Chapter 8
“…And that concludes the account of the placement exam.”
“Kyahahah! Using money to crush money! And crushing Ohsung with money at that! I already knew the story, but hearing it from my grandson’s mouth brings back the emotions.”
Phonograph.
No—after Shin-hyuk finished speaking, Choi Chul-ho, who had already finished his meal, beamed and clapped his hands.
Unable to hide his pride at having landed a blow on his rival Ohsung, Choi Chul-ho soon turned his gaze to Shin-hyuk.
“Can you show me your status window?”
“Of course.”
There was an unwritten rule among players that status windows shouldn’t be shown even between parent and child, but Shin-hyuk showed his status window without any hesitation.
—
[Status Window]
Name: Choi Shin-hyuk
Class: X
(Stats)
Strength: 29 Stamina: 27 Intelligence: 27 Mana: 27
(Traits)
1. Versatile
(Skills)
Necromancy [C], Fist Arts [E], Shield, Comprehensive Weapon Arts [D], Tracking [E]
—
“Heh, I can’t believe it even seeing it with my own eyes. You achieved such an overwhelming victory with stats below 30?”
“If you use skills well, it’s easy.”
“…Kyah! Yes, if you study well, you go to Seoul National University; if you’re good at sports, you win medals! You’re right! You’re right!”
At Shin-hyuk’s calm yet confident words, Choi Chul-ho laughed heartily and patted Shin-hyuk on the shoulder.
Watching this, Shin-hyuk smiled coldly inwardly.
‘It’s definitely good that the status window hiding function isn’t known yet. I can earn trust just by showing a little bit of my status window.’
In fact, anyone could tell at a glance, but the status window Shin-hyuk showed to Choi Chul-ho was full of holes from Shin-hyuk’s perspective.
What made that possible was the status window hiding function.
A function that allowed you to hide what you didn’t want to show.
Naturally, it was a function not yet known in this era.
Having hidden his class and traits with the hiding function, Shin-hyuk had also taken off the Armor of Absorption before coming to the mansion and stored it in his inventory.
All of it was in consideration of this very situation.
And Shin-hyuk’s thinking was accurate—he had earned plenty of Choi Chul-ho’s trust.
Having shown his status window—which isn’t even shown between parent and child—exclusively to him, it was only natural.
“Right. I can’t just sit still with such an admirable grandson. In-ho, bring ‘that.'”
“…Father, are you really going to give that to Shin-hyuk? It would be better to give it to Ho-sung—”
That’s why Choi Chul-ho wanted to give Shin-hyuk a gift.
At the words “that,” Choi In-ho—the second son and guild master of the Shinhwa Guild—turned pale and waved his hands, but—
“You said it yourself with your own mouth: everything with the Shinhwa name belongs to me.”
“…Yes.”
“Bring it.”
“…Understood.”
Unable to defy Choi Chul-ho’s stern voice, he eventually took something out of his inventory and placed it before Choi Chul-ho.
“High-Grade Stat Enhancer and High-Grade Mana Pills.”
“…!!!”
High-Grade Stat Enhancer and High-Grade Mana Pills.
Items with effects on a completely different level from the low-grade ones Shin-hyuk had taken before the placement exam.
Shin-hyuk unconsciously swallowed and asked again.
“Surely you’re giving these to me, Grandfather?”
“Yes. This grandfather prepared them for his admirable grandson as a substitute for allowance. How about it?”
“…Truly. Thank you so much, Grandfather.”
Even the great Shin-hyuk had to ask twice, three times—they were essential items for the early stages.
That’s why Shin-hyuk bowed his head deeply toward Choi Chul-ho.
Perhaps pleased with Shin-hyuk’s expression of gratitude—so different from his calm and confident demeanor—Choi Chul-ho burst into laughter.
“Kyahaha, yes, yes. If you need anything else, just say the word. If it’s within my reach, I’ll grant it at least once.”
“If that’s the case, there is something I’d like to ask. May I tell you later? In private.”
“Nothing’s impossible. First, take these. You’re all skin and bones. Eat these and grow strong.”
“I’m not that skinny… Anyway, I’ll eat well.”
Like a grandmother feeding her grandchildren on a holiday, Choi Chul-ho shoved the High-Grade Stat Enhancer and High-Grade Mana Pills into Shin-hyuk’s mouth.
Without refusing, Shin-hyuk accepted and consumed them—soon able to see the message window.
—
[All Stats +20.]
[For one month from now, stat growth rate will increase.]
—
‘This is it. Honestly, while All Stats +20 is great, the growth rate increase is really what matters. Aside from stats gained through training or game achievements, there aren’t many ways to get stats. In that sense, increased growth rate—which improves training efficiency—is very good.’
A whopping All Stats +20 increase.
But Shin-hyuk focused on the message that followed.
Growth rate increase.
The fact that the growth rate gained through training would increase was most important.
—
Just as Shin-hyuk was inwardly cheering at the prospect of becoming stronger even faster—
“It seems everyone’s done eating… Shin-hyuk, stop by your grandfather’s study before you go.”
“Yes.”
The family’s meal had ended.
Choi Chul-ho rose from his seat first, gestured to Shin-hyuk, and walked with his hands behind his back toward the study.
“Shin-hyuk…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
In-gyun’s eyes reddened again, treating Choi Chul-ho’s study like a tiger’s den, but Shin-hyuk’s confident demeanor quickly calmed him.
Thud!
And the moment the heavy study door closed, swallowing both Shin-hyuk and Choi Chul-ho—
“What did you give Shin-hyuk?”
“Just give us a hint.”
“These days, our Hwa-yeon’s been complaining about her tier-up speed being slow. So tell us—what’s family for, right?”
