Master Artisan Jo Chul — Part 1
“Ugh, ugh, huuuh…”
Next to me, Baek Sorin was making strange noises.
It wasn’t crying or breathing, more like the sound of someone struggling to catch their breath after nearly choking.
I gave her a firm pat on the back, and only then did her breathing return to normal.
“Teacher… I really almost died, you know?”
“But you didn’t.”
“You’re too much.”
“It wasn’t too much; it was perfect. I calculated it down to the second. Actually, you were slower than my calculations. You had a full five seconds of leeway.”
“Five… seconds…”
Baek Sorin slumped over, her body plastered to the ground like a snail.
“Here, take this.”
I pulled a magic box and a wad of Shin Saimdang bills from my golf bag and handed them to her.
“What’s this?”
“What do you think? It’s the relic from earlier, plus some spending money.”
“A relic… Isn’t this really valuable?”
“Of course, it is. If you go alone, someone might cheat you, so make sure to go with Manager Choi. You’ve got his business card from before, right?”
“Huh? Where am I supposed to go?”
“Head to the Western or Eastern Army and ask them to teach you swordsmanship. Or go to any of the magic towers and get yourself a decent magic sword. Don’t speak directly, though. Have Manager Choi negotiate for you.”
I had earned two relics from the spoils, and I decided to give one away without hesitation.
I already had too much gear that needed mastery, and I didn’t need any more traits right now.
‘It’s better to invest in Baek Sorin.’
After all, she was the only one who could learn Mars Swordsmanship, one of the Three Great Sword Arts.
But to learn it, she’d need to complete a succession quest and extract it in the form of a memory chip.
That would come later.
Let’s wait until she reaches level 7.
Baek Sorin’s hands trembled.
“This… this is too much.”
“What is?”
“The money. Even 500,000 won would be more than enough…”
“What would 500,000 get you? You need at least 50 million won to buy proper gear. Don’t think of it as fun money; it’s an investment in yourself. Buy a sword, armor, and even a gun if you have to. You understand, right?”
“Y-Yes!”
“And this is the real treasure, not the pocket money. If you sell this at the auction house, you can easily get 2 billion won.”
“T-Two billion?!”
Depending on your negotiation skills and faction favorability, it could be exchanged for equipment or traits anywhere from level 3 to level 5.
That meant items like my holy sword or magic gun could be traded.
Come to think of it, I’ve made it pretty big.
If I stripped off all the magic gear I was wearing right now, it’d be worth more than 10 billion won.
I’m a walking skyscraper.
“That’s really okay for me to take?”
“When someone offers you something, take it. That’s how you’ll get stronger faster.”
“O-Okay! But I promise I’ll repay you later!”
“I’m not asking for much. Just stick to our agreement.”
“I’ll repay even more than that!”
“Well, I’ll look forward to it then.”
Baek Sorin hugged the magic box tightly.
It was too conspicuous, so I pulled out an emergency backpack and handed it to her.
“I should really get myself a golf bag.”
“A backpack is good, but in terms of storage, golf bags are unbeatable. You can’t just haul around a suitcase everywhere.”
“I definitely need to buy one.”
Now, all that was left was to clean up.
I shook out the contents of my golf bag and took out some magic cement and paint.
I filled the hole we had made earlier, patching it up bit by bit.
My traits in [Crafting], [Modification], and [Repair] were incredibly useful for this.
Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to confidently promise the Galaxy Mall director a clean finish.
Baek Sorin watched me work, her gaze curious.
“Teacher, what’s your superpower?”
“Why?”
“It’s strange. Most superhumans only have one or two powers, maybe six at most. Even those with high-level or transcendent powers couldn’t do what you do. You even figured out that I was Heavenly Killing Star right away.”
“That’s a secret.”
“Humph. It’s unfair.”
“The world is unfair. And don’t go asking other people about their superpowers. It’s very rude.”
“I only asked because it’s you, Teacher. I wouldn’t ask just anyone.”
“Well, that’s a relief. And don’t tell anyone about me, either. It’ll only cause headaches.”
“I’m not that clueless, you know.”
Baek Sorin lay down lazily, resting.
Her initial awakening had gone perfectly.
[Heavenly Killing Star], [Indomitable], [Rampaging Train], and [Nine Lives].
Her traits were exactly as they appeared in Episode 2.
‘Grow strong.’
That way, you’ll bring me the Mars Swordsmanship.
Eventually, I finished the repairs.
It was late at night.
Galaxy Mall’s business hours had ended.
