Chapter 675: Mithril-Orichalcum Greatsword (1)

Various complicated worries swirled around in my head, but without reaching any proper conclusion, the previous night passed.

For now, I decided not to think too deeply about my dreams and beliefs, and just maintain what I’ve been doing until now.

Building more connections with the women I’ve formed relationships with.

And above all, maintaining my goal as a Hunter: ‘Becoming stronger’.

Before thinking about the next step that hasn’t even arrived yet, there were already many things I needed to do right now.

Since I had decided to share the details about the grant money obtained from defeating the Three-Headed Basilisk with everyone individually, I naturally had to explain my future plans not only to Min-ah but also to the other party members of the Sky Blue Shield.

The easiest person to talk to in the current situation was, as expected, Hye-eun.

With Min-ah, it was easy to bring it up quickly thanks to us living together, and Hye-eun, my childhood friend, had been living with me for a long time originally.

“Since I thought of it, it might be nice to have a proper date for the first time in a while.”

I already had a history of ruining a date with Hye-eun around this time last year.

Back then, it was a time when I had only recently gained my awakened abilities and was pushing my body too hard. It was because I couldn’t manage my condition properly on the day of the date.

The originally planned movie date turned into a date at home, and although it ultimately created a much better atmosphere than a typical everyday date, that’s just looking back at the results.

I needed to make up for the proper date I couldn’t finish back then.

As the saying goes, ‘You should strike while the iron is hot,’ even though it was still morning, since the idea came to mind, I decided to call her right away and schedule a date.

-Ring ring ring, click.

Even though it was early morning, Hye-eun answered my call almost as soon as the first ring finished.

Perhaps because she was still sleepy, my girlfriend’s slightly husky, cute voice tickled my ears.

「Mmmph…. Taekyung-ah….」

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

“Nooo…. I was going to wake up now anyway….”

Well, considering her morning work hours, it was about time she should be waking up. Hye-eun would probably be heading to work from the morning today too.

I, however, had some circumstances, so I’d be stopping by somewhere else briefly in the morning before showing my face at the company starting in the afternoon.

“Why’d you callll~?”

“It’s nothing else, I was just thinking maybe we could go on a date for the first time in a while.”

“D-date?!”

-Crash bang bang!

“…H-Hye-eun?!”

As soon as she heard the word ‘date,’ a rather noisy sound came from the other end of the receiver.

I guessed it might be the sound of her rolling off the bed and called out to her worriedly. Fortunately, the call didn’t drop, and she called my name again.

“Uh, uh-huh…. It-it’s nothing….”

“Did you fall out of bed or something?”

“…Did you perhaps install a camera in my room?”

“No way. I just heard the sound and guessed.”

Technically, it was inferred from the sound and Hye-eun’s usual behavior patterns.

It wasn’t a scene that required great deductive skills, as it was vividly imaginable even without a camera.

“Anyway, what’s your answer?”

“O-of course, I’d love to! When? When should we go? Tomorrow? Or even today is fine!”

“Today’s a day you work from the morning, Hye-eun.”

“I don’t care! I can just skip work!”

Seeing Hye-eun so shamelessly utter the word ‘skip work’ brought an involuntary smile to my lips.

I wanted to go out on a date right now if I could, but today I had to take care of some urgent business in the morning first.

Practically speaking, the time I could actually spend dating her was from tomorrow onwards.

“I’d love to start dating today too if possible, but I have a brief schedule this morning.”

“Ah, I-I see…. I-I guess I was just too hasty….”

“Let’s do it tomorrow. We can watch a movie together for the first time in a while, chat at a cafe, and spend some time alone together.”

“Th-that’s right…. Alone together for the first time in a while….”

The last time I satisfied Hye-eun’s desires must have been during that 3P sex session with Cheon Jihee.

Even then, I remember making them cum countless times, losing count, making both their bodies completely mine, but quite some time had passed since that day.

More importantly, the time spent alone with my girlfriend Hye-eun herself was quite a while ago.

No matter how much Hye-eun enjoys watching me have sex with other people, she obviously wouldn’t want only that kind of sex every time.

