Chapter 71: Mind, Body, Technique (4)

Kwon Oh-Jin followed Han Jun-Man to a ten-story, igloo-shaped building about a hundred meters from the association's headquarters.

Kwon Oh-Jin noticed a strong metallic scent and an unfamiliar chemical odor wafting out of the building. “This place is...”

“It’s an Astral Relic research lab," Han Jun-Man answered. "This is where we study the relics and create different kinds of equipment with Starstones.”

He entered the password to the lab door.

Beep beep beep.

As soon as the door opened, a small, slim boy who looked to be about middle school age rushed over with a bright smile.

“Gorilla geezer! What brings you here?!”

His messy brown hair and oversized-rimmed glasses added to his cuteness.

Han Jun-Man frowned at the boy, his face even sterner than usual. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not that old.”

The boy stopped mid-run, clutching his belly as he burst out laughing.

“

Pwahaha!

Your face—it's priceless!”

“

Haa

. You little brat...”

“

Hehe

, sorry, old man.”

Are they really that close, or is this just what the kid's like?

Kwon Oh-Jin wondered, eyeing the boy's friendly and cheeky demeanor.

Han Jun-Man chuckled softly and ruffled the boy’s hair. “This little rascal is Kim Si-Hoo, the head of this research lab.”

“Hi! You’re the Thunder Wolf, right? I saw you on TV!” Kim Si-Hoo grinned brightly and stuck out his hand.

Kwon Oh-Jin shook the boy's skinny hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“

Hehe!

Wow! I'm shaking hands with the Thunder Wolf!” Kim Si-Hoo exclaimed, pumping his arm with excitement.

So this is the kid Jun-Man mentioned before, the one who made my wire shooter,

Kwon Oh-Jin thought.

He must be the exceptional Astral Relic creator Jang Seok-Ho mentioned before in passing.

“Oh, right! How’s the wire shooter I made for you?" Kim Si-Hoo asked. "Are you using it well?”

“I

was

.”

“Huh?” Kim Si-Hoo cocked his head. “Why's that in the past tense?”

“Well, you see...” Kwon Oh-Jin paused, having trouble admitting that the weapon the boy had made had been completely destroyed.

Han Jun-Man interjected, sparing Kwon Oh-Jin the pressure. “It broke during a recent mission.”

“What? It broke?” Kim Si-Hoo's eyes widened in shock. Then, his face suddenly lit up with a bright smile. “That’s great!”

“... It is?” Kwon Oh-Jin was taken aback.

What’s great about this?

“Yeah!

Hehe

. Honestly, I was super busy back then, so I rushed it a little!”

Wait, that wire shooter was made in a rush?

“Sorry! But don’t worry—things are less hectic now, so I can make you a much better one!” Kim Si-Hoo declared, enthusiastically throwing his arms into the air.

Unbelievable. There's still such a bright, polite, and talented young man in this cruel world.

“Well, the thing is, wire shooters are kinda tricky to make, so... I might need a bit of extra funding...

Hehehe

.”

Ah. He fits into this cruel world perfectly—he's a greedy, cheeky, and cunning little rascal.

“But don’t worry! Even if I’m short on funding, I’ll make it the best for you, even if it means dipping into my own savings. Making gear for you is fun!”

“From now on, I shall call you Lord Sparkles.”

“W-What?”

Ahhh! He’s too dazzling!

Kwon Oh-Jin thought.

I can’t even look at him properly!

He said, “If you need anything, just let me know, Lord Sparkles.”

Kim Si-Hoo laughed gleefully, holding his stomach. “

Hahaha!

You’re a funny guy, huh? On social media, they call you a

tsundere

!”[1]

“Oh, right. Can you also make me a spear?”

“A spear?”

“Yeah, I ended up breaking my spear too.”

“

Hmm

, spears are kinda boring...” Kim Si-Hoo pouted, unenthusiastic about the idea. “But fine, I’ll make you one.

Oh!

But I’m not spending my own money on the spear, okay?”

This kid certainly knows his preferences,

Kwon Oh-Jin observed.

Well, there’s always my dear Jun-Man’s wallet to rely on.

Han Jun-Man muttered, “Lately, the board of directors has been spending too much of the budget, so funding is tight—”

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“Please and thank you, Jun-Man.” Kwon Oh-Jin looked at Han Jun-Man with puppy eyes.

In Jun-Man we trust.

“Alright, alright. I’ll cover the cost of making the spear...” Han Jun-Man sighed and reached for his wallet, but Kwon Oh-Jin stopped him.

“

Pfft

. I’m kidding. It’s my weapon, so I’ll pay for it myself.”

He was tempted to squeeze more out of Han Jun-Man’s coffers, but he'd already taken enough. Kwon Oh-Jin owed him a fair bit, even disregarding the beef he'd been treated to.

It would be one thing if it were company money, but draining his personal funds doesn't sit right.

Han Jun-Man's eyes softened. “Oh-Jin...”

Great, now he's gonna make things awkward,

Kwon Oh-Jin thought. “Were you planning to dip into your savings?”

“Well... I had set aside some emergency funds for when I decide to get married.”

“

Oh

, so you've got a girlfriend?”

“... Not yet," Han Jun-Man admitted, "but someday.”

“Not gonna happen.”

Han Jun-Man’s gaze wavered.

“

Pfft!

I’m kidding! Of course, you’ll find one soon,” Kwon Oh-Jin added.

No, he won’t.

“R-Really?”

“Look at those massive muscles of yours, Jun-Man! Women go crazy for hunks, don’t they?”

“Right?

Hahaha!

”

Yeah, except when the guy looks like a gorilla that escaped from the zoo, the women might go crazy for a whole different reason.

