Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Befitting its enormous scale, the artificial island of Babel was also home to many other types of establishments. These included relaxation resorts, research institutes of corporations and guilds partnered with Babel, and the residential villas of large families.

“Over here.”

“Hm...”

Now at one of those villas after a ride to the island shore in the Myers’s car, Se-Hoon looked at the Myers family villa.

It’s more modest than I thought?

It was a large and luxurious building that could easily accommodate ten people, but compared to the other villas he had seen on the way, it was a lot more modest in size.

He followed Jake into the entrance.

“Hm?”

Sensing someone in the living room, Se-Hoon noticed that the person had also noticed that Se-Hoon and Jake had arrived. Then, as if confirming his thought, the person abruptly popped out from the end of the corridor.

In front of them was a weary-looking man—his long blond hair was tied up carelessly in a ponytail, and he was dressed in a shabby white shirt and wrinkled suit pants—whose eyes lit up upon seeing Jake.

“Jake!!!”

“Uncle?!”

“You little rascal!!”

In the blink of an eye, the man crossed the hallway and picked up Jake by the armpits, lifting him effortlessly. With the man’s height easily surpassing 190 centimeters, Jake looked like a little kid dangling in the air, making Se-Hoon involuntarily smirk.

“Uncle, my friend is here...”

“So?! Isn’t greeting your uncle who you haven’t seen in half a year more important?!”

“Ugh!”

The man, Miles Myers, joyfully shook Jake like a toy with a bright smile. Se-Hoon looked on with amazement.

I didn’t expect the Mad Sword would have such a soft side...

Before the regression, Miles Myers was an A-rank hero known as the Mad Sword because he didn’t stop swinging his sword until the battle was completely over.

But, despite the reckless fighting style, he had survived for a long time. In his later years, he was virtually recognized as an S-rank swordsman.

That guy completely disregarded anyone not affiliated with his own family though...

Due to Miles’s eccentric personality, he had often been involved in various quarrels, but those had significantly decreased once he had made some kind of deal with Aria.

Thinking about it now, maybe this time...

Lost in his thoughts, Se-Hoon just quietly observed, wondering what path Miles would choose this time. A while later, Miles put Jake down and turned around.

“It seems like I’ve been having too much fun in front of a guest. My apologies if I’ve been rude.”

“No, not at all. It’s completely fine, seeing as how it’s been half a year. Please feel free to continue; don’t mind me.”

Hearing Se-Hoon’s calm reply, Miles looked at him curiously before smiling and extending his hand.

“My boy Jake made a good friend. I’m Miles Myers, Jake’s uncle. Feel free to call me Mr. Miles.”

“Lee Se-Hoon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

As the two of them exchanged friendly handshakes, Jake, who had become a mess in the blink of an eye, brushed his disheveled hair back.

“By the way, uncle, what brings you here all of a sudden? I heard you’ve been incredibly busy lately...”

“Why do you think I came? I immediately volunteered and rushed over when I heard my nephew was finally going to undergo his succession ceremony.”

“So... you’re conducting the ceremony?”

“Yes. Why? Are you disappointed because it isn’t your father?”

At Miles’s question, Jake flinched, but he quickly composed himself.

“Well, I knew Father would be even busier. I expected this much.”

“Pretending to be tough even though you’re clearly disappointed... let’s talk about the rest inside. Se-Hoon, you come along too.”

When Se-Hoon and Jake sat down side by side on the living room sofa, Miles headed to the kitchen and asked, “Do you guys want anything to drink? There’s pretty much everything here.”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Me too; I’m good.”

“Really? Well, I’m drinking one myself then.”

Grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard, Miles sat down on the opposite sofa. He then lightly flicked off the cork with his thumb.

Pop!

The cork came out effortlessly, and Miles just started drinking directly from the bottle like water.

So, he’s always been an alcoholic then? Se-Hoon thought, surprised.

He knew that Miles drank alcohol instead of water, but he hadn’t expected that would be the case this early. It made Se-Hoon gain a newfound appreciation for how resilient the livers of high-ranking heroes were.

Conversely, Jake, who was sitting by his side, closed his eyes tightly out of embarrassment.

“Uncle... can’t you drink that later?”

