Chapter 2
My eyes widened.
"What's with this aura?"
...Aura?
"...!"
I hurriedly opened my status window and stared at the section that read Aura: 6.
Come to think of it, the skill description had mentioned that its effects were influenced by my stats and Aura.
I hadn't realized that Aura was something I could actually see with my own eyes, though...
It already looks like a fully upgraded item. What would happen if I raised my stats even further before using the skill?
My current Aura stat of 6 was the result of distributing my initial thirty stat points among my various stats.
From what I'd heard, when Hunters obtained special stats through achievements or extraordinary opportunities, those stats usually started at 1.
In other words, I'd sacrificed some of my initial points in the four basic stats of Agility, Stamina, Strength, and Mana in exchange for a higher special stat.
Even so, considering that the average stats disclosed by famous Hunters in interviews were generally in the double digits, 6 was probably still a low number.
No matter how long I stared at the blue letters, nothing changed.
"This is complicated. Seriously complicated."
Now I understood why Hunters frowned whenever someone said they only had to use their skills inside dungeons.
If I wanted to understand my skill and stats properly, I'd have no choice but to experiment with them repeatedly.
"But will these flowers wilt over time?"
Remembering how hard I'd worked to carve them, I reached out and touched one of the flowers with my fingertip.
A blue window immediately appeared above the bouquet.
[Gerbera Bouquet (-)
A lush bouquet of gerbera flowers.
A mysterious aura can be felt from it.
Created by Do Hwa-in.]
It was the bouquet's status window.
"A status window... appeared?"
The fact that it had a status window meant that these flowers were an item.
And that meant that, even though they didn't have a rank, they possessed some kind of function inside Gates.
I kept saying it looked like a fully upgraded item, but I never expected it to actually be one...
I read the bouquet's description aloud.
"A lush bouquet of gerbera flowers."
Since the word lush was included in its status window, the bouquet would maintain that condition forever, unless it was destroyed.
In other words, this was an item whose purpose was to remain in full bloom for all eternity.
"Good heavens..."
Once I understood what that meant, I couldn't help but gasp.
I covered my mouth with both hands and stared endlessly at the gerbera bouquet and its status window.
Exactly as I sculpted it. Exactly as I intended... It's become an item.
Just like a sculpture, it would preserve the exact appearance I'd captured until the moment it was destroyed.
And this was an eternal sculpture whose permanence was guaranteed by a status window.
Isn't this incredible?
I could practically feel my soul as an artist boiling with excitement.
"Is there anything else I can use my skill on?"
Since I'd already come this far, I decided to bring out the works I'd carelessly stored in the boiler room.
They were pieces I hadn't been particularly satisfied with but had kept anyway because I couldn't quite bring myself to throw them away.
Most of them were older than the sculptures displayed in my room.
The black sword I was holding, for example, was one such piece.
It was a replica of one of the most powerful weapons in an online PC game I'd played with a friend during high school.
Whenever we logged into the game, most of the max-level players gathered in the central plaza had this sword equipped.
I raised the sword, which had a black body with purple accents scattered across its surface.
It was made of Matika, a soft wood commonly used by beginners.
I'd bought it by combining my allowance with some financial help from the friend I used to play the game with.
Fortunately, the sword's relatively flat shape meant that I could make it using a fairly inexpensive piece of wood.
I could still remember what my friend had said while holding out his money to me.
You said you wanted to become a sculptor, right? Then could you make this sword for me?
Afterward, we'd gone around visiting woodworking shops that specialized in making signboards.
Yet when the sword was finally finished, he hadn't even taken it home.
Aside from the few times he'd placed it beside him like a totem during game raids, it had spent most of its existence sitting in a corner of my room at my parents' house.
Considering that I'd made it out of childish enthusiasm and a desire to escape the restrictions of art school entrance exam preparation, its quality was still pretty good, even by my current standards.
"Would this work too? It would be amazing if it did."
Wait a minute.
It's a sword, so...
"A sword... A weapon... An item?"
My heart began pounding wildly again.
This was a different kind of excitement from what I'd felt while admiring my evolved sculpture.
