Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Getting up early on a Saturday morning, Se-Hoon packed the luggage he had prepared in advance and then headed to the Void Space Terminal in Ur.

Soon, he arrived in front of a large building, consisting of five floors, that was so vast and splendid that it couldn’t even be compared to an average public transportation terminal. The security was extremely tight as well, which made sense considering the importance of this place.

This is a hub connecting the whole world, after all...

The Void Space Terminal was a transportation hub that allowed people to timely travel to hundreds of locations ranging from capitals and major cities of each country to various Danger Zones.

It was one of the pillars that supported the abnormal educational institution known as Babel.

I still feel the same way as before... it’s amazing that this huge facility is always so well-maintained.

Given the scale of wealth that passed through the Void Space Terminal every day, it should have been a prime target for demons or terrorists who sought societal chaos.

However, such worries were in vain since the terminal had seldom been directly targeted, even before the regression. The reason was simple.

The terminal’s owner is Ludwig.

This was a place that was created and managed personally by the one who was the first Perfect One and the strongest hero—the Emperor of Ascension.

Nearly every single surprise sabotage had been subdued beforehand. Even Great Evil, a member of the Ten Evils, retreated after sustaining injuries during an attempted attack.

In this way, Ludwig had managed to maintain its stature until it was destroyed together with the Destroyer of Heavens. In a way, that made it a prized company for investment.

Wait. Now that I think about it, shouldn’t I just buy this terminal’s stock?

He remembered how the terminal’s stock once plummeted due to crisis rumors but then soared again and maintained a consistently upward trend when Ludwig thwarted an invasion.

Pondering the investment opportunity that had come up accidentally, Se-Hoon suddenly noticed that the surroundings had become peculiarly noisy. He looked toward the source.

“...”

And saw Eun-Ha, dressed in a black suit, standing at the meeting location.

Her expressionless face and red hair, which could be considered her trademarks, made her unmistakable. Naturally, people would glance her way and wonder why she was there.

“Why is Ryu Eun-Ha here? Is she supervising someone?”

“What are you talking about? She’s famous for not doing such things. She even publicly turned down the son of the Seraphim Guildmaster.”

“Then do you think it makes sense that an S-rank hero would visit a D-class Danger Zone?”

People all around Eun-Ha were curiously theorized about why she would visit such a place. And amidst that enthusiastic atmosphere, Se-Hoon once again realized the heights that she had reached.

The place an S-rank hero stands is indeed far above reach.

Before the regression, he had seen her so often that he became desensitized to it. Normally, however, S-rank heroes were hard to even get close to, let alone talk to. Furthermore, with her position as the dean of the College of Borsippa, hardly anyone dared to present their business card to her.

In the past, she was just a picky regular to me... but now, she’s a reliable sponsor.

While he was pleased that he had formed a good relationship with her, he was also bitter, feeling the drastic gap between their standings.

Feeling the mixed emotions swirling inside of him, he made eye contact with Eun-Ha, who had been waiting for him.

“Ah.”

Upon seeing Eun-Ha approaching Se-Hoon without hesitation, people reflexively stepped to make way, leaving Se-Hoon standing alone.

“...”

Now up close, she silently scanned him from head to toe before asking calmly, “How’s your injury?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve fully recovered now.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Though her response sounded emotionless, he felt sincerity in it. After all, if there had actually been an issue with his arm, the quality of the equipment he forged in the future would have dropped, and that would understandably be a concern for her, who was always looking for new flavors to taste.

Otherwise, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t care even if my arms were chopped off...

While he reminded himself that he could never let down his guard around her, the crowd that had gathered began to murmur again.

“So, the rumor about Ryu Eun-Ha sponsoring him is true?”

“That’s incredible.... Of all people, Ryu Eun-Ha...?”

There had been rumors after the auction that she took an interest in him, but as they were merely rumors, no one took them seriously. However, now that there was evidence of the two meeting separately over the weekend, the story changed.

This news was so big that it would spread not only within Babel but also outside of it. Noticing the crowd’s reaction, both of them looked at each other nonchalantly.

“Shall we go?”

“Let’s.”

Neither Se-Hoon nor Eun-Ha was the type to be delicate enough to care about such needless reactions. Ignoring the stares from around them, they headed straight for one of the gates.

Beep-

[Student Lee Se-Hoon. You have not been authorized to enter the D-class Danver Zone.]

When he brought his student ID close, a hologram appeared in midair, denying him permission. Then, Eun-Ha presented her own ID.

Beep-

“I will accompany him.”

[Dean Ryu Eun-Ha. Escort to D-class Danger Zone confirmed.]

The gate finally opened. Walking through the passage, a blue portal, large enough for ten adults to enter simultaneously, materialized, revealing its interior.

With that short explanation, she crossed the electromagnetic field with Se-Hoon following right behind.

Zap!

