Episode 86 Week 5 Mentoring, In-person Battle (9)
For the time being, leave the training of calligraphers to An Jeong-mi.
Go Hyun-woo also said that he likes his teammates who are like mentors, so he doesn’t seem to need to get involved much.
If there’s anything I can help with, it would be arranging a duel with Han So-mi.
The opportunity came quickly.
On the way to the arena to train with Dang Gyu-yeong and [Distortion].
Song Cheon-hye’s figure was visible in the distance.
‘But the condition is not very good.’
He looks completely haggard, as if he had been through a lot.
Unlike his usual neat and tidy appearance, he walks unsteadily, with a pale complexion.
It looked very much like a mollusc.
‘I guess you’re on your way back from mentoring.’
You can see traces of a fierce battle all over his body.
You can tell just by looking at him how much he suffered from Dang Gyu-young.
Anyway, since I had something to do with Song Cheon-hye, I approached her first and spoke to her.
“Song Cheon-hye.”
“!!!”
Song Cheon-hye must have thought that there was no one around her.
When he heard my voice, he was startled and looked around hurriedly, and the next moment, he found me and showed an incredible change in speed.
He straightened his hunched posture, quickly fixed his hair that was half-loose and flowing down, and neatly arranged his clothes from head to toe.
It took less than 3 seconds to get here.
“What’s going on?”
“I guess you’re going to mentor me. You’re having a hard time too.”
“Hardship? I don’t know what you mean.”
“I just saw you and your face looked like it had suffered a lot.”
“Not at all. Are you seeing something wrong?”
Song Cheon-hye was the one who pretended not to be bothered, saying that it wasn’t even that hard.
I nodded.
“Hmm, I guess so. I was wrong. Your eyes have been a bit blurry lately.”
… … As he said that, his movements were exactly like the Song Cheon-hye he had just seen.
Staggering, swaying.
Song Cheon-hye shivered as her own disgrace was repeated.
“Hey, stop it.”
“It’s a shame that I shouldn’t have recorded this impressive scene in a crystal ball. Isn’t it?”
“Using correction tools outside of the practical assessment is a violation of school rules. Filming other students without their consent is even worse!”
“I know, too. It’s just a shame that I can’t use it as evidence.”
“… … .”
Song Cheon-hye couldn’t back out anymore because my reproduction was so perfect just now.
Still, he didn’t admit everything until the end.
“… … I’m a little tired today. That’s why. Did you call me to tease someone who’s having a hard time?”
“No. I saw you on my way over, so I was just going to say hello. I also had some things to ask you.”
“I don’t think I have any obligation to answer. Well then.”
After greeting each other, Song Cheon-hye turned her back coldly, letting the cold wind blow, saying that it was time to go her separate ways.
But I can’t just let it go like this.
He asked Song Cheon-hye, who was about to take a step forward.
“You don’t have to answer, but I think you forgot something.”
“Me? How could that be?”
Song Cheon-hye snorted softly as if to tell him to stop talking nonsense,
“The right to make a wish.”
“… … !”
The next moment, he stops and freezes at the words I threw out, then turns his head towards me with a nod.
I smiled and asked again.
“Do you remember?”
In the 4th week of the [Sweep] strategy battle, we made a light bet to see who would have a higher level of completion.
The bet was on a wish ticket that would answer a minor favor or question.
However, the outcome of this bet was already decided from the beginning.
While I received the highest score of 100% by cleaning the dungeon without missing a single one, Song Cheon-hye’s score fell slightly to 97%.
I’m trying to use the wish ticket I got that way now.
Song Cheon-hye let out a deep sigh.
“Ask. I’ll tell you in advance, but things like leadership secrets are not allowed.”
“Don’t ask that. It’s just simple.”
“What is it?”
“Han So-mi. What does she like?”
“… … Yes?”
Song Cheon-hye’s expression turned astonished as if my question had been so unexpected that it had completely escaped her expectations.
I ask cautiously,
“Hey, maybe Somi… … .”
“Are you interested? No, that’s not it.”
I cut it off abruptly.
I heard that he is the disciple of the Sword Master, so I am interested in him as a future S-class hero candidate.
But Song Cheon-hye’s question right now is whether I am interested in you as a person of the opposite sex, so of course I can’t help but say no.
Song Cheon-hye frowned.