“If the new weapon turns out great, I’ll introduce you to a nice girl,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“Really?”

No. That’s a lie. The only women I know are Ha-Eun and my goddess.

“

Haha!

Just leave the weapon's quality to me!" Han Jun-Man ruffled Kim Si-Hoo's hair, then pounded his own chest. "I’ll whip this kid into shape and make you something incredible!”

As expected of Jun-Man,

Kwon Oh-Jin thought.

The more I see him, the less he seems like a mere pushover—and the more he seems like a genuinely likable guy.

“Alright then, come here," Kim Si-Hoo chimed in. "I need to check a few things.”

He grabbed Kwon Oh-Jin’s hand and led him into a spacious room about seventy square meters large. Aside from the cameras installed here and there on the walls, it was completely empty.

Kim Si-Hoo handed him a long rod. “Okay, swing this like you would a spear.”

Kwon Oh-Jin stepped to the center of the room and took a deep breath. The rod felt dense like it was made of solid metal. He thrust, slashed, and struck downward in one fluid motion.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

For about five minutes, he swung relentlessly, employing Pyxis spearmanship.

“Okay, you can stop now,” Kim Si-Hoo called from behind a glass wall, raising his arms in a circle above his head.

“Do you need anything else?”

“Nope, this is plenty,” Kim Si-Hoo replied, tapping a few buttons.

Nine monitors lit up, each replaying Kwon Oh-Jin's movements from a different angle.

“Give me a sec,” Kim Si-Hoo said, reaching for a white lab coat draped over his chair.

The coat fell well past his knees, making him look oddly comical for a moment—until the playful grin faded from his face. “I’ll start now.”

His expression hardened, becoming almost mechanical as he began reviewing the footage on all nine monitors.

“284 thrusts. 592 slashes. 192 downward strikes. Instead of maintaining distance with the spear, you close in and deliver heavy slashes. Average stride length is 1.17 meters—that’s quite a wide step. The usual grip position on the spear shaft is...”

Muttering to himself, he flipped through the footage at a speed the average eye couldn't follow, analyzing Kwon Oh-Jin’s movements in painstaking detail.

Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t help but marvel at the charisma radiating from this short prodigy.

“

Phew

. A spear with a shorter shaft and a longer blade would suit you better,” Kim Si-Hoo concluded.

“You figured that out just from watching this?”

Kim Si-Hoo nodded. “Even with the same weapon, everyone has a different style. You don’t rely on the spear’s long reach to keep distance. Instead, you close in and hit hard. So...”

Click

.

He pulled out a pen and sketched a quick design on a sheet of paper.

“A spear with a shorter shaft and a curved blade, focusing on slashing, would be perfect for you.”

Seeing Kim Si-Hoo analyze his style and come up with an ideal weapon so quickly left Kwon Oh-Jin in awe.

Is this how Riarc felt when he was watching me?

“Alright, I’ll start on this and the upgraded version of the wire shooter right away," Kim Si-Hoo said. "It’ll take about a week.”

A week, huh?

It was just enough time for Kwon Oh-Jin to recover from the internal injuries he had sustained in the fight against Ashad Khan.

“Thanks. I’ll leave it to you," Kwon Oh-Jin replied. "Let me know if you need anything.”

He was willing to go out of his way to provide whatever was necessary for this level of craftsmanship.

“Anything?” Kim Si-Hoo’s eyes sparkled mischievously as he turned to Han Jun-Man. “Then please help my geezer out. He’s had a tough time with the board of directors lately.”

...

I thought he was just a cheeky kid, but he’s more mature than I realized,

Kwon Oh-Jin thought.

Han Jun-Man set a comforting hand on Kim Si-Woo’s head. “That’s not something you need to worry about.”

“

Hehe!

Okay!” Kim Si-Hoo hopped off his chair. “Well then, I’m off to make your gear!”

He sprinted off, lab coat flapping behind him.

“He’s a good kid,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

“A bit eccentric, though,” Han Jun-Man added, watching the boy vanish into the distance. “Do you have any plans once your new weapon's done?”

Plans, huh?

Kwon Oh-Jin pondered. With most of Valhalla Guild in critical condition, heading straight there didn’t seem like the best idea.

“I’m planning to gather more Starstones," he said. "As many as possible.”

He intended to focus on the Black Heaven’s quest for the time being since it offered him a chance to obtain an Ancient Constellation.

I'll level up Thunderbolt while I'm at it.

Though he wasn’t sure the skill would progress as easily as before, hunting in a gate seemed ideal to tackle both objectives.

“Do you need a lot of money?” Han Jun-Man asked.

“No, it’s not for that. I just need a large quantity of Starstones.”

“

Hmm

, in that case...” Han Jun-Man began, then caught himself mid-sentence. “Never mind.”

“... Is something going on?”

“No, it's just... well, there’s a gate that’s been getting some buzz lately for having a lot of Starstones.”

A popular gate, huh?

“It's in Busan and has some... peculiar phenomena.”

“Peculiar phenomena?”

“Yes. The monsters inside apparently carry not one but two Starstones each. Their quality isn't bad either.”

What? Double Starstones?!

What kind of insane boost is that?

This was fantastic news for him since he had no idea how many Starstones would be needed to complete the quest.

“But... there’s a bit of a problem with you going there, Oh-Jin,” Han Jun-Man said.

“And what's that?”

Han Jun-Man scratched his head awkwardly, flashing a hesitant smile. “The monsters inside are all five-star or higher. Since you just reached four stars, it might be a bit of a stretch for you to—”

“I’m a five-star now.”

Han Jun-Man's eyes widened in shock. “What?”

1. A Japanese term for someone who initially seems harsh or unfriendly, but reveals a warmer side to them here and there ☜