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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Aspiring Meister
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A few days after the Placement Exam ended.
Choi Shin-hyeok's name dominated the media without fail, day after day.
[Shinwa's Prodigy Makes History!]
[How the Guy Called a Useless Scrub Was Actually Hiding the Power to Top the Placement Exam]
[Choi Shin-hyeok: A Look Back at His Three Years in High School!]
They even started digging into the past of the old Shin-hyeok.
Everything has its roots, after all.
If they could learn even a little about the process that birthed someone like Shin-hyeok, maybe a second one could emerge. It was only natural.
'What a pointless endeavor.'
But to Shin-hyeok, who knew it was all for nothing, it just looked like futile flailing.
"Shin-hyeok, what're you thinking about?"
"Nothing, just spaced out for a sec. We're almost at Cheonggyecheon. Should we get off?"
"Yeah!"
Such thoughts shattered at the voice of Su-ah, dressed in casual clothes beside him.
The two of them were out at Cheonggyecheon right now.
The gently flowing stream had once been a famous date spot for couples.
But that was before Dimension Arena opened.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Come on in!"
"Our workshop's weapons are the best!"
"No way, ours are the best!"
"Take a look at these shields! Made by Master Hwang Chil-deuk!"
Cheonggyecheon was bustling with noise.
Workshops dotted everywhere.
The hammering sounds echoing from them.
And the fierce sales battles to peddle their wares.
"Pretty fun place, huh?"
"Yeah."
"So that's why you came here looking for a craftsman today?"
"Yeah, well... not exactly a craftsman."
"...?"
Su-ah, who had been enjoying the sales skirmishes, tilted her head at Shin-hyeok's cryptic words, but he didn't bother explaining.
In the end, clueless Su-ah followed behind him, growing more puzzled by the minute.
"Why are we heading to such a back alley?"
Because Shin-hyeok was veering not toward the outskirts crowded with craftsmen, but into the dark, dingy central area.
Shin-hyeok shrugged as he led the way.
"Obviously, 'cause the aspiring craftsman I'm after is here."
"Aspiring craftsman? I thought you said craftsman."
"He'll become one later, so it's basically the same, right?"
"...You made a promise with the Chairman! You said you'd show results! How do you plan to keep it by bringing along some apprentice?!"
Finally grasping Shin-hyeok's intent, Su-ah flapped her arms like a penguin and scolded him.
'This is new. Someone actually worrying about me.'
Knowing her concern came straight from the heart, Shin-hyeok flashed a warm smile to calm her.
"Don't worry. The guy's we're going to see is just an aspiring craftsman now, but he'll surpass any master to become a meister down the line."
"Meister? What's that?"
"Oh, right, it wouldn't be known yet. Just think of it like item grades. A regular craftsman is common grade, a meister is rare grade."
"Ahh, got it. But how do you know all this—"
"Alright, this is it. Time to meet today's star."
He had no intention of hiding his regressor knowledge forever, but now wasn't the time. Shin-hyeok swiftly changed the subject.
Su-ah puffed her cheeks in protest at his evasion, but it was short-lived.
"Here we are."
"...You seriously think the future meister you mentioned is here?"
Su-ah couldn't hide her shock at the sight before them.
"This isn't a workshop—it's a shack!"
Because the workshop in front of them was as ramshackle as a slum hut.
Holes dotted the roof, and the door was half-broken beyond recognition.
To ordinary citizen Su-ah, the mere fact that someone lived here was astonishing.
But Shin-hyeok ignored it and stepped into the rundown workshop.
"Light."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Skill: Light acquired.] [Insufficient skill variety for basic magic acquisition.]
Shin-hyeok's glowing orb lit up the pitch-black workshop, which lacked even a single lamp. It shone like a single ray piercing a filthy world.
As Su-ah gaped in awe,
"...Who are you? This is my home."
"Ah, aaa! S-Sorry! I'm Han Su-ah, a bit late but anyway. The guy here is Choi Shin-hyeok."
A ragged man, sweat dripping down his face, appeared.
Startled, Su-ah blurted out their introductions, and the man gave a wry smile.
"What a fine young couple. You don't belong in a dump like this—please head back."
Unlike their grubby host, Su-ah and Shin-hyeok looked like they belonged under spotlights. The man recoiled like a vampire from the light, but Shin-hyeok approached.
"No. I'm here to take Bang Se-jin with me."
"...You know me?"
The disheveled man—Bang Se-jin—couldn't hide his confusion at Shin-hyeok's familiarity, then hardened his expression.
"Of course. You joined a Shinwa Guild-affiliated workshop, but lost the internal power struggle, got booted, and then their connections made it impossible to even hold a hammer properly."
"...Our? Ah, now that you mention it, you look familiar. You're Choi Shin-hyeok, third-generation heir of the mighty Shinwa Group."
