An SS-Rank Masterpiece
‘SS-rank? No way.’
Kim Gyucheol had never once been able to utilize his awakening ability until now.
In fact, it was fair to say he had only truly awakened through Yujun’s rehabilitation training.
‘His craftsmanship was truly astonishing.’
Still, since this was his first crafting attempt right after awakening, he had naturally assumed the work would be clumsy.
‘But this is on another level.’
It was an SS-rank training staff that surpassed even S-rank.
‘This is insane.’
His very first crafted piece of equipment was SS-rank.
Yujun picked up the staff.
‘It fits my hand perfectly.’
It was a training staff made exclusively for him.
‘He got it exactly right.’
Yujun nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips.
It wasn’t just one. There were two. He had achieved both accomplishments at the same time.
‘One hundred points.’
The achievement Into the Awakened World was tied to using an awakened ability for the first time after proper guidance. Although Kim Gyucheol had technically been an awakened before, this was the first time he had used his power properly. In essence, Yujun’s training had turned a non-awakened man into a true awakened one, which was why the achievement had triggered.
The second achievement, Breaking the Shell, was granted when a trainee experienced significant growth.
‘I didn’t get this one even after training Woo Hana, Lim Seokjae, or Yu Jena.’
They had all grown considerably as well.
‘It simply didn’t meet the criteria.’
Among all the awakened he had trained so far, Kim Gyucheol’s growth stood out the most.
Yujun was deeply satisfied.
‘He managed to create an SS-rank staff. Earning these achievements was only natural.’
“How do you like the staff?”
As its creator, he was naturally curious about the impression it left. Since it was his first piece of equipment, he was probably hoping for feedback. His eyes sparkled with anticipation, as if he desperately wanted to hear Yujun’s honest thoughts.
Yujun gripped the staff and gave it a swing.
Whoosh—!
“Hmm.”
A smile formed instantly.
‘Using it confirms it. This really is different.’
The staffs he had used before were so vastly inferior that he could have thrown them away without a second thought.
‘This level of skill far exceeds my expectations.’
“It’s excellent, Gyucheol.”
Kim Gyucheol’s face lit up with joy at the praise.
“So this is what it feels like. The taste of being a blacksmith.”
From now on, Kim Gyucheol could create all the equipment necessary for training.
‘With him, I can design far more varied training sessions.’
And it wasn’t limited to training alone. By providing awakened individuals with equipment perfectly suited to them, he could help them reach even greater heights.
“Then please tell me, Mr. Yujun.”
Yujun had promised to fix his arm in exchange for granting one request.
“What would you like me to do?”
Whether it was something he could do or not, he intended to fulfill it.
“I have no intention of joining any guild.”
Yujun’s eyes were steady and resolute.
“I plan to create my own division.”
“……!”
A trainer division.
Most trainers active in Korea belonged to guilds.
‘There are some who form their own divisions, but…’
Forming independent divisions was far more common overseas.
‘A proper division is essential if you want to deliver real training.’
He knew this well from his experience in the Infinite Tower.
Trainers needed various forms of support to conduct their sessions.
‘A clear division of labor is necessary.’
He couldn’t handle everything by himself.
“My division will require a blacksmith.”
Yujun extended his hand.
“Kim Gyucheol, please join my division.”
“I will join.”
Kim Gyucheol answered without the slightest hesitation.
Yujun was the benefactor who had changed his life and given him a new one. He was a person he would be indebted to forever.
“I’ll join even if it’s unpaid.”
“Yes, it is unpaid.”
“That’s perfectly fine! Please let me join your division, Mr. Yujun. I will work hard so that you can truly feel the value of having trained me.”
Kim Gyucheol believed that even this single staff would never be enough to repay Yujun’s kindness.
“I have no desire to return to my family.”
After seeing the Geumgang Furnace, he had realized the truth. He had inherited the power of Kim Gwangryeol, the first awakened of the Geumgang Kim family.
If he went back now, he would undoubtedly receive treatment completely different from before.
But Kim Gyucheol had no interest in that.
He wanted to craft with complete freedom.
Joining Yujun’s division seemed like the perfect way to do exactly that.
Moreover, judging by Yujun’s training ability, he was certain the man would become the greatest trainer in Korea.
When you were going to work, it was best to work for the best.
“Then,”
Yujun grinned.
“Just as I told you at the beginning.”
Yujun had asked for one favor in return for correcting the root cause of his condition and restoring him to perfect health.
‘Though I ended up awakening him properly as well, even if it was unintentional.’
Through training Kim Gyucheol, Yujun had earned a total of 250 points.
‘I received 130 points from teaching Yu Jena.’
Including every achievement, the total came to 250 points.