What did Hunters desire more than practically anything else?
Weapons.
More precisely, weapon items.
Apparently, demand is especially high because they break much faster than other kinds of items.
There were two types of weapons and armor.
The first consisted of items that dropped inside dungeons, sometimes through extraordinary encounters.
The second consisted of handmade items created by assembling and forging materials obtained from monsters.
Naturally, the former were much more popular.
Not only were handmade items generally inferior in performance, but there was also a considerable risk of failure when a crafter attempted to work with materials of a higher rank than their own production skill.
Currently, the most famous crafter was an A-Class production-type Hunter in the United States.
However, I'd heard that his production skill was only B-Class, so he had to attempt the skill dozens of times just to successfully create a single A-Class weapon.
As a result, apart from the lucky few who possessed weapons obtained directly from Gates, most Hunters around the world used weapons one or two ranks below their own Hunter rank.
But what if I could create weapons without needing any monster materials?
On top of that, my skill was S-Class.
The possibilities were practically endless.
"I heard the prices of weapons can go as high as the seller wants..."
My hands felt as though they were trembling.
If I can sell this for a good price, does that mean I won't have to worry about money anymore?
There were few fields in modern society that required as much money as art, especially sculpture.
And I was involved in fine art.
It was the kind of field where the first question people asked when they heard you were majoring in it was, What are you going to do after graduation?
Apparently, in the past, artists had at least been able to make money by entering popular culture through various avenues.
But now, the entire world had been consumed by Gates and Hunters.
Fine art was still hanging on, but the number of people who appreciated it had dwindled drastically.
When I first started sculpting, I'd done so with the attitude that I might as well starve to death while doing what I loved.
Even now, that feeling hadn't changed.
However...
Without money, I couldn't even begin sculpting.
I needed money for materials, workshop rent, sculpting tools, and practically everything else.
If I could sell just this one sword for a fair price...
I'll never have to do manual labor again!
If everything worked out as I hoped, I wouldn't even need to work as a Hunter.
I wouldn't have to worry about other jobs taking up my time or about starving to death.
I could devote myself entirely to sculpture.
Of course, this sword was a work filled with precious memories.
But if selling it allowed me to create many more works, wouldn't both my friend and this sword be happy about that?
"Activate Pygmalion."
Crack, crackle!
The black-painted Matika wood began making a series of delightful cracking sounds.
At the same time, I once again felt mana draining from my body.
An increasingly hollow sensation spread through me, followed by a slight wave of dizziness.
But the moment I saw the sword in front of me, my adrenaline surged.
It wasn't quite as dazzling as the gerbera bouquet, but it still shone brilliantly.
[Replica of Mad Dragon Rubera's Scale Sword (B-)
A sword made from the scales of Mad Dragon Rubera, who was imprisoned underground for threatening the world.
Cutting Power +10, Agility +5
Activates the skill "Mad Dragon Rubera's Shadow Prison" when an enemy is struck ten consecutive times.
*Mad Dragon Rubera's Shadow Prison
Shadow claws emerge from the target's shadow and bind the enemy.
The target's Agility decreases by 1.5, and an additional Mana Reduction effect is applied for 8 seconds.
!WARNING! This is a replica!
→ The item's rank has been reduced.
→ Some of the equipment's performance has been reduced.]
A replica...?
Unlike the gerbera bouquet, its description didn't even mention its creator, which was rather strange.
But I didn't have much time to dwell on that question.
The moment I saw its rank, my heart began pounding too violently for me to think about anything else.
I immediately searched for the current market price of B- rank sword items.
"..."
For a moment, I wondered whether I'd misread the number and checked it again.
I even rubbed my eyes, but the figure displayed on my phone remained unchanged.
"Is this for real?"
The market price was 978 million won.
It wasn't even a proper B-rank weapon. It was only B-, yet it was worth that much?
My head began spinning.
"That's practically a billion won for a single weapon!"
I could pay my overdue taxes, move out of this cramped rooftop room, and finally buy all the materials and tools I'd been unable to afford...
