Chapter 17: A Prestigious Raider Family’s Youngest Son (1)
Chapter 17 — A Prestigious Raider Family’s Youngest Son (1)
After JaeHyun left, Re-Enew’s shop manager, Park Jin-Cheol, received a few more customers.
Most of them were all rich 2nd or 3rd generations with inflated self-esteem and a love for spending money. They thought of the legal gambling of unappraised items as a fun game.
‘Well, that’s how I’m able to earn my living.’
Park Jin-Cheol sold items to them by outwardly acting amiable while inwardly scoffing at them.
However,
there were also customers who were hard to deal with.
One of those was Baek JiHyun, who was currently browsing through the shop.
“The state of the items today doesn’t seem to be very good… is this everything?”
“Ack, yes. That’s right. These are all the items that were brought in today.”
“That can’t be.”
Baek JiHyun muttered while crossing his arms.
The woman who was the guildmaster of 《 Curator 》 had the Unique Skill 《 Insight 》 that could discern precious objects.
Based on her Unique Skill, she helped the Curator Guild make great progress and grow into one of the top five wealthy merchant guilds in Korea.
Although it wasn’t a guild that fought on the frontlines, her guild had also brought great influence to the country.
Recently, thanks to their gaining fame abroad, the evaluation of their guild was rising with each passing day.
Although she had such great fame, for some reason, she didn’t look very happy today.
It was because of the items displayed in the shop.
‘No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.’
She crossed her arms and thought intently, but she still couldn’t understand right away.
Baek JiHyun usually visited Park Jin-Cheol’s shop 《 Re-Enew 》 to buy items. It was because using her skill allowed her to quickly find good items in Re-Enew, and those items could also be used in business.
But today, no matter how she peeled her eyes open, there were no items that gave off a good aura.
Why was that?
Baek JiHyun carefully looked around while chewing on her lower lip.
It was something she couldn’t understand at all. Normally, at least one or two C-rank to B-rank items would be displayed.
At this juncture, there was a 6% chance for C-rank or above items to appear.
‘At this time, there should still at least be some C-rank and above items remaining…’
‘It really is strange……’
Just looking around for a moment could show that there were almost a hundred items in the store. Did it make sense that there wasn’t even one C-rank item among them?
After contemplating for a moment, Baek JiHyun strode over to Park Jin-Cheol. Looking like he had seen a ghost, Park Jin-Cheol hesitantly shrunk back.
‘That woman…! What mess is she going to make this time……’
Because of her ferocious temper, Baek JiHyun usually caused incidents wherever she went.
There had been a time in the past when Baek JiHyun harassed Park Jin-Cheol over the fact that there weren’t any items in Re-Enew that she liked, making him deathly afraid of her.
Baek JiHyun asked Park Jin-Cheol, who was smiling while trembling, in a fierce voice.
“There must be a person who came before me and bought items here. And one that swiped all the good items at that.”
“What?”
At Baek JiHyun’s cold stare,
Park Jin-Cheol fumbled and continued to talk with a look of bewilderment.
“Th-There was one, but… It isn’t something that Ms. Baek JiHyun should pay attention to……”
“That’s for me to decide.
That person who swiped all the items here. Who the hell was it?”
“E-Even if you are a guildmaster, asking me to expose someone’s private information is……”
Baek JiHyun narrowed her eyes at Park Jin-Cheol’s ambiguous words. At the same time, the air turned cold and war clouds hovered in the store.
‘A-Aack! This crazy woman is at it again!’
When he took a few steps back in alarm, Baek JiHyun approached him again with a sadistic expression and shortened the distance between them.
“It seems that you are looking down on our Curator Guild.”
“Heuk!”
It was clearly a threat. A drop of cold sweat flowed down from Park Jin-Cheol’s forehead.
“I-I understand. Pl-Please calm down. I’ll tell you……”
According to the law, it was illegal to give out the private information of buyers.
But in a world where strength had become everything, getting marked off by a top guild’s master was the same as never opening shop again. In this situation, the only choice was to bow one’s head.
Folding his body in half, Park Jin-Cheol spoke in a very shaky voice.
“Min JaeHyun… That was his name.”
***
Blub blurp blup blup—
The sound of boiling came from a stainless steel pot that contained medicinal stuff.
