The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 337

335. The Second and Third (4)

While Hyun-ah kindly put a straw in my coconut, Myung-woo arrived. What is this supposed to taste like? Coconut-flavored snacks were delicious, but this water… not so much.

“Myung-woo~”

I plastered on a smile. It’s hard to stay angry at a smiling face. Myung-woo put the box of drinks he brought on the table.

“I told you, you didn’t have to buy anything.”

“How could I come empty-handed? How’s your body?”

“I’m fine! Really. I’m perfectly fine, and I’ll be discharged tomorrow.”

I repeatedly emphasized that I was really okay. The wound on my back was just an accident, but I should probably keep up the pretense since using potions or healing skills all the time isn’t ideal. Should I even mention that mana imprints are good for the body?

“Sorry for calling you when you’re busy.”

“I don’t mind when you call, but I wish it wasn’t from the hospital.”

There was an edge to his words even as he smiled. Suddenly, Eun-hye popped out and flew towards Myung-woo. Then, beep-beep-beep, she began to complain.

“…Can you understand her?”

“No. But I can tell that you’ve caused trouble again, Yoo-jin.”

“That’s right! It must be because Eun-hye fought with Rin!”

“Rin? The Fire Spirit?”

I quickly nodded.

“Yeah, they fought. They didn’t get along very well from the start. Eun-hye’s favorite thing to say is ‘bad lizard.’”

“Really? I didn’t have any problems with Ismual.”

“Irin seems a bit different from Ismual. Ismual is gentle.”

“Not always. He complains quite often too. Maybe it’s because of age. I’m also Ismual’s second owner.”

“The first owner is Shalos, right? Have you heard anything about him?”

He must have been no ordinary person to create a special space called the Transcender’s Golden Blacksmith and offer it as a skill reward.

“I often hear about what he made and how. He even knew about the Corrupting Ruler’s Sword.”

“What? Really? What did he say?”

“He said that he was the best at making swords. Ismual, who praises the Creator at every turn, said that, so he must have been really great. So, are you going to make the SSS-grade magic stone I gave you last time into a sword?”

“Why?”

“You’re planning to give it to your brother, right? But since you have the Ruler’s Sword, I thought it would be better to make something else.”

It wouldn’t be bad to have another SS-grade sword, but after hearing Myung-woo’s words, I was worried. For now, it would be used as a sub-weapon. Yoo-hyun can use dual swords, but it’s better to handle flames with one hand than to use two SS-grade swords.

“Can I change it to something else now?”

“The forging will be finished soon, so it’s the perfect time. I spent some time making sure it comes out as SS-grade or higher.”

“Ummm, I’m not sure. It would be nice if Ye-rim had an SS-grade weapon too. Should I just forget about using it as ranking battle bait? But a sub-weapon would be good too.”

Above all, I hesitated because I could apply the Sword Devourer skill. Using an SS-grade weapon as a one-time thing is really crazy, but there might be a situation where I have to do that. But usually, I’d just leave it in my inventory…….

“You still have a few days left to think about it.”

“Yeah. But you said before that the attribute would suit a sword well, right?”

“The monster attribute you mentioned did, but surprisingly, the water energy is also strong.”

“Water?”

My ears perked up. Come to think of it, they were from the No Harm King’s clan, the Misty Sea clan. Misty Sea is a water attribute no matter how you look at it.

“Then, should I make a weapon for Ye-rim after all?”

“If it’s Park Ye-rim’s weapon, it’s also possible to upgrade her original spear.”

“Really?”

“Because I made it.”

Wow, you can do that too. First, I have to ask Yoo-hyun. Originally, I was going to give it to Yoo-hyun, and he might need a sub-weapon.

“The SS-grade magic stones I got from Japan are also being forged. The pistol is finished, do you want to see it? It’s only D-grade, though.”

“Already? I want to see it!”

How much time has passed that he’s already made it? Even though the grade is low, it’s only for lower-level hunters, so D-grade is more than enough.

“Peace, I’ll be back in a bit. Be good.”

– Kkuung.

“If someone comes, tell them I went to Myung-woo’s smithy.”

I wrote a note on the notepad on the table and said. Peace wagged his tail a little unhappily.

