Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Renting the Mythic Axe
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“Growing it to mythic grade and returning it... What does that even mean?”
The clerk said with a bewildered look on his face.
Well, there was nothing strange about it.
Wasn’t this an utterly absurd situation where the man in front of him was promising to hunt down 10,000 demons?
I’d probably react the same way if I were in the clerk’s shoes.
But.
“That’s exactly what I mean. Just lend it to me, and I’ll grow it and give it back.”
It wasn’t an empty promise by any means.
In fact, with the condition of 10,000 demons, it was totally doable.
Demons would be everywhere on the road ahead.
Even right now, a great war was on the horizon, wasn’t it?
Assuming no major surprises, I could rack up several hundred there alone.
Considering battles like that would keep coming, 10,000 was well within reach.
Sure, it’d take some time.
‘As long as it doesn’t break before then, what’s the problem?’
When it came to axe maintenance, Barundel was the expert.
He’d take care of it so the blade stayed sharp.
“How about it? Shall we make the deal?”
It was a condition any shop would accept.
From their perspective, renting it to us on good terms was way better than dumping it at auction.
It was a win-win all around.
The problem was...
“How can we trust you enough to hand it over?”
Right, trust was the issue.
I was a mysterious man who’d shown up for the first time today, with no verified identity.
That’s how I looked objectively from the clerk’s standpoint.
It’d be hard to just hand over an item to someone like that.
Especially one worth 30,000 gold.
So, I needed to prove myself.
Show them who I was.
“Take a look at this first.”
I unclipped the ID badge I always wore on my belt and handed it to the clerk.
It’d build at least a bit of trust.
“Hmm, you participated in the Aldeon assessment battles. You must be quite skilled. Wait... You’re currently enrolled at Asion Academy?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The ID badge had a brief record of the owner’s background.
Things like taking the Aldeon assessment, enrolling at the academy, or volunteering as a war mercenary.
In a way, it was like carrying around a resume.
“Hoo... That’s impressive. A student at a prestigious academy.”
Just as expected, the clerk looked impressed.
Even strangers would give you some credit if you flashed an S-class university student ID.
The clerk was probably thinking the same.
The only downside was that I hadn’t updated it with my latest circle.
‘Would’ve been even better if I had.’
From the fourth circle on, having a fourth circle alone helped prove your identity.
The higher the realm, the fewer people were in it, making you easier to pinpoint, and thus less likely to pull shady stunts.
If I’d updated it, I could’ve scored extra points here.
Of course, I hadn’t expected to need it like this.
Pushing aside the regret, I got back to the point.
“Does this work?”
I stared at the clerk with the most pressuring gaze I could muster, making it hard to refuse.
But after a moment of thought, he shook his head.
“Unfortunately, it’s not quite enough.”
“...I see.”
Looks like renting a legendary artifact wasn’t that easy.
I’d have to offer something more...
How long did I ponder?
A brilliant idea suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘Does it have to be about building trust?’
There was a much simpler way than earning trust.
I laid out the plan I’d come up with, and fortunately, the clerk agreed right away.
“That does sound like a deal worth trying.”
Success in persuasion.
Of course, there was no reason to refuse now.
“You’ve made a wise choice. Shall we meet here again tomorrow to finalize? I’ll bring what I mentioned.”
“Yes, sounds good. I’ll bring the owner too.”
With that, we set a follow-up appointment, and I left the shop with a sense of relief.
“Phew.”
Maybe because the deal was going well, the underground air even felt fresh.
Of course, it wasn’t time to get excited yet.
For this deal to go through, I still had to convince ‘him.’
“He won’t suddenly flip out on me, right...?”
My relief turned right back to heaviness.
“Whatever, it’ll work out!”
Shaking off the worry, I carefully slipped out of the black market.
***
It didn’t take long to reach my next destination.
Right after leaving the black market, I headed to Barundel’s training hall.
I’d considered going to his house but came here instead, and as expected, Barundel was at the training hall.
With his familiar crew, no less.
“Oh, Yoo Han!”
“Huh? Yoo Han?”
“No way, for real?”
Barundel spotted me first, and the others rushed over with grins.
“Yoo Han!”
“Long time no see.”
They welcomed me like an old friend rediscovered—the fellow mages I’d learned light magic with at Aldeon.
Drenched in sweat, they’d clearly resumed training now that Barundel was back.
