Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Finished with their conversation, Se-Hoon and Sung-Ha finally left the classroom and arrived at the forging room late. Lis, who had been doing a demonstration for the other students, narrowed his eyes after seeing them.

“Didn’t I tell you to come quickly?”

“Sorry. Sung-Ha sunbae wanted to briefly discuss the flame ring,” replied Se-Hoon confidently.

“...Yes, I did,” confirmed Sung-Ha bluntly.

“Tsk... next time, save the personal discussions for after the lecture.”

Lis normally wouldn’t tolerate laziness, especially from those without skill, but there was no reason to reprimand someone who was overflowing with talent like Se-Hoon.

Se-Hoon took his seat at a forging station and the demonstration resumed. As Lis talked, he glanced around the room.

I guess it’s still basic instructions for now. Half of the students are already drawing out their designs.

Quickly realizing there was no need to listen attentively to Lis, he quietly got up to examine the materials that were on one side of the room.

Hm. Even though these are just typically provided materials, there are quite a few useful ones.

These materials were provided to lessen the financial burden on the students and would not affect the budget they were allocated earlier. Surprisingly, the quality was quite good.

I remember working like a slave in the workshops run by professors before the regression and getting paid with materials instead of money...

As he recalled his past, he chose some materials and then returned to his seat. The sight of him choosing without hesitation surprised the students who noticed.

He’s picking materials already?

Does he not need to verify his design?

Normally, the complex nature of mana circuits in equipment with residual mana caused the design to require meticulous planning and verification before starting the forging process.

Yet Se-Hoon had skipped straight to forging, not even sketching a draft.

This unconventional approach surprised not only the students but also Lis, who was still amid his demonstration.

Feeling a particularly intense gaze among the stares from all over, Se-Hoon glanced over.

“...”

He immediately noticed Sung-Ha, eyes wide open, glaring at him; he seemed determined to catch Se-Hoon’s every move. Realizing that his gaze was mixed with suspicion and anticipation, Se-Hoon couldn’t help but smirk.

That bastard’s eyeballs are going to pop.

Noticing the smirk, Sung-Ha’s gaze intensified even further, but Se-Hoon just ignored it and examined his chosen materials.

The primary materials for his forging session were Fire Crimson Stone and Dark Cloud Stone, which contained fire and darkness mana respectively, making them standard choices for materials.

The ratio should be about seven to three... I should start with the heating.

Fwoosh!

The furnace roared to life as soon as it was switched on and began devouring mana as fuel. After checking the temperature, Se-Hoon immediately placed the Fire Crimson Stone and Dark Cloud Stone into the furnace.

“He’s just tossing them in?”

“Wouldn’t all of the intrinsic elemental mana just dissipate?”

Since this was a mistake that not even a novice would make, the students found it unbelievable that the honor student had done it. As everyone watched with perplexed expressions, Se-Hoon rolled up the sleeve of his right arm and looked into the furnace.

Here it comes.

Crack!

The heated Fire Crimson Stone and Dark Cloud Stone cracked, leaking the intrinsic elemental mana they contained.

The two types of mana immediately began clashing with the flames inside the furnace. Noticing that they were seemingly about to be consumed entirely by the flames, he protected his right arm with Scarlet Lotus and plunged it into the furnace.

“Gasp...!”

“Agh...!”

The daring sight surprised the watching students. Meanwhile, Se-Hoon, the man of the hour, nonchalantly stirred the flames inside the furnace with his right hand.

Whoosh-

With each movement of his hand, the two different types of mana blended with the flames.

After stirring the flames inside the furnace for a while, Se-Hoon felt a sense of resistance with his palm and promptly withdrew his arm.

Woosh!

A flame, intricately mixed with red and black mana, was slowly swiveling inside the furnace. This sight of such a mysterious flame left the surrounding students agape, and even Lis became astonished.

Fire transmutation...?

Fire transmutation was a technique used to imbue elemental mana by controlling the flames. It was a high-level technique that required not just precise mana control but also proficiency in handling flames.

Yet Se-Hoon had just managed to pull it off while simultaneously imbuing both fire and darkness mana.

So there was a reason behind Professor Kim’s confidence...

To Lis, it was as if he were watching a blacksmith with decades of experience, one that had faced all manners of challenges.

Overwhelmed by such undeniable talent, Lis completely forgot about the class, lost in his admiration for Se-Hoon.

Maybe it was too early, thought Se-Hoon with a frown as he tried to shake off the heat from his right arm.

He had wondered if he could pull the technique off with the Master of Flames and Scarlet Lotus, and it seemed he was still unable to withstand that level of heat completely.

Although they mixed a bit less than I thought... the more important matter is the control of the flame.

It might seem like a regular fire transmutation to others, but to Sung-Ha, it likely was a different scene entirely. Rather than forging equipment, Se-Hoon’s main goal for this forging session was to make Sung-Ha understand what controlling flames really meant.

Watch closely.