The purple, cloudy solution seemed to imply that something was wrong at first glance. A pungent, sour smell added to the image, giving off a grim atmosphere.
JaeHyun finally shouted at the pot as he couldn’t calm his stomach any longer.
“Damn it! How many times has this been?!”
Clack.
The ladle he threw made a weak sound as it rolled on the kitchen floor.
If Lee SeonHwa had seen it, she would have made him listen to a long sermon, but JaeHyun was fortunately alone at home at the moment. This was because Lee SeonHwa left some time ago, saying she was going to a reunion.
But somehow—
“Is this a joke? I’ve already used up three of the ingredients! Do you know how much all of this was? Huh?!”
He even pointed his finger at the pot as he yelled, but nothing changed. JaeHyun let out a big sigh and slumped down on the spot.
The 《 Mana Enhancement Pill 》 was a legendary elixir that could only be produced after successfully completing all the complex procedures that were divided into several stages. But there was no reason a warrior like JaeHyun would know that.
He just thought that he had to put the ingredients in and boil them as he saw on TV.
Thanks to that, he continued to blow through all the ingredients and sighed.
“Haaa…… If I continue like this, I’ll just be blowing 30 million won away for nothing……”
The situation seemed hopeless in every way. No matter how much of the ingredients he had, it was all useless if he couldn’t brew the pill.
“I’m sure that the pot should turn white at the first stage……”
But in JaeHyun’s pot, only a cloudy purple color was seen. It was something that even a person with a strong stomach would be reluctant to consume.
It was really not a color that should come out in food.
“Haa…… And I’m the only one who knows the recipe for 《 Mana Enhancement Pill 》.
It was as he said. This pill would not be invented for another 5 years.
JaeHyun was the only one who currently knew what ingredients went in and how the pill was made.
This meant that it was impossible to give the ingredients to someone and ask them to make it for him. JaeHyun slumped on the kitchen floor with the purple liquid behind him.
“It’s not like I can take this to the person who invented it and ask him to make it… Huh?!”
JaeHyun suddenly stood up from the floor he was lying on.
“Ah! That’s it! I can ask the inventor to make it for me! Why didn’t I think of that earlier?”
As soon as he said that, JaeHyun threw the boiling hot contents of the pot into the sink. He quickly got ready to leave, changed his clothes, and went to the front door with a smile.
“Lee JaeSang. I can ask that person. Even if he can’t make the medicine because of how unlucky I am, I’ll be able to make use of any connection I build with him later.”
The Lee JaeSang that JaeHyun had in his mind was a talented person who would make a big mark in the alchemy world in the future.
Born into the prestigious Lee family with its many raiders, he was treated badly for not having any combat talent, but his real talent was recognized by a training guild which allowed him to grow.
In addition, he was a year older than JaeHyun and was currently attending Millaes Academy.
“Of course, he isn’t an easy person to meet… but that’s not a problem for me.”
Lee JaeSang had a weak nature and a stutter, so he had trouble easily getting close to people. However, JaeHyun knew how to handle people well.
He was confident that if he put his mind to it, he could bring Lee JaeSang to his side whenever he wanted.
“If I do this well, I might get the pill and a good connection… it’d be killing two birds with one stone.”
Opening the front door and going out, JaeHyun had a smile on his face as he walked.
His destination was none other than the main entrance of ‘Millaes Academy.’
***
Ding ding ding ding.
With the sound of the password being input at the front door, Lee SeonHwa, who had gone to a reunion, came back into the house.
And in the next moment, she couldn’t help but lift her smartphone in shock.
‘Sh-Should I call the police?’
Lee Seonhwa panicked as she looked through the messed-up kitchen.
An unknown purple solution was spilled in the sink, and a scorched pot and ladle were scattered on the floor.
What on earth had happened?
She looked in other places, but nothing was missing.
Was there a burglar in this world who only messed up kitchens?
Lee SeonHwa carefully took the frying pan hanging from the wall and walked out of the room.
Just in case she were to meet the burglar who made the mess in the kitchen.
***
Shortly after Yggdrasil rose up and monsters poured out, a few families established themselves the quickest.
