Ordinary Art Factor [EN]: Chapter 13

I was quite taken aback by his sudden change in attitude.

What’s he trying to pull?

Is this guy crazy?

“Ah, shit! The more I think about it, the more pissed I get. How much did we lose because of that newbie? A 10th-grade dungeon, the title alone would’ve fetched at least 100 million… Ah, shit!”

What?

Title?

100 million?

I had no idea what he was talking about.

Is a 10th-grade mech dungeon really that lucrative?

I’d only ever seen a mech dungeon once before on my honeymoon, and this was my first time entering one as an Awakened [a person with newly discovered superpowers].

Of course, I knew the information from Naver [a popular South Korean online platform], but theory and reality are different.

“What are you going to do? Follow him around and pick up his trash?”

“… Hey, Manager Hyun. I’m seriously taken aback right now….”

“Bullshit.”

“What did you say?”

“Stop talking bullshit, mister! Do I look like that old pushover to you? Why are you reminiscing about the past? Frankly, dying here would just be a dog’s death. Why? Want to fight? Want me to kill you? Huh?”

A massive greatsword materialized in his right hand, pointed at me.

“Manager Hyun! There’s a Jeju branch employee over there!”

“I know. That’s why I’m holding back like this! Shit! Just because some nobody gets a dungeon title. What is this! How embarrassing.”

“The Association will give you priority negotiation rights for the title. Isn’t that why we brought him along? Let’s wrap this up and get out of here. I’ll take you to a nice place tonight.”

“Alright. Ah… this really brings back old memories. Shit! But I’ll let it slide since you’re reminding me of the old days, so just stay out of sight. Hahaha….”

As he and the young man started walking away, I collapsed to the ground.

What is going on?

What just happened?

Is this really the same Hyun Ga who used to suck up to me at the pool hall, trying to get a drink or borrow money?

What did I just hear?

My heart was racing uncontrollably, my face was burning, and my hands were trembling.

Cold sweat ran down my back, and saliva dripped from my nose and mouth against my will.

“Um… I know this isn’t the best time, but I’m Hyun Tae-min from the Korea Awakened Association, Jeju Branch Support Team. Let’s calm down first. Here, have some water.”

With trembling hands, I grabbed the 500ml water bottle.

After struggling to open the cap several times, the man in his late twenties next to me opened it for me.

I nearly chugged the entire bottle of water, which brought me back to my senses a little.

“Hyun Ji-hoon, the section chief of Aria Guild’s Jeju branch. He’s 35. A mage. Grade 8. His grade and stats are high for his age, but his personality is… well, he’s infinitely strong towards the weak and infinitely servile towards the strong… a typical petty person. Of course, you probably already know that….”

I blew my nose into my hand, wiped it roughly on my pants, and stood up.

The thirst I had been holding back was quenched, and I felt a little calmer.

“Thank you. I’m Han Ji-won, team leader at OO Information Technology. Here’s my card….”

“… You’re a salaryman [a white-collar worker]?”

“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”

“Oh my….”

The dungeon was cleared in about an hour.

Outside, the employee named Hyun Tae-min from the Jeju branch support team spoke with those guys for a few minutes before approaching me again.

He handed me his business card and told me to visit the branch by the end of the week.

It’s about the dungeon title, but I suddenly can’t remember what that is.

Left alone, I trudged along the coastal road, enjoying the cool sea breeze.

A 10th-grade mech dungeon that I entered by chance.

There were gains and losses.

No, the losses outweighed the gains.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t know anything since I entered the dungeon by chance, but the sense of loss and the wounded pride filled me with despair.

My suit was stained and covered in white marks, my face was smeared with what might have been tears, and in my hand, I held the business card of Hyun Tae-min, an Awakened Association employee from the Jeju branch support team.

I stared blankly at the horizon for a long time.

It’s so vast.

The Jeju sea.

A moment later.

“What happened?”

“Hyung [an honorific term used by males to address older male friends or brothers]. Just be my drinking buddy today.”

