Chapter 397
A long highway stretched from the center of Babel to its outskirts.
Being the primary way to access the outer districts—where various industrial zones, including research facilities, were located—traffic on the road was always heavy.
Today was the same, but among the usual flow of vehicles, there was something distinctly out of place.
Ching- ching-
A bright, cheerful bell rang as a bicycle with a green basket zipped down the highway. Anyone taking a glance would think someone was leisurely heading to the market. But when they considered the other vehicles, they would realize the bicycle was tearing down the road at over three hundred kilometers per hour—a terrifying speed.
What the hell is that...?
How is she even...?
The speed rivaled that of high-end sports cars, and yet, the girl in a white lab coat on the bike was pedaling leisurely, as if she were taking a casual ride through the park.
The sight left all drivers gawking in disbelief, staring at what seemed like an absurdly edited video playing out before their eyes.
“Phew...”
Meanwhile, the girl on the bicycle, Lea, was letting out a deep sigh.
“I don’t want to go...”
She had steeled herself before setting out, but now that she was getting closer to Se-Hoon’s workshop, her thoughts were in turmoil. A strong urge to turn around and head back whispered to her, but she clenched the handlebars tightly instead, forcing herself to stay on course.
What difference would it make if I went back now?
If she hadn’t read his message at all, perhaps she could have ignored it. Alas, she had opened it immediately, and worse, even replied that she’d come. Backing out now could very well lead to a horrifying seventy-two hour consecutive work session as punishment.
That aside... it’s definitely a surprise inspection from his side.
At first, Lea thought she was being called in to help with the project Se-Hoon had been recently working on. But when she processed it, she quickly realized that wasn’t the case. If he truly just needed help, he would have asked directly instead of vaguely telling her to come over.
There’s no way this is about him.
There was no way he just wanted to see her face after so long. That left only one possibility: he wanted to check on the Divine Mana Conversion Device’s enchantments and the upgraded version of the Sphere he had previously entrusted to her.
Damn it... If only I had a little more time and budget...!
Ever since acquiring her unique skill, Lea could handle most enchantments on the spot with ease. But the two tasks that Se-Hoon entrusted her did not belong to that category.
One was allegedly impossible technology, the long-held dream of the Pilgrimage Church. The other was her father’s legacy, a weapon created for the sole purpose of eliminating the Puppeteer.
For both, a single mistake could lead to catastrophe, which was why she had been proceeding with extreme caution. Naturally, that made progress agonizingly slow.
Still, I’ve made enough headway.... Maybe he’ll be a bit more lenient from now...? No, wait. Considering how things have been lately, he might actually need them now.
If Se-Hoon truly needed them, then she had already missed the deadline. And that meant a 168-hour workweek, which just the thought made her shudder violently.
But a beat later, she shook her head determinedly.
“Ugh, screw it.”
Accepting that there was no point in crying over spilled milk with a mutter under her breath, Lea resolved to just get it over with as fast as possible, no matter what awaited her.
With that thought, Lea switched her automated enchanted bike to high-speed mode and slammed down on the pedals.
Woong!
Dozens of enchantments engraved onto the bicycle flared to life, sucking in wind and amplifying its speed even further. The bike—now emitting the power of an A-rank hero—blazed past cars like a blur down the highway, reaching the outskirts of Babel in mere moments.
SCREEECH-!
Finally arriving, Lea skidded to a stop before the artificial mountain where Se-Hoon’s workshop was located.
“Hmm... This place seems to feel more and more ominous every time I come here.”
Lea looked around, instinctively flinching when she spotted a sign at the mountain’s entrance: “Chairman’s Special Surveillance Zone.”
Because Ludwig, the Chairman of Babel, constantly monitored the area, Lea couldn’t help but feel like she had a blade constantly held to her throat—even though she had been invited here.
I heard a few people were caught sneaking in before... I wonder what happened to them.
Recalling the rumors among students claiming that Babel’s underground had a special furnace that used those criminals as fuel, Lea began picturing the absurd urban legend as she parked her bike.
Rustle, rustle-
Hearing a strange sound coming from above, Lea turned her head and saw a blue rowboat emerging from between the trees.
“...?”
There were no runes or sigils on it. Just pure, raw mana shaped into a simple rowboat.
What kind of idiot is wasting mana in such a stupid way...? Lea thought, her eyes wide in disbelief.
And as if answering her thought, a voice drifted from the rowboat at that very moment. “You arrived here faster than I expected.”
“Huh?”
Lea’s eyes shot open in shock. The owner of the voice was completely unexpected.
“What’s with that reaction?”
The owner, Se-Hoon, raised a questioning eyebrow.
“I just... didn’t expect it to be you...”
Most people wouldn’t understand her surprise. Those who had known Se-Hoon for a long time, however, would all react exactly like she did.
To them, Se-Hoon had always been the type to pursue maximum efficiency in everything—combat, crafting, even basic daily tasks like drinking water. He carried out everything so absurdly methodically that a normal person would have gone insane trying to live like him.
