Chapter 250
Chapter 250
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 251
Chapter Title: The Golden Anvil
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After parting ways with the Han family father and daughter.
I checked my wrist while standing on the sidewalk.
No oaths bound my wrist yet.
I'd sworn before Han Dae-hyeon that I'd make a blood oath, but he still didn't fully trust me.
It was a natural outcome, all things considered.
I hadn't shown him enough to earn his trust yet. Being cautious was only prudent.
Still, I'd planted the seed, so I figured he wouldn't take too long to come looking for me again.
I walked along the sidewalk for a bit before heading to the Shincheol Workshop.
It wasn't far from Hanseong Medical Center to the Shincheol Workshop, so I arrived in under thirty minutes.
As soon as I stepped inside the building, the smell of fire and metal assaulted my nose.
Nearby, Yang Tae-min was decked out in full safety gear.
He hammered down on the metal atop the anvil with powerful strokes. At a glance, he looked no different from any ordinary blacksmith.
But according to Yang Tae-min, "crafting" infused mysteries into items, making it a profound realm that was hard to explain in words.
Each of those movements probably held techniques I didn't know.
Just then, having finished his work, Yang Tae-min took off his gear and stood up. Then he spotted me.
"Huh? Mr. Jin-woo, when did you get here? You should've said something."
I gave a small smile.
"No, I just arrived myself. Still, it's late, and you're working all the way till night."
"There's a mountain of work to do."
Yang Tae-min chuckled good-naturedly as he tidied up his safety gear.
". . . So, what brings you here at this hour?"
"I came to talk about company business."
Yang Tae-min tilted his head for a moment before sitting in a nearby chair. I perched on the edge of a desk nearby.
I pondered where to start, then spoke up.
"We've secured a collaboration with Hanseong Group. JWK will actively support Hanseong Group—in particular, Hanseong Pharmaceuticals."
He'd probably expected it, but the scale of a massive corporation still seemed to surprise him a bit.
"What do we get out of the collaboration?"
"A few things, but . . . the biggest is the rental rights to production mysteries owned by the Han family."
Production mysteries.
Things like 'cooking utensils,' 'mining machines,' 'anvils,' and 'flasks'—mysteries used in crafting.
They dramatically boosted product quality and production efficiency, making them treasures that any major corporation had to own at least one of.
Of course, the Han family practically monopolized them.
". . . Rental rights to production mysteries?"
True to his forge background, Yang Tae-min immediately grasped their value.
"Aren't those only available to Hanseong Group's top-tier partners?"
"Exactly."
"Wow . . . how'd you pull that off?"
Yang Tae-min's eyes sparkled as he asked.
"Luck. Anyway, I looked into the mysteries we can rent, and apparently, there's even the [Golden Anvil that Holds the Sun], which went missing fifteen years ago."
"W-Wait. The G-Golden Anvil?"
"Yes. The one you know."
"Wow . . . so the Han family had it all this time . . ."
Yang Tae-min muttered in disbelief.
Then, a spark of excitement lit up his face.
He must have been thrilled at the idea of using an anvil that was legendary among crafters.
Seeing that made me smile despite myself.
Now that I'd covered everything about the Han family, time for the next topic.
I turned around and picked up a 'Commission Sheet' from the desk.
I flipped through the pages until I found the name I wanted.
[Lee Seo-jun]
"And about that commission from Lee Seo-jun we talked about last time. Decided on what sword to make yet?"
"No. The budget's 1.5 billion, which is a bit awkward, so I'm still thinking."
It was a huge sum, but 1.5 billion was indeed awkward for crafting a sword.
Item prices varied wildly depending on whether they were mainstream or niche.
Swords like the one Lee Seo-jun used were mainstream among mainstreams.
B-Grade swords traded for 1 to 10 billion, while A-Grade ones started at a minimum of 30 billion.
The gap between B-Grade and A-Grade made 1.5 billion feel just right in the middle.
"He's the kid who won the Sungmu Tournament, so make him an A-Grade sword as a gift. It'll be good for company promotion too."
". . . As a gift? An A-Grade is at least 30 billion."
I nodded.
For Lee Seo-jun's survival, 30 billion was nothing.
"I'll cover the shortfall."
In the VIP ward of Hanseong Medical Center.
Han Dae-hyeon lay in bed, lost in deep thought.
Kim Jin-woo. What the hell was that guy's deal?
The more they talked, the harder he was to read.
One minute he'd swear a blood oath to protect his daughter, the next he'd offer advice on stopping fights between his kids.
In all his years as chairman of Hanseong Group, he'd met countless people, but this was the first whose inner thoughts he couldn't fathom.
". . . Weird guy."
He was mulling it over when the ward door creaked open.
Han Se-yeon shuffled in with a dazed expression.
She looked drained compared to before—like something bad had happened.
Han Dae-hyeon stared at her for a moment before asking.
"Where've you been?"
"Just walked around the park out front. It's nicely landscaped."
"Yeah?"
That's when Han Se-yeon noticed the neatly packaged fruit basket on the table.
"What's that fruit basket?"
"That guy brought it."
"Jin-woo?"
"Yeah."
At Han Dae-hyeon's words, Han Se-yeon stared blankly at the basket.
