Chapter 98
Meeting (2)
“Mr. Kang Hyeon! Are you determined to destroy the research lab?”
“It didn’t collapse, did it?”
Kang Hyeon smirked and looked at Bilgein soul Longsword.
“That thing repairs itself, right?”
“Probably.”
“Why ‘probably’? It was newly added to the options, wasn’t it?”
Kang Hyeon was certain he had checked.
Self-repair was listed as an option in the sword’s description.
If so, it would surely return to normal condition before long.
Kang Hyeon could be confident because he already had Ronald’s armor and the Craftsman’s greatsword.
Similarly, those two pieces of equipment with self-repair always got fixed quickly even when roughly handled to the point of being half-broken.
“So, if we leave it alone, it should fix itself.”
“Hmm...”
It didn’t repair itself.
Kang Hyeon was shocked to see the sword still broken even after he had eaten a meal and had a cup of tea.
“What the hell!? Why is it still like this!?”
Of course, weapons don’t get repaired in an instant within an hour.
But there should be at least some signs of repair in progress, yet there was no change at all.
“Ms. Jeong Seo-bin. What’s going on with this!?”
“First, try picking up the sword.”
Kang Hyeon hurriedly picked up the sword.
“Hey, can you hear me? Stop messing around and repair the sword quickly. Before I destroy the remaining parts too.”
“Mr. Kang Hyeon. Calm down for a moment.”
“Huff... Do I look calm right now? My sword that I’m seeing after a month. And it’s a sword that I infused with a B-grade boss magic stone, but it’s become useless!?”
Kang Hyeon ranted while holding the greatsword that was completely shattered, its blade shortened like a dagger.
Seeing this, Jeong Seo-bin sighed.
‘You’re the one who broke it, you idiot...’
There was a lot she wanted to say, but for now, it was time to fix the sword.
“The self-repair wasn’t an original ability of the sword, but a newly generated ability along with the ego.”
“So?”
“It means that the newly added option might need some different activation conditions unlike the existing ones.”
“Activation condition...”
“Mr. Kang Hyeon. Can you manipulate magic by any chance?”
At Jeong Seo-bin’s sudden question, Kang Hyeon nodded reluctantly.
“Yes... Well, it’s not really a secret anymore at this point. I can control it to some extent.”
The number of ability users who could manipulate magic was gradually increasing.
Although the number was still very small, and even then, there was a big difference in level compared to Kang Hyeon, it was clear that magic manipulation and magic sensing were no longer Kang Hyeon’s exclusive abilities.
“Then let’s try infusing magic into the sword.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Kang Hyeon immediately started manipulating magic.
Blue magic rose from Kang Hyeon’s hand, and the risen magic moved to the sword in his hand.
-Wooong
Then, surprisingly, the sword trembled and greedily devoured the magic.
At the same time, the broken blade began to regenerate rapidly.
“Oh, this is working?”
Just as the sword had recovered to some extent.
-Kraa!
Veil, who had been sleeping inside the sword, woke up again.
“Were you sleeping? Why didn’t you answer when I called?”
-You ask because you don’t know!? It’s because of you! Because of your barbaric actions, I felt the sensation of pain that I hadn’t felt for hundreds of years, and when the sword broke, my soul and mind...!
As Veil kept rambling on, Kang Hyeon felt his head buzzing.
He quickly slammed the sword on the ground.
“Shut up. Shut up. Shut up! Why are you so talkative?”
-...
“You should have been quiet from the start.”
Finally, when Veil became docile, Kang Hyeon smiled with satisfaction.
“Anyway, it seems we’ve put out the immediate fire.”
“Huff... Can I even fight with it in this state? I need to concentrate, but if it keeps chattering like this, or if it releases and scatters magic like before, what should I do?”
“Hmm...”
Kang Hyeon’s doubts were reasonable.
Honestly, Jeong Seo-bin didn’t have much to say, so she decided to brush it off.
“Well, you’ve gained a new ability, right? And it’s become an ego sword, meaning it has a soul and will, so it might develop more abilities in the future. The existing abilities might also be able to grow.”
“So, there’s no solution?”
“No.”
When her intention was exposed, Jeong Seo-bin smiled brightly.
“Tch. I heard he wasn’t very perceptive...”
Jeong Seo-bin turned her head and muttered in a small voice.
“Sigh, I guess they didn’t mention he had sharp ears too.”
Kang Hyeon sighed and ran his hand through his hair in irritation.
“I understand for now. I guess we’ll find a breakthrough as we use it.”
“Yes.”
“And this is the magic stone I got this time...”
As soon as the words ‘magic stone’ came out of Kang Hyeon’s mouth, Jeong Seo-bin’s eyes sparkled.
“I watched it on YouTube! That huge, fire-breathing... Phoenix? The bird that looks like a chicken?”
“It’s Panath. Here.”
When Kang Hyeon handed over the magic stone, Jeong Seo-bin smiled brightly like a child and was delighted.
“What are you planning to use this for?”
“Originally, I thought about modifying Ronald’s armor, but seeing the situation today, I don’t really want to...”
