Chapter 3
After having a meal together, we returned to my rooftop room, where I handed the sword to my friend, Eom Seok-hwan.
He spent a long time examining its status window.
Meanwhile, I rubbed my stomach, which was pleasantly full for the first time in ages, while constantly watching his expression.
When our eyes finally met, I noticed that his were trembling slightly.
I was also shaking inwardly because I had no idea how he would react.
We looked like two grown men sitting across from each other with their phones set to vibrate.
"Is this the sword I think it is? The one from when we were in high school...?"
"Yeah, that's right."
After hearing my answer, Eom Seok-hwan's gaze wandered between my face and the sculptures filling my rooftop room.
"You awakened?"
"Yeah. ...So, what do you think? Do you want it?"
"Want my honest opinion?"
Eom Seok-hwan broke into a broad grin.
Feeling somewhat relieved, I waited to hear what he would say.
"Is your awakened skill something that turns sculptures into weapons? That's a pretty rare production-type ability! Man, the sun has finally started shining on Do Hwa-in's miserable life. So, you want to propose a deal with Yeonwoo Guild, right?"
"Something like that. That's why I called you. I know you're busy, so I hope I'm not causing you unnecessary trouble."
"Forget it. If a crafter this good is willing to do business with our guild, I'm the one who should be grateful. Just buy me a meal if things work out."
I was a little touched, but I deliberately avoided showing it.
If I let him notice, he'd undoubtedly preserve the moment as embarrassing material to tease me about for the rest of my life.
Anyway, the fact that an active A-Class Hunter wanted the sword meant that its appearance and additional effects had passed the initial test.
"Still, I think I'll need to test the sword. If I'm going to put my reputation on the line and bring this up with the guild, I need to be certain. It has a status window, but it's a little different from the item status windows I'm used to seeing."
Eom Seok-hwan added that if he hadn't previously seen the sword as a sculpture, he would have assumed it was a weapon obtained from a Gate.
"Seriously... With a skill like this, you'd better find a guild you can trust."
"Right?"
"Yeah. You said you haven't gone to the Hunter Association yet, didn't you? Good decision. Hunters might not be soldiers, but they're treated like public figures. How should I put this? The authorities sometimes try to use the media to manipulate independent Hunters and newcomers into doing what they want..."
I flinched.
It was one thing to imagine that something like that might happen, but hearing someone from the industry say it was another matter entirely.
Noticing my reaction, Eom Seok-hwan waved his hand.
"Well, I'm just saying it's a possibility. But I'm pretty sure they'd at least try to stop you from emigrating. Hell, even I'd want to stop a crafter who could keep making swords like this from leaving the country."
"Thanks for the advice. Now I'm even more certain."
"Yeah. And it's not just the Hunter Association. There are plenty of Hunters who'll come running with bloodshot eyes the moment they hear about something valuable, so be careful. You've read martial arts novels, right? You know how a bloodbath breaks out whenever some legendary treasure appears? It's the same thing here. The only difference is that people don't openly stab each other."
I couldn't help but laugh when someone who was showing no greed whatsoever and genuinely trying to help me said something like that.
Still, I agreed that possessing something valuable meant I needed to be cautious, so I simply nodded.
"Taking it all the way to a Gate just to test it seems a bit excessive. Our guild has training facilities in the basement. Would it be okay if I tested it there and contacted you afterward?"
I looked at Eom Seok-hwan's cheerful face before casually adding,
"And maybe you could mention it to the higher-ups while you're there."
"Sure. I'll talk to the vice guild master. This kind of business is more suited to him than the guild master anyway."
"Yeah, I'd rather not deal with Guild Master Shin Ha-gyeon either."
The man was notoriously unpredictable.
Understanding what I meant, Eom Seok-hwan smiled slightly.
"All right. Since I've already agreed to help, I'll give it everything I've got when I test it. I'm curious to see how the vice guild master will react to this sword too."
"Training Room Three is available, right?"
"Oh, Seok-hwan! It's been a while. Are you here to use a training room?"
The employee sitting at the reception desk raised his head.
Eom Seok-hwan met the receptionist's gaze with a deliberately relaxed expression.
The Scale Sword was carefully concealed beneath a cloth, so the employee didn't think much of it.
"Is there any particular setup you'd like?"
The employee asked the question in a friendly tone.
Eom Seok-hwan was an A-Class Hunter, but his skillful use of abilities and strategies allowed him to demonstrate combat capabilities approaching those of an S-Class Hunter.
As a result, he was considered one of the talents who would lead the next generation of Yeonwoo Guild after its older executives retired.
Even though the employee was merely doing his job, it was only natural that speaking to someone like that made his heart race.
"Could you set up some cans for each rank?"
Cans was slang used by Hunters who frequented training facilities.
It referred to the rectangular, silver-colored structures used as practice targets.
They were training dummies designed to reproduce the average physical capabilities of monsters according to their ranks, allowing Hunters to practice their skills.
Hunters who had recently acquired new skills often made the same request as Eom Seok-hwan.
Naturally, the receptionist's eyes began sparkling with even greater interest.
"I've reserved the room for three hours, as usual. You can go in and start using it right away."
"Thank you. Have a good day."
[Training Room Three: Occupied - A-Class Hunter Eom Seok-hwan]
After confirming the message displayed on the monitor above the training room, the employee stretched.
All that remained was to wait for the test results.
He could take his time, enjoy a cup of coffee, and see how things went.
Ding.
