I Received a Billion

Doloris looked down at the appraisal report again.

This text engraved on the equipment could only be revealed through a high-grade appraisal machine.

The Origin Script.

It usually represented the equipment's identity, and sometimes even left behind a famous quote.

This engraved text was not written by the creator. The world itself read it.

The heart of the creator, and their intentions during the craft.

It could not be manipulated. It could not be embellished.

For it was not a space where one could pick pretty words just to curry favor with her.

It was simply a record of whatever existed in that exact moment.

If he had calculated even that and intentionally guided the Origin Script to manifest this way...

Then his scheming went far beyond that of a mere child, making him a talent she had to cherish even more.

But the most likely explanation was simply that the boy had crafted it while thinking of Doloris.

"..."

When was the last time? The last time she had received ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠someone's pure goodwill.

Her sworn sisters? That, too, was a long time ago.

Goodwill. It had been quite a while since she felt such a thing.

Doloris smiled softly once more.

I should buy him some candy, she thought.

Meanwhile, Puram's thoughts were racing in a completely different direction.

It's real.

A 100% match. Even the easter egg left by the previous Fire Descendant—the legacy meant for his successor—had been printed.

These gloves were undoubtedly the real deal. Puram absolutely had to pass this legacy on to the successor.

There would be no hiding it. That was the pride of a dwarf.

...Wait. Puram's hands froze.

He recalled a rumor that had circulated a few days ago.

Ricardo, the Chief of the Sun Dwarfs. It was said that the forge on Ricardo's floor, one level above this one, had begun to boil.

That forge was rumored to react only when a new Fire Descendant was born.

It was a tale relegated to ancient records. Since Ricardo was getting up there in years, Puram had assumed the old dwarf was simply going senile.

Besides, looking at the young dwarfs on the 88th Floor, none of them could even hold a hammer properly, let alone become a Fire Descendant.

He had dismissed it as nonsense, believing it impossible for a new successor to appear. He had thought there was no future left for the dwarfs.

But it was real. The creation of these recently crafted gloves undoubtedly overlapped with the time the forge had reacted.

For the future of the dwarf race, he had to find them.

Puram's gaze shifted to Doloris. This woman held the answer. She definitely knew the creator.

...I must hold onto her.

First, Puram copied the verification document. Then, he translated it. Since the verification was written in Dwarven, humans wouldn't be able to read it. It was a basic system function.

He handed the translated copy to Doloris.

"It is genuine."

"So it is."

Doloris smiled gently as she accepted the document.

"..."

"100% Genuine" was written at the very top. So far, so good.

However, below that lay some unreadable Dwarven text.

If it were standard Dwarven, she could read it to some extent, just like the appraisal report from earlier. But this... was slightly different.

"What is this text at the bottom?"

"Who made this equipment, and where are they?"

He answered her question with another question.

Doloris sensed that the aura radiating from the appraiser before her was unusual.

It posed no threat to her; it was merely a third party proving the boy's worth once again. Just another tedious battle of wits.

"I picked him up off the street," she replied.

In truth, the boy really had just dropped into her lap from out of nowhere. It wasn't a lie.

Puram's brow furrowed.

"To you, this might be a simple matter of profit and loss, but to our clan, this is an incredibly important—"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she interrupted.

Maintaining her smile, Doloris shut down the conversation with a single sentence.

She had heard rumors about the dwarfs' circumstances, but that was their problem. It was none of her business.

Puram realized that continuing the conversation would not yield the results he wanted.

Threatening her with force was out of the question. He knew exactly who she was.

What about reporting this to Chief Ricardo? It was possible, but it would be exhausting. Extremely so. Ricardo was still as stubborn and old-fashioned as ever.

Puram pondered for a moment. He needed a sustainable direction that would still preserve the future of his race.

Actually, there was one more thing Puram was debating whether to mention. It was the grain of the leather.

Looking at it again, he realized.

Puram loved the dwarven way more than anyone, but he also knew what the dwarfs lacked.

This kind of natural polishing—a technique that smoothed the grain itself to let the leather breathe—did not exist among dwarfs.

It could not come from rough, clumsy hands. In other words, this polishing method belonged to the elves.

However, he couldn't bring himself to mention this.

A Fire Descendant who also possessed the secret arts of the elves.

If this woman found out, she might hand the prodigy over to the elves.

If she decided the elves had more to teach him than the dwarfs did... that could not happen.

Puram swallowed his words. Instead, he shifted his approach.

"...A foundation must be built for that prodigy to grow."

"..."

Doloris's eyes narrowed. Unlike before, this was not something she could simply brush aside.

Doloris gathered the verification and appraisal documents, her gaze dropping. If so...

"Though it has nothing to do with me..."

"..."

"How can he grow?"

Doloris would never stifle a talented child. And if that talent belonged to a Fire Descendant, it went without saying.

She isn't even trying to hide it.

Seeing her reaction, Puram fell into deep thought.

Would bringing the boy here really be for the best?

Here... there was the Dwarf Company.

And not just present. They had likely already figured out who was entering and leaving this verification office.

They might even be listening right now, at this very moment.

The floor above was the same. He had heard that the 89th Floor was also slowly falling under the grasp of the Dwarf Company.

There no guarantee Ricardo could fully protect the prodigy. Besides, Ricardo's methods were ill-suited for the youth of today.

He would probably tell the boy to jump into ten-thousand-degree lava immediately.

And if he couldn't climb back out? Ricardo would just view it as a pity.

In that case, it might actually be better for him to grow outside, backed by this woman's abundant resources.

*Scribble, scribble.*

As a Fire Descendant, he deserved treatment second to none.

Puram translated everything, including the ancestor's legacy written at the bottom of the appraisal report.

"...!" Doloris's eyes widened.

