Chapter 197 — A Beautiful Misunderstanding
[20th June]
Hosric's car rolled to a stop in front of the residence.
The moment he stepped out—
A certain person standing on a nearby rooftop nearly had his soul leave his body.
Rey froze.
"...I'm dead."
Without wasting another second, he activated his skill and launched himself forward.
His figure crossed several rooftops in a blur.
Meanwhile, below—
Hosric suddenly paused.
His brows furrowed.
He thought he had heard something.
A faint sound.
Like someone landing on a rooftop.
He took a few steps backwards and glanced upward.
Nothing.
Only the morning sky.
"...Must be fatigue."
He shook his head and continued walking toward the house.
There was no way somebody could move around above him without being noticed.
At least that was what he believed.
Inside the house, the servants immediately greeted him.
"Good morning, Master Hosric."
The Head Butler also stepped out from the kitchen.
Hosric nodded.
"Where is Rey?"
The Head Butler answered immediately.
"Young Master Rey is still resting in his room, sir. Since the door was locked, I didn't wish to disturb him unnecessarily."
A small key appeared in his hand.
"I can wake him if needed."
Hosric narrowed his eyes.
"Still sleeping?"
His expression became strange.
That sounded unlike Rey.
The boy could barely sit still on normal days.
Sleeping this long was suspicious.
"Give me the key."
The Head Butler handed it over.
"I'll check myself."
Without waiting, Hosric headed upstairs.
His footsteps echoed softly through the corridor.
Soon, he arrived outside Rey's room.
He first tried opening the door normally.
Locked.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Then he used the key.
Click.
The door opened.
The room was quiet.
Morning sunlight streamed through the open window.
Curtains fluttered gently in the breeze.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
Too normal.
The bed sat neatly in the middle of the room.
And beneath a blanket—
A figure was sleeping soundly.
Hosric walked over.
His gaze carefully swept across the room.
Nothing appeared unusual.
Then he reached out and pulled away the blanket.
There was Rey.
Sleeping peacefully.
Curled slightly to one side.
Messy hair.
Half-buried in the pillow.
Looking exactly like someone who had been asleep for hours.
Hosric stared at him.
Then shook his shoulder.
"Rey."
The boy's eyes slowly opened.
"Hmm..."
He blinked several times before sitting up.
"Oh... Uncle."
His voice carried genuine sleepiness.
"I was just about to wake up."
Hosric continued staring at him.
Silently.
Observing.
Studying.
Rey resisted the urge to sweat.
Fortunately, his acting was flawless.
Or at least he hoped so.
After a few moments, Hosric finally spoke.
"Get up."
"You've slept enough."
"Take a shower and come downstairs."
Rey nodded obediently.
"Okay."
Then he stood up and began walking toward the bathroom.
Inside, however—
He was celebrating.
'Success.'
The moment he had spotted Hosric's carriage earlier, he had immediately slipped through the window.
Using Zero's ability, he changed clothes.
Jumped into bed.
And pretended to be asleep.
Everything had gone perfectly.
The operation was a complete success.
At least...
That was what Rey thought.
Until Hosric suddenly spoke again.
"Rey."
His footsteps stopped.
A bad feeling appeared instantly.
Slowly, he turned around.
Hosric was looking directly at him.
The older man's eyes were calm.
Too calm.
"I know what you've been doing."
For a brief second—
Rey's heart nearly stopped.
Countless thoughts exploded inside his head.
'Did he find out?
How?
Did someone see me?
Was it the wall guards?
The commander?
The butler?'
His mind descended into chaos.
"Wh... what do you mean, Uncle?"
Hosric crossed his arms.
Then asked casually,
"Don't you think it's strange?"
"The weather isn't particularly hot today."
Rey's expression froze.
"And yet you're sweating this much."
Instant realisation struck him.
The sweat.
His clothes had changed.
His appearance had changed.
But he had forgotten the most important thing.
After sprinting across half the Capital, climbing city walls, and escaping an Acolyte Rank expert—
He was drenched in sweat.
An amateur mistake.
Fortunately...
Hosric's thoughts had gone in an entirely different direction.
He sighed.
"Rey."
"I know you're worried."
The tension instantly disappeared from Rey's body.
"...Huh?"
Hosric continued.
"I know you've fallen behind many of the Kingdom's top geniuses."
"But secretly training while your injuries haven't fully recovered isn't the answer."
