Legacy of the Crow — Part 1
Let’s break it all down one by one.
First, the gold bars.
The surface was engraved with the Geumo Group emblem and the words [1KG] clearly marked.
There were at least 100 of them.
‘I don’t know the current gold price in this world, but if I compare it to the prices from my original world, this would easily amount to 10 billion Won.’
‘It’ll be a hassle to carry all this.’
Although the tray the secretary used to hold the gold bars was radiating mana to support the weight, my golf bag wasn’t equipped with any lightweight magic.
Next, the handgun.
It was the fourth Dasan Gun promised by Seong Huiyeong.
Unlike the handgun I’d received before, this one was noticeably smaller and sleeker—compact enough to fit snugly in the palm of my hand.
With this, I had acquired [Stun] in addition to [Impact], [Phantom Shot], and [Destruction].
This was arguably the most compatible item for me.
‘In battle, I can use [Stun] to immobilize my enemies and finish them off with the Black Tiger Sword. No one would stand a chance.’
‘I guess there’s no need to carry a magic rifle anymore.’
Additionally, there were 20 Diamonds and two bottles of Nectar.
Just looking at them warmed my heart.
While the Nectar was valuable, I was especially pleased with the Diamonds.
With these, I could acquire all the traits I hadn’t been able to implant yet.
‘I was planning to visit the Colosseum soon, but I might not even need to anymore. I’ll save that for when I begin Baek Sorin’s personal quest.’
Finally, there was one last item remaining.
I picked up the shoes sitting atop the tray.
“Is it really okay for me to have these?”
I already knew what they were, but I asked anyway.
They were shoes carved to resemble a golden crow.
[Geumo Shoes], a pair of SR-grade magic shoes.
Though they were a tier below the SSR-grade magical equipment I possessed, such as the Black Tiger Sword, Mjolnir, Aegis, and Heart of Abundance, the Geumo Shoes had their own unique advantage.
They were part of a set item.
The set consisted of a helmet, belt, and shoes. When all three were equipped, their performance rivaled SSR-grade equipment.
Originally, the Chairman had owned the full set, but he’d distributed them among his children.
The key trait of the Geumo Shoes was [Geumo Leap], a powerful ability that not only allowed mid-air jumps but also negated inertia.
“These shoes serve as both your success reward and the commission fee.”
“A commission fee?”
“Yes. I have another request I’d like to entrust to you, Black Tiger Swordmaster.”
I already knew what she was getting at, but I feigned ignorance.
“A new request, you say?”
Before replying, Seong Huiyeong glanced around.
The crowd that had been bustling moments ago had dispersed like the receding tide.
Even without words, it was clear that everyone had understood the situation.
The once noisy rooftop had fallen silent.
Simultaneously, the three-dimensional magic array transformed into a veiled magic array, isolating the surroundings.
“Please keep this confidential.”
“Of course.”
“As you’ve seen, I’m still at a disadvantage. Thanks to you, I’ve narrowly escaped a crisis, but the fact remains that I’m weaker than my brothers.”
It was because of her age.
Her eldest and second eldest brothers were already in their 40s.
Meanwhile, Seong Huiyeong was in her early 20s, around the same age as Warrior Kim.
The fact that she had reached level 6 was impressive in itself.
If she had just a few more years, she wouldn’t have fallen behind her brothers. However, at the moment, it was undeniable that she was weaker.
“The team battle will undoubtedly go to my eldest brother, and unless something unexpected happens, the one-on-one duel will be won by my second brother. That leaves the final decision to the board of directors, and while I don’t know who will win, I’m certain it won’t be me.”
“That does seem likely. It’s true that you’re at a disadvantage in many ways, President.”
“But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to sit back and accept it. After careful consideration, I’ve realized there’s only one way to turn this situation around.”
Seong Huiyeong touched her ear.
More precisely, the gemstone embedded beneath her ear.
As light radiated from it, a small chip materialized in the air.
A magical chip grasped in the talons of a sunlit crow.
“Have you ever heard of the Crow Chip?”
“You mentioned it before.”
