Strike 57

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When the intense flames from the Efreet engulfed everything around him, Barad wished for death.

Having fulfilled his last wish, he no longer saw any value in living.

“It was all because of me…”

Barad had lived a life full of regrets.

If only he had firmly refused his son’s insistence on visiting the dragon’s nest, or if he had been stronger.

Clutching a necklace and staring at the ceiling, he awaited death.

“Does that bring them back to life?”

Barad turned his head. Hyun-soo, in his blue armor, was looking at him.

“…You don’t understand. No one can.”

The turmoil in his heart.

“Your late son would be so proud,” Hyun-soo said sarcastically.

That comment enraged Barad.

He grabbed Hyun-soo by the collar.

“How dare you! What do you know about the pain of losing a child because of your own actions!?”

His feelings were beyond anyone’s comprehension.

The last of his kin.

“…I understand.”

But then Hyun-soo spoke, a bitter smile on his face, and began his own story.

He talked about trying to save his father by rushing into the forge, but failing.

“If I had been faster that day, if I hadn’t gone to meet a friend, if I had been by my father’s side…”

Barad looked into his eyes.

“But I’ve decided not to dwell on that anymore. Do you know why?”

Hyun-soo smiled faintly.

“Because your son, and my father, would want us to live bravely and happily.”

Hearing this, Barad broke down.

He bowed his head and wept.

Blacksmith Hyun.

He patted Barad’s back and said,

“…It’s not our fault. So, let’s live. As they would have wanted.”

The fallen king’s heart found strength.

The greatest comfort lay in empathy and in Hyun’s words that it wasn’t their fault.

Whoosh-

Hyun, in his blue armor, vanished into the fire, turning to ash.

Watching him disappear, the king murmured,

“…Thank you.”

And then he emerged from the flames.

After reminiscing, Barad longed to see the foreigner Hyun-soo again.

“I miss Hyun-soo. I want to see that boy.”

“I’ll bring him to you immediately,” said his attendant Bella.

But he stopped her with a gesture.

“Call the Prime Minister first.”

“Yes.”

Soon, Prime Minister Volson of the Goyard Kingdom entered.

“I assume you’ve already appraised the three swords?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Prime Minister Volson had heard from Bella and promptly appraised the swords.

“What do you think of them?”

“The two epic-grade swords were close to unique-grade. The fourth custom-made sword by Hyun had an astonishing fire resistance, and the fifth had a mysterious power.”

The Prime Minister had rated the two swords at the highest value within their grade.

“And the last sword?”

“It was my first time seeing a legendary sword.”

He was still awestruck by the memory.

“I appraised its price based on the sale of other legendary swords. It’s on the lower end of legendary swords, but considering its power against fire monsters, it’s unparalleled.”

Barad nodded slowly, and Volson wondered why he kept asking.

His Majesty usually showed little interest in such matters.

Even the price of the swords wouldn’t concern someone of his stature.

But then Barad said,

“Add 30% to the appraised value of the swords.”

“…Excuse me?”

Volson was surprised. The current valuation was already a fortune for any ordinary blacksmith.

But the king himself was raising the amount?

Volson saw something in the king’s eyes.

It was affection for Hyun-soo.

“Understood.”

“Tell me the revised amount. I’ll personally compensate him.”

Volson did the calculations and informed him of the new price.

After Volson left, Barad got dressed and headed to the audience chamber.

***

A day in the real world, three days in the game.

Hyun-soo took a break and looked for a new house.

‘The landlady gave me a good deal.’

The new place was a semi-basement studio, twice as expensive as his current home but similar in size.

He hadn’t signed the contract yet.

‘How much could I get?’

Hyun-soo had checked the market prices.

A recently traded legendary artifact sold for 800 million won.

Compared to that, Hyun’s sixth custom-made sword was slightly less valuable.

‘I wonder if he’s awake now?’

Hyun-soo was worried about Barad’s condition. After taking a sip of water, he entered the gaming capsule.

[You have logged in.]

As soon as he connected, Hyun-soo felt a pang in his chest.

“Ah… down one level…”

In Ares, being forcefully logged out results in penalties.

Bella quickly found him.

“His Majesty has awakened and is asking for you, Hyun-soo.”

Following Bella, Hyun-soo soon met with Barad, who seemed much recovered in the audience chamber.

Barad, looking at him, spoke.

“I have a question for you.”

“Please ask, Your Majesty.”

“…I know that foreigners like you can resurrect after death. You knew you would die in that moment, yet you risked it anyway. Why?”

“I had two reasons.”

“Two reasons?”

Barad looked puzzled.

“The first is that I hoped you, who carry a burden like mine, would continue to live.”

That phrase resonated deeply with Barad.

