Chapter 122
“C-Cough. So, what exactly is the favor?”
Although Goldrich had agreed to grant the favor, he couldn’t help watching Shinhyuk’s expression, worried that he might ask for something impossible or demand something that would cause him a huge loss.
Shinhyuk released the shoulder he had been holding, then even brushed the dust off it himself before smiling.
“I still think I’m lacking.”
“……Pardon? At your level, boss, I think you’d easily secure a spot even if the Integrated League opened right now.”
“What I want isn’t just one spot.”
“Hmm… Are you talking about forming an alliance with a Lower Dimension?”
“As if.”
“Then a Higher Dimension?”
“Think bigger.”
“……Are you planning to raise your own dimension’s rank yourself?”
“Pretty close.”
“Are you insane?! That’s impossible!”
As Goldrich gradually pieced together Shinhyuk’s goal, he practically jumped out of his skin when he got a rough idea of what Shinhyuk was aiming for.
“The Lower Dimension guys may look ridiculous as they’re pushed around by the Higher Dimensions from every direction, but they’re by no means insignificant! Do you know how many powerful individuals from Exceptional Dimensions have coveted positions in the Lower Dimensions?”
“I know.”
“……I don’t know how you know that, but then you must also know that although the rankings of the Lower Dimensions have changed over hundreds of years, the names of the dimensions themselves have never changed.”
“I know that, too.”
“Haa… Let’s stop with the headache-inducing talk here. It’s none of my business anyway, so I don’t want to hear any more.”
“Well… Do as you please.”
Believing that Shinhyuk was dreaming of something he could never accomplish, Goldrich shook his head and covered his ears.
He figured that listening any further would only tire him out.
Of course, Shinhyuk thought differently.
You ended up walking a path similar to mine, too. The only difference is that you chose compromise, while I choose to move forward.
Goldrich.
A wandering merchant who had once been a human and was known as the Golden Maniac.
Shinhyuk knew better than anyone what Goldrich’s ultimate goal was, so Goldrich’s reaction seemed amusing to him, but he didn’t let it show.
As Goldrich had said, it wasn’t something he could accomplish right away.
So Shinhyuk stopped subtly probing Goldrich and got to the main point.
“I can handle my own growth, but my pet is a little different.”
—Caw!
“Ah, this fellow. You used the scroll you bought from me on it?”
“That’s right. But this guy awakened Golden Power.”
“I see. Golden Power is quite a wonderful power… Wait, what? A mere pet has Golden Power? Do you know how much gold I spent trying to obtain Golden Power, and this guy got it just by clicking a scroll?”
“‘Mere pet’?”
—CAAAAAW!!!
“Ah! Aaaah! Ow, ow, ow! Stop him, boss! I misspoke!”
“Yeah, let’s behave. Kkamak, you stop too. Just eat your snack.”
Caw caw!!
Naturally, there was a brief commotion during the process.
Goldrich couldn’t believe that a mere pet possessed what could be called his signature power, Golden Power, and Kkamak had immediately retaliated.
After being viciously pecked by the furious Kkamak, Goldrich looked miserable as he watched Kkamak gnawing on the snack Shinhyuk had given him—a golden bar.
“You give him gold as a snack?”
“Ever since I awakened his source, he can’t eat anything except gold.”
“Huh. That’s quite a major penalty.”
“It’s fine. I have plenty of money.”
“……Do you perhaps need another pet? It eats well on its own and even takes walks by itself.”
“No. Kkamak is enough.”
After Goldrich’s attempt to find himself a new master who would provide him with pure-gold bars as snacks failed—
Shinhyuk stroked Kkamak’s soft feathers and said,
“I want to find a Pet-Exclusive Trait Ticket.”
“You’re looking for something expensive and rare.”
“Dimension Arena mainly provides rewards focused on player growth, so rewards related to Kkamak don’t come up often. It would be different if I were a Tamer.”
“I understand. Still, that shouldn’t be terribly difficult.”
A Pet-Exclusive Trait Ticket.
Trait Tickets that granted traits were rare, and Pet-Exclusive ones were even rarer.
But for a wandering merchant like Goldrich, it wasn’t an especially difficult task.
Since he traveled between dimensions and encountered all kinds of goods, he could obtain one if he was willing to put in the effort.
If Shinhyuk had wanted something completely beyond Goldrich’s abilities or knowledge, Goldrich would have been in trouble.