“Yes. In fact, I intentionally let it slip. I thought I might need to enlist your help, Black Tiger Swordmaster.”
Seong Huiyeong’s sharp gaze focused on the magic chip.
“This contains a secret of our family. Hidden within it is a mutated gene that only responds to our family’s DNA.”
“A mutated gene, you say…”
“If I can secure it and inject it into myself, I’ll be able to reach level 7 and overturn everything.”
It wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
The chip likely also held data on compatible cybernetic enhancements, but the risks of mutation and mana overload were always present for Reinforced beings.
Even with Nectar, custom elixirs prepared in advance, or an abundance of money and magic, the danger remained.
Still, Seong Huiyeong was willing to take that risk.
She wanted to reign over the world.
“I understand what you’re saying. You want me to find the Crow Chip for you?”
“Exactly. My subordinates have already scoured the building, but they’ve had no luck. My father claimed he hid it within the building during his lifetime, but…”
“Very well. I accept the request. What’s the success reward?”
“The success reward…”
Seong Huiyeong gestured toward the magical tray again.
“I’ll give you something similar to this.”
“Something similar?”
“Yes.”
She immediately outlined the specific items.
Gold bars equivalent to 10 billion Won.
20 Diamonds and 2 bottles of Nectar.
And the Geumo Helmet, a headpiece for defense.
Since the Geumo Shoes she’d just handed over served as both the success reward and commission fee, it made sense for the rest of the reward to be of similar value.
I shook hands with Seong Huiyeong, formally accepting the request.
“Alright. I’ll get started right away. Could you provide me with a small office to use in the meantime?”
“There’s an office I’ve been using. I’ll let you have it. Feel free to use it until this matter is resolved.”
“And you?”
“I can use any executive office. That’s no issue.”
The office Seong Huiyeong assigned to me was on the penultimate floor.
The top floor was exclusively for the Chairman.
The penultimate floor had been used by his children.
After ensuring that the elevators were separated to prevent us from running into each other, I made my way to the office.
“Wow…”
The moment I stepped inside the president’s office, I couldn’t help but let out a short exclamation of awe.
Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the entirety of Gangnam District’s cityscape was visible.
The interior was sleek and modern, with cleaning drones flitting about like birds, purifying the air.
The walls were adorned with abstract modern art pieces—too high-concept for me to fully comprehend—and the floor was tiled with patterns of exposed magical arrays.
Altogether, the space exuded a unique and sophisticated atmosphere.
Hearing my admiration, Seong Huiyeong smiled, clearly pleased with my reaction.
“What do you think? Do you like it?”
“I don’t know if I deserve to use a place this nice. It looks better than my own home.”
“You’re too humble. Your house wasn’t bad, Black Tiger Swordmaster, though it didn’t quite match your stature.”
I suddenly felt the weight of how far I’d come.
Back in my original world, I’d lived in a two-pyeong goshiwon.
Who would have thought that someone like me would one day receive such treatment from the heir to the fourth-largest conglomerate in the country?
If only this world wasn’t teetering on the edge of chaos—what with ancient gods reviving, nuclear wars, and dimensional rifts threatening calamity—I might consider settling down here for good.
“I’ll leave you to it, then.”
Seong Huiyeong closed the door and left.
I wandered around the office, which was easily over 100 pyeong, before plopping down onto the executive chair.
This wasn’t just any ordinary executive chair.
The premium leather hugged my body, while its ergonomic design cradled me perfectly.
And then, the magic kicked in.
Dozens of layered enchantments activated simultaneously: cleansing, comfort, stability, purification, and recovery. My exhaustion vanished in an instant.
“Money really is something else.”
While the office was impressive, the chair in particular had me tempted.
Should I ask for this as part of my success reward?
Bringing one home and taking just a 10-minute rest in it whenever I felt tired would be more than worth it.
I chuckled at the frivolous thought before proceeding to remove my enchanted equipment, piece by piece, and set them on the desk.
[Detection Helmet]
[Rapid Shoes]
[Fury Hand Axe]
[Danger Sense Ring]
These were the magic items whose traits I hadn’t yet absorbed.