It would be best to create an opportunity for just the two of us, even if it was a bit rushed.

The problem is that our house is too crowded right now for a date at home to be just the two of us, and Hye-eun’s place has Eunyoung Noona living there, so it would be a bit difficult to spend time alone.

In the end, I really wanted to spend time alone with Hye-eun from start to finish, using the date as an excuse.

“Let’s meet tomorrow at 9 AM at the VGC building in front of the station. We couldn’t see each other last time, remember?”

“You won’t stand me up this time, right?”

“If I make you wait again this time, then Hye-eun, you can do whatever you want.”

「…….」

“…Hye-eun?”

“Huh, uh-huh?! I-I wasn’t imagining anything weird!”

…It seems my words, ‘do whatever you want,’ inadvertently stimulated her imagination. Well, she’s a girl in her prime, so it can’t be helped.

While I was a bit curious about what ‘whatever you want’ entailed in her mind, on the other hand, it was Hye-eun, so I felt a little scared.

For now, I quietly resolved in my mind not to be late for our appointment tomorrow under any circumstances.

“Okay, then tomorrow morning at 9 AM….”

“…Taekyung-ah, Taekyung-ah! Are you going to work this afternoon then?”

“This afternoon? Yeah. I’ll finish my morning tasks quickly and head to the office after lunch.”

“Th-then let’s hunt together this afternoon too! I was planning to run dungeons all day today from morning till night!”

“Sure, sounds good.”

Come to think of it, we hadn’t gone on expeditions alone together that many times, so the thought struck me that this was a good opportunity.

With that thought, I readily accepted Hye-eun’s promise to go dungeon hunting together in the afternoon.

Having more time to spend alone together after a long time felt like it would be quite enjoyable in its own way.

“I’ll probably be at the office by 2 PM at the latest today. I’ll send you a KakaoTalk message near the company.”

“Okay, okay!”

“Alright, have a good day at work today, and I’ll see you later. …I love you, Hye-eun.”

“H-huh?! …I-I love you too! T-Taekyung-ah!”

After exchanging ‘I love you’s, which felt embarrassingly awkward when spoken aloud for some reason.

I headed downstairs for the breakfast that Eunbyul had probably prepared today.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

After finishing the breakfast Eunbyul prepared and leaving the house, my steps led me to Areum’s workshop.

At this point, if I wanted to become stronger, I first needed to get my Mithril Greatsword repaired.

I also had the Orichalcum material handed over by the boss just two days ago, so repairs could now proceed in earnest.

The Mithril Greatsword was not only the weapon I had used the longest throughout my Hunter career, but it also boasted overwhelming durability among all the weapons I had used so far.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say it was a weapon that had truly been through thick and thin with me, so it held a certain attachment for me.

‘If it can be fixed, it’s better to repair and use it.’

And not just fixing it back into the original Mithril Greatsword, but it was planned to be made from a Mithril-Orichalcum alloy material.

While I didn’t have much knowledge about weapon materials, at least according to Areum, it was clearly a definite upgrade.

With such specialized knowledge, just listening to the blacksmith’s words was half the battle. As someone who wasn’t an expert in weapons and materials, there was no way I could repair the Mithril Greatsword myself anyway.

Areum and I had already become close and intimate in many ways, so I had plenty of trust in her words.

Thinking that way, I started walking towards Areum’s workshop with a somewhat relaxed mind, intending to ask her to repair the Mithril Greatsword.

However, Areum’s shop, which I visited for the first time in a while, didn’t seem to have a relaxed atmosphere at all.

“Here! Don’t you have anything lighter than this?! This is too heavy for a guy!”

“Why aren’t you selling me a greatsword! Even though I’m a guy, I can wield it!”

“Where are the guns displayed! I can only handle firearms like guns!”

“Speak one at a time, damn it!! It’s too noisy, I can’t hear anything!”

…Perhaps I had underestimated the symbolic meaning a male Hunter held.

And the ripple effect of me reaching the pinnacle as a male S-Class Hunter would even reach her workshop.