Chapter 37: Talent that will go down in history

I agreed to a different favor.

Three uses of my weekday outing privilege, spent with her.

Considering the dormitory curfew, it was essentially a 24-hour “Kim Yu-won voucher.”

Given the premium of using a top-ranked student’s privilege and my increasing value, it was a fair exchange for a 5-billion-won skill stone.

Of course, this meant maintaining my top rank, but I intended to do so anyway.

It wasn’t beyond my capabilities.

My wives, lacking Status Windows, would inevitably have slower growth, while I had a seemingly limitless potential.

With the added power of the giant and the Frost skill, my growth would only accelerate.

I needed to become stronger, now more than ever.

The giant incident today… I doubted it would be an isolated event.

Had the one who gave Wang Wei that strange liquid given it to others as well?

They might have distributed other dangerous items to similar individuals.

The thought of them targeting those I cared about sent shivers down my spine.

I needed to help them grow stronger, each in their own way.

‘I forgot to give Ha-yeon the elixir.’

Exhausted from the day’s events, I’d forgotten.

I could give it to her tomorrow.

I lay down on my bed.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, my phone pinged.

“Ugh… seriously…”

It was the Beatrice Academy app.

Probably an announcement.

But it was a private message.

‘I blocked everyone except my contacts.’

I’d been bombarded with messages before the entrance ceremony and blocked everyone else.

Only my contacts and the instructors could message me.

My friends would have used a different messaging app, so it had to be an instructor.

“Did something go wrong?”

After a student transformed into a monster – in their eyes, at least – they probably had more questions.

I wished they’d waited until tomorrow.

I opened the message.

It wasn’t from an instructor.

It was from the principal.

‘Huh…?’

The principal wouldn’t involve himself in such a minor investigation.

Something was off.

-Kim Yu-won, could you come to my office?

What did he want? He wouldn’t try to harm me within the academy, but I was curious.

Summoning me to his office meant he had something to discuss that couldn’t be conveyed through potentially hackable text messages. But this incident didn’t warrant such secrecy.

‘He must have another reason for wanting to see me.’

Unable to discern his intentions, I decided to meet him in person.

-Yes, I’ll be right there.

I’d memorized the academy layout beforehand.

I knew where his office was. I put on my uniform, which I’d taken off before going to bed, and headed out.

The sky was already darkening.

A sense of unease settled upon me as I walked towards his office.

Something felt wrong.

Had I overlooked something? Was it safe to go to the principal’s office like this? Was I being too complacent just because I was within the academy?

I changed course and headed towards Shin-woo’s dormitory.

I sent him a text.

Being in Class B, he had a roommate, so I didn’t want to disturb them by ringing the doorbell.

-Bring the artifacts you made for me.

-Now? Okay.

I sensed movement inside. He emerged a moment later.

“Dude, you scared me. You were right here?”

He hadn’t expected me to be waiting outside.

“Yeah. Are those the artifacts?”

He was carrying a large bag.

“Yeah. You don’t use weapons and wear your uniform, so I made them all accessories.”

He’d been thoughtful, as expected.

“Thanks. What grade are they?”

“I didn’t have any high-quality materials on hand, so they’re all Rare-grade. I can upgrade them to Hero-grade if you bring me some good materials.”

Rare-grade was impressive.

Even new recruits in top guilds only received High-grade equipment.

These artifacts would fetch a hefty price if sold.

“Thanks. I’ll teach you some weapon skills later.”

As my personal blacksmith, he needed to be at least A-rank level.

With his skills, his trait, and high-grade equipment, he could even defend himself against S-ranks.

“Seriously?”

His face lit up.

He’d been pleased with the movement technique I’d taught him; I’d find a suitable weapon skill to complement it.

“Have I ever gone back on my word?”

“No. But why do you need artifacts now? You could have asked me to bring them tomorrow.”

A surprisingly sharp question.

“The principal suddenly summoned me, probably because of today’s incident.”

“What does that have to do with… Wait, are you…?”

Had he, with his occasional bursts of insight, figured it out?

“Are you planning to beat up the principal? You’re insane.”

I flicked him on the forehead.

“Ow!”

“You’re insane. Why would I beat up the principal?”

“Ugh… That elixir made you super strong. But seriously, why would you need combat artifacts to meet the principal?”

He had a point.

I was considering the possibility of a fight.

After the incident with Wang Mei, I’d realized something.

A person’s public image didn’t always reflect their true nature.

Even if the principal was known for being virtuous, it didn’t guarantee he wouldn’t turn against me.

I needed to be prepared for a one-on-one encounter with a potentially hostile, overwhelmingly powerful individual. 17 years of peace had made me soft.

I needed to change.

Become more ruthless, more cautious.

Until I was strong enough to protect those I cared about, until no one dared to threaten them.

“Hey, snap out of it. I don’t know why you’re making that scary face, but I’m here, Seung-ah is here… Your wives are here too.”

Yes, they were here.

“Don’t try to carry everything on your own. We’re all here for you, aren’t we? We’d do anything for you, and you’d do the same for us.”

He was right.

They were precious to me.

That’s why I was fighting so hard to protect them.

He shook his head and said:

“Here. Take this too.”

He handed me a necklace.

“What’s this…?”

“My masterpiece. I was saving it to sell for a fortune, but you can have it.”

I used Observe to examine it.

[Eternal Protection (Unique): A masterpiece crafted by an apprentice blacksmith with historical talent, momentarily reaching a state of enlightenment. Created to help someone.

*All stats +5.
*Resistance to all negative effects increased.
*Special Effect: Once a month, upon receiving near-fatal damage, become invulnerable and regenerate all damage for 5 seconds.
*Growth Item Proficiency 0/1000
*Creator: Han Shin-woo
*Owner: None]

The first option alone was unbelievable.

Stat bonuses from items were based on a 10-stat benchmark, so it wouldn’t increase a 100+ stat to 105, but a single necklace granting a total of +40 to all stats was unheard of, especially for a mere accessory.

Increased resistance to all negative effects? That meant significantly increased resistance to all status ailments.

I wouldn’t have to worry about burns, frostbite, poison, or electric shocks.

And the special effect? A second chance at life? I’d never seen anything like it in my 137 years.

And it was a growth item, meaning it could be upgraded further.

What kind of power would it possess then? And the “Owner” field indicated it was a soulbound item.

Once equipped, no one else could use it until I died.

It couldn’t be sold.

It was mine.

“Are you sure about this…? How much did it cost you to make? Be honest.”

Even with his extraordinary talent, the materials alone must have cost a fortune.

“I poured all my savings into it. I’m broke now.”

If a YouTuber with 200,000 subscribers and a reputation as a skilled blacksmith spent his entire life savings on it… The cost must have been astronomical.

“How can I accept this…?”

“I don’t know when you might kick the bucket without it. That giant… I almost peed myself, it was so scary. But you weren’t scared at all?”

I’d faced far more terrifying beings.

“I’ve faced things far worse than that. And I’ll face them again. So take this, live a long life, and keep earning money for me. Got it?”

He couldn’t bring himself to say he didn’t want me to die.

Typical guy.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be your loyal customer for life.”

I’d earn him more than he could ever spend in a lifetime.

For this precious friend of mine.