Chapter 21
“…Where am I this time?”
After his encounter with Cheok Nosa and receiving a generous amount of gifts, Shin Hyuk woke up from his faint and opened his eyes.
What greeted him was an unfamiliar ceiling.
Unfamiliar, yes—but not uncomfortable.
The bed he lay on was soft and cozy, the room’s interior was neat and satisfying, and the sunlight streaming through the window was warm and pleasant.
But the important question was why he was here in the first place.
Fortunately, the ones who could answer that question soon appeared.
“Son, are you alright?”
“Shin Hyuk!”
“Is your body okay?”
It was his father, In Gyun, his only friend Sua, and lastly, Bang Se-jin, with whom he had recently rekindled his connection after returning.
As the three of them opened the door and appeared, Shin Hyuk was the one who got startled.
“Father, Sua, even Se-jin hyung… what’s going on here?”
It was natural—he woke up from sleep to find three people staring at him as if the world had ended.
But the explanation that followed soon made his face harden.
“You’ve been asleep for three days.”
“You collapsed in your room after the broadcast suddenly ended three days ago!”
“While hammering at the workshop, your father and Sua contacted me, so I dropped everything else and came right away.”
“…I’ve been out like this for three days?”
Three days.
That was how long Shin Hyuk had been unconscious.
At that moment, he realized just how ridiculous the situation he had gone through was.
‘…I met the Star Rank in person. I met him once before during my Challenger days before returning, but I couldn’t feel it properly then… Just meeting him seems to have been a huge strain on my body. And using Overload on top of that must have left my body in shambles. No wonder I was unconscious for three days.’
The Star Rank, the Martial God.
Meeting Cheok Nosa had undoubtedly been an extraordinary experience.
Even though Nosa had deliberately lowered his level to ease the pressure on Shin Hyuk, the toll on both his body and mind had been immense.
But there was no time to dwell on such thoughts.
He had to deal with the busy task of calming the three who had rushed over, worried about him.
The three seemed to understand a little after Shin Hyuk persuaded them and eventually left.
Of course, he didn’t mention his meeting with Cheok Nosa.
He simply brushed it off, saying he had been extremely tired recently.
Before they left, Shin Hyuk grabbed Se-jin’s hand.
“Se-jin hyung.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“I got some new rewards this time. Want to take a look?”
“…You just woke up from fainting, and now you suddenly want to show me something—”
“So you don’t want to see it?”
“No, of course I want to see it.”
Se-jin paused, sensing that this was no ordinary reward, and returned to his seat.
Shin Hyuk, stifling a small laugh at Se-jin’s presence as a master blacksmith, pulled out magic-infused steel from his inventory.
“…This is?”
“Magic steel. Steel infused with magical energy.”
“Magic steel? Isn’t this something mostly used by villains or demons? I thought the government rarely allows such magic-infused weapons…”
“Getting permission isn’t difficult. You’ve forgotten what kind of family I come from, haven’t you?”
“Ah…”
The Shinwha Group.
One of the major pillars supporting South Korea.
Naturally, obtaining government approval for magic-infused weapons was child’s play.
Se-jin himself was the head of the Shinwha workshop.
If someone like him requested permission for magic-related weapons, the government would almost certainly comply.
Se-jin scratched his head with an awkward smile, realizing Shin Hyuk still hadn’t fully grasped their influence.
“You’re showing this for one reason, right?”
“Yes. I want to make a weapon with it.”
“The sword I made for you?”
“That’s fine, but you know I don’t stick to using just one weapon.”
“True enough.”
A new weapon.
Shin Hyuk already had the “Well-Crafted Holy Sword of Bang Se-jin.”
The sword he had lost during his fight with Cheok Nosa had returned safely to his inventory, but he wanted something new.
“Another sword this time?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“A spear.”
“A spear… not bad. But why a spear?”
“The abilities I’ll be using from now on are related to spears.”
The spear was the weapon Shin Hyuk wanted.
Although it might have made sense for a master swordsman like him to obtain another sword, he deliberately chose a spear.
The reason was simple.
‘Divine Spear… or Spear God. And the single title that encompasses them all: Celestial Demon. When I unleash that martial skill, a spear fits best.’
Before returning, he had received the Pa Cheon Myeol Sae-ryu from the Martial God.
Now, he planned to borrow magical energy via the magic steel to execute the Cheonma Martial Technique.
And perhaps—
‘I hope I can meet him again this time, Master.’
