Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: A New Sword
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"Vice Guild Master, what book are you reading?"
A few days had passed since they cleared the main quest.
After realizing the usefulness of magic during the quest, Do-jae had been engrossed in reading the magic books he had collected.
"Want to take a look?"
"Yes!"
Ji-yoon took the book Do-jae handed her and began to flip through the pages.
But there was no way she could read the language of another world.
"Are these letters or pictures...? I've never seen characters like this in my life. Are you really reading this?"
"I am. More importantly, why are you here?"
Only Do-jae and Ji-yoon were in the office.
The Guild Master, Jeong Hoon-hyeon, didn't come to the office until late in the afternoon each day, and the other guild members were out raiding dungeons.
"Hehe."
Ji-yoon made a V-sign at Do-jae with a proud expression.
"What's that about?"
"Did you know Manager Young-jin always throws paper? It was just an E-rank dungeon, so we decided with rock-paper-scissors, and I sent him!"
Ji-yoon grinned.
Do-jae turned his gaze back to his book and said.
"Then you should get back to work instead of slacking off."
"I just finished! For such a small guild, there's so much to do."
Ji-yoon yelled at Do-jae, who wasn't paying her any attention.
Since Do-jae joined Guardian, the guild had gradually become more organized.
Young-jin played a big part in that process. Annoyed at being on the same level as the other members, he had stormed into Jeong Hoon-hyeon's room for a talk.
After a long conversation, Young-jin emerged with a satisfied look on his face, having created a 'General Affairs Department' and appointed himself its manager.
At first, it seemed like a petty power trip, but he was actually doing a decent job of delegating tasks to the guild members.
Jeong Hoon-hyeon also had a knack for management. Aside from his laziness and characteristically thuggish behavior, he was quite capable on the operational side.
"Are you bored?"
"Yes!"
The answer came less than a second after the question.
Do-jae thought for a moment, then closed his book.
"How about we go downstairs and stretch a bit?"
"Okay!"
Having read books all morning, Do-jae decided to spar with Ji-yoon to clear his head.
***
First floor, indoor training facility.
When Do-jae first came to Guardian, this place had just been a long-abandoned warehouse, now converted.
At Young-jin's strong suggestion, it had been transformed into a proper gym using guild funds, along with money from both Young-jin and Do-jae.
For the record, Young-jin contributed the most. Watching him swipe his card for the expensive costs without a second thought, Do-jae had thought, *So this is what a rich kid is like.*
"Here."
*Whoosh-.*
Do-jae tossed a practice sword that was leaning against one side to Ji-yoon.
"We're using practice swords? It's been a while since I've sparred."
Ji-yoon said as she warmed up.
The Suppression Corps wasn't a place for honing martial arts, so sparring between members was rare.
Training mostly consisted of individual weight training to build stamina and strength, and the number of monsters hunted was the measure of one's skill.
"Let's begin."
"Here I come!"
As Do-jae raised his sword, Ji-yoon charged at him with all her might.
*Clang-!*
Their swords clashed, producing a clear sound.
Ji-yoon didn't stop, continuing to swing her sword and pressure Do-jae.
Do-jae slowly backed away, parrying all of Ji-yoon's attacks.
At times, Do-jae would push forward, and though Ji-yoon scrambled, she managed to block every move.
After about ten minutes...
Ji-yoon's bangs were damp with sweat as she panted heavily, while Do-jae, in contrast, lowered his sword calmly.
"Hah! I can't do this anymore!"
"Not bad."
Do-jae was surprised by Ji-yoon's skill.
She was more proficient with a sword than he had expected.
Compared to his past self, Ji-yoon's understanding of the sword was far superior.
Her swings weren't just brute force meant for hunting monsters.
"Really? I learned a bit from Jeong-gyu. He said I needed to know how to use it in a real fight."
Innate mana is hard to overcome, but experience and effort become entirely one's own.
Even though Ji-yoon was a D-rank Awakened, her experience of surviving life-or-death situations in the suppression zones was not to be underestimated.
"Phew... Still, the gap between me and you is too big, Vice Guild Master."
"No. From now on, let's spar often."
"Huh? Really? I'd love that!"
Do-jae decided he would practice swordsmanship with Ji-yoon for the time being.
He had asked Kim Hwan-soo to find him an instructor, but there was no news yet, likely because a suitable one hadn't been found.
In the meantime, he planned to raise his proficiency by crossing swords with Ji-yoon.
It was less about teaching and more about learning together.
After all, Do-jae wasn't skilled enough to teach anyone yet.
"I should suggest we build a shower facility soon."
Ji-yoon sat on the floor, legs stretched out, wiping away her sweat.
Then, she looked at the sword she had brought down and said.
"Since I'm down here, I'll just clean my sword before I go back up."
*Shhhk-.*
A crude sword was placed on the floor.
Compared to the practice sword, it was considerably larger and thicker.
"You're still using that sword?"
Do-jae asked, looking at Ji-yoon's sword.
Her sword was the most basic iron sword, standard issue for all members of the Suppression Corps.
It was an unremarkable, shoddy sword that Do-jae himself had used a few times after the Harpy Queen's Plume broke.
