Chapter 25 : Chapter 25
Chapter 25. A New Title
Hyunwoo held the black mana stone, worth 10,000 mana stones, in his hand.
'I should probably open a new swordsmanship slot first.'
He hadn't decided which swordsmanship to get right away, but he didn't know when he might encounter someone with a useful swordsmanship.
It was his principle to be prepared in advance.
⌜Would you like to open the third slot? The cost is 10,000 mana stones.⌟
Compared to the 10 mana stones for the second slot, it was a ridiculous inflation.
In fact, with 10,000 mana stones, he could do countless things.
He could get a decent magic sword or a useful artifact.
However, to survive here, he needed to strengthen his own abilities rather than rely on items.
'If I'm thinking about the future, that is.'
Hyunwoo looked beyond the immediate arena and made his decision.
In the end, the most important thing was his own competence.
Therefore, he didn't hesitate.
"I will open the third slot."
As soon as Hyunwoo's words ended, the black mana stone floated up with a strong vibration and scattered in the air.
'It's like my credit card bill getting paid off on payday...'
The mana stones he had received as a reward for hunting the 'Black Whale' had turned to dust in an instant.
The price was a new swordsmanship slot.
⌜Name: Kim Hyunwoo
Title: Rookie
Skills: ■Sabla Swordsmanship (2-Star)―76%, ■Skirma Swordsmanship (2-Star)―100%(M), □(New!)
Unique Traits: Swordsmanship Synthesis, Master of Copy, Swordsmanship Genius, Oxygen Tank
General Traits: Physique I, Swiftness I⌟
The third swordsmanship slot flickered, showing off its presence.
There was one more reason why Hyunwoo had opened the swordsmanship slot right away.
The synthesis synergy between the Skirma Swordsmanship and the Sabla Swordsmanship.
The synergy between the two was the worst.
He recalled the system voice from when he had mastered the Skirma Swordsmanship.
[Loading synergy information for Skirma Swordsmanship (M) and Sabla Swordsmanship.]
⌜Synthesis Synergy: Low⌟
It was an expected result.
'Piercing' and 'centrifugal force' were different in everything, from the principle of power generation.
He didn't know what kind of garbage swordsmanship would pop out if he synthesized the two.
Sabla Swordsmanship and Skirma Swordsmanship.
He needed a swordsmanship that had good synergy with both of these.
'And it would be best if it's a swordsmanship that can help with the upcoming hunt.'
To awaken the Cheonbyeondo, he had to cut down 1,000 monsters of the same species.
The hunting target Hyunwoo had in mind was a man-eating plant called 'Lafre' in the 'Sylvester' region.
Lafre's name was actually taken from 'Rafflesia,' the largest flower on Earth, but the only thing they had in common was that they were both plants.
It used its branches as limbs, and where a flower should be, there was a grotesque-looking head.
Hyunwoo, recalling Lafre's appearance, headed to the market where the request center was located.
***
He arrived at the market.
Hyunwoo immediately entered the door that led to the 3rd floor, where the request center was.
The street, lined with various shops, didn't feel much different from the scenery of the underground floor.
The appearance of the street was similar, but there was a distinct difference.
'The atmosphere is different from the underground.'
The unique appearances flaunting their free-spiritedness were similar, but the aura some of them exuded was different.
Gooooo―
As one passed by, there was a guy who felt as sharp as a sword,
Hung Hung―
And he also saw a shaman-like guy with blue will-o'-the-wisps rotating around him.
Among them, there were also gladiators who recognized him.
He could hear the whispers of those leaning against the wall.
"That guy over there."
"A human? It's been a while since a human came to the 3rd floor of the market."
"That's the guy. The Rookie who caught the Black Whale."
"What?! That guy?"
The whispering guys, upon making eye contact with him, hurriedly lowered their gaze.
'This kind of attention is quite awkward.'
It seemed unlikely that he would be picked on carelessly like before.
It was a relief that no one looked down on him for being human anymore.
Feeling awkward at the wary gazes, he entered the request center.
A cheerful bell sound rang from the open door.
Tinkle―
Although many gladiators had entered the request center, the inside was quiet.
Requests were given to the arena by demons from the outside.
Therefore, upon accepting a request, one would use the 'Spatial Transfer Gate' to move outside.
The request Hyunwoo was looking for was the 'Lafre Subjugation' request.
Originally, Lafre's population wasn't large enough for a subjugation request to be created.
'...But it will probably increase explosively soon.'
He had to accept the 'Lafre Subjugation' request, not just for the sake of awakening the Cheonbyeondo.
If he couldn't resolve the request, the Demon World would be doomed.
It was a 'Calamity' disguised as a simple request called 'Lafre Subjugation.'