"It was written in ancient Dwarven," Puram said.

"Pass it on to the boy."

Puram took a brief breath.

"If he loses his way, tell him to go to Boldr's Workshop."

Then he immediately added,

"He will need... a good hammer."

With those words, he turned away.

Doloris stared at the back of the old master.

His back was bent. The sun emblem engraved on his worn apron glowed faintly in the lamplight.

There was no falsehood in his words. Not a single one.

With that, the woman placed double the fee on the table and walked out.

Puram placed a hand on his forehead.

Had he made the right choice?

He had essentially handed the future of his race over to a mere climber.

Translating the ancestor's legacy, bringing up the hammer... it was an irreversible choice.

It was during his deep contemplation that a sound broke the silence.

*Knock, knock.*

"...I am not taking any more clients today."

There was no answer. And then—

*Creak.* The door opened.

"..."

It was a suit. The attire Puram detested the most.

"We are from the Dwarf Company, Mr. Puram."

The man in the suit smiled.

"Did anything happen?"

His eyes, however, were not smiling.

"The beginning of metallurgy starts with a hammer and a forge..."

This is seriously frustrating. Is there no way for a dirt-poor blacksmith to get started?

I had finished reading the leathercraft and jewelry-making sections. However, no matter how much I read the metallurgy section, I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

It felt like something I could only understand by doing it myself, but the barrier to entry was ridiculously high.

"How much is a forge? A decent one."

Thirty thousand gold. Last time, she said that Genesis Sword or whatever was ten million gold.

Yuna told me to think of ten thousand gold as roughly one hundred million won. So thirty thousand gold would be about...

Holy shit. How is the startup cost 300 million won? What on earth is this?

I shook my head at the absurd price.

"...Then what about a hammer?" My hands suddenly began to tremble. Just how much would a hammer be?

"Heh." A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

Okay, discarding metallurgy. I shall become a master of leathercraft.

If things go south, I might just throw away the Fire Descendant path and run off to the elves. Child of the Forest? Let's go with that instead.

Let's cut what needs to be cut. I didn't know how rich Doloris was, but I didn't expect her to just hand over 1.3 billion won to a kid on a whim.

I was someone who kept a firm grip on reality.

As I was pondering my options and looked up—

"..."

"..."

Ruby was awake. I had no idea how long she'd been up.

She was sitting halfway up on the bed, staring blankly at me.

"...Hey."

"..."

There was no reply. She just stared, silently.

I glanced out the window. Before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set.

Seeing the sunset glow, she must have slept for a long time. I had lost track of time reading the book. I thought you said Lady Doloris was coming back soon.

"...Did you sleep well?"

She still didn't answer, just keeping her eyes locked on me. Then, her eyes narrowed. Wait, is this...

"..."

"..."

A staring contest had begun. Naturally, without either of us saying a word.

Ruby stared at me, and I stared back at her.

I'm sorry, kid, but I've spent countless nights staring at a monitor in the lab during my college days.

I graduated from dry eye syndrome a long time ago. How dare a thirteen-year-old challenge me.

"..."

Ruby's eyes began to water... and finally.

"Ugh...!" Ruby closed her eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and rubbed them with both hands.

I won, but it didn't really feel like a victory to be proud of.

"Ugh." Ruby glared at me while rubbing her eyes. A few tears welled up in her bloodshot eyes.

As I mentioned earlier, I don't particularly like taking care of kids. The reason being...

"Are you hungry?"

Once I start playing with kids, I lose track of time. Paradoxically, because I like them too much, I try to keep my distance.

"I'm not hungry," Ruby replied sharply, snapping her head away.

Considering Doloris was gone and she was left alone with me, she should have been flustered, but she didn't seem ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to mind much.

She's calm. Is this the kind of temperament needed to become a mage?

"...Lady Doloris said she wouldn't be late. Don't worry too much." Though it felt like she was already a bit late.

Ruby looked at me, hesitating as if she had something to say. Then, she opened her mouth.

"Is Master... sick?"

"..."

"You said it earlier... something about meridians."

Before she passed out—well, it wasn't exactly passing out. It seemed she had overheard something before Doloris put her to sleep.

"She's not sick."

If I got the chance, I intended to make sure of it. To make sure she wouldn't be in pain.

"Liar..." Ruby hung her head, looking upset. Just as her eyes were about to tear up again—

*Click.* "Have you two been playing nicely?" Someone entered. It was Doloris.

"You're back," I said, closing the floating manual and standing up.

"Master!" Ruby kicked off the blanket and ran over.

She had been on the verge of tears a second ago, but now her face was already buried in Doloris's waist.

"I had to stop by somewhere, so I'm a bit later than expected."

Doloris stroked Ruby's head while looking at me. There was a hint of apology in her eyes.

To me? Apologizing to a kid? It was strange to see her show such an emotion.

"It's fine. Nothing happened."

Unless you counted winning a staring contest and giving up on metallurgy. Not exactly worth reporting.

*Tap, tap.* Doloris slowly walked toward me.

Ruby dragged along like a crab, her face still buried in Doloris's skirt.

For some reason, Doloris had been keeping her hands behind her back.

"Lionel."

"Yes?"

Doloris called my name. And then—

*Whoosh.* She held something out.

"..."

It was a hammer.

It was a double-headed hammer that looked incredibly heavy, engraved with lightning-shaped gold patterns. A yellow gem was embedded at the end of the handle.

Just looking at it made my eyes tingle.

So, it was a hammer. The kind of hammer that looked like it belonged in a movie, one that only the worthy could lift.

Its head was a bit smaller than that, but still. The problem was...

Wait, isn't this a combat hammer?

"It is a gift," Doloris said.

She had just gifted me a combat hammer worth one billion won.