[ Balance: 232,103…… ]
‘Oh…’
The next day.
I faced my shriveled bank account. The trailing zeros were still there, but the leading digit had dropped a little.
It was the aftermath of my shopping spree in the Commercial District yesterday, where I bought materials in bulk. Did I hit about eight shops? Basically, I swept up all the spare materials meant for sale in each store.
A few witnesses saw me on this buying rampage, and now rumors are swirling in the community about some poor sap flashing cash in the Commercial District.
‘Hmm…’
I wiggled my fingers, assessing my bank account.
Most of the balance stamped in my account is from the bounties I received from the association.
One for resolving the Shiphana chain reaction incident and another for taking out the double-headed dragon of death.
Both events were earth-shattering incidents that could have turned into disasters if not for quick initial responses.
And I was the one who achieved those initial suppressions.
In Shiphana, I stopped the rampage by killing Aelrus, the alpha entity that acted as the core of the rampaging dungeon.
In China, I prevented a possible large-scale necromancer rampage and dungeon chain reaction by taking out the double-headed dragon.
Thanks to that, the rewards were hefty. I still vividly remember my jaw dropping when I saw the balance in my account.
No matter how much the cost of living here differs from my previous world, I never thought I’d be handling this kind of cash.
But people seem to perceive the double-headed dragon incident as a bigger disaster, so the bounty for taking it down was much greater.
After all, the creature was a once 3rd-tier alpha beast that spewed poison and disease, even though it had weakened into a necromancer state.
The gap is enormous.
But as someone who witnessed Aelrus, who could eventually rise to a 3rd-tier alpha, I thought it was a moot point.
‘Maybe I should consider it fortunate we crossed paths back then…’
As for other income, it’s just the scraps I collected from the monsters I’ve taken down here and there.
Even now, I still have plenty of monster byproducts piled up in my space. Initially, I planned to sell them all, but after acquiring necromancy, I repurposed them as teaching materials. I even brought back the byproducts that the association was storing.
‘But seriously, even with discounts like that, my balance still shrinks…’
I got 30% off thanks to the benefits of being a Shio-ram student, plus an additional 65% discount from the special admission privilege. A total of 95% off, and this is how it ends up… I thought I was adjusting to this place’s prices, but apparently not.
I bought what I needed for now, and since they’ll be materials I’ll use all the time later, I had to— but I can’t imagine being able to buy them at full price later on…
– Money worries? Why should you care?
While I was mulling over my dwindled balance, the card I received from Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly popped into my mind.
The day after the banquet at the Gop-hwa Clan.
While chatting with Hong Yeon-hwa, she questioned me with those curious eyes about why I was worrying about money and handed me a sparkling purple card…
‘……’
After she explained how to use it and what benefits I’d get, I trembled and carefully tucked it into my space. I haven’t touched it since receiving it.
No wonder… using it felt too guilty.
What have I done to suck that thing dry like a parasite? Hong Yeon-hwa pressed that it’s okay to use it generously, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it…
‘But Shio-ram is an exception.’
Actually, the Shio-ram discount benefits are an exception. The deducted amount due to discounts isn’t out of my pocket; Shio-ram covers it instead.
I was overly cautious about using it back then, but that hesitation was sliced away by the second round.
‘Damn it, I can’t believe they made that a thing at the Tower of Knowledge.’
They even threw me in without turning off the pain receptor.
I still grind my teeth thinking about it. I requested a meeting to at least get some answers about the Tower of Knowledge. The head of the Tower of Growth and the vice-head underneath are definitely insane.
Of course, I could have given up and escaped in the middle, and they even offered emergency exits, but… those are still crazy people.
I twisted my face and stood up.
.
.
.
The layout of Shio-ram’s facilities is quite planned out.
In the center where the Tower of Growth is located, there are the Central Government offices and management facilities along with the Commercial District.
From the central square, wide roads stretch out to the east, west, north, and south, separating the living areas for 1st to 4th grade.
