Chapter 86
Chapter 86
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Third Guild Member
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The smile that had lingered on Tae-ha's lips as he reread the note slowly faded.
‘I don't dislike you either, Hyun-soo.’
But Tae-ha knew he might have to return to his family's corporate world soon.
He had told his father he would become incredibly rich through the game Ares and one day build something to rival the Hansung Group.
Perhaps his father's patience was about to run out.
Just then.
[The Chairman is looking for you.]
After receiving the call, Tae-ha went straight to the Hansung Group headquarters.
He faced his father, who was sitting in the chairman's office. For a long time, his father simply signed documents.
Tae-ha waited for the words, ‘Come back and resume your management training.’
But…
“Is Ares fun?”
“…Pardon?”
It was a completely unexpected question.
“No, it's not particularly fun at the moment.”
It was true. Tae-ha had only been pushing forward with the thought of having to prove something to his father.
“Are you planning to ignore your grandfather's last wish?”
His grandfather's last wish.
He had said it to Tae-ha with a clear mind.
‘Tae-ha, live a life you enjoy. There are things in this world that can't be done just with money.’
But his grandfather's words had been meaningless to the youngest son of a chaebol family.
Soon, Lee Tae-sung closed the document, took off his glasses, and spoke.
“I know what you want to do.”
Tae-sung was smiling slightly, which was unusual for him.
“Perhaps it might turn out as you said. I looked into it, and what he has accomplished is truly remarkable.”
“…That's right.”
As a user, Tae-ha knew better than anyone just how incredible Hyun-soo's achievements were.
“I have prepared a reward for that young man, so you can prepare your own separately.”
Tae-ha was surprised.
His father had a reward for him?
And it was the first thing his father had ever given him permission for. Because of that, a smile formed on Tae-ha's lips.
After he left, Tae-sung put his glasses back on.
He had seen the potential in the bold dream Tae-ha had spoken of.
‘I will create a guild that will astound our country.’
Tae-sung gave a wry smile.
“With that young man, it might just be possible.”
Soon, Tae-sung stood up.
It was time to deliver his own reward.
***
[You have connected to Ares.]
Risel had been too flustered when he received the Smelting Sword.
In his grandfather's presence, the notifications that popped up didn't even register.
He scrolled through the notifications to check them.
[Congratulations.]
[As a Dragon Knight, you now possess a dragon.]
[Unique Class. You can now change to the Dragon Lord class.]
[Unique Class. You can remain as a Dragon Knight.]
[The Dragon Lord is a monarch-type class, a powerful commander capable of leading many allies under their command.]
[The Dragon Knight class is a powerful class with the strength to protect someone and eliminate those who threaten them.]
Risel was astonished.
There were two notifications in total, asking him to choose between Dragon Lord and Dragon Knight.
Both were Unique grade.
Classes in Ares usually follow the grade of the artifact.
On top of that, there are special classes like Hidden Classes.
The existing Dragon Knight was an Epic-grade class, which was quite excellent.
‘Even if I just stay as a Dragon Knight, it becomes Unique…?’
Whichever he chose, it would be Unique.
Risel could become even stronger than before.
And Dragon Lord was the class Risel had truly desired.
‘I've been striving to become a Dragon Lord from the very beginning.’
When he became a Dragon Knight, he had changed classes knowing that at the end of its path lay the ‘powerful monarch class’ called Dragon Lord.
But he made an unexpected choice.
[You have chosen Dragon Knight.]
However, he had not a single regret about his choice.
[All stats will be redistributed, and 200 bonus points will be applied evenly.]
[Your skills will change, granting you greater power than before.]
[The Dragon Knight is a class that exists to protect a monarch.]
[When with your monarch, a 10% bonus is applied to all stats.]
[When with your monarch, a 10% bonus is applied to all skill effects.]
Risel walked.
He had walked away from the smithy while talking briefly with his father and grandfather.
As he walked, Risel suddenly broke into a run.
He had embraced a new dream.
‘Tae-ha, live a life you enjoy. There are things in this world that can't be done just with money.’
It was a dream that seemed like it would be the most fun in the world.
Playing Ares had made him realize that dream.
‘Something I could never achieve alone.’
Risel ran with all his might.
Before he knew it, he had stopped in front of a small, shabby, signless smithy.
Panting heavily, Tae-ha took in the sound of forging coming from within.
And soon, his eyes met with the man swinging the hammer.
That dream was…
‘To turn this small, shabby guild into the world's best, making it a rival to the Hansung Group.’
He could do it.
Risel took a step and entered the smithy.
The blacksmith, who had set down his hammer, gave a small smile.
Risel was the first to extend his hand.
“I look forward to working with you, Master.”
The blacksmith gripped his hand firmly.
“Welcome, Risel.”
[Risel has joined Guild Gwangmyeong.]
***
Ranked 21st in the official Korean rankings.
No, by becoming a superior Dragon Knight, he had succeeded in recruiting Risel—who might now be able to compete with those in the top 10—into Guild Gwangmyeong.
‘It wasn't just a simple recruitment.’
There was a clear difference between simply joining a guild and joining one out of a sense of gratitude.
“I will make this guild the best.”
It was obvious just by looking at him now. Risel wasn't just another guild member; he was filled with the drive to help this guild soar.
And Hyun-soo explained the reason for the guild's name, Gwangmyeong, and told him about Hyeon's Smithy and Mad Rookie.
“That certainly makes sense.”
After hearing Hyun-soo's explanation, Risel understood.
“For now, it seems important to elevate Hyeon's Smithy and build up the guild's strength. Ah, by the way.”
