Chapter 92 #32 Past Grudges (1)
‘Beltsmets, huh...’
Jeong Hosan’s heart had been deeply troubled by the recent news. The moment he saw the face of the suspect affiliated with Beltsmets, publicly wanted, he was so shocked he forgot to breathe for a second.
Han Seohyun.
He’d never met the kid in person, but the name and face were familiar.
By now, everyone had probably forgotten the ‘Han Jo-hee murder case,’ but he was the sole younger brother of the victim, Han Jo-hee.
And the prime suspect in that case was his own friend, Kang Ishin.
The instant Jeong Hosan heard about the murder, he’d gone looking for Han Seohyun.
Foolish guilt and sense of responsibility, perhaps, but he couldn’t just leave a 17-year-old kid who’d become an orphan overnight to fend for himself.
Especially since the suspect was Kang Ishin—no way he could ignore that.
But Jeong Hosan had never been able to reach Han Seohyun.
The body had been stolen from the morgue, and then he vanished.
That was all Jeong Hosan knew about Han Seohyun’s whereabouts until the kid himself became wanted.
It had only been four months since the Han Jo-hee murder case. What on earth had happened to Han Seohyun in that time?
‘Are you looking for Ishin?’
Had he joined the criminal organization Beltsmets for revenge? Jeong Hosan’s mind was a mess.
His friend who’d suddenly vanished, and Han Seohyun.
As a member of the villain group Beltsmets, Han Seohyun would pursue Kang Ishin more relentlessly than anyone. He’d probably use illegal methods that Jeong Hosan, formally affiliated with a guild, couldn’t touch.
‘I can’t let Ishin die.’
The thought of Kang Ishin dying without him even knowing was horrific enough to make his head shake involuntarily.
Calming his turbulent thoughts, Jeong Hosan stepped outside.
He planned to go home, sleep, and head out again.
Someone blocked his path.
“You Jeong Hosan?”
“Yeah, who’s asking?”
“Came to ask about Kang Ishin.”
At that question, Jeong Hosan’s demeanor shifted instantly. Looking closely at the two men before him, his instincts screamed they weren’t upstanding citizens.
The neatly suited guy with the decent face might pass, but the hulking brute behind him had the vicious look of someone deep in shady dealings.
“What’s this about?”
“Your buddy borrowed money from me and ran off.”
The man in front of the brute answered. Guessing the situation now, Jeong Hosan dispersed the mana he’d gathered and spoke.
“You the loan shark who lent Ishin the money?”
“Loan shark?”
“Ahem, come on, let’s talk somewhere quiet.”
As the man grimaced, the brute butted in. Jeong Hosan narrowed his eyes at him. He didn’t like the guy one bit, but they couldn’t keep chatting on the street.
And so the three ended up at a nearby franchise café. That’s when Jeong Hosan finally learned their names—or rather, the team leader’s.
Choi In-hyeok, team leader at Push & Cash.
“Boss, uh, I mean Team Leader! What’ll you have?”
“Americano.”
“Got it. And you...”
“Don’t bother buying me anything. Just get whatever.”
“It’s one drink per person policy here...”
“Fine, then Americano all around.”
“Hey, can’t I get something sweet?”
At the childish brute Kim Du-sik’s whine, Choi In-hyeok’s glare sharpened. Kim Du-sik slouched off to the counter, shoulders drooping.
Choi In-hyeok spoke up.
“I came here to check if maybe Jeong Hosan here is hiding his friend Kang Ishin.”
Jeong Hosan scowled. What a filthy suspicion.
“Not at all. For starters, what made you lend him 130 million in the first place? The interest rate was insane...”
“Hah, our rates are all legal. I lent it out of the goodness of my heart because he was so desperate, so don’t put it like that. He came to me because he didn’t trust his friend enough, right?”
Jeong Hosan glared at Choi In-hyeok. It was exactly the thought that had been tormenting him. Maybe he borrowed from sharks because he couldn’t trust me.
He didn’t want to hear it from a dirty loan shark like this.
“Didn’t you saddle him with debt to sell him off? Isn’t this all a show? You sell Ishin somewhere else and come sniffing around me for nothing?”
“What bullshit! I’m the victim here! Getting stiffed on the money is bad enough—what, sell him off?”
“You targeted him knowing about his Lie talent, right?”
“Ah, Lie? Yeah, that bastard lied to me from the start. Told me he could only use low-frequency shocks!”
Choi In-hyeok yelled, then wiped his face. He didn’t seem to be faking ignorance. He really knew jack shit about Kang Ishin.
“Hah.”
