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Chapter 148

“Get all of this ready by tomorrow.”

“Do you really mean... all of this?”

There was a dense list of gifts on a piece of paper. The items ranged from the commonly gifted Jason Fruit Supplement set to rare materials for casting spells, giving the impression that she was bringing everything just in case.

Scanning the list again, Seitz, a young man with dyed blonde hair, hesitated before cautiously saying, “Miss, this might be overwhelming for the person receiving—”

“Maybe he’ll need a punching bag too, to punch out his boredom in the hospital.”

“I\'ll get everything on this list right away.”

Recalling how badly he was beaten by Se-Hoon, Seitz ran off without looking back.

The next day, Erika arrived at the hospital with the mountain of gifts stuffed into her void pocket.

I have to improve our relationship today.

From her observations, Se-Hoon seemed to be closest to Eun-Ha, followed by Sung-Ha and Luize. As for the rest, she judged that they were all more or less on the same level, so she hadn\'t paid much attention. Recently, however, Jake had started to gain ground.

They\'re both men and take Professor Ma Kwang-Soo’s class together. Jake Meyers’ easy-going personality must also be a factor.

And although Jake wasn’t a significant threat yet, he would likely be one soon. She deemed that the two would interact far more frequently while working on the Myers’ line of mass-produced sword aura equipment together.

So, with determination to solidify her position before they grew any closer, she arrived in front of Se-Hoon’s hospital room with a sparkle in her eye.

“Oh, you\'re here. Take a look at this.”

Opening the door, her body instantly stiffened at the sight of the black stake in Se-Hoon\'s hand.

“...”

The stake, which was about the thickness of two fingers and was twenty centimeters long, emitted a faint black mist that bore a strong resemblance to magic Erika was very familiar with.

“Black Mist...”

Seeing that one of the secret spells of the Inoue family and her brother’s unique curse was in Se-Hoon’s hand, she quickly approached and asked while looking straight at him, “How did you make this?”

Had he learned Black Mist from someone in her family without her knowing?

Seeing how bewildered she was, Se-Hoon soothed her doubts.

“I wanted to forge equipment with a similar functionality but found it tricky. So I just thought about how I wanted it to work and came up with this.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah. Oh, I did reference the curse your brother used on me before. It turned out to be quite fitting for my purpose.”

His nonchalant response prompted Erika to shift her gaze back to the black stake in his hand.

A spell that uses a seed as a medium. The structure is more akin to a weapon than a curse.

Unlike Black Mist’s original usage which was to connect the caster to the target, allowing spells to reach the target more easily, the stake-like object that Se-Hoon created was different.

His creation focused more on connecting the target to the seed that was used as a medium and allowing the caster to alter the connection itself.

That stake allows the caster to control the amount of darkness mana the seed absorbs, allowing the caster to even cripple the target by having the seed absorb all of their mana.... That doesn’t seem to be its purpose, though...?

He had taken the essential elements from Black Mist and then altered them appropriately to use the seed as the medium. It was a perfectly crafted spell that had the blacksmith\'s perspective mixed in, making it quite innovative.

I knew he had some talent for magic, but...

The sight before her far exceeded her expectations in many ways. She continued to observe in silence, contemplating the complex structure of the spell.

[\'Inoue Erika\' has increased your evaluation.]

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

Reading the notification messages that appeared before him, Se-Hoon thought, Hmm, looks like the spell was well-crafted.

He then glanced at Erika, who seemed like she couldn’t take her eyes off the stake, and made a small smile.

“Do you see any areas for improvement?”

“Hmm... You’re not planning to kill anyone with this, right?”

“No, its purpose is to lure darkness mana to prevent it from mixing with other types of elemental mana.”

“In that case...”

Trailing off, Erika pondered for a bit before confidently showing her right palm.

Ssss-

And silver threads unraveled from it, intertwining in the air to form a special pattern.

“This is a spell that should be able to better control the absorption rate and can exclude other types of elemental mana. If you can apply this properly, you can make it even more efficient.”

“Hmm. Hold on for a moment.”

After taking a quick look, Se-Hoon activated his newly acquired skill, Shadow Thread.

Wooong-

Manipulating the thin, black-mist-like threads unwinding out of his hand, he moved them to connect with the threads of the spell Erika had cast as an example.

Ssss-

Upon seeing that the black threads adhered to the magic array, tracing it perfectly, Se-Hoon connected the threads to the stake.

Woooong-!

Seamlessly merging into the stake, the magic pattern of the spell Erika cast soon appeared on its surface. Se-Hoon showed it to Erika again.

“Does this seem okay?”

“...It seems good enough.”

Though she wanted to offer more advice, there was no need to alter anything unless he wanted to add a few more functionalities to the stake. All there was for Erika to do now was just silently admire the remarkable craftsmanship.

In the meantime, Se-Hoon got up from the bed.

“Alright, I\'m going out for a bit.”

“Where are you going?”

“A nearby room. I’ll be back soon, so if you\'re hungry, you can have some snacks while you wait.” Following those words, Se-Hoon hurried out of the room before Erika could ask anything else.

With him gone, Erika turned around and sniffed the air in the hospital room.

