Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Within a certain classroom in the main building of the Department of Spells, a voice echoed.

“If other skills simply project Synesthetic Mindscapes into reality, barriers fix them into place. Understanding this difference is crucial for constructing more advanced barriers...”

Half-listening to Professor Robert’s endless monotonous theoretical lecture for Barrier Composition, Se-Hoon mulled over the events of the previous day.

Southern Flame Pupil...

The Vermillion Bird, a one-of-a-kind phoenix, only had three pairs of eyes. As such, only six Southern Flame Pupils existed in the world, making each and every single one a tremendously valuable material. And precisely because it was so valuable—with its extreme rarity, amazing effects, and Legendary tier—he became more and more irritated.

They actually used such a thing as bait...

To most, such a thing would be unheard of, blasphemous even. However, to Se-Hoon, someone who had once used Legendary materials like disposables during the war against the Demon Forces, it wasn’t surprising at all.

Well... they can just kill a strong demon and get another Legendary material.

It would be a lie to say he hadn’t been reluctant to use them in such a way, but at the time, he could afford the luxury of sparing such resources with the situation the way it was. Regardless though, the potential gains back then had always made it a worthwhile method.

But that was then; now was a completely different story.

The carrier, Amir, was barely B-rank. Even the so-called bodyguards were mostly B-ranks, with just three A-ranks.

Even though they were transporting a Legendary material, the security was laughably inadequate. It was utterly aggravating that the Dream Demon appeared to be indifferent to losing such priceless material.

She wasn’t trying to trap the opponent... so then she must have been simply aiming to identify them, even if it meant losing the material.

The question had now changed: who could the Dream Demon possibly think her opponent was to so indifferently scatter such valuable bait? Keeping the question in mind, Se-Hoon recalled the keywords in the Dream Demon’s response during their conversation.

Skilled in spatial magic, is either mad or powerful enough to attack the Ten Evils, and is connected to Caden who may be connected to Offering.

With these descriptions, two names came to mind easily.

Ludwig and... Kim In-Cheol?

One was an authority on spatial magic who didn’t even fear the Ten Evils, while the other was a blacksmith who had been involved with Watchers before he regressed.

However, since the latter name was merely based on unverified information he had gained from the Phantasmal Spyblade, it left one person. Ludwig was undoubtedly one of the prime suspects.

So, the Dream Demon already suspects that Ludwig will attack her at some point...

Before the regression, Ludwig had focused solely on managing Babel, indifferent to worldly affairs like most Perfect Ones. Thus the Ten Evils had avoided provoking him, naturally resulting in minimal conflicts between the two parties.

Yet now, the Dream Demon was wary of Ludwig, effectively meaning that the previous tacit agreement had been broken somehow.

It’s probably due to what I have done.

Since Ludwig was openly supporting Se-Hoon, who destroyed Exuviation’s hidden lab in Mount Silver Moon and ruined the Puppeteer’s plan by defeating her puppets during the Black Lotus Seas incident, outsiders likely saw it as Ludwig also being openly antagonistic toward the Ten Evils. And now, Se-Hoon had stolen the Dream Demon’s item using Ludwig’s powers through the Ascension Ring.

This complicates things.

It was true that the Ten Evils weren’t as strong as the Perfect Ones, but that didn’t mean they would lose. And considering that their opponent was Ludwig, they could just strike Babel for revenge instead of the man himself.

Arriving at that thought, Se-Hoon’s eyes narrowed.

It’s a bit risky but with proper preparation...

The strike on Babel could turn out to be an opportunity to deal a significant blow to the Ten Evils.

Thinking about how to prepare, Se-Hoon began methodically prioritizing various urgent tasks that he needed to do first.

There’s checking if Kim In-Cheol is involved in this matter, absorbing the Purifying Earthstone to acquire my third elemental attribute, and finding a way to use the Southern Flame Pupil...

As he was busy scheduling his tasks, the bell rang to signal the end of the class and Professor Robert concluded the lecture.

“That’s it for today’s lesson, make sure to complete your assignments. Also, if you’re interested in barrier tools, you can attend the Hextech Expo that will be held in Borsippa’s exhibition hall next weekend. That’s all.”

Watching Robert leave the classroom after those brief remarks, Se-Hoon mused over Robert’s words, his interest piqued.

A Hextech Expo... that’s the perfect opportunity to sneak something in from outside.

Though it was unlikely that Babel would be careless enough to let that happen, given the recent attention he gained from the Ten Evils, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

Tug-

Feeling a slight tug on his left sleeve, Se-Hoon dismissed his thoughts about the Expo. Turning his head, he saw Erika giving him a blank stare, seemingly accusing him of forgetting something.

“...”

Oh, right.

He had completely forgotten he had promised to forge something for her and had almost postponed it again.