Finding Kang Ishin this way was hopeless, as expected. He hadn’t held out much hope anyway...
“Fine, I had hopes since he’s your friend, but you really know nothing.”
Jeong Hosan clenched his fist at Choi In-hyeok’s words. The man stood up. Kim Du-sik, returning late with the drinks, panicked.
“B-Boss! You leaving?”
“Yeah!”
“What about the drinks? Takeout?”
“Just come on!”
Jeong Hosan sat still, fist clenched, as the words echoed behind them.
I had hopes since he’s your friend, but you really know nothing.
Choi In-hyeok’s words stabbed his chest.
Was he really...
‘Am I really your friend, Ishin?’
If Kang Ishin were in front of him, that’s what he’d ask.
“Nice, nice!”
I grinned at the bracelet in my hand. It had come together faster than expected.
The crisis after meeting Blood Demon Chumageol had me pour all my focus into crafting it.
◈ A bracelet forged from mithril and inlaid with a montoro snail shell.
◈ Resistant to heat, lightweight, and flexible.
◈ Transfers mana from the charged mana stone in the charging device to the wearer.
The previous bracelet was C-grade, but this one’s B-grade! The description was just as positive with the upgrade.
The biggest win was embedding the montoro snail shell as insulation, preventing the bracelet from overheating. No more burns from my own gear.
For the record, I ‘acquired’ the materials from a nearby guild warehouse.
With Beltsmets’ infamy skyrocketing, hitting the black market felt too risky, so I had to borrow like this.
━You don’t leave the Beltsmets name for stuff like this, huh.
‘Ahem, ahem.’
Refining the magic stone was done too. The purified stone gleamed like golden amber. Maybe because it was from Evrika, who handled sand—tiny grains swirled inside.
Just staring at it made time fly.
I named it the Amber Magic Stone.
◈ A magic stone purified by extreme heat, impurities removed.
◈ Contains Evrika’s mana.
Purified, it hit A-grade—the same as the Crimson Flame Magic Stone used to build this place.
I’d hoped for S-grade given the massive original size, but the crude refining or shrinkage capped it at A. Still, top-tier A-grade, probably.
I grabbed the prepped branch. Don’t underestimate it—it was from the oldest tree in this forest, struck by my lightning, infused with mana.
I engraved over ten mana circuits: mana auxiliary, vitality boost, stamina boost, basic defenses. That’d do.
I slotted the magic stone into the prepared notch. The artifacts meshed smoothly.
Light exploded before my eyes.
◈ A staff with an amber magic stone embedded in lightning-struck ancient wood.
◈ Assists wearer’s mana and smooths mana manifestation.
◈ Uses Evrika’s mana to aid the user.
◈ Haste · Shield usable every 24 hours.
Jackpot. An A-grade staff! Sure, premium materials helped, but first A-grade from my hands.
Evrika’s stone explained the ‘Evrika’s mana’ note.
“This one’s unique.”
━What’s unique about it?
“They specifically noted ‘Evrika’s mana,’ so maybe some of his skills stuck to it.”
This world’s system windows weren’t user-friendly for nothing. No hints on hidden functions. Haste and Shield show up because they list the incantations; others? Good luck.
First thing with a new artifact: test its true powers.
I gripped the staff and drew up mana.
“Oh.”
Mana flowing through the staff shone golden. Golden sand.
“Oh.”
Evrika’s sand had scattered when he died.
I cut the mana. My sand dispersed too.
‘Sand lasts only as long as the mana.’
But that meant endless sand control with steady mana supply.
I recalled Han Seohyun’s black sand from the Evrika raid.
“Way bigger deal than I thought.”
I held the staff out to Han Seohyun.
“W-Woahhh!”
He loved it more than I’d expected. No surprise—it was a masterpiece.
“Th-Thank you!”
“Thanks? Learn to use it right. Master the sand, and your power grows.”
Sand could cover his undead’s weakness to mass dispel. Plus, summonable with mana—no penalties.
Han Seohyun nodded seriously.
Good. Nailed my goals.
The kids had picked up Park Sang-pyeon’s demonic sword without asking; Ray was analyzing it. Thought it’d be quick, but it’s dragging.
━Mana circuits buried deep inside.
Most artifacts show circuits on the surface.
My bracelet’s lined inside, sure.
But this sword? Circuits or curses hidden deep—tough to parse.
Banned touching till analysis done. If successful, it’s Kim Jae-ho’s, but no quick fix.
Beltsmets rumors online were fading. Even big fires die without fuel. Amazing it burned this long.
Planning a quiet winter.
Then, irritating news hit.
Yuseonje’s debut match.