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Chapter 4

A greenish glow emanated from the doctor’s hand, covering Se-Hoon’s wound on his right hand. Moments later, the wound disappeared completely.

So this really is the past.

The scarred, cut-up hands were gone, replaced by pale white hands with only a few calluses. He was sad to see the proof of decades of hard work gone, but a part of him was happy. Before his regression, his hands were in such bad shape that they often got in the way during smelting.

I’m going to have to take a little more care this time.

The injuries on his hands had been mostly from the trials and errors he had gone through during forging, so things should be different now that he had memories of his pre-regression experiences. He walked out of the infirmary, his mind racing as he browsed through his memories, contemplating how he should move forward from here.

“Are you okay?” asked In-Cheol, who was waiting outside the infirmary.

“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”

“Good to hear. There’s a saying that scars are badges of honor, but having too much of anything can be burdensome.”

“Yes.”

In-Cheol conversed with Se-Hoon in a friendly manner, as if the Five-Flame Sword had impressed him. However, there seemed to be other motives beyond that.

An offer for recruitment... no, he doesn’t seem like that kind of person.

For some reason, the faces of those who were deeply entangled in power struggles seemed to have a greasy, oily look to them. But in front of him, Se-Hoon saw only the hot, fiery temperament of a blacksmith who was dedicated to honing his skills.

Is he going to ask me to become his disciple or something along those lines?

This would be an incredible offer if he were an ordinary trainee, but Se-Hoon was reluctant, as he had risen to a higher position than In-Cheol before his regression.

As Se-Hoon pondered how to address this situation, In-Cheol spoke up, setting the mood.

“Hey, do you know the process of selecting the honor student of a college for incoming students at Babel Academy?”

Se-Hoon fumbled through his memories in response to In-Cheol’s question.

“To my understanding, the results from the additional test taken in each college are compared to determine the honor student.”

Babel Academy divided its students into three colleges: Aqar Quf, a college focusing on combat; Ur, a college focusing on support; and Borsippa, a college focusing on technical skills. And within each college, there were dozens of departments tailored to the students’ aptitudes. The entrance exam Se-Hoon had taken earlier was for the Department of Blacksmithing of the College of Borsippa.

“That’s right. Only the top two students from each department will participate in the additional test. That means it will be even more competitive than the test today.”

After explaining the structure of Babel Academy, In-Cheol sighed as if he wasn\'t sure if he should say what he wanted to say.

“Though it’s a bit embarrassing for me to say this with my own mouth, the Department of Blacksmithing hasn\'t had an honor student in twelve years. And so, our budget has been shrinking year after year.”

“...”

“What’s even worse is that as word of our situation spreads, the quality of applicants drops further. It’s a vicious cycle, and it’s also the reality of the Department of Blacksmithing.”

As he ranted on and on, Se-Hoon showed a strange expression. The reason for it was that not only would the department slowly lose its foothold, but eight years from now, the Department of Blacksmithing would no longer exist.

The reason was that the department was simply not up to Babel Academy’s standards, and all it did was discredit the academy’s name.

Since then, several attempts had been made to bring back the department, but every single one fell through, which caused the department to be lost in history. It seemed like In-Cheol was somewhat anticipating that future.

“Hm. This story is for another time, but... in the end, there’s one thing I want to tell you.” In-Cheol looked at Se-Hoon with a determined expression on his face.

“If you want to succeed as a blacksmith, you should go to Vulcan Academy. The application period is already over, but I have connections that I can link you up with.”

“...”

Se-Hoon was surprised at In-Cheol’s suggestion.

Isn’t Vulcan Academy considered the top institution for nurturing blacksmiths?

Vulcan Academy’s rank was not that much higher than Babel’s. But once the Department of Blacksmithing in Babel was gone, Vulcan Academy would gain the reputation of toppling Babel Academy, which would allow it to reign supreme.

In-Cheol, despite being a professor at Babel Academy, was now suggesting that Se-Hoon should study at Vulcan Academy since it was clearly a better option when considering the potential growth Vulcan Academy’s education could bring him.

Is he thinking of transferring over to Vulcan Academy? No, that doesn’t go with his personality.

Se-Hoon could tell by the subtle regret in In-Cheol’s eyes that he wasn’t trying to be manipulative. He was genuinely offering guidance as a sunbae in the blacksmithing industry.[1]

...He seems like a decent person.

He hadn’t heard of In-Cheol before the regression, but he was a likable figure.

“Well, is there a need to do that?” Se-Hoon replied after organizing his thoughts.

“You have talent. To fully harness it, you should be in a better environment...”

“Choosing the best option is obviously ideal. But wouldn’t that only apply if Vulcan Academy was actually the best?”

“You’re right, but the fact is that Vulcan Academy has surpassed us and it will only get better in the future.”

