Cooling (1)
Cooling (1)
[Balance: 232,103...]
'Oh...'
The next day.
I was staring at my shrunken bank balance. The trailing zeros hadn't disappeared, but the leading digits had definitely gone down.
It was because I'd gone around the Commercial District shops yesterday and bought materials in bulk. Did I hit about eight places in total? I basically swept up every sub-material the shops had put out for sale.
A few people witnessed that bulk-buying spree, so word on the community was that some cadet was throwing money around in the Commercial District's material street like an idiot.
'Hmm...'
I gauged my balance and wiggled my fingers.
Most of the balance in my account was reward money from the Association.
One was for resolving the Sipnaha Chain Rampage, and the other was for subjugating the Undead Twin-headed Poison Dragon.
Both were huge incidents that had the whole world buzzing, catastrophes that wouldn't have ended with just a commotion if the initial response hadn't been fast.
And I had achieved the initial suppression for both.
In Sipnaha, I killed the Alpha Individual, Aerus, which served as the core of the rampaging dungeon, preventing the outbreak.
In China, I killed the Twin-headed Poison Dragon, which could have led to a massive undead outbreak and a dungeon chain reaction, preventing the outbreak.
Thanks to that, the reward money I received was quite thick. I vividly remember my jaw dropping when I saw the balance in my account.
Even though the cost of living is vastly different from my previous world, I never thought I'd get to handle sums this large.
But maybe because the public perceived the Twin-headed Poison Dragon incident as a greater disaster, the reward money for subjugating it was much higher.
Well, it makes sense. A monster that was, at best, a 5th-Rank Alpha, versus one that, although weakened by becoming undead, was once a 3rd-Rank Alpha spewing poison and disease.
The difference in grade is huge.
But from my perspective, having witnessed Aerus later skyrocket to a 3rd-Rank Alpha, it was six of one, half a dozen of the other.
'Aerus... Should I just be glad I met it then...?'
As for other income, it was just the pittance I earned here and there from selling byproducts of the monsters I'd killed while wandering around.
Even now, my Subspace holds a lot of monster byproducts I haven't disposed of. Initially, I planned to sell them all, but after learning Necromancy, I changed their purpose to teaching materials. I even went back to the Association and retrieved the byproducts they were keeping.
'But damn, even with that kind of discount, my balance shrank...'
I got a 30% discount as a Siyoram Cadet benefit, plus an additional 65% discount as a Special Admission benefit. I bought everything at a total of 95% off, and it's still like this...
I think I'm adjusting to the prices of this world, but then again, I'm not.
They're definitely necessary right now, and they're materials I'll use day and night later, so I bought them. But I don't think I could ever buy them with my own money later...
- Worried about money? Why are you worrying about that?
While I was gauging my shrunken balance and worrying, the card I received from Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly came to mind.
The day after the banquet at the Calamity Flame family ended.
While I was talking with Hong Yeon-hwa about various things, she asked why I was worrying about money. She looked genuinely puzzled as she thrust a shiny dark-purple card at me...
'......'
After I got an explanation of where it could be used and its benefits, my hands were trembling as I carefully enshrined it in my Subspace. I've never taken it out to use, not even once since I got it.
That's because... using it pricked my conscience way too much.
What have I even done to deserve sucking it dry like a parasite? Hong Yeon-hwa urged me to use it freely, but I really couldn't just go crazy with it...
'But Siyoram is the exception.'
However, the Siyoram discount benefits are an exception. I heard that the amount reduced by the discount isn't covered by the store, but paid by Siyoram instead.
In the past, I felt awkward about even that and didn't use it actively, but that awkwardness was sliced to pieces along with myself when I was being cut down to death by the 2nd Iteration.
'Fucking hell, throwing something like that at me inside a Tower.'
They even threw me in with my pain perception turned on.
My teeth are still grinding. I've put in a request for a meeting, both to ask about the Tower of Knowledge and to protest this latest stunt.
Whether it's the Tower Master of Growth or the Vice Headmaster under him... they're clearly batshit crazy.
Of course, I could have run away midway if I gave up, and they even provided an emergency escape, but... crazy is still crazy.
I grimaced and got up.
.
.
.
The layout of Siyoram's facilities is, in its own way, quite systematic.