Taking advantage of the cover of night, we slipped out of Galaxy Mall.
[The task is complete. Please confirm.]
I sent a message to the Galaxy Mall director and turned off the screen.
Baek Sorin blinked her eyes sleepily, clearly exhausted.
“Sorin.”
“Yes!”
“From now on, you’re on your own.”
“On my own?”
“Yes.”
I had done enough by helping her awaken.
I could raise her myself, but Baek Sorin would do just fine on her own, given that she was Heavenly Killing Star.
She looked a bit surprised at the sudden declaration that she was being sent off on her own, but she didn’t seem too shaken.
She knew deep down that she could handle herself.
“First thing tomorrow, go get certified at the Superhuman Tower and visit the firearms store to get some weapons. Exchange the relic properly, too. After that, start taking on requests—whether through Manager Choi or some other broker—and level up gradually. You know how it works, right? You only grow through real combat.”
“I learned that the hard way. But are you sure this is okay?”
“There’s just one thing you need to be careful about.”
I raised my right index finger.
“People. Be wary of people and always be suspicious of them. Don’t trust anyone.”
“Not even you?”
“Me? Hmm… I wouldn’t say trust me entirely. Just trust me halfway.”
“Haha, what’s that supposed to mean?”
What did she find so funny?
Baek Sorin burst into laughter.
“You’ll never lose to any monster, so it’s best for you to stick with forbidden zone extermination teams or beast hunts to grow. Stay away from people. If you get shot, you could die for real. And getting caught up in a power struggle could get you poisoned with a dart or something.”
“I don’t think I’d die from a poison dart.”
“It won’t just be poison darts—you might get hit by a rocket launcher.”
“A rocket launcher? Teacher, you’ve watched too many movies…”
“I’ve been hit by one before.”
Baek Sorin fell silent, her words caught in her throat.
“Catching people will only stir up the Heavenly Killing Star, which is no good. Focus on hunting monsters, got it?”
“Yes, I’ll do that. I can’t believe rocket launchers aren’t just something from the movies…”
“It’s not just rocket launchers. There’s claymores, mortars, killer drones, even gatling guns.”
“What kind of fights have you been in?”
“Anyway, we’ll part ways here and meet again later. If you run into any trouble, contact me.”
“Is this really the end?”
“It’s not the end. Besides, superhumans like us are better off moving alone. You’ll get stronger faster that way. Got it, Superhuman Baek Sorin?”
When I called her “superhuman,” Baek Sorin smiled shyly, though there was a hint of sadness too.
Her expression was a mix of relief and the youthful eagerness of a young warrior.
“I’ll make lots of money and spoil you later, Teacher!”
“That’s the spirit. Do what you want.”
“Take care!”
“You too, stay safe.”
Honestly, she must have picked up that odd way of talking from Seo Woojin’s friends.
In the original world, I was a bit older, but my current body, Warrior Kim, was around the same age as Baek Sorin and Seo Woojin.
Maybe it’s the scar on my cheek?
Or maybe because Warrior Kim had struggled through life from a young age?
They seemed to treat me as if I was ten years older than I actually was.
“Phew… Time to rest.”
I’d gotten through a major task.
I hadn’t taken a break since my level 3 certification.
I flagged down a taxi, went home, and passed out as soon as I hit the bed.
I planned to stay in bed for a few days.
Unfortunately, my lazy attempt was interrupted early the next morning.
At exactly 9 AM, I got a call from Manager Choi.
[Superhuman, did everything go well with the job?]
“Yes. It’s done perfectly.”
[Miss Sorin… I heard from Superhuman Sorin. She said she’d be getting certified today. I hear she’s expecting to be around level 2. Is that really true?]
“She’ll probably be about that level. She’s definitely surpassed level 1 but hasn’t reached level 3 yet.”
[My word. Both you and Superhuman Baek Sorin continue to surpass my expectations.]
“You’re too kind.”
[By the way, we’ve received a message from Director Seo Woojin.]
“Director?”
[He officially received his appointment yesterday.]
“With his skills, he definitely deserves to be a director.”
Seo Woojin was a level 5 superhuman.
A being as powerful as a fighter jet in combat.
[Late last night, he was lucky enough to coordinate his schedule with an armor artisan.]
“Really? When is the appointment?”
[Right now.]
“What? Right now?”
[Yes, you know how it is with high-level artisans. Their schedules are booked by the minute. The person Director Seo managed to arrange has crafted special custom armor for the Saintess and Apostles of the Old Father’s Cult.]
