Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.22 – The Knight Purses Growth (2)
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Creak.
The rusty hinge screeched harshly against his ears.
But more irritating than the rusty hinge was the stench assaulting his nose—a vile mix of mold, dust, filth, and waste.
The knight, far more sensitive to foul odors than most, couldn't help but furrow his brow involuntarily.
Flinch!
Was it a misunderstanding from his furrowed brow? The boy flinched, thinking he was angry.
"S-Sorry."
"Huh? Why are you apologizing all of a sudden? I'm not mad."
"B-But your expression..."
"The smell's awful. You don't even bat an eye in a place like this."
"W-Well, I come here a lot... Guess I've gotten used to it."
"I see."
"Y-Yeah..."
Only after hearing he wasn't angry did the timid boy relax a bit, but he still watched Lee Han cautiously, making him feel unnecessarily guilty.
At the same time, a pang of sympathy welled up unbidden.
'Getting into the habit of apologizing like that isn't good...'
What kind of surroundings had turned "sorry" into a verbal tic and wariness into a passive reflex?
The knight let out a wry smile.
'Just like me.'
It reminded him of his own childhood after losing his grandfather in his past life, bouncing from place to place—stirring up even empathy.
That must be why he cared more and meddled.
"Setting up a workshop in a place like this that's bad for your health..."
"I-It wasn't... S-Sorry."
"Stop apologizing. It makes me feel like the bad guy."
"......"
"...Yeah, sorry. I'm the jerk here, damn it."
"...Haha."
His playful grumbling finally eased the tension; the timid boy smiled faintly and eyed him a little less nervously.
Then, soon enough.
"Ah! H-Here it is, Instructor."
"...Oh."
The boy stopped and pointed. All that was visible was a thick wall.
If a third party were there, they'd suspect they'd been dragged to this stinking sewer to be toyed with and get pissed. But not him.
Whether the timid boy knew or not, his senses told him there was empty space beyond the thick wall.
"Just smash it hard?"
"N-Normally, people figure out how to get in, not smash the wall, right?"
"Why leave a shortcut?"
"...Um, normal people can't break a one-meter-thick wall with their bare hands."
The boy scratched his cheek in rebuttal and tapped the wall familiarly.
Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap.
A steady rhythm.
It wasn't amateur work; most people wouldn't even recognize the pattern.
'Down four times, weak up two, hard once. Then sweep down five from the middle?'
But that was for ordinary folk. He discerned even the minute differences others would miss, watching curiously.
Grriiind...
A noise far worse than the rusty hinge echoed as the wall slowly sank downward.
And what emerged—
"P-Please come in, to my [Workshop]."
Derek said it like a line he'd always wanted to deliver, though he looked embarrassed.
...Still.
'Definitely worth bragging about.'
It was an impressive space that deserved admiration.
An unimaginable [secret workshop] hidden deep in the sewers revealed itself.
Underground Sewers.
One of the five great achievements attributed to the War God.
Initially, all nobles opposed it, whining about the budget, but after the War God pushed it through and completed the sewers, the kingdom praised him with tears, or so the story goes.
It was well-deserved.
Streets once overflowed with filth, reeking of rot and muddy puddles daily. Post-completion, clean water became cheap, public restrooms appeared, and roadside dumping stopped.
Street cleanliness improved, reducing stomach issues and fevers dramatically.
A truly great achievement.
"They say no one's died from food poisoning since these sewers were built—not an exaggeration. It dropped from 30 out of 100 to under 3."
"Sudden history lesson?"
"I-I'm a history department cadet, after all."
"Hmm, a history cadet boldly setting up a workshop right under the previous king's achievement."
"Th-The space was already here... But you have to keep the workshop a secret? Getting caught means straight to the guillotine."
"Don't worry. Now that I'm here, I'm an accomplice starting today."
"......I didn't bring you for that."
Derek scratched his head with an awkward smile, and Lee Han quietly observed the workshop.
'Money poured everywhere.'
He marveled at the items filling the roughly 100-square-foot space.
Impossible to price exactly, but each emanated extraordinary aura.
