novel3 Years (4)
| ← Ch.150 | Ch.152 → |
After returning my helicopter to Essential Armory, I returned home.
Standing in front of the door, I checked my dimensional pouch once again.
Of the items Khalifa brought back, I chose to keep some of the useful ones.
===
[Ceremonial Magic Hat] [Low-intermediate rank magic item]
Improves spirit-wielding abilities, including rituals and ceremonies.
===
[Ceremonial Ritual Wand] [Low-intermediate rank magic item]
Improves spirit-wielding abilities, including rituals and ceremonies.
===
These two items were especially noteworthy as there weren't many items that were related to spirits.
However, these weren't suitable for me. I planned to give them to a cute girl who was much better than me at wielding spirits and would look much better with them.
Luckily, I knew someone who fit the bill.
Beebeebeep—
I inputted the password and opened the door.
—Four apples grow from a tree, and there are eight trees. Suppose apples are distributed among 16 people...
As soon as I entered, I heard an internet lecture. So this was why she didn't come out to greet me.
A warm smile emerged on my face.
I sneaked into the living room and glanced at the desk in the middle.
"Four apples and eight trees... so then you multiply four by eight...."
Evandel was wriggling her fingers and working on a math problem. Hayang was sprawled next to her and sleeping like a human.
I sneaked behind Evandel who was glancing back and forth between the internet lecture and the problem set.
"... Evandel?"
Then, I whispered her name. Startled, Evandel jumped slightly and turned around. When she saw me, she smiled.
—I'm studying.
She whispered proudly with a shrug.
Was she talking quietly because she was in class?
I decided to wait for now.
Tiring—
At that moment, I received a message.
[Hajin, payment from China just came. Take a look. ]
The sender was Park Soohyuk, the 'CEO' of SH Agency.
[Got it. ]
Park Soohyuk was probably the one who grew the most in recent years. The SH Agency he founded four years ago was growing at a rapid pace.
His company's motto, 'clear-headed honesty', attracted many hunters and mercenaries, and the way his company handled its work earned it great trust. With Yoo Yeonha's full support and their management of the monsters I killed, SH Agency came to put their name on the top 20 ranking of its field.
[Oh right, have you tried contacting Kim Suho?]
[I did, but it's not easy to persuade him. ]
Even without Kim Suho, SH Agency should continue to grow. However, Kim Suho without SH Agency didn't feel right. Though, I wasn't too worried with Yun Seung-Ah beside him.
[Tell Creator's Sacred Grace that you would provide them with information on Dungeons. ]
Park Soohyuk had a Gift too.
His Gift was called 'Search' and had the ability to discover 4~5 Dungeons a year.
[Yeah, good idea. ]
—Well done~ now it's time to do more practice~
Evandel's online lecture also ended.
"Aang~"
Evandel stretched and jumped into my arms.
"Hajin~"
She rubbed her face on my chest. I stroked her hair and told her.
"Evandel, I brought you presents."
"Presents?!"
Evandel's eyes widened.
"Yep, here you go."
Tada—
I handed her the magician's hat and wand.
Evandel's mouth opened wide.
"Oooh~ what is this~?"
"Try wearing it. It will help you wield your um... power better."
I put the magician's hat on Evandel's small head and made her hold the wand. She looked like a little witch. Now she only needed a cape.
"Wow, you're so cute."
"Hehe, really?"
Evandel jumped out of my arms and ran to a mirror.
"Hmm."
Looking at her, I fell in thought. Soon, a space for Evandel to practice spirit magic would be finished. I wanted to make her train for at least three hours a day...
"Hayang, look. It's so pretty~"
She wouldn't hate it, right? For Evandel, spirit magic should be like playing with Legos...
I should ask her later.
**
.... 2027, October 3rd.
As autumn trees were changing color, I installed the stone tablet in Chameleon Troupe's hideout.
"What's that?'
After watching me with interest for a while, Boss finally asked.
"Our new employees."
"... Employees?"
