AV怡红院一区二区三区

Chapter 217

“What made you act this crazy again...?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. This battle scar... shows the fierce struggle I went through...”

“Haaa, there he goes again.”

If he sustained an injury, he should have gone to the hospital. Yet for some reason, he always felt the need to flaunt his wounds as if he couldn\'t tolerate going unnoticed.

Exasperated, Se-Hoon considered chucking a hammer at Manuel but then figured it would just make more of a mess. However, that didn’t mean Se-Hoon no longer wanted to throw something at him. Looking for something to throw, Se-Hoon paused when he suddenly stopped hearing the sound of a man undressing and felt his presence approaching.

“Look at this.”

“Screw off.”

“Oh, come on. Seriously, you’ve got to see this one. Even you’ll be impressed.”

Sighhhh-

Well aware that Manuel would likely just come right up to his face to show him if Se-Hoon kept ignoring him, Se-Hoon reluctantly turned his head.

“Ugh, you’re so disgusting...”

Standing in front of his eyes was the lunatic, Manuel Ortega. Stripped to the waist with his face obscured by his tangled hair and scruffy beard, Manuel was grinning.

Repulsed, Se-Hoon groaned as he lowered his gaze to see what Manuel was so proud of—the scar spread across his chest that was shaped like an X near his burned sternum. Looking closer, fresh skin was just beginning to grow around it, the surrounding veins bulging ominously.

“How... how the hell did you end up like that?”

“Heh, I knew you’d notice right away.”

Smirking, Manuel sat on the anvil beside him.

“I ran into Demon’s Edge.”

“Demon’s Edge? And you made it out alive?”

“I was with Kasar. I’d be dead for sure if I were alone.”

Despite just brushing by death, Manuel seemed remarkably calm. Then again, that was just how most S-rank heroes were—always a bit unhinged.

“So, the scar is from that sword?”

“Yeah. Seeing it in person was way more terrifying than the stories make it out to be,” Manuel affirmed with a chuckle as he stroked his scar.

There was an unsettling energy in the way he carried himself, which only made Se-Hoon feel more anxious.

“Is that so? Well, maybe I’ll personally check it out in detail sometime. Now leave your equipment for repairs and get out of here—”

“Forge me a weapon that can kill them.”

Manuel’s voice was low. His hair hung like a curtain over his face, but Se-Hoon could see that his eyes were gleaming with determination beneath.

“Wouldn’t it be faster to go beg the Sacred Craftsman?”

Dismissing Se-Hoon’s words without a second thought, like they weren’t even worth considering, Manuel replied, “He only knows how to forge elegantly. Besides, he gives off this vibe that makes him seem like he’s just waiting to use me, and that pisses me off.”

Looking at Maneul, Se-Hoon was reminded of the time Manuel had gotten so obsessed with a demon that he spent half a year chasing it down. And just like then, Manuel seemed to have fixed his sights on Demon\'s Edge.

“What about my master?”

“The Blood Master? I would appreciate it; however, can we rely on her to produce one for me?

“Yeah... probably not.”

At Manuel’s words, Se-Hoon realized that Manuel was far too strong to receive a weapon from his master. So then, unable to recommend anyone else, only one option was left.

“It’s down to you, then.”

“...Looks like it.”

The sight of Manuel right now, who was obviously dead set on getting such a weapon, gave Se-Hoon a slight headache.

Does he think slaying Demon’s Edge is as easy as killing a stray dog...?

He thought it was completely absurd that Manuel was so casually asking for a weapon capable of doing something like killing Demon’s Edge. Faced with such a request, Se-Hoon wanted to tell him to get lost, but unfortunately, he couldn’t.

“You remember our promise, right? You said if I brought you the Sacred Beast’s horn, you’d take on any job I asked.”

“...Yeah, I remember.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Getting up, Manuel started putting his shirt back on and headed for the corner of the workshop. He then laid down on the dusty floor there and casually said, “Wake me up if you need me.”

And with that, he instantly passed out. Staring at Manuel, Se-Hoon judged that, given how comfortably Manuel had settled in, he wouldn’t move until Se-Hoon had finished forging at least the framework of his sword.

“Tsk...”

While he wasn’t a fan of the situation, a promise was a promise. Besides, Manuel was one of his few regulars who at least acted like a normal human being. Accepting his fate, he decided to just attempt the request for now.

If it doesn’t work out, then so be it.

While Manuel was overly reckless, he wasn’t completely brainless. Resolving to give it his best shot, Se-Hoon hammered away at his choice of material.

Clang! Clang!

Accompanying the rhythmic sounds of a hammer clanging, a loud snore resounded throughout the workshop, as if competing.

***

“...”

Realizing that he was back in the Whitespace, Se-Hoon shook off the memories of Manuel that had flashed by in an instant. He then turned to look at the young man lying before him once more.

“Hmm?”

Still lying flat on the ground, Manuel stared back at him. The sight of him, who despite his slightly hollowed eyes, still had a striking appearance stirred a strange feeling inside Se-Hoon.

This perfectly normal-looking guy is going to become that lunatic who strips naked and brags about his scars...?