“Ahem. Do you have another class after this? If not, let’s go forge your equipment—”

“No classes. Let’s go,” said Erika, abruptly standing up as if she had been waiting, her eagerness evident.

At her actions, Se-Hoon smiled wryly and rose from his seat as well.

“Then let’s go buy the materials first.”

“Okay.”

With a plan made, they headed toward the exit of the classroom and Erika’s subordinates, who quickly approached them.

“My lady. Your next class... does not exist, of course! We’ll go on ahead then!”

Bemused due to the subordinates who started off energetically before suddenly going pale and scurrying away, Se-Hoon looked at Erika.

“What’s wrong?” asked Erika, with a tilt of her head.

Gazing at her casual expression like nothing had happened, Se-Hoon snickered.

“It’s nothing. Let’s hurry.”

It seemed she had been piling up more stress than she let on.

Thinking it was best to relieve her of all that quickly, Se-Hoon directly headed to the Borsippa shopping district with Erika.

“Where are we headed to?”

“I have a place that someone recommended in mind. I want to try visiting there.”

Recalling the store Rebecca had mentioned as a return favor during his visit to Lea in the hospital, Se-Hoon headed unhesitantly into an alley. They continued walking deeper and deeper into the back alleys, past some odd and somewhat suspicious-looking shops, until they finally arrived at their destination.

Located at the end of a blind alley was Alifes Wholesale Store, with a storefront that had various oddities and ends piled up like a mountain. It looked quite disorganized from the outside but somehow exuded a mysterious atmosphere.

“Let’s go in.”

“Okay.”

Walking in, Se-Hoon scanned the interior.

From unrefined ores and dented equipment to miscellaneous powders and ornaments haphazardly placed on the shelves, the place looked more like a junkyard than a store.

This is one hell of a concept... thought Se-Hoon, looking around with a bewildered expression.

“Hmm, seems like we have some celebrities here.”

Locating the source of the voice, they found an old man reading a newspaper at the counter glancing over. He was a black man with wave-patterned tattoos on his face and neck. Though he appeared old and frail, his eyes and demeanor exuded a depth of experience that gave the impression he was not to be underestimated.

“As you can see, we only have random knick-knacks here. If you’re looking for something special, it might be better to take a right at the entrance of the ally toward Terysnom’s Wholesale,” calmly said the old man before returning to his newspaper.

“We came on Professor Rebecca’s recommendation,” responded Se-Hoon.

“...I never thought she would actually recommend a student.”

With a chuckle, the old man folded his newspaper and stood up.

“Follow me.”

Navigating them past the clutter to the back of the store, the old man pulled on a decorative cord hanging on the wall.

Swoosh-

And the wall parted naturally like a curtain opening, revealing a dim interior. Without skipping a beat, the old man hopped inside, followed by Se-Hoon and Erika.

Whoosh-

Crossing into another space, a new scenery unfolded before them.

This is quite nice.

Unlike the messy main shop, it was neatly organized here. Each section was stocked with various materials, many of which were seemingly rare at first glance.

“Take a look around. If we don’t have what you are looking for, you can come to the counter and make an order.”

Done with the brief explanation, the old man stepped outside.

He managed to activate the materials...

There were generally two methods that blacksmiths used when using byproducts as materials: process the strength within the material itself and transform it or fully reproduce the power exhibited by the monster when it was alive.

Between the two, reproducing the power was the more mana-efficient method but was rarely used in practice.

Such a thing requires the creation of a mana circuit as complex as the monster’s biological responses.

On top of the fact that the method was troublesome design-wise and risky, its efficiency would be decreased if anything was even slightly misaligned. Honestly, it made things more challenging for both the blacksmith and the user. However, Erika seemed to be intrigued by it regardless.

So he has a talent for bioweapons as well.

Unaffected by the intently observing Erika, Se-Hoon finished attaching the remaining feathers. And once he was done with that, he finally picked up the Shadow Matter and drew upon his darkness mana, Moon Shadow.

Drip-

Following Moon Shadow, the Shadow Matter spread like a shadow and sleekly adhered to various parts of the framework—the final touch to the black crow exoskeleton.

Moving on, Se-Hoon called the crow, who had been closely observing the entire process.

“Come here.”

“Caw.”

Positioning the crow that hopped toward him, Se-Hoon promptly mounted the exoskeleton onto its back.

Clink!

The moment the exoskeleton was attached, it reacted to the crow’s physique and naturally fitted itself to the crow’s wings and thorax, fully finishing the frame. Then, when the crow’s mana seeped into the exoskeleton, it began merging with the crow’s body, fully finishing the equipment.

[Equipment ‘Spirit Bone Armor’ has been completed!

A masterpiece forged by a master blacksmith who poured his creativity into this piece of equipment without reservation! Its intricate design makes it challenging to use, but once mastered, it will reveal its limitless potential.