His expression softened slightly.
"The world doesn't stop for anyone."
"If you stop moving forward, others will surpass you."
"I understand that."
"But destroying your body won't help either."
Rey stared blankly for a moment.
Then immediately understood.
A misunderstanding.
A beautiful misunderstanding.
The kind that saved lives.
"Oh..."
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Yeah..."
"I just felt restless after staying inside for so long."
"I did a little exercise."
"I guess I got carried away."
Hosric nodded.
"Exactly."
"So stop being careless."
"You're not a child anymore."
"Take care of yourself properly."
Rey instantly nodded.
"I will."
"I promise."
Only after Hosric left the room did Rey finally release the breath he had been holding.
"Haa..."
His entire back felt cold.
"That was way too close."
If Hosric had arrived even one minute earlier...
Everything would have been exposed.
After calming down, Rey entered the bathroom.
The moment he smelled himself—
His nose twitched.
"...Okay, that's terrible."
A long shower later, he finally emerged feeling human again.
Fresh clothes.
Clean body.
No suspicious evidence remaining.
When he arrived downstairs, Hosric was already drinking tea.
The Head Butler immediately served breakfast.
Rey sat down and began eating.
Today's portion was intentionally smaller than usual.
After all, appearing too healthy right now would only invite more questions.
Even then, Hosric raised an eyebrow.
The amount disappearing from Rey's plate was still impressive.
Soon, breakfast ended.
Rey wiped his mouth and looked toward his uncle.
"You came all the way here this morning."
"Was there something important?"
Hosric set down his cup.
"Not really."
"I just wanted to check on your condition."
Then he added,
"The tournament reaches the semifinals today."
"Do you want to come watch?"
Rey already knew his answer.
"No."
The reply came instantly.
"I'm not really in the mood."
"I can watch the matches from home."
"And honestly..."
"I should probably focus on recovering."
Hosric wasn't surprised.
He had expected as much.
"Fair enough."
He stood up.
"Just don't spend the entire day lying in bed."
"Move around a little."
"Your body will become rusty."
"And don't forget."
"In a few days, you'll be leaving for the Royal University."
Rey smiled.
"I know."
Hosric nodded before preparing to leave.
Meanwhile, Rey watched him go.
A guilty expression appeared briefly on his face.
'Sorry, Uncle.
Even if I wanted to go...
I have other things to do today.'
His newly forged weapons were waiting.
And more importantly—
The mystery hidden beyond the Capital's forests was still unresolved.
The search had only just begun.
Otherwise, he wouldn't get another chance.
Today was the perfect day to retrieve them.
After sending Hosric away, Rey returned to his room under the excuse of getting more rest.
His mind was already made up.
He would leave now, during daylight.
Tonight, he still needed to investigate the mysterious signal beyond the city walls. Delaying the weapon collection any further would only create problems later.
So he waited.
Half an hour passed.
The young butler came once to ask whether he needed anything.
After that, the hallway fell silent.
Only then did Rey finally get his chance.
He opened the window, slipped outside, and carefully pulled it almost shut behind him to avoid drawing attention.
His destination was already decided.
The moment his feet touched the outer ledge, his skills activated.
Rey leapt across the rooftops.
His movements felt noticeably smoother than before.
After using the skills repeatedly over the past day, his body had gradually adapted to them. The distance he could cover with each jump had increased, and his balance during movement had improved considerably.
Building after building flashed past beneath him.
Within minutes, he arrived at the Martial Market.
The district was as lively as ever.
Hunters, mercenaries, and martial artists moved through the crowded streets carrying beast materials, weapons, and supplies. Voices mixed with the noise of bargaining and the ringing of metal from nearby workshops.
Rey slipped into a quieter street before deactivating his skill.
His figure appeared once more.
Then he calmly headed toward the smithy district.
His goal was simple.
Rastin's Smithy.
After walking through several bustling streets, he finally arrived at the familiar workshop.
The store was still crowded with customers.
Without stopping, Rey entered and headed directly toward the rear forge.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal echoed throughout the workshop.
Rastin was hard at work.
Sweat dripped down his forehead as he repeatedly hammered a glowing piece of metal on the anvil.
Rey stood quietly and waited.
Only several minutes later did Rastin finally finish his current task.
He lowered the hammer and wiped his forehead before noticing the masked figure standing nearby.
The moment recognition struck him, his eyes brightened.