To survive in the Demon World, he had to stop the 'Calamity.'
'Masal' aimed for a one-coin play.
In other words, if even one 'Calamity' wasn't stopped, it meant destruction.
...What a crappy situation.
'If you fail to stop three Calamities, it's destruction. Wouldn't that be great.'
Complaining about the game's difficulty was like spitting in his own face.
Hyunwoo approached the counter to register for a request.
"Do you happen to have a Lafre Subjugation request?"
"Lafre? Could you please wait a moment?"
The counter staff turned around and started rummaging through some documents.
"Lafre... Lafre..."
The staff, turning back again, said.
"We don't have such a request."
"You don't? Then, by any chance, is there a request for the Sylvester region?"
"One moment..."
The staff, who had been looking down and rummaging through the documents, looked at Hyunwoo again.
"There's a lake cleaning request for the Sylvester region, should I register you for it?"
"No, that's alright."
Hyunwoo nodded and stepped back from the staff.
'The fact that there's no Lafre request yet means that the Sylvester region is fine...'
Lafres were the kind of creatures that would spread to cover the entire Sylvester region.
If they had appeared, there was no way there wouldn't be a request.
Although he didn't get the request he wanted, Hyunwoo wasn't particularly flustered.
In fact, it was a good thing.
Because the reason the Lafres were spreading was due to a 'Calamity.'
'...If the Calamity hasn't occurred yet, that's good for me.'
It would have been even better if it was a peaceful(?) Demon World with no 'Calamities' at all, but judging by the flow so far, that seemed unlikely.
It was just that the time hadn't come yet.
'This means I'll have free time until a Sylvester request comes up...'
As he was resting his chin on his hand and thinking about his future plans, someone passed in front of him.
A tall vampire.
'Huh...? That guy is...'
The face of the huge vampire, who looked to be over 190cm tall, was familiar.
The fact that Hyunwoo found his face familiar meant that he was a noticeable existence in 'Masal.'
If he were an insignificant person, he wouldn't have remembered his face.
Hyunwoo quickly followed the vampire and left the request center.
Tinkle―
He came out quickly, but the vampire was gone.
'...Where did he go?'
No matter how much he looked around, he couldn't find him.
The vampire's name was 'Lucas Cayenne.'
He was one of the people Hyunwoo had considered as a companion.
The disappointment of losing him right in front of him was brief.
Hyunwoo shook his head and quickly shook off his disappointment.
'I'll be able to meet him again someday, so there's no need to rush.'
Hyunwoo lightly brushed off his disappointment about the vampire and set out to find a weapon shop.
Cheonbyeondo.
Hyunwoo looked at the Cheonbyeondo at his waist and moved on.
***
Hyunwoo stepped into the weapon shop.
It was a weapon shop on the 2nd floor, not the underground one he had visited last time.
Generally, the higher the floor in the market, the better the quality.
The problem was.
'The prices go up by more than double.'
Hyunwoo narrowed his brow as he looked at the price tags of the displayed weapons.
'These prices are insane.'
If a sword was even remotely decent, the price skyrocketed.
Well, it didn't really matter.
He had no intention of buying a sword anyway.
Hyunwoo naturally looked around at various weapons and surveyed his surroundings.
He was the only customer.
The shop owner was staring at him intently.
'At this rate...'
Just as he was wondering how to divert the shop owner's attention, the owner approached him.
What is it...?
His uneasy feeling was brief.
He approached him with a welcoming face, calling his name.
"Hyunwoo! Right? The Rookie Gladiator who hunted the Black Whale this time!"
"...Yes?"
It seemed he had certainly gained some fame.
To think that even a shop owner, not a gladiator, would recognize him.
'Hold on.'
As he looked at the fussing shop owner, a good idea suddenly popped into his head.
This... might be easier than I thought.
Hyunwoo erased his reluctant expression and nodded.
At that, the shop owner even clapped his hands in delight.
"It is you! Did you come to buy a weapon?"
"Yes. My sword became unusable after I caught the Black Whale."
"Kuh―! The Black Whale! To think a gladiator who could catch that beast would appear. You're truly amazing!"
"The administrator said the weapons here are that good... could you introduce them to me personally?"
"Of course! What kind of weapon are you looking for?"
He didn't know if he was naturally a fussbudget or if it was a sales tactic.
In any case, he was very welcoming.
"But..."
Hyunwoo trailed off and ran his hand over the displayed swords.
"Is this all?"
"Please wait a moment! The really good ones are inside. Would you like to come in?"
Hyunwoo nodded and followed the shop owner's guidance.
The owner headed toward the counter.
He bowed his head and fiddled with something.
Click―
With a small sound, a hidden room behind the counter revealed itself.