At the center, where the Tower of Growth is, you have the administrative bodies including the Siyoram Central Administration and the Commercial District.
With the main roads stretching from the central plaza in all four directions as boundaries, you have the living quarters for the 1st to 4th years.
Also, training and major facilities are concentrated in one place rather than being scattered around.
Thanks to that, if you calmly observe the Siyoram grounds, each district reveals its own distinct characteristics.
'Mm...'
The Craft Major district I visited this time... the phrase "industrial complex" naturally came to mind.
Low-rise buildings covered with curtains or with no windows at all.
Most of the doors were large, crude iron doors, and the walls were extremely thick.
From the chimneys rising high on the rooftops, pure white smoke was billowing gently.
"It does feel like an industrial complex. Low-rise, no windows, thick iron doors, and chimneys too..."
The exact same observation came from right beside me.
It was Baek A-rin, dressed almost identically to yesterday.
She had come along to help with this task, and was looking around with her hands behind her back, sharing her impressions.
The difference from yesterday was the absence of the Perception-Obstruction Magic Tool.
Thanks to that, Baek A-rin's beauty was fully exposed, drawing eyes from all around.
"Seems like they're looking at you, not me."
...Maybe that's somewhat true.
Honestly, in terms of standing out, my appearance is a bit more unusual than Baek A-rin's.
When I subtly observed the surroundings, quite a few people were turning their heads and glancing this way even while walking.
'No, a lot of people are just blankly staring, too...'
They were cadets from the Craft Major. I hadn't met many cadets from this field before.
That's because I've mainly learned combat-oriented skills, so I have more connections there. And this time, I'm taking a lot of magic lectures as well.
They were all wearing similar work aprons with tools tucked into them.
Maybe they had just finished working, as they looked tired and were drenched in sweat.
Their faces were smudged with dust and dark stains.
It was exactly the kind of worker's appearance you'd typically imagine.
"So, what now, blacksmith?"
While we were walking for a bit, Baek A-rin asked from beside me, teasing lightly.
She said the eyes were on me, but she had her fair share of stares, yet she didn't seem bothered at all.
[Mm... First, let's get the materials, and then rent a workshop.]
The process of acquiring the main materials and renting a workshop went incredibly smoothly.
After all, it's the Craft Major district. There are plenty of shops and storage facilities dealing with all sorts of materials.
Among them, we stopped by a storage facility managed by the Siyoram main office, not an externally rented one.
Siyoram provides many benefits to its cadets.
Among them, it supports Craft Major cadets with materials and work tools.
I scraped up as much as I needed of materials including Black Iron from there.
After that, it was just a matter of picking an empty workshop from the many scattered nearby and renting it in real-time.
"Even giving out high-grade materials right away to a Special Admission Cadet... The benefits are definitely real."
Baek A-rin said, letting out a chuckle.
She seemed to be referring to how I had just taken a generous amount of materials from the storage facility.
[Yeah.]
[I only just found out about it too, last time.]
Usually, when you receive support for work tools or materials from Siyoram, you have to fill out some kind of paperwork.
Like, I want to make this thing, so I need these materials. How I plan to handle them and how much I need...
It's a kind of proposal.
The idea is that if they just handed it out carelessly, some cadets might waste it, so they only lend it to cadets who will use it systematically and frugally.
For reference, I skipped that whole process.
I just verified my Special Admission, and the staff member waived the proposal, letting me take as many materials and as many types as I wanted.
...I keep remembering the gaze of the cadet who was blankly staring at me earlier.
While they were sitting there, filling out the paperwork densely.
Meanwhile, I just needed one verification to enter the storage facility, and came out loaded with materials and equipment...
In short, Special Admission is awesome.
The support is incredible.
The stipend should come in soon, so the amount I spent yesterday will be recovered, right?
I smiled brightly.
But I can't forgive what the 2nd Iteration did.
Of course, considering my growth, I'm a little grateful too... but anyway, that Headmaster is a real bastard...
.
.
.
The inside of the underground workshop was filled with stuffy air.
A large furnace on one wall was waiting in a preheated state. The orange glow it emitted lit up the dark interior, creating quite a nice atmosphere.
Basic work tools, including a solid anvil, were placed near the furnace.
It looked like it had all the basics covered.
[Are you hot at all?]