He knew that if it had been anyone else – Bella or someone else – saying it, he wouldn’t have been moved.

But it was Hyun-soo’s empathy, knowing he shared a similar pain, that had steadied his heart.

“And the second?”

At Barad’s inquiry, Hyun-soo looked him in the eyes.

“It’s because I was confident I would receive sufficient compensation for it.”

Barad smiled faintly at this bold statement.

He had that in mind. That statement showed how clever Hyun-soo was.

Of course, even without the compensation, he would have made the same choice.

[Affinity with Barad has reached MAX.]

Hyun-soo couldn’t hide his surprise.

Before being forced to log out in the tomb, he had seen notifications of increasing affinity several times.

And that affinity had just peaked with their recent conversation.

‘MAX affinity with a notable character like Barad…’

Hyun-soo’s heart raced.

Then Barad spoke.

“You’re right.”

[Linked Quest: The King’s Commission Completed]

[King Barad awards you a reward for your remarkable achievement.]

Again.

Hyun-soo heard this notification whenever he completed or received a quest.

A reward for remarkable achievement.

Normally, such notifications would simply end with ‘You may receive a reward.’

Typically, this kind of notification came with the successful completion of a quest.

“I’ve finished appraising the three swords you made.”

Hyun-soo gulped nervously at Barad’s words.

An epic-grade sword, and the average price for a sword usable by someone at Barad’s level was around 3,000 gold.

“First, about the two epic-grade swords, Prime Minister Volson says they are worth the highest value in their grade.”

Hyun-soo listened silently.

“The fourth custom-made sword is valued at 8,600 gold. The fifth, one of your custom-made swords, I will pay 9,000 gold.”

Hyun-soo was astonished.

‘I thought it would be around 5,000 gold per sword…?’

Of course, even 5,000 gold was a significant amount. A sword at that value was equivalent to 5 million won in real currency.

Together, the two swords amounted to 17.6 million won.

“Lastly, let’s talk about the value of the sword that saved my life. Let me start by saying I’m pleased to own such a fine blade.”

Barad glanced at Hyun-soo’s sixth custom-made sword, lying nearby, with a small smile.

Hyun-soo tensed up.

He was curious about the value of his first legendary artifact.

***

Hosuk, the team leader of the administration department at Hanseong Hospital, received a call from Nurse Jihye.

“Mr. Hyun-soo is requesting a consultation for a VVIP room.”

Hosuk, in charge of the VVIP rooms, also managed the entire administration team.

‘Hyun-soo Kang wants a VVIP room?’

Hosuk frowned at the realization that Hyun-soo Kang was the one seeking the VVIP room consultation.

Truth be told, Hosuk didn’t like Hyun-soo.

Initially, Hosuk did feel sorry for him.

But the constant pressure from upper management about Hyun-soo’s overdue hospital bills changed that. He’d been dragged to the director’s office more than once, told to get rid of the patient. After all, the hospital wasn’t a charity.

Recently, though, he’d heard Hyun-soo paid off about 50 million won at once.

‘But paying 50 million won doesn’t equate to affording a VVIP room.’

VVIP rooms are for clients earning billions yearly, even those worth hundreds of billions.

And now Hyun-soo, who had unpaid hospital bills?

‘Why does Jihye even like that guy?’

The real reason Hosuk began to dislike Hyun-soo was because of Jihye. He learned she had feelings for Hyun-soo.

Hosuk had feelings for Jihye.

‘Is he naïve about money because he’s young? I need to make it clear to him to focus on paying for treatment rather than thinking about VVIP rooms.’

Hosuk intended to be very stern about it.

Part of him also wondered if Hyun-soo, in his youth, had developed vanity after coming into a substantial sum.

With these thoughts, Hosuk entered the consultation room.

There, he found Hyun-soo sitting on a sofa. Hyun-soo stood up and bowed slightly.

“You wish to discuss a VVIP room for your father?”

“Yes.”

Hosuk got straight to the point as he sat down.

“You’ll need to prepay for at least three months for a VVIP room.”

The cost for a VVIP room was around 20 million won per month.

“I’d like to make an advance payment today and move in.”

Hyun-soo’s response puzzled Hosuk.

An advance payment? Was he going to prepay 100 million or 200 million won?

It was unexpected.

‘But that’s still not enough to cover the VVIP room and his own treatment costs.’

So, Hosuk asked,

“How much are you planning to prepay?”

“1 billion won.”

Hosuk’s eyes widened in shock.

“Will you be depositing it right away?”

“Yes.”

And soon, Hosuk saw for himself that 1 billion won had indeed been deposited into the hospital’s account.

‘How did he…?’

Hosuk was astounded.

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