SWNOVELS Chapter 80: Harvest (1)
Time flew by quickly.
Most of the incidents related to Tak Yoon-il had been settled, and I had started to initiate trade with Park Woon-hyuk’s guild.
“My goodness, such a pure potion. It’s at least a high-quality potion. To have this level of potion already…”
“Is it okay?”
“It’s not just okay. It’s one of the best in the world.”
The alchemist brought by Park Woon-hyuk exclaimed in admiration.
“With this, aren’t our contract terms too favorable to us?”
“Then we’ll just raise them.”
“But then, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance might…”
“It’s fine. I’ll use my name.”
And so, I received my compensation.
“We didn’t know that Tak Yoon-il was a Mine. But what’s done is done. You might not be satisfied, but our guild would like to offer compensation to Ms. Lee Seo-ha as a sign of apology.”
The Cheonryu Guild offered compensation.
“In fact, it was difficult to match a reward for Mr. Lee Seo-ha. We were told not to worry about the budget, but a ‘gift’ should satisfy the recipient. An unwanted gift can cause displeasure.”
After a lengthy introduction, a guild member handed me a pair of rings.
“Each is a separate ‘relic,’ but together, they exhibit their true power—the rings of the sun and the moon.”
I appraised them with Reading.
[Ring of the Sun (A)]
A ring containing the power of the sun. Purification, extreme yang, and the power of the sun are imbued within.
:Built-in Skill 'Extreme Heat'
:Strength and stamina increase by +3 during daylight.
:Continuous stamina recovery during daylight.
:Abilities double when wearing the Moon Ring.
[Ring of the Moon (A)]
A ring containing the power of the moon. Purification, extreme yin, and the power of the moon are imbued within.
:Built-in Skill 'Extreme Cold'
:Agility and spirit increase by +3 during moonlight.
:Continuous spirit recovery during moonlight.
:Abilities double when wearing the Sun Ring.
“……”
I received a pair of rings.
They were better than I had expected. Being rings, I could wear them at all times.
‘Really good, isn’t it?’
Kim Seo-hyun must have spoken highly of me. The rings contained everything I needed.
The power of the moon was typically used to replenish magic, but these replenished mental strength.
“I’ll graciously accept your sincerity. I don’t think I’ll hold any grudges against the Cheonryu Guild in the future.”
“That’s a relief.”
Our subsequent conversation was cheerful.
I spoke with the Cheonryu Guild member and headed to the Red Tower.
“It’s been a while.”
Hong Yu-hwa’s grandfather welcomed me warmly.
“Now that I think about it, I heard you’ve received many things from various places. So, I also prepared a lot to preserve my pride.”
The master of the Red Tower said with a smile.
“Normally, I would like to give you my granddaughter, but… it’s not my place to interfere in the affairs of men and women.”
He said this while handing me a sheet of paper.
“You’ve received quite a lot from various places. Ah, I haven’t been spying on you. I’ve just heard news here and there. So, we’ve decided to offer something different.”
The paper was a document that asked what kind of artifact I wanted.
‘A custom one?’
I crossed my arms and pondered.
“You can choose whatever you want, any attribute is fine. We can collaborate with other magic towers if necessary.”
This significantly broadened my options.
“And there’s no need to decide right now.”
“It’s okay. I think I can decide now.”
I activated my talent for reading to assess the customizability and performance of the artifact I desired.
After a brief simulation, I selected the best item and wrote it down.
“Ho-ho, quite an interesting artifact. I’ll prepare it myself, so don’t worry.”
After receiving a firm confirmation from the Master of the Red Tower, I returned to work at the company.
‘…Is this really the right thing?’
I suddenly realized I was living too diligently. A life much denser than my previous one.
Even now, I was still a student. I was also going to work at the company during vacation.
As I went to work, I learned various things, crammed them into my head, then pushed my body to its limits.
‘Too wholesome a life.’
I entered the training area with self-mockery, not the one used by others, but the one exclusively for Kim Seo-hyun.
Should I call it convenience?
The training area for Kim Seo-hyun was different from others, with excellent facilities, hence recommended.
Upon arriving, Kim Seo-hyun was there.
“Hello!”
“…Hello.”
I was momentarily startled.
Because of Kim Seo-hyun’s outfit.
Gray leggings clinging to her legs, sneakers, and a black tank top which, due to her good figure, left little to the imagination.
‘…Is it because of my young body?’
My body reacted. Blood rushed to my head.
I quickly composed myself with the Talent, True Heart.
‘Has she given up on dressing like a man in front of me?’
As I calmed down, I could objectively observe.
Kim Seo-hyun wasn’t wearing the shorts or short sleeves she wore at school.
