “Do you know anything about Twilight Ingots?”

If the words of the Blast Dog in the memory he experienced through the Phantasmal Spyblade were true, then Jin-Hyun, who had once been the sect master of the Flame Sect, would likely know something.

Deep in thought, a few minutes passed before Jin-Hyun slowly began.

“I don’t know much about the Twilight Ingot itself... but there is one thing I remember that was related to it.”

“What was it?”

“During my active-duty days, there was a tool called the Synesthetic Mindscape Projection Device that was used for training one’s synesthetic mindscape. I heard it was made with Twilight Ingots.”

“A Synesthetic Mindscape Projection Device...”

It was a device Se-Hoon had never heard of even before the regression.

“You probably haven’t heard of it. It was revealed only to high-ranking heroes like me, and it stopped being manufactured after some defects were found. It was a kind of transitional product,” Jin-Hyun added, noticing Se-Hoon’s curiosity.

“Do you know who made it?”

Thinking, Jin-Hyun eventually replied, “I believe it was Max Baramuth.”

***

In the conference room on the top floor of the new Flame Sect Headquarters, the sect master, Lee Won-Ryong, was sitting in the head seat with the eight mentors seated on his left.

And facing them on the other side, was a single person. That man, Felix Barmuth, had streaks of white in his disheveled blonde hair, making him look drunk.

And just like he was drunk, his words came out as mumbles and were full of regret.

“It’s such a shame. If I had arrived just a little earlier, we could have signed a contract with you for a big order instead of the Seraphim Guild.”

“...”

“Perhaps you’d break the contract with them and work with us? I could offer you a discount...”

“Enough.”

Ending Felix’s monologue, Won-Ryong looked at him with cold eyes.

“I didn’t call you here for such pointless chatter. Show us the item.”

“You’re really stiff, aren’t you...”

But despite his grumbles in displeasure, Felix still gestured lightly to his side, prompting one of his bodyguards to step forward with a gray metal case. Taking it, Felix placed it on the conference table and unlocked it to reveal its contents to Won-Ryong and the mentors.

Within the case was a mesmerizing orb that was emitting an ethereal glow of orange and purple light. Enchanted, the breath of every mentor hitched.

“Oh... oh, wow...”

“This is...”

The appearance of the orb remained unchanged, but each mentor saw different scenes swirling faintly within, each a vision of themselves at a higher level of mastery of the Inferno Ring. The orb was showing them a possible future.

Enamored, the mentors became more absorbed, certain that they would break through their current walls if they were just able to obtain the orb for themselves.

The metal case snapped shut.

“This is just a quick peek. The rest will cost you, dear customers.”

The sly remark made the mentors’ eyes narrow, but they soon realized their position and looked toward the sect master.

“...”

Sitting at the head of the table, Won-Ryong stared silently at the closed case for a long moment.

“What do you want?”

His voice remained calm, but there was a faint heat to it.

Smirking inwardly, Felix leisurely said, “I don’t need any money. Just help us deal with one person.”

“Speak.”

“Lee Se-Hoon. I want him dead.”

The conference room fell silent. Then, realizing the gravity of the request, the mentors protested urgently.

“That\'s absurd...!”

“Do you even understand how dangerous it is to try something on him right now?”

On top of being under the protection of the Emperor of Ascension, Se-Hoon had gained worldwide attention for being the creator of mass-produced sword aura equipment. And yet Felix was asking them to assassinate such a prominent figure?

The chances of success aside, the Flame Sect would have to face the risk of complete disbandment. Even with their ambition to reach the next stage of the Inferno Ring, they weren\'t foolish enough to walk into peril.

Finally, Lee Won-Ryong spoke.

“You don’t expect us to handle everything by ourselves, do you?”

Unlike the mentors who stiffened, Felix broke into a wide grin.

“Of course not. I only need you guys to do two things.”

“Tell us.”

“First, use that friend Yeom Sung-Ha to lure Lee Se-Hoon out of Babel. And second...” Felix looked at Lee Won-Ryong and the mentors. “Turn a blind eye to whatever will happen to them. That’s all.”

“...”

The simple yet terrifying request made the mentors’ faces harden further, and they naturally turned to Won-Ryong.

With all eyes focused on him, Won-Ryong closed his eyes briefly before quietly murmuring something.

“Yeom Jin-Hyun. We can use that old man.”