Chapter 64

It was obvious who sent the message. Only one person knew Jae-Hyeok’s Community name.

Title: To a Dear Friend

From: A Conscientious Merchant

The content of the message was unnecessarily long. He started by asking how Jae-Hyeok was doing and spoke a lot of nonsense, but the point of the message was simple.

-I have some things I want to sell to you.

Jae-Hyeok thought,

they must all be artifacts like the White Snake's Bracelet.

A Conscientious Merchant seemed very interested in players who resisted status conditions, probably to use them for disposing of defective, cursed items that lowered the wearer’s stats or inflicted status conditions

As the White Snake's Bracelet’s auction revealed, cursed items were hard to sell for the right price. Selling them was a pain for any merchant since finding an interested buyer was difficult.

Maybe it’s rarer than I thought to find a person who can resist status conditions?

The merchant wrote that he had recently stumbled upon items that Jae-Hyeok might like. But that was probably a lie. It was more likely that he already had a pile of defective items that he was hoping to sell.

Hmph. This is a man without a conscience. We’ve only met a few days ago, but it seems like he’s been worrying about getting rid of his bad inventory for quite some time.

Jae-Hyeok snorted and sent a reply.

-

I’m not interested.

Desperate people are willing to do anything to get what they want, no matter how unfavorable the price. Jae-Hyeok knew this well because he lived with more desperate desires than anyone else.

Since this merchant had something that he could only sell to him, Jae-Hyeok intended to make him compete for his interest.

After sending the curt reply, Jae-Hyeok returned to his original business and searched various key words on the bulletin boards and in the chatrooms.

Appearance change, customization, exterior appearance, and so on—after twenty minutes of searching, he found something.

“Welcome, welcome. The cost is 5,000 points, as written in the title. And half of it must be paid in advance.”

[Would you like to buy the Orc Leather for 2,500 points?]

Ugh, it’s annoying that there’s no better way of making a deposit than to buy a useless item.

After meeting a well-known tailor in the Community, Jae-Hyeok entrusted him with repairing the boots.

“Hoh, these are the Wind Spirit’s Boots. It is an excellent item in terms of performance as well as design. I have to make it as inconspicuous as possible, right?”

There were countless customers who wanted to change the appearance of their items. Some did it for for style and individuality, while others did it to hide the dangerous stories behind their items.

The tailor heard Jae-Hyeok’s beast-like voice and felt something unusual about this customer. That made him put aside his unnecessary curiosity.

He stroked the part of the boots that reached from the ankle to the knee, as if in apology, before swiftly cutting them off.

Jae-Hyeok grew a little nervous. What would happen if the item was destroyed?

He asked as much, and the tailor explained, “I rest assured. I’m using my Skill to change only the appearance while being careful not to touch the key elements that make up the item. Please, sit back and relax. If I weren’t good, how would I have survived doing business in the same place for over three years?”

“Three years? You must have many regulars.”

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“It’s thanks to everyone seeing me in a favorable light. I’ll do my best to make you a regular customer too,” the tailor said in a cheerful voice.

Jae-Hyeok watched quietly as the tailor added various layers of leather to the now-ankle-high boots.

He seemed to take greate pleasure and pride in his work, and Jae-Hyeok soon relaxed his guard; the tailor had been working in the same place for three years and didn’t seem like the type to leak his customers’ information.

True artisans are like artists.

They’re only interested in their work, and they often don’t even pay attention to the people who bring their work.

Jae-Hyeok recalled old memories.

The blacksmith who made and maintained the equipment of the Kang family was someone Jae-Hyeok’s father had respectfully called elder and served tea to. That was the first time Jae-Hyeok had seen his father humble himself to someone else.

Wouldn’t he know about Iyarugt?

I will have to ask Butler Hwang to find his contact information.

The only thing that worried Jae-Hyeok was his old age. The last time Jae-Hyeok had seen him was ten years ago. Back then, his face was full of wrinkles, and his back was bent close to ninety degrees.

Still, he isn’t someone who would die easily.

......

Three hours passed..

“It’s done.”

The tailor handed over the finished work with a pleased expression.

He’d added a diagonal strip of red-dyed leather across the instep of the boots for a striking accent, and wrapped a thin layer of silver steel around the toe area for added protection.

That was all; however, the changes felt enormous.

Because the boots’ height had been shortened, their appearance became more casual, and they seemed like they would look good with any outfit.

In Jae-Hyeok’s eyes, the most tasteful addition was the steel wrapped around the toe of the boots.

The tailor explained, “To avoid ruining an items performance, weight is an important thing to consider. The center of gravity is the same as before, so their won’t be any differences.”

“Yes.”

After trying on the boots, Jae-Hyeok felt quite satisfied. He bet no one in the world would think of the Wind Spirit’s Boots when seeing his boots.

He also liked that they were easier to coordinate with other outfits. They were shoes he could wear all the time.

He said, “I’d like to use you again next time.”

The tailor smiled. “I’m happy to hear it. That was my goal from the beginning. Please register me as a friend and leave a message when you need me. My nickname is Customan.”