“Then it’s even stranger. Why are you curious about what Somi likes when you’re not even interested?”
I was honest about it because I had no other concerns.
Go Hyun-woo and Han So-mi were put in the same group, and he wanted to arrange for them to have friendly sparring matches and build their skills.
“Then you should have said so. I’m not that inflexible.”
“I tried to do that, but you wouldn’t listen. If it weren’t for the wish certificate, I would have definitely left.”
Song Cheon-hye slowly avoided my gaze.
“… … Anyway, if it’s something that can help Somi, I’m more than willing to help. Can I tell you what kind of snacks she likes?”
“Let’s start from there.”
Teasing with a snack.
It’s simple but quite effective, so it’s worth trying first.
However, the list of snacks that Han So-mi likes was a bit surprising.
Yanggaeng, Jeonbyeong, Bugak, Hwagwaja, Tanggwa… … .
I answered with a sob.
“Yanggaeng… … . What a unique taste.”
“If you eat Yanggaeng, it tastes good, right?”
“I never said it wasn’t tasty. I just said it was unique.”
Anyway, it was a good thing for me.
Since I had bought yanggaeng or jeonbyeong at Heuksabang Market, I no longer had to go out of my way to get them.
I took out a set of round cans from my inventory and showed them to him.
“Something like this?”
“Yes, something like that.”
“If I give it to you and ask for it, will you listen to me?”
Song Cheon-hye seemed to be running a simulation in her head for a moment, then her expression turned hopeless.
He then lets out a small sigh and holds out his hand.
“Just give it to me, and I’ll say it.”
“I would appreciate it if you would do that.”
It would be more effective if Song Cheon-hye brought up the issue rather than me.
With the intention of clearing out the remaining snacks while I was at it, I took out a bunch of them and gave them to her.
As I was happily watching them being moved to my inventory, Song Cheon-hye said something as if she didn’t like the way I was looking at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s burdensome.”
“It’s just that, somehow, you seem friendlier than usual.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m doing this because it helps Somi.”
“Of course, I guess so. But thank you anyway.”
You’ve used your wish ticket well.
Since we’ve seen everything there is to see in each other, there’s no reason for me to continue to act cute in front of someone who doesn’t like me.
So, I was about to take a step,
“Just a moment.”
This time, Song Cheon-hye called me over.
I imitated Song Cheon-hye’s speech.
“What?? What’s going on???”
“Don’t do that.”
“Sorry. Anyway, why.”
Song Cheon-hye looked at me with a displeased expression and then opened her mouth again.
“Let’s do it one more time.”
“what?”
“I bet.”
“I’m fine. What should I do?”
“It’s a competition this week. Let’s see who can remove the most stickers.”
‘I already took it all off?’
And assuming Song Cheon-hye’s skills are similar to Hong Yeon-hwa’s, wouldn’t it be fortunate if she just gets one this week?
Song Cheon-hye was digging her own grave deeper and deeper.
But since there was no reason to tell him, I pretended not to know and asked about the detailed conditions.
“You and Kwak Ji-cheol, me and Hong Yeon-hwa, just like that?”
“yes.”
“What if the number of stickers on both sides is the same?”
“Let’s say whoever starts the duel first wins.”
“Okay. What are you walking for?”
“It’s the same as last time, it’s a wish.”
If you take a quick look at Song Cheon-hye’s expression, you won’t see any particular emotions.
Rather, it seemed like he had another purpose other than wanting revenge for losing to me.
“Why, do you have any questions?”
“there is.”
“Then just ask why.”
“Will you tell me?”
He meant to ask while using the wish list since he thought I wouldn’t answer obediently.
I can guess what questions they’re going to ask.
You’ve been glancing at my hand for a while now, so you must be curious about the burn I got on my hand when I came out of the black sand room last weekend.
I ate Baeknyeonhasuo and did Manayeon, so I got better cleanly, so there is no more evidence, but if you want to ask questions, there are many ways.
I wonder if they’ll ask something like, ‘How did you get burned back then?’
I answered with a snicker.
“Okay. Let’s make a bet with a wish ticket.”
Because it’s more fun that way.
* * *
Another problem to solve.
I got a call from the blacksmith club.
I was told that it would take approximately a week to manufacture the equipment, but they came back to me after only a few days.