[Training Room Three: Target One Destroyed.]
"Looks like he's finally getting started."
Ding.
[Target Two Destroyed.]
"Huh? Isn't he moving a little too quickly?"
Then more notifications began appearing in rapid succession.
Ding, ding, ding...
[Target Three Destroyed.]
[Target Four Destroyed.]
[Target Five Destroyed...]
[Target Six...]
"G-Good heavens..."
The employee immediately sent a message to the guild master.
An unprecedented record was being set in Training Room Three.
He must have acquired an incredible new skill. Maybe he's finally become S-Class! I need to report such wonderful news immediately!
Of course, this was something Eom Seok-hwan had never anticipated.
The moment Eom Seok-hwan entered the training room, he let out an admiring whistle.
"Whew..."
He'd already noticed it when examining the sword under natural sunlight, but it truly was a magnificent weapon.
I'm pretty sure it didn't look anything like this when I saw it before.
The sword in his hand was so exquisitely crafted that it was difficult to believe its original form had been created by a high school student.
Above all, there was that gentle glow.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary sheen. Yet the more he concentrated on identifying where the light came from, the more he felt as though his consciousness were being drawn into the sword.
Even its blade, which consisted of simple, straight lines, filled him with admiration the longer he examined it.
The scale patterns engraved along the blade were perfectly suited to its name, the Scale Sword.
When he gently touched them, they felt slightly raised, smooth, and cool, almost as though the scales of an enormous serpent had actually been embedded in the metal.
Combined with the guard, which resembled an enormous fang, the design made him repeatedly reach out and touch the blade despite the danger.
The sword possessed an aura that made it difficult to look away once he'd laid eyes on it.
"Ah! This isn't the time for that."
Fortunately, it didn't seem to be some kind of enchantment caused by a curse.
Deep down, Eom Seok-hwan was curious about exactly what kind of skill his old friend had awakened.
He could make a rough guess, but he had no way of knowing the precise mechanism behind it.
If only asking someone for the details of their skill weren't considered such a breach of etiquette.
Even though they were close friends, Eom Seok-hwan couldn't bring himself to ask.
He'd spent more than enough time working in the Hunter industry to understand just how disrespectful such a question could be.
The longer a relationship lasts, the more careful you have to be about certain things.
That was why he'd decided not to ask until Do Hwa-in chose to tell him himself.
Eom Seok-hwan reluctantly tore his gaze away from the sword and approached the first training dummy.
Dummy One reproduced the average physical durability of an F-Class Gate boss.
"Phew..."
Although it was merely a training dummy modeled after an F-Class boss monster, Eom Seok-hwan raised his sword with a serious expression.
He'd been promoted to A-Class Hunter several years earlier.
His skill was something that could be considered extremely simple.
Slash.
There were actually quite a few Hunters who awakened skills bearing that name.
In particular, people who had spent years practicing kendo often awakened skills with simple swordsmanship-related names, such as Slash or Thrust.
What distinguished those skills from one another was their rank.
Eom Seok-hwan's Slash skill was A-Class.
It had been the main reason he'd been able to advance so quickly from a C-Class Hunter to an A-Class Hunter.
The moment he activated Slash, dark blue smoke-like energy wrapped itself around the blade.
"Haaaah!"
Swish! BOOM!
Eom Seok-hwan stared at Dummy One, which had been split cleanly in half by a single strike, with a peculiar expression.
"That was fast...!"
His arm had felt lighter than usual when he swung downward.
It wasn't that he'd used insufficient force.
Rather, the entire movement had felt much easier to perform.
And the result was different too.
He'd expected Dummy One to be destroyed in a single strike, but he hadn't imagined that it would be split into two such perfectly clean halves.
He'd never managed to cut it so beautifully during his previous skill-training sessions.
Gradually, admiration spread across Eom Seok-hwan's face.
Naturally, he summoned the sword's status window again and carefully reread it.
[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
...
!WARNING! This is a replica!
→ The item's rank has been reduced.
→ Some of the equipment's performance has been reduced.]
"Cutting Power 10 and Agility 5..."
Smack!
The cheerful sound of someone slapping his forehead echoed through the training room.
"Huh! Hahaha! Cutting Power! ...Seriously?!"
Most items that increased stats only enhanced stats their users already possessed.
However, certain items obtained from Gates could occasionally increase stats their users didn't possess.
In such cases, the increased stat wouldn't appear in the user's status window, but its effects would still be applied to their body.
"Is this seriously handmade?!"
Eom Seok-hwan couldn't stop laughing in disbelief.
Its strangely captivating appearance was already astonishing enough, but its capabilities were equally incredible!
"And this is supposed to be B- rank...? You've got to be kidding me!"
Even though the sword was a replica whose rank had supposedly been reduced, it seemed far superior to the B- rank weapons he'd only ever admired from a distance.
"Then just how powerful would the original be...?"
Huff, huff...
No matter how hard he tried to remain calm, his breathing grew heavy.
Truthfully, Eom Seok-hwan had never used a sword this good before.
The best sword he'd ever owned was a handmade C+ rank weapon.
Even that had been purchased from a foreign master craftsman with the guild's assistance.
"I thought C+ was more than enough... But I guess I really can't underestimate the importance of a weapon's performance. If weapons from Gates are even half as impressive as this one, I can understand why everyone goes crazy trying to find them."
After shuddering once, Eom Seok-hwan stepped toward the second training dummy.
Slash! Swish! BOOM!