“Customan?”

“Custom Craftsman.”

As expected, even his nickname reflected the pride in his work.

Pleased with his new boots, Jae-Hyeok paid the tailor the other 2,500 points and left the chatroom.

The tailor murmured, “What? No tip?” He’d assumed that this customer was a bigshot from his aura and voice, but it seemed he was mistaken.

Well, the reason most people wore the basic mask was because they lacked points. He should’ve known...

“Hah, I should raise the price of my goods. I set the price so cheap that my only customers are beggars like me.”

How long would it take him to collect the number of points that he needed?

He sighed deeply and left the Community, returning to a room with a layout identical to Jae-Hyeok’s.

***

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Jae-Hyeok woke up to his alarm the next day and was surprised.

He woke up without a headache this morning. And he hadn’t even stretched, but he didn’t feel stiff at all.

There was something even more surprising.

My eyes aren’t blurry?

Without using any mana, his vision was crystal clear. He looked outside the window and easily counted the number of leaves on the old trees outside, as well as the number of veins on each leaf.

“How did this happen?”

Puzzled, Jae-Hyeok continued to the washroom. He was in the middle of washing his hair when he realized what had happened.

Is this what a full night’s sleep is like?

Before last night, Jae-Hyeok had only slept for four hours at most in order to spare as much time as possible for training. This had been his habit even after awakening and leveling up, so his physical and mental fatigue continued to accumulate. Not to mention, Jae-Hyeok was a growing boy and needed sleep for both recovery and growth.

Yet he hadn’t slept properly for more than eight years. The stress on his body was beyond his imagination.

There’s a reason why Butler Hwang told me to get some sleep.

Butler Hwang had often preached on the importance of sleep, but Jae-Hyeok had always ignored it and replied with the Kang family motto, saying that he should always do his best.

At this point, Jae-Hyeok felt sorry for himself.

After a night's rest, my headache is gone...

It seemed his mental fatigue had been greater than even his physical fatigue. Looking back on his life so far, it made sense.

I thought it was just hereditary low blood pressure. I’m sorry, ancestors, for doubting your genes.

Jae-Hyeok walked out of the dormitory with confident steps.

The students in Class B who encountered him on campus were surprised.

“Something’s different about him. Did he eat something strange for breakfast?”

“Hmm. It looks like he’s going for breakfast right now.”

“Okay, maybe he ate something strange yesterday?”

“Hmm. If he ate it yesterday, it probably would’ve worn off by now—”

“Would you shut up?”

Normally, Jae-Hyeok had only two types of smiles. He either smiled widely when he was about to tease someone or he smiled mischievously when he was about to torment someone.

For the students of Class B, this was the first time they had seen such a natural smile on Jae-Hyeok’s face.

“Amazing, so handsome... ”

Cheon Hye-Ji couldn’t help admiring it. The other girls nodded in agreement, unable to take their eyes off Jae-Hyeok.

It only lasted for a moment.

“Make sure you have a big breakfast and also go to the bathroom. You’re going to train hard today, so it’s best to empty yourself beforehand.”

The eyes of the girls cooled down after hearing Jae-Hyeok’s words.

“Does he have to talk about the bathroom on the way to breakfast?”

“Ugh, right? There’s no way I can see him as a man. He’s just a tall brat.”

“—Why are you looking for men or women? Did you come to school to have a relationship?”

“Lee Jin-Seong, shut up!”

Thanks to Kang Jae-Hyeok, the students of Class B were always noisy.

They entered the cafeteria bickering, only to stop in their tracks. There was an incredible sight in front of them.

Several students in Class A, some of the strongest in the first year, were lying on the floor, covered in blood.

“So why did you cross the line?”

A green-haired boy stomped on the chest of one of the students, who was trembling and groaning.

It was Loren. Austria’s National Treasure Candidate had caused a serious incident, and the atmosphere turned even more serious as the second-year students stepped forward.

The seniors’ eyes toward Loren weren’t kind.

A first-year student causing a commotion in public was a secondary problem. The main thing was nationality. The second-year students were annoyed by Loren’s identity. A European person openly assaulting students at Lion’s Castle, the heart of South Korea—and he even did so in front of many Koreans.

“You son of a bitch. You sure are acting fearlessly as an exchange student. Do you think South Korea is easy?”

“It isn’t something for me to be afraid of,” Loren replied coldly, causing the second-year students to look furious.

“Brave words. Remind me, who was the coward that ran away alone when everyone else fought?” Oh Ja-Ha spoke. The boy who always followed Shinra Kyeong had appeared on his own for some reason. He smirked with a hand on the hilt of his sword. “A guy called a National Treasure candidate only knows how to use his mouth. Loren, do you know? I really didn’t like you from the first time I saw you.”

It was a tense situation, and the cafeteria fell quiet like the calm before a storm.

Click.

Click.

Click.

...No, not entirely quiet.

The sound of Jae-Hyeok scooping up food echoed nonstop. He was in particularly good condition today, so he filled up six plates with food.