In-Cheol was about to explain himself again, thinking that Se-Hoon didn’t really get what he meant, but Se-Hoon smiled wryly and took over the conversation.

“Why should I bother lowering my head when the academy I choose to enroll in will naturally become the best?”

“...”

Wherever he went, it would become the best. This sounded excessively arrogant, yet somehow, it didn’t feel like empty claims.

In-Cheol was left speechless for a moment. He had indeed hoped that Se-Hoon would decide to stay, but this reply surpassed his expectations.

“If that’s what you are thinking, you’re going to have to get the position of honor student. Are you sure?” In-Cheol asked solemnly.

“Of course, didn’t you bring up the entire conversation about the process of selecting the honor student because you thought I was able to become one?”

“...Seems like my thoughts have been read from the beginning.” In-Cheol looked at Se-Hoon with a bitter smile.

“The additional exam for the College of Borsippa is to forge one more item. The topic of forging will be revealed on the exam day, and the final score will include the grading from today’s submission.”

“When is it?”

“It’s in a week. We’ll send you your uniform and student ID, so make sure you have them for the exam.”

“I understand.”

In-Cheol gazed at Se-Hoon in bewilderment. He found it surprising that Se-Hoon was responding without a sign of nervousness.

He’s still a young man... I don’t know why I find him so trustworthy. It was as if he were talking to a blacksmith of his own age.

He couldn\'t help but smile gently and hold out his hand.

“I look forward to your endeavors.”

This was a sight that would have stunned all the professors, assistants, and students of the Department of Blacksmithing, but Se-Hoon, who was unaware of it, calmly looked at In-Cheol. They had only known each other for a short time, but a bond had definitely been formed thanks to the anticipation and trust that In-Cheol placed in Se-Hoon.

If that’s the case...

Realizing that the condition for Bond Extraction had been met, he grasped In-Cheol’s hand.

[A bond has been successfully established with the subject ‘Kim In-Cheol’.]

“I look forward to working with you too.”

[Extracting bond from subject ‘Kim In-Cheol’]

[The bond with the host is Lv. 1.]

Se-Hoon had successfully extracted his first material after his regression.

***

After the somewhat abrupt exam, Se-Hoon headed straight home. In-Cheol had offered to treat him to a meal, but he had declined as he had a few things to check.

“Hm. It should be here...” He walked up the steep stairs in the slums as he retraced the pathways in his memories.

Physically, he had left the house when he’d woken up that morning. However, his mind was a different matter; at the point of his regression, he hadn’t been to that house in decades, so his memories of it were faint. Doing his best to recall the place, he climbed the final set of stairs and saw a house in the distance that looked familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

“...”

The house stood alone in the open field by the foothills, and it was all worn out. Se-Hoon smirked at the shabby house that looked like it would collapse at the slightest touch.

“It’s just as I remember.”

Back then, he had been so fed up with this house that he had wanted to leave every second. But seeing it after such a long time, he actually felt somewhat fond of it.

The gate was rusted, and the house was only about twenty square meters. The toilet was completely unusable, with mold and bugs everywhere.

Hmmm.

The scenery was causing all of the fond, rose-colored memories he had of this house to vanish. But when he turned his gaze and saw the workshop, his expression softened slightly. There was a second-hand magic furnace that he had bought with all the money he could scrape together at that time. Smithing tools and materials were organized around the furnace, and unlike his rundown home, they were in good condition.

I devoted my entire life to this place after awakening my abilities.

To get revenge on the demons who killed his parents, he needed to gain power. With his aptitude for blacksmithing, he believed that power would come in the form of money from selling weapons. That was why, in order to succeed as a blacksmith, he sold what little he had, got a house, and bought the things he needed.

Oh, come to think of it, that bastard must still be alive. He ground his teeth at the thought of the enemy he had spent his entire twenties killing. But now, even though he knew that the enemy was alive, it didn\'t bother him as much. He had already done enough before the regression to settle his emotions, and there were more pressing matters at hand.

The most important matter is the Six Harbingers. Well, actually, it’s all of the demons.

These demons were monsters that threatened not only mankind but the entire planet itself. It was imperative that they were rooted out and annihilated. To do so, he had to change the fate of heroes who died in vain and pull together those scoundrels who were uncooperative till the end.

Seems like there’s a lot to do...

The memories of the events that were to come and future allies and enemies flooded Se-Hoon’s mind.

Let’s not overthink it. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He was a blacksmith after all. If he tried to make plans with unclear information, it would only cause him problems at some point.

For now, he focused on his immediate surroundings. He would then work his way up from Babel Academy and only address major events.

Since I wouldn’t want to get important things like dates mixed up, I should create some sort of memory-related weapon or skill. With his priorities finally in order, he looked at the furnace with a calmer head.

