Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Blacksmith Kindre
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The moment he confirmed Kindre's face, Soo-hyuk reflexively scanned the workshop interior.
Unlike ordinary workshops, the inside gleamed with a silvery sheen. Lights poured out brilliant illumination, made from who-knows-what material.
Sharp weapons like swords, spears, and daggers hung on the walls, while a large vat in the center held blue-tinted liquor.
An unusual workshop.
But nowhere could he spot what he was looking for.
'Not here.'
Soo-hyuk's gaze naturally shifted back to Kindre.
This place held only the one woman standing before him. A young girl with skin so pale it bordered on ghostly.
What the hell was going on?
"Surprised?"
Unhyang's mischievous voice.
"I didn't believe it at first either. But it's real."
She must have held back the details just to see his reaction. At least if he'd heard it was a woman, he wouldn't have been this shocked.
As if reactions like his were routine, Kindre asked in an unconcerned tone.
"That guest?"
"Yeah. That's him. Streamer Lee Soo-hyuk."
"Ah, yeah. Nice to meet you."
Kindre wiped the dark grime from her hands on her clothes and extended one toward Soo-hyuk.
"Yes. Nice to meet you."
As their hands clasped, an astonishing chill seeped through.
Cold enough that even a corpse might feel warmer.
From her expression to her aura to her very temperature, everything about her radiated frigidity.
'Nothing matches my imagination, from top to bottom.'
An elderly man. Bulging muscles. A sweltering, lively forge.
Kindre was the polar opposite of everything he'd pictured.
"What do you want?"
The blunt question came the instant their hands parted. Soo-hyuk pulled the Heart of Thunder from his inventory.
"A sword."
"What kind?"
"Something like a holy sword would be ideal, but..."
Soo-hyuk shook his head.
"No, scratch that. Please make it however you see fit—your specialty."
She might look like a mere young girl, but if this was truly Kindre, she was one of the tower's top crafters.
Demanding specifics from someone like that was pointless. The best results came from trusting the artisan's judgment.
"It's the crafter's job to make a great weapon. It's up to players like me to wield it well."
For the first time, Kindre's eyes flickered with interest.
"Good mindset."
Kindre reached for the Heart of Thunder in Soo-hyuk's hand. Since he was commissioning her anyway, he didn't stop her.
She examined it from every angle, then furrowed her brow.
"Tricky..."
"Tricky how?"
"This would be perfect embedded in the center of a hammer."
Kindre nodded toward her works lining the walls.
"As you can see, that's my specialty."
Dozens of Kindre's creations.
Superior items at a glance. Even unclaimed, their blades hummed with sharpness.
Any one hitting auction would fetch hundreds of thousands of points. Some might even break a million.
"You recommend a hammer?"
"Not a recommendation. A sword's possible too."
"What's the difference?"
"Hammer lets the metal's properties suppress the material's power—easier to handle since it's not exposed."
"And a sword?"
"Plenty of power, but tough to control. The item's performance might overwhelm the user."
Words flowing smoothly—she already had blueprints in her head.
Kindre presented two options.
Safe but weaker hammer, or powerful but risky sword.
"If you want the hammer, I can do it."
"Pass."
Soo-hyuk shook his head at her provocative words.
The form was already set in his mind.
"Gloves, please."
"Gloves?"
"Yes."
Kindre's eyes widened at Soo-hyuk's response.
Soon, a faint smile curved her lips.
"Interesting idea."
"Put a lot of thought into it."
"You sure? Might be harder to handle than a sword."
"Perfect."
Kindre saw downside; Soo-hyuk saw upside.
"The harder it is, the more valuable."
High risk, high return.
It defined Soo-hyuk's life as a player.
Lightning had always been that way.
The hotter it scorched his heart, the greater the output—and only by enduring it could he climb higher.
This time was no different.
Come hell or high water, Soo-hyuk would conquer that item. Fleeing wasn't in Lee Soo-hyuk's nature.
"I like that thinking."
Kindre's lip twitched upward at his reply.
