abcnovels
Chapter 120
Chapter 120
Chapter 120
“...”
The moment Se-Hoon heard the voice of the Dream Demon, numerous thoughts flashed through his mind, especially about the incense burner. Judging by its shape and the fact that only a voice was coming through the smoke, the incense burner was likely some sort of communication device, perhaps even a door that could allow the Dream Demon to arrive here.
If that was the case, then every scenario Se-Hoon had set up so far could be overturned in one moment. Yet, Se-Hoon remained calm.
The situation is still manageable.
Since it was likely only voice communication, it could be a beyond rare chance to have a peaceful conversation with the Dream Demon, the controller of the pleasure district and ruler of the underworld.
Thus, Se-Hoon decided to take a slight risk and quickly moved.
Squeeze-
“Mmm?!”
Grabbing Amir’s neck, Se-Hoon activated his Blood Art to prevent Amir from making any unnecessary noise by taking control of his blood. At the same time, he was altering the shape of the nose and mouth of the artificial mask after quickly analyzing Amir’s facial features.
There’s no need to recreate the entire face.
What mattered the most was imitating Amir’s vibe and voice. Thus, Se-Hoon began delicately adjusting the structure of his vocal cords using Soul Honing.
“Hmm? Did we run into a problem...?”
Having not heard a response, the indifferent voice came from the smoke again. Then, when the purple smoke seemed like it was about to grow a bit more, Se-Hoon finally spoke up.
“My sincerest apologies for being late.” With near-perfect accuracy, Amir’s voice naturally flowed out of Se-Hoon’s throat.
Having finally gotten a reply, the purple smoke calmed down and the voice of the Dream Demon flowed out from it once more, “I thought something had gone wrong because you gave no response. Why did you call?”
Breathing a barely audible sigh of relief, Se-Hoon politely answered, “I was attacked in my room by a few unidentified individuals targeting the item in the mark.”
“...I assumed they would attack the island, but those folks turned out to be more impatient than I expected. Did you kill all the intruders?”
Noticing the curiosity in the Dream Demon’s voice, Se-Hoon’s mind raced to come up with a suitable outcome. A moment later, he responded, “I didn’t manage to kill them, as they all escaped using spatial magic.”
“Spatial magic... did they use spatial magic for anything other than to escape?”
“They took over the central control room and hijacked the ship. It seems that an S-rank or higher spatial magic sorcerer was involved.”
Since Se-Hoon wasn’t planning on killing everyone on board, any lies would inevitably be discovered. Therefore, he decided to report the facts candidly.
A brief silence fell, and then the Dream Demon let out a soft chuckle.
“Haha. I see. I did hear that Caden has changed from before.... It seem like that was true.”
Rather than a reply to Amir, the Dream Demon’s response was more of a mutter to himself. It had probably just vocalized its thought out loud, believing that it didn’t matter since Amir would have no clue who Caden was. But Se-Hoon was not Amir.
Caden... Could the Dream Demon be talking about Caden Miller?
Caden Miller was the first disciple of the Sacred Craftsman Li Kenxie[1] and a master blacksmith who had forged several pieces of Legendary equipment before Se-Hoon regressed. Se-Hoon knew him well; not only was Caden Miller a celebrity in the same field, but he was also the culprit of a significantly troublesome event.
It was reported that he disappeared along with the inheritance of the Sage of Fire.
Whether it was the demons who had disposed of him after stealing the inheritance or if he had just stolen it out of personal greed, no one was able to find out where Caden Miller and the inheritance of the Sage of Fire were until the end of the world.
And now, many years before that event, the Dream Demon mentioned the name Caden. If the name wasn’t a mere namesake, it indicated just one thing.
He became one of the Ten Evils.... No, actually, it’s more likely he sided with Offering given his nature.
The disciple of a Perfect One had sided with the Demon Force... but while that was a surprising fact, it wasn’t shocking. After all, the successor of the Pilgrim was proudly holding a position among the Ten Evils.
So being talented doesn’t equate to being able to raise good disciples, huh?
He had long suspected such a correlation since before his regression, and now it had become a set truth.
“Is that all you have to report?” the Dream Demon calmly asked, relieving him of trying to find a response.
But just as Se-Hoon was about to confirm, he suddenly felt a gaze from behind and turned his head.
“...”
Puzzled by what he was seeing—Amir’s inscrutable intense gaze that told him that he wanted to say something—Se-Hoon hesitated before responding.
“Actually... the item in the mark was stolen by someone who could manipulate dream mana. I apologize.”
“...!” Amir looked at Se-Hoon with a slightly surprised gaze.
How would the Dream Demon react to the news of the mission’s failure? The silence lengthed, enveloping the space beyond the purple smoke. Tensing, Se-Hoon gripped the Phantasmal Spyblade tightly, bracing himself.
“Seeing that you’re still alive despite the item being taken... must mean that the mark was somehow dispelled.”
Contrary to expectations, the Dream Demon responded not with reprimand but with interest.
“Yes. The activation of the incense burner was actually due to the dream mana flowing out of the mark. I apologize for not informing you earlier.”