“They’ve made level 7 armor before?”
[Exactly.]
That was a chance I couldn’t miss.
There was no time to laze around.
I jumped up and shook my head to clear it.
“Understood. Let’s go. Where should I meet you?”
[Just come outside.]
“Huh?”
[I’m right outside your place now.]
Honk honk!
A car horn blared from outside the front gate.
What a decisive move.
It seemed like as soon as we spoke on the phone, he drove straight here.
Without even properly washing up, I scrambled outside.
I was only wearing a tracksuit and protective gear.
But at least I brought my golf bag.
I strapped my holy sword and magic gun proudly to my belt, and Manager Choi shook his head.
“You always bring your gear with you, don’t you?”
“Of course. Who knows when or where something might happen?”
This world was a complete mess, overrun with criminals and terrorists.
You had to be prepared wherever you went.
“I do have one favor to ask.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“When you have time, could you swing by the Sun Tower or Glacier Tower and have this turned into an artifact?”
I handed him the remaining magic box.
I could go myself, but it was too much of a hassle.
Manager Choi opened the box and gasped in surprise.
“What is this?”
“It’s a crystal. If you take it to the magic tower, they’ll trade it for a magic item. Ah, I gave one to Sorin as well, so you should hear from her soon too.”
“It looks strange. A bit ominous, don’t you think?”
“It’s death-attributed, so yeah. Be careful—prolonged contact can mutate your body.”
“Eek!”
Manager Choi quickly snapped the magic box shut, clearly unnerved.
“What kind of artifact should I exchange it for?”
I thought for a moment.
There were plenty of things I wanted.
But I also already had plenty of magic gear.
I needed something that didn’t overlap with what I already had, but that would also be useful…
‘A ring seems like the best choice.’
The only ring I had right now was one for storing mana.
So, what should I get?
After some thought, I came to a conclusion.
I was still vulnerable to snipers and ambushes.
Sure, trait switching was an overpowered ability, but if I was caught off guard in an unprepared state, I could easily be taken down.
So, I made my decision.
‘I need something for danger detection.’
It’s a lower-tier trait compared to Insight.
But unlike Insight, which activates only when I consciously focus on a target, Danger Detection would warn me of any malice or hostility directed at me.
In the game, it was just a red screen flash, but in reality, it would probably feel like an ominous premonition. Still, that was better than nothing.
As soon as I felt the danger, I could switch to traits like Insight, Sensitivity, or Mana Shield to respond.
“A ring enchanted with danger detection magic would be perfect.”
Later on, I could combine it with traits like Insight and Detection for even higher-tier abilities.
It’d be worth keeping on me, at least until I could acquire a higher-tier ring.
“A ring with danger detection magic… Understood. I’ll send it to you as soon as I get it. Ah, we’ve arrived.”
We had arrived at a location on the outskirts of Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.
The entire village seemed to be an artisan’s community.
From every house, chimneys spewed mana-laced smoke into the sky.
The clear ringing of hammer blows echoed through the air.
The sounds from the various workshops blended together into a kind of symphony that reached our ears.
Seo Woojin was already there, waiting for us.
“Teacher!”
Seo Woojin’s eyes sparkled as he greeted me.
“I heard the news! Sorin’s already hit level 2?”
“I told you. Sorin’s a genius.”
“How did you do it? My friends and I had to chug all kinds of elixirs, but Sorin didn’t take any of that, did she?”
“Ask her yourself when you see her.”
“Sorin said to ask you, though?”
“Looks like she doesn’t want to tell.”
I turned my attention to the artisan’s mansion.
There was something oddly familiar about it.
A mansion built entirely of white marble.
Magic circles were embedded into the walls to prevent surface corrosion.
The staff was busy scrubbing the surface, cleaning it diligently.
Meanwhile, black-armored crusaders patrolled the mansion, guarding various key points.
I even spotted a paladin watching me from a distance.
‘Oh, hell no.’
As soon as I saw the artisan we were meeting, I started cursing inwardly.
“Good to see you.”
The artisan was a hulking figure seated in a floating wheelchair.
Half of his face was scarred with burn marks, while the other half was covered in cuts, leaving behind nothing but scars.
His right arm, from the shoulder down, and his left arm, from the forearm down, had been replaced with steel prosthetics.
One of the eight mid-bosses from Episode 3.
The Death Artisan Jo Chul.
A staunch zealot of the Old Father’s Cult, his piercing eyes gleamed as he looked straight at me.
–TL Notes–
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