Chapter 228 –
Recruiting the Attack Squad (1)
I visited to surprise Moon Ga-eun, but ended up getting surprised myself and returned from the trip to Japan.
I stayed in Nagoya for a couple of days and quickly returned to Korea.
From the beginning, I had gone just for a short break, and also to boost Ga-eun’s confidence.
There was nothing in particular I could help her with additionally, as she was already adapting to new powers including [Valkyrie of the Battlefield].
Akiba was originally in charge of that additional training – getting her acclimated to the newly acquired powers and orthodox archery instruction.
Moon Ga-eun decided to complete a bit more training before returning home.
-Noo babe… Stay a liiittle longer…”
-……
Of course, it was a bit difficult for ME to leave.
Once Mun Ga-eun started opening her eyes, the brakes came off.
Controlling her was never an easy task.
‘…If I had stayed longer, it might have really become a mess.’
Barely pulling away from Moon Ga-eun like that, I returned to Korea first.
Although regrettable, I had plans to prepare and wrap things up in Korea.
“Long time no see, President.”
The first person I met as a starting point was Lee Hyun-ho.
A member of the <Anti-Villain> circle, and my sophomore year colleague.
A Holder renowned as the top talent in the Blacksmith class.
It had been quite a while since I’d seen his face, spanning before and after the vacation.
“Ugh… Do you really have to do that? We’re in the same grade.”
Lee Hyun-ho, who still spoke stiffly using the term ‘President.’
Seeing that, I made an exasperated expression.
Hyun-ho had quite a rigid side, so hearing that term made the distance feel especially pronounced.
Then he shrugged his shoulders slightly.
“This is more comfortable for me.”
“It feels like I should call you Member Hyun-ho too then.”
“That’s not bad either.”
“Geez…”
I made a vexed face, but we soon exchanged smiles.
In fact, it was a miracle that we could have such a light conversation.
When I first talked to Hyun-ho, it was so stiff with only work talk that it felt like conversing with a tree trunk.
He was someone who had joined the circle solely for the purpose of revenge.
So he probably didn’t try to develop closeness with others.
‘Hyun-ho has become much brighter.’
After the successful Villain Eradication Operation.
It was apparent that Hyun-ho had brightened up in his own way as well.
Though outwardly he still appeared completely rigid as ever.
Before getting to the main point, I suddenly remembered a call I had received from Hyun-ho previously and asked about it.
“What happened with the new Villain restraint item you said you developed last time?”
“I handed it over to the Vice President.”
“Juyeon?”
“Yes. The Judgement of Fire clan is actively utilizing it as well after distributing it to them.”
After the 3rd year Yoon Ji-ah graduated, the Vice President position of the <Anti-Villain> circle naturally became vacant.
There weren’t any experienced students suitable for the role, and since we had announced disbanding the circle in the summer, there was no need to hastily appoint a new VP.
-…I’ll do it.
-Huh? Really?
-Yes.
However, when Kang Juyeon volunteered for the position, the vacancy was filled.
There were no circle members opposed to her taking the VP role, as her external reputation and internal activities were both sufficient.
Originally, no one wanted to do it anyway.
Thanks to that, Kang Juyeon has been taking care of the circle’s troublesome tasks on my behalf.
Especially regarding the remnant Villain clan eradication, by liaising with her Judgement of Fire clan which is friendly to us, she handled various duties.
The special item Hyun-ho had developed also seemed to have been distributed directly by her.
‘I’ll have to repay her later.’
It wasn’t a given just because she was my girlfriend.
I made up my mind to definitely repay her for not shying away from the bothersome work and helping me out.
Then I brought up the main point while looking at Hyun-ho again.
“I called you today because there’s someone I want to introduce.”
“…Introduce?”
“Yes. Same grade as us, in the same Blacksmith class as you…”
Just as I was about to explain, Hyun-ho cut me off.
“I’m not interested in women.”
“…No, it’s not like that. I was just worried you might not recognize who it is.”
In the midst of it, how did he even know it was a woman?
Hyun-ho has sharp senses even for useless things.
Of course, the introduction wasn’t meant in that way, but was work-related.
After a short wait, the person I promised arrived, opening the door to the circle room.
“Jae-hyun!”
“Oh, you’re here?”
It was Choi Yoo-min.
She was a Holder I had made a gear contract with, but recently, as all my gears were fully prepared, there wasn’t much reason for me to meet her.
I naturally introduced the two of them.
“This is Choi Yoo-min. I got to know her from the start of the semester, and in my criteria, she’s the next top talent after Hyun-ho in the Blacksmith class.”
“I’m Choi Yoo-min.”
Choi Yoo-min will eventually surpass even Hyun-ho.
The [Iron-Blooded Night Field] rune she possesses will help elevate her to become the top Blacksmith in the nation as her proficiency increases, and her reputation will later extend worldwide.
But that’s a story for another time.
For now, she’s simply a promising Blacksmith realm Holder, her reputation not quite on par with Hyun-ho’s yet.
Hyun-ho was a Blacksmith realm Holder who had already crafted epic-grade items as a student.
No matter who said what, he was the greatest domestic prospect in this field.
