The Regressor Can Make Them All-Chapter 323

“Right now, its functions are a bit limited, which is unfortunate. But once we expand the number of patterns it can accommodate, it’ll become a game-changer.”

Not only would it revolutionize the way people fought, but it would also add new dimensions to commanding troops for monster elimination.

At the prospect, Kasar pondered how he might use it himself.

But then a sharp voice broke his train of thought. “You look rather thrilled.” Li Kenxie narrowed his eyes. “It’s as if you’ll hand that sword right back to him once I return to Huangshan.”

“That’s not what I—”

“Silence.”

Cutting off Kasar’s whimpering, Li Kenxie shifted his attention to Se-Hoon.

“So? What’s your point? Are you implying I chose the wrong person to give my sword to?”

“Of course not,” Se-Hoon immediately denied, shaking his head. He turned to look down at the arena. “The sword perfectly drew out Dean Kasar’s talents and has flawless craftsmanship.”

“...”

“If you had handed it over to someone else back then, neither the sword nor its wielder would have achieved the renown they now enjoy.”

Watching Luize, who had been forcibly removed from the barrier and transported back to the stage, return to the center with Ashen Smoke following closely behind, Se-Hoon posed another question.

“But would you say that still holds true now?”

“...”

“...”

Kasar and Luize—who among them could truly utilize the weapon to its fullest? The question was provocative, yet Se-Hoon had asked it so boldly.

Frowning, Li Kenxie sighed and replied, “I suppose not.”

Kasar had utilized the sword exactly as Li Kenxie had envisioned. Luize, however, had expanded its use into areas even Li Kenxie had not imagined. Then, could it still be said that the sword had been forged solely for Kasar?

Both of them thought not.

“Once a blacksmith finishes forging a piece of equipment, it doesn’t change its form. That’s the nature of finished equipment,” Se-Hoon began.

No matter how many times one replicated the process, refined the design, or even rewound time, an exact replica of a piece of equipment could not be created. That was why blacksmiths and creators gave their utmost effort during forging—because the result could not be undone.

“However, even if the equipment doesn’t change, people do. Times change. And during that evolution, new values are discovered... values that even the blacksmith might have overlooked when forging.”

Turning to Li Kenxie, Se-Hoon met his gaze resolutely.

“This holds true even for those who have conquered the Tower of Heroes.”

“...”

Locking gazes with Se-Hoon, Li Kenxie understood the underlying message. Though slightly veiled, Se-Hoon was suggesting something bold.

He can use my power more effectively than I do myself, huh?

Perhaps it was also an admission that his judgment concerning Li Fei wasn’t infallible. But though he found Se-Hoon’s attitude infuriatingly arrogant, Li Kenxie did not respond with the rage he might have shown before.

He was extremely calm.

“Still, it seems you don’t have enough proof to support your claim yet.”

Understanding that Li Kenxie was implying one success could easily be dismissed as a fluke, Se-Hoon smiled faintly.

“Don’t worry. I still have plenty more to show you.”

“...Tsk.”

—That was an absolutely thrilling match! Now, let’s move on to interviews with our two competitors!

While the two were continuing their subtle battle of wits, Lan Fang had leapt gracefully from the commentary booth to the stage and began interviewing Aria, whose segment concluded without issue.

—Now, let’s hear a few words from competitor Luize Valente!

—...

Luize scanned the audience with a disgruntled expression, her gaze only settling when it landed on Se-Hoon, who was watching her in disguise.

—...The location was bad, the equipment was subpar, and my skills were lacking. Of course, I couldn’t win against a monster like her.

—...Pardon?”

Hearing her blunt statement in that sharp tone of hers, both Lan Fang and the audience were left slack-jawed. No one had expected her to speak so candidly during a globally broadcast event.

This is a broadcast disaster...

As Lan Fang struggled to find a way to recover, Luize continued her interview calmly, unbothered by the chaos.

—So next time, I’ll come better prepared and win.

Saying nothing more, she descended from the stage as though the matter was settled, leaving Lan Fang to scramble and salvage the situation while Aria covered her mouth, stifling a small laugh.

