Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: 8. Those Who Were Weeded Out (5)
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Gulp.
The sound of someone swallowing dryly rang out.
Leaving Yoo Jung-young, who watched with a tense expression, behind, Kang San carefully examined the sword he'd been handed.
The stats were nothing special.
It matched the standard F-Rank values commonly handled at smithies, but its appearance was strikingly different.
Sharp.
Whoosh.
He tilted the blade slightly.
The edge gleamed smoothly under the light, far too pristine for something called a worn longsword. He swung it through the air a few times. It cut the wind with a crisp whistle, and running his fingers along the blade revealed a solid, unyielding strength. Could this really be called an F-Rank weapon? Even without stat changes—since it wasn't classified as an item—its craftsmanship was incomparable to the worthless F-Rank gear out there.
It was the irony of life.
If you grabbed any random person off the street and had them compare the two swords, they'd pick Yoo Jung-young's without hesitation, every single time.
A chipped, battered blade.
Versus one that shone keen and razor-sharp.
In an era when weapons were judged purely on merit, people like Yoo Jung-young were hailed as master craftsmen, their works revered as famed blades. But times changed, and so did the standards. No matter how flawless the craftsmanship, an item's value was now dictated by its explicit stat window.
Yoo Jung-young's sword?
Still just F-Rank in the end.
Unable to surpass the +5 attack power of E-Rank, the kind any commoner could buy off the shelf.
Kang San looked at Yoo Jung-young.
When they'd first met, his eyes had been devoid of life's spark. Now, they burned with fervent ambition.
This isn't the work of a day or two. If he's this passionate about his craft, it must be soul-crushing to live in a world that judges everything by item stats. No matter what he does, that hard limit turns a man like him into just another average technician. If what he needs from me is forging expertise... there's no better choice than Yoo Jung-young right now.
He liked it.
Yoo Jung-young's skill.
His sincerity.
And his desperation.
What might have been a chance encounter became fate in Kang San's eyes.
Kang San spoke.
"Let's sign a contract."
The contract terms were as follows.
Kang San listed the conditions one by one on the scroll contract.
Roman Bednar.
This was a binding scroll contract crafted by the world-renowned scroll maker.
There was that famous incident where an A-Rank hunter ignored one, broke the terms, and ended up on his knees begging a mere civilian for forgiveness. The scroll's power was that absolute. Since it required mutual consent to activate, they always came with a warning: write them with utmost care.
The terms were tight.
No leaking techniques, ever. Even if you made something, profiting from it meant sharing with Kang San. And on top of that, teaching smithing skills. It was stacked with one-sided clauses pressuring Party B, but Kang San felt no shame in it.
He had every right.
This wasn't him chasing it down.
Tech to enhance item ranks had limitless potential—and unimaginable profits. Kang San held the knife. If Yoo Jung-young made a 100-million-won item with it, was handing over 30% really a loss? Far better than grinding low-paying jobs dozens or hundreds of times.
And above all...
It let Yoo Jung-young prove his worth.
Both knew it. Those clauses were fair.
"Thank you for accepting, even if it's demanding."
Yoo Jung-young didn't hesitate.
He read it over carefully, deemed it reasonable, and signed his name right away.
At that sight...
Kang San said,
"I don't care for shallow relationships built on words. I think this contract will actually build deeper trust between us."
"I agree."
Scritch.
He set down the pen.
Yoo Jung-young looked at Kang San.
"I know full well. If human craftsmanship can imbue items with special powers, its value is beyond measure. As you see, I've proven my resolve with my signature. So, when can I start learning your techniques, Mr. Kang San?"
Kang San picked up the pen.
He filled in the last blank with his name, then met Yoo Jung-young's eyes with a smile.
"We've got the contract—why wait? Strike while the iron's hot. Let's start now."
The transmission lasted late into the evening.
Even with the impart skill, grasping abstract concepts instantly was impossible. Kang San told Yoo Jung-young, who hadn't even glimpsed the thread yet, to keep at it. He hadn't expected it to click right away. Without his past life's experience, even Kang San couldn't have succeeded.
Back home...
Kang San booted up his computer immediately.
Before the next raid, I need a full gear overhaul. I'll keep using the reinforced D-Rank shield, but the E-Rank armor and weapon have to go. Stats are too low, and this E-Rank sword—special effect or not—has half the attack power of my old D-Rank one. For where I'm at, it means selling the old stuff and gearing up fresh.
The plan was simple.
Dump everything but the shield.
Pool the cash from that plus savings, scrape together every won, and buy new armor and a sword.
Enhance them with Blood Demon forging, and whatever the boost, it'd be his best setup yet. With that in mind, he logged into the item market. It had online and offline options, with plenty of action digitally.
The site was packed with all sorts of gear.
Now a registered Ranger, Kang San had top-tier access to browse nearly everything. Even knowing he couldn't afford them yet, he instinctively clicked a C-Rank item. Having maxed at D-Rank so far, he was curious about the next tier up.
Black Rock Two-Handed SwordC-RankAttack Power:+39Special Effect:Barrier
Temporarily reinforces the blade's durability.
"Whoa."
His jaw dropped.
Kang San's previous weapon was a D-Rank longsword.
He'd shelled out over ten million won for a measly +15 attack.
This had more than double that, plus a Barrier special effect.
Impressive, no doubt.
And the price? Jaw-dropping too.
Item market trades ran on auctions.
"100 million" meant the floor—and they usually closed at 2-3x that, sometimes more. A whole different world from D-Rank. Just one tier up, and even a top-shelf C-Rank like the Black Rock sword skyrocketed in price.
Admiration only went so far.
Ogling good gear just made his eyes sore.
Kang San swallowed his envy and listed his two items for sale.
Click.
Anonymous mode.
Not even site admins could see the seller's ID, and top-tier status meant minimal fees. He listed them, shut down the market, and called it. Six-hour auctions—he'd see the haul tomorrow.
Exhaustion hit.
He always pushed himself to the limit daily, so nights ended in collapse.
As Kang San slept...
A small commotion stirred on the item market.
It started with one bidder.
Right at kickoff.
Someone jumped to 1.5x instantly.
E-Rank items usually went for around 300k, so calling max right away was aggressive. Most auctions like this wrapped quick. High-tiers got bloody bidding wars; low-end stuff didn't warrant the fight.
Ten minutes later...
Someone bumped it by 500k.
On screen...
F-Rank hunter Shin Seung-min's face twisted in fury.
"What psycho's bidding this crap."
When he'd spotted it...
Shin Seung-min was hooked on the bleed effect.
No talent, but rich family. Scouting E-Rank gear to match his stats for future hunts. An E-Rank sword with a special effect? Bleed, no less—one of the strongest for close-range weapons. Land one cut, and it ticked fixed damage while nerfing heals. Weapons with bleed always fetched a premium over plain specials.
So he bid.
3 mil seemed safe, but the counterpunch got him heated.
Up it went.
Then...
Right back.
That's when it ignited.
The rivalry shot the E-Rank category up search rankings, drawing spectators.
People tuned in.
That day...
For the full six hours, Shin Seung-min and the anonymous rival battled fiercely.
The next morning...
Kang San woke with tousled hair to an unexpected sight.