Chapter 129

Chapter 129

For all external affairs, Offering operated two different squads. The first squad was composed of special units tailored to match the equipment they forged, whereas the second squad was made up of external heroes or demons they supported behind the scenes.

And since the latter group had no direct connection to Offering, they were frequently assigned tasks because it was easier to cut ties with them. It would be far too easy to cover up a failed mission as the doing of a hostile demon or defected hero after all.

This guy must be a part of the supported group, thought Se-Hoon.

Currently, Victor was glancing back and forth between the one-handed sword and Se-Hoon with slight tension. He likely didn’t fully understand the nature of his task, as he had likely only received it moments ago. If that was the case, the gap he showed in his stance just now made sense.

Seeing how the layer over the real surface of the blade restored itself immediately, it must be some sort of seal that will unlock under certain conditions. The real purpose of the sword is likely for ceremonial usage rather than combat.

It was likely that Victor was supposed to play a supporting role when Offering made their move next week. Taking that information, Se-Hoon mulled over the different strategies Offering had utilized before.

Then, like nothing had happened, Se-Hoon nonchalantly said, “What a pity. It was supposed to be a decisive move on my end.”

“Haha. It was terrifying, though,” replied Victor, breaking out into a cold sweat.

If Se-Hoon had shown any signs of attacking while rushing forward, Victor would have responded immediately. However, since Se-Hoon had walked forward and intentionally allowed himself to be “stabbed” by Victor’s sword, Victor had been caught completely off-guard and hurriedly pulled back his sword, forcing him to allow Se-Hoon’s next set of attacks to land in vain.

The timing of his moves was too perfect to be a coincidence.... What a scary guy.

He had already heard that Se-Hoon was a promising young blacksmith, and now, judging by the recent exchange, it seemed he also had exceptional combat skills.

Now I understand why my client advised me to keep an eye on him at all times.

With that much talent, he sort of understood why his client was so greedy for the student known as Lee Se-Hoon.

Victor glanced at his one-handed sword.

This won’t break mid-battle, but it might raise suspicions if it’s too tough.

Revising his strategy to block as much as possible while keeping impacts to his weapon at a minimum, Victor calmed down.

“Shall we try again?”

“Sure.”

Agreeing to Victor’s suggestion, Se-Hoon sprang up and swung his Five-Flamed Sword, aiming for a surprise attack.

It’s a bit too slow.

While the timing of Se-Hoon’s attack was good, unfortunately, the speed of it was lacking. Victor easily parried it by swinging his sword and slightly twisting the blade, deflecting the Five-Flamed Sword to the side.

Clang!

With absolute ease, Se-Hoon’s attack was cleanly deflected. However, Se-Hoon didn’t bat an eye and followed up with a hammer swing.

His movements made Victor's eyes flash.

I knew you'd do that...!

Having predicted that Se-Hoon would persistently target his weapon, Victor infused his fist with mana and swung it at Se-Hoon’s hammer with all his might.

Thud!

Upon contact with Victor’s fist, Se-Hoon’s hammer bounced back, leaving his chest wide open.

And seeing that, Victor kicked off the ground and rapidly thrust his one-handed sword forward.

Whoosh!

In a magnificent display, the blade stopped right in front of Se-Hoon’s neck.

“...I lost.”

Lowering his weapons, Se-Hoon gazed at the tip of the blade lingering right in front of his neck with a bitter smile.

“So you weren’t that easy of an opponent after all.”

“I didn't become an A-rank just for show. Nice try, though.”

Feeling as if he had made up for his earlier mistake, Victor happily sheathed his sword and looked at the other three.

“Shall we continue?”

“Well, unlike me, they've had a lot of duels today... so, what do you guys think? Want to give it a go?”

The three exchanged glances and then shook their heads.

“I think I'm a bit too tired.”

“Me too; I'm done for today.”

“Not really interested.”

Unlike when they were all eager to step up just moments ago, they were all now backing out together. It made Victor lift his shoulders higher, thinking they had been intimidated and were trying to avoid him.

“Alright then, I'll make sure to prepare properly for the next time I challenge you.”

“Sure, you can challenge me anytime,” said Victor with a grin before leaving the training ground satisfied.

Meanwhile, the other students, who had watched the entire battle unfold, sighed.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Ugh... so the winning streak is broken here.”

“Wait, but the ones fighting weren’t those three, so shouldn't we exclude Se-Hoon's loss?”

“Shut your trap and pay up.”

Sighing in disappointment, those who had bet on the winning streak lasting longer began taking out their wallets while others busily typed on their phones to spread the news.

By evening, everyone in the academy would likely be gossiping enthusiastically about Se-Hoon's defeat and the anticlimactic end to their winning streak.

This should be enough.

After scanning the crowd’s reactions, Se-Hoon stepped down from the training ground and called out to the others.

“Let's go.”

Without another word, the three left with Se-Hoon.

A while later, upon confirming that there was no one around, Jake quietly asked, “Why did you tell us not to fight him earlier?”

Contrary to his earlier action of asking if they wanted to fight Victor back in the training area, he had actually signaled the three with a glance not to step up.

To Jake, it didn’t make sense. If Victor had been extremely strong then it would have, but truthfully, Victor wasn’t that formidable.

His movements were pretty clunky even though he’s supposed to be an A-rank...

Compared to earlier automatons which resembled steel puppets, the new model before them had such smooth movements that it almost seemed human-like.