But a Pet-Exclusive Trait Ticket was still within his capabilities.
Of course—
“Make it Legendary-grade.”
“No, boss! Are you insane? Legendary-grade isn’t some household pet’s name! How am I supposed to get one of those?”
If it was Legendary-grade, that changed things a little.
Legendary-grade.
It was a tier that even the most outstanding individuals in a dimension couldn’t easily obtain.
It was extremely rare for such an item to be available for sale rather than for personal use.
Traits were different from equipment and materials.
A trait was the foundation of a player.
It was almost insulting to compare it to equipment, which could break or be replaced when the time came.
Still, there was one factor worth considering.
It was a pet.
A pet was a player’s companion and reliable partner, but ultimately, it was closer to a third party.
Therefore, Trait Tickets, Skill Tickets, equipment, and similar items related to pets were worth less than those meant for players themselves.
Of course, the name Legendary-grade didn’t disappear simply because it was for a pet, but that wasn’t the important part.
The reason was simple.
“That’s for you to figure out.”
“Pardon?”
“Do I have to explain every little thing to you? Goldrich. We’re in a give-and-take relationship. This isn’t a relationship where only one side keeps giving. You’re a merchant. You haven’t forgotten the most basic principle of being one, have you?”
“……”
“Let’s do this properly.”
“……Yes, sir.”
It wasn’t Shinhyuk’s job to do it.
If obtaining a Legendary-grade Pet Trait Ticket was difficult, then Goldrich simply had to find one anyway.
And above all, Shinhyuk knew Goldrich’s abilities well.
He’ll find it somehow. He’s the man who would eventually gain enough wealth and ability to transcend his future nickname of the Golden Maniac and be called the Golden King.
Goldrich would eventually become so wealthy that he would be called the Golden King rather than the Golden Maniac.
Of course, to players from the Higher Dimensions, it was merely a derogatory term meaning a nouveau riche who had nothing but money.
But no one denied Goldrich’s abilities themselves.
That was why Shinhyuk trusted Goldrich and handed him full authority over the matter.
Well, in crude terms, he was dumping the job on him.
But it was impossible to deny that trust lay at the foundation of it.
“Give me a business card before you go.”
“Haa… You know these are expensive, right?”
“I know. But are you saying you won’t give me one?”
“……I’ll give you one.”
After entrusting Goldrich with the search for a Trait Ticket to help Kkamak grow—
Shinhyuk once again obtained one of Goldrich’s business cards.
Shinhyuk smiled inwardly and nodded in satisfaction.
The sunk cost is starting to get pretty high. A few more times, and he won’t be able to get away.
The wandering merchant’s business card.
It was the trump card of wandering merchants.
A trump card that allowed one to easily cross the barriers between dimensions.
Naturally, a power like this couldn’t possibly come without a price.
The business cards of wandering merchants were so expensive that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that every time one was handed out, enough gold equivalent to a human being was consumed.
Shinhyuk had already squeezed two business cards out of Goldrich, and in the process, Goldrich hadn’t actually received what he wanted.
The first business card had secured a promise for a meeting with Sejin.
The second had secured a promise concerning the iron sand ingots.
But in the end, Goldrich had nothing tangible in his hands.
For that, he would have to hand over a third and fourth business card in the future.
You’re already kidnapped.
Unaware that he was already being reeled in by Shinhyuk, Goldrich let out a sigh and disappeared in a burst of golden light.
“Then I guess I’ll go see Sejin hyung.”
The transaction had gone successfully.
Now all that remained was the final piece that would complete the successful deal.
It was time to meet Sejin.
Rumble!
Shinhyuk swept all the chunks of iron sand filling the enormous warehouse into his inventory and left the iron sand mine.
Mythic Workshop City.
At the very center of the city, which grew larger with every passing day, stood a massive workshop.
The world’s eyes were focused on this place, and its surveillance and security were so strict that calling them formidable was an understatement.
But none of that applied to Shinhyuk.
“It is an honor to meet you. Please, come inside.”
“Thank you for your hard work, as always.”
Shinhyuk easily passed the guards protecting the workshop and headed to its top floor.
When he entered the workshop master’s private workspace, he found Sejin, as always, completely absorbed in his work.
Despite having skin that had gone beyond a coppery brown and was practically burned black by the intense heat pouring from the furnace, Sejin never put down his hammer.
