The Heart-Pounding Mithril Sword
When I returned home and checked the marketplace, a notification was waiting for me.
I opened it to find a repair request from someone whose name I knew all too well.
“Kang Su-jeong? The personal hunter ranking number one? Not an impersonator… it’s really her?”
Famous figures openly used their real names on the marketplace. While plenty of people shared the same name, only one Kang Su-jeong had the special mark: the VIP customer badge.
It meant she had spent a tremendous amount of gold. There was simply no other Kang Su-jeong who qualified.
“Let’s see the request details…”
The message was written with crystal clarity, every question meticulously laid out. How much would the deposit be? Was repair even possible? It perfectly reflected her earnest, detail-oriented personality.
She offered a deposit equivalent to a top-grade ninth-grade weapon. That was the part that gave me a headache.
Even the cheapest ninth-grade weapon cost well over a hundred thousand gold. A top-grade one? The price would be whatever the market demanded, but I figured a million gold was probably in the ballpark.
“There are plenty of things I could sell or mine for gold, but… let’s go see Lulu first.”
It was still before nine o’clock. I asked Asne to take me to her.
“What is this? How much time has passed and you’ve already finished a weapon?”
“Once this self laid eyes on the mithril I mined, I simply could not hold back… Still, I followed your request, Territory Lord, and kept it as plain as possible! What do you think?”
“Hmm… It really does look ordinary. What’s its grade?”
The weapon had been completed while I was traveling back and forth between the house and Heugildo. Lulu had forged a longsword from pure mithril, its shape so simple it bordered on austere.
“If it absorbs magic power from a mana stone, it would reach the corresponding grade… but I could not prepare a stone, so it remains ungraded for now.”
“Hmm… Is a mana stone absolutely necessary to assign a grade?”
“A high-ranking ability user could infuse the power directly, but… the only high-ranking ability user here is… Lady Siren herself…!”
“Hmm… Asne, could you infuse this sword with magic power at roughly a ninth-grade level?”
“Ninth-grade? Um… I’m not entirely sure how much strength that requires. I’m sorry, My Lord…”
Lulu glanced nervously at Asne. I had asked Asne for help, but she was now watching me with worry, admitting she had never tried controlling her power with such precision before.
“Could you guide her, Lulu?”
“If Lady Siren is willing to cooperate, this will be very simple!”
“Asne, would you be willing?”
“Of course! Miss Lulu, let us combine our strength to fulfill our Lord’s request!”
“Y-yes! Understood, Lady Siren!”
The same Lulu who had boldly declared she would trust me and live comfortably was now trembling like a fresh recruit as she began the final stage of the weapon’s creation.
The process itself was straightforward. Asne simply held the sword and channeled her power while Lulu called out when to stop.
I had asked them to make it top-grade ninth-rank.
“I will infuse the power as slowly as I can.”
“Please do!”
“Then…”
“Lady Siren, ninth-grade magic power has been infused. Just a little more and it will reach top-grade ninth quality! Yes, right there… Stop!”
Roughly a minute after Asne began, Lulu shouted for her to stop, sweat beading on her forehead.
The finished mithril longsword.
When I placed it in my status window, it displayed as top-grade ninth-rank.
Deposit secured.
“Thank you both for your hard work. Lulu, I’m going to offer this as collateral to the client requesting the repair. Is that acceptable?”
“It is. Though it is pure mithril, you requested no decorations whatsoever. Therefore it holds no value beyond the mithril itself. It is fine.”
“Good. Then I’ll receive the item to be repaired. Please take care of this for me.”
“Leave it to this self!”
I opened a one-on-one chat with Kang Su-jeong on the marketplace. Naturally, my display name was the anonymous Repair Haven: Even Worn Equipment Like New.
I sent her a message saying the deposit was ready and asked her to send the weapon for repair.
Repair Haven: Even Worn Equipment Like New: The deposit is ready. It is a top-grade ninth-rank mithril longsword. Will that suffice?
Kang Su-jeong: A top-grade ninth-rank mithril longsword? Could I possibly verify it?
Repair Haven: Even Worn Equipment Like New: Of course.
The reply came almost immediately. A trade window opened, and the longsword appeared.
Its appearance was utterly ordinary.
“It looks like a regular longsword… yet the balance is so perfect it borders on artistry…?”
The marketplace managed by the status window could not be deceived. The displayed grade could never be falsified.
At first glance the sword seemed plain, but when I selected it, its true form materialized before her eyes, and it was breathtaking.
The balance was so flawless it felt as though any swordsman would be drawn into it. Her heart fluttered at the sight of its elegant beauty.
“Ninth-rank… top-grade…!? Is this even possible!?”
Her heart began to hammer wildly the moment she confirmed the grade. She had assumed it was some scammer blacksmith, but the sword was genuine.
Kang Su-jeong: You’re truly lending me this mithril longsword as collateral? How long will the repair take?
Repair Haven: Even Worn Equipment Like New: It depends on the extent of the damage. If you place the item in the trade window now, I’ll examine it immediately.