With the 20 Diamonds I’d just received, I could finally acquire them all.
Since I’d used these items extensively, their compatibility with me had already been maxed out.
Without hesitation, I infused the Diamonds into the equipment, causing them to glow brilliantly.
I could feel the traits being absorbed into me.
“Whew.”
My heart raced.
Even though I’d already combined several high-tier traits, the thrill of unlocking a new one never failed to excite me.
[Charge], [Leap], [Sprint]
[Mobility], [Evasion], [Swiftness]
I began assembling the traits.
I could feel my mana circuits shifting.
Like leaves scattering and then reassembling block by block, the traits fused together, revealing a grand new trait:
[Grand Assault]
It was somewhat similar to Baek Sorin’s Rampaging Train.
The difference was that while Rampaging Train focused solely on moving forward relentlessly, [Grand Assault] allowed for retreating or taking detours when necessary.
‘I’ve secured a mobility skill.’
My next goal was a high-tier sensory trait.
While I already had the excellent [Sixth Sense], adding another one wouldn’t hurt, right?
After all, I already had [Insight], [Detection], [Tracking], and [Danger Sense] lined up.
‘I just need two more.’
There were several options to choose from: Clairvoyance, Empathic Vision, or Evil Eyes…
‘For me, Empathic Vision would be the best.’
Although I was tempted by Evil Eyes, Empathic Vision suited me better.
While Evil Eyes temporarily inflicted debuffs like paralysis on an opponent, Empathic Vision allowed me to read all their information.
With a Dasan Gun in hand, Empathic Vision was the obvious choice.
‘I’ll need to gather traits like Weakness Detection and Penetration for that.’
I’d just decided on my next goal.
‘Should I create a provocation skill too?’
Normally, I didn’t need one since I often worked alone.
But even if not for provocation, having something like a roar could prove useful.
It’d be effective in one-versus-many fights, and even in one-on-one battles, it could be used to impose sudden debuffs.
Whether it evolved into Lion’s Roar or an all-encompassing Battle Cry, it would be worth considering.
“And then…”
I began replacing my traits.
[Resolve], [Fierce Strike], [Fury], [Destruction]
I was still missing two.
I needed the traits [Rampage] and [Massacre] to combine into the higher-tier trait [One-Man Army].
If [Giant’s Strength] purely enhanced physical abilities, then [One-Man Army] boosted stats while also providing significant combat bonuses.
When it came to sheer combat power, [One-Man Army] was superior to [Giant’s Strength].
Though for versatility, [Giant’s Strength] still had its merits.
‘And there’s one more.’
I was talking about Swordsmanship Expert.
I’d already fulfilled five of the necessary traits, with only [Parry] left to acquire.
That one could be achieved through focused training.
Seo Woojin was too busy to help, but I could always call Baek Sorin or find a suitable sparring partner for some practical training.
“Good, good.”
After confirming everything, I stood up.
Although I had materials for becoming a Shield Expert, I decided to put that off for now.
I lacked the essential skill Shieldsmanship, and my only shield-related trait was [Shield Bash].
For now, my priority was finding the Crow Chip.
I donned the Geumo Shoes, placed the Rapid Shoes and Fury Hand Axe in my golf bag, wore the Detection Helmet, and slid the Danger Sense Ring onto my finger.
[Insight], [Tracking], [Focus]
[Sixth Sense], [Sensitivity], [Bright Eyes]
With Detection and Danger Sense already embedded in my magic equipment, there was no need to equip them separately.
‘The Crow Chip was in the lobby, wasn’t it?’
This was the ultimate cheat.
Knowing the answer in advance.
While others painstakingly scoured the entire building, I could just stroll in, claim it, and call it a day.
Why hadn’t they found it yet, though?
Because the Chairman had poured an obscene amount of money into hiding it.
An interdimensional barrier.
The Sun Crow statue in the center of the lobby had been deeply embedded and isolated using an interdimensional barrier.
On top of that, it was surrounded by a host of detection-disruption magic arrays.