The smithy was still filled with the scent of wood and fire. Ismual waved at me.

“It’s ordinary except for the rapid-fire function after charging. If you put in enough mana, you can easily deal with E-grade monsters.”

Myung-woo handed me a seemingly ordinary black pistol and gestured to Ismual. A small ball of fire turned into a bird shape and fluttered over. I aimed it and pulled the trigger. With a thud, the firebird swallowed the magic bullet and scattered.

“Even with an F-grade mana stat, you can charge and fire about two shots right away. This would be popular overseas for self-defense, right? We can’t possess guns in Korea, but overseas is different.”

Even FF-grade awakeners who aren’t recognized as hunters can use it. Korea can be considered safe now, but overseas isn’t yet, so there would be a lot of people who want it.

“The power itself is similar to an ordinary pistol, so you can’t say it’s dangerous.”

The reason why ordinary firearms don’t work well against monsters is because they protect their bodies with magic power. Still, lower-level monsters could be dealt with modern weapons, but the efficiency was very different. A hunter could just stab an F-grade monster to death with a knife, but you’d have to shoot a gun several times to kill it.

Myung-woo shook his head at my words.

“I can’t mass-produce it alone. I can’t even meet the demand for low-level hunters. The material costs aren’t that expensive, but it’s a labor issue.”

“I guess so. How are your disciples?”

“They’re good enough to make this gun if I teach them. But there aren’t many of them.”

The problem is the lack of people.

“Let’s gather people with good hand skills from all over the country. The people at the smithy now don’t have crafting skills. If we push them into a dungeon and only those who can quickly make the tools presented under the threat of monsters can escape… that’s a big human rights issue, right?”

“We can just accept people who want to make weapons that way.”

Myung-woo nodded, saying it was a good idea. We have to make sure to have a confidentiality agreement.

I ate the tea and snacks Myung-woo gave me and talked about expanding the smithy. It would be nice to have the building as the main branch and open another one nearby. That’s only when enough people gather, though.

“But why did you call me here? It doesn’t seem like it’s because of the weapon.”

“Ah, that’s…….”

It would be better to show him the dark magic stone first. I was choosing my words to explain about the mana imprint when Myung-woo, who was looking at me hesitating, spoke first.

“Is it because of Noah?”

“…Huh?”

“He seems to have a lot on his mind since he came back from Japan.”

I nodded greatly at Myung-woo’s words.

“I didn’t want to pry first, so I’m worried. Has he said anything to you?”

“He’s even quieter than before. If it was my sister who was the problem before, now he seems to be having more fundamental concerns.”

“Fundamental concerns?”

“That his position is ambiguous. Without anything particularly outstanding.”

I knew that Noah lacked confidence in himself. But as for me, it was a little difficult to fully understand. He’s good enough.

“Noah is objectively a great hunter. That’s why I don’t know what to do.”

“Actually, it might feel like a luxury to others. But being in-between is harder than you think. He’s an S-grade hunter, but he’s weak for an S-grade. He only has one healing skill, so you can’t call him a healer. And the support class is just support.”

The support class is also an important position. But that’s how the world sees it. Whether it’s a hunter or other jobs, if the word ‘support’ is attached, it’s often seen as lower. There’s bound to be a difference between essential and non-essential positions.

Perhaps the experience at Medes made him feel the reality more painfully. He had the experience that the support class could be good enough, but it’s not easy to change reality. Besides, Medes was a city that could be created thanks to a special existence called Mura. Other cities were still focused on the combat class.

“One way is to just give up and be protected by you, Yoo-jin. But it seems like he can’t give up easily.”

“Then the new skill he got must be either Intangibility or Miniaturization.”

Whether or not to use the skill seemed to be Noah’s crossroads. To stay in comfort while being loved, or to aim for higher as a hunter? That’s why he’s avoiding me these days. To make a decision on his own.

‘Ye-rim said she would move forward because she has a home to return to at any time.’

But Noah didn’t seem to trust me that much. In fact, that would be normal. We haven’t known each other for long, and it started with the title effect. Ye-rim is amazing. Should I show Noah that I rely on him more, as Hyun-ah advised? It’s difficult.

I emptied my teacup and sighed.

“After all, relationships aren’t easy.”