“And this is Lee Hyun-ho. Well, you probably know Hyun-ho already?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Hyun-ho.”
Upon my introduction, the two shook hands lightly in greeting.
As expected, Hyun-ho didn’t seem to recognize Choi Yoo-min.
Although Choi Yoo-min had recently been making a name for herself by crafting numerous rare-grade items, she hadn’t yet reached the level of catching Hyun-ho’s attention.
‘Well, that’s just Hyun-ho’s usual self.’
When I thought about it, Lee Hyun-ho didn’t seem to have much interest in his own circle or academy.
His interests were solely focused on <Villain> and <Anti-Villain>.
He was a guy who didn’t have any other friends besides the circle members.
Perhaps if I wasn’t an <Anti-Villain> myself, I wouldn’t have been able to become this close with him.
“The reason I’m suddenly calling you over and introducing you is because I want you to work on a job with me.”
“A job?”
“Yes.”
I took out the blueprints and contract that I had prepared beforehand.
The blueprints contained brief requirements and explanations regarding special equipment, and the contract recorded related information such as the expected quantity of additional equipment to be produced and the contract deposit.
Tap – Rustling sounds –
Rolling –
And a magic bag that spilled out as I placed it on the table.
Dozens of high-grade magic stones tumbled out from inside.
I had prepared them in advance to eliminate the hassle for blacksmiths of having to obtain magic stones themselves.
“The deadline is exactly 3 weeks from today. I want you to produce all the special items and equipment listed here. Maintain the ratio of rare and normal grades as specified in the contract. If an epic grade happens to come out during production, I’ll purchase it separately.”
The content was simple.
I asked them to handle the tasks listed in the blueprints and contract together.
However, the sheer workload and compensation were staggering.
An enormous amount of magic stones and a contract down payment.
And the two people who checked the outrageous quantity of equipment recorded in the contract wore stunned expressions.
Even Lee Hyun-ho, who rarely expressed much on his face, opened his eyes wide.
It was understandable.
I had also steeled my resolve for this project, pouring in a large portion of the money I had earned so far.
“If you’re short on manpower, you can hire additional personnel from among the Holders you know or from the same circle. Just let me know and I’ll match the conditions. But preferably, it would be good if they were master-level blacksmiths.”
Master-level blacksmiths.
While the actual meaning may differ, in the Holder realm, it referred to Holders of the blacksmith circle who could produce ‘rare-grade items’.
Since general Holder ranks didn’t carry much meaning for Holders who specialized in production circles, nicknames related to their circles often carried more weight as titles.
Going further, those who could produce ‘epic-grade items’ would be called ‘grandmaster blacksmiths’.
“Well, what do you all think? Will this work?”
In fact, it was a rhetorical question.
A contract of this size was a lucrative short-term deal that even veteran blacksmiths running their own workshops would readily jump at.
There was no reason for the two of them to refuse this contract.
“It’s the first time the president has made a direct contract proposal. But I’ll accept it. It looks interesting.”
“Me too! I’ll do it too!”
It was the moment the first button of the plan was fastened.
***
Ippotranslation
***
Afterwards, the Korean Holder Association came to visit.
I was having coffee and chatting with Lee Ji-hye after a long time.
She was the examiner who oversaw my advancement to a C-rank Holder. Thanks to that connection, she has continued handling my association-related tasks even now.
Almost to the extent that she could be considered my dedicated handler.
However, she has also produced many achievements to that degree…
Within the association, she has experienced an exceptionally rapid promotion, which is quite rare.
She had to get approval from her superiors for everything she did before, but now she has a considerably high level of authority to handle tasks at her own discretion.
Since I’ve relied on her for many tasks each time, I welcomed such a change.
“…You’re requesting protection of exploration rights?” Lee Ji-hye asked me with a surprised look.
“Yes. I’ve written the dungeon location and overview in the report beforehand.”
“But Holder Do Jae-hyun, you have a dungeon you can’t clear right away?”
That’s because this was the first time I requested ‘protection of exploration rights’ for an unexplored dungeon while working with Lee Ji-hye.
When exploration rights protection is granted, the corresponding dungeon immediately comes under the jurisdiction of the Holder Association.
They then supervise and manage it to prevent other Holders from unauthorized exploration or plundering of rewards.
Since I had only shown monstrous achievements so far, it was understandable that this very ordinary request surprised Lee Ji-hye.
I replied with a smile.
“Of course there is. Top-tier dungeons like the Deep Green Meadow can’t be cleared by a small party, right?”
<Deep Green Meadow> was a recent dungeon explored by a large assault team formed by dozens of unaffiliated Holders. It was also a top-tier dungeon where powerful monsters roamed.
“The Deep Green Meadow? Then…”
As soon as she heard the name of that dungeon, Lee Ji-hye’s eyes lit up.
She seemed to have caught on, befitting someone who has worked with me for a long time.
I used the high-level dungeon that a large assault team was deployed to as an example, and requested protection of exploration rights to explore a similar dungeon.
Ultimately, it meant…
“Yes. I’m also trying to form an assault team this time.”
For the dungeon I intended to explore this time…
<The City of the Estranged Wolves>…
It meant a large assault team would be deployed.
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