What a mess.

Se-Hoon shook his head, smirking wryly.

“I’ll be heading out first.”

“Hm? You’re leaving already?”

“I promised some friends that I’d watch the finals with them. See you later.”

Bowing slightly to the two, Se-Hoon made his way to Luize’s waiting room.

Knock, knock-

“You did great—”

“Sit.”

Recognizing that she was clearly upset due to her icy blue eyes and frosty tone, Se-Hoon quietly took a seat across from her.

“What did you tell Aria out there?”

“...”

“Answer me.”

Seeing that Luize had already figured it out, Se-Hoon scratched his head awkwardly.

“Well, I just gave her a little advice...”

“What kind of advice?”

“I told her... to provoke you by bringing me up. I figured it’d make you fight harder if you got angry.”

Upon seeing that both competitors seemed eager for a proper match, Se-Hoon had casually suggested exploiting Luize’s tendency to perform better when emotionally charged.

Unfortunately, Luize had caught on immediately.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.... Who’d fall for such an obvious provocation?”

“But you—”

“You want to die?”

Under her sharp glare, Se-Hoon quickly clamped his mouth shut.

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Though his suggestion had been for both their benefit, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed now that it was out in the open, especially since he’d made himself part of the strategy.

In hindsight, it does seem a bit self-indulgent.

If Luize hadn’t reacted, the whole situation could’ve turned into an awkward disaster. Then, he would have been too embarrassed to show his face around Aria.

If it were the Blast Dog, things might’ve gone sideways. At least Luize is gracious enough to recognize my help.

As such thoughts swirled in his mind, Luize narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’ve got something going on in your mind again, don’t you?”

“Ahem, not at all.”

“...Tsk. Anyway, don’t ever do something like that again. If you try and get caught next time, I’ll really kill you.”

Grumbling incessantly about how Aria’s provocation had annoyed her, Luize continued venting under her breath.

“Alright, I won’t do it again,” Se-Hoon said with a smirk, nodding.

“Good. And...” Trailing off in hesitation, Luize glanced at him. “Teach me how to use Divine Magic.”

“Huh? Divine Magic?”

“Didn’t you say I had a talent for it earlier? Now that Apostate is dead, I don’t have a reason to avoid learning it.”

“Ah...”

Recalling what he had said in the past, Se-Hoon looked at her with a slightly surprised expression.

“I thought you wouldn’t be too keen on it.”

“Well... that’s true, but...” Luize slipped into silence, looking at him.

She still felt uneasy about Divine Magic, but seeing how naturally Se-Hoon was using it, she figured it might be fine after all.

If it were truly a dangerous power, he would’ve warned me.

Her trust in Se-Hoon had led her to that conclusion. However, her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit it outright, so she decided to give a different reason.

“Seeing that you can use it, I don’t see why I shouldn’t. It’s hurting my pride.”

Hearing her blunt answer, Se-Hoon blinked in surprise before letting out a quiet chuckle.

“That’s such a you answer.”

“Are you mocking me right now?”

“No, I mean it in a good way. I like that about you.”

“...”

Seemingly displeased, Luize averted her gaze.

Amused, Se-Hoon considered her request.

It’s not a bad idea.

Now that he fully understood the nature of Divine Magic and how to wield it, teaching Luize would be manageable.

Though it’s probably better to hold off on letting the Pilgrimage Church know about this for now.

Even though Apostate was gone, there could still be complications. Weighing his options, Se-Hoon nodded in the end.

“Alright. I’ll teach you after this tournament ends.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ll also forge you some equipment soon. I don’t want to hear complaints like today again.”

Satisfied, Luize nodded. Just then, she suddenly remembered something and asked, “By the way, are you going to check on him?”

“Him? Oh, you mean Sung-Ha?”

Luize nodded once again.

“It’s a bit frustrating to admit, but if I want that monster to lose, I figured he might need some advice.”

Though the audience viewed her match as a close one, Luize thought otherwise. Even with everything in her favor, she still couldn’t overpower Aria. On top of that, Aria had helped push her to the limit, yet she hadn’t even managed to deplete half of Aria’s barrier.