One of those was the Lees, which was the family Lee JaeSang—who JaeHyun was looking for—belonged to.
Lee JaeSang’s family was originally one that ran a small company. But as his family produced Lee JaeShin, an S-rank raider, they began to gain overwhelming power.
‘Lee JaeShin. The first S-rank raider in Korea.’
JaeHyun gulped. The person he was going to meet was that JaeShin’s youngest son, Lee JaeSang.
Just his abilities made him a worthwhile connection to have, but if he could use Lee JaeSang as an excuse to get closer to the Lee family while helping them reduce their shameful burden, he would be able to obtain a better card.
The problem was that to meet the current Lee JaeSang, he had to go to Millaes Academy.
“Millaes Academy is an exclusive area. Outsiders aren’t allowed in at all.”
But this didn’t apply to JaeHyun.
He had already proudly passed as a prospective student at the academy. There were few certificates that were as effective in this world as a Millaes ID.
“I should take a portal.”
After arriving at the station, JaeHyun talked to the guide so he could take a portal.
“Hello, I would like to take a portal.”
“Where would you like to go?”
“To Daegu.”
At his answer, the employee looked a bit surprised but quickly put on a bright expression.
That was something he expected.
In this world, Daegu was already closed off due to demonic creatures. The current Daegu was a place where magic poured out from all sides and where you’d have to worry about your life the moment you stepped in.
But there was a single reason people still went to Daegu.
“Are you a student at Millaes Academy?”
“No. I’m still a prospective student.”
After simply confirming his qualifications with a smartphone app, JaeHyun took the portal.
With a bit of motion sickness, his mind blinked out like a lamp before returning quickly.
It was very momentary, but from the perspective of the person going through it, the portal was quite befuddling. Like with seasickness, one felt waves ripple through the mana in their body.
<A moment later>
The portal took JaeHyun to the portal station in the center of Daegu.
Surrounded by a blue light, he took a step forward as he muttered.
“It’s been a while. Coming here.”
JaeHyun looked around with a sentimental expression.
The place was as gloomy as he remembered and dotted with a disgraceful past.
A plant growing randomly stuck out from a crack between an abandoned building and the concrete. It was akin to an apocalyptic setting that appeared in games after a nuclear war had gone off.
After a moment of hesitation, JaeHyun cleared his mind and took a few steps. A little further from where he was was the main entrance of Millaes Academy—
a place which, to him, was very familiar and filled with memories.
JaeHyun took quicker strides and muttered in a calm voice.
“Now, shall we go in?”
He didn’t have the luxury of spending a long time being immersed in memories. JaeHyun quickly got out of the portal station and walked to the main entrance of the academy.
Although the area was shielded by temporary magic, it was nevertheless dangerous. This was because there were still a lot of demonic creatures roaming all around.
In a kind of instinctive action to avoid being noticed by demonic creatures,
JaeHyun slowed his breath.
***
Having arrived at the Millaes Academy after some time, it was still emitting a high-pressure atmosphere.
JaeHyun squeezed between tall buildings and headed to the main gate.
The time was currently 1PM. The academy was also on winter break, so classes should already be concluded at this time.
‘It should be anytime now.’
JaeHyun stood in front of the main gate of Millaes Academy and put his hands in his pockets. Lifting his head and looking up, his sight was caught by the tall building in front of his eyes.
It was on an enormous scale that made it look like it combined 5 to 6 large university buildings.
Millaes Academy occupied all the restored area in Daegu, an abandoned city destroyed by the creation of magic, so the size was overwhelming.
While he was busy admiring, JaeHyun heard the voices of the cadets leaving school. He looked at the faces that were returning to the dormitory from afar.
30 minutes passed in that manner…… and then an hour.
JaeHyun waited for a long time, but he couldn’t see Lee JaeSang’s face anywhere.
“Where is this bastard. Phew……”
JaeHyun stood right in front of Millaes Academy’s gate while scratching his head.
There was no other way right now. He had to go in and look for Lee JaeSang.
Hiding an annoyed expression, JaeHyun talked to the security guard guarding the gate.
“Good afternoon.”
With a face of innocence he rarely showed, JaeHyun tried his luck.
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Editor note: Mana Enhancement Potion → Mana Enhancement Pill
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