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Chapter 31 New Rookie King (1)

-Klang! Klang! Klang!

The blacksmith was shaping the metal on the anvil even today. Since he had been able to obtain metals from other worlds through the trading board of the Hero Universe, he had been studying the various metals he could purchase there.

-Klang! Klang! Klang!

Immersing himself in his work, all of his useless thoughts disappeared to give way only to the desires and expectations of creation. Even his anger, which seemed as if it would never subside, could be blown away. The blacksmith thought of this work not only as his escape but also as the rest that was allowed for him.

-Mirang: Anvil, why do you want to sell these precious weapons at a bargain price?

How many hours had he been in a trance? Suddenly a question from a friend brought him out of it, and he responded with a bit of surprise.

-I’m gradually raising the price, though I still think that price is too high. I have to cover the material costs, though.

-Mirang: I think it’s rude to devalue your work as such, but that’s just my advice. It should be traded at a price it deserves; otherwise, people who won’t be able to use them properly will buy them.

-I don’t know enough, so it may be embarrassing for me to ask, but aren’t all members of the Hero Universe geniuses whose talents are universally recognized?

-Mirang: You only know a couple, Anvil. Of course, each member has an exceptional talent, but their personalities can’t be guaranteed.

-But that’s not something I can fix.

-Mirang: What would happen if such people bought your work at this bargain price and told others about it? That would be a problem.

The blacksmith hadn’t thought about it before, but as he looked down at what he was making, his expression hardened. It was a nice shield, massive in size. It made him think of a wonderful warrior, the very image of a hero. But what if it were to fall into the hands of someone who didn’t know how to respect it properly? What if not a guardian, but one with ill-intent, acquired it?

-That is indeed, a problem.

-Mirang: Of course, there is no need for you to personally take responsibility for the things you craft; you are just a producer. But considering the balance of power and proper distribution, I think you need to set a higher price for your items.

-Your sight is very far.

-Mirang: What?

No one could hear his voice, but it was the voice of a man bursting with laughter.

-Mirang: I was just bothered by such quality goods being sold so cheaply.

***

Sunlight was pouring in through the window, waking up Kang Shin-hyuk a little later than usual.

-Sync has been accelerated. Assimilation rate of 4.5%

Kang Shin-hyuk sat up, looking back at the memory of Anvil. It had been brighter than the other ones he had acquired, still vivid in his mind. The memory of an old man who had succeeded in controlling some of his emotions to find a bit of calm. As that feeling settled in his heart, Shin-hyuk felt strange that he had been so excited the day before. It wasn’t a bad mood, but rather one that naturally accepted what was ahead. He noticed that the synchronization had accelerated, and he was acquiring more of Anvil’s memories. He wondered if he did something, but nothing came to mind.

-It’s because your spiritual power has grown.

The administrator, who had been observing Kang Shin-hyuk sit on the side of his bed, responded as if he could see right through him.

-You have achieved dramatic growth by using your spiritual power in different ways. It is the power at your core, the power of the soul. As it has grown, the memories sleeping deep within your soul have awakened.

“Oh, so that’s why.” Now that he understood spiritual power a little bit better, he was able to naturally accept the administrator’s explanation.

-Kyuu…

“It’s because of this guy.” He muttered with satisfaction while watching the sleeping Onyx, slumbering on a futon made of cushions and a jacket. Now that the steel spear had been devoured whole, he felt like he wanted to make something new. He also needed to gather a meal for the creature.

“…Should I head to the club room for some iron bars?”

-When the synchronization rate reaches 5%, you will be able to access the My Room function. All the metal that little creature can eat will be available to you.

“How much time will that take, I wonder…I think the club room’s closed today.” It was a Wednesday, but the school had designated it a holiday since the athletic meet had been the day before. But before that…Kang Shin-hyuk smiled bitterly as he picked up his stick, looking at the text message that had just arrived.

[Shin Eunah: 11 AM, at the designated place.]