It smells like burned waste and elixirs. And judging by his movements earlier, he doesn’t seem injured anymore.

Had he obtained an elixir from somewhere and recovered in such a short time? Curious about how Se-Hoon recovered from injuries that would require months of convalescence, she quickly got lost in her thoughts.

His understanding of the human body should be considered A or higher. I also need to update his aptitude for magic from A to A+.

Revising her evaluation of Se-Hoon in her mind, she sat on the bed and murmured, “Perhaps... it might be possible...”

***

[\'Inoue Erika\' has increased your evaluation.]

[As a Fatestone has already formed for the subject, its maturity level has increased instead.]

Mere minutes after Se-Hoon stepped out of the room, notification messages popped up. Then, after scanning the contents, he grinned. Erika’s evaluation of him had risen so rapidly within a single day.

At this rate, she might be the first one to reach a level three bond.

He had anticipated some improvements in their Relationship, but he hadn’t expected such it to be this rapid.

Dismissing the notification, he reviewed the information on Shadow Thread, which he acquired the previous day.

[Shadow Thread] 『B+』

[A spell formed by compressing the mist of curse into thread-like structures.

It specializes in eroding and mimicking the properties of the target, with the ability to connect the user with the target as well as the target with other targets.

If the spell is not completely removed, it can lie dormant within the body and be reactivated when certain conditions are met.

*The properties of Shadow Thread change depending on the eroded target

*Can connect different targets, but if control over the spell is seized, the spell will automatically dissipate

*Can be reactivated by supplying mana if not completely removed from the target]

Shadow Thread incorporated the connectivity function of Black Mist into the Black Weaver. And although it lost some subtlety and durability, its versatility was greatly enhanced. Overall, it was more applicable in various situations.

Even Erika, who had known about the Black Mist spell for quite some time, acknowledged its remarkable completion. However...

While I do think it’s well-made... I think it’s too well-made.

It was true he had occasionally examined the curse embedded in his hand during the Noblesse, but it was at a superficial level. It was unlikely he had grasped it well enough to extract its properties so skillfully.

So then, what could explain his talent in magic? Wondering about it, Se-Hoon recalled a specific moment.

Ah. Could it be because I had a glimpse at his memory back then?

On the day of the Noblesse, Se-Hoon used Ren’s attempt to view his memories to steal a glimpse of Ren’s. Perhaps his understanding of the structure of the spell came from that incident.

Still, could it be that I’ve developed enough talent in magic to be able to replicate it with just that single instance...?

If he really had, then it was a talent that he didn’t possess before the regression. However, unlike before, when he had no clue why he had developed such a talent, the recent incident had given him a possible hint.

It must be the soul.

He couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause, but it seemed like his soul had transformed somehow after he regressed, resulting in these newfound talents. There was no concrete evidence for it, but to Se-Hoon, it was the most plausible explanation given the circumstances.

Gaining these new talents is great, but... having restrictions on the Blood Art is still problematic.

Se-Hoon had only been able to survive at the end of the war against the Demon Force due to his Blood Art and the Soul Weapons he forged with it, aside from being protected by others.

Yet now, with the current restrictions, the stability of the powerful Blood Art had significantly decreased.

Restoring my soul to its pre-regression state might resolve it... but then I’d lose these new talents.

Since he had already tasted the effectiveness of his new talents, he couldn\'t simply discard them. Thus, only one option remained.

I’ll have to redesign Soul Honing.

Seeing as how Soul Honing was the fundamental skill that essentially defined him as a blacksmith, Se-Hoon had to think very carefully about how to modify it.

What a damn complicated skill.... Se-Hoon sighed deeply.

Like its ability to split a person’s body into several parts and hone the dubious power known as the soul, its structure was complex on top of being absurdly cryptic. And since using the skill and fundamentally redesigning it were entirely different realms, coming up with an improvement direction was far from easy.

I’ll just think about it whenever I can. If I can’t come up with anything... I’ll have to find the creator.

If there was anyone in this world who was confident in being able to revise Soul Honing, it would be one person: his master, the Blood Master.

Having arrived at Sung-Ha’s room though, he decided to look into that later.

Knock, knock-

“Hey, Yeom Sung-Ha. I’m coming in.”

Since there was no response, he just opened the door and entered to find Sung-Ha standing idly in the room.

“...”

Seeing his expression full of discontent, Se-Hoon asked, “What are you doing?”

“Just standing,” Sung-Ha said, glancing at Se-Hoon.

“Why?”

At Se-Hoon’s persistent questioning, Sung-Ha made a slightly annoyed face and bluntly answered, “They said if I work out in the room one more time, they’ll tie me up and put me in intensive care. So I’m just standing around right now.”

“...”

He was forbidden to exercise and told to rest in bed, so he was just standing still. However, he wasn’t simply standing; he was upside down doing a handstand on his thumbs.

In this regard, he’s just like the Mad Dog.

Se-Hoon couldn’t help but smirk at how Sung-Ha had remained unchanged.

“...Are you fully recovered?” Sung-Ha asked with surprise, having had time to observe Se-Hoon’s body.

Yesterday, he looked like a shattered window walking around, but today, he was a freshly forged iron ingot.