I should check my physical stats.

He hadn\'t even gotten a chance to look at his own body because he had to finish an exam right after the regression. He knew that his stats were garbage, but he needed the exact numbers in order to set the overall direction of his training. With his mind resolved, he opened up his status message.

[Lee Se-Hoon]

[Strength - E (62) Endurance - E (56)

Mana - F (43) Agility - F (47)

Unique Skill: Blacksmith of Bonds

Elemental Mana: None

Learned Skills: Master of Flames (C)]

“...”

As he read his stats, he rubbed his eyebrows wordlessly.

The new students at Babel Academy would have on average C stats. My stats are...

The numbers were low enough to make him rightfully suspected of foul play in the entrance exam. And it was heartbreaking that the skill tab was practically empty, with only the Master of Flames skill.

Well, this should be a fair bargain considering I went back in time.

There’s a saying that money can\'t buy time; it\'s the one resource people can\'t replenish. Given that the only price he had to pay for returning to the past was starting over, this was actually a good deal.

Forget about the stats... let’s look at my unique skill.

[Blacksmith of Bonds] 『Unique』

[Bonds have the power to change one’s heart. By establishing a bond with a subject, you can extract it into a piece of ore.

*Bond Extraction: Extract ore from the subject you have established a bond with]

The explanation is still unhelpful. Unique skills were supposed to be more complex than common skills, but Blacksmith of Bonds was one of the hardest to understand. It explained how to extract bonds, but it didn\'t tell him how to form bonds with people in the first place, nor how to use the extracted bonds.

But it’s different this time.

With his right hand infused with mana, he reflected on his memories of In-Cheol. The first image that came to mind regarding him was that of a twisted, dead tree. It was a picture of weariness and emptiness.

But when In-Cheol had witnessed Se-Hoon’s talents and potential, he had fired up like never before. Although he looked powerless, there evidently was a spark inside In-Cheol’s heart. That was how he understood In-Cheol. His image of In-Cheol was based on nothing more than surface-level observations, but it was enough for now.

Se-Hoon’s hands faintly glowed as a material was formed. It was a light gray Fatestone with wavy patterns that looked more like a block of wood.

“Hm. This is decent.”

There was no flaw in this Fatestone, showing he had a decent understanding of In-Cheol. Smiling with satisfaction, he browsed through the status message.

[Fatestone - Flame-Infused Metal]

[Tier: Advanced] [Quality: Average]

[A metal infused with flame.

It has the same properties as wood.

*Flames can be stored within]

Is it a wood-like metal?

The outer texture felt like wood, but it was definitely iron when he tapped it. After examining the texture and properties, he had a rough idea of how to smelt it, but the issue was that the piece of ore was only about the size of two fingers.

This is the problem with level-one bonds. He clicked his tongue in frustration.

Its small size made it difficult to use as a main material, but mixing it with other materials made it difficult to preserve its characteristics. That was why he needed the right properties and materials to forge a proper weapon.

I don’t think I’ll be able to get those materials with my current stats... I’ll need to level up or get strong support from Babel Academy.

It was a bit disappointing, but time would take care of it, so there was no need to rush. Setting the Flame-Infused metal aside, Se-Hoon suddenly glanced down at his body.

I should also take a look at my Fatestone.

If his memories served him right, the name of the synesthetic mindscape skill that was imbued in the last dagger he made before the regression was ‘Return to Origin.’ Although he didn’t know the exact effect, given the name, there was a high probability that it was related to his regression.

If that kind of power is hidden in it, I should utilize it.

With his eyes lit up, he immediately placed his hands on his chest and began the Bond Extraction.

[Extracting bond from subject ‘Lee Se-Hoon’]

[The bond with the host is Lv. 1.]

“Huh?”

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the number one in the bond level section since before the regression, it had always been blank.

No way...

Stunned, he looked down at the Fatestone in his hand. On the surface, it was a colorless ore, the same as before the regression. However, upon closer inspection, he could see the faintest hint of something else mixed within it.

Impurities... no, it feels different.

With his heart racing, he opened the status message immediately.

[Fatestone - Relationship-Null Metal]

[Tier: Normal] [Quality: Poor]

[An empty metal that holds nothing.

It has many impurities, so it’s much lower in strength than normal iron.]

His face turned sour when he read the information.

“It became even worse...”

The description used to say that the ore’s strength was slightly inferior to iron, but now it said that the metal was much worse.

To his dismay, there wasn’t a single piece of information about the regression in the status message. However, just as he was about to give up, an unexpected message appeared.

[The host’s bond has reached Lv. 1.]

[Skill ‘Bond Imprint’ has been added.]

1. Upperclassmen are referred to as sunbae in Korean. ☜