Someone like him wasting mana like this? This doesn’t make any sense at all.
For a brief second, Lea even wondered if he was a fake sent by Puppeteer. But not even a master illusionist could pull that off in the Chairman’s surveillance zone.
As she struggled to process the bizarre situation, Se-Hoon spoke again. “Hop on already. I’ll explain everything once we’re up there.”
“...Uh, okay.”
Though still confused, Lea stepped onto the boat, which began ascending slowly up the mountain.
And on its way, it passed through an enchanted landscape that felt utterly surreal.
Whoosh-
Waves of blue mana surged beneath them, forming a vast lake. Vines of mana twisted around the trees, blooming into pure white flowers. Schools of blue-mana fish swam alongside the boat, while ethereal birds, deer, and wolves emerged one after another—all also made of blue mana.
The entire scene was something out of a dream.
Did he create all of this with his mana alone?
Lea was baffled. Why would someone as obsessed with efficiency as Se-Hoon waste so much mana just to create the scene before her?
As she pondered, the boat finally reached the workshop.
“Long time no see.”
There, radiating pure blue mana, stood the real Se-Hoon.
“...?”
Mana pulsed outward from him, covering the entire mountain. Even an S-rank hero would collapse from mana exhaustion in under a minute at such a scale, yet... Se-Hoon was standing there completely unfazed, like it was natural.
And at that moment, Lea realized the guess she had was completely wrong.
He’s not testing equipment.
She had come to the conclusion that he was using a new piece of enchanted equipment to alter the environment. Seeing him, though, it became crystal clear that he was doing it with his own raw mana.
Immediately, Lea stopped trying to calculate how much mana that required. At such a level, the numbers didn’t even matter anymore.
Instead, she clapped her hands with genuine admiration, head empty.
“Se-Hoon, you’re an absolute madman. You’re flipping Babel on its—”
Splat!
A blue-mana fish smacked her square on the back, stopping her.
“Agh!”
Seeing her writhe in pain, Se-Hoon shook his head with a sigh.
“That’s what you get for running your mouth.”
“Ugh... That wasn’t because of me. You attacked me just...!”
Swoosh-
Dozens of glowing blue fish had emerged from the lake’s surface, staring at her with their unblinking, eerie gazes.
And at that moment, Lea said nothing more, instantly flattening herself onto the boat.
“...I apologize. Please spare me.”
“Haaa. That’s not what this is about... whatever. Just come over here.”
With a faint shimmer, blue turtles surfaced to form a path across the lake beneath the boat.
Carefully, Lea stepped on them, making her way toward Se-Hoon.
Woong-
Mana continued to pour out of Se-Hoon nonstop even as she approached, making for a surreal sight.
Seriously... what the hell did he do?
Had he conquered the Tower of Heroes without her noticing? Did he now have access to infinite mana or something? With a look of wonder on her face, Lea’s mind swirled with theories—
“How does it feel?”
Breaking her thoughts with that calm and measured question, Se-Hoon stared at her.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. How does this situation feel to you?”
Lea frowned in confusion at the cryptic question. But she still turned her gaze to observe their surroundings, taking everything in.
The immense flow of blue mana continued to expand outward, engulfing the landscape with an overwhelming presence.
This... feels different inside and out.
She noticed something strange. At first glance, she had thought the mana was spreading evenly across the entire mountain. Beneath that flow, though, there was something else moving.
Trying to discern the difference in its flow, Lea plunged her hand into the mana.
It's flowing backward.
For every bit of mana that Se-Hoon released, an equal amount was returning from somewhere else. It wasn’t a one-way emission, as she thought—it was a circulating cycle.
Lea took another careful look around.
Ah. So that’s what it is. He’s synchronizing with the environment.
Rather than forcibly controlling the landscape by consuming mana, Se-Hoon had blended his mana into the surroundings, causing a semi-permanent transformation. Typically, it was a technique used for creating barriers, but Se-Hoon was doing it without a single rune or formula—just pure, raw mana.
How the hell... no, wait. This is Se-Hoon we’re talking about. No need to question it.
It still didn’t make any sense, but Se-Hoon never did. Trying to rationalize would just give her a headache.
Shoving aside her pointless curiosity, Lea began studying the mana-forged environment more intricately.
“I can’t say for sure... but it feels like it can do anything.”
Se-Hoon tilted his head. “Anything?”
“I mean, it makes sense for the forest to change if you merge with it. But creating creatures like fish and deer purely from mana? That’s a whole different level.”
Even the golems that were sold in the market nowadays—designed to mimic living beings—required thousands of intricate formulas to move naturally. Yet Se-Hoon had crafted similar beings with raw mana alone.
“Hmm...”
Se-Hoon fell into deep thought, looking down at the mana flowing from his body.
So I’m not the only one who feels so.
When he acquired Silver River with the help of the Seeker, he had been thrilled—he had unexpectedly gained an S+ rank water mana.