"Huh? Ah... I'm used to it! It's sturdier than it looks, and as long as I maintain it well, it's fine."
As she said, the blade was well-maintained and sharp.
But to Do-jae, it looked incredibly crude.
To Do-jae, who already possessed masterwork weapons like the Black Scale and Sraka's Dagger, it looked like a toy knife.
"Get up."
Do-jae, who had been quietly watching Ji-yoon oil the blade with a soft cloth, spoke as if he'd made up his mind.
"Huh?"
"We're going to look at some swords."
"R-Right now?"
He then grabbed her arm, pulled her to her feet, and led her out of the training facility.
***
"*Sniff, sniff.* Do I smell okay?"
Ji-yoon lifted her arm and sniffed.
Then she shook out her hair and busied herself with fixing her clothes.
"I told you, you're fine."
"Ah! That's because you've been with me this whole time, Vice Guild Master!"
Do-jae and Ji-yoon were currently in Myeong-dong.
Despite it being the middle of a weekday, the streets of Myeong-dong were crowded.
"If I'd known we were coming to such a crowded place, I wouldn't have come..."
"What does it matter?"
"Someone who wears clothes like yours all the time wouldn't understand."
"That's a surprisingly hurtful thing to say."
"Oh! There it is!"
Ji-yoon spotted the store and ran toward it, her voice filled with excitement.
They had arrived at 'Fernando,' supposedly the most famous weapon shop in South Korea.
It was a brand created by the Italian entrepreneur and artisan, Angelo Fernando, a place filled with high-quality, luxurious weapons.
Of course, the Fernando in Seoul didn't carry Angelo's handcrafted pieces. It was a massive store that sold imported weapons made by artisans who had learned from him, as well as weapons acquired from dungeons or made by other craftsmen.
*Ting-a-ling-.*
"Welcome. We'll need to check your licenses first."
Guards who looked quite strong at a glance appeared and asked to check their identification.
As a place with many expensive and fine weapons, it was an easy target for criminals, some of whom were Awakened, making strong Awakened guards like these essential.
When Do-jae and Ji-yoon presented their newly issued Hunter licenses, the guards inserted them into a small machine, and after the check was complete, they smiled and stepped aside.
"You're verified. We hope you have a pleasant experience."
Stepping inside, Do-jae and Ji-yoon found it was much quieter than the street outside.
No matter how famous and well-known the place was, you couldn't enter without proper identification, and since the number of Awakened was minuscule compared to non-Awakened, this was a natural result.
"Are you looking for anything in particular?"
An employee emerged from the back and asked.
Do-jae pointed to Ji-yoon and replied.
"We're looking for a decent sword."
"Is that so? Please come this way."
The two followed the employee into a room.
Dozens of swords filled the walls.
"May I ask what kind of sword you prefer?"
The employee asked, looking at Ji-yoon.
"I'd like something with a bit of thickness. Not too thin, and about this long?"
"I see. Then I'll show you the other side."
"Ah... yes..."
The side the employee first showed them was filled with slender, light swords, while the opposite side was packed with swords so large one might wonder if a person could even lift them.
"How about a sword like this? It's made from the bones of a Gatra, so it's not only durable but also surprisingly light for its size."
"Ah... yes..."
"Or how about this one? It's a bit longer and heavier than you described, but the mana stone embedded in the center casts a strength enhancement spell, so you won't feel the weight as much."
"Ah... um... could I look around a little more before I decide?"
"Of course. Please let me know when you're ready."
After the employee left, Ji-yoon sighed.
"What? Is something wrong?"
"No... I just can't find anything I like."
When Ji-yoon first entered the room, she had been ecstatic.
To a member of the Suppression Corps or a Hunter who fought monsters, a weapon was like a second life.
A powerful weapon could give you a chance to survive in a critical situation.
How could she not be happy when such weapons were densely hung all over the room?
But the moment she saw the tags tied to the sword hilts, she couldn't even dare to pick one up.
Each sword cost tens of millions of won, completely quashing any desire to buy one.
"In my opinion, this one looks pretty decent."
Do-jae took down a sword hanging in the middle.
It was a longsword, similar in shape to the one Ji-yoon usually used.
But Ji-yoon refused this one as well.
Because this one had an extra zero on the price tag compared to the others.
"No! It's too expensive!"
"Really? I think so too. Why does this thing cost 400 million won?"
"Exactly, let's get out of here."
The longsword Do-jae held was an excellent weapon, personally designed by Angelo and enchanted with various spells.
However, to Do-jae, who could see all the sword's options in detail with his Eye of the Golem, it didn't seem worth that much.
In the end, the performance was one thing, but the price was clearly inflated by Angelo Fernando's brand name.
Still, there were people who would buy it.
"Still, since we're out, why not get a new one? To be honest, a 400 million won sword is too much for me, but I can buy you one if it's a reasonable price."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. But not from here. All the swords here are pretty much the same."
"Okay!"
Do-jae didn't want to see his first-ever subordinate die because of a shoddy sword.
And if she became stronger with a good sword, it would be an asset to the guild.
In conclusion, gifting Ji-yoon a good sword was beneficial to Do-jae.
After leaving Fernando, Do-jae made a phone call.
"Hello? Is this the owner?"