Blue sparks ran over his entire body.

Although it simply felt like static electricity was sweeping through him, if there had been any demonic aura inside him, like a monster or a demon, it would have triggered a reaction and fried his insides.

It’s still as deadly as ever...

Having safely crossed the electromagnetic field, he turned his gaze toward a forest, where the wind eerily blew. At a glance, it was just a forest on a gloomy mountain, but there was one key difference.

“The atmosphere of Danger Zones is mixed with not only human but also demonic auras. Your body might reject it at first, so let it adjust slowly.”

With just a few breaths, his lungs tingled and his body flinched. Feeling how sensitive his body was to such a small amount of demonic aura, he chuckled.

I guess it really is a new body.

Though he was mentally accustomed to the contaminated atmosphere of Danger Zones, his body instinctively shrank back as this was its first exposure. However, that strange sensation was brief. Soon, synching with his mind, his body began skillfully filtering out the demonic aura and the feeling of foreignness dissipated.

“It seems I’m adjusted now; how do I look?”

Although it hadn’t even been a minute since they entered, he was already naturally dealing with the demonic aura. The sight made Eun-Ha’s eyes widen slightly.

“Impressive. It should be challenging at first, no matter how talented...”

“I have a bit of a knack for this sort of thing.”

Even if he had a knack for it, adapting in less than a minute was an abnormal feat, but Eun-Ha didn’t make a big deal out of it.

“Excellent.”

She knew of his extraordinary talent already, and being a genius who had achieved many such abnormal feats herself, she quickly accepted it.

“Then we’ll move on now.”

Leading the way again, they entered deeper into Mount Silver Moon.

As they traveled, a chilling wind laden with demonic aura blew. The absence of even insect sounds made their footsteps echo, and it constantly felt like something in the darkness was watching them.

Observing the eerie atmosphere created by the demonic aura, Eun-Ha spoke up calmly.

“The monsters inhabiting this place are all nocturnal. They have a keen sense of smell and high intelligence, and they are capable of scouting and coordinating attacks. There are two methods of hunting them: attacking the monsters’ lairs directly during the day and defeating the monsters that roam at night.”

Glancing around, she naturally changed direction.

“And at times like now, in the middle of the night, we could stealthily ambush and defeat them one by one or sweep through them as they come. Naturally, the former is the usual choice.”

Suddenly stopping after they walked for a while, she stared at the bushes.

“Today, we are here for your extermination practice, so I plan to not intervene unless necessary. How do you wish to proceed?”

Now done laying out the basics, she left the decision to him.

Responding to the clear question, he stared straight ahead like her and stepped forward.

“Since I have a reliable supervisor, I’ll go for a frontal assault.”

“I’ll reiterate that I won’t intervene unless it’s a dangerous situation. That armor should prevent you from getting seriously injured, but if I deem such a situation is likely to occur, I will immediately halt the practice.”

She clearly set some boundaries, wary of how he could be overreliant on the armor’s capabilities. Considering her nature, that didn’t seem like an empty threat.

“It’s fine,” he calmly said in response to her warning.

Even though his physical capabilities were utterly disappointing, he wasn’t concerned that he would struggle against the monsters here.

“Okay...”

She nodded and stepped back, letting him take the lead.

In the quiet forest, the presence and gazes of monsters silently dispersed around them, beginning to encircle them. And the moment Se-Hoon, pretending to be unaware, walked right into the tightening encirclement—

Growl-!

Black wolves burst from the bushes, baring their white teeth and charging in unison.

These were the E-rank monsters, Silver Wolves, that inhabited Mount Silver Moon. Though they were the weakest in this area, their close-knit coordinated attacks made them a formidable foe for novices.

Eight of them... perhaps that’s a bit too many.

Although the Shadow Matter Armor would prevent injuries, the unpredictability of real combat remained a concern. Getting ready to intervene at any moment, especially if Se-Hoon were to injure his hand, Eun-Ha prepared herself.

At that moment, the Flaming Scabbard on Se-Hoon’s waist began to stir with fire mana.

And when his right hand gripped the handle of the Five-Flame Sword tightly, a burst of multicolored flames erupted in a crescent shape, slicing through the bodies of the Silver Wolves.

In the blink of an eye, the bodies of the Silver wolves had been split in half, tumbling miserably on the ground and spreading a burnt smell from the charred cut surfaces.

Eun-Ha’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight.

To achieve such a thing, he waited until all eight Silver Wolves were perfectly within range before he unleashed his sword technique. It wasn’t just his technique and patience that were remarkable; his profound understanding of the weapon he wielded was also nearly perfect.

Impressive...

His combat style, full of the traits of a blacksmith, piqued her interest more than any other hero’s. She silently admired him and the Five-Flame Sword he held.

“...”

“...”

Suddenly, an awkward sound broke the silence of the forest.