He recalled the one time before returning when that man had cared for him deeply, and a faint smile appeared as he got up.
“Already awake?”
“After three days of rest, I need to get moving. Gold isn’t far off.”
“…It hasn’t even been half a month since the placement test, and you’re already a player on the verge of Gold? You must be the first.”
“I have no intention of settling for just Gold, obviously.”
“Alright. I’ll tell you when the materials are ready.”
“Thanks, hyung.”
“Don’t thank me. I’m the one who should be thankful. Take care of yourself.”
“Yes.”
With a grateful nod to Se-jin’s caring words, Shin Hyuk changed out of his hospital gown into the clothes on the table.
While the hospital outfit was comfortable, he needed to check his body condition and couldn’t train in it.
However, he stopped in his tracks as he saw someone standing outside the room.
“…Grandfather.”
“Ahaha, I heard you woke up, but I waited in the director’s office since the others arrived first. Do you have a moment to talk?”
“Even if not, I’ll make time.”
“Good. The director’s office is free, so let’s go there.”
“Yes.”
Choi Cheol-ho.
Chairman of Shinwha Group and Shin Hyuk’s grandfather.
He treated the hospital director’s office as his personal space, and Shin Hyuk didn’t mind at all.
‘The hospital I was in is Shinwha Hospital. And the director is my grandfather’s man, so no problem.’
Knowing there was nothing in Shinwha named that wasn’t connected to Choi Cheol-ho, Shin Hyuk followed him into the office.
“The one you met last time isn’t here?”
“Ahaha, he’s currently logged into the Dimension Arena again because you gave him a hard time.”
“…Hmm, I might miss him next time.”
“You won’t admit that you might?”
“I can’t deny it.”
“Hahaha! That’s my grandson!”
Choi Cheol-ho instantly realized that the person Shin Hyuk felt earlier was not present today, and he delighted in it.
Shin Hyuk entered the office, sitting on the plush leather sofa, while Cheol-ho naturally took the seat for the director.
“What happened?”
“…”
Without preamble, Shin Hyuk recounted everything.
Clearing the hidden stage, the meeting with Cheok Nosa—everything.
The only reason he told his grandfather what he had never shared with family or friends was simple:
“You got the Star Rank’s attention? And you liked it enough to gain skills and titles?”
“Yes.”
“Impressive. Perhaps you could become… a representative of South Korea. More importantly, the symbol of our Shinwha Group!”
Cheol-ho was excited.
He wanted to monopolize Shin Hyuk’s full attention.
Seeing Shin Hyuk gain the Star Rank’s attention, skills, and titles, Choi Cheol-ho finally calmed his shifting excitement and asked:
“What do you want to obtain?”
‘Just what I wanted.’
Cheol-ho was a man of clear rewards and punishments.
If you earned merit, he would reward you more.
If you erred, he would punish you more severely.
Shin Hyuk had been waiting for him to ask this.
“I need rare and rare+ grade materials.”
“That’s not difficult… but will that be enough?”
“Specifically, I need enough materials to upgrade my growth-type item to rare+ grade.”
“That will be a tremendous amount.”
He wasted no time and laid out his request.
To grow the Absorption Armor to rare+ grade, the materials needed were far beyond what any individual could collect.
“That means the Shinwha Workshop will have less supply.”
But not for Choi Cheol-ho.
It would only mean less supply going to the workshop, and thus Se-jin would benefit.
Cheol-ho laughed at Shin Hyuk’s cleverness.
“Clever. Reducing others’ resources to increase your own. I like that. Consider it done.”
“Thank you.”
If Se-jin received the materials that would have gone to other blacksmiths, he would have no shortage.
Because of that cunningness, Shin Hyuk could obtain everything he wanted.
“Then I’ll take my leave. Too many nuisances around to rest anyway.”
“I’ll accompany you.”
“Ahaha, thanks, but I’m not that old yet. Anyway, there are plenty of attendants outside, so just remember one thing.”
“…”
“Shinwha must be number one. Focus only on showing that to the world.”
“…Yes.”
Choi Cheol-ho said this coldly, erasing all traces of his previous smile, then smiled again and bid farewell.
Left alone, Shin Hyuk shook his head and sighed.
“Don’t worry, grandfather. Shinwha will become number one. Even if you’re not the owner then.”
Resolute, he headed toward the player training ground under the Shinwha name.
“Now… let’s check out what I got this time.”
The gifts from the Martial God, Cheok Nosa.
It was time to inspect them.