"Sir, you're here. I have been waiting for your arrival. Please, come this way."
He immediately removed his apron and guided Rey away from the furnace.
Even through his mask, Rey could feel the intense heat radiating from the forge.
For a moment, he couldn't help but admire the blacksmith's endurance.
An assistant soon approached.
"Sir, your drink."
The young worker carefully placed a cup beside Rey before leaving.
Meanwhile, Rastin returned carrying several long bundles wrapped in cloth.
He carefully placed them beside the table before signalling his assistant to leave.
"Please enjoy your drink while I complete the final procedure before handing over your commission."
Rey simply nodded.
His attention remained fixed on the weapons.
Rastin took out a small engraving tool and began marking something onto the handles hidden beneath the wrappings.
Several minutes later, he finally finished.
One by one, he arranged the weapons neatly before Rey.
"Sir, your commission is complete."
The final bundle was placed down.
Rastin exhaled deeply.
"I would like to inform you that every commissioned weapon successfully reached Peak Stage 2 quality..."
His voice paused.
"...except one."
Rey's eyebrow twitched beneath the mask.
"Hm? Then just tell me directly. I don't care if one ended up a grade lower."
With his abilities, even that wouldn't be much of a problem.
Rastin immediately waved his hands.
"No, no, that's not what I mean."
He looked unusually excited.
"Sir, you may not believe it, but your spear exceeded expectations during forging."
Rey remained silent.
Seeing no reaction, Rastin hurriedly continued.
"Your spear was commissioned as a Peak Stage 2 weapon. However, during the forging process, it unexpectedly crossed the threshold and successfully advanced into Stage 3."
A grin spread across his face.
"It became a Low Stage 3 weapon."
Even Rey was slightly surprised.
Stage 3.
That was an entire grade above what he originally requested.
"I never thought I would successfully forge two Stage 3 spears at the same time."
Rastin laughed proudly.
"One belongs to you."
"The second belongs to that young man participating in the tournament. You've probably already seen it by now."
His chest puffed up slightly.
"So I can confidently say you can be satisfied with the result."
Rey nodded.
This outcome had genuinely exceeded his expectations.
However, Rastin's expression soon became awkward.
"There is... one small issue."
Here it comes.
Rey already had a rough idea.
"As agreed, the original commission price was seven million Dracins. However, additional materials were consumed after the breakthrough occurred during forging."
"The final cost increased by three million."
Rastin quickly raised his hands.
"But I already covered half of the increase myself. You only need to pay one million more. The remaining amount is my responsibility."
His tone carried a hint of embarrassment.
After all, the change had occurred after their agreement.
Rey simply shook his head.
"No."
Rastin blinked.
"No?"
"I'll pay the full amount."
Without hesitation, Rey completed the transfer.
The remaining 5.5 million Dracins disappeared from his account.
"I commissioned the work."
"You completed it beyond expectations."
"There's no reason for you to absorb the loss."
Even after the payment, Rey still possessed more than 150 million Dracins.
He had no interest in taking advantage of someone else's hard work.
For a moment, Rastin stared at him.
The respect in his eyes deepened considerably.
Not many clients would willingly do that.
Especially after receiving an unexpected discount.
"Thank you, sir."
Rey simply nodded.
Then he turned his attention toward the weapons.
One by one, he began examining them.
The more he looked, the more impressed he became.
The first item was the heavy shield.
Even beneath the wrappings, its massive size was obvious.
The round shield could easily protect most of his upper body and felt nearly as heavy as his hammer.
Next came the double-edged sword.
Its shape alone looked imposing despite still being concealed beneath layers of cloth.
After that came the dagger set.
Six daggers in total.
Four curved blades.
Two straight blades.
Their edges possessed fang-like curves designed to inflict maximum damage.
Every single one remained carefully wrapped.
Finally—
His gaze landed on the spear.
The weapon that had unexpectedly advanced into Stage 3.
The moment his fingers touched it, a strange feeling passed through him.
The craftsmanship was extraordinary.
Even through the wrappings, he could sense it.
A faint excitement rose inside him.
Rey wrapped his hand around the shaft.
Then he lifted.
Nothing happened.
His expression froze.
He frowned and applied more strength.
Still nothing.
The spear didn't move even an inch.
"..."
For the first time since entering the smithy, genuine confusion appeared on Rey's face.
Because he had just realised something.
He couldn't lift it.