Drawers packed with herbal scents—denser than any clinic he'd seen, each drawer wafting potent herbs.
A cauldron-sized decoction vessel exuded presence; mortars and beakers were worn but brimmed with excellence.
A fusion of alchemist and physician's lab—East and West harmonized perfectly.
"When did you set this up?"
"Um, about a month? Still lacking a lot."
"......"
"W-Why look at me like that?"
"...Nothing."
The status window, indeed.
Others needed decades for this; he'd built it in a month?
Like a grad-school dropout with a lab envied by professors.
'No wonder status window-less folks live in envy...'
He knew it was petty, but jealousy flickered. It faded quickly, though.
After all.
"N-Now, we'll proceed with the 'Lead Transmutation'."
That incredible status window boon was his to use.
Time to be grateful.
Estimated class: Thief, sub-class: Alchemist—the boy began transmuting the Demon King's Heart.
"I-I can do it, handling medicines and such."
Derek confidently pitched his skills for the first time.
Who gets such a chance!
'Jackpot! Never dreamed I'd handle ultra-rare material like this!'
Luck couldn't be sweeter for him.
Main class: [Thief].
He'd wanted Warrior but knew himself—far from brave, so Thief it was.
But it was fine.
Thief had perks when leveled, plus insane skills like yesterday's Ten Thousand Blossoms.
'Still risky and lacking.'
Still, he'd worked hard, choosing [Alchemist] as sub-class for growth.
Boosted dexterity, handled poisons and meds—perfect Thief synergy.
He'd poured effort into alchemy, planning the academy's alchemy department...
'...But my level was too low.'
Only managing two or three potions—endless frustration.
Fearing declining dexterity, he switched to history for hidden pieces.
But never quit alchemy.
Using savings, skills, and hidden pieces, he completed this secret workshop.
Post-completion, unlocked skill: Ten Thousand Blossoms.
Recipes for its poisons, meds etched in his mind.
Alchemist was essential; yesterday's power confirmed its worth.
...Yet dissatisfaction lingered.
'Ten Thousand Blossoms... Money-devouring monster.'
End-game skill; materials for one use bankrupted budgets.
Two in a row? Ruin.
To advance job skills, alchemist needed growth—via rare materials.
Handling rares boosted dexterity.
And now.
'Demon King's Heart...! Not just rare—final boss tier...'
Final boss rare material.
Weakened Demon King dropped quality five grades.
Still the Demon King's Heart...
Highest difficulty yet, astronomical value.
Hesitant if he could handle it, but Derek volunteered.
For alchemist growth—and likely no one else in the kingdom could.
But deepest reason...
'To repay the favor.'
He owed a debt.
...Growing still.
'He added me knowing it'd trouble me.'
Claimed assistant instructor, but Derek wasn't blind.
After his spotlight in the Demon King subjugation, deliberately pulled to swordsmanship to deflect attention.
Knowing excess notice cramped his style...
'What kind of person is he?'
Derek glanced at him—unfazed, touring the workshop despite the precious material.
No worry it'd burn? Big guts or indifferent to wealth?
But the glance wasn't for that—
'108 Arhats, Plum Blossom Swordsmanship... Too blatant.'
Other terms confirmed it.
Maybe coincidence.
Game or original was [Made in Korea]; Eastern terms slipped in.
...But Derek doubted it, finding another reason.
Conclusion: one.
Even if not a player like him—
'An Easterner?'
An Easterner somehow in this game?
And if true.
'I must apologize.'
As creator of this cursed game... express regret.
Whoosh!
To repay that guilt, Derek focused utterly on the alchemy.
...Unfortunately, that passion with guilt.
'The kid's the real deal?'
Revealed dangerous talent...
'...Damn, half-joking assistant 2 needs to be real.'
Seeing this, greed surged.
More obedient than slave 1, diligent.
Alchemy user, wields Ten Thousand Blossoms.
More to uncover, surely.
This was...
'Finding a drool-worthy vet over an excavator cert holder...'
The awe of a foreman meeting a 10-year grinder.
Must specialist him.
Regressed genius swordsman?
Possessed mage heroine?
No need.
Veteran Tae-chang reigns supreme.