Se-Hoon’s gaze toward Manuel immediately filled with pity. The fate that awaited Manual was too tragic.

“What’s with that look?” Manuel said with a frown, noticing the pity in Se-Hoon’s gaze.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, how long have you been here?”

“Since the first day of the break.”

Se-Hoon was a bit taken aback. He was perfectly fine despite spending over a week in this empty space?

...Then again, it’s probably not too weird for him.

Even before the regression, Manuel had been the kind of person who could sleep on the bare ground and eat monster meat raw when he was too lazy to cook properly. He likely wouldn’t go to such extremes right now, but that carefree attitude of his probably didn’t change much.

“What lesson did you ask for that made him stick you in here?”

“I asked him to teach me how to cut through space, and then he put me in here and told me I could only leave when I managed to learn it myself.”

“...”

Se-Hoon had hoped Ludwig would be a bit more rational, but it turned out he was as crazy as the rest of the Perfect Ones.

Since it’s supposed to be a test, he probably won’t let me out early.... I might even end up stuck here for the entire break.

Frustrated by the unexpected situation, Se-Hoon decided to look on the bright side. If he couldn’t pass a simple test like this, then his plan to kill the Dream Demon and take down the Pleasure District would be even more impossible. In fact, Ludwig was likely testing him with the same thought in mind.

At least I managed to find out a bit about this place.

Even if he hadn’t fully grasped the fundamentals of this space, as a blacksmith, he should still be able to use whatever knowledge he had to his advantage. With that in mind, Se-Hoon sat on the floor in front of Manuel.

“Anything you’ve tried so far to get out of here?”

“Well...”

Though Manuel had been about to answer straightforwardly, he suddenly paused after realizing something and gave Se-Hoon a strange look.

“Why have you been talking informally this whole time?”

“Well, you’ve been doing it too. So what’s the problem?”

“That’s... well...”

Though Manuel seemed like he wanted to argue, he quickly gave up and just sighed, waving his hand dismissively.

“Whatever. Do what you want. It’s not like we’re going to be seeing each other often anyway.”

Just like before, he was quick to give up—that unchanged behavior made Se-Hoon’s eyes gleam.

Yup, he definitely hasn’t changed much.

He even seemed a little calmer than he’d been as a Weapon Master, which in a way made him easier to deal with. And since that was the case, Se-Hoon knew now knew how to handle Manuel, and thus pressed on with the conversation.

“Then, can you tell me what you have tried so far? We should come up with a solution together if we want to get out of here quickly.”

“It doesn’t matter what we try. It’s pointless. Just wait until he lets us out...”

“Do I need to keep asking until you answer?”

“...”

Manuel’s eye twitched at Se-Hoon’s persistence. Then after another sigh, he finally gave in and answered. “All I’ve done so far is trying to attack different spots, hoping I might cut through space by chance.”

“Nothing besides that?”

“Nothing. I don’t know much about spatial magic anyway.”

Done with his half-hearted reply, Manuel rolled over and motioned for Se-Hoon to leave, uninterested in continuing the conversation further.

“Now shoo. You’re making me tired.”

His words indicated that he was annoyed, but Se-Hoon knew Manuel was just exhausted and couldn’t be bothered anymore.

“Hmm...”

Having failed to gain any useful information, Se-Hoon surveyed his surroundings once more.

Why did he move me right next to Manuel\'s location?

If the goal was to isolate him, Ludwig could have easily put him somewhere far away with how immensely vast the Whitespace was. But he hadn’t, meaning the deliberate location suggested there was some underlying reason.

Manuel said he could leave once he learned how to cut through the space.

Although cutting through space itself wasn’t as straightforward as it sounded, Se-Hoon, who had dealt with various materials and heard countless stories, had a rough idea of what it meant.

I don’t know if it’ll work... but I might as well try.

Having made his decision, Se-Hoon distanced himself from Manuel and drew Ewinia from his void pocket.

Whoosh-

The green blade hummed softly, and the wind began naturally wrapping around it.

It seems there’s an atmosphere here, unlike in the Netherworld, Se-Hoon thought, observing the blade with interest.

Examining the wind swirling around him next, Se-Hoon focused on recalling the method to cut through space.

First, I need to perceive it.

Just as vegetables didn’t appear when chopping an empty cutting board, he had to first perceive and locate the space he was going to cut. He sharpened his senses, carefully examining the area around him and focusing on where he stood.

Swish, swish-

Analyzing the countless bits of information coming from around him, he began filtering out everything unrelated to the Whitespace, like sifting through grains of sand.

First, I’ll erase that guy behind me...

Manuel’s presence promptly vanished, followed by the sound of the wind dying down. Continuing to filter out the distractions one by one, eventually, even his vision darkened and everything turned pitch-black.

Shrrrk-

That was also the moment when white grid lines appeared suddenly in his vision, spreading across his surroundings like a net.

Found it...!

Having located the strange lines, Se-Hoon immediately reactivated all the senses he had shut off at the same moment.

Whoosh!-

With the flood of information that returned, the grid lines started to be swept away and started to blur. However, before they could completely vanish, Se-Hoon quickly moved.