It's still preheating, but it's near the furnace. I wondered if it might be uncomfortable.
I asked Baek A-rin, who had followed me into the workshop, as I laid out the work tools I had brought.
"Huh? Me?"
Baek A-rin, who had been resting her chin and staring at me, tilted her head as if I'd said something strange.
She blinked a couple of times, then suddenly reached out and cupped my cheek.
[Wh-What—haak!]
[It's cooool.]
A soft hand pressed against my cheek.
Just as I was about to ask what was going on, a cool energy spread from my cheek, making my body shiver.
Baek A-rin giggled and pressed my cheek repeatedly.
Normally, it's an unpleasant cold energy... but in a situation like this, where the furnace heat was warming me, it felt incredibly good...
My body just melted away.
"Thanks to Azure Sea, it's no problem at all. Wasn't that why you asked me here in the first place?"
[Yeah... I forgot for a moment.]
Baek A-rin's body, which manifests Azure Sea, is specialized in cold energy and water energy.
Come to think of it, heat like this could easily be swept away with Azure Sea.
Wasn't that the whole point of asking her here in the first place?
I gave an awkward smile and gently slipped my cheek out of her hand.
"You're making armaments today, you said?"
[Yep.]
I nodded, enduring Baek A-rin's fingers playfully poking my cheek as if to say, 'How could you forget that?'
Today's goal is essentially to craft equipment.
'Black Iron Armament.'
I plan to make various armaments using Black Iron, which is decent in both cost-effectiveness and quality.
In the original story, they also made and stockpiled Black Iron equipment when there was no other choice.
I'd been planning to make or obtain Black Iron armaments before.
Meeting the 2nd Iteration during this Tower entry solidified that thought.
Especially since the 2nd Iteration's Black Iron armaments were personally crafted by the 2nd Iteration, who is a master artisan.
I've observed that extensively and gathered all the details, so I think I can reproduce them in even better quality.
'I should try magic tools too.'
My mana manipulation and magic skills have also improved significantly compared to the beginning of the semester.
This time, I plan to make accessories myself and engrave magic formulas on them.
Of course, the magic tools are more for practice, so I'm not expecting too much.
But if the results turn out well... I should give them out as gifts to those around me instead of using them myself.
'Hmm.'
After thinking that far, I let out an appropriate amount of mana.
All the processes above involve handling metal, first and foremost.
For reference, the metalsmithing I possess was learned at the Calamity Flame family.
In other words, I learned how to handle metal through Calamity Flame.
"So my job is... to harmonize your Calamity Flame with Azure Sea."
[Yes.]
That's the reason I sought help from Baek A-rin.
I'd practiced handling Calamity Flame for a long time at the Calamity Flame family, but there was no telling if it might rampage.
And if it feels like too much in the middle, I can also get help from Azure Sea.
Of course, I could manifest Azure Sea myself, but I asked for help to directly feel Azure Sea as handled by Baek A-rin.
[You could have come a bit later...]
"Hey, it's fine. I don't have anything else to do anyway, and I'll just learn by watching what you do, Ha-yul."
But I didn't expect her to follow along right from the start.
I asked with concern, wondering if I was wasting too much of her time, but Baek A-rin, who had settled into a chair in the corner, just smiled brightly and said it was fine.
[...Then, please take care of me.]
I bowed my head.
"Don't worry, if it looks dangerous, I'll protect you."
Baek A-rin clapped her hands together lightly at my greeting and gave a kind smile.
Feeling reassured by that, I sat down on the work chair.
Sweat started to bead lightly on my body. I rolled up my right sleeve. Sweat droplets formed on my pure-white skin, something I still wasn't used to.
I wiggled my right hand with a strange expression, then manifested Calamity Flame for the first time in a while.
- Fwoosh...!
'Huh?'
The Calamity Flame flared up.
Its force surged outward as if expanding, then instantly shrunk down.
Puzzled, I tilted my head and waved my right arm, where the Calamity Flame had arisen.
'...Feels like the output is higher than before...?'
The Calamity Flame rippled.
* * *
[Manifesting Unique Ability ｢Mana Affinity｣]
[Manifesting Expansion Ability ｢Homogenization: Calamity Flame｣]
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[Player Correction System: Measurement]
▶Mental State
｢Trial of Calamity Flame(?)｣