[Shin Eunah: (Link)]

Before all of that, this meeting had to be resolved. The second force that approached him yesterday couldn’t be ignored; he had to meet with the superhuman association.

‘It’s nice to meet with the association, but why did they send her…?’ Fortunately, she didn’t seem to notice he was Anvil, but it wasn’t good to attract too much attention. Kang Shin-hyuk was firmly determined not to get caught by her, as well as to get the support of the association if he could. That was the real reason he had agreed to meet them today. The fact he had a meeting with them was one of the reasons he rejected Vanguard as well.

‘I talked to the administrator yesterday, but it’s true that the artifacts Vanguard could lend me aren’t useful to me. The rest are things the association can also take care of.’ There was a merit that only the association had as the superhumans of Korea. They held tight to any and everything related to the gate. If he could gain support from them, he could get rid of some of the restrictions he faced as a student. For him, the place called Shinyoung was both a training facility and a prison.

“Alright, let’s go now.” After a quick bath and choosing a decent set of casual clothes, Kang Shin-hyuk strapped a training sword to his waist then checked on the sleeping Onyx before he left. He was anxious about whether it would be alright to leave him alone in the room but decided it would be fine now that he had the Pet system to aid him. The meeting place Eunah chose wasn’t far from Shinyoung, anyway. It was a familiar street to him, a shopping district for supers that he had been to several times before.

‘It’s still weird every time I come here.’ This was the place where most superhumans gathered in Seoul, where everything was meant for superhumans. It was joked that even if the government fell to the monsters, the Choin Shopping Center would be safe. Kang Shin-hyuk found the café he was looking for in a side alley, hidden away off the main street. Not many people were around, and he could tell a special type of barrier was erected to protect it.

“Welcome.” As soon as he entered the shop, he was greeted by a young clerk with a neutral expression at the counter. The soft sound of a violin being played tickled his ears. The inside of the store was quite narrow, with several antique decorations hanging all over and a staircase going up to one side. It had quite an odd atmosphere.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes, here.” Kang Shin-hyuk opened the link Eunah sent him on his stick, a holographic pattern forming above it. The clerk picked up something that resembled a high-tech barcode reader to scan it, nodding at what he saw. The words [2F Room 09] appeared on his stick, the reader sending a signal to it as soon as it had confirmed he had permission. He felt briefly upset at the idea of it accessing his messages.

“Is this place always like this?”

“This is the first time, actually.” The clerk smiled and straightened up, leaning close to Shin-hyuk as if he were sharing some secret.

“It’s just because everyone wants to return here.”

“I see.” Kang Shin-hyuk exchanged a smile with the clerk and went straight upstairs after placing an order. He found his room quickly, knocking on the door. The stick vibrated again as he knocked, the door opening automatically in response.

“Ah…” Shin Eunah was already inside, drinking black tea alone. He had been hoping Claire would be with her, but it appeared that wasn’t the case.

“Hello.” She put down the teacup and greeted him after confirming it was who she expected. She was like a statue made of ice, a cool and perfect beauty. He could find no flaws in her ebony-like hair, and the golden hairpin that decorated her bangs gave her a charming impression. Her golden eyes shone brilliantly as she looked at him, making his heart beat faster. He pushed the thoughts away, recalling Claire’s face to help him in doing so.

“Hello.”

“I said I would see you again.”

“Yeah.” Her expression was unreadable. To Kang Shin-hyuk, who had a secret he wished to keep from her, he couldn’t help but almost flinch with every word she said.

“I thought you had great potential…but I didn’t know it would manifest the next day.”

“It was thanks to the artifacts I had.”

“In the decades since Shinyoung was founded, every victor of the rookie games had better artifacts than you.” Her expression remained unchanged as she spoke, pointing across the table with her hand. Kang Shin-hyuk obeyed wordlessly, sitting down across from her.