“People can go astray even if you raise them with care from birth. Even if you care about Yoo-jin, there’s bound to be a limit. Sometimes, the things you want to help with can have a negative impact.”

“That’s true.”

Yoo-hyun and I also hurt and went wrong while thinking of each other. Actions for others don’t always produce good results. Unless you’re a fortune teller, how would you know? You keep making mistakes and correcting them.

“The best path for Noah would be to become like me, but that’s not easy.”

“Like you, Myung-woo?”

“Yeah. I’ve changed a lot, haven’t I?”

Well, he’s changed beyond recognition. I looked at Myung-woo, who was sitting across from me.

“…I think you’ve gotten taller?”

“About 1cm. Not appearance, personality.”

“You don’t look like the same person I met for the first time.”

“Above all, it’s confidence.”

Myung-woo wore a relaxed smile.

“Confidence that I’m the best. The definite number one that no one can follow in this world. No one can replace me.”

It was a calm but confident voice. As Myung-woo said, there was no one who could replace him in this world. Even if I had to choose between an S-grade hunter and Myung-woo, 100 out of 100 would shout for the blacksmith. It would be easy to attract S-grade hunters if I had Myung-woo. If an SS-grade weapon is completed, it will be a mess.

I had the illusion that radiance was spreading from behind Myung-woo.

“…You look kind of cool.”

“You’re the same, Yoo-jin.”

“No, I…….”

It’s different from Myung-woo. Even if I helped, the Golden Blacksmith skill, that skill was the ability that Myung-woo himself possessed. But I didn’t get what I got alone. In the first place, it was an ability that I couldn’t have had alone.

“Um, well. Then, would Noah be okay if he became the best in the world as a support class?”

“That itself is ambiguous, so it’s a problem. Besides, I also reached the top with what I wanted to do. I didn’t plan to make weapons, but I achieved the best life goal a person can have.”

Myung-woo laughed, saying that there were few people in the world who lived as satisfied as he did.

“Except for your worries, Yoo-jin.”

“…I have nothing to say.”

For now, I have nothing to say even if I have ten mouths. I looked around and took out a glass bottle from my inventory and put it on the table.

“It’s a magic stone. It’s C-grade, can you check the condition?”

“C-grade?”

Myung-woo took out the dark magic stone and examined it.

“It looks like a dragonkin [a humanoid dragon]. Is it poison and curse too?”

“That’s right. Is the attribute still alive?”

“Yeah. It’s good, but what are you going to make with this? Even if dragonkin are rare, C-grade is too low.”

“No, I’m not making it, but… I’m making it…….”

In the end, I told him about the Beast Combination skill. Myung-woo’s expression immediately frowned.

“In your body? You’re putting it in?”

“Well, there’s no problem. It just leaves a small scar. I’m not planning to combine it anymore after this one.”

After telling him the story of how Blackie helped me, Myung-woo took out a magic stone from his inventory as if he couldn’t help it.

“It’s an SS-grade magic stone. Use this.”

“What? But…….”

“This is too old to make into an item. You can use it as a support, but it’s a beast that protected you. If it’s C-grade, it’ll be hard to get even A-grade even if you use an S-grade magic stone. It has to be A-grade to be safe.”

“…Thank you, Myung-woo.”

“However, I can’t even check the attribute, so I don’t even know what kind of monster it was originally.”

I thanked him again and received the SS-grade magic stone. I have to go back to the hospital room and combine it right away.

“And… there’s one more thing…….”

Myung-woo narrowed his brows again at my hesitant attitude.

“Tell me.”

“It’s called mana imprint, it’s not bad for the body. It’s helpful to me.”

“Imprint?”

“Yeah, it’s on my back.”

I put the magic stones in my inventory and took off my top.

“This. Can you see it?”

“…….”

A short silence flowed. With the sound of the chair being pushed, Myung-woo got up from his seat. Then, he grabbed the back of my neck and pressed me onto the table. I was suddenly lying face down on the table and tried to escape, but the stat difference was inevitable.

“Hey, why!”

“What is this? What crazy짓 [짓 (jit) is a Korean word that refers to an action or behavior, often used in a negative context to describe something foolish, bad, or crazy.] did you do?!”

Oh… he seems angry.