"Yep."
Goblin Tablet. This was the main item I wanted to get from Incheon's goblin settlement.
===
[Goblin Tablet] [Magic Vessel] [Flame attribute]
A stone tablet containing the life-long wish of goblins. Has the ability to permanently summon goblins.
—Summonable Count
*Goblin Shaman - 1
*Goblin (normal) - 3
—Growth
*Goblins can rank up and become specialized with experience. The number of summonable goblins will also increase.
===
I wasn't sure if it was Aileen or Nicholas, but in the original story, the Goblin Tablet was used by an extremely lazy high-rank Hero. Although this item was extremely practical, it didn't have much use inside my house, so I brought it to Chameleon Troupe's hideout instead.
"Employees? This thing?"
Boss stared at the stone tablet curiously.
"Yep."
"Hm, my only flaw is with appraisal... to me, this just looks like a stone tablet with a goblin drawn on it."
"You're not wrong. I got it from the goblin settlement in Incheon."
"Mn, I saw the news too."
"I see."
I scratched my head.
The goblin settlement incident from a month ago was reported worldwide. As it happened in Korea, it caught the attention of many. The videos taken by the mercenaries who ran away only made the matter worse.
As a result, the name of Jeronimo's Fenrir spread rapidly, netting me a decent amount of SP. But because it wasn't impactful to the main story, it wasn't all that much.
"Boss, you like coffee, right?"
"... What do you mean?"
Boss slowly shook her head.
"I don't like anything, especially when it comes to food."
"... You're lying again."
"Lying? Ehem, you're doubting your boss too much recently."
Boss frowned and glared at me.
I had no choice but to nod.
"Alright, if you say so. Anyways, I'm planning on making a mini-coffee shop too."
"Coffee shop?"
"Yep, one of these guys will operate it. They'll be in charge of the hot spring too."
"...."
Boss tilted her head, still unable to understand.
"I'll just show you."
I infused magic power into the stone tablet. Then, the stone tablet shone and spat out four lumps of light which transformed into goblins.
"Oho?"
Boss' eyes widened.
—Krrk.
—Krrr.
"Nice to meet you, I'm your owner."
—Krrk?
—Krr?
"Be quiet. I'm going to assign you your jobs."
I pointed at the smallest and seemingly quickest goblin.
"You're in charge of cleaning."
Then I pointed at the goblin with the prettiest fingers.
"You're the barista."
—Krrk.
"You'll be making coffee. I'll show you how to do it later."
I was better at brewing coffee with my Dexterity skill, but frankly, it was too annoying. Once Boss tasted my coffee, she would surely get addicted to it as well.
"Next, you're in charge of the hot spring."
The third goblin was in charge of taking care of the hot spring.
"And you're... a shaman."
—Keruru.
The last goblin was holding a wand unlike the others.
"Alright, you'll be the overseer for the other goblins."
Since they were summoned creatures, they wouldn't rebel or go against my orders. Still, it didn't feel right to give a 'shaman' the same level of work as normal goblins.
—Kererere.
The goblin shaman seemed to be happy as it laughed.
"Oh right, if a magician comes by, help him."
—Keru.
Chameleon Troupe had a magician too. Hirano Arashi, the Seat of Brown. He was a master of destruction magic and stronghold creation.
"Oho, this is interesting."
Boss muttered, watching the scene with interest.
"Can I order them around too?"
"Of course. I'm their owner, but they should listen to Boss as well."
Tiriring—
At that moment, I got a call from Yoo Yeonha.
"Um, let me take this."
"Sure. Oi, you, come here."
—Krrrk.
"... Mm, this is fun."
Leaving Boss behind to play with the goblins, I entered my room.
"Hello?"
—Hello?
Yoo Yeonha sounded a bit thorny.
"Ah, what's up?"
—Mm~ well, you see, I just saw your statement for this month.
I felt a pang of guilt.
—6000 bullets and 3 drones... you used close to a billion won this month.
It was more than I thought.