Figuring that this was probably what Amir wanted to tell, Se-Hoon watched as the Dream Demon chuckled.
“It’s alright. The deal with the Black Arms was just bait anyway. In a way, this mission is actually considered a success, as we were attacked.”
A bait?
As Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes at the Dream Demon’s response, the purple smoke slowly began to expand.
“More importantly though, I’m curious about the person who dispelled the mark. It would be nice if there were some traces left of them...”
Damn...
Realizing that the Dream Demon was trying to cross over and enter the ship, Se-Hoon frowned and readied the Phantasmal Spyblade.
But at that moment, a booming voice erupted from outside, “Is there anyone alive!!”
“This is Alvaro Diaz from the Hero Association! Rescue ships have arrived, so please remain calm and wait!”
Likewise hearing the man’s shout that pierced through the walls of the cabin, the purple smoke began to recede, returning to its initial state.
“It seems they called the Hero Association for rescue and ran away. Such needless actions until the end...”
The Dream Demon’s mutter was full of regret.
“We’ll talk more once you return.”
Ssssh
Ending the conversation, the purple smoke gathered above the incense burner dissolved into the surroundings and disappeared. However, Se-Hoon made sure to confirm that the connection had been cut off completely before letting out a sigh of relief.
That was a close call...
If the Hero Association had arrived slightly later, the Dream Demon would have tried to cross over, meaning he would have to unavoidably sever the connection with the Phantasmal Spyblade. If that happened, the Dream Demon would likely realize that information had leaked.
Perhaps this is the best-case scenario... Even Se-Hoon himself hadn’t known things would resolve like this.
With the Dream Demon now gone, he released Amir’s neck.
“What were you even thinking back there?”
“...”
At Se-Hoon’s admonishment, Amir looked up silently before slowly responding, “During the fight, you tried to subdue me rather than kill me. Initially, I thought it was just to safely extract the item... but seeing you impersonate me to extract information made me really wonder.”
“Wonder what?”
“Whether you kill me or not, eventually, Madam...no, the Dream Demon will find out that information has leaked. So why would you bother to do such a meaningless thing...”
Laying out his thought process, every word Amir muttered calmly was spoken with certainty. Then, he finally reached the conclusion he came to.
“Were you planning to recruit me from the beginning?”
It was an accurate analysis of the situation, and in some ways, an eager attempt to seize what could be an unpredictable opportunity.
Amir’s inexperienced yet passionate demeanor was something Se-Hoon had never seen in the Frost Dog before the regression, so he just gazed down at Amir silently. Eventually, Se-Hoon asked, “I get it. So, you’re smart. Well, what are you going to do now?”
“I don’t even know who you are, so working under you might be difficult. However, helping each other out whenever our interests align shouldn’t be an issue.”
What Amir offered wasn’t a complete alliance; he was offering his willingness to join forces as needed. It felt like a cautious move, but given that Amir was still under the Dream Demon's control, it was a significant gamble on his part.
“You must really hate the Dream Demon.”
“Who would like such a monster, unless they were one themselves?”
“Hmm. I like that answer.”
The Amir before him differed from the Frost Dog he knew before the regression. But, his hatred of the Dream Demon, the enslaver of Amir’s entire family, remained unchanged. In some ways, the current Amir might even be burning more fiercely than in his days of being the Frost Dog, when he had been half-compromising with his past.
It might be difficult to meet him often... but leaving some distance like this isn’t too bad.
Having made his decision, Se-Hoon flicked the wound that he had made by prodding Amir with a dagger earlier.
“Gah...?!”
“Don’t be such a baby. Stop fussing and get up.”
Frowning at Se-Hoon’s indifferent manner when he lightly kicked him, Amir decided to try getting back up again.
“My body...”
His body, which had refused to move even with great effort just moments ago, could now move so easily like everything before had been a dream.
Noticing Amir’s surprise, Se-Hoon nonchalantly advised him. “You should get a better understanding of your own body. It’ll be especially useful for your ice-creation skills.”
“...”
“Also... actually, this is a bit hard to explain in words so just make an ice dagger and hand it over to me for a second.”
Despite being skeptical, Amir complied and created an ice dagger using Frost Alchemy which he handed over.
“Hmm...”
Taking it, Se-Hoon inspected the ice dagger from various angles and then infused his index and middle fingers with fire mana and darkness mana respectively, lightly activating a Complete Source Resonance.
Crack-
After examining the formation of the cracks, he tossed the dagger back to Amir.
“See those cracks? If you focus on strengthening those areas, the quality of your ice daggers will be much better than before. I’ll be testing it the next time we meet, so don’t slack off and keep practicing.”
He had recalled that the completion of items Amir made with Frost Alchemy had skyrocketed due to his quarrels with the Mad Dog, so Se-Hoon decided to help out.
Looking back and forth between the dagger and Se-Hoon, Amir made a peculiar look.
“What really are you?”
It had been half-sarcastic before, but now, it was out of genuine curiosity.
Like before, Se-Hoon was about to dismiss the question, but he paused.
I suppose we should have some kind of way to recognize each other the next time we meet.
