Ganjang and Makya
"Stop."
Kim Kwang-seon set down the greatsword he had been swinging wildly.
Kim Kwang-seon gazed straight ahead with a triumphant expression.
He was certain.
This was going to work.
"Hmm."
At the end of Kim Kwang-seon's gaze sat Jin Tae-gon, the chairman of the steel corporation Genex.
Jin Tae-gon, who had watched Kim Kwang-seon's swordsmanship without the slightest change in expression.
After fiddling with his beard for a moment, he opened his mouth.
"One..."
'One billion? Not bad.'
A satisfied smile crept across Kim Kwang-seon's lips.
Even the famous ranker Cheon Se-yeon had been bid one trillion.
If he pulled some aggro by claiming he'd crushed Cheon Se-yeon, the view count would skyrocket for sure.
"One quadrillion."
"Thank you... What?!"
Kim Kwang-seon's eyes widened.
Thinking he'd misheard, he asked again, only for Jin Tae-gon to furrow his brow.
"Are your ears not working? I said one quadrillion."
"That doesn't make any sense! What kind of wordplay is this?"
"Wordplay? Do I look like the type to play games with words?"
"I can't accept that! No one else could even pick up something this heavy!"
Kim Kwang-seon pointed to the greatsword he'd been swinging just moments ago.
It was a greatsword forged from Genex steel, brought in specially for today's event.
"So that's why I lifted it, and that's why I could swing it well enough to use in actual combat!"
"I'll grant you that your strength is impressive."
"Then...!"
"But when did I ever tell you to swing it around like some brute? I asked you to show me whatever swordsmanship you knew. You weren't planning to pass that off as swordsmanship, were you?"
Kim Kwang-seon ground his molars.
One quadrillion.
An amount so absurd he couldn't even mention it anywhere without shame, sending his anger surging.
But he couldn't argue back.
In truth, Kim Kwang-seon had never learned a day of swordsmanship in his life.
"I'm busy, so get out. One quadrillion."
One of the bodyguards returned the GoPro that had been confiscated upon entry.
Snatching it away, Kim Kwang-seon stormed out of the room, seething.
"Haa."
Leaning back into his chair, Jin Tae-gon let out a deep sigh.
The Tower of Despair had appeared, ushering in the era of great awakening.
In a world overflowing with all sorts of ability users as a result, how could there be such a dearth of real talent?
"Chairman. How about we wrap up the event as of today?"
The secretary ventured the suggestion cautiously.
The reason the steel corporation Genex was running an event this grueling was purely down to Chairman Jin Tae-gon's stubbornness.
Even amid his packed schedule of business dealings, it was a family tradition that had been passed down unbroken through the generations.
The swordsmanship dojo still operating deep in the Jirisan Mountains was proof of that.
A swordsmanship dojo, out of the blue?
Back in the Joseon era, the Jin family had been a renowned martial house that produced countless generals.
The dojo had been established to keep alive the roots of that lineage and the spirit of their ancestors.
Thanks to it, Jin Tae-gon had grown up watching his grandfather and father hone their sword skills from boyhood, and even he had never slacked on his own training, no matter how demanding his business affairs became.
Perhaps because of that, his passion for swords bordered on the irrational.
To the extent that, no matter how much everyone tried to dissuade him, he insisted on hosting this event just to witness swordsmanship from the outside world.
But now, a week into the event, Jin Tae-gon—confronted with harsh reality—was teetering on the edge of despair.
Most participants couldn't even lift the sword.
Those who managed to lift it could do no more than swing it around like idiots or ape the basics of kendo.
Even the rankers with some fame were no different.
They fared a bit better than the rest, but not one of them had approached the sword with any seriousness or dedication to training.
-Tae-gon. As time goes on, true martial artists will vanish. The romantic age of pursuing the sword for ever-higher realms is over.
Jin Tae-gon had wanted to refute his father's words by seeking out a genuine martial artist beyond the family walls.
But up to now, things had unfolded exactly as his father predicted.
For players, the martial arts were nothing more than a tool.
A tool for gaining fame, for making money.