Also, training and major facilities are concentrated in one location rather than scattered about.
Thanks to that, if you quietly observe the Shio-ram grounds, you can see various characteristics in each zone.
‘Hmm…’
The manufacturing department I visited this time made me think of an industrial complex.
There were low buildings with no windows completely covered by curtains, and most doors were big, clunky iron doors with thick walls.
A chimney towering overhead was puffing out white smoke.
“It feels like an industrial complex. No windows, low floors, thick iron doors, and there’s even a chimney…”
At that moment, a similar sentiment came from right next to me.
It was Baek Ahrin, dressed almost exactly like yesterday.
Accompanying me for help in this task, she had her arms crossed as she peered around, commenting on the scene.
The difference from yesterday was that there was no recognition-impairing magic tool this time.
Thanks to that, Baek Ahrin’s beauty stood out, drawing attention from those nearby.
“I think they’re looking at you instead of me?”
…That seems to be the case.
If you think about it, my unique appearance should draw more attention than Baek Ahrin’s.
Glancing around, I noticed several passerby turning their heads to steal glances at me.
‘Not just glancing; there are quite a few who are just staring blankly…’
They were students from the manufacturing department. I haven’t really met many from this field.
I mainly focused on combat training, so I had more interactions with that area. Also, I’ve been attending plenty of magic lectures lately.
They were all wearing similar work aprons with tools attached.
They looked tired, drenched in sweat, and their faces were smudged with dust and black marks.
The typical appearance you’d expect from workers.
“So, what are you going to do now, blacksmith?”
While moving on, Baek Ahrin playfully asked me.
Even though everyone else’s attention was on me, she seemed completely unfazed, as attention focused on her, too.
[Hmm… First, let’s gather some materials and rent a workshop.]
Gathering the main materials and renting a workshop went surprisingly smoothly.
After all, this is the manufacturing department area. There are plenty of shops and storage facilities dealing in various materials.
I visited one of the storage facilities managed directly by Shio-ram, not one set up by outsiders.
Shio-ram offers plenty of benefits to students.
Among them, they provide materials and tools to manufacturing students as well.
I picked up what I needed, including black steel and other materials.
After that, I just had to choose one of the many empty workshops nearby and rent it in real-time.
“Wow, they really hand out premium materials to special admission students right away… The benefits are fantastic.”
Baek Ahrin chuckled, referring to the abundance of materials I had gathered from the storage facility earlier.
[Yep.]
[Oh, I just found that out recently too.]
Typically, when receiving tools or materials from Shio-ram, you have to fill out some paperwork.
You’d explain what you want to make, what materials you need, how you plan to handle them, and how much of each you’ll be using…
It’s like a project proposal.
Since they wouldn’t want any reckless students to waste materials, they only lend to those who plan wisely.
As for me, I skipped that process altogether.
Just showing my special admission certification allowed the staff to hand over the project proposal document, letting me take whatever quantities and types of materials I wanted.
…The memory of those nearby, staring blankly at me earlier keeps popping up.
While they sat filling out forms meticulously, I just got to walk straight into the storage, collecting materials and equipment in abundance…
In summary, special admission has its perks.
The support is incredible.
Soon I’ll even receive additional funding, which should cover the amount I spent yesterday, right?
I smiled brightly.
But I won’t forgive that second round.
Though considering my growth rate, I feel a bit grateful, but… Anyway, screw the dean…
.
.
.
The workshop set up in the basement was filled with warm, stuffy air.
A massive furnace on one wall was warming up, casting an orange glow that lit up the dim interior, adding quite a charm.
Basic tools, including a solid anvil, were readily available near the furnace.
It was all the basics you’d expect.
[Is it too hot for you?]
While still in heating mode, I asked Baek Ahrin, who had just entered the workshop along with me, if it was comfortable by the furnace.
“Me? Why?”
