Chapter 7
[Player, Choi Shin-hyuk’s tier is Silver 1.]
—
“…Does this make sense?”
Silver 1.
Considering that Gold and above was generally considered the point where one became a proper player, Shin-hyuk had essentially started on the same line as them.
And there was one even more important point.
—
[First in your dimension to be placed in Silver 1.]
—
Namely, that Shin-hyuk’s placement result was the first in the dimension called Earth.
And the Dimension Arena never spared rewards for firsts.
—
[As a first-time reward, you have obtained Consecrated Steel.]
—
“Consecrated Steel… Giving a Unique-grade material item as a reward, even if it’s not Legendary. The rewards for being first are quite sweet indeed.”
Consecrated Steel.
A Unique-grade material item—the third tier in the grading system of Normal – Rare – Unique – Legendary – Mythic.
A weapon made from this could be made at least Unique-grade, so a satisfied smile tugged at Shin-hyuk’s lips.
But only for a moment.
Along with the message announcing the end of the placement exam, a message appeared saying his stats had increased.
—
[You have recorded the most outstanding performance in the placement exam.]
[Strength +10, Stamina +9, Intelligence +9, Mana +13 acquired.]
—
“…That’s enormous? Even considering it’s the early stages, this many stats… Clearly, the achievements I’ve made aren’t small.”
A total stat increase of 41.
Even considering the early stages when stats rose easily, it was a considerable amount—just as Shin-hyuk was rejoicing—
—
[The game has ended.]
[Returning to your original location.]
—
Whoosh!
A sensation similar to when he first entered the waiting room enveloped Shin-hyuk, and simultaneously, he returned to his room.
—
* * *
Burst!
The moment Shin-hyuk returned to his room, the door burst open and In-gyun pulled Shin-hyuk into a tight embrace with a bright face.
“Shin-hyuk! You really did it!”
“Well, it wasn’t difficult.”
“Do you know how anxious I was when that Lee Ju-ho bastard put a bounty on you at first?”
“Ah, I actually did that at the end too. Is that okay?”
“Hmm, 1 billion is a large sum, but I can’t be stingy after seeing my son’s successful placement exam. I’ll have it paid out shortly.”
“Thank you.”
Shin-hyuk bowed his head in gratitude toward In-gyun, who was readily offering the large sum of 1 billion—
“No, I should be the one thanking you. First place in the placement exam! Even if it had cost 10 billion, it wouldn’t have been a waste!”
Rather, In-gyun was grateful to Shin-hyuk.
First place in the placement exam.
In-gyun, who had been demoted from Platinum to Gold after marrying a woman from an ordinary family and having most of his support cut off.
For such an In-gyun, his son’s first place in the placement exam was a wave of emotion itself.
“Honey. Are you planning to just keep hugging him?”
“Brother! I watched it all on TV! It was absolutely amazing from start to finish!”
“Hmph, right now is father-son time—”
“If you want just rice and kimchi for breakfast tomorrow, keep it up.”
“…Shin-hyuk, come give your mother a hug too.”
“Keuk, yes. I will.”
At So-yeon’s words, still holding her ladle, In-gyun sank and released Shin-hyuk.
Leaving In-gyun’s embrace, Shin-hyuk was soon surrounded by So-yeon and Shin-woo.
‘This is nice.’
Though it was stuffy and warm, even that felt like the warmth of happiness—Shin-hyuk’s thoughts were soon broken.
Buzz!
“You’ve got a message, so check it.”
“Ah, yes.”
The vibration of the phone in his pocket was the cause.
Shin-hyuk frowned at the sudden contact breaking his happiness, but the moment he saw the sender, he couldn’t help but smile.
—
[Come to the Pyeongchang-dong mansion tomorrow. From Grandfather.]
—
Because the sender was his grandfather, Choi Chul-ho.
“It looks like I’ll have to go to Pyeongchang-dong again tomorrow.”
“Surely it’s Father contacting you?”
“Yes. It seems Grandfather wants to see his grandson—I can’t not go, can I?”
“…Haha, I never imagined I’d go to Pyeongchang-dong for anything other than a family gathering.”
Leaving behind a disheartened In-gyun, Shin-hyuk checked the message from Su-ah—who had contacted him right after Choi Chul-ho—then turned off his phone.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Bzzzz!
‘They’re all people I don’t know, so there’s no need to answer.’
Shin-hyuk, who had been called the Incompetent Trash Picker, had only one friend: Su-ah.
Everyone contacting him now was a hyena.
Knowing that, Shin-hyuk turned off his phone without regret, pushed his parents and younger brother out of the room, and threw himself onto the bed.
“Come to think of it, I have this.”
But before falling asleep.
He took out the random box stored in his inventory, which he’d gained upon becoming a player.
Placing the gift-box-like object in his hand, Shin-hyuk opened it with a light heart.
“I don’t ask for much. Let’s just pull a Legendary.”
With Shin-hyuk’s wish—typical of his virtuous character—to get a Legendary from a random box that could yield up to Legendary grade, the lid of the random box swung open.
Flash!
“…Oh.”
At the bright light that burst out the moment the lid opened, Shin-hyuk’s anticipation swelled.
The light soon faded.
Inside, a single suit of armor remained.
“…What is this? A hidden camera prank?”
An ordinary-looking appearance.