To make it even more impenetrable, the Sun Crow statue itself was crafted entirely from a special alloy.
Externally, it was said to be made of World Iron and coated in gold, but in truth, it held the Geumo Group’s founder family’s most closely guarded secret.
Unless the Sun Crow statue was destroyed, there was no way to detect what was hidden inside.
And no one had the guts to smash a statue personally sculpted by the Geumo Group’s founder and former chairman.
‘Let’s give it two days before I mention it.’
If I pointed to the Sun Crow statue right now, it’d only raise suspicion.
For the time being, I enjoyed the lavish lifestyle as much as I could while pretending to bide my time.
When I got bored, I wandered around the building, using detection traits for fun. If that grew tiresome, I’d return to the president’s office and call for an employee to cook me some ramen. If even that wasn’t enough, I’d explore the basement, poking around here and there.
“Black Tiger Swordmaster? That area has already been thoroughly inspected.”
“We don’t know where the target is, but it’s definitely not there.”
“You never know.”
“I respect your skills, Black Tiger Swordmaster, but when it comes to tracking, I believe we’re better equipped. Please leave it to us.”
“We will find the target, no matter what.”
“149th-floor views are supposed to be stunning, right? I’d love to see them at least once before I die.”
Their attitude practically screamed, “Just sit in the CEO’s office and stay out of our way.”
I simply laughed it off.
It was amusing to see people boasting with only traits like [Detection], [Tracking], and [Sprint] at their disposal.
Honestly, headbutting my way through this alone seemed far more effective.
Two days passed like that before I called for Seong Huiyeong.
When she came, her face carried a mixture of nervous anticipation.
“Black Tiger Swordmaster, you called for me?”
“Yes.”
I acted as if I owned the place, brewing coffee myself and offering her a cup.
True to her chaebol background, Seong Huiyeong maintained a composed demeanor, even though she was likely impatient inside. She calmly sipped her coffee while observing me.
But could she still keep her composure after hearing what I was about to say?
Looking her straight in the eyes, I spoke.
“I found it.”
Her delicate, pale fingers flinched slightly.
Though she moved with elegance, her trembling eyes betrayed her unease, as if an earthquake had struck her calm facade.
“You found it? Where?”
“There’s no need to waste time talking. Let’s go retrieve it right now.”
“Fine.”
She placed her coffee cup on the table.
Clink.
The sound it made was unusual for her—something that would never happen normally. The coffee in the cup quivered faintly.
We immediately took the elevator down.
Seong Huiyeong stood with her arms crossed, maintaining a dignified posture, but her heels tapped nervously against the elevator floor.
It was clear she was both anxious and full of anticipation.
“How did you find it? I haven’t received any special reports.”
“That’s a trade secret. You entrusted me with this job because you thought I had the ability to succeed, didn’t you?”
“To be honest, I didn’t expect much. The only reason I gave you the Geumo Shoes as a success reward was… well, never mind.”
She trailed off mid-sentence.
Didn’t she hire me because she knew I had tracking abilities?
It seemed like she might have some ulterior motive I wasn’t aware of.
Ignoring it for now, we stepped out of the elevator on the first floor.
Stopping in front of the Sun Crow statue in the lobby, I saw her expression shift into disbelief.
“This?”
“Yes.”
“I did suspect it. We even conducted multiple ultra-precise inspections. But the conclusion was always that there was nothing inside…”
“That’s because it can’t be detected unless it’s destroyed.”
I picked up Mjolnir.
Koo-rrung!
The hammer roared as I channeled mana into it, thunder exploding around it.
Mjolnir transformed into a mass of lightning, exuding overwhelming power.
Seong Huiyeong’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait! You can’t just destroy it! Let’s perform another ultra-precise inspection first—contact the Four Great Mage Towers for assistance—”
Ah, I told you already. That won’t work.
Ignoring her protests, I hurled Mjolnir with all my might.
Kwaa-rrung!
The Sun Crow statue shattered in an explosion of thunder, and a belated scream tore through the air.
“No!”
–TL Notes–
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