Chapter 13. There's No Need to Lower Your Heads
Kim Do-Joon held up the two items. One was a well-folded slice of skin, and the other was a dark red, squishy chunk of meat.
[The Scaly Skin of the Glass Snake]
[The Cold Heart of the Glass Snake]
Kim Do-Joon examined the heart first.
[The Cold Heart of the Glass Snake]
Description
- Cold energy lies accumulated inside it. Due to the snake's young age, it is but a small, insignificant amount.
Rarity
- Rare
Classification
- Ingredient
Effect
- With use, grants any produced equipment the Ice element
- When consumed, grants Cold Resistance + 3%
- When consumed, reduces Agility by - 5 and Perception by - 3
It was evident that the Cold Heart of the Glass Snake was meant to be used as material for equipment-crafting rather than straight consumption.
It was not unusual for these sorts of items to come with penalties. Those that did were referred to as cursed items.
Though their penalties were typically exchanged with benefits, cursed items were generally to be avoided. After all, the benefits seldom outweighed what was to be lost. The heart, too, granted Cold Resistance, but stole away a non-negligible amount of stats in return.
However, the same downsides did not apply to Kim Do-Joon.
With my copy-paste ability, I can forgo the penalty entirely.
It was feasible for him to singularly extract the beneficial item effects. Furthermore, cursed items performed better than regular items on average. All things considered, they could be a blessing for Kim Do-Joon.
[One of the item effects of The Cold Heart of the Glass Snake can be copy-pasted onto Kim Do-Joon.]
[Item effects available for copy-pasting:]
1. With use, grants any produced equipment the Ice element
2. When consumed, grants Cold Resistance + 3%
3. When consumed, reduces Agility by - 5 and Perception by - 3
With the third choice obviously out of the equation, Kim Do-Joon had to make his choice between the first and the second.
His eyes were naturally drawn to the second option.
Hmm… the Cold Resistance is tempting…
He needn't give it much thought, as its utility was rather obvious.
It's a good pick for So-Eun.
Besides the Vitality stat, Cold Resistance was likewise of great asset against Kim So-Eun's condition. When a patient with Mana Disorder suffered from a seizure, their body would grow ice cold.
Fostering some Cold Resistance would help to lessen the severity of Kim So-Eun's seizures. Apparently, potions boosting Cold Resistance were utilized for the same reason.
The potions also contributed to her rising hospital bills. Specially prescribed, the ones used to treat Kim So-Eun were expensive.
Kim Do-Joon shot a short glance at his labyrinth-entry skill.
[Additional Effect]
- Skill: Grants entry to the labyrinth 'Elemental Island.' Cooldown of 167 hours.
He had seven days until he could return to the Elemental Island. Meaning, he could incrementally increase his daughter's Cold Resistance every seven days as well. It would not be long before she reached the seventy-five percent ceiling.
Good, good…
He found another purpose in visiting the Elemental Island: he would raise Kim So-Eun's Cold Resistance and then his own. Assuming no further hurdles, it would take a year to achieve at most.
But I'll have to start by using the Ice enchantment for myself.
While set on gathering more hearts, he needed to grow stronger in order to clear the Elemental Island faster and with ease.
He went ahead and incorporated it into himself.
[The item effect has been successfully copy-pasted.]
[The Cold Heart of Glass Snake has been destroyed.]
[The transferred ability will be adjusted according to the recipient’s classification.]
[Additional Effect]
- Passive: The user may create a Mana Core (Ice)
Huh…?
The result was outside of Kim Do-Joon's expectations. He had assumed he would receive an enchantment of some sort.
The Mana Core was unlike a skill in that, as a passive, it operated without need for activation.
Wait… A Mana Core?
Kim Do-Joon had heard of it in passing. From what he knew, it was a characteristic often possessed by Mage-class Hunters.
Normally, a Hunter's mana was evenly distributed throughout their body. It was constantly circulating, guided along a path shaped by the absorbed spores of the World Tree.
This was especially true for Warrior-class Hunters.