Se-jin had been ousted from a Shinwa Guild workshop—practically Shin-hyeok's family business—and barred from the smithing world.
With Shinwa Guild, and by extension Shinwa Group, behind it all, his sharp reaction was understandable.
Shin-hyeok met Se-jin's sarcasm with a steady gaze.
"Bang Se-jin."
"...What, you think glaring will make me submit?"
"No. Seems like you're misunderstanding something."
"...?"
At the word "misunderstanding," Se-jin tilted his head, and Shin-hyeok began explaining slowly.
"Ever hear my name before the Placement Exam? Seen my face in the media?"
"Uh..."
"You haven't. Because I'm the firstborn of the child Shinwa Group disowned."
"Disowned child...?"
Having heard it all, Se-jin reverted to his initial politeness.
As Shin-hyeok had said, Se-jin knew nothing of him before the exam.
With Se-jin ready to talk again, Shin-hyeok launched into persuasion.
"Yes. For three years at Player High, I was projected Bronze tier, called a Useless Scrub by the whole school and ignored by everyone. My friend Su-ah here can vouch for that."
"Yes! Shin-hyeok's kind and hardworking, but such a scrub that we called him Useless Scrub."
"...Anyway, that's the gist. Meaning I've lived a life with little connection to Shinwa Group. So your anger shouldn't be aimed at me."
Su-ah innocently vouched for his pathetic past, making Shin-hyeok clear his throat awkwardly, but he stayed on track.
I've lived a life of Shinwa Group but not by Shinwa Group. So vent your rage elsewhere.
Se-jin snapped out of it and bowed to Shin-hyeok.
"...Sorry. I've been through so much, I flare up at anything Shinwa-related."
"I get it. It happens. So, Bang Se-jin."
"Yes?"
"Why don't you join hands with me?"
"...?"
At the sudden offer, Se-jin tilted his head again. Shin-hyeok pulled Blessed Steel from his inventory.
"Blessed Steel. Unique grade. Imagine the weapon you could forge with this... if only there was a master smith..."
"R-Right! The finest materials shine brightest in a master smith's hands!"
Blessed Steel.
Faced with unique-grade material, Se-jin drooled and nodded frantically.
His earlier anger and deference vanished.
"Among the smiths I know, you're the best. Any interest?"
"...O-Of course! B-But I'm blacklisted by Shinwa Guild workshop masters. If I pick up a hammer, they'll retaliate."
But Se-jin chickened out before starting.
It spoke volumes about what he'd endured from them.
Of course, it didn't faze Shin-hyeok.
"Do those Shinwa Guild workshop masters have backing from Shinwa Group's former Chairman?"
"Huh? No way. He's been gone for ages."
"Then we're good. Give me a sec for a call."
"Okay..."
Mentioning Shinwa Group's former Chairman—Shin-hyeok's great-grandfather—left Se-jin flustered.
"Grandpa? Found the craftsman I'm bringing. Can we head straight to the workshop? Oh, you want to talk to him? No problem. Here, Se-jin. It's my grandfather."
"G-Grandfather? As in Shinwa Group Chairman?"
"Yep. Take it quick. He seems really interested in you."
"...Gulp!"
But the one-on-one with Choi Cheol-ho turned fluster to shock.
Even Se-jin, who ground his teeth at Shinwa's name, answered politely as Cheol-ho opened casually.
-This is Choi Cheol-ho, Shinwa Group Chairman. Who might you be?
"...B-Bang Se-jin. I u-used to work at Shinwa Workshop but got fired and now scrape by in Cheonggyecheon."
Se-jin's voice trembled as he introduced himself.
Then came Cheol-ho's hearty laugh in his ear.
-A Shinwa man, eh! Fired, you say? To boot a craftsman talented enough for my grandson to fetch personally? Tell this old man what happened.
"W-Well..."
Cheol-ho's question, evoking Se-jin's own grandfather, brought tears. He spilled every detail to Cheol-ho.
-...These damn fools! Daring to mess with what's mine? Bang Se-jin, right?
"Y-Yes?!"
-I've promised my grandson, but you're still a Shinwa man. And I, Choi Cheol-ho, never abandon my people! Report to the workshop with Shin-hyeok.
"R-Really?"
Having heard it all, Cheol-ho raged and ordered Se-jin back to work.
Se-jin's eyes bulged; he'd never dreamed of direct Chairman approval.
After some light pleasantries,
Cheol-ho hung up. Se-jin stared at Shin-hyeok, dumbfounded.
Sensing the gaze, Shin-hyeok smiled gently.
"Don't you want to hold a hammer?"
"Shin-hyeok... I want... the hammer..."
Thud—
Ignoring the filthy, refuse-strewn floor, Se-jin dropped to his knees and bowed before Shin-hyeok.
'SSS-grade smith, acquired.'
Thus, the man who would later be hailed as SSS-grade smith, meister, Hand of God, joined Shin-hyeok's ranks.