For the first time in my life, seeing a figure worth hundreds of millions of won didn't leave me feeling overwhelmed by the harshness of reality.
Instead, I felt nothing but gratitude.
I gently stroked the sword's blade.
Even when my parents told me to throw it away, I'd stubbornly held on to it because of the memories and affection attached to it.
Although its value came from its rank rather than its artistic merit, I still felt thrilled that my efforts had finally been recognized.
If something I'd made in high school was now worth almost a billion won, that certainly wasn't bad.
"Even if I'm going to sell it, I should find someone who'll really cherish it. I'll meet them in person, talk to them, and decide whether they're the right person..."
I was rubbing my cheek against the sword's hilt when I suddenly froze.
My eyes slowly shifted toward the sword.
But wait...
How exactly was I supposed to sell this thing?
And what kind of chaos would break out if people discovered my skill?
Wouldn't someone as powerless as me simply end up attracting all sorts of trouble?
Gulp.
I reopened my browser and began researching the market.
The method was simple.
I visited a popular anonymous online community and wrote a post.
[Title: I Just Need Enough Oil to Get to the Gas Station. Can I Use Cooking Oil?
What do you think would happen if a rookie crafter appeared who could create weapons using only their skill, without needing any monster materials?]
Before posting, I briefly wondered whether it was really a good idea to ask the question this way.
However, I didn't hesitate for long.
I needed as many opinions as possible.
Comments soon began appearing.
So you're saying you have that skill?
It's been a while since I've seen clickbait this ridiculous that doesn't even contain a food recommendation.
If I were an ordinary person, I'd make patriotic videos about it and earn money. If I were a Hunter, I'd find that guy and get myself a place in line.
I'd ask him to be my friend. Gotta grab whatever benefits I can.
Kidnap him and make him sign a slave contract. Let's go.
I'd start a national petition to prevent him from joining a guild.
The moment the comments reached that point, I hurriedly pressed the delete button.
Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
"I need to come up with a plan."
There was no guarantee that everyone who had commented was a Hunter.
However, there was also no guarantee that actual Hunters wouldn't think the same way.
I imagined my future.
A miserable existence in which I was trapped by some exploitative corporation or the government, unable to even dream of creating art, forced to spend every waking hour sculpting the same weapons over and over again.
"..."
A chill ran down my spine.
My dream is to become a famous sculptor! I want to create works of art that move people's hearts!
But...
I looked at my status window, then at my rooftop room, and finally at the mirror.
After examining all three, I nodded firmly.
There was no way the shabby-looking man reflected in that mirror could stand up to a bunch of Hunters without any information or preparation.
I immediately began typing furiously again.
The first thing I looked up was the deadline for reporting an awakening to the Hunter Association.
Fortunately, even if an Awakened person joined a guild or entered into contracts and transactions involving their skill, they only needed to report their awakening within three months of doing so.
However, crimes committed using awakened abilities were classified as special crimes.
According to what I read, Awakened criminals faced even harsher punishments than ordinary criminals or already registered Hunter criminals.
"...Economic activities using a skill. So I do need to get a Hunter license eventually. I'll leave that for later, though. First, I need to build up my strength."
Guilds were businesses, but the Hunter Association, which issued Hunter licenses, was a government organization.
It was also notorious for being a place where rookie reporters constantly hung around looking for stories.
If I get caught up in something there, it'll only cause trouble.
Government organizations that prioritized national prestige over personal privacy, and media outlets that cared about nothing but view counts, were best avoided for the time being.
After that, I found online communities popular among Hunters and quietly browsed through their discussions.
I also visited question-and-answer websites and the SNS accounts of famous Hunter influencers, gathering as much information as I could.
Having spent so much of my life focused exclusively on sculpture, I was desperately trying to cram everything I needed to know about a world I'd largely ignored.
And the conclusion I reached was...
"If I play my cards right, I might actually be able to approach a guild and propose a deal myself..."
South Korea had been an extremely competitive country even before Gates appeared.
And that hadn't changed in the Gate era.
Although Hunters were treated like public figures, they weren't soldiers or government employees.
Instead, they formed their own guilds and operated independently.