But I didn't have any other choice. To create magic bullets, an expensive material called 'mana crystals' were needed. Since I used hundreds of bullets per day on average, the cost could only be astronomical.
"I thought you said I could use however much I wanted."
—Well... that's true. To be honest, I don't mind too much.
"Then why did you call me?"
—I just had a good idea. Do you mind if I use Fenrir's name for marketing?
"Marketing?"
—Yep.
"... Quite greedy, aren't you? How big are you trying to get? Isn't your pharmaceutical company going public soon too?"
—I'm still far from being satisfied~
Essence of the Strait was growing bigger by the day. No, Yoo Yeonha was getting bigger by the day, and not in the bad sense. Essential Pharmacy's debut potion blew up, and the other businesses Yoo Yeonha started were also showing great promise.
"So, what marketing?"
—Nothing much. We'll just use your name for advertisement. You know, like saying 'bullets used by Fenrir' and so on.
"Will that even be effective?"
—Of course! Mercenaries surprisingly have clear role models. Once they pick someone as their idol, they have the tendency to use everything he does.
"I see... have your sales been bad recently?"
—No, it's the opposite. Our bullet-making technology is improving by the day, and the gun business is always profitable.
Guns were the only weapon that ordinary people could use to fight monsters.
Of course, no one was able to reach my firepower with guns. I could add Aether to my Desert Eagle, which was already amplified significantly through effects added with Setting Intervention.
"Well, go ahead."
—Thank you.
"No problem."
I was about to hang up when Yoo Yeonha quickly added.
—Oh right, I saw the video of you fighting in Incheon. You looked amazing.
"... I'm hanging up."
Even if it earned me SP, I felt uncomfortable being a hot topic.
—Don't worry, Nayun is in Baekdu Mountain, so she won't be able to see it.
I flinched.
"No, it's not that..."
—Ah, I'm hanging up now. I have to go somewhere.
"... Alright, have fun."
—You too.
Tk.
Yoo Yeonha hung up first.
I stared at my smartwatch for a moment, then jumped into my bed.
**
... 2028, January 1st.
A new year's sun rose up.
As is tradition, all sorts of celebrations were being held across the globe.
Pandemonium also had an exciting event planned for this holiday.
'Fight Club'.
For this event, Pandemonium's famous Ten-Thousand Demon Arena was completely open to the public.
"I'm surprised you're sitting here so peacefully."
As things were being torn apart, crushed, and obliterated on the ground level, the waiting room of the arena's Demon rank warrior was completely peaceful.
"Hello? Are you going to just ignore me?"
Bell asked Jin Sahyuk who was lying on her bed and reading a newspaper.
"... What point is there in going down anyways. They're all going to be trash."
Jin Sahyuk muttered apathetically.
"Ehew."
Bell scratched his head and sat down on the couch.
He suddenly thought back to a year ago. That was when Jin Sahyuk first announced her debut in the arena.
At the time, Bell hoped for her to get crushed. He wanted her to learn humility and modesty.
However, his wish didn't come true. In fact, it was the opposite. Jin Sahyuk crushed her way through the arena until she gained over 40 victories and obtained a personal waiting room and the title 'Demon'.
"Wait, you're reading a newspaper?"
Bell suddenly got curious. Although Jin Sahyuk liked reading books, she never liked reading newspapers.
"If you're curious, take a look."
Jin Sahyuk opened this week's issue of Violet Times.
Bell widened his eyes and read its content.
===
[Top 10 Rookies to Watch (New Year vers. )]
TOP1 - Demon of the Arena, 'Red Death'
TOP2 - Follower of Michael, 'Kim Suho'
TOP3 - Slaughter Wolf, 'Fenrir'
...
...
===
It was the Violet Banquet's ranking of rookies. As all candidates were judged strictly and rankings were renewed monthly, it was quite a meaningful list.
"Top 10 Rookies. You've been first ever since you debuted."
Jin Sahyuk smiled as she stared at the newspaper.