Mortal Combat Technique: Space Severing Slash

Swoosh!

Following one of the grid lines, Se-Hoon matched his slash with Ewinia exactly to it. Currently, the space before him still seemed unchanged to the naked eye, but he had clearly felt the sensation of cutting through something. Holding onto that hope, he looked ahead.

Swish-

And moments later, a clean line appeared before him, splitting space apart on both sides.

It worked!

Having just tried it on a whim, he hadn’t expected to actually succeed on the first attempt. Proud, Se-Hoon silently cheered and quickly started examining the gap he had created.

“...?”

Unfortunately, instead of seeing the real world beyond the gap, all he saw was more endless Whitespace. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Confused, Se-Hoon frowned and reached his hand into the gap. His hand passed through without any resistance.

Realizing something was wrong, he leaned forward and glanced sideways at the gap.

“Sigh...”

From the side, he could easily see his right arm which had passed through.

Looks like I just barely grazed it.

While he had successfully perceived the boundaries of the Whitespace, his technique had been sloppy, resulting in him only grazing the surface rather than cutting through completely. The issue wasn’t with his method though; it was purely his lack of skill.

Having identified the cause of his failure, Se-Hoon began to ponder.

It’s difficult to refine the technique further right now.... Maybe I can mix in another power?

There were still other options to try: the Celestial Infinity Blade, Dream Mana, the power of Boundaries, or even asking the Seeker for advice. Deciding to attempt with the Celestial Infinity Blade, he got ready.

Whoosh!

But then something swung toward him from behind, forcing Se-Hoon to react instinctively.

Clang!

Ewinia\'s green blade clashed with a bright yellow sword. Feeling the slight tingling in his hand, Se-Hoon guessed the weapon had an electrical attribute. Besides that though, merely the fact that it remained intact despite colliding with a Legendary weapon indicated it was also quite high quality.

Has this guy lost his mind...?

But the weapon aside, the sudden ambush made Se-Hoon annoyedly glare at Manuel, who was miming words with his lips. At first, Se-Hoon thought he was joking around, but he quickly realized something was off.

This guy wouldn’t joke in such a situation.

And that fact was essentially confirmed by Manuel’s frustrated and irritated expression.

“...”

“...”

Simultaneously sensing something wrong, both cautiously lowered their weapons. Se-Hoon checked his own condition first.

My hearing’s okay. All my other senses are normal, too.

In that case, why couldn’t he hear the guy standing right in front of him? Trying to find an answer, Se-Hoon fell into thought. Manuel, on the other hand, sheathed his sword at his waist and extended his right hand, palm up.

He seemed to be asking for something. Figuring it out a second later, Se-Hoon placed his right hand on top of Manuel’s.

Scratch, scratch-

Carefully deciphering the letters Manuel had begun tracing letters into his palm, Se-Hoon\'s expression became even more puzzled.

“How did you manage to cut through the table? I couldn\'t even leave a scratch when I tried.”

“Table...? What table...”

Se-Hoon had no idea what Manuel was talking about. So, after thinking about it for a moment, he removed his hand and summoned his darkness mana, Midnight Abyss.

Swirl-

Churning on his palms, the darkness began forming a sentence above them.

“I’ll make a panel with magic. Try to draw a diagram of your surroundings on it.”

Reading Se-Hoon’s instruction, Manuel nodded in agreement, and Se-Hoon merged the letters of darkness together to form a wide panel. Offering it to Manuel, Manuel used his finger to draw on the panel, and soon a familiar blueprint emerged.

This is... the dormitory.

The layout was identical to the dorm room where Se-Hoon had spent the first semester. Studying the diagram, Se-Hoon looked around once more.

Does that mean Manuel and I are in different places?

He was in the Whitespace, and Manuel was in the dormitory. But that didn’t make sense. After all, they could still see each other and even make physical contact.

Trying to make sense of it, Se-Hoon remembered his earlier conversation with Ludwig.

“Your assumption is pretty close. The Whitespace is a collection of unseen voids.”

If the Whitespace was a collection of unseen voids, and these voids existed between spaces...

Se-Hoon arrived at one possibility.

They overlap each other.

The Whitespace was superimposed on reality, and depending on how it was used it, they could either interact with the Whitespace or just simply ignore it.

Then could one control it? Getting closer, Se-Hoon recalled how he had completely excluded Manuel’s presence earlier.

Perhaps it’s a matter of perception... or rather, a difference in perspective!

Whether he existed in the void or reality depended on how he shifted his perspective. So if he could freely control that, he could move between the two easily.

Finally understanding, Se-Hoon immediately saw his vision begin to shift.

Shrrrk-

Once again, the white grid lines spread across the space and Se-Hoon reached for one of the lines.

Unlike before, passing his hand though didn’t feel like he was passing through empty air—he felt something solid. Grasping that invisible substance tightly, Se-Hoon pulled with all his might.

Swoosh!

The Whitespace then tore open, revealing the familiar scenery of the dormitory room.

[Skill ‘Veil of Whitespace (A)’ has been acquired.]