At the barrage of questions from his older siblings, who swooped in like starving hyenas, In-gyun’s face turned pale as a sheet.
—
* * *
“Sit down. What would you like to drink? Tea? Coffee?”
“Cola. Zero Cola, please.”
“Shall I get you Pepsi?”
“…No matter how much you’re my grandfather, I cannot forgive Pepsi.”
“Heheh, just kidding. Besides, Pepsi is distributed by the Ohsung side. Thanks to that, Shinhwa people never drink Pepsi. Here, Coca-Cola.”
“Thank you.”
After a round of trivial jokes—
“Shin-hyuk.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, countless checks, trials, and gazes will follow you.”
“…Yes.”
“That Ju-ho bastard getting humiliated is his own fault, but because of that, Yong-jae—that is, the Ohsung chairman—is apparently furious beyond measure.”
“I see.”
“You’re not surprised? You’ve fallen out of favor with the chairman of Ohsung, which is called the twin pillars and dragon-tiger rivalry alongside Shinhwa in this country?”
A barrage of sharp questions rained down on Shin-hyuk.
At Choi Chul-ho’s words, asked with a cold gaze fixed on him, Shin-hyuk replied calmly.
“But instead, I’ve earned the favor of the chairman of Shinhwa Group—the number one in the Republic of Korea.”
“What? Ha… Haha… Kyahahahaha! Right, that’s correct. If you get on the bad side of second place but on the good side of first place, that’s all that matters. You’re right, absolutely right.”
Finding Shin-hyuk’s answer immensely satisfying, Choi Chul-ho laughed, slapping his knee, then wiped the tears from his eyes and asked.
“So what was that request you mentioned earlier?”
“I obtained a rather good material this time. I want to make it into a weapon, but…”
“You can just use the Shinhwa Guild’s workshop.”
Hearing Shin-hyuk’s plan to make a weapon using Consecrated Steel, Choi Chul-ho asked back in puzzlement.
After all, the Shinhwa Guild’s workshop boasted world-class craftsmen.
It wasn’t for nothing that the Shinhwa Guild was tacitly acknowledged as Korea’s number one.
But Shin-hyuk let out a faint scoffing laugh.
“The Shinhwa Guild’s workshop is fine. But what I want is a true expert—not some empty vessel with only flashy exterior.”
“…You’re calling a craftsman belonging to the Shinhwa Guild’s workshop an empty vessel. Can you take responsibility for that statement?”
Toward Shin-hyuk, who had described the workshop housing one of his greatest masterpieces as an empty vessel, Choi Chul-ho displayed his displeasure without reservation.
The momentum of a conglomerate chairman and an absolute ruler.
Combined with his power as a Platinum player, the pressure was beyond what words like “substantial” could describe.
“Yes. You saw it this time too, Grandfather. The way I take responsibility for my words.”
“…Interesting. Then what do you need?”
But Shin-hyuk didn’t care at all.
Because he had been a Challenger-tier player in the past, it was possible.
That’s why Shin-hyuk went beyond enduring—he took a step further and laid out what he wanted.
“I want to bring someone I’ve chosen into the Shinhwa Workshop as a special hire. With the condition that no one interferes, of course. This condition applies to the guild master—Second Uncle—and the workshop head as well.”
“You’re asking for a kind of small inviolable territory… Are you confident? You’d be better off just asking for a Unique-grade weapon. Then you’d gain benefits without any loss. And yet you’re thinking of rejecting that?”
A request to create an inviolable territory exclusively for himself within the Shinhwa Guild’s workshop.
If the craftsman Shin-hyuk brought was worthless, the inviolable territory would disappear immediately, and Shin-hyuk’s standing would plummet once more.
Worried about this, Choi Chul-ho instead offered to give Shin-hyuk a Unique-grade weapon, but—
“I have no intention of being satisfied with just a Unique-grade weapon.”
“What?”
“A Legendary-grade weapon. Wouldn’t you like to see the world’s first Legendary-grade item born from the Shinhwa Workshop?”
“…!!!”
Shin-hyuk counter-offered.
The world’s first Legendary-grade weapon creation.
At those sweet words—like honeyed bean jelly—Choi Chul-ho nodded as if entranced.
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
Shin-hyuk bowed his head toward Choi Chul-ho, as if he had expected this all along.
—
* * *
Thud!
The sound of the heavy study door closing echoed throughout the room.
“…Shadow. What do you think?”
“What exactly do you mean? That he’ll overcome Ohsung’s checks? Or that he’ll actually make a Legendary-grade weapon?”
“Both.”
“The former seemed certain. But the latter… Hmm, I’m still not sure.”
Inside the completely closed study, Choi Chul-ho conversed with his shadow.
Having heard the entire conversation, answering was easy for the shadow—but the latter question was the issue.
Whether a Legendary-grade weapon could truly be made.
That was something the shadow was equally curious about.
But right now, the shadow was even more astonished by something else.
“…Haha, this is the first time I’ve been tailed.”
“What is?”
“It seems to be a note left by young master Shin-hyuk.”
“Shin-hyuk? How does he know about you, shadow…”
It was a single note that had somehow been placed where the shadow was.
Never imagining that Shin-hyuk could have actually detected the shadow’s location, the two carefully unfolded the note.
—
[I’ll let it slide since you’re Grandfather’s person.]
—
“…”
“…This, I think I need to log into the Dimension Arena for the first time in a while.”
At such an audacious remark, Choi Chul-ho was at a loss for words.
But soon, the study was filled with the sound of a single person’s laughter.
Though the laughter was blocked by the thick study door and only lingered inside the room, the shadow alone knew that it lasted quite a long time.