Surprisingly, guilds were required to register as businesses.
That meant they were companies that could even be listed on the stock market.
And just like any other companies operating in the same industry, they competed with one another.
How fierce was the competition?
Some rival guilds were on such bad terms that they would willingly accept small losses if it meant preventing the other guild from benefiting.
"Maybe I don't have to stop at selling the Scale Sword. I could offer to accept commissions regularly in exchange for protection..."
Even though I wasn't particularly knowledgeable about these matters, I doubted the guilds would dismiss my proposal as nonsense.
After all, weapons were both essential equipment and consumable goods.
They were also items that both Hunters and ordinary people desperately wanted, judging by the reactions to my earlier post.
Apparently, five years ago, when an A+ rank bow was discovered inside an A-Class Gate in South Korea, the entire country had gone wild.
The excitement had supposedly been comparable to the national celebration that would follow reaching the Olympic semifinals.
Somehow, my original plan of selling one sword and never worrying about money again had turned into a plan to establish a long-term contract.
But I didn't think I was heading in the wrong direction.
That was how tremendous the potential influence of an S-Class production skill was.
Unless I intended to seal away my skill forever, it would be better to find a reliable patron who could protect me and guarantee my freedom to continue sculpting.
"All right. This might actually work."
Let's go for it!
When your head starts heating up with excitement, courage you never knew you had tends to come bubbling to the surface.
And at that moment, I was no exception.
If none of the domestic guilds accept my proposal, I'll just try approaching a foreign guild!
Naturally, someone like me, who didn't even have a Hunter license or any professional experience in the Hunter industry, couldn't simply walk into a guild and demand to negotiate a deal.
To begin with, dealing with Hunters without a single safeguard in place would be absolutely ridiculous.
Ring, ring! Ring, ring!
What perfect timing.
"Hello?"
"Hey, you bastard! Are you okay? I heard a flying monster headed toward your workshop earlier. Nothing happened to you, right?"
The caller was Eom Seok-hwan, a friend who had attended the same elementary, middle, and high schools as me.
Our interests, social circles, and dreams had all been completely different.
We'd become friends for the sole reason that we'd played the same game during our school days.
He was also the friend I'd been playing with when I made Mad Dragon Rubera's Scale Sword.
Despite being different in so many ways, we'd always gotten along surprisingly well.
That was why we were still close enough to check on each other like this.
"Nothing happened... Well, something did happen, actually. But I'm fine. Everything's great."
"You're talking nonsense, so I guess you're fine. As long as you're alive, that's good enough. I'll call you again later."
"Wait a second. Don't hang up yet."
"Huh?"
However, right now, he was also the person who could connect me with a major guild.
Despite being an A-Class Hunter, Eom Seok-hwan was widely regarded as being nearly S-Class in strength.
He was also one of the representative Hunters of Yeonwoo, the number-one guild in South Korea.
"Are you free today? Let's meet up for a bit."
"Today? I just got back from a deployment, so I'm pretty exhausted."
"It's something really important. I need Mr. Eom. Seok. Hwan, the esteemed captain of Yeonwoo Guild's Raid Team Two."
"Now you're making me nervous. Don't tell me you need money. If it's urgent, I can probably lend you about five million won..."
"I'm not asking to borrow money. I'm not trying to sell you insurance, recruit you into a religion, or pitch you some door-to-door sales scheme, either. Stop worrying about pointless things and just come over."
"Heh, heh. Well, you're not the kind of guy who'd ask me for something like that anyway. All right. See you later."
He could be a little absentminded at times, but he was a genuinely good person.
He was also a capable Hunter with a solid position in Yeonwoo Guild.
On top of that, we had years of friendship behind us.
Still, I do feel a little guilty.
The thought of asking something of a friend who'd remained by my side when everyone else had left made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
But this wouldn't be a bad opportunity for him.
In fact, it would probably be an excellent one.
After all, we were talking about a weapon created using an S-Class production skill.
I wonder how he'll react when he sees this sword.
My smiling face was reflected in the Scale Sword's eerie, shimmering blade.