The only notable feature was a mouth-like shape on the chest plate.
Unlike the brilliant light, the reward was so shabby that Shin-hyuk was dumbfounded for a moment—
“Let me check it first. Melting it down for scrap can wait until after I confirm what it is.”
With the thought of “what if,” Shin-hyuk checked it first—and couldn’t help but be surprised.
—
[Armor of Absorption]
* Normal Grade
Once possessed by a great demon’s power, but now that power has completely drained away—an empty suit of armor.
* All Stats +5
* This item can grow.
—
“A growth-type item that starts by giving +5 to all stats from the beginning? Just how powerful was it before it lost its power?”
A growth-type item, extremely difficult to obtain.
Moreover, despite being Normal grade as its first tier, the armor with the monstrous option of All Stats +5 was a rare treasure that even the past-life Shin-hyuk had never touched.
“This is clearly a lifetime item. Equip.”
Shwwp!
Without further deliberation, Shin-hyuk immediately equipped the armor.
It adjusted perfectly to Shin-hyuk’s body size—lengthening where needed and shortening where needed.
But most importantly, it was the changed stats.
“From Strength to Mana, everything went up by 5—the difference is palpable. At this level, there shouldn’t be any rivals within Silver.”
All Stats +5.
Thanks to that effect, all of Shin-hyuk’s current stats exceeded 30.
Of course, that was only standing at the starting line where others stood, but Shin-hyuk didn’t particularly care.
“The stat limit within the Silver League is 50. And since there probably aren’t many people like me who grow all stats evenly, the average would be around 40. With that much difference, my traits and skills are more than enough to close the gap.”
Trait: Versatile.
And the numerous skills derived from it.
“Plus, with the newly acquired trait Devour, my growth potential is also exceptional. From now on, I just need to climb like crazy.”
Finally, the newly acquired trait, Devour.
It meant Shin-hyuk had perfectly prepared to take flight.
“Phew, now let me sleep. Tomorrow has a schedule even tougher than the placement exam waiting for me.”
With that thought finished, Shin-hyuk immediately drifted off to dreamland.
A schedule tougher than the placement exam.
That was his meeting with his grandfather, Choi Chul-ho.
—
* * *
Pyeongchang-dong Grand Mansion.
A limousine parked smoothly there.
“…This is also the first time I’ve ridden in one in a long time.”
“You’ll be doing it all the time from now on, so don’t act so surprised.”
“Really… Thank you so much.”
As they got out of the limousine, Shin-hyuk grinned at In-gyun, who was stroking the limousine.
Just as In-gyun, reminded once again of what his son had accomplished, was about to tear up—
“Grandfather is waiting. Let’s go in quickly.”
“Ah, right. Your grandfather shouldn’t feel inconvenienced by you, Shin-hyuk.”
At Shin-hyuk’s quick-witted words, In-gyun’s tears quickly receded.
Tensing up, knowing better than anyone what kind of person his father Choi Chul-ho was, In-gyun disappeared into the mansion.
Following him inside, Shin-hyuk saw a scene similar to what he had witnessed a few days ago.
“Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, Aunt. Have you been well?”
“…Yes.”
“Haha, as expected of my nephew. To crush Ohsung’s Lee Ju-ho like that! Just like the prodigy of our Shinhwa Guild!”
“Hmph, it seems he didn’t inherit his parents’ blood. Well, did he pick it up from somewhere?”
The eldest uncle, Choi In-seok.
The second uncle, Choi In-ho.
The aunt, Choi Seon-hwa.
The three were the first to greet Shin-hyuk’s family.
The blunt Choi In-seok responded appropriately, and the lively Choi In-ho smiled and showered Shin-hyuk with praise.
But Choi Seon-hwa snapped with barbed words.
As she grumbled about whether Shin-hyuk had been picked up from under a bridge, a murderous glint flashed in Shin-hyuk’s eyes for a moment—
“What are you all doing over there. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
“Yes, Father.”
Just then, Choi Chul-ho, emerging from the study and descending the stairs, caused the murderous aura to vanish in an instant.
Choi In-seok, as the representative, bowed his head slightly and headed toward the dining table.
A long table large enough to comfortably seat over ten people.
Shin-hyuk tried to sit next to his father, who had taken a seat at the end.
Because the hierarchy at this table reflected one’s status in reality.
But—
“Shin-hyuk, eat next to me. I should eat using my grandson’s performance as my side dish.”
“…!!!”
Calmly picking up his utensils, Choi Chul-ho shattered that hierarchy.
The sight of Shin-hyuk, who should have occupied the lowest seat, suddenly rising several rungs.
Especially Choi In-seok’s expression—the one whose seat had been taken—was quite worth seeing.
His jowls trembling.
Separately, Shin-hyuk inwardly snorted at Choi In-seok, who couldn’t say a word out of fear of Choi Chul-ho, and moved forward—plopping down next to Choi Chul-ho.
Choi Chul-ho himself was wide-eyed for a moment at Shin-hyuk’s behavior, as if it had always been his seat.
“Let’s eat.”
Choi Chul-ho said in a leisurely voice and scooped a spoonful of rice into his mouth.
“Shin-hyuk, tell us what happened during the placement exam.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
And Shin-hyuk became a phonograph reciting what he had experienced.
But that alone was enough.
To realize that a storm had blown through the stagnant and rigid Shinhwa family.