“… Alright. Let’s have a drink.”

“Yeah.”

At the usual soju-and-beer-fueled dinner [Soju is a Korean distilled beverage], I filled a beer glass with soju.

Instead of eating the sizzling pork belly, I grabbed a piece of pickled radish and picked up the soju bottle again.

“If you’re going to drink like that, I’m leaving.”

“…….”

“Whatever happened, eat something with it. You’ll ruin your stomach.”

“… Heh.”

Tears I had been holding back began to flow.

In just a few months, I’ll be forty, and yet tears are flowing uncontrollably like this.

What did I do wrong?

I don’t even know if it’s my fault, but this doesn’t seem right.

I thought I had lived a good life, without doing anything terribly wrong, 365 days a year… but it seems that’s not the case.

Why do I feel so wronged and upset?

I’m so upset that it feels like my body is burning up.

* * *

The next day.

I woke up to find the sun high in the sky.

I checked the time on my phone with a throbbing headache and saw that it was 11:38 AM.

I’m screwed.

Screwed is screwed, but I got up, chugged some cold water, and headed to the bathroom, pulling out a cigarette.

After showering and changing, I had a spicy seafood jjambong [Korean-Chinese noodle soup] at a Chinese restaurant near my house to cure my hangover.

My head was still throbbing, so I even downed a hangover drink from the convenience store.

When I arrived at the office, everyone was out for lunch.

I searched the internet for “Korea Awakened Association Jeju Branch Location.”

Il-do District Election Commission Office, 3F.

I showed my face to the employees as they entered the office and then left again.

I grabbed a taxi and arrived at the Election Commission Office in about 20 minutes.

That’s what’s great about Jeju.

There are mountains and the sea, and even the longest distance is only an hour away. Even from Jeju City to Seogwipo.

I called the phone number on the business card.

“Yes, this is Hyun Tae-min.”

“Hello, this is Han Ji-won, team leader at OO Information Technology… well, yes, and yesterday… I mean, the 10th-grade mech dungeon….”

Habits are scary.

I’m always supposed to identify myself first in official matters, so my affiliation slipped out without me realizing it.

After finishing the call, I went up to the 3rd floor, where the employee I had seen yesterday was waiting for me in front of the elevator.

“You came quickly. This way….”

I followed him into a conference room inside the office, and a short while later, a man in his mid-40s came in with the employee, along with coffee.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ko Yong-seok, team leader of the Korea Awakened Association Jeju Branch Support Team.”

“Yes, I’m Han Ji-won.”

As we exchanged business cards, the employee named Hyun Tae-min opened a file and handed me a few sheets of paper.

“Please take a look at this first and let me know if there are any errors.”

“Okay.”

It was a simple report.

Dungeon location, time, and grade.

And that I was the first Awakened to enter the dungeon, and Aria Guild’s… that bastard, cleared it.

“As you know, the 10th-grade mech dungeon that occurred yesterday was cleared by Aria Guild Jeju Branch Section Chief Hyun Ji-hoon and one other person. Do you acknowledge this?”

“Yes.”

“Then, do you also acknowledge that you do not have the right to negotiate the title of the first Awakened to enter the dungeon, according to the Dungeon Special Act and the Awakened Special Act?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Please sign here… and here too.”

The title negotiation right is, in essence, a contract for the ownership, management, and operation of the dungeon.

Of course, if you are not qualified or if multiple organizations clear the dungeon depending on the grade, it is divided by share (%).

Naturally, the mineral rewards from clearing the dungeon are monopolized by the company or corporation that has completed the title negotiation, and they are also distributed according to the contribution to the clearing.

Also, high-grade dungeons, 5th grade or higher, mech, and bio dungeons are not referred to by grade but are given names, which is where the term title dungeon comes from.

In other words, famous dungeons are given titles determined by the company or organization that cleared them instead of grades.

The most famous Four-Star Dungeon in Korea is a bio dungeon, a 4th-grade dungeon.

