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Chapter 54

Each time he drew the Five-Flame Sword from his waist, most of the monsters that charged fearlessly were left breathless, sprawled on the ground. Occasionally, the quicker ones were able to dodge, but even with those cases, the outcome didn’t change much.

Swoosh!

He would just throw the Five-Flame Sword in his hand, cutting off the breath of one immediately.

Crack!

Then, without his sword, he would draw the Flaming Scabbard from his waist and smash the rest’s skulls.

Slice!

Or he would cover his hands with White Light Surge and slice through them, leaving no chance for resistance as they died one after another.

To anyone watching, his skills did not seem like those of a first-timer in real combat. However, Se-Hoon himself wore a look of dissatisfaction.

Tsk... it’s harder to control my strength than I thought.

He intended to only slice through their hearts but ended up severing their spines as well, and sometimes, he took an extra step when a single one would have sufficed.

Though they were minor mistakes that didn’t significantly impact his overall combat ability, he meticulously checked each one and corrected them immediately.

If it’s not even fun, it should at least be efficient.

As a blacksmith down to his bones, he didn’t care for honing his strength through battles like typical heroes. He didn’t enjoy suffering injuries, so why would he go out of his way to risk his life in battle, especially when he barely had time to hammer in the first place?

However, as life went on, he realized that just because he didn’t want to do something didn’t mean that he could completely not do it. Thus, he came up with a solution, which was optimized combat.

With my current physical abilities and equipment, the energy needed to kill one wolf should be about 5. But so far, the average cost used is about 5.7... I need to reduce it further.

With every fight, he considered three things—mana, physical strength, and equipment capabilities—to achieve the optimum movement to defeat the opponent.

However, viewing combat purely as some sort of task was a rather dry notion. Though he had no particular thoughts on it himself, the reactions of other heroes were quite cold.

He lacks the fundamentals.

He’s exactly as he looks.

Bro, just stick to your hammering.

Besides the Three Dogs, who had been teaching him various things, other heroes who excelled in combat also bombarded him with harsh criticism that went beyond just critiques of his method of combat.

It slightly annoyed him, but he didn’t complain much since he did the same thing himself and disparaged blacksmiths who only cared about efficiency.

Well, there still were some who looked upon my style favorably.

One of them was Kwang-Soo, though he might have just been trying to please him, perhaps because of his debt.

Growl-

The other one was Eun-Ha, whose stomach was currently growling incessantly from behind him.

“...”

Normally, she was just silently watching his battles. But after each time her stomach growled, she would immediately pull out something from her void pocket and bite into it.

Crack! Crunch- Crunch!

The blade of the red dagger, which she just pulled out, snapped off like a chocolate bar and melted in her mouth. Its sharpness, combined with the fire mana contained within, penetrated throughout her body, starting from the tip of her tongue.

It had a clean taste worthy of Advanced equipment. Under normal circumstances, that would have been enough for a palate cleanser and would even have somewhat satisfied her hunger.

Grrr-!

But today, her stomach growled even louder, protesting.

“Ugh...”

She slightly furrowed her brow due to the hunger that only intensified with every bite, instead of getting closer to being satiated. Such a reaction was starkly different from usual. And even now, she didn’t know she was like this, but she was beginning to have an inkling why.

Is it because of him...?

Se-Hoon’s combat style actively utilized the capabilities of his equipment. At first, she simply thought it was admirable, but as the battles continued, she gradually realized the terrifying aspect of it.

Fwoosh!

The Five-Flame Sword once again emerged from the Flaming Scabbard, embroidered with flames of five colors. To others, it might just seem like he was enhancing the sword further with the abilities of the scabbard, but she saw through the intricate details of its use.

He’s using the properties of each of the five different flames contained within the Five-Flame Sword to enhance its slashing power in different ways.

For example, he would increase the proportion of the green-colored flame, breaking the initial balance between the five flames, resulting in the flames acting like the wind and increasing the speed of his swings.

He’s utilizing the traits of the flames which don’t even show up in the information message. And he even uses the Flaming Scabbard to amplify them further...

Such a technique was only possible if he had a deep understanding of his equipment and an exceptional sense for how to manipulate it. With it, he was able to exert more than a hundred percent of the Flaming Scabbard’s and the Five-Flame Sword’s potential.

The thought that it might have added a new flavor to the equipment made Eun-Ha curious.

Gulp-

It was like elevating food that already tasted good with the expertise of a professional; like offering someone torn between ordering a Hawaiian pizza or something else the solution of just ordering half of each.

To her, who had already been eyeing the sword and scabbard for a while, the battle before her eyes was nearly torture.

Growl-!

No matter how much she ate, her hunger refused to be satisfied.

Wow, this is a first...

She had never felt this way even when she had seen people using equipment as part of themselves. What could the difference be?

Taking out a new piece of equipment, she chewed on it to quell her hunger. Meanwhile, Se-Hoon, who had just smashed the last remaining wolf monster’s head, was catching his breath.

“Huff... huff...”