No one understood the pure joy of refining the art itself—or the fulfillment that came from the process.
'Is that the kind of era this is?'
Letting out another sigh, Jin Tae-gon turned to his secretary.
"Any more waiting?"
"There's one team left. They seem like a couple, though I'm not sure if both will take part."
"We'll take one last person. The event ends today."
"Understood."
He wasn't holding out much hope.
He was utterly exhausted by this point.
It was merely a matter of extending basic courtesy to those who'd waited.
Thud.
Jin Tae-gon eyed Jin-hyeok as he stepped inside.
A young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
He had the build of someone who'd done plenty of exercise, but his refined features made him seem utterly distant from anything martial.
"Care to try holding the sword?"
He wasn't particularly large in stature, either.
Lifting the sword alone would probably be a strug—...?
Jin Tae-gon's eyebrow twitched.
Kim Kwang-seon had needed two hands for it, but here was Jin-hyeok lifting it effortlessly with one.
"What's next?"
Jin Tae-gon, momentarily dumbfounded, pressed on.
"If you know any swordsmanship, care to demonstrate?"
"Got it."
Jin-hyeok assumed a stance without hesitation.
And with that, he began executing the basic sword forms Seira had taught him.
"...!"
For the first time since the event's start, Jin Tae-gon's eyes went wide.
His body, glued to the chair, inched forward with every swing of the blade.
It was worlds apart from the jerky, halting strikes of the others—like wind-up nutcrackers chopping away.
The line traced by the sword tip, begun at the outset, showed no sign of breaking even now, long minutes later.
It flowed on unbroken, weaving elegant arcs through the air.
Scrape.
Before he knew it, Jin Tae-gon had risen fully from his chair.
The secretary, lost in a trance beside him, finally snapped back to reality and spoke up.
"Chairman."
He'd already swung the blade four times longer than any prior participant.
It was time to call it.
"Stop."
At the sound of the voice, Jin-hyeok drew the sword back in.
"Huh."
An involuntary exclamation slipped out.
Even the withdrawal was flawless.
The line held, seamless to the end.
"Have you trained with the sword before?"
"Yes. I'm still training now."
"Under whom?"
"I have a master."
"May I have the name?"
"I'm afraid I can't say. She prefers it that way."
"I see."
Jin Tae-gon nodded.
He couldn't get the name, but a smile broke through anyway.
They still existed.
A true master, capable of teaching swordplay like that.
"And you are?"
"Yoo Jin-hyeok."
"Any affiliation? The Player Hunter Agency, perhaps?"
"None."
"Excellent. You know who I am?"
"The chairman of Genex Steel Corporation."
"You do. If you're interested, I can bring you on board with excellent terms. Chairman's authority—right here, effective immediately."
"I appreciate the kind words, but I'll have to pass. I didn't come here looking to sign on anywhere."
Jin Tae-gon's lips quirked.
Plenty of event participants had eyed a Genex job as their real prize.
They'd hoped to impress the chairman and bypass the arduous hiring gauntlet.
"I just heard I could score a sword on the cheap, so that's what brought me."
"Why do you need a sword?"
"Because I want to get stronger."
"One last question. Why strive to grow stronger?"
"Well, getting stronger..."
Jin-hyeok smiled.
"...is just fun."
Jin Tae-gon's quirked lips stretched into a broad grin.
Ecstasy lit his formerly stoic face.
He'd found it. The real deal.
The age of romance wasn't over yet.
Jin-hyeok, watching Jin Tae-gon, spoke up tentatively.
"I was told you'd share the sword's price once the test wrapped up."
Only then did Jin Tae-gon come back to himself and nod.
In his elation, he'd briefly forgotten this was still an event.
With a wave of his hand, the security detail produced a long case.
Thud.
It hit the ground with a substantial weight.
Jin Tae-gon reached over and flipped open the lid.
Out gleamed Ganjang and Makya.
A blade where black and white intertwined in exquisite harmony.
'Ooh.'
Jin-hyeok's eyes lit up.
He knew it the instant he laid eyes on it.