It was cleared by the Sasung Guild, which was established by the collaboration of Sasung’s electronics and dungeon divisions, and they named it after their company.

“… And I understand that Mr. Han Ji-won does not yet have an Awakened license. Is that correct?”

“Yes. It hasn’t been long since I awakened.”

“What is your job class and level?”

“No comment.”

“…….”

“Actually… I don’t really know either.”

“I see. You can take the Awakened ability test on the 4th floor. Would you like to take the test for license issuance?”

“…….”

“We’ll cover the cost….”

“Yes. Let’s do it.”

I’ve already earned 1 million won.

And let’s talk again after the measurement.

A short while later.

“Ha….”

I came out of the Association and stared at the Awakened license in my hand in front of the crosswalk.

The Awakened license looks similar to an ID card, with the Korea Awakened Association logo clearly engraved in the center, my photo and resident registration number in the upper left, and my job class, stats, and grade on the right.

But what’s the point?

It’s 10th grade.

If an Awakened is 10th grade, they’re practically a regular person.

If I were a Healer or Priest class, even a 10th grade would have hospitals and clinics fighting over me, but I’m a Mage class. Moreover, I’ve been identified as an Art Factor.

Furthermore, my stats are only 4.

It can be renewed every year, but considering that the average stats for a 10th-grade Awakened are 20, it’s a terrible number… huh?

Wait a minute… stats of 4….

“Status Window.”

[Art Factor: Han Ji-won (Lv-1)

Nationality/Affiliation: Republic of Korea/None, Age: 39, Height/Weight: 176cm/84kg,

Agility: 1, Endurance: 1, Strength: 2, Stamina: 1,

Intelligence: 2, Luck: 1, Inventory: 1

Summon Target Stats: 4 (Probe), Owned Artifacts: Mineral Shard (Absorption) 20]

“Hmm… this, this feels like….”

Something feels strange.

I feel like I almost know.

I need to find out how to level up first.

I returned to the office and worked until after 6 PM, then I went to a park near my house… well, not really a park, but an empty lot.

Still, there are some unknown trees, benches, and exercise equipment around, so it’s a place I often visit.

I sat down on a rock in the corner of the lot, lit a cigarette, and pondered.

I’ve already managed to summon a Probe in the dungeon, and now the problem is how to use the absorbed mineral shards….

Could it be?

“Um… Mineral Summon.”

I just tried it once, hoping for the best… wow, it actually works.

The mineral shard that the little Probe brought back yesterday is in my hand.

“Mineral Summon, Summon, Summon, Summon. Ah, this is annoying. I wish I could just summon them all at once….”

It works. As soon as twenty minerals were summoned at once, an alert rang.

[Ding! You can create 2 crystals with 20 minerals. Would you like to synthesize?]

“Huh? What is this?”

[Ding! 2 crystals have been created. The total amount of owned artifacts has increased.]

[Ding! You can create a Force, Battery, and Gateway.]

[Ding! Summoning stats have increased.]

“Why? What, what is it! What? What did I do!”

I jumped up and shouted at the incessant alerts, and the middle-aged women who were exercising over there stared at me.

Feeling embarrassed, I sat back down on the rock and took a deep breath.

My heart is racing like crazy at the incessant alerts.

I recalled the alerts and stammered.

“S, Status Window.”

[Art Factor: Han Ji-won (Lv-1)

Nationality/Affiliation: Republic of Korea/None, Age: 39, Height/Weight: 176cm/84kg,

Agility: 1, Endurance: 1, Strength: 2, Stamina: 1,

Intelligence: 2, Luck: 1, Inventory: 1, Crystal: 2,

Buildings: 3 (Force, Battery, Gateway)

Summon Target Stats: 12 (Probe), Owned Artifacts: Mineral Shard (Absorption) 0]

“That’s it!”

I jumped up and down like a madman.

My status has been upgraded.

New traits called Buildings and Crystals have appeared, and my summoning stats have increased by 8.

Well, the only summonable target is still a Probe.

After calming down for a moment, I was looking at the status window with satisfaction….