Risel spoke as if he had just remembered something.
“I will, of course, pay you for the Smelting Sword.”
Hyun-soo smiled. He never thought Risel wouldn't pay the commission just because he'd written his name on the note.
“I'm not sure of its exact value yet, so may I pay you after I've had it assessed? With a spoonful of gratitude added in.”
Risel smiled playfully. Hyun-soo nodded.
“There's no rush, so you can pay me whenever you're ready.”
“My father also said he would give you a separate reward.”
“A reward?”
Hyun-soo couldn't help but look puzzled.
A reward? Had he done anything to deserve a reward from Chairman Lee Tae-sung?
‘Come to think of it…’
Hyun-soo had crossed paths with Chairman Lee Tae-sung once.
It was at the National Museum. Since he was such a well-known public figure, Hyun-soo recognized him at a glance.
But it wasn't in his nature to make a fuss, so he just focused on looking at the Smelting Sword he had come to see.
“Yes, I suppose you'll find out if you wait? I'm too scared of my father to ask him about it myself.”
“I see. And I think I need to log out.”
“Ah, you said today was the day they start rebuilding the smithy, right?”
“Yes.”
As he had mentioned to Risel, today was the day the burned-down smithy would be rebuilt.
Hyun-soo logged out to go to Gyeongju.
[You have logged out.]
After getting out of the capsule, Hyun-soo washed up and changed into a clean set of clothes.
‘It will probably take about three years.’
He recalled his conversation with the construction company employee.
He wanted to build it as quickly as possible for his father, who could return at any time, but that was difficult.
He also wanted to use the best raw materials, but that too was not easy.
‘There's still a mountain of hospital bills to pay…’
It couldn't be helped.
Just as he was about to leave.
Hyun-soo received a phone call from the construction company employee.
-Hyun-soo, you have to come quick!
“What?”
The employee said something incomprehensible in a voice tinged with laughter.
With a puzzled expression, Hyun-soo boarded a bus to Gyeongju.
When Hyun-soo arrived at the site where the small Gyeongju smithy was to be built, he was at a loss for words.
He stared at the construction workers for a long time.
The few people he had hired. Mixed in with them were dozens of veteran construction workers from a major corporation.
The name ‘Hansung Construction’ was written on their safety helmets.
Hansung Construction.
It was one of the affiliates of the Hansung Group, run by Chairman Lee Tae-sung. Soon, the construction employee Hyun-soo had hired came over.
“Hyun-soo, you must be thrilled!”
“What's going on?”
The employee looked puzzled by Hyun-soo's question.
“You didn't know? Chairman Lee Tae-sung of Hansung Group came here himself. He said that Hansung Construction employees would help build this smithy. He also gave instructions to use the best materials and tools. If you just sign here, it looks like we can start construction with Hansung Group. The construction period can also be reduced to six months.”
Soon, Hyun-soo could see Chairman Lee Tae-sung getting out of an expensive foreign car.
Hyun-soo held the document without signing it.
Chairman Lee Tae-sung approached him.
“Chairman, I don't understand why you're doing this. I haven't done anything to deserve it.”
To be honest, Hyun-soo didn't feel at ease.
A shorter construction period.
And Lee Tae-sung's words about filling it with the best raw materials and smithy equipment.
It was worth at least one billion won.
The employees of Hansung Construction were the best elites in the country, after all.
“Why do you say you haven't done anything to deserve it?”
Tae-sung, who had been watching his employees with his hands behind his back, spoke.
“In the game, you forged the Smelting Sword for my son and my father. In reality, you restored it for me.”
Hyun-soo didn't understand what he meant by saying he had restored the Smelting Sword for him.
“When I was young, I loved dragons. And they said dragons grant wishes.”
Hyun-soo silently watched him, lost in reminiscence.
“I wanted to make a wish to a dragon. A dream that Hansung, which was just a corner store back then, would grow very large and make my father happy. When I took a liking to dragons, my father took my hand and brought me to the National Museum.”
Hyun-soo had doubted it many times. Was the work he and his father did truly valuable?
Students on field trips to the National Museum would pass by the Smelting Sword with bored expressions.
When couples chose it as a date spot, they would frown and say, “Ugh, why a museum?”
And others would say, “Why is everyone making such a fuss over some old thing?”
“Seeing that rusted sword, I was as delighted as a child. And after seeing the restored Smelting Sword this time, I felt like I had returned to the me of back then. It was beautiful. So beautiful and magnificent that I just stared in awe.”
That doubt began to fade.
“It is a valuable thing you do. Even if countless children and adults pass by that sword, for some, it will become an unforgettable memory, and for others, something to gaze at in wonder.”
Yes, not everyone in the world needed to cherish it.
“For you and your father, who protect such a precious thing, this is not a waste.”
Tae-sung knew the reality of it. He knew what hardships and adversities he must have overcome.
Through Chairman Lee Tae-sung's words, Hyun-soo realized.
That even in reality, being a blacksmith was still an incredibly valuable and amazing thing.
Lee Tae-sung spoke in a powerful voice.
“The nation probably turned a blind eye, citing various reasons.”
Doing something with the country's money is not easy.
“It's a ridiculous thing, for the world to turn its back on the blacksmiths it should be protecting.”
Tae-sung said to Hyun-soo, whose eyes were welling up.
“Let's consider the debt between you and me settled with this.”
“Thank you.”
Hyun-soo decided to sign. Tae-sung, looking at him with a proud expression, said.
“You keep moving forward.”
He patted Hyun-soo's shoulder and walked past.
“I will protect the last Master Craftsman.”