Chapter 90

Chapter 90

In Marduk Mansion, the once main building of Babel that was now serving as the Chairman’s office, two students stood side by side in a banquet hall, facing Chairman Ludwig himself.

“—having risked their lives to save their peers and for being exemplary heroes, I award these students with a certificate of appreciation.”

Finishing his speech, Ludwig called out the names of the two standing before him.

“Aqar Quf’s Department of Swordsmanship, first year, Jake Myers.”

“At your service!”

“Borsippa’s Department of Blacksmithing, first year, Lee Se-Hoon.”

“At your service.”

Handing each certificate to the two in turn, Ludwig lined up with the two to take a photo together before moving on and concluding the ceremony. Then, once the brief ceremony had come to a close, Ludwig invited the two to his office.

“I’m sorry for bothering you two when it’s the weekend. Today happened to be my only free day,” Ludwig apologized with a gentle smile.

“Oh, don’t worry about it! We are grateful that you even spared the time, Chairman!”

Noticing the nervousness in Jake’s response, Ludwig gave him a kind smile.

“I appreciate that you think so. How are you feeling?”

“Thanks to the doctors in the hospital ward, I’m fully recovered now!”

“That’s good to hear. It’s important to have the mindset of a hero, but don’t overexert yourself. People like you are treasures to humanity.”

“Sir...”

Jake’s eyes sparkled. Hearing the genuine appreciation in the praise of Ludwig—the very first Perfect One and a hero admired by many—would thrill any student. Upstodatee from n(0)/ve/lbIn/.(co/m

I’m so bored...

However, Se-Hoon was not just any student; he was thoroughly unimpressed by the proceedings.

Couldn’t we have just wrapped up after taking the photo? Why is he dragging this on for so long?

Having to go through a ceremonial event, which he had never been fond of, on top of being dragged around recently for investigations had made him increasingly irritable.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to go off on that tangent,” remarked Ludwig, catching onto Se-Hoon’s growing irritance. With a slight smile, he got back on track.

“Given your heroics in saving many students, as the Chairman, I’d like to offer something in return. Is there anything you need?”

With the conversation now onto the main point, Se-Hoon’s eyes lit up in excitement, his previous annoyance disappearing.

If I combine it with what he owes me, I should be able to get something quite decent.

Looking forward to Ludwig’s generosity, Se-Hoon opened his mouth and was about to speak, but Jake beat him to it.

“Chairman.”

“Yes, Jake?”

“I would like my reward to be transferred to Se-Hoon.”

“What?”

Having never expected Jake to say that, Se-Hoon became speechless, while Ludwig became interested.

“Is that really okay? I heard that you also handed over all of your portions of the drops from the Divine Tree.”

“Yes. It’s not like there’s anything that I particularly need right now... and there’s the promise I made with Se-Hoon before.”

Jake glanced at Se-Hoon and grinned.

“That I would pay him more than he could ever imagine.”

Meeting Jake’s eyes which seemed to be saying, “Now, he surely won’t say that this is still not enough,” Se-Hoon chuckled.

This guy...

He had thought Jake’s repayment was over with the portion of the Divine Tree, but who would have expected things to turn out like this? Se-Hoon wanted to give Jake a pat on the head right here and then.

Accepting Jake’s reasoning, Ludwig nodded and said, “Well, if that’s what you truly want, I’ll proceed with that in mind. I’m looking forward to your future endeavors in the Department of Swordsmanship.”

“Thank you!”

“Then, you are now dismissed.”

With a bow, Jake left the office. And Ludwig, watching his back the entire time, calmly noted, “His potential has deepened more than before. It seems that the sword you forged for him matches him well.”

“It’s not that amazing of a weapon.”

“...Huh?”

“It seems a bit harsh to take away the material you put so much effort into obtaining. But more importantly... I’m curious to see how you’ll grow this.”

Taken aback by the unexpected response, Se-Hoon wore a perplexed expression.

“Are you saying you’ll give me this seed?”

“Yes, that’s right. However, as I mentioned earlier, there are a few conditions that you must follow since it is a dangerous material.”

Ludwig then set forth two conditions: Firstly, the ownership of the seed would be publicly acknowledged as Ludwig’s to prepare for any eventualities, and it would be cultivated in a designated location within the campus grounds; secondly, regular reports on its growth status must be prepared and shown to him.

So he basically wants to conduct the research secretly to avoid any hassle.

Although regular reports seemed rather cumbersome, the conditions were still quite appealing since the location and materials would all be provided.

Growing it elsewhere myself is a bit risky as I can’t watch it 24/7... but more importantly, increasing my chances to meet with Ludwig should be beneficial.

If he were able to gain Ludwig’s attention, he would be able to receive more support and benefits from Babel. With nothing to lose, he decided to act immediately.

“When do you want me to start growing it?”

“Let me know when you have decided on how you want to cultivate it. At that point, I’ll pick a suitable location and inform you then.”

Facing the new challenge of cultivating the Divine Tree, Se-Hoon needed to think it over carefully so he nodded.

“Understood.”

“Good. Now then, let’s talk about your compensation.”

Putting the seed back into the white space, Ludwig looked at Se-Hoon with anticipation.

“There’s also that portion left over from before. Just ask me for anything you need.”

Upon thinking about the Mount Silver Moon incident and his remaining compensation, Se-Hoon presented a response that he had thought of since then.

“I need something I can use to save myself in case of an emergency.”

“How severe of an emergency are we talking about?”

“I’m willing to use all of the compensation I’m entitled to.”

Hearing that Se-Hoon planned on using all of it, Ludwig became extremely interested.

“Most people would become more cautious after experiencing such an event... yet you seem to be preparing to continue moving around safely.”

“I am being cautious; it’s just that making me lay low could be what the enemy is aiming for. So, I would rather make them avoid me.”

Se-Hoon had enough of being dragged around during his previous life.

Surprised by his answer, Ludwig’s expression widened into a smile, fully impressed by his determination.

“I like your mindset.”

Whoosh.

The white hole moved toward Se-Hoon and then dropped a small ring in front of him.

“Ah.”

Catching it reflexively, Se-Hoon examined the ring in his hand.

The ring had a similar pattern to the golden keyhole Ludwig often reached out in midair. He checked the information message of the seemingly ordinary ring.

[Ascension Ring]

[Tier: Hero] [Quality: Perfect]

[A ring personally crafted by ‘Ludwig Schubert,’ the first to successfully conquer a Tower of Heroes.

It embodies the power of the Emperor of Ascension, specifically his spatial-type abilities. One can utilize this power by consuming their own mana.

*Enables the use of spatial-type skills by consuming mana]

He found the description too short for Hero equipment at first, but upon reading it in detail, his eyes widened.

Spatial-type equipment...?

This ring not only enabled the use of a specific type of skill but also allowed one to freely control it by consuming mana.

Smiling at the sight of Se-Hoon’s astonishment at its incredible versatility and convenience, Ludwig asked, “So? How is it?”

Though he had phrased it as a question, it was already laden with the certainty of what the response would be. And confirming that certainty, Se-Hoon looked up at Ludwig and responded, “Chairman, you are truly a treasure to humanity.”

He realized that the hero before his eyes was the real deal in this era.