Chapter 47
Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Sword King's Auction Victory
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Suddenly, the winner of the second auction held in the Almighty Guild Master's office was none other than Oseong Guild's Sword King, Lee Ho-seok.
"Oseong Guild has secured the rights to craft legendary-grade equipment with twenty-two unique-grade materials. Congratulations, Oseong Guild Master."
"...You're really handing over the rights to me just like that?"
"Yes. Is there a problem? Ah, let's discount it by two and make it exactly twenty. I'll even throw in an extra unique-grade piece of equipment."
"Hmm, that's not what I meant..."
Lee Ho-seok watched Shin-hyeok tilt his head innocently as if he truly had no idea, then glanced over at In-ho.
Ho-seok had poured his heart and soul into winning these rights.
In contrast, In-ho had been somewhat passive, perhaps because he never truly believed Shin-hyeok would cut him out.
And that was the result right here.
Shin-hyeok had sided with Oseong Guild without a shred of familial sentiment.
The reason was simple.
"You dropped out over just two unique-grade materials?"
"Then you should have bid two more."
In-ho hadn't bid two more unique-grade materials than Ho-seok.
Unique-grade materials were expensive and rare, but a massive guild like Shinwa had plenty in stock.
Yet despite that, In-ho had bid fewer materials than Oseong Guild—not just because he thought Shin-hyeok wouldn't actually ditch him, but for a more fundamental reason.
"...Damn it! Don't mess around. Don't you have the materials our guild already sent to the Shinwa Workshop? Factoring those in, we should have more than enough unique-grade materials...!!!"
The materials had already been sent to the Shinwa Workshop.
Normally, that wouldn't have been an issue.
The Shinwa Workshop was under Shinwa Guild's umbrella.
They could exchange materials freely anytime, so without a second thought, they'd sent this month's shipment as usual.
But in that short time, the link between Shinwa Workshop and Shinwa Guild had been severed—and that broken connection had been tied to a new thread called Almighty Guild.
In other words—
"Kuaaaah...!!!"
For In-ho, it was enough to drive him mad and make him jump in rage.
And indeed, he was losing it, hopping mad.
His neatly combed-back hair was now a wild mess, his face flushed beet red, on the verge of exploding.
Ho-seok, watching the scene, quietly sidled up to Shin-hyeok and gripped the sword at his waist.
"You'd better watch out. The Flame King acts all cool and gentle on the surface, but true to his name, he's hot-blooded as they come."
"But why are you trying to protect me?"
"...If something happened to you here, the rights you promised me could fall through."
"Aha. Well, anyway... Shinwa Guild Master. No, Little Uncle— I know your temperament better than anyone."
Ho-seok clicked his tongue at the sight of Shin-hyeok only now calling him "Little Uncle" after the business was done.
'He tormented our family relentlessly, so of course I know.'
In-ho was cool and gentlemanly on the outside, just as Ho-seok said.
But behind the scenes, he pulled all sorts of vile stunts.
If Grandfather and his family had shown contempt toward Shin-hyeok's family, and Great Aunt and hers had shown disdain,
then Little Uncle In-ho had chosen outright violation.
Using every dirty, despicable method to erode their humanity and pride, choking off their funds, even sending people to spy on them.
Of course, Shin-hyeok had only learned of it before his regression, but there was no reason to think he wouldn't do the same now—his feelings toward In-ho were as rotten as could be.
So Shin-hyeok stared at In-ho impassively and said,
"If you have something to say, say it to Grandfather. And didn't you say it yourself, Little Uncle? Everything bearing the Shinwa name belongs to Grandfather. He merely gave his own property to me, so I don't see why you should be angry."
"...You confident? You think you can mess with Shinwa Guild—with me—like this in Korea and walk away unscathed?!"
Now it was a threat. How pathetic.
A threat spat out with a face twisted in rage like some evil spirit, unable to hide his fury.
Anyone else might have trembled, but Shin-hyeok wasn't fazed in the slightest.
On the contrary—
Kwachuk!
"I'm Shinwa too. And if it bothers you that much, how about a match?"
"...What?"
"I've been wanting to test the performance of this new demonic spear I made. Little Uncle should make for a decent sparring partner. Up for it?"
"...Eudeuk!"
He pulled the demonic spear and holy sword from his inventory, armed himself, and provoked calmly.
Bothered? Then just don't do things that bother you.
In the end, In-ho ground his teeth, stomped the floor with loud thuds, snatched up the jacket he'd discarded, and stormed out of the Guild Master's office.
"Aigoo, he just became captain not long ago, and now it's all ruined. Tsk. Should I bill Shinwa Guild for repairs?"
"Hook me up with Oseong Interiors."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, as a token of appreciation for the crafting work."
"If you insist, I'm grateful. Thank you."