The tier evaluation for ‘Spirit Bone Amor’ is ‘Hero’.]

Checking the achievement message that popped up noisily, he indifferently thought, This is worth the cost of the materials.

The Shadow Matter itself was already of Hero tier, and although the other materials were of Rare tier, given that they were byproducts of an A-rank monster, equipment of this level was to be expected unless he was somehow extremely careless during the forging process.

Thinking something that the other students would probably be furious about, Se-Hoon opened up the information message.

[Spirit Bone Armor]

[Tier: Hero] [Quality: Average]

[A special exoskeleton made to fit crows.

When mana is circulating in it, it enhances the crow’s flying ability and can divert shocks received into the feathers.

If mana is supplied through a special route, the exoskeleton can be transformed into a preset form.

*When mana is circulating, flying ability is enhanced

*When mana is circulating, shocks received by the wearer can be diverted into the feathers

*Enables the use of the skill ‘Spirit Cover’]

This seems good enough.

Having finished checking all the features, Se-Hoon turned to look at Erika.

“It’s complete. Take a look.”

“...Okay.”

Summoning the crow with a gesture, Erika looked over the equipment visually before reading the information message.

A while passed.

[‘Inoue Erika’ has increased your evaluation.]

[A Fatestone has been formed for the subject ‘Inoue Erika’.]

Scanning the notification message that appeared in front of him, Se-Hoon’s eyes sparkled.

Indeed. The personality aspect wasn’t that important to her, I guess.

If Erika’s assessment criteria considered the complex aspects of a human being, merely forging the Spirit Bone Armor would not have been sufficient. However, the moment she confirmed the equipment’s performance, she raised her assessment of him and created a level two Fatestone.

In other words, her evaluation criteria for him were based purely on his abilities as a blacksmith.

It’s not a bad thing to focus solely on one’s skills, but... this seems even more desolate than Eun-Ha back then.

Could a person really keep their personal and professional lives separate to this extent? Wondering the answer, Se-Hoon looked toward Erika with a subtle expression.

“Can I try it on?” asked Erika with a look of curiosity.

“Ah, you may, but do you know how to use it?”

“I think I have a rough idea. I’ll show you,” responded Erika with a nod.

Standing up, Erika placed her crow on her hand and headed towards the balcony. Se-Hoon followed behind.

If the achievement message said it’s complicated and tricky, then there’s no doubt that it is... I'm curious to see how far she can go.

The Spirit Bone Armor was created with no compromises for convenience, and its power solely depended on the user’s skill. In other words, the performance of the equipment was completely decided by Erika’s proficiency.

Se-Hoon watched with anticipation.

“Wind Guide.”

At Erika’s whisper, silver mana infused into the crow’s body and the Spirit Bone Armor began to reshape itself.

Swoosh!

The exoskeleton of the wings spread out with silver mana naturally gathering over it, creating massive silver wings. They now had a more natural look than before, when all they had was Se-Hoon’s infused enchantments.

Erika casually shook her hand and sent the crow flying outside.

Whirl-

A wind so fierce that it could be seen started to swirl behind the crow the moment it began to flap its wings. The crow flying around the air, enveloped in the strong whirlwind, was quite impressive.

She’s quite good at it.

She was using a technique devised by utilizing the features of the Storm Vulture’s feather to create a gust of wind. And the resulting gust was strong enough to be used for both offense and defense. The overall completeness was honestly remarkable for her first attempt.

Judging from how well she’s using it right now, once she gets used to it... wait, what?

As Se-Hoon was silently praising her, the crow suddenly made a U-turn and began to circle. Following it, the gust also started circling, its rotational speed accelerating.

Could this be...?

Was she about to take it a step further? But wouldn’t it be nearly impossible for her to use such a technique during her first attempt?

Completely taken aback, countless questions raced through Se-Hoon’s mind.

“Furious Wind.”

At Erika’s murmur, the Spirit Bone Armor transformed again. The massive wings stretched out, but this time, the feathers fanned harshly in all directions.

Gliding on the rotating wind, the crow spun faster and faster. Soon, a silver storm began to take shape.

Roooar!

“What, what is that?!”

“Who’s doing that? Is it a demon?!”

“I don’t know either!”

The howling storm seemed ready to tear anything in its path into shreds. Its terrifying wind whipped at the balcony, eliciting horrified voices from below.

Standing in the center of it all, Erika just silently watched. And then, she declared its end by pointing toward a small mountain near the dormitory.

Boom!

The tempest created by the crow ripped through the mountain, tearing apart rows of trees as if a giant beast had swiped at the mountain in a fit of frenzy.

“...”

As Se-Hoon stared blankly at the scene that surpassed all his expectations, Erika slowly turned her head toward him.

“This is nice.”

She nodded in approval with a satisfied expression.