"Kim Suho's second."
Then, when Bell mentioned the second ranked rookie, her face contorted with rage.
"Kim Suho, Kim Suho..."
She began to murmur his name angrily.
"By the way, can't you see the name below that?"
"What."
"Below Kim Suho."
Bell pointed at the name below Kim Suho.
TOP3, Fenrir.
"Fenrir? Is he a werewolf?"
Jin Sahyuk tilted her head.
"... No."
Bell couldn't blame her. He knew she was weak in that field.
"This is him. The coin dude."
"... It's him?"
Immediately, Jin Sahyuk's face distorted viciously.
Jin Sahyuk stared at the name fixedly.
"Coin, coin..."
It seemed she didn't know his real name as she began to mutter something about coins. Her voice contained the same level of rage as when she muttered Kim Suho's name.
"... What an idiot."
Bell sighed.
However, he didn't mind Jin Sahyuk gritting her teeth. Her rage would surely serve as a foundation for her growth.
"I think he'll come find me."
At that moment, Jin Sahyuk suddenly spoke with a somewhat serious expression.
Bell sneered.
"Pft, and why do you think that?"
"I heard there's going to be a huge event in the arena next year. I think we'll meet then."
This was something Bell had heard about as well.
The owner of Pandemonium Arena announced that he would host a huge competition over an item in 2029.
"I see, then you might be right~"
Bell grinned.
"... Do you have to always sound like an ass? Screw off before I kick you out."
Jin Sahyuk had not changed.
**
... 2028, March 1st.
Third-year cadets finished their apprenticeships.
Rachel stood in front of Essence of the Strait's entrance. She was saying goodbye to her comrades who had laughed, cried, and sweated with her for the past year.
"Haa...."
Although she steeled her heart before the day began, now that it was time to leave, Rachel couldn't help but sigh.
Many people she got to know were in front of her.
Team leader Im Joongjin and vice-team leader Jeon Yohwa who guided her for a year. Her past classmates, Rose, Yi Jiyoon, and Yohei, who were now official members of Essence of the Strait.
And finally... Yoo Yeonha.
Rachel was filled with regret and sadness.
Before she realized, she had gotten close to everyone.
Coming to terms with this revelation, Rachel smiled bitterly and straightened her posture.
"Thank you for everything."
Then, she bowed respectfully as was taught by the royal court.
"Goodbye."
"See you~"
"I'll come visit~"
Yoo Yeonha and everyone else waved their hands at her. Rachel replied with a smile and turned around.
A limousine had come to pick her up.
Feeling like she would burst into tears if she hesitated any longer, she quickly got into the limousine.
"Where should we go, Princess?"
Jeremy Bond, the agent who was watching her from the shadows for the past year, asked in her mother language.
Rachel replied with a trembling voice.
"To the English Royal Court guild, obviously."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The limousine drove off.
Rachel looked outside the window and captured the moving scenery.
'I'm finally leaving Korea. '
Feeling sentimental, Rachel took out her smartwatch to play a game and get her mind off of things.
"... Eh?"
However, one mercenary's trending name caught her attention.
Jeronimo's mercenary, Fenrir, had defeated yet another army of monsters.
"... I'm hearing a lot about him recently."
Rachel whispered to herself.
Kim Hajin had chosen to become a mercenary.
Showing shocking results, he had already become famous throughout the world. Of course, more people knew him by his title, Fenrir, than his real name, which had not been released officially.
"... He never contacted me."
'He said we would meet often. That he'd come visit me in England. Was everything a lie?'
Rachel pouted but soon acquiesced.
'He must have been busy. Unlike me who was an apprentice, he must have been fighting much more difficult enemies in much fiercer places. He must be sleeping in places where his life is in danger every moment. That must be the life of a high-rank mercenary... probably. '
"Huu..."
After a deep sigh, Rachel tapped on her smartwatch and left a positive comment on an article about Fenrir.
| ← Ch. 150 | Ch. 152 → |