“They optimized its movements by integrating an artificial spirit into its internal engine. They call it the G-series, and its specs are pretty impressive.”

Unlike Luize, whose eyes sparkled at Lan Fei's explanation, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes and examined the new automaton more closely.

Marionette Factory, huh...

Currently, they were famous for developing golems, but Se-Hoon was more familiar with them as a prosthetics company. They had honed their skills by creating their flagship humanoid golems, the automatons, and then shifted to creating prosthetics that even high-ranking heroes could use.

Those prosthetics were of considerable help during the war.

Thanks to the Marionette Factory providing prosthetics to heroes who had retired or weakened due to injuries, they could return to the battlefield once again, alleviating the manpower shortages on the battlefield.

They were attacked and destroyed by Tuner in the end, though.

Despite their unfortunate end, they nonetheless made a significant contribution to the Human Alliance. Hence, Se-Hoon was quite familiar with them, yet the automaton before him felt somewhat alien.

G-series... I don't think I've heard of it before.

Perhaps that line had faced significant issues during commercialization after being unveiled at the expo—but that was just a guess; he hadn’t served as a hero in the current period before the regression after all.

They use artificial spirits, too...

Like the life forms they were based on—spirits—artificial spirits were made of elemental mana, something akin to half-monsters. And since researchers had been studying them from the emergence of mana, the eventual creation of artificial spirits was inevitable.

I heard they were specifically created to assist autonomous magic.

Since artificial spirits were created by combining spells with synesthetic mindscapes, they would be able to help set the parameters for any autonomous magic; for example, their initial application of moving golems autonomously. However, the results weren’t favorable. It turned out that artificial spirits—lifeforms composed of mana—would easily degrade under certain conditions.

They can be quite useful in some scenarios if someone is willing to take the risk though, thought Se-Hoon, turning his attention away from the new automaton to glance at Luize.

By this point, Lan Fei had resumed walking, giving an additional explanation as they moved.

“These days, autonomous magic is the trend in the hextech industry, so there will be many devices implementing it. In other words, the chances of accidents occurring during this time’s expo are higher than usual.”

Sighing, Lan Fei pointed to the small devices on the floor near some booths.

“Thus to prevent autonomous spells from rampaging, we’ve included magic-blocking devices and spell-disruption devices. However, applying them indiscriminately throughout the entire hall could cause issues, so we've divided the hall into sections...”

Like that, Lan Fei tirelessly continued explanations, only stopping when Se-Hoon pointed to a booth and asked a question. At one noticeable booth, Se-Hoon pointed and asked, “What does this device do?”

“That should be a fire control device. It automatically regulates the movement of flames to maintain a desired temperature.”

“And that one?”

“That's probably a mana distribution device. It distributes the amount of mana according to the inscribed spells, minimizing any loss of mana in between.”

Eventually, the three of them finished touring the entire spacious hall. The tour included various backstage areas which were accessible only to staff, to allow Se-Hoon and Luize to familiarize themselves with the layout.

And now that it was done, Lan Fei took the two of them outside the hall and said, “That should be enough for today. I'll call you again when all the devices are ready.”

“Understood.”

“And...”

Trailing off, Lan Fei took out two small boxes from the void pocket at his waist and handed them over.

“These contain the compensation I mentioned last time. Take good care of it.”

“Thank you.”

Grabbing a back each, both of them immediately placed them in their void pockets.

With everything done, Lan Fei glanced at a message on his phone.

“They’re looking for me inside, so I'll get going now. Take care on your way back.”

Bidding them farewell, Lan Fei went back inside the building, leaving behind the watching Se-Hoon and Luize.

“There’s still a bit of time left... how about having lunch together?” asked Se-Hoon, turning to Luize.

“...If you’re paying,” curtly responded Luize with a glance.

“Sure, sure. I'll buy as much as you want—”

“Excuse me.”

A cautious voice suddenly came from the side, cutting off Se-Hoon’s words. The unexpected interruption prompted the two of them to turn their heads to see a man who looked to be in his forties.

Is he an office worker?

The man had neatly parted black hair and was dressed in a tidy suit with an ID badge hanging around his neck. It was clear that he was related to the expo.

He somehow... seems familiar?

On top of his gentle, stubborn-looking eyes feeling familiar, his facial features were also strangely recognizable. The feeling was so strong that Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes at the main, attempting to dig up the reason in his memories.

Before he could figure it out though, the man spoke up.

“You’re Lee Se-Hoon, right?”

His voice carried both tension and anticipation.

Just when Se-Hoon was about to answer though, Luize stepped in front of him and glared sharply at the man.

“And who are you?”

Her blue eyes gleamed with suspicion, and the intense pressure from her unique skill made the man flinch and become flustered.

“No, no! I'm not some suspicious person. I'm someone who’s participating in this exhibition... Ah, right! Just a moment!”

The nervous man quickly reached into his inner pocket to hand over his business card.

Upon seeing that he had a card, Luize glanced back at Se-Hoon, who nodded and stepped forward to take the card.

[MT Industry, Director Lee Wen]

Lee Wen?

Like the man’s appearance, his name was also strikingly familiar. Then, right as a memory was beginning to surface in Se-Hoon's mind, the man spoke up again.

“Um, it might be a bit informal to introduce myself like this, but...”

The man, who had been hesitant due to Se-Hoon's reaction, bit his lip and cleared up the mystery.

“Li Kenxie, the Perfect One, is my father.”