The number of wolves he had slain in the last twenty minutes totaled ninety-four. Except when they were moving, he had been fighting non-stop, so his stamina was starting to wane.

I could deal with about eighty more, but... it’s better to conserve my energy from now on.

In the first place, his purpose in coming to Mount Silver Moon today was to discover and tackle the dungeon where Wurgen Kruger’s artifact was hidden. Even if he were to leave all the monsters to Eun-Ha, he still needed to reserve at least some stamina for any unforeseen circumstances.

His decision made, he looked back at Eun-Ha, who was chewing on a double-edged axe.

“Dean.”

“...”

“Dean?”

Crunch- Crunch-

She continued to chew on the blade of the double-edged axe without responding. Noticing how her gaze was fixed on the Flaming Scabbard and Five-Flame Sword, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

She must really want them.

He thought that he could probably sell them for a much higher price at this moment, much like cup noodles sold at the summit of a mountain. Still chuckling at that thought, he inserted the sword into the scabbard.

Click!

“Ah, um. Yes, I was listening. Please, go ahead.”

“Would it be okay if I take a break now?”

“Do as you please. I can take you back to the terminal if you wish. What do you prefer?”

“I’ll just rest here. It’s all part of the experience, after all.”

Hearing his response, she glanced around to ensure that there were no lingering dangers and nodded.

“This place seems fine; let’s take a rest here.”

With her consent, he went to a spot he had eyed earlier and sat down on the ground, leaning against a rock.

As soon as he sat down, the Shadow Matter Armor rippled on the surface, reshaping itself to remove any uncomfortable sensations felt on his hips and back. The fact that the armor was able to adapt not just to the body but also to the surroundings intrigued him.

This armor is better than I thought.

Although the technology behind the armor was lacking, the primary material used, Shadow Matter, seemed exceptionally versatile and valuable, providing significant performance on its own. He was satisfied by the sensation of the armor, which truly felt like an extra layer of skin, yet there was a lingering disappointment.

If only I could use this properly, then I could reduce the energy cost to four, no, even three.

However, he was given the Shadow Matter Armor to use as a protective device to prevent possible injuries. Using it aggressively in combat wouldn’t earn him good remarks from her, given her nature.

Plus, I might even break it.

Even if she didn’t care much for this armor, breaking it might mean she wouldn’t lend him anything else in the future.

Staring at Se-Hoon while he was inspecting the Shadow Matter Armor, Eun-Ha called out to him.

“Lee Se-Hoon.”

Sitting a short distance away, Eun-Ha continued, “May I ask you something, if you don’t mind?”

“Ah, yes. Please, ask away.”

“I noticed movements while you were fighting that usually come from extensive experience. Could you tell me who you learned your combat style from?”

Hearing the curiosity, expectation, and hint of suspicion in her question, Se-Hoon flinched.

Did I go overboard?

He thought that it wouldn’t matter since he hadn’t used any special techniques, but it seemed that had only fueled her curiosity. However, since this was a question he had anticipated he would face one day, he naturally brought up the excuse he prepared, hiding any signs of concern.

“I didn’t learn from anyone in particular. It’s just something I picked up on my own over time.”

“Something you picked up?”

“Yes. I’ve always pondered how I could move my body more efficiently. So, through continuous reflection and constant practice, such movements naturally translated into my combat style.”

Though he answered calmly, Eun-Ha became even more puzzled.

“What kind of life have you lived to have such a thing ingrained into your body?”

Understanding one’s surroundings and physical condition and then applying it to move efficiently may sound straightforward, but consciously adjusting every action was far from easy. And yet, such a lifestyle habit seemed very natural to him.

Just as she was starting to feel a flicker of doubt, he spoke up.

“I was poor,” he explained matter-of-factly.

“I spent my parents’ entire inheritance setting up the workshop, and the monthly stipend of financial aid was mostly invested into acquiring materials for practice, leaving hardly any money left. So, I decided to change my thought process.”

“Your thought process...?”

“Yes. In the end, it boils down to whether I could maintain my health, doesn’t it?”

He picked what to eat based on its nutritional value and cost-effectiveness over taste, and he didn’t buy clothes unless they directly affected his health. He also spent his free time just resting on his workshop floor.

Before coming to Babel, that lifestyle, akin to that of a machine component, was his way of surviving every day.

“It might seem easy to find the right balance for this lifestyle, but it was actually quite difficult. If I eat too little, my strength wanes; if I eat too much, I can’t purchase enough materials to train myself.”

“...”

“That’s why the right balance is so crucial to me. I often collapsed from exhaustion at first, and during my first winter, I nearly died...”

Though it should have been quite a recent event in this timeline, he had returned from thirty years in the future, making it the distant past to him. But with just a bit of reflection, the memories vividly resurfaced; this was the period when he was obsessively focused on avenging his parents’ deaths, making each day starkly clear.

I tried my hardest at everything during those days.

There was no respite whatsoever, neither mentally nor physically; every single day was a struggle.

But now, only the vivid sensations of those times remained. Though the main reason was the passage of time, he thought that perhaps, it was also because he had already achieved his goal of revenge.