Infinitely better than that multi-billion-won sword he'd glimpsed outside.
'I want it.'
Of course, the odds of actually affording it were vanishingly low.
All he had to his name was 130 million won.
Even if the bid came in at 100 billion—far below Cheon Se-yeon's—Jin-hyeok was nowhere near able to cover it.
Having settled on a price, Jin Tae-gon spoke.
"Take it."
"Pardon?"
Convinced he'd misheard, Jin-hyeok blurted the question.
"It's free. You cleared your inventory before coming, I assume?"
While Jin-hyeok stood there stupefied, the security team handed him the case.
Alternating glances between Jin Tae-gon and the box, Jin-hyeok carefully stowed the sword away.
The moment his fingers brushed it, an information window popped up before his eyes.
[Ganjang and Makya / Two-Handed Greatsword / Grade: Unique / Level Restriction: 20 / Tower-Exclusive Item]
Attack Power: 100.This blade was once two separate swords. A peerless smith fused them to capture the unbreakable vow of a husband and wife who refused to part.It harbors the power of the yang sword Ganjang and the yin sword Makya.Striking an enemy boosts the player's strength under Ganjang's influence.Blocking an enemy's attack boosts the player's agility under Makya's influence.
He swallowed hard.
The buffer weapon he'd only ever heard tell of.
And one whose effects scaled ever higher the longer the fight dragged on, no less.
'Nice!'
Firing off an imaginary uppercut in his head, he hustled Ganjang and Makya into his inventory.
Thankfully, no one burst out with a "Surprise! Hidden camera!" before it was all the way in.
"Thank you. I'll put it to good use."
Jin Tae-gon wore a faint smile.
"You take personal commissions?"
"Sure. Long as it's not anything illegal. Gotta make a living somehow."
For your average solo player, landing a gig from a megacorp was next to impossible.
They typically stuck to established rankers or folks backed by mid-tier firms.
"I like the honesty. Here—this is my card. Mind jotting your number down before you go?"
Jin-hyeok scribbled his digits where Jin Tae-gon indicated.
"Much obliged. Care for a handshake?"
Smiling, Jin-hyeok gripped the proffered hand.
His first impression had been downright terrifying, but now? A refreshingly straightforward old man—good grandpa material.
"Till next time."
"Looking forward to it."
With a courteous bow, he slipped out of the tent.
"No, seriously, folks! This is straight-up insane! The whole event's rigged! The judging's not transparent at all—it's just whatever they feel like!"
Dissatisfied with his outcome, perhaps.
Kim Kwang-seon was venting his rage.
"I'm betting every participant feels the exact same, right?!"
@ So how much did they bid?
@ What's wrong with the host calling the shots? It's his item on the line.
@ Let's hear the number first. Then we can stack it up against the other newbie streamers.
Kim Kwang-seon scowled.
A full quadrillion.
An amount no one had ever heard of, let alone seen.
If word got out, he'd be done for—properly disgraced.
Oblivious to Kim Kwang-seon's tirade, Jin-hyeok spun on his heel alongside Seira.
Just then, Kim Kwang-seon spotted him and raised his voice.
"Look, it's not even about the price! The event itself is the issue! Oh? Perfect—there's someone coming out right now! Bet he agrees with me! I'll go ask!"
The instant he started toward Jin-hyeok.
"One quadrillion."
Jin Tae-gon, emerging from the tent, cut right in front of Kim Kwang-seon.
@ Holy crap, that's actually Jin Tae-gon. The Genex chairman.
@ Quadrillion? The hell?
Perhaps concerned the viewers might not follow.
Jin Tae-gon jabbed a finger at Kim Kwang-seon and enunciated clearly once more.
"That's the price I set on this man. One quadrillion."
Kim Kwang-seon's face flushed crimson, his body quaking with fury.
Beholding him, Jin Tae-gon cracked a smile.
"For the record, it's the highest bid I called in the entire event."
Now that he thought about it, he'd clean forgotten to mention that.
To some, he was kindness and warmth personified.
But to others? A peevish, downright nasty old codger.
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T/N:
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