Kang Su-jeong: I’ll send it right away. The materials needed for repair… if you tell me what they are, I’ll prepare them immediately. Even just the mithril longsword you showed seems superior to my current weapon… Honestly, if you’re selling it, I would love to buy it. Is it for sale?
Repair Haven: Even Worn Equipment Like New: Hmm… It isn’t for sale. I made it in a hurry specifically to use as collateral, so that would be difficult.
“This perfect, beautiful weapon was made in a hurry!? It didn’t come from a dungeon or gate reward!?”
How long had it been since anything had shocked her this deeply?
She fought to steady her racing heart and tried to negotiate further, but the replies remained lukewarm.
Kang Su-jeong: Then could I possibly test this weapon just once? I’ll clear a dungeon or gate right now! It may take a little time, but I’m begging you!
Repair Haven: Even Worn Equipment Like New: Since you like it that much, I’m beginning to consider selling it after all. Separate from the repair, please test the sword and let me know what price you think is fair.
Kang Su-jeong: Thank you so much!
I completed the trade, purchased the listed materials, and handed them over.
After checking available gates and dungeons, I found an eighth-grade gate and reserved it through the association. A call came immediately. It was the association president.
“Hello? Mr. President?”
“Su-jeong… didn’t you say your weapon was damaged recently? Even an eighth-grade gate is dangerous without a proper weapon, isn’t it?”
“That’s why I think I can obtain a new one now.”
“A new weapon? So suddenly?”
“Yes. The situation is… a bit complicated… Ah, I’m so excited right now that I’ll just hunt a few monsters to test the weapon and come right back! There won’t be anything for you to worry about!”
“Hmm… Is that so? Since I trust you, Su-jeong… All right. Hunt a little, calm down, and then contact me again?”
“Yes! I’ll head out right away!”
I was Korea’s number one ranked individual hunter and a rare ninth-grade hunter on the global stage. Entering an eighth-grade gate alone posed no real threat.
Still, the president worried about me like a dependable uncle. Just as he asked, I would test the weapon, calm my racing heart, and call him back later.
I had planned to shower and rest, but I found myself donning my equipment once more. I took the mithril longsword that had just come into my possession.
The way it seemed to melt into my palm was perfect.
“Aah… This is actually insane…!”
I wanted to swing it immediately, but a blade of this caliber could destroy my house if I wasn’t careful. With a weapon this good, sword energy might fly out unconsciously.
So I held myself back, stored it in my status window, and headed for the eighth-grade gate. There was no scabbard, after all.
“Whoa… Wooooowaaaaah~!!!!”
That was my only reaction after swinging the weapon inside the eighth-grade gate.
The sheer power left me speechless. The sword was so light it barely felt like I was swinging anything at all. The transmission of magic power was so efficient that I could generate stronger sword energy with far less effort than usual. And the sharpness that sliced through the very air itself—there was nothing this blade lacked.
You have cleared the 8th-grade Gate.
I had become so lost in the trance of swinging that perfect blade that I cleared the entire gate without realizing it.
Still dazed by the lingering sensation, I stood there blankly until my phone rang.
I answered in a daze.
“Su-jeong? You said you were only going to hunt a few monsters. The eighth-grade gate in that area has vanished. Did you clear it?”
“Ah… yes. The weapon was just… so good… I lost track of what I was doing…”
“What are you…! Are you injured?”
“No… The weapon is simply too good…”
“The weapon? The one you said you obtained?”
“Yes… Oh! That’s right, I was going to explain! It’s from a new blacksmith who just appeared on the marketplace! The name is Repair Haven: Even Worn Equipment Like New! Since the awakener is operating anonymously, they’re probably trying to hide their identity. Could the association please help make sure there’s no unnecessary noise about this?!”
The usual calm, collected version of myself had vanished. I was firing off words like a machine gun. On the other end of the line, I could only hear the flustered president muttering “Uh… uh…”
“So… this Repair Haven: Even Worn Equipment Like New person… agreed to repair your weapon?”
“Yes! And as collateral they gave me a ninth-grade weapon that’s even better than the one I was using! Thanks to that weapon I cleared the eighth-grade gate without any trouble at all!!!”
“Huh… It’s hard to believe, but… if it’s coming from you, Su-jeong, I suppose I have to trust it. All right. The association will do its best to keep things quiet.”
“Uncle, thank you!!!”
“Hahaha~ If our Su-jeong is calling me uncle again after so long, I’ll have to put in extra effort.”
“Hehe~ Yes, Uncle! Then I’ll head home and rest now!”
“Yes, yes. Get some good rest.”
***
Meanwhile, at Lulu’s forge on Heugildo.
“Lulu, how does it look?”
“It is merely an ordinary sword, so repairing it is not difficult. This self feels little enthusiasm, but I shall finish it quickly nonetheless.”
“Is that so? I’m counting on you.”
Unlike the excited Kang Su-jeong, we remained perfectly relaxed.