However, the more he used it, the worse it felt. The mana just didn’t behave the ways he expected.
I thought it was influenced by the Seeker’s power... but something is different.
His fire mana, Sacred Flames, specialized in divine purification. His darkness mana, Midnight Abyss, was tailored for boundary manipulation. His earth mana, Divine Power, focused on channeling power from the Golden Rings.
But his water mana, Silver Ring, lacked any obvious influence from its source.
It even feels... like it’s the opposite.
If the Seeker’s power functioned like a systematic, analytical learning process, then Silver River felt like instinctive assimilation—merging with something and using its power as if it were its own. The result of both were similar, but the mechanisms that led to it were fundamentally different.
But logically, it should have been affected by the Seeker...
Where did the discrepancy come from? The Seeker had even helped him investigate, yet they found no leads and ultimately had to return to crafting his exclusive equipment.
Still, Se-Hoon couldn’t let it go. Depending on the answer, the anomaly could introduce an enormous variable into everything he had planned.
If it turns out this power is independent from the Seeker’s influence, that’s fine. It could just be a newly awakened talent.
After all, new abilities had surfaced frequently, ever since his regression.
But if it isn’t... that means I’ve been wrong about something.
If the Seeker’s power truly had influenced his water mana, it meant the very foundation of his understanding had misled him. And while the probability was low, it was anything but zero.
I need to be more cautious.
Glancing toward his workshop, he turned back to Lea.
“How’s the Sphere coming along?”
Lea flinched. “Huh? Oh, um... well... it’s... almost done... kind of... just missing some details...”
“So you haven’t even finished half of it,” Se-Hoon summarized bluntly, seeing her fumbling for an excuse.
“...Yes. You’re right. I’m sorry.”
She shrank in defeat, looking exactly like a writer who had missed their deadline.
But contrary to what she expected, Se-Hoon chuckled.
“Don’t worry. It’s not that urgent.”
“R-Really? But Luize was saying there would be some major events happening soon...”
“We’re planning to take on the Silent Volcano soon. You don’t need to worry about it—just stay in Babel,” Se-Hoon nonchalantly explained with a nod.
Of all the Ten Evils remaining, Puppeteer was by far the most troublesome. If she unleashed a global wave of autonomous puppets, even with Ludwig working overtime, the destruction would be catastrophic. If Lea stayed in Babel, however, that would change everything. Puppeteer would not miss the chance to target her.
Lea groaned. “...So I’m just bait.”
“Minimizing casualties is our top priority. Just stay put inside Babel and don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
“Yeah, but... I feel awful just sitting back while everyone else is fighting.”
Seeing the frown on Lea’s face, Se-Hoon gave her a deadpan stare.
“Why the hell is an Enchanter thinking about going to a battlefield? Are you an idiot?”
“Well, because you’re going, and—”
“Because I’m simply superior to you. Can you use the Perfect Ones’ powers like I can?”
“...”
He was completely right—despite being incredibly infuriating. Grumbling internally, Lea suddenly caught an object and blinked in surprise.
Se-Hoon had tossed her something from his void pocket.
“This is...”
“It’s a fragment of the Jade Crescent Mirror, one of the Five Element Equipment.”
“Huh?!”
Lea gasped as she stared at the azure crystal orb in her hand.
“W-Why would you give me something this valuable?!”
“Add it to the Sphere. It’ll be useful.”
Lea inhaled sharply. Could she really use a fragment of one of the legendary Five Element Equipment as crafting material?
As inspiration began surging through her mind, Se-Hoon added, “And one more thing.”
At his signal, the boundary split open to reveal a skeleton dressed in a sharp suit.
“...?”
“I will be at your service from now on.”
The skeleton bowed politely.
“If you need anything, tell this guy. He’ll fetch it from Wurgen’s vault for you,” Se-Hoon remarked, gesturing at the skeleton.
Unlike Ludwig’s vault, which required a special key, Wurgen’s could be accessed by any undead capable of traversing the underworld.
And that revelation made Lea’s brain freeze.
“Does... does this mean I can freely take whatever I need from the vault?”
After blurting that out, she hesitated.
Wait... Isn't this basically a marriage proposal?
From what she knew of Se-Hoon’s personality, he had probably just offered extra support since he had the resources. But that didn’t matter—he had still stolen her heart, and that was as good as a proposal.
Lea burned with passion, ready to respond with all her soul—
PLOP!
“Ack!”
A mana-formed fish leaped from the water and jabbed her in the ribs before vanishing.
“Urgh... You could’ve just told me before...”
“I told you, I didn’t do that. They move on their own.” Se-Hoon sighed.
I’ll need to study this more carefully.
Seeing how the S+ Silver Rain had subtly responded to his intent, it was a good thing he already had Lea preparing insurance, just in case.
With his thoughts settled, Se-Hoon turned to her once more.
“Oh. One last thing—can you help me with something?”
Lea groaned.
“Ugh... What now?”
Se-Hoon scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“I, uh... have a bit of backlogged work.”