"You're growing on me."
Kwachak-.
Clutching the Heart of Thunder, she declared with confidence.
"Promise. I'll make it the best."
"Appreciate it. A discount wouldn't hurt."
"Just material cost."
She snapped up his jest. What a steal—he moved to ask the price, but Kindre spoke first.
"300,000 points."
Absurdly expensive.
On the way out of Kindre's workshop.
Having paid, Soo-hyuk checked his remaining points.
A sigh escaped him.
His fat stack of points had vanished in one go. She'd cut him a deal as it was; full price would've left him even shorter.
He'd even swallowed his pride to beg for a bit more off, but no dice.
"To withstand this material, I'd need Star Fragments at minimum. Any less, and durability fails fast."
Star Fragments.
Rare metal said to fall from shooting stars. Unmatched strength and hardness—worth whatever anyone paid.
But rarer still: even money couldn't always buy them.
'And she's got stacks of it.'
Kindre was Kindre, alright.
Items most crafters begged for fistfuls of—she had several chunks.
'Haggling more would be shameless.'
Hearing the details, 300k suddenly seemed a bargain. In the end, Soo-hyuk paid up without fuss.
"Crafting'll take about five days."
Five days.
Faster than expected. He'd braced for ten.
Skill matched her speed. It advanced his next trial schedule nicely.
'Gotta prep everything possible.'
The next trial likely tied to the 5th floor.
Meaning Asgard as the stage.
Such a venue demanded no complacency on difficulty.
Time allotted: five days.
Soo-hyuk planned to use it prepping for the trial.
And for that...
'Need more points.'
Hunting for levels was inefficient at his stage.
Shortest path to outsized gains: earn points.
Items. Skill levels. Procedures.
With enough points, short-term spec boosts were endless.
No.
Points equaled power—not just for him.
Hence the saying: gold spoon players always succeeded.
And for that...
"Ready?"
A bit of a trek, but necessary.
"Yes."
Unhyang, Cheongryang, and Soo-hyuk boarded a carriage.
The inter-floor transport. At the downbound portal, nausea already churned in his gut.
Thinking of the jostling made his head spin preemptively.
"Lucky Pak Soo-hyuk hit 4th floor a few days back. Otherwise, travel would've dragged."
Pak Soo-hyuk.
The streamer from Soo-hyuk's first broadcast. Baehae Entertainment's top dog.
This schedule: collab with him.
'Heart of Thunder needs higher stamina.'
Current points: 60k.
440k short for Jinwoon's procedure.
'Doable?'
Glance-.
Soo-hyuk checked the Players channel on Kit, timing it.
New video imminent.
Then Hawk's Eye's stream would kick off.
Partner time started now.
Hawk's Eye's broadcast began.
As pre-announced to his agency, today's content: Lee Soo-hyuk broadcast review.
Over 8,000 viewers in just five minutes of going live. A new record for Hawk's Eye—20k in sight.
After a brief wait...
Jijik-.
"Yo."
The screen glitched momentarily before Hawk's Eye appeared.
The viewers' heated welcome prompted Hawk's Eye to chime in.
"Sorry, sorry. No good clips lately. You know me—I'd rather not stream than drop trash."
"What slaves? You know I'd starve without you bros."
Familiar opener.
The long-awaited stream sparked quick banter: teasing chats, donations, Hawk's Eye's quips—minutes flew by.
"Grev?" Hawk's Eye stream slang for "So, review?"
Viewers begging when chit-chat dragged on.
"Alright, bros. Before the main event..."
Chats ignited at Hawk's Eye's tease.
He waved frantically at the frenzy.
"No, not skipping. Just one thing first."
Hawk's Eye turned his screen.
He showed a Players community post.
Heaps of upvotes and downvotes.
A dime-a-dozen Soo-hyuk diss post.
Spotlighting it on stream, Hawk's Eye delivered his prepared line to the viewers.
"Lemme say just one thing."
Hawkish glare.
His signature review style, unfiltered.
"You blind, dumbass?"