“I will talk plainly. You are strong and will only become stronger. I wish to support you going forward.”

“I guess most people here like to cut to the chase.”

“Vanguard?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmph.” She responded immediately to the words he said in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. By the way she clicked her tongue, he could tell she didn’t like Vanguard very much.

“Did you agree to them?”

“No.”

“Ah…” She let out a sigh of relief. Immediately following it, as if she caught herself doing something she shouldn’t, she raised her hand to cover her mouth. At the moment, a knock sounded on the door. The clerk arrived with Kang Shin-hyuk’s drink order, a mocha with extra whipped cream.

“Enjoy your stay.” The clerk regarded the scene without raising an eyebrow and left.

“Hmm.” Shin Eunah coughed as the clerk left. While her expression had hardly changed, he could tell by the way she fiddled with her hairpin that she was embarrassed.

“Pardon me; I don’t usually act like this. It’s strange, but you…well, it feels comfortable to talk to you.”

“I’m glad that is the case.” In fact, he wasn’t happy about it at all. The hand which Kang Shin-hyuk held his coffee with was trembling slightly with agitation. He couldn’t help but wonder if that meant she could instinctively sense that he was Anvil.

“Alright…let us continue.” Fortunately, she didn’t appear to notice as she took out a piece of paper.

“I want to make it clear first that we don’t want to force you to be a part of the association after you graduate.”

“Then, what do you want…”

“We have two conditions. You will not join another guild until you graduate, and you will not change nationalities.”

“…That’s all?”

“Yes. You will be working with our support if you agree, so organize your thoughts about the association and judge it for yourself.” She beckoned for him to check the paper. It was precisely what he had wanted. A monthly subsidy would be issued under the name of the association, and artifacts ranged from C to C+ could be rented. Vanguard had offered up to B level, but that didn’t really matter to him. In addition, if he could obtain permission from the superintendent of the association, he could explore gates. He would even have permission to access E-class documents held by the association. It was ridiculously favorable.

“To give such a benefit to someone not technically a part of the association…”

“Compared to the support of a large guild, it’s not all that great. They all take students into gates to train and explore.”

“What if I take this deal and then join a guild when I graduate?”

“I won’t blame you. You can do whatever you like. But you are the one who decided to come here today.” She said it with a small smile between sips of tea.

“I judged that you were a talent the association wanted and that the association was what you were interested in. if I was wrong about that, I have no one to blame but myself.”

“I see.” She had told him to judge the association for himself, so this was probably a test for him. He wouldn’t be able to join the association just because he had the abilities, so she was planning on watching over him for the next three years to decide if he would be suitable. However, Kang Shin-hyuk saw this as a positive. If he did an excellent job, he would receive attention in the future. Not only the association, but many guilds and various people would be watching his growth. When it came to it, the association was a strong force to rely upon.

“If I may tell you one more thing.” Shin Eunah, unaware that Kang Shin-hyuk had already made his decision, continued.

“If you want to get by using your own strength, the association is the best option.” Her expression and tone were ones of absolute conviction, not a hint of doubt in her body. The Eunah, who seemed like a child obsessed with her grandpa, and the Shin Eunah now in front of him were completely different people. Perhaps it was due to the large gap between the way they acted that Kang Shin-hyuk could mentally differentiate them as two separate people.

“Yes, I agree.” He nodded at her words. From the beginning, he had been planning exactly that. From the day his parents were lost when he had been saved by a superhuman from the association.

‘Those who have to face the most dangerous situations and fight more battles than any other guild…this is exactly what I wanted.’ Kang Shin-hyuk had never forgotten the fundamental reason he had for wanting to become stronger. An emotion that he shared with Anvil. Absolute hate for monsters. That was why he trained, the wealth and honor were only byproducts.

“Thank you very much.”

“…It’s alright if you just call me your senior in the future.” Shin Eunah responded immediately and shook hands with him.

Contrary to his initial impression of her, her hands were soft and warm.