Chapter 76
“Hello.”
“Yes, hello.”
It was a sudden phone call early that morning.
The caller was none other than Han Sanguk, the master craftsman of Hansan Nation—and Sui’s grandfather.
Over the phone, he told Juhyeok to clear his schedule for the day and then sent an address by message.
When Juhyeok arrived at the address, he found himself standing in front of a workshop.
One of the few large-scale weapon forges in South Korea was located there.
He had visited many places that sold weapons before, but this was his first time coming to an actual workshop where weapons were made. Feeling a bit intrigued, he looked around curiously while searching for Han Sanguk.
Han Sanguk noticed Juhyeok’s arrival, put down what he had been fiddling with, and stood up.
“Let’s sit down and talk first.”
“Yes, sir.”
Not knowing what this was about, Juhyeok decided to follow his lead for now.
They walked to the seating area together, and once they sat down, Han Sanguk spoke first.
“I hear you’re planning to start a guild these days?”
“Yes. I’m thinking of keeping it small.”
“I see.”
Han Sanguk pulled a drink out of the small refrigerator next to the chair.
Without even asking Juhyeok what he wanted, he handed him an orange drink and continued speaking.
“Even if you keep it small, it’ll still cost a fair bit of money, won’t it?”
“…”
What exactly was he getting at?
Juhyeok didn’t know the precise intent behind the question, but just in case, he deflected it in advance.
“It’s nothing major. I just need the guild name anyway, so it’s not that financially tight.”
Creating a guild wasn’t putting him under serious financial strain.
In other words, he didn’t need anyone else’s help… which he expressed indirectly.
Han Sanguk seemed to catch on right away and clicked his tongue in displeasure.
“What nonsense. Do you even know how much it costs just to establish a guild?”
After saying that, he took a swig of his own drink.
“Ahh—” he let out a satisfied sound before continuing.
“I’m not going to talk about annoying things like sponsorships, so just listen with an open mind.”
“Then what did you call me here for?”
If it wasn’t about sponsorship, was it just small talk?
Still wary, Juhyeok watched silently as Han Sanguk stood up.
“I’m developing a new weapon right now.”
As he spoke, he lightly assembled the object he had been handling earlier.
With practiced hands, he put the parts together in just a few seconds, and soon they formed a single handgun.
“It’s a weapon made for beginners, and we’re just about to start real combat testing.”
He placed the freshly assembled handgun on the table.
At a glance, it didn’t look particularly special.
Rather than a modern pistol design, it resembled an old-fashioned gun you’d see in a Western movie.
“I need someone to handle the testing, and Sui happened to bring you up.”
“…”
So that was it.
Maybe she had been worried after seeing him look off yesterday.
It really was nothing—just that the artifact had been making a racket and left him a bit irritated.
Realizing he’d caused her concern, he felt a little sorry.
“If you participate in the test, I’ll pay you handsomely. Take it and try entering a B-rank gate.”
“A B-rank gate? For a weapon meant for beginners?”
“I don’t know how far it’ll hold up yet, so I want to test it in as high-level a place as possible.”
Basic power testing had already been completed.
However, the handgun hadn’t yet been used against monsters in actual combat.
“And in case it turns out to be ineffective, I need someone who can wipe out a B-rank gate solo even without a gun. You’re the perfect candidate, aren’t you?”
“I understand.”
Juhyeok nodded.
The conditions weren’t bad, and the pay was good, so there was no reason to refuse the test.
Still, one thing bothered him.
“But I’ve never used a gun before. Is that okay?”
As an awakened individual, Juhyeok had been exempted from military service.
He had never fired a gun in his life.
He had used a bow once or twice during school classes, but that was the extent of it.
He wondered if someone with zero firearm experience was really suitable for this test.
Han Sanguk answered without hesitation.
“That’s even better. Since it’s a gun made for beginners, I need someone with no experience.”
The weapon was designed specifically for inexperienced users.
From that perspective, Juhyeok’s complete lack of knowledge was actually ideal for gathering data.
“Just play around with it for a few days and then do the real test. Easy, right?”
“I don’t really have a reason to refuse, but…”
“If you don’t, just take it.”
He shoved the handgun forward without giving him time to hesitate.
As he said, there was no reason not to accept it.
Juhyeok picked up the gun lightly and said,
“Thank you.”
“Save your thanks for Sui. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have even considered giving this to you.”
“I will.”
As he held the handgun, Sui’s expressionless face came to mind.
The thought that she had been worried about him made him chuckle.
“Oh, right. After deductions and all that, the upfront payment is exactly one billion won.”
“…That much?”
“That’s about how much real combat weapon testing usually costs.”
Given the risks involved, real combat testing was expensive.
Normally, entering a B-rank gate wouldn’t cost that much, but since an S-rank hunter was involved, the price—while high—was still reasonable.