‘Buzzz… Buzzz….’

I got a call from my wife.

“Yeah. What is it?”

“Honey, did you become an Awakened? Really? Seriously? What’s your grade? Where are you now? The office? Did you leave work? Are you coming home?”

How did this woman know?

And how can she talk so fast?

“… I’m in the empty lot next to the house….”

The call was disconnected.

And in less than three minutes, my wife came running towards me with open arms.

Still in her OO Bank uniform, she hadn’t even changed before calling me as soon as she got off work.

“Where’s my son?”

She crashed into my arms with the same speed she had been running.

No, she collided with me.

“Honey! Are you an Awakened now?”

“… Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you get your license?”

“Yeah.”

“Where is it?”

I took out my Awakened license from my wallet and showed it to my wife.

“Wow~ It’s real. Let’s see. This is the license that only Awakened can make… Grade 10?”

“Yeah.”

“Your stats are… 4?”

“Yeah.”

“…Still, you’re an Awakened, right?”

“Yeah. But how did you know I became an Awakened?”

“There was Awakened Association mail at the front door? I found out when I saw that.”

‘Why are these association bastards so quick with their work?’

‘And the mail should be sent to the office… Ah, then the people at the office will know… Crap.’

Still, that night, I was able to sleep next to my wife for the first time in a while… Hehe.

I’ll leave it to your imagination…

* * *

A few days later.

While working in the afternoon, I searched for all the dungeons in Jeju Island before quitting time and diligently wrote down the search results.

There were over ten Mech Dungeons, recently created in Yongdam-dong, Ara-dong, Seogwipo City’s Beophwan-dong, Seongpanak, and Eorimok. There was one Bio Dungeon each in Hallim, Aewol, Pyoseon, and Seongsan.

Among them, the Seongpanak Mech Dungeon is Grade 8, the Hallim Bio Dungeon is Grade 9, and the rest are all Grade 10.

Most were managed by the Awakened Association, two were managed by the Aria Guild’s Jeju branch (that bastard from last time), and the Cheonsang Guild’s Jeju branch and the Ultra Guild each managed one.

“I need to go into a dungeon… That’s the only way to collect minerals and make crystals…”

I muttered while having a cup of coffee and a cigarette in the office smoking room, looking over the search results.

If I could just get into a dungeon, I could somehow collect minerals with the Probe…

The problem is that my stats are too low.

The average stats for Grade 10 Awakened are in the 20s, while I’m only at 4.

Even though it became 12 after making two crystals this time, my stats are still much lower than other Awakened, so no dungeon clearing party would take me.

‘Should I just use the money Seungchan hyung [older brother/friend] lent me to pay to win?’

While I was thinking about the unknown temptation,

‘Buzz…’

I got a KakaoTalk [Korean messaging app] message from Kyung-hwan hyung.

‘Should I pick you up after work?’

‘Yeah. Come on over.’

‘Okay. I’ll call you when I get there.’

‘Yeah.’

Today is Friday.

Friday is party night.

Of course, it’s the day the members gather.

And tomorrow is Saturday.

It’s fishing day…

I’m busy.

When Kyung-hwan hyung and I arrived at the usual billiard hall, Seungchan hyung and Sangjunseong were waiting.

“You’re here early? Did you finish work early today?”

“Yeah. I rested in the afternoon.”

After splitting into teams, I’m on the same team as Seungchan hyung again today.

“Try to play well today.”

“I can only play well if you give me good balls…”

Um, it’s okay. It’s a refreshing start.

I scored 11 points on the second turn.

7 points on the third.

I can hear Kyung-hwan hyung’s swearing.

In the end, we won the billiards game in less than an hour.

Since the winning team pays for the billiards, I was walking to the counter to pay when Kyung-hwan hyung suddenly snatched my wallet.

“Hey! What’s this?”

“What are you doing? There’s not much money in there…”

Oh crap! My Awakened license was at the top of my wallet, in the credit card slot.

I showed it to my wife last time and just habitually stuck it in there and forgot about it.