While musing over what could be appropriate, Se-Hoon’s eyes landed on the ice dagger in Amir’s hand.
“Cinderella.”
“...Excuse me?”
“What do you mean, excuse me? I’m Cinderella.”
Chuckling, Se-Hoon lightly tapped the wall blocking the window.
Rumble-
Stepping inside the passageway that opened up, Se-Hoon looked back at Amir before it closed off again.
“Next time, just try to catch my drift and don’t freeze up.”
Whoosh!
Left alone in the completely messed-up cabin, Amir gazed at the closed wall by the window before looking down at the ice dagger in his hand.
Could Se-Hoon really have nicknamed himself Cinderella because the ice dagger resembled the glass heel in the story?
“He must be over fifty...”
Se-Hoon truly had a terrible sense of humor.
***
Crash!
Riding in a sleek boat zooming across the sea, Se-Hoon squinted his eyes to look at the now-invisible ferry boat.
[A bond has been successfully established with the subject ‘Amir Singh’.]
Reading the notification message that popped up in front of his eyes, he sighed in relief and grumbled a bit.
I thought it would be formed right then and there... but he only allowed it to establish itself after confirming I had escaped.
Though he had appeared naive, the Frost Dog had maintained his keenness, assessing the situation coldly until the very end.
It’s a pity I couldn’t get his Fatestone.... I guess I’ll wait for another opportunity.
He had enough materials on hand that he didn’t particularly need another Fatestone anyway. Turning around, he found two people resting.
“Who’s steering the boat?” Se-Hoon asked, gazing at Erika who was supposed to be steering the boat.
“I’ve set it so that it goes to a nearby dock,” answered Erika.
“Really? I didn’t know this boat had an autopilot feature...”
Caw-
Reflexively following the sound, Se-Hoon’s gaze landed on the helm before he spun his head back to look at Erika again.
“Don’t worry. She’ll handle it well,” Erika replied confidently.
Was he the weird one for doubting a crow could drive a boat? Trying to ignore the thought, Se-Hoon turned to Eun-Ha.
“Are you hurt anywhere, Dean?”
“No. I’m fine.”
She had purposefully refrained from using Soul Furnace openly to avoid revealing her identity, and fortunately, there were no S-rank opponents on the boat that could cause any major trouble.
Well, S-ranks aren’t common. It’s not like they’re some neighborhood thugs or something.
Actually, it was strange that Babel had several of these powerful individuals.
Having confirmed the final thing, Se-Hoon let out a sigh of relief, proud of how cleanly they had executed his plan.
“Lee Se-Hoon.”
But Eun-Ha interrupted his inner celebration by looking at him with a stern eye.
“Although things went well this time, if you find yourself in a similar situation alone, you must do what you’ve done this time.”
Se-Hoon was a meticulous strategist who would fully plan out things such as hijacking control of the ship and calling the Hero Association as backup, but the problem was that he had become like that by eagerly seeking out dangerous situations.
As the one who knew best that a moment’s mistake could lead to death in real combat, Eun-Ha worried that Se-Hoon, overly encouraged by the success of this single plan, might start roaming even more recklessly without hesitation.
“Don’t worry. I’m not that lacking in judgment.”
“But still...”
“And I only execute such plans when I have reliable allies that I can trust with my life, so don’t worry.”
Only someone like the Mad Dog would rush in without considering the consequences. It was Se-Hoon’s modus operandi to create the right situations based on the resources he had at his disposal.
Staring him in the eyes silently, Eun-Ha eventually slowly nodded.
“Understood. If you have such trustworthy people by your side... there should be no problem.”
“Of course. Oh, if something similar comes up next time...”
“I’ll see if I can help based on the situation.”
It was a bit disappointing that Eun-Ha didn’t promise that she would come to help every time, but Se-Hoon was still glad to hear that she would consider it.
This is how you gradually build trust.
Once mutual trust was established, she would likely agree more readily to riskier tasks.
“What about the item you took this time?” asked Erika curiously, finding a moment to speak.
“Ah, right. I almost forgot about that.” He had been solely focused on how to further develop the relationship between him and Eun-Ha.
Fwoosh-
Due to taking out the box he had stored in the Dream Storage, purple flames burst from his chest, startling the two onlookers.
“What is...”
“Ah, this is just a skill. Nothing to worry about.”
“...I see.”
Relieved, Eun-Ha sat down after having abruptly stood up. Meanwhile, Erika, who had been sitting right beside him, continued staring intently at the flames on his chest.
“Is that dream mana?” asked Erika, staring directly into Se-Hoon’s eyes.
“Yes. I’ve managed to handle it somehow.”
He had debated not answering, but since he wasn’t the only one who could use dream mana, which was infamous for being difficult to handle, there was no need to hide it from them.
At his response, Erika moved her gaze to his chest and silently watched where the flames had emerged.
[The bond with ‘Inoue Erika’ has grown to Lv.2.]
[Since the bond has grown to Lv.2, a Relationship has been established. Your Relationship with ‘Inoue Erika’ is currently ‘Evaluation’.]
“...?”
Unexpected notification messages popped up before his eyes.
1. Previously Lee Ken-Sei ?