Chapter 298. New Equipment
August.
The hottest period among all months, also referred to as the peak of summer.
However, in this era of Dungeon Shock,
perhaps due to ongoing global warming, or maybe the reduced use of fossil fuel energy thanks to the emergence of mana resources, the temperature of this month has actually dropped.
South Korea is experiencing a cooler summer compared to previous years.
– Ah~ This summer isn’t sticky at all, it’s livable. Very livable.
– Huh? Why is it still cool even though the air conditioner is off?
– (Subtitles) As per my desired breeze
– Innovation in Cooling
– (Subtitles) The magic stone, certified by the country, is helping to protect the energy of our world.
– Adding smart to technology.
– Willis wireless fan new model…
This is a high-rise apartment in South Korea.
The TV that’s turned on is playing a light entertainment program with some commercials streaming in between, and a man with black hair, quietly eating, thought to himself.
‘Surely Kim Gi-ryeo Hunter is definitely with the National Intelligence Service.’
It was, in a way, a random thought.
Inside his own home.
Moreover, in the quietness where no one was around to lend an ear, would Jeong Ha-seong even imagine such thoughts?
It’s currently Monday at 11:30 AM.
After going through a stay in the hospital, he had started to decide his own holidays and occasionally took entire weekdays off. And today was one of those days.
While eating in the quiet house, Jeong Ha-seong thought.
‘He said before that he dreamed of being a correctional officer…’
It was a misunderstanding’s escalation.
In his eyes, the guest who entered his home looked very much like someone affiliated with the government.
‘If you think about it, the National Intelligence Service is technically a government job…’
The other party had simply explained their attire as their personal taste. But honestly, the habit of wearing a suit could very well have stemmed from being in the agency.
At first, perhaps he wished to become an ordinary civil servant, but did he later change departments after gaining recognition for his abilities?
All sorts of doubts surfaced.
Kim Gi-ryeo.
Most importantly, the recent behaviors of the individual were quite suspicious.
‘Hmm.’
First off, it didn’t make sense that someone who was supposed to take care of bank affairs from day one had been missing for over eight hours.
In fact, it had already been a few days since the exhibition in Tokyo had ended.
Yet upon returning from Japan, Kim Gi-ryeo was suddenly out without explaining the reason.
And the duration of the outing was exceptionally long.
He claimed to have been out for two to three days and was expected to return home afterward?
‘Based on his promise to return, it doesn’t seem like he went out just to see the house.’
An S-Class Awakened who has no plans to raid dungeons could not just disappear for days without a reason.
‘Could it genuinely be state affairs?’
A business trip.
That word flitted through the mind of the national hero.
The guest with blond hair was exhibiting a respectable demeanor.
Thus, Ha-seong had felt no issues throughout the over 100 hours of their recent gathering, but when such situations arose, he did find himself quite curious.
‘He definitely said that aside from my mother’s room, anywhere else was fine…’
Unlike a warehouse with a safe for valuables, that ghost-like individual rarely showed himself in the living room right in front of him. What on earth was he usually thinking?
“Hmm.”
A ghost.
That seems quite fitting for a job like a secret government agent.
Jeong Ha-seong once found it strange that the hunter was sitting in a rain-soaked park, but by now, he had rationalized that feeling a lot.
I mean, professionals can have casual appearances in daily life.
To describe Kim Gi-ryeo as having flaws seemed off when his prowess displayed in classes or dungeons was so overwhelming.
‘He really changes when monsters are present.’
Perhaps Kim Gi-ryeo simply shows his nonchalant side because he wants to save energy on unnecessary parts of life.
Thinking back, there had always been such geniuses around.
‘I’m so curious about what that hunter does, but following someone around could be considered a crime, so I should just hold back…’
Jeong Ha-seong continued to solidify his misunderstanding today.
Indeed, Kim Gi-ryeo seemed like a member of the National Intelligence Service.
So what was this illusion’s owner doing right now?
*
“Gu Seo-hyeong!”
A few minutes later.
Around 2 PM.
The distinct pronunciation of a smoking individual resonated from somewhere.
“Huh?”
A female Earthling turned around.
She was currently basking in the warm sunlight, enjoying her afternoon break, and couldn’t just ignore someone calling out like that when her coffee was too precious to waste.