Because he had never forgotten the past when he had been forced to put down his hammer against his will, Sejin continued to act like an ordinary blacksmith even now, despite having become known as the world’s greatest craftsman.
Knowing that feeling better than anyone, Shinhyuk watched him with a bitter smile and revealed his presence as Sejin’s work was nearing completion.
“Hyung.”
“What? Oh, it’s you, Shinhyuk. You should’ve said something when you arrived. I didn’t even know you were here.”
“That’s because you’re weak, hyung.”
“Hah. Is there anyone who isn’t weak by your standards?”
“There are a few right now. But there won’t be soon.”
“You little punk. That’s so like you. Sit down. Coffee?”
“Yeah, coffee. I couldn’t forget the taste of the instant coffee you make, hyung.”
“Hehe. I’ll make you one right away.”
Sejin might have been surprised by the sudden presence, but by now, he was used to it.
He simply chuckled, tore open a packet of instant coffee, mixed it in a paper cup, and brought it over.
As befitting the world’s greatest blacksmith, Sejin’s wealth was enormous, but his unpretentious nature hadn’t changed.
Shinhyuk was quite pleased by that, so he wrapped both hands around the warm paper cup and took a sip.
“What were you working on?”
“I was studying the dwarves’ methods through the items you brought back. There was quite a lot to learn. More importantly, it was nice to experience things I hadn’t experienced before.”
“Is it really at a level you can learn from?”
“My innate talent and abilities are probably superior. But the tower of techniques that they’ve accumulated over centuries as a race born to be craftsmen is incredibly tall. You know the saying that even the tallest person can’t see farther than someone standing on a giant’s shoulders? That’s exactly how it felt.”
“Sounds like you had a good experience.”
“It’s all thanks to you. Who else could have brought me items containing the dwarves’ techniques? Other than you.”
“Well, I can’t deny that.”
Sejin had been analyzing, melting, touching, and hammering the dwarves’ items Shinhyuk had brought from the iron sand mine, absorbing everything he could about their techniques.
And the result had returned as a leap forward that even Shinhyuk hadn’t anticipated.
“I feel like I’ve crossed a wall.”
“……Huh?”
“It was fun. This feeling of seeing everything in the world as material I can work with. It’s refreshing in a way I can’t put into words. Rather than standing on the shoulders of a giant, it feels like I’ve become the giant myself.”
“……Wait, hyung. Don’t tell me…”
“Yeah, probably. I think I’ve reached the SS-grade you told me about, Shinhyuk—the realm beyond S-grade.”
“……Ha, haha. Crazy. You’re really a monster, hyung.”
“It’s ridiculous hearing that from a real monster. Hey, you’re more of a monster than me.”
The SS-grade of the Metallurgy skill.
A realm that was difficult to find even in Ironforge, the Higher Dimension of the dwarves.
And Sejin had finally reached that realm.
“Now, take out what you brought.”
“You knew?”
“What other reason could there be for you to suddenly come looking for me? Obviously, you came because there’s something you need my help with. Isn’t that right?”
“……Your intuition is incredible. You’re right. I brought some iron sand. It needs to be refined. You can do it, right?”
After announcing that he had stepped into a new realm, Sejin immediately got to the point.
Embarrassed that Sejin had seen right through him, Shinhyuk glanced at him before asking.
Iron sand.
It was an arduous process of breaking apart the rocks containing Unique-grade materials, melting them with heat, and extracting only the pure iron sand.
Naturally, since Sejin had never done it before, there would be plenty of trial and error, and he would have to endure all kinds of hardships along the way—
“I’ve got you covered. Bring it all.”
Those were the words Sejin was always destined to say.
Seeing Sejin thump his chest and display his confidence, Shinhyuk smiled back and opened his inventory.
RUMBLEEEEEEE!
“Then I’m counting on you, hyung!”
“……Hey. You, come here.”
“Ugh! Ack! Aaaagh!”
Even Sejin, despite his confidence, had no choice but to grab Shinhyuk by the neck when he saw the chunks of iron sand filling his entire workshop.
Even as he felt Sejin’s hand tightening around his neck, Shinhyuk burst out laughing.
At this moment, at least, he could clearly feel that he had escaped from the heavy matters of the New Humanity Empire, Higher Dimensions, and everything else.
For now, he could simply enjoy this moment with his hyung.