I should have slain the demons in such a manner too...

Awakening from his thoughts after some time, he realized that Eun-Ha had been quietly observing him. Her eyes were filled with complexity, prompting him to second-guess if he had simplified his story too much.

Deciding to add more credibility to his story, he quickly delved into his past experiences.

“Do you know of the E-rank monster Hornpig? Its meat is cheap and packed with nutrients, so I used it as a staple food. But because it tasted like rubber soaked in food waste, I became cautious about how I spent my energy.

“Once, during my blacksmith training, a clamp that I bought second-hand broke while lifting a barrel of molten metal, spilling it all over my foot. After nearly losing three toes, I learned not to skimp on equipment.

“On another occasion, I injured my shoulder but decided to just hammer with my other arm because I couldn’t afford the hospital. Two weeks later, it hurt so much that I went to the doctor, and they said it had been close to permanently being damaged. After that, I always made sure to get my body checked from time to time.”

He became increasingly engrossed in the conversation, enthusiastically recalling and sharing tales from his past.

“That’s enough.”

But then, Eun-Ha cut him off with a stern expression.

“If you’ve been through such experiences... then your combat style just now makes sense.”

She only knew of his history through documents, so she didn’t know of the harsh days that he had endured. But now, after hearing his story, she thought it was a natural outcome of how he risked his life as fuel to push his talents to their limits.

She looked at him with a somewhat sympathetic gaze.

“You’re not still living like that, are you?”

“Not anymore. Living that way doesn’t help with physical development.”

Her previously tense expression relaxed.

“Instead, I’m now focusing on growing my muscles and mana circuit as much as possible without having it necrotized...”

“Lee Se-Hoon.”

Approaching him, she grabbed his shoulders with a serious look.

“I understand your desire for growth, but you shouldn’t overexert yourself. Understand?”

“Eh? Well... I’ll do it appropriately...”

“Do you understand?”

Her determination to continue the conversation until she heard the answer she wanted was a sight he had often seen before the regression, so he knew that he had no choice but to nod for now.

“I understand.”

“Do you really?”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

He actually had no intention of doing so, but in situations like this, he knew it was more efficient to just agree and move on.

Besides, I’m not overdoing it yet.

It wasn’t like he was consciously moving every single organ in his body, or that he had to consciously control his movements because his nervous system was so twisted. He wasn’t even cutting and reattaching his mana circuit every day.

Seemingly knowing what he was thinking, she sighed.

“It’s still early in the semester, so there will be many opportunities coming for you guys later on. That’s especially the case for you, the honor student of Borsippa...”

Listening to her talk about the benefits of being an honor student, his gaze began drifting past her shoulder.

“...Wait.”

Upon seeing the faint light spilling over the dark ridge, he immediately looked up. High up in the sky, the moon was revealing itself from among the thick clouds, seemingly about to be obscured again at any moment. He abruptly turned to Eun-Ha.

“Dean! Please jump high while carrying me, right now!”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s an urgent matter. Quickly!”

Though she was taken aback by his sudden urgency, she quickly gathered her energy and jumped with him in her arms.

Whoosh-!

They soared into the sky, the intense wind slapping their faces as the view under them rapidly changed. He quickly surveyed the landscape of Mount Silver Moon, which stretched beyond the horizon.

I heard that the dungeon containing Wurgen Kruger’s artifact absorbs demonic aura that’s imbued with moonlight.

He had heard before the regression that the few A-rank heroes who discovered the dungeon only successfully found the location after three weeks of investigation due to stumbling upon this phenomenon by chance.

The search, which was impossible without the guidance of the moonlight, was so challenging because it also involved following the flow of the demonic aura which was so subtle and secretive that it was hard to even find traces.

He remembered how the heroes boasted that, without them, such an early discovery wouldn’t have been possible.

But that’s only when you’re searching from below.

By observing the natural flow of the demonic aura and the contaminated air that was riding the air currents along the mountain ridge, he was able to spot an area where its movement was different from his calculations.

To the naked eye, it appeared to be just another mountain peak. However, beneath a clearing mid-slope, demonic aura was seeping into the ground ever so slightly and naturally.

He pointed toward that spot without hesitation.

“Over there!”

“...Isn’t that?”

Worthy of her S-rank hero title, she immediately sensed the anomaly where he pointed.

But before she could ponder further, he urgently shouted, “It might disappear soon! We need to break in now!”

Even though he could have broken into the dungeon alone, he knew clearing it would be problematic if Eun-Ha decided that it was too risky to proceed.

Responding to his urgent call, she quickly assessed the situation and started accelerating.

Boom-!

Kicking through the air, her body shot forward toward the entrance of the dungeon, leaving a red trail like a meteor. The distance of tens of kilometers shrank in the blink of an eye.

But just before her body was about to collide with the ground—

Whoosh-

With a half-turn in midair, her left foot swept across the ground.

Crash-!!

The earth erupted and the cliffside crumbled. But instead of bouncing off the ground, they started to fall even further downward, which allowed both of them to confirm that they had indeed entered the hidden dungeon.