Left alone with Ho-seok, Shin-hyeok wrapped up with some idle chit-chat.
Just as Ho-seok was about to leave—
"I don't particularly dislike you, Oseong Guild Master."
"...Is that so?"
"You did a poor job raising your kid, though... but since you don't seem to care much about Joo-ho, whatever."
"..."
"But I do have one thing to say."
"What is it?"
"If you brought him into the world, take responsibility. He's your son, isn't he?"
"...?!"
Ho-seok's head snapped around at Shin-hyeok's blunt words, his eyes bulging wide.
His gaze carried the unspoken question of how Shin-hyeok could possibly know that, but Shin-hyeok bid farewell with a blank expression.
"I'll prepare a unique-grade weapon suited for the Swordless Sword and send it to Oseong Guild."
"Right... Thanks..."
Ho-seok mumbled without a retort, head bowed low as he trudged away. Shin-hyeok shook his head side to side watching him go.
But only for a moment.
"Time to test that demonic spear."
Shin-hyeok logged into the Dimension Arena to test his new demonic spear.
And so, an invasive species appeared to smash the Gold ecosystem.
Colosseum 10-game win streak.
The first-ever crafting of legendary-grade equipment.
Even after these massive bombshells, the world rolled on ordinarily.
Of course, interest in Shin-hyeok had exploded amid it all.
Undefeated.
Articles about Shin-hyeok—who never lost once, always claiming first place or top records in every game he entered—were guaranteed clickbait gold.
Shin-hyeok was undeniably a whirlwind.
A narrative rising from the predicted Bronze-tier bottom.
A solid build hidden behind it all.
And not content with proving his skills, he'd even tamed an artisan capable of crafting legendary-grade gear.
His tier was Gold now, but Shin-hyeok already boasted fame overwhelming most Diamond tiers.
Meanwhile, he'd not only reached Gold 1 but scaled straight to the top.
The Integrated Gold League qualification he'd naturally seized.
Just thinking about how he'd participated in the Integrated Silver League last month made it absurd.
Skipping tiers in a single month, even securing Integrated League entry.
An unprecedented feat no one had ever achieved—impossible, really—yet Shin-hyeok was nonchalant.
"Hm, too easy."
Because the process had been far too simple.
There were no nail-biting moments like the Colosseum 10-win streak, no situations scraping his limits.
Shin-hyeok felt a pang of regret.
Easy.
Such a sweet word.
It meant nothing could stop him, no obstacle could stand in his way.
But for Shin-hyeok, that very ease felt disappointing.
"My skills aren't growing at all."
A jazz that doesn't swing lacks soul-stirring magic, just like stagnant skills.
Most of Shin-hyeok's skills had reached B-rank.
B-rank was Platinum realm.
His tier? Gold.
Meaning his skills outpaced his tier.
For skills to grow, they needed a battlefield worthy of them.
But in the Gold tier Shin-hyeok prowled, such battlegrounds were few and far between.
Hidden stages and the like.
"This should be worthwhile, though."
That's why the Colosseum 10-win reward—a challenge ticket—was precious to Shin-hyeok.
Using it would grant experience against foes he couldn't face at his current level.
Experience hard to come by even after Integrated Gold and reaching Platinum.
Shin-hyeok toyed with the ticket, then checked his status window.
"Hm, it's iffy."
A status window teetering on the edge of Gold tier limits.
But with Integrated Gold League participation locking him out of the Dimension Arena, no more stat gains were possible.
"Everyone else will max out at the 1,000 limit stat. It's not mandatory, but to dominate even more overwhelmingly, I should match it too."
In this situation, two ways to push stats to the limit.
First: Physical training.
The most standard method.
Most players raised stats this way.
But not for Shin-hyeok now.
"Impossible to max all my stats in just a week. Even with a top-tier trainer. Only one option left."
Integrated Leagues ran once a month.
Shin-hyeok had juggled other tasks alongside the Arena, so time spent wasn't trivial.
About a week left until the league.
Raising Strength, Vitality, Intelligence, Mana, Divine Power, Demonic Power—all six—to 1,000? Impossible.
Even with a trainer specializing in top players.
'Hm, not that either. Anyway, not something for right now. No forcing it. Leaves me with elixirs.'
He knew a trainer who could pull it off, but she didn't exist yet, so he let go of the thought and turned to his last resort: elixirs.
When he'd aced the Placement Exam.
The high-grade stat enhancers and high-grade mana pills from Grandfather Cheol-ho.
Of course, what he needed now were far superior elixirs, but the principle was the same.
With that thought settled, Shin-hyeok checked the text from his father and stood.
-Dad: Alchemists approved. They said visit anytime.
"Alchemists. Let's go."
Shin-hyeok strode toward the Alchemist Korean Branch—the unavoidable stop for anyone seeking elixirs in Korea.