Whoosh…
Someone appeared through the automatic security door.
Bright blue eyes.
And even in this summer heat, dressed precisely in a suit like a salaryman.
Identifying the man wasn’t hard.
“Oh, Kim Gi-ryeo!”
The fourth S-Class hunter of Korea had come to visit the enchanter after such a long time.
Originally, it was a large empty room cleaned up haphazardly in one corner of the association, turned into a workshop for enhancement.
However, after several people persistently raised suggestions, Gu Seo-hyeong eventually ended up working in a greenhouse-like space equipped with various security systems.
“It’s been a while! You’ve only been texting to check up on me, but now you’ve come in person. What brings you here today?”
The location hadn’t changed much; it was still easy to find.
“Kim Gi-ryeo. Did you have a good summer? I was stuck with the enchanted reuse waiting during the vacation season. I’ve been to Kota Kinabalu for a long stretch.”
“Mm.”
“But honestly, it was really nice there. Money truly talks. Who knew I’d have the chance to take such a long trip abroad in my lifetime?”
Someone reinserted the ID they had shown to the guard back into their jacket pocket.
And as the man entered the room, he pondered while listening to Gu Seo-hyeong’s casual talk.
‘Where exactly is Kota Kinabalu…?’
In fact, this 25-year-old female Earthling could have unintentionally landed herself in a risky situation since she was from the same graduating class as him.
It felt like she didn’t have a clue at all.
That person, whether they met or not, was always on his mind.
Sometimes, it even felt unsettling that their destinies were intertwined.
“Anyway, what’s up?”
But considering the tasks at hand, being familiar with her was no doubt something to be grateful for.
“Sorry for getting in touch out of the blue.”
First, he opened with unnecessary greetings before getting to the main topic.
Rustle…
As Kim Gi-ryeo entered the workshop, he began rifling through his item box looking for something.
“I came because Seo-hyeong has something for you to do today.”
“Uh?”
Talking about ‘work’ right in front of a reinforcement specialist belonging to an association.
“Oh, you want to ask me for enchantment? So you’re finally looking to enhance your gear?”
Gu Seo-hyeong’s tone suddenly lifted, almost as if she had been waiting eagerly for this moment.
A proper worker would normally try to avoid situations where work increases.
However, as an independent contractor, the more orders she had, the more her income increased. Most importantly, since she had felt a bit disrespected by the graduate in front of her for some time now…
“Ah, sure! So you were just worried about my profits, which is why you hadn’t entrusted me with your equipment all along? Sigh You’d come rushing over when you needed it but why’d you act that way before? We all have connections in this world, don’t we? What’s so hard about that?”
Gu Seo-hyeong shrugged.
Previously, she had often heard him complain that his skill level was low. But it seemed that when there was no one else, he had nowhere else to turn but to her, the only enchanter in South Korea, and that made her quite pleased.
“What are you talking about?”
“Uh?”
But that lively mood lasted only a few seconds.
“I didn’t come to ask you for enchantment.”
“…Then what did you come for?”
Dig, dig…
Just as Gu Seo-hyeong tilted her head in confusion,
Kim Gi-ryeo pulled out an item from the box.
A fabric that looked as if a piece of night sky had dragged along the ground.
Completely black.
And when touched by the hand of an Awakened, it emanated a slightly chilly sensation, this…
“What is this?”
Gu Seo-hyeong blinked her eyes at the fabric her classmate had pulled out.
To be honest, considering how it looked, she found it hard to tell whether this fabric was an item or simply cloth purchased from Dongdaemun Market.
It appeared just to be a plain black fabric with little luster.
However, the owner of the fabric—the fourth S-Class of Korea—treated it as if it were a treasure and began explaining to Seo-hyeong.
“This is an artifact I bought from Japan. The name doesn’t matter much, but I want to make something with it.”
Something he wants to make?
“What usually touches things first are hands. So I want to cover my fingers, the back of my hand, and my palm with this cloth, but without skimping on the material, trimming it around the wrist area…”
The man named Kim Gi-ryeo pointed to near his wrist.
“I actually need such a product right now.”
Hearing this, the 25-year-old enchanter rolled her eyes in contemplation.