Her body looked more slender, her face more delicate. For some reason, her chest seemed bigger.
Roughly a C-cup, no, maybe D-cup.
If Kim Seo-hyun had been an androgynous beauty at school, now she looked like a beautiful woman who suited her short hair.
“Why are you looking like that? Do I, do I look bad?”
“No. You’re pretty.”
She was so pretty it was almost a problem.
I sighed inwardly and started my warm-up exercises.
Then, we exercised.
“Ah, Seo-ha, can you help me with this?”
“Sure.”
Kim Seo-hyun called me, and I went to assist her.
It was a bench press, but a kind that applied pressure to the entire body and increased gravity to strain the muscles.
“This is good, but it’s inconvenient to use alone. Can you help me a bit?”
“…Sure.”
I fiddled with the machine, adjusting various settings.
Each time, the scent of Kim Seo-hyun’s perfume wafted past my nose.
I found myself becoming increasingly aware of Kim Seo-hyun. I calmed my mind with True Heart, then finished helping her.
-…The current owner is quite different from the previous one.
-The previous Heavenly Demon was all flirty around women…
-Heum.
Black Heaven cleared her throat.
I glanced briefly at Black Heaven, then refocused on my exercise.
“Hmph.”
Suddenly, not focusing on Kim Seo-hyun doing squats became a challenge.
Or ignoring her as she glanced at me from the side, swallowing her saliva.
‘…Stay calm.’
Exercising like this, my mind grew more fatigued than my body.
Just before my mental strength was completely spent, a notification popped up.
[You have used your mental strength to its limit. Your proficiency in True Heart has increased.]
“…Oh.”
Suddenly, my mind felt clear, and I sensed an increase in mental strength.
Mental stats combined power with the Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven.
In other words, the power of Defying Heaven had grown stronger.
‘…Jackpot.’contemporary romance
Conceptual Stats were some of the most difficult powers to enhance due to their nature.
Yet, here I was, improving them through physical exertion.
I refocused and resumed my exercise.
She didn’t remember much from her childhood. What came to mind was a world of green.
Trapped in something like a coffin, all she did was breathe.
Memories of being called a Thousand-Year No Pulse were injected into her.
She earned martial arts from beings known as masters.
That’s how Kim Seo-hyun spent her early years.
A bit older, around 10, an incident occurred. It was a place where she endured some sort of terror attack. There, she met her master.
Later, she would be known as the pupil of the Thousand Sorcerer.
“Hah, the Thousand Martial Vein indeed. Has it fallen so far as to entrust everything to such a young child?”
“Who are you?”
“Child, I am the greatest sorcerer of mankind. Won’t you seek revenge against those who confined you here?”
“Revenge?”
“Yes, revenge. It’s about inheriting all their advancements, learning magic, and becoming transcendent.”
“…Will I get three meals a day?”
“…Of course.”
And so, the Thousand Sorcerer became her master.
As she grew up…
The girl concealed herself. It might have been a kind of trauma.
She fooled herself as she honed her martial skills, easily deceiving others with magic.
She was a disciple of the Thousand Sorcerer.
Her incredible talent overwhelmed those around her, and she quickly became one of Korea’s most promising hero candidates.
‘It’s so mundane.’
Truthfully, it was mundane. There was no one in Korea who could challenge her.
That was why she enrolled in the Korean Hero School.
There, she met a boy who completely shattered her understanding of the world.
“Hello.”
He was fascinating.
Nothing about him was discernible. His gaze was relaxed, yet he never slacked in his efforts for self-improvement.
Curiosity turned into interest.
Interest blossomed over time.
“You can do it.”
His tone implied he knew about her.
The turning point came when he defeated the Sword Demon.
When he engulfed everything in a whirlpool-like abyss.
Interest turned into admiration.
Gradually, she desired to stand beside him.
And, to be honest, she found his face too attractive. Sometimes, she would stare blankly when he smiled.
‘…So I prepared for this.’
Kim Seo-hyun sighed quietly.
Truthfully, her current outfit was somewhat embarrassing. Why did these pants have to cling so tightly?
It wasn’t just about appealing to others.
It seemed to have worked on Lee Seo-ha.
Very faintly, he showed interest.
But that was all. Any slight confidence she had gained evaporated when he remained completely indifferent.
‘I guess I believed my sister’s words too much.’
Her sister had claimed that any man could be seduced and taken to a, ha, hotel.
Still.
It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. She at least understood that Lee Seo-ha wasn’t the type to give his heart away readily.
As Lee Seo-ha smiled contentedly at her, Kim Seo-hyun found herself smiling back foolishly without realizing it.
done.co