“What! Jiwon, you’re an Awakened?”

“What?”

“Who? Jiwon?”

“What are you talking about?”

Sangjunseong and Seungchan hyung, who were about to leave the billiard hall, suddenly approached after hearing Kyung-hwan hyung’s shout.

The billiard hall owner, who was at the counter, also stared at me intently.

The customers who were playing billiards over there are also looking at me.

It’s quite embarrassing.

“No, it’s just a composite. It’s fake. I was trying to design it for work… There’s no way I’m an Awakened…”

Before I could finish, Kyung-hwan hyung was holding the license up to the light.

‘He’s sharp?’

“What kind of composite license has a hologram? I can even see the anti-counterfeit mark here?”

“Where?”

“Me too, me too…”

“Art Factor? Stats… 4?”

“Huh? Stats are 4? Hehe… Hehehe.”

“Puhahaha… Ah, Jiwon, I’m sorry. But still… Kyakyakya.”

The hyungs, who were initially surprised and excited, suddenly started laughing.

Even the billiard hall owner next to them.

Um…

‘I should pay to win.’

Still, I received a lot of congratulatory drinks from the hyungs that day.

On the one hand, they scoffed at my stats, saying, “Is that all you got?” so I boasted that I would upgrade my stats to over 50 within this year.

If an Awakened’s stats are over 50, they are Grade 9.

The hyungs, who initially asked how I became an Awakened, started asking how I was going to raise my stats, whether I was going to quit my job, what I would live on if I quit, whether I had a house, whether I was going to enter a dungeon, and what dungeon I could even enter with my abilities…

Damn it.

Annoyed, I kept emptying my soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] glass and returned home.

The next day, Saturday.

Autumn rain is drizzling from the morning.

The wind is blowing and the waves are high, so fishing is off today.

‘It’s a good thing anyway.’

I should go to City Hall in the afternoon.

When I woke up, my wife had already taken the kid to her younger sister’s house to play.

Well, she’s almost always out and about unless she’s on duty…

But why doesn’t she say anything to me?

Or ask me to go somewhere with her sometimes!

I gulped down cold water, took out a cigarette, and headed to the bathroom.

After ordering a double portion of jajangmyeon [black bean noodles] and changing my clothes, I caught a taxi and headed to the gold shop near City Hall.

It was a little after 1 PM, and the store smelled of food, as if they had just eaten lunch. A man in his late 50s came out from the back and greeted me warmly.

“Welcome.”

“Um, do you happen to handle minerals here?”

“Yes. How much are you looking to buy?”

“How does it work?”

“Well, it varies daily depending on the market price. Let’s see. Today it’s ₩3,567 [Korean Won] per gram. Adding tax and commission to that…”

‘Huh? Why is it so expensive? ₩3,500 per gram? Then…?’

I was shocked and quickly did some calculations.

‘Then a 1kg mineral would be roughly ₩3,560,000?’

‘No, if you add tax and commission to that!’

“…Um, how does it work?”

“You know you can’t break down the minerals, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then what we have in the store right now is… Let’s see, this one is 378g, this one is 789g, this one is 1,231g. We have bigger ones too, but how much are you looking to spend?”

The store owner took out a few mineral pieces and told me their weights.

‘Mineral Fragment (Absorbable)

Source: Mech Dungeon (Grade 10), Grade: 10

Stat Availability: 0.45% increase (Variable availability based on level)’

‘Mineral Fragment (Absorbable)

Source: Mech Dungeon (Grade 10), Grade: 10

Stat Availability: 0.66% increase (Variable availability based on level)’

‘Mineral Fragment (Absorbable)

Source: Mech Dungeon (Grade 10), Grade: 10

Stat Availability: 0.78% increase (Variable availability based on level)’

I carefully examined the characteristics of the mineral fragments that I could see.

They were absorbable, but the availability varied depending on the size.

What I need right now is the number of mineral fragments, not the availability.

But the problem is that the smallest one here is 378g.