After pondering for a moment, Kang Hyeon continued.
“Just use it for research. Use it for repairs next time if needed.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Then I’ll be going... She’s already gone.”
Kang Hyeon was about to say goodbye and leave, but Jeong Seo-bin had already run into the lab without looking back.
“Ahh! That’s refreshing!”
In the Badass Guild office.
Kang Hyeon, Shin Seong-a, and Yoon Na-rae were having a modest beer party.
“So if you have any complaints, spill them all out now.”
“...”
“First, I think I’ve been a bit harsh on you lately. I’m sorry about that.”
“Yes...”
“So let’s clear everything up here today without any hard feelings!”
To be honest, Kang Hyeon didn’t dislike Yoon Na-rae that much.
She had some cute aspects, and above all, her abilities were excellent.
“I think you have many different skills and great potential for growth.”
“Thank you.”
Yoon Na-rae, knowing her own faults, answered politely.
“Magicians of your caliber are rare. It might not be easy to sync with us, but if you do it well, there will definitely be tremendous synergy.”
“Yes...”
The beer cans were piling up.
Despite being capable, Yoon Na-rae didn’t seem to have a high alcohol tolerance, as her face was already quite flushed.
“Ahem, I think so too. Yoon Na-rae’s abilities are not easily seen anywhere else, and they have very high utility.”
“That’s right. Being a bit boy-crazy isn’t a problem. It’s a natural law of nature! A principle.”
“...”
“You never know. If we keep spending time together, you might grow fond of An Yu-seong, and love might bloom. Isn’t that how these things go?”
This advice came from Kang Hyeon, who had a total of 3 dating experiences.
His last relationship was 6 years ago.
All 3 ended in disastrous breakups.
For reference, he had thoroughly read 3 dating self-help books.
“So, if you have any complaints today, just let them all out, okay? Let’s try to get along well.”
“Yes... Then can I say just one thing?”
“Yeah, go ahead.”
“Please stop teasing me by calling me a loli otaku.”
“Of course I won’t. If it bothered you that much, why didn’t you say so earlier? Haha!”
“I’ve already said it dozens of times...”
“Well! Let’s move past the small stuff. What else? Say more.”
Something felt off, but Yoon Na-rae, already drunk, nodded and continued speaking.
“Stop teasing me about being short and flat-chested.”
“I’ve never done that...?”
“You teased me in the comments! Stop it!”
“No, you started it first by calling us a thug guild!”
“Can’t a person be a bit short and have a small chest!? How can you hurt someone like that!?”
“...”
“Honestly, you’re not in a position to easily find a woman either. You know that!?”
Suddenly, a vein popped on Kang Hyeon’s forehead.
Kang Hyeon desperately tried to calm his breathing and barely managed to suppress his anger.
“So, that’s...”
“Your face looks like a gang boss. And your actions are even worse!”
“...”
“That’s why you’ve been single for years, isn’t it?”
“Don’t you think our conversation topic has strayed a bit?”
Facial dissonance.
Kang Hyeon’s mouth was smiling, but the corners of his eyes were twitching.
But Yoon Na-rae, already thoroughly drunk, was unstoppable.
-Bang!
She put down her beer can with a loud noise and pointed her finger.
“Besides, it’s wrong to treat people so badly. Always cursing and hitting, is that all there is to being strong?”
Yoon Na-rae stood up excitedly and started ranting as if possessed.
Watching her, the trembling Kang Hyeon received a whisper from Shin Seong-a.
“Mr. Kang Hyeon.”
“What.”
“Shall we get rid of her?”
“I sometimes can’t tell if your words are jokes or serious.”
“I don’t know what jokes are, though.”
Meanwhile, Yoon Na-rae was talking with a cigarette in her mouth, which she had taken out at some point.
“Honestly! Someone like me would be treated well anywhere. That’s what I’m saying. But here, I’m treated like wallpaper every day. Wallpaper. At least wallpaper is tall! Whew!”
The cigarette smoke Yoon Na-rae exhaled hit Kang Hyeon’s face directly.
The sharp, stinging scent assaulted his nose.
Kang Hyeon put on a serious face and slammed his fist down.
-Crack!
The thick wooden table instantly split into eighteen pieces, ending its life.
“Just do the first verse.”
“Yes...”
As Kang Hyeon sighed and ran his hand through his hair,
“What’s going on?”
There was a sudden vibration, and when he checked, it was a call from Shin Tae-gil.
“Yes.”
-Mr. Kang Hyeon. It’s a big problem.
“Oh? Coincidentally, I’m in the middle of a big problem too.”
-Pardon?
“If you know any good hair loss treatments...”
-Mr. Kang Hyeon!
At the slightly angry voice, Kang Hyeon’s lips protruded into a pout.
“It’s a joke. A joke. So what’s the big problem?”
-Mr. Kang Hyeon.
Unlike usual, he seemed to be speaking with a lot of gravity, which made Kang Hyeon increasingly uneasy.
“What is it...”
-You’ll need to play the role of a teacher once.
“What?”