‘Especially since Kim Gyucheol was practically at the level of a non-awakened when we started.’
He had now become a genuine awakened.
Not only that, but he had even repaid the favor by crafting the Geumgang Staff.
An SS-rank staff, at that.
‘And the training itself went exceptionally well.’
Thanks to the training hints, Yujun had been able to pinpoint and resolve Kim Gyucheol’s exact problems.
Yujun smiled.
‘With this…’
There were now more than enough places to invest his points.
‘I can raise the level of Awakened Scan.’
Even after that, he would still have 50 points remaining.
‘I’ll keep the leftover points in reserve.’
Raising the level of Awakened Scan would allow him to eventually raise the level of the Awakened Training System itself.
‘In the Infinite Tower, reaching level 3 is when you truly begin climbing in earnest.’
Until then, training had its limits.
Even if he gathered his trainees, formed a division, and attempted to conquer the Infinite Tower, they would always get stuck at the same insurmountable sections.
But at Lv. 3, everything changed.
‘The limits of the subject change according to my own capabilities.’
Depending on how Yujun approached it, he could shatter a subject’s limits. He could also impose limits intentionally if he wished.
‘That’s what level 3 represents.’
It was a highly symbolic threshold.
Yujun gripped the Geumgang Staff.
He swung it right there on the spot.
Whoosh—!
‘Amazing.’
The grip. The sensation flowing from the staff.
‘It makes me want to start training someone immediately.’
With this Geumgang Staff, he could train even S-rank awakened without being pushed back.
Perhaps he could even handle those beyond that rank.
“Gyucheol.”
“Please speak comfortably!”
“Gyucheol.”
Yujun immediately switched to casual speech.
Since the younger man was technically his junior, there was no discomfort in dropping the formalities.
“Welcome aboard.”
Kim Gyucheol had officially become the first member of Yujun’s division.
Yujun immediately decided to contract a standalone house to use as a workshop.
‘The Seoul area won’t work.’
The funds currently available to him totaled 600 million won.
However, 100 million of that was money he had not yet received, so he had to make everything work with the 500 million he actually had on hand.
Therefore, he ruled out Seoul entirely and quickly moved forward with securing a workshop.
Watching him, Kim Gyucheol became flustered.
“You really don’t have to go this far! I can find a shared forge and create equipment to sell. I still haven’t repaid the grace you’ve shown me. One staff is nowhere near enough. I will spend my entire life repaying you.”
He had once given up on everything.
In that moment of despair, Yujun had given him new hope.
He was essentially a man who had been reborn.
So he had to repay that debt.
Even a lifetime might not be enough.
Seeing this, Yujun smiled.
“I know. That’s exactly why I’m doing this.”
‘Besides, his ability summons the forge itself, so it’s fine.’
All he needed was a safe space.
It didn’t have to be an expensive house—just one that was spacious.
‘We’ll head to the outskirts.’
Since the space would be used as a forge, there was no need to worry about nearby infrastructure.
In fact, it needed to be relatively isolated.
That was why Yujun decided to purchase a small standalone house on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
‘Kim Gyucheol’s ability has already been proven by the Geumgang Staff.’
Though the man himself didn’t seem to realize it, his talent was overwhelming.
‘An SS-rank piece of equipment. If I sold this on the market right now, I could easily get at least two billion won.’
‘The grade is only visible to me.’
It seemed Kim Gyucheol still didn’t fully understand his own value.
“I’m planning to give you plenty of opportunities to repay that debt.”
Yujun grinned.
‘My current trainees.’
Kim Minseok, Woo Hana, Kim Gyojun, Lee Suyeon.
Yujun received points based on their growth.
The more they grew—especially when they ranked up—the higher the points he earned.
‘The fastest way to accelerate that is by providing them with perfectly suited equipment.’
The remaining 100 million would be used to purchase materials.
Now that he was a licensed professional trainer, he essentially received the same treatment as an awakened individual.
‘It means you can enjoy the same benefits without needing to take the awakened verification exam.’
Of course, simply holding a trainer license wasn’t enough. You needed to be at least C-rank or higher.
But since Yujun held an A-rank license, he qualified for the same treatment as awakened hunters.
Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Yujun purchased a standalone house on the city outskirts.
“Wow…”
Kim Gyucheol was overwhelmed with emotion at having his own workshop.
“Clean the place up. We’ll need to start working immediately.”
Yujun smiled.
“I look forward to working with you.”
For a brief moment, Kim Gyucheol felt a strange chill run down his spine at that smile.
“I look forward to working with you—!”
It might simply be a little colder up here in northern Gyeonggi Province. Deciding it was just his imagination, Kim Gyucheol shouted with enthusiasm.