Could Sung-Ha, who lacked her disadvantage in matchups but didn’t seem overwhelmingly strong either, stand a chance?

“It doesn’t really matter to me, but”—Se-Hoon smirked—“do you think he’d even listen to my advice?”

“Oh... right.”

“Unless he’s figuring out his path, there’s no way he’d listen to me now. Besides...” Recalling the image of Sung-Ha walking away last night, Se-Hoon added calmly, “I believe he’s more than capable of winning right now.”

***

The remaining semi-final matches proceeded smoothly, and finally, the two finalists were confirmed: Aria of Group A and Sung-Ha of Group B.

While it was an expected matchup, the whole world was abuzz with excitement. Throughout the tournament, Sung-Ha’s performance had been on par with Aria’s, leaving no doubt that he would be a worthy opponent for her.

“This could actually be a close match, don’t you think?”

“I heard he took down multiple A-rank heroes during that terrorist incident in the first semester.”

“And he’s been on Lee Se-Hoon’s radar for ages...”

Luize’s fierce match had further cemented Sung-Ha’s reputation, creating a nearly even split in public opinion about who might win.

Before they faced off, however, a one-hour break had been scheduled to give the finalists ample time to prepare and recover. However, Sung-Ha headed to the training grounds instead.

Swish-

Two spears cut through the air at a steady, deliberate pace. Although he was practicing alone, in Sung-Ha’s mind, he could see the trajectory of a spear ahead of his own—a phantom trace of a perfected move.

Just a bit more accurately...

He focused on catching up to that elusive trajectory, but the harder he tried, the further it slipped away.

Sung-Ha frowned in frustration.

It’s still not enough.

Compared to his first-semester self, his strength had grown exponentially. As he was, he could defeat his past self in a single strike. Yet, despite it all, he remained unable to reach the phantom in his dreams—the future version of himself.

No matter how much he refined his skills or analyzed his techniques, the phantom remained out of reach.

What am I lacking?

He considered asking Se-Hoon for advice but ultimately decided against it.

This is something I need to figure out on my own.

Only then could he surpass his future self and step into uncharted territory.

Falling into thought about his shortcomings, a familiar voice interrupted him. “...I see your stance has changed.”

Swish.

The phantom vanished as if it had never existed. Snapping out of his focus, Sung-Ha turned to face the voice’s owner: a frail yet healthier-looking elderly man—his master, Jin-Hyun.

“Master,” Sung-Ha greeted with a bow.

Having expected his arrival on the second day, Sung-Ha wasn’t particularly surprised.

Observing him, Jin-Hyun asked, “Did you develop a new technique?”

“Yes... Is there something unsatisfactory you find about it?”

The technique he had been honing was based on the illusions of the spear Se-Hoon had created—a deviation from the Inferno Ring that Jin-Hyun had taught him.

Remaining silent, Jin-Hyun observed him before shaking his head.

“No. Even if there were, I doubt I could discern it now.”

Although his health had been restored by the Pilgrim, he had lost all aptitude in anything related to mana. He could no longer wield or even sense mana, rendering him unable to critique techniques.

“...”

Though he understood his master’s choice to give up mana to save his life, he couldn’t fathom the emotions behind such a sacrifice.

Noticing his disciple’s somber expression, Jin-Hyun chuckled and changed the topic.

“Are you in good shape?”

“Yes. There are no issues with my body at all.”

“Good. Then... do you think you can win?”

At the question, Sung-Ha met his master’s eyes with a determined expression.

“Yes.”

“...Good.”

Satisfied, Jin-Hyun turned and left the training ground, watched by Sung-Ha.

Sung-Ha gripped his twin spears tightly.

I’ll win this match. No matter what.

It was the greatest gratitude he could offer his master, the man who had nurtured him and taught him everything.

With that resolve in mind, he resumed his training and before he knew it, an hour had passed.

The audience had all reconvened in the stadium, their anticipation at its peak.

—Thank you all for waiting! The finals are about to begin!!!

The two competitors who had made it to the end stepped onto the stage, ready to decide the ultimate victor.