It’s impossible for it to have been completed already, since the Eternal Iron and Black Mithril aren’t easy materials to handle.
‘It would be the opposite.’
It is very likely that he is calling because of some problem.
It was expected from the moment I placed the request.
I went straight to the blacksmith’s workshop.
As I waited in front of the door, a third-year senior came out, just like a few days ago.
Today, he was wearing his school uniform neatly over his muscular body, and when I checked his tie pin, I saw that he was a second-year student.
The hypothesis that people grow old when they pick up a hammer is further strengthened.
“You came.”
A second-year senior, who was like a third-year student, recognized my face right away, and it seemed like he was impressed by the fact that I had requested a favor using a VIP ticket.
“hello.”
“Follow me.”
After exchanging brief greetings, my senior guided me to a small club room set up on one side of the workshop.
It is decorated more like an office or a counseling room than a club room, and it seems to be used that way.
After waiting for a while, the head of the blacksmith club entered the office.
He walked over, sat down across from me, and got to the point without even a greeting.
“There was a problem during processing.”
Then, he immediately places the ingot on the table.
A smelting ingot with a silvery sheen.
It is an alloy of the eternal iron and black mithril that I gave you.
“It wasn’t hard to fuse the two items. But the problem came after that.”
From the moment the manager took out the ingot, a cool breeze touched my skin.
Even though it’s quite far from the table, it’s still like this.
“It’s unusually cold.”
“Yes. I tried processing it several times, but failed.”
Eternal Iron, Black Mithril, and basically a cold metal.
However, when viewed separately, it may have been difficult to process, but it did not seem impossible.
The blacksmith club president probably thought the same thing when he received the request.
But the result of fusing the two metals far exceeded his expectations.
The level of coldness has become stronger than that of average ice-attribute materials, and as a result, the difficulty of processing has increased significantly.
“Most of the heat from the furnace was lost.”
If you can’t heat it properly, you can’t melt it and transform it, so how can you shape it into a rod?
Even the one I commissioned wasn’t just a regular seal, it was so sophisticated that it was equipped with magic engineering components.
I nodded slowly as I listened to the explanation.
“okay.”
“… … .”
The blacksmith chief narrowed his eyes as I nodded indifferently.
“It’s almost as if you expected this to happen.”
“I expected it to be difficult to handle. But I thought it would be possible since it was the manager. He said it wouldn’t be difficult, so I thought I’d give it a try.”
In fact, I put more weight on the failure side, but I said the opposite on purpose.
We’ll be seeing each other often in the future, so there’s no need to lose face.
The blacksmith club president seemed to examine my thoughts for a moment, then asked me another question.
“I think you might have prepared another solution in case I fail, right?”
“I have something in mind just in case… … . Honestly, I’m not sure.”
This is also something that was actually started with a solution in mind from the beginning, but I pretended not to be confident about it.
“I see. Assuming what you had in mind works, tell me what you want.”
Even Bong Jae-seok, the president of the Magic Engineering Club, didn’t like pushing and pulling, but this guy is even worse.
Just tell me what you want.
I pretended to be worried for a moment and then opened my mouth.
“After you finish making the seal, won’t there be some materials left over?”
“You knew that. So?”
“I would appreciate it if you could make me just one more small thing with the leftover ingredients.”
The manager readily accepted my proposal without any hesitation.
“Good. If your method works, I’ll make another one. Try it.”
They exchanged promises as quickly as roasting beans in a lightning flash.
Of course, even though it may look like they just did it on the other side, there was some calculation that went into it.
It is no exaggeration to say that if you become the president of the blacksmith club, you will soon be given the title of craftsman.
If so, you would want to avoid anything that would tarnish your reputation.
If the craftsman gave up on the request because the materials were difficult to process, it would be a perfect laughing stock for the world.
So, it’s a situation where I have to find a breakthrough, and if I know that, I calculate that it’s better to give what I have to give and work less.
‘I’m fine.’
Because I already know how.
There are two main ways to melt an iron alloy.
A powerful pyromancer, equivalent to a 3rd year club president, pouring out his firepower at full output.
Or, it is a flame that is lit by a pyromancer with special characteristics that are inherited only by a very few.
And of course, where you can find both is,
‘Ruby Tower.’
I touched the large ruby I had received from Hong Yeon-hwa.
If you take it, I’ll probably treat you like a guest.
