The Hero's Reward and the Unexpected Guest
As Hana Lin stood there, staring blankly at Kim Ilshin, Hwang Deok-soo, who had followed her up to the gate, shouted, "Narin! Let's get down quickly! No matter how worried you are about your friend, it's too dangerous here!"
Hana Lin did not respond. She didn't even look back, her eyes fixed solely on the scene below the gate.
"Narin! I said let's go—" Hwang Deok-soo hurried over and grabbed her shoulder, but he couldn't finish his sentence. Only then could he properly see the sight beyond the gate.
"That is……."
He doubted his own eyes. But even after rubbing them and looking again, the shocking scene remained unchanged. A sense of relief washed over him along with his astonishment. Regardless of how it happened, the Rock Spirit that had threatened Jangsan-gul had been defeated. However, that feeling was short-lived, as Hwang Deok-soo's gaze shifted to the sword in Kim Ilshin's hand. It was the Hyeonwol, the sword Hana Lin had crafted upon Kim Ilshin's request.
‘……It’s beautiful.’
It was a fantastic sword, enough to make such a thought arise naturally. It wasn't just the sword itself; the way it looked in Kim Ilshin's hand could not have been more perfect. It was enough to make a blacksmith's instinct to study it stir within him. There was a reason Hana Lin hadn't shown the Hyeonwol to Hwang Deok-soo. Weight, length, durability, center of gravity, grip friction, mana conductivity—it was a sword crafted entirely to suit Kim Ilshin. It was an infinitely more difficult task than simply forging a strong weapon. To make such a thing possible, fundamental talent and intuition were essential. Without those two things, no matter how great the technique, it was a realm one could never reach in a lifetime. It was incredibly shocking that he had reached that level at such a young age.
"But… it doesn't seem like just a regular sword. It feels like something else is dwelling within it. Am I sensing that right?"
No spirit can be defeated without magic. Even with the help of magic, it is difficult to annihilate one so completely. Yet, Kim Ilshin standing there appeared to have succeeded in completely killing the Rock Spirit. Not a single trace of life could be felt from the scattered remains of the rock. Since he hadn't sensed anything special about the sword before, the only explanation was that he had utilized the power dwelling within the Hyeonwol.
"You're right. But to be precise, I don't know exactly what it is yet. I'm going to look into it later."
"Can you let me know after you do?"
"To you, Mayor? It's been a long time since you put down your hammer and retired."
"……I think it's time to pick it up again. I don't know if I can do as well as I used to, but shouldn't I try anyway?"
Hana Lin and Kim Ilshin. The sight of those two had reignited the embers of an old man's burned-out passion. ‘I wonder who would be good as the next mayor…….’ Hwang Deok-soo began to contemplate his third life. At the same time, Kim Ilshin, having sheathed the Hyeonwol, walked toward the gate. Hwang Deok-soo shouted toward the inside of Jangsan-gul with all his might.
"Open the gate at once! Our benefactor is coming!"
Hwang Deok-soo, holding Kim Ilshin's hand, bowed his head repeatedly to express his gratitude. "Thank you so much! Thanks to you, our city is safe."
"It's nothing. It was my duty as a Hero-in-training."
Kim Ilshin replied by the book. His voice carried a hint of fatigue. It was because he had repeated this conversation dozens of times over the past few hours. At first, he had felt proud of their gratitude, but after receiving thanks every time he made eye contact, he couldn't help but grow weary. He even had to deal with people other than Hwang Deok-soo. Park Gwang-seok, with whom he had made a drinking bet, had also stopped by. Without much conversation, he had thanked him with an awkward expression and left, promising to bring him a good bottle of liquor next time.
‘I don't even want to look at alcohol anymore.’
"Bring more bricks over here!"
"We need lumber too!"
Jangsan-gul was in the middle of reconstruction. Although the gate hadn't been breached, many buildings had been affected by the vibrations caused by the Rock Spirit's attack. Since most of the citizens were well-versed in construction and manufacturing, it seemed the reconstruction work would proceed smoothly. It didn't look like many buildings required a complete rebuild, either.
"I think we should be going now."
Kim Ilshin spoke up, having already started the conversation. It was time to return. Kim Ilshin had classes tomorrow, and Hana Lin had a backlog of work. However, Hwang Deok-soo didn't want them to leave. He looked like a grandfather stopping his grandchildren from heading home after the holidays.