Even if I roughly calculate it, it’s over ₩1,000,000 excluding tax and commission. There’s no reason to buy a big and expensive mineral.

“Um… I’ll check other places and come back.”

A look that says I don’t like it… Bullshit.

I couldn’t afford it, so I was going to think about it, without any meaning, I just went outside and took out a cigarette.

“Hoo~ It’s more difficult than I thought.”

It would be better to buy mineral fragments embedded in accessories.

I’ll put the idea of buying original minerals on hold for a while.

Well, accessories with absorbable minerals aren’t cheap either, but that would be better.

I searched all the surrounding accessory stores for nearly 3 hours.

I wrote down the absorbable mineral fragments separately, and the cheapest one was ₩183,000.

If I roughly estimate it at ₩200,000 and buy 25, the money I borrowed from Seungchan hyung will be gone.

20 mineral fragments would make 2 crystals.

I’m spending ₩5,000,000 to make 2 crystals.

It’s borrowed money…

First, I checked the cheapest prices on my phone and went to a nearby PC cafe [internet cafe].

I should think a little more about the purchase decision.

While surfing the internet, I remembered and went to the Awakened Association’s Jeju branch website.

I was looking at the dungeon clearing strategies in the website’s data room when a new post appeared in the dungeon clearing party recruitment section on the main screen.

“Huh? Ara-dong? …Party member?”

-Urgently seeking 1 party member for Ara-dong Mech Dungeon clearing (Priority given to those who arrive on-site first, mages preferred)

The Mech Dungeon in Ara-dong is in the vacant lot behind the OO University Hospital.

It’s only 15 minutes from City Hall.

If the traffic lights are good, it’s possible to get there in 10 minutes.

And most importantly, priority is given to those who arrive on-site first.

I immediately got up from my seat, went outside, picked a taxi waiting for passengers, and said to the driver.

“To the Ara-dong Mech Dungeon. I’ll pay double if you go fast.”

“…Let’s do that.”

The taxi started speeding forward, changing lanes dangerously.

I entered through the back gate of OO University Hospital, paid the taxi fare double, and started running.

The Cheonsang Guild’s Jeju branch management office is visible at the entrance of the Mech Dungeon.

As I was about to hand my Awakened license to the management office staff, three young Awakened who were waiting inside greeted me.

“See! First come, first served is the best.”

“I know.”

“Mister. You’re an Awakened, right? You came because of the push notification?”

“Push notification? Are you talking about the app push?”

“Yes.”

“I came after seeing the website post…”

“You don’t have the Awakened app installed?”

“……”

‘There was such a thing?’

‘I didn’t know… No, it’s not like I needed it.’

“Hey. Jihye. That’s not important right now. We need to enter the dungeon quickly. There’s less than 5 minutes left until the entry time.”

“Ah~ right. Mister. What’s your class?”

“Mage…”

“Okay. Let’s go in.”

Before I could finish, a man in his late 20s handed the dungeon clearing documents to the management office staff.

“4 Awakened. Requesting entry to clear the Ara-dong Resurgent Mech Dungeon.”

“Approved. Enter.”

The minimum number of people required to enter a Grade 10 Resurgent Mech Dungeon is 4.

Regardless of the class, you can enter the dungeon as long as you have the required number of people.

On paper.

Basically, everything that happens inside the dungeon is the responsibility of the Awakened. However, if the Awakened fail to clear the dungeon within 2 hours of entering, that is, 4 hours in the dungeon, the dungeon management office will directly enter and clear it.

In that case, the Awakened who entered will not only fail to receive the clearing reward, but also lose the entry fee and the items that came out of the dungeon.

It’s rare to enter as a last-minute replacement like this… No, it happens quite often.

Originally, even if it’s a resurgent Grade 10 dungeon, about 5-6 Grade 10 Awakened would be waiting to enter, but today, why, I don’t know how this situation happened, but I’m very lucky today.

The entry fee to clear a resurgent Mech Dungeon is ₩2,000,000 per Awakened.