An S-rank hunter was elite manpower.
Juhyeok still hadn’t fully grasped just how valuable he was.
“I’ll work you hard for that money, so don’t worry.”
“Understood.”
“And since you’re already here, try firing it at the shooting range.”
With that, Han Sanguk stood up.
Juhyeok followed him outside.
Leaving the workshop and entering the building next door, they arrived at a fully equipped training facility.
Or rather, a weapon testing facility would be a more accurate description.
After walking through the place, they eventually reached the shooting range.
Targets were set at distances of 50 meters, 100 meters, and 150 meters, and shooters fired from a fixed position.
Han Sanguk entered the control room, turned on the microphone, and explained.
“Alright, once we start, targets will pop up at random. Just shoot and hit them. Easy, right?”
Juhyeok nodded and copied the shooting stance diagram posted next to the firing position.
“Starting.”
As soon as the signal was given, the shooting range began to hum.
A mechanical voice started counting, and soon targets rose into view.
Juhyeok fired diligently at the targets.
The test ended quickly, and Han Sanguk came down from the control room wearing a shocked expression.
“You little—”
“…”
He stared, unable to say anything.
Juhyeok said nothing either, merely stroking the gun lightly.
Han Sanguk finally managed to speak.
“Your shooting is terrible.”
“…I know.”
Out of 20 shots, only two hit a target.
And even those two hit targets in the neighboring lane, not his own.
In other words, he hadn’t landed a single proper hit.
“I know handgun shooting is hard, but this is beyond bad.”
“…”
As always, his first attempts at something new were utterly disastrous.
With nothing to say, Juhyeok just fiddled with the gun.
“It’s fine. I’ll improve with practice.”
“Hah… You’d better. If you’re too bad, we won’t get any usable data.”
No usable data meant he couldn’t be assigned the test role.
Han Sanguk let out a deep sigh.
“At minimum, you need to hit five shots out of twenty. You understand?”
“Yes, I do.”
Five hits out of twenty shots was the requirement to proceed with real combat testing.
If he couldn’t even hit that, the test itself would be meaningless.
“We’ll do the real test in a week. Can you manage?”
“That’s more than enough time.”
Five hits out of twenty shots in one week.
Was that even possible with his current miserable skill?
Han Sanguk sighed inwardly, but seeing the determination in Juhyeok’s eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to tell him to quit.
‘Well… he’s still an awakened, even if he’s rough.’
An S-rank, after all.
With that level of combat sense, he should adapt to shooting eventually.
Thinking that, Han Sanguk prepared to leave for the day.
“May I continue using the shooting range?”
“Sure. Practice as much as you want.”
So he really was a training addict—at least he had grit.
After explaining how to use the range, Han Sanguk left and returned to the workshop.
‘This is going to be rough.’
He had agreed mainly because of his granddaughter’s request.
But seeing such dreadful shooting firsthand left him speechless.
‘Can he really hit five shots in a week?’
Honestly, even three felt questionable.
His posture wasn’t bad—so how could he be that bad at shooting?
“Ugh… he’ll figure it out.”
Worrying about hunters ranked right up there with worrying about celebrities—completely useless.
Trusting that Juhyeok would manage somehow, Han Sanguk immersed himself in work again.
Time passed, and by the time night had fully fallen—
‘I should wrap up soon…’
All the apprentices had already left, leaving only him in the workshop.
He was about to do some final cleanup and head home when—
Bang!
A familiar gunshot rang in his ears.
He’d barely paid attention to the sound while working.
But realizing that gunfire was still echoing after ten hours, he doubted his ears.
‘Don’t tell me he’s been training alone this whole time…?’
Ten straight hours of solo shooting practice.
Even people who loved shooting didn’t usually focus on it all day like that.
A dry laugh escaped him at Juhyeok’s sheer persistence.
‘Figures. An irregular who hit S-rank really is built different.’
Five hits out of twenty in a week.
At first, it seemed impossible—but hearing those nonstop gunshots changed his mind a little.
‘He’s going to pull it off, one way or another.’
Han Sanguk knew well how deeply someone with determination could immerse themselves once they set their mind to something.
Drawn by the still-echoing gunfire, he headed back to the shooting range.
Juhyeok’s posture hadn’t changed.
Seeing him still firing with proper form hours later, Han Sanguk smiled faintly.
“That’s enough. It’s too loud. Go home now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Juhyeok put the gun down at Han Sanguk’s voice.
As Juhyeok was about to leave after a quick cleanup, Han Sanguk handed him a key.
“You’ll train again tomorrow morning, right? Don’t bother asking me to open it—just come and train on your own.”
“Thank you.”
“If you’re thankful, then do well.”
Despite the gruff tone, a smile bloomed on his face.
Watching a hardworking young man stirred a quiet fire in his own heart once more.