After ensuring that the flame’s flow wouldn’t stop, Se-Hoon carefully adjusted the furnace’s internal mana using the buttons at his feet. Sung-Ha’s eyes soon widened from afar at the sight of the resulting scene.

Is that...

Inside the furnace, fire mana spun rapidly in circles while the darkness mana, flowing slowly, enveloped it.

“This is problematic.”

However, unlike Se-Hoon, Sung-Ha seemed concerned.

“Problematic? Why?”

“The Flame Sect regularly sends mentors to check up on the successors of the Inferno Ring. And...”

After pausing briefly, he continued with a heavy tone, “Failing to maintain at least six flame rings will disqualify one from successorship.”

Blankly staring at him, Se-Hoon, needing clarification asked, “Wouldn’t being strong be enough?”

“The Flame Sect is a clan that passes down the Inferno Ring, a cultural heritage. While strength is important, one’s aptitude for the Inferno Ring is a priority.”

Prioritizing the refinement of technique over brute strength was characteristic of a clan that passed down a martial tradition. But to Se-Hoon, it was simply a pain in the neck, as it was something Se-Hoon hadn’t known before the regression.

“Just do it the old way then...”

“That won’t work either.”

“Why not?”

Instead of explaining in words, Sung-Ha attempted to create six flame rings using the old method. But when he tried to form the sixth ring, his Nightshade Soul surged uncontrollably and swallowed the flame, preventing more than five rings from forming.

“Trying to make flame rings with the old method like before causes the Nightshade Soul to become uncontrollable. The old method is no longer viable.”

“...”

There was a saying in the blacksmithing industry: if you lacked skill, you could easily make poor-quality equipment, but once your skill improved, you couldn’t make poor-quality equipment even if you wanted to.

In other words, there was no way Sung-Ha was messing up on purpose. The current situation fit the saying perfectly.

“So, when is this mentor arriving?”

“Tomorrow.”

“...Tomorrow?”

“Yes. Tomorrow, on Tuesday.”

Hearing his response, Se-Hoon furrowed his brow in frustration. One could argue that losing heirship was temporary, as reclaiming the ability to produce six rings could warrant a rechallenge, but it wasn’t as simple as it sounded.

According to what Se-Hoon had learned from Sung-Ha before the regression, once his heirship was revoked, he would be excommunicated immediately, as if they had been eagerly awaiting the moment.

That might not be the exact situation, but the real one won’t be that much different.

The grim expression on Sung-Ha’s face was enough to confirm it.

Although the situation was infuriating enough to warrant cursing, Se-Hoon kept a cool head and thought things through.

There’s still time.

The regression to the state of five rings was merely a temporary phenomenon for Sung-Ha. With just a bit of guidance, he could easily go back to maintaining six rings.

But the issue is how do I help him achieve that in just a day...

As Se-Hoon pondered what training method could benefit Sung-Ha, an old memory soon surfaced.

“Such an inconvenient weapon. If I had received it back then, I wouldn’t have been able to use it.”

He remembered how Sung-Ha had complained upon receiving the first weapon Se-Hoon had forged for him. It was an infuriating experience at the time, but it seemed like a feasible solution for now.

Placing his hand on Sung-Ha’s shoulder, he quickly performed Bond Extraction.

[Extracting bond from subject ‘Yeom Sung-Ha’]

[The bond with the host is Lv. 1.]

“What are you doing...?”

“Shush.”

Ignoring the confused Sung-Ha, Se-Hoon immediately conjured an image of Sung-Ha in his mind. What came to him was a stubborn individual who never bent their belief once they were set on it. Yet, he was also someone who possessed a warm personality and deep loyalty and humbleness, willing to set aside his pride to repay kindness.

This unbending, yet in some ways, paradoxical character was the Mad Dog Se-Hoon knew.

Whoosh-

As if shaping according to his thoughts, red-colored mana surged within his hand and formed Sung-Ha’s Fatestone. The stone was interspersed with red and black specks, engraved with patterns that seemed to spread out in circular waves. It looked more crudely shaped than before the regression.

Perhaps it’s because he’s still young.

Regardless of the shape, it would be fine as its performance was similar. Se-Hoon immediately checked the Fatestone’s information.

[Fatestone - Dark Crimson Stone]

[Tier: Advanced] [Quality: Perfect]

[A piece of ore containing both fire and darkness mana.

The wavelengths produced by the two elemental attributes resonate within itself.

*Amplifies the power of materials used together]

Seeing traces of Sung-Ha’s yet-to-be-awakened unique skill, Complete Source Resonance, in the Fatestone, Se-Hoon was able to confirm that it was suitable for use.

He then faced Sung-Ha and asked, “Are you willing to do anything to retain your heirship?”

Sung-Ha hesitated momentarily before nodding firmly.

“I am willing to do anything.”

“Good.”

Gaining confidence from Sung-Ha’s resolve, Se-Hoon lit up with determination.

“Then we’ll start with changing your weapon.”

“What?”

It was time for a complete overhaul.