“Whew... no, no. My brain just doesn’t work right without alcohol these days,” said Miles, chugging down half the whiskey in one go.

He chuckled and looked at Jake.

“What if I had attacked? That would have been a disaster.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’d feel sorry if you developed a habit of hesitating because of me.”

Hearing her response which implied that she could easily handle his attacks, a bewildered look appeared on Se-Hoon.

“Can’t you simply just make your presence known when you approach?”

“That won’t do. It might turn into a bad habit of mine.”

“...”

Faced with her logic, which was just as incomprehensible before the regression as it was now, he sighed and changed the subject.

“So, how does the succession ceremony work?”

“It’s simple. Jake just needs to match his sword against that sword, Origin, and receive the sword aura flowing from it.”

“Receive the sword aura?” asked Se-Hoon, puzzled by the unusual method.

Aria calmly nodded.

“It means to directly feel and refine the sword aura of our great-grandfather, who was close to being a Perfect One. It’s also a way to see how proficient one is with the family’s swordsmanship.”

Now understanding thanks to her explanation, Se-Hoon looked once again at Origin, which was in Miles’s hand.

Receive the sword aura, huh...? The method itself seems sound.

Although the Myers family’s swordsmanship would have evolved over generations, its essence was likely still intact. And if talented successors like Jake could directly experience the sword aura of a hero who had reached a higher realm than anyone in the family, it could lead to many revelations.

“Normally, the result of the succession ceremony is used to forge a custom sword that perfectly fits the successor, but it seems like it’s reversed in Jake’s case.”

Se-Hoon looked at Jake.

A custom sword, huh...?

Could he really say that the Luminescent Sword perfectly fit Jake’s body? Unsure, he watched on as the succession ceremony began to take place in the arena.

“Alright. Let’s give it a try now,” said Miles.

“Okay!”

At his cue, Jake immediately infused his mana into the Luminescent Sword and gripped the handle tightly.

Crackle-

The flowing mana crystallized into a bluish blade. Seeing that mystical form that looked like it contained starlight, Miles watched with interest.

It’s technically called a sword, but it’s practically the same as sword aura.

The mana shined brightly inside the blade, fully compressed. Though its slicing force might be reduced since it couldn’t easily release mana, its durability seemed to be enough to withstand a clash with Origin.

I thought its Hero tier was for its uniqueness... but it seems forged perfectly well.

Revising his assessment of the Luminescent Sword once more, Miles extended Origin forward.

“You know how it proceeds, right?”

“Yes.”

“Just relax and naturally receive it.”

Following Miles’s instructions, Jake nodded and slowly brought his blade close to Origin.

Whoosh-

The golden sword aura that flowed downward naturally transferred to the blade of the Luminescent Sword, settling onto its edge.

So this is... actual sword aura...

He felt a sense of fulfillment like the sword was brimming with power from within and a confidence that he could cut through anything. Feeling the sword aura of his ancestors, he followed the sensations, fully enchanted.

Seeing Jake’s immersion, Miles watched on with a pleased look.

I never expected that Jake, having never properly swung a sword before, would be able to maintain it to this extent...

Wishing that perhaps talent didn’t lie, he hoped that his nephew would learn even more from this experience as he continued to transfer Origin’s sword aura.

Meanwhile, as the two in the arena were focused on the succession ceremony, Aria smiled gently as she observed them.

“Hm. Not bad. Your sword’s better than I thought.”

“...Is that so?”

“Of course. Just from seeing how Jake, who hasn’t been properly trained in swordsmanship until now, is steadily receiving the sword aura to that extent, it means it’s a remarkable sword,” Aria said brightly.

Turning her gaze to Se-Hoon, she then added, “As expected of the honor student of Borsippa.”

Normally, recognition from Aria Myers, the woman celebrated as the strongest student in history, would be enough to make anyone puff up with pride, but Se-Hoon felt a certain unease.

There’s something about the way she’s speaking...

Despite her radiant appearance, there was a feeling of emptiness in her.

He looked back at the Luminescent Sword in Jake’s hand. Although the bluish blade was still receiving and integrating the golden sword aura, there was a slight blurring of the boundary between the two blades that caught his eye.

“So, next time—”

“Give me a minute.”

Abruptly interrupting Aria, he headed toward the arena.