"Why are you leaving so soon! I haven't even properly treated you to a meal yet."
"I have classes tomorrow, so I have no choice."
"Is that so… well, if that's the case, it can't be helped……."
Hwang Deok-soo conceded immediately upon hearing about classes. It was fortunate that he had a solid reason to return. Otherwise, he might have been stuck here for another week.
"Then I suppose it's best to talk about the reward now."
Hwang Deok-soo, who hadn't let go of Kim Ilshin's hand, brought up a different topic. Since the seal of the Rock Spirit breaking was an unforeseen situation, he hadn't even thought about a reward.
"Naturally, all byproducts from the Rock Spirit will be yours."
The byproducts of the Rock Spirit alone were of immeasurable value. In particular, the heart of the Rock Spirit that would be buried down there was so rare that he wondered if even the 'All-Things Emporium' would have one.
"And there must be a reward for protecting Jangsan-gul as well. I'll have that delivered to you separately later. I'd like to hand it to you right now if I could… but as you can see, the situation is what it is. I ask for your understanding."
"Your words alone are enough, thank you."
"Yes. You can look forward to it."
Between the byproducts of the Rock Spirit and the reward from Jangsan-gul, he didn't know exactly what Hwang Deok-soo was talking about, but it certainly wouldn't be something of low value.
"Oh, and I'm very sorry, but could you wait for a moment before you go?"
"Is there something you need my help with?"
With a reward already promised, he was willing to help with whatever he could before leaving. Who knows, maybe he'd add a little extra on top. But Hwang Deok-soo shook his head, saying it wasn't that.
"There's a guild that sent an emergency support request earlier. The Wind Guild, I'm sure you've heard of them. They're one of the top three guilds in the country."
"Yes. I know of the Wind Guild."
"They'll be arriving soon, but the Rock Spirit has already been defeated."
"Isn't that a good thing? It should be good news for the Wind Guild as well."
Defeating the Rock Spirit with minimal damage and protecting Jangsan-gul was a result the Wind Guild would surely welcome.
"That's not the problem."
"Then what is…."
"The problem is that you are the one who defeated the Rock Spirit."
Kim Ilshin, wondering what he meant, understood the whole situation after Hwang Deok-soo's follow-up.
"Since it's a contract connected by the government, if an emergency support request occurs, we have to submit a report on the situation to the government. As such, the Wind Guild won't want any discrepancies in the incident report."
"Ah…."
"Normally, I could handle it on my end, but for this matter, I think the person who actually defeated the Rock Spirit needs to be present."
It meant he wanted him to testify here beforehand, as it would be hard to believe that a mere academy student had defeated a Rock Spirit.
"Otherwise, they'll just keep pestering you to verify the details, won't they? It would be better for you to handle it here."
"In that case, I understand."
As Hwang Deok-soo said, it seemed better to wrap things up here. Being dragged around here and there for investigations would just be a waste of time.
"Oh, there they are."
At those words, he turned his head toward the entrance and saw four people walking toward them with bewildered expressions.
"Are you the ones from the Wind Guild? I am Hwang Deok-soo, the Mayor of Jangsan-gul."
"Ah, I am Seong Ji-woon, Team Leader of the Wind Guild's 3rd Team. These are my team members."
Seong Ji-woon, who had introduced himself briefly, asked immediately. "First of all, could you tell me what happened? I was told that a Rock Spirit had appeared……."
"That has been resolved."
Hwang Deok-soo explained everything that had happened to Seong Ji-woon. From the Rock Spirit appearing and attacking Jangsan-gul to Kim Ilshin defeating it single-handedly. After hearing the full explanation, Seong Ji-woon muttered with a confused expression.
"That… is hard to believe. An academy student defeating a Rock Spirit all by himself."
"What can I do, it's the truth."
"Still, I'll have to verify the facts. I ask for your understanding. Where is this Kim Ilshin person?"
As expected, it was a fact hard to believe just by hearing it. Kim Ilshin, who had been standing next to Hwang Deok-soo, stepped forward.
"I am Kim Ilshin."
"Ah, then please feel free to answer my questions."
Just as Seong Ji-woon was about to begin his questioning, an unexpected person intervened between the two.
"I don't think that's necessary. He's someone I know."
It was Park Eun-ho, the B-class hero who had been with him on his previous request.