"Come on in! Here are our shop's 'real' weapons."
Hyunwoo nodded and followed him inside.
Inside, well-maintained weapons were placed one by one in display cases.
'Even the weapons outside were pretty decent...'
The shop owner had a right to be proud.
Even from a glance, they were good weapons of a different level from the swords outside.
"Hehe, what do you think?"
"Hmm... not bad."
Hyunwoo casually took out the weapons from the display case one by one and held them in his hand.
Touching them directly, he could feel even more that they were good weapons.
After looking at various swords for a while, he found a giant greatsword that was perfect for the 'Sabla Swordsmanship.'
"Oh..."
"Do you like that sword?"
As soon as he gripped the sword's hilt, he fell in love with its hefty feel.
"The original price is 5,000 mana stones... but I'll give it to you for a special price of 4,500 mana stones. Hehe..."
"Not bad."
"Shall I help you with the payment right away?"
Hyunwoo shook his head and naturally placed the greatsword on top of the display case.
"I'd like to see a magic sword too, do you happen to have one?"
"A magic sword...? The price range for that is..."
When Hyunwoo put on a cold expression, he jumped.
"Ah, ah! I'll show you right away! It's not here so..."
The shop owner rushed out.
He had ordered a magic sword knowing it wasn't here, and the situation was flowing in the direction he had expected.
"A good name is really a good thing."
Hyunwoo watched his retreating back and quickly took out the Cheonbyeondo.
'Quickly!'
He carefully placed the Cheonbyeondo next to the greatsword he had placed on the display case and checked for any signs from outside.
Wiggle, wiggle―
The Cheonbyeondo turned into a liquid and began to wrap around the greatsword.
He wouldn't have kept the magic sword just anywhere, so the shop owner wouldn't be back quickly.
'Ah, this is so frustrating!'
Watching the Cheonbyeondo slowly move and transform, he felt his insides burn.
After a short while, the detached Cheonbyeondo's appearance had completely changed into a greatsword.
'Done!'
As Hyunwoo grasped the Cheonbyeondo and returned it to its previous form, he heard a rough breathing sound from outside.
The shop owner rushed into the room, holding a purplish sword.
"Hah, hah! Here it is!"
"Hmm? Is there only one?"
"...Yes? Ah, yes. This is the only one in our shop."
"What is this sword's ability?"
"If you put mana into it, it can emit cold air! It's the pride of our shop."
"Oho."
A practical and common magic sword.
It looked good.
It looked good, but...
'I don't have any mana, so it's just a pie in the sky.'
When Hyunwoo touched the magic sword, the shop owner's eyes sparkled.
He looked full of anticipation.
'I wanted to test if I could transform a magic sword too.'
Looking at the guy's eyes, he didn't seem like the type to leave Hyunwoo alone with the magic sword.
'Well, it probably doesn't matter for now?'
Once the Cheonbyeondo awakened, he wouldn't really need a magic sword.
The arena probably thought of the Cheonbyeondo as a simple transformation weapon and gave it as a reward, but in reality, the Cheonbyeondo was a sealed ancient treasure-class weapon.
Although the awakening conditions were tricky, once the awakening was complete, it was such a good weapon that few others could compare.
He had gotten everything he needed.
It meant there was nothing more for him to do here.
"Hmm..."
"Is something not to your liking?"
"It's not the type of sword I was looking for. I'll come back next time."
"What? No..."
Leaving the bewildered shop owner behind, Hyunwoo put down the magic sword and walked out of the weapon shop.
'Good. That was natural.'
The scene of a perfect crime that no one would know about.
Hyunwoo, having passed the shop and entered an alley, looked around.
After confirming that there were no other Demon World residents on the street, he changed the Cheonbyeondo again.
Swish―
The Cheonbyeondo transformed into a sword of the same shape as the greatsword he had just seen in the shop.
'Perfect. The sword is taken care of... should I call it a day for now?'
Although he hadn't been able to get the request, which was his first objective, he had safely obtained the sword. It seemed he could obtain the necessary forms of swords in this way in the future.
Just as Hyunwoo was about to move with a satisfied expression.
Ting―!
A system sound that rang out of nowhere stopped him in his tracks.
'...Huh?'
A window popped up in front of the tilting Hyunwoo.
⌜You have acquired a title.⌟
"......?"
At the notification that he had obtained a 'title' without any warning, Hyunwoo could only think of a question mark above his head.
Suddenly?
⌜Title changed. Rookie -> Super Rookie.⌟
"...Huh?"
Was it because he had succeeded in hunting the Black Whale?
It seemed that there had been a big change in his treatment within the arena.
It seemed he had to go back to his quarters quickly.