Baek Ahrin tilted her head, seemingly having misheard.
After a moment of blinking her eyes, she suddenly reached out and squeezed my cheek.
[What the, heh]
[Feels niceeeeee~]
Her soft hand squeezed my cheek.
I was about to ask what she was doing when the coolness radiating from her hand sent a shiver through me.
Baek Ahrin giggled as she pinched my cheek.
Normally, I’d find that chilly, but in this situation, warmed up by the furnace, it felt oh-so-good…
I felt myself melt away.
“Thanks to the cold wave, I have no issues at all. Wasn’t that why you asked me along in the first place?”
[Yeah… I kinda forgot for a sec.]
Baek Ahrin, who manifested her cold wave, specialized in ice and water attributes.
Thinking about it, this level of heat should be manageable for her to clear away.
The reason I asked her along was precisely for that.
With a sheepish smile, I gently pulled my cheek away from her grip.
“So, are you making weapons today?”
[Yep.]
I nodded while enduring the playful jabs from her fingers that poked my cheek, as if throwing a “Did you forget that?” kind of tease.
Today’s goal was ultimately weapon crafting.
‘Black Steel Weapon.’
I planned to make various weapons with black steel, which offers both good cost-performance and quality.
Even in the original work, if there was nothing else, I made sure to stock up on black steel.
I had planned to obtain or create black steel weapons beforehand.
After meeting the second round at the Tower of Growth, that resolve only solidified further.
Especially since I had observed the black steel weapons crafted by the 2nd round, made by a master-level artisan.
Having taken in all that info, I thought I might be able to produce something even better this time.
‘Might as well try for some magic tools too.’
My mana manipulation and magical skills have improved significantly since the beginning of the semester.
This time, I’m thinking about creating accessories to inscribe spells on.
Of course, the magic tool aspect is more like practice, so I’m not expecting much.
But if they turn out well… I won’t be using them myself but will likely share them as gifts with others.
‘Hmm…’
After finishing that line of thought, I released some of my mana.
All the steps were about handling metal.
Just as a note, I learned my metallurgy from the Gop-hwa Clan.
In other words, I learned to handle metals through Gop-hwa.
“So, my job is… to tune your Gop-hwa with my cold wave.”
[Yep.]
That’s the reason I solicited Baek Ahrin’s help.
While I practiced for a long time handling Gop-hwa, I considered there might be a chance of it going haywire.
Plus, if it feels overwhelming at times, I could use her cold wave to help out.
Of course, I could manifest the cold wave myself, but I wanted to feel the way Baek Ahrin handles it firsthand.
[A little later would’ve been fine, though…]
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m bored anyway, and I’m learning just watching you do your thing.”
But I didn’t expect her to follow me so early on.
I asked out of concern that I might be wasting time, but Baek Ahrin, seated on a chair nearby, just smiled and said it was fine.
[…Then, I’ll rely on you.]
I nodded, bowing my head slightly.
“Don’t worry, if things seem dangerous, I’ll be there to stop it.”
In response to my gratitude, Baek Ahrin clapped her hands and smiled sweetly.
Feeling reassured by her expression, I sat down on the work chair.
Sweat began to bead on my body. I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt and wrist guards. Still not used to my pale skin, beads of sweat started forming.
With a strange look, I wriggled my right hand, and after a long time, manifested Gop-hwa.
– Hwarurrurrk…!
‘Huh?’
Gop-hwa flared up.
It swelled up considerably like a wave before suddenly deflating.
I tilted my head in puzzlement, watching the phenomena as I waved my right arm where the Gop-hwa had occurred.
‘…Is it just me, or does it feel stronger than before?’
Gop-hwa was surging.
*
*
*
[Unique Ability “Mana Affinity” has been activated.]
[Expanded Ability “Homogenization: Gop-hwa” has been activated.]
…
[Player Adjustment System: Measurement Begin]
▶ Mental State
“Trial of Gop-hwa(?)”
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