“Well, yeah. It wasn’t that big of an injury anyway.”

“...”

Sung-Ha just silently stared at Se-Hoon, who had spoken so nonchalantly. It was the look of someone who had something to say but was holding back, something Se-Hoon had seen many times before.

Chuckling, Se-Hoon asked, “Want me to teach you how I did it?”

Since Se-Hoon offered first, Sung-Ha’s eyes twitched.

“What’s... the cost?” Sung-Ha slowly asked.

“I don’t have something I need immediately, so consider it a loan.”

“...”

Just as he thought he could settle his debt, it was about to pile up again. However, Sung-Ha wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible so that he could revisit the insights he gained from the recent battle, so he ignored his feelings about it.

This is just another deal, so there’s no need to refuse.

With that decision made, Sung-Ha looked at Se-Hoon and promptly asked, “So, how did you do it?”

“I used this for my healing. The working principle is...”

Taking out the stake, Se-Hoon showed him the spell and briefly explained his own state and then the cause of Sung-Ha’s recurring injuries and the solution.

At the explanation, Sung-Ha looked down at his body with slight surprise.

“My latent unique skill caused a mana surge... now it makes sense.”

“We don’t know when you will be able to fully acquire the skill, so for now, try to suppress your darkness mana with this. Once your injuries are fully healed, you’ll naturally return to normal.”

“Got it. Go ahead, then.” Sung-Ha approached Se-Hoon without hesitation, urging him to hurry up.

The sudden compliance made Se-Hoon wonder, Why is this guy so cooperative?

Although Erika had confirmed the functionality of the spell beforehand, from Sung-Ha\'s perspective, it was still just something created by a first-year student in the Department of Blacksmithing. Even if Se-Hoon was the honor student and had displayed various talents, he still should have felt some unease.

If it were the Mad Dog, he would have checked multiple times and only accepted after forcing some kind of pledge...

Bewildered by the stark difference from his pre-regression self, Se-Hoon decided to just ask.

“You’re not scared?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I mean, I’m not exactly an expert in magic. Don’t you feel uneasy or anything?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sung-Ha said with a scoff.

“What?”

“If you sell a faulty product knowingly, that’s fraud.” Then, while looking at Se-Hoon with a hint of discomfort, Sung-Ha continued, “I believe that while you might overcharge from time to time, you definitely wouldn’t commit fraud. That’s all.”

As if that explained everything, Sung-Ha turned his gaze away.

Taken aback, Se-Hoon blankly stared at him in disbelief before his jaw dropped in shock.

This guy... trusts me???

While it wasn’t a statement filled with complete trust, it was still something Se-Hoon had only heard when he had reached bond level four with the Mad Dog.

So to hear such a thing at bond level two was extremely surprising. It was just like his Relationship with Eun-Ha.

Is it because our Relationship has changed? But how could it be... him, of all people?

Genuinely wondering if Sung-Ha had hurt his head or something, Se-Hoon scrutinized him closely, causing Sung-Ha to frown.

“How long are you going to keep staring at me like that?”

“Oh, right..”

Deciding to think about it later, Se-Hoon aimed the stake at Sung-Ha’s solar plexus. The closer it was to a vital spot, the more efficiently the Shadow Tree’s seed could absorb darkness mana.

“It will hurt a lot at first since you’re being stabbed by a stake. So try not to be too surprised.”

“...”

Sung-Ha looked at Se-Hoon as if he were crazy, but then nodded.

“Do it.”

“Alright, then...”

Taking a deep breath, Se-Hoon quickly stabbed the stake into Sung-Ha’s solar plexus.

“Ugh... cough!”

Having been stabbed, Sung-Ha staggered and kneeled, coughing violently as the spell embedded itself.

To an onlooker, it might have looked like something had gone wrong, but the connection with his Shadow Thread allowed Se-Hoon to clearly feel Sung-Ha’s physical state.

They’re separating well.

Sung-Ha’s darkness mana was being forcibly separated from the indiscriminate mix of elemental mana, and he was starting to stabilize. Now, Sung-Ha would no longer suddenly burst into wounds or cough up blood.

Standing like this makes it look like I stabbed him with a knife or something.

Amused by the thought, Se-Hoon continued to stand in the grim scene while waiting for the spell to fully separate Sung-Ha’s darkness mana.

Knock- knock-

“Excuse me. I’m Investigator Ha Seon-Woo from the Special Operation Division of the Heroes Association...”

Without waiting for a response, the young investigator in a black suit, Ha Seon-Woo, opened the door and froze, taking in the scene unfolding in the hospital room.

“No, it’s not what it looks like...” Realizing a large misunderstanding was about to occur, Se-Hoon tried to explain to the investigator.

But before he could finish, Sung-Ha coughed up dark, murky blood that splattered all over Se-Hoon’s face.

Completing the scene, Se-Hoon’s bloodied face and the black stake protruding from Sung-Ha’s created an undeniable scene of violence.

Knowing it was hopeless, Se-Hoon froze momentarily and then sighed.

“I-I’m arresting you!”

The investigator pulled out his handcuffs and lunged at Se-Hoon.