Her hand absently touched the moonstone pendant in her pocket—the one Kim Jin-woo had given her as a gift.
". . . He brought a gift too, huh."
I should've just given it to her right away instead of beating around the bush.
Regret and guilt washed over her again.
"Se-yeon."
Han Dae-hyeon's call snapped her out of it.
His tone was unusually gentle, but his expression was more serious than ever.
"Do you really want Hanseong Group that badly?"
The question came out of nowhere. But Han Se-yeon caught his intent.
He was testing her resolve.
"Yes. By any means necessary."
Her firm answer drew a sigh from Han Dae-hyeon.
". . . Tsk. Wonder who she got all that ambition from."
Han Se-yeon smiled faintly at his mutter.
Then, cautiously, she spoke up.
"Dad, you know about the event Hanseong Pharmaceuticals is hosting in three weeks?"
"I do."
The H-A Expo.
An event hosted by Hanseong Pharmaceuticals, where various companies unveiled new tech and products to the public.
"I'm planning to give the keynote speech there."
"A speech?"
"Yes. About Hanseong Pharmaceuticals' new drug reveal, future direction, and my own ambitions."
Han Dae-hyeon fell into thought.
Declaring her ambitions in the keynote.
It was a declaration of war on Han Se-jin and a signal that she'd start actively vying for control of the group.
At the same time, he wondered if things had gone too far for him to intervene.
Kim Jin-woo's suggestions floated back to mind.
This was the moment to seriously consider them.
". . . Fine. Give it your best shot."
Han Se-yeon smiled slightly. Han Dae-hyeon felt both annoyance and pride watching her.
His little girl had grown up.
"Anyway, it's late. Head home."
Han Se-yeon checked the time. 11 p.m.
Late, considering she had work tomorrow.
"Wow, it's that late already. Well, Dad, I'll get going."
"Go on."
Han Se-yeon stood, bowed politely, and left the room.
Silence settled in the ward.
Han Dae-hyeon gazed blankly at the night view outside before speaking.
" Jang Su-gi."
The door opened, and the Sword Ghost, Jang Su-gi, appeared.
"Yes, Chairman."
"Stick close to Se-yeon and protect her for a while."
Two days flew by, leaving exactly three weeks until midterms. It was Wednesday.
The Magic Academy buzzed with energy from early morning.
"Hey, did you see that demon attack video from yesterday?"
"Yeah, the tree monster one?"
"Yep. The way it fought was insane. Tiny thing, but its magic . . ."
The students' hot topic today was Gretel.
The demon attack targeting Han Se-yeon had leaked to the world, along with CCTV and dashcam footage of Gretel's battle.
And naturally, a rare tree summon like Gretel caused a huge stir among mages.
What the hell was that summon?
How did Kim Jin-woo get his hands on such a cute yet terrifying(?) thing?
Those discussions even netted me some casual points.
"Yawn . . ."
"Sun-woo."
I was yawning at my desk, bored out of my mind, when Yoon Ha-young approached.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Remember the group project for midterms? We were supposed to team up."
"Group project?"
. . . Oh, right. That.
Groups of six researching a free topic.
Since each grade could contribute up to two per group, I'd suggested teaming with Yoon Ha-young.
Teaming with top scorers like Lee Seo-jun or Yoo Ah-ra would tank our grades with penalties.
Plus, with demon activity ramping up, I wanted more time together for the demon-slaying power.
"Yeah, right. So, why?"
"Other groups are filling up, but we haven't heard anything. Thought you might know something."
". . . Yeah? I told them to compete and team with the winners, but no word."
The guys who'd been eager to join me had vanished.
They couldn't all be dead from killing each other.
"Maybe we should go recruit directly? Deadline's tomorrow."
Yoon Ha-young looked anxious. I was seriously considering it when—
The classroom door slid open.
All eyes turned there.
A female student scanned the room, searching for someone.
It was Choi Seo-yoon.
She spotted me and broke into a bright smile.
"Ah, found you, Sunbae!"
Choi Seo-yoon hurried over happily. She paused upon seeing Yoon Ha-young beside me, then bowed politely.
"Hello, Sunbae."
"Uh, hi. Hello."
An awkward vibe hung between them as they greeted each other.
I'd noticed it before, but these two seemed especially uneasy around one another.
Something about handling the same ice attribute?
"What brings you here?"
At my question, Choi Seo-yoon snapped to attention and turned to me.
"Oh, it's about the midterm group project. I have something to tell you."
"Group project?"
She beamed.
"Yeah! You're in my group, Sunbae. I didn't plan it, but Ah-ra butted in, and it ended up that way."
I blinked in surprise.
Never imagined I'd end up with Choi Seo-yoon.
". . . Oh, really?"
"Yep! Oh, and Sunbae, we need a research topic. Got any ideas?"
I shook my head.
"Nope, not yet."
"Oh, then we talked with the other group members—how about investigating the H-A Expo in three weeks?"
". . . The expo?"
"Yeah, it's this event where . . ."
I cut her off as she started explaining.
"I know the gist."
"Huh? How?"
"Well . . ."
It was a pretty major backdrop in the original story.
The H-A Expo.
The setting for Lee Seo-jun's 'Special Task Force Escort Mission Experience' in the second semester.
And that day in the original, a demon attack caused massive chaos.