The training hall quickly buzzed with chatter.
“Man, just a few weeks and I’m this happy to see you? What’ve you been up to?”
“Oh, nothing much...”
After a while of catching up.
I wrapped up the small talk and called Barundel over.
“Barundel, got a sec? Need to talk.”
“Oh, the mercenary gig’s set?”
“Not that—something else important.”
“Important? Hmm... This way.”
Barundel tilted his head, clearly clueless, and led me to a side room.
Seemed like his private space...
As we entered, the chatter from outside dropped sharply.
“Noise-blocking magic too?”
“Yeah, put some effort into it when building this place. Had a thing for spots like this... Looking back, it was pointless.”
“You must be attached to this training hall.”
“Had to be. It was my first venture after quitting hunting.”
“Ah, must’ve cost a fortune too?”
“Yeah, but... Why ask all this suddenly?”
Barundel frowned, sensing something off.
Guess I’d let a hint slip.
Telling him now would just shock him, so I started with the axe story first.
How I’d gone to the black market for [Anataq’s Large Axe] and found it at one shop.
“Hoo... Is that for real?”
Naturally, Barundel looked thrilled.
It was news of his new weapon, after all.
That’s when I asked what I’d been wondering.
“Did you know about it?”
“Know what?”
“That the axe’s price skyrocketed. A whopping 30,000 gold.”
“Th-thirty thousand gold... right now?”
“Yes.”
“Whoa...”
His face said he hadn’t known.
“Heard it went up, but not by that much. Must have some hidden power.”
“Exactly. They said [Anataq’s Large Axe] is a growth artifact.”
“Ah, I see... Wait, growth type? You mean...?”
“Yes, it can grow up to mythic grade.”
“Gasp!”
Barundel didn’t show emotions much, but he couldn’t hide it this time.
He covered his mouth with a huge hand, eyes wide.
He knew.
The value of a mythic artifact.
“M-M-Mythic grade?”
He even started stuttering.
I got it completely.
When I first got a mythic weapon, I’d been so thrilled I jumped around and smashed my monitor.
Not that Barundel had it yet, but it showed just how huge mythic grade was.
Normal mythic weapons numbered less than 100 in this world.
“So that’s why 30,000 gold...”
Barundel got the price surge immediately.
Along with a hint of regret.
“Then... I probably can’t use it.”
A totally normal reaction.
Who could wield a 30,000-gold weapon?
I was looking forward to his face when he heard the next part.
“But I made a deal with the shop clerk.”
“A deal?”
“To rent [Anataq’s Large Axe].”
“...Rent? They rent out something like that?”
“Not easy, of course. But they accepted my proposal.”
“Y-You mean!”
“Yes, you can use [Anataq’s Large Axe].”
Was he shocked?
Instead of the reaction I expected, Barundel crossed his arms and paced seriously.
“Whoa... Hmm... Me, with a mythic weapon...?”
He fidgeted like a kid who’d caused a huge mess.
Seemed like a misunderstanding, so I clarified.
“Precisely, it’s not mythic yet. We have to grow it.”
“Ah, right. What’s the growth condition?”
“Hunt 10,000 demons while wielding it.”
“Ah, got it... Wait, 10,000?”
“Yes.”
Screech.
Barundel stopped pacing.
“That’s no small feat.”
Reality sinking in.
In a way, this condition could be a big hurdle for him.
“To hit 10,000... means going back to demon hunting.”
Accepting the weapon meant becoming a demon hunter again.
It was also my chance to get a firm commitment to stick with me.
“You okay with that?”
“...”
After a heavy silence, Barundel spoke with effort.
“...I need some time to think.”
Trauma was at play; he couldn’t decide easily.
“Sure, take your time. The deal can wait.”
“...Got it.”
As he replied, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘Shouldn’t have led with this.’
If I’d known it’d get this heavy, I’d have started differently.
My next topic would make it even worse.
‘...No helping it now.’
Water under the bridge.
Might as well go all in.
“But... there’s one more condition.”
“Hm? What else?”
“It’s pricey, so they’ll want collateral.”
“Ah, fair point. No collateral, no deal. Hmm, but what could we offer...?”
“Only one thing came to mind.”
Gulp.
After swallowing dryly, I said it.
“This training hall.”
That moment.
I saw it.
Barundel’s face freeze cold.