Fingers, back of the hand.
Covering the palm.
With a length ending around the wrist.
Considering the somewhat puzzling requests that seemed to arise from her classmate’s words and the item brought along, there was only one conclusion.
“You’re talking about gloves.”
“That’s right.”
“From what you’re saying, does that mean you came here just to make gloves?”
Unexpectedly, a question arose.
“Huh?”
A hunter dressed in strange dungeoneering products who wanted to make clothes…
Of course, such people were not unattainable in this industry.
But this individual had neither graduated from a clothing study program nor had certification in clothing construction; he was merely from an acting background.
“Then why did someone wanting gloves come to me?”
Gu Seo-hyeong questioned next.
At that, the man put on a spell-casting magician’s face and revealed the truth to her.
“Ah… Well, it’s because I was originally trying to make it by myself. But after searching ‘How to make gloves’ on the internet, I couldn’t quite find decent information…”
For reference, this beyond-world alien’s ability to search for information was lagging behind that of a middle school student on Earth.
The Alphauri had now come all the way here after sifting through winter glove knitting methods on someone else’s blog.
“When I thought to ask someone for help, it occurred to me that among my acquaintances, you, Seo-hyeong, would have good skills.”
And this conclusion drawn by the Alphauri had largely been influenced by memories from a previous life.
-“Surely you’re more about network weaving or enhancement?”
-“Huh?”
-“I’m talking about your Awakening skills.”
Just as they had discussions previously to prevent that Earthling’s downfall.
Enchanters who handle skills like [Enchant] are often reputed to be quite adept at their craft.
They have the concentration to inscribe Chinese characters onto grains of rice with a magnifying glass.
Or like a craftsman dealing with platinum, they have a talent for modifying substances that exist.
‘Originally, wasn’t their dream to start an accessory workshop?’
In Alphauri culture, it was common for enchanters to also take on roles as item makers.
Thus, it stood to reason that Seo-hyeong on Earth would also have a knack for craft.
But upon hearing this, Seo-hyeong merely stared wide-eyed in incredulity.
“Uh… Sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about, Gi-ryeo.”
This was perhaps a natural reaction.
Necklaces and accessories versus gloves and fashion items—
In reality, what seemed similar to the Alphauri was a completely different field to an Earthling.
“Is that so?”
If you want gloves, it would be better to ask someone who specializes in making that.
Seo-hyeong was thus about to reject her classmate’s proposal.
However, at that moment, the blond man muttered with an embarrassed tone…
“I suppose it really won’t work then.”
To interpret that,
It was also making sure that dropping by and making requests like this wouldn’t work. A self-reproaching remark.
But Seo-hyeong’s expression transformed rapidly upon hearing that.
For some reason, that hunter’s words resonated as if they had emerged—
– Truly (for people like you who can’t even enchant, making gloves would definitely be impossible…)
Was it a sense of persecution?
However, right after that, when Kim Gi-ryeo frowned and expressed disappointment, it triggered some emotions within her heart.
Pride.
Anger.
A sense of revenge.
In fact, Kim Gi-ryeo had used his expression to convey his regret,
But ironically, even until this moment, he had never brought up the ‘enhancement’ part of enchanters, unknowingly scratching his rival’s ego.
Enchant.
A skill that others were frantic to acquire.
Moreover, this S-Class hunter from Malaysia had once even fanned the flames for a Korean on vacation, begging for him to put in a good word on the enchantment queue…
“Hmm…”
Then the D-Class Awakened resolved her feelings.
“Anyway, if it’s too difficult, that’s fine. Sorry for the unexpected visit. It’s almost lunchtime, so I should head back and eat…”
“Bring it.”
“Huh?”
Did her voice shake with anger, or was it just a misunderstanding?
“Bring that here.”
“Hey, Seo-hyeong?”
“Just go ahead and make those gloves or socks or whatever form you want. I’ll work on them day and night for the next three days, so just wait a moment. I’ll call someone I know right now. You just stay right here…”
But Gu Seo-hyeong, just like a child actor, said with a smile opposite her emotions.
“Okay!”
The alien felt no sense of impending doom, and soon began the production of new magic tools with the help of the kind Earthling.