In contrast, Hunters of the mana-lineage had their mana concentrated around their hearts. With a core, their manipulation of mana was unparalleled—they could freely cast spells and create miraculous phenomena.
Not only that, I landed myself a core with an element…
There was the good and the bad.
Elemental mana was both easier to utilize and more powerful compared to its non-elemental counterpart. It was also often focused on a single element, making its application clear.
However, the lean of elemental affinity made it so the Hunter could no longer use skills or medicines of an opposing element. Going forward, Kim Do-Joon would find fire-based medicines to have zero effect.
It was, of course, a painful penalty indeed, but it wasn't so terrible for Kim Do-Joon. Unlike Hunters naturally of the mana-lineage, he did not possess any fire attribute skills. He did not plan on feeding Kim So-Eun any of the rare medicines with the fire attribute, either.
Let's see…
He decided to take his new passive ability for a spin. He brought out the Young Kujika Tribesmen's Broadaxe and concentrated. Grabbing hold of the emerging feeling, he merged his mana with determination and enveloped the axe with cold energy. When he held the axe near a glass of water, it froze.
Hmm… I can see it being pretty useful.
Presently, Kim Do-Joon's Mana stat was a mere level twenty-three. He wondered, then, how powerful his passive would prove to be once his Compatibility and Mana were upped.
A smile crept onto his lips as he thought of what was to come.
Nice.
His newfound Ice Mana Core was itself a wondrous gift from the labyrinth. However, between his snakeskins, Tier 3 key, and random item boxes, he had even more surprises to be looking forward to.
Not only that, the boss's other drop awaited his perusal. He shifted his attention to it.
[The Scaly Skin of the Glass Snake]
Description
- Tough and sturdy snakeskin. Nothing special.
Rarity
- Common
Classification
- Ingredient
Effect
- Defense Power + 5
Contrary to its transparency on the living Glass Snake, the harvested skin was cloudy. It looked much like parchment.
"Hmm…"
Kim Do-Joon furrowed his eyebrows, finding the item's single defensive boost underwhelming. It was somewhat dismal, even for raw material.
He sighed and shook his head.
Oh well, you can't have it all.
With a resigned expression on his face, he examined the snakeskin from various angles.
It was only then that he suddenly made a shocking discovery.
Wait a second… This is…
The snakeskin had two layers.
***
Kim Do-Joon arrived at Roundy Hunter, a corporate-style manufacturing guild, with the Scaly Skin of Glass Snake in hand. When he expressed his intention to have something made, he was guided to a booth inside the first-floor lobby. The booth was isolated with surrounding partitions.
"Please wait here. We'll be with you shortly," said the receptionist.
"Alright," Kim Do-Joon replied.
The receptionist flashed him a corporate smile, offered him a cup of coffee, and then disappeared. Kim Do-Joon savored the sweet taste of instant coffee in his wait until eventually, a man carrying a document entered the room.
Kim Do-Joon took the initiative. "Hello."
"Oh, yes."
The man scanned Kim Do-Joon from top to bottom before nodding slightly. He plopped down on the chair sitting on the opposite end of their table.
"So, there's something you want produced?" the man, Kim Jin-Hyuk, asked after a brief read of his document.
"That's right.”
Kim Jin-Hyuk had received a document containing his client's basic personal information from reception.
He's an Awakener without a Hunter's license…? Is he a Gatherer, then?
Among the many Awakeners who, for some reason or another, did not work as Hunters, only Gatherers saw use for a manufacturing guild's services.
Kim Jin-Hyuk examined Kim Do-Joon's appearance. He wore a shabby shirt and pants, both showing signs of prolonged use. They were not an ordinary set of clothes, however—they were made with a material suited for dungeon-diving.
His clothes look cheap.
As a member of a manufacturing guild, Kim Jin-Hyuk had a keen eye for details. From the look of Kim Do-Joon's clothes as budget and brandless off-the-rack products, he began to assess the other man's customer grade.
Kim Jin-Hyuk asked with a blunt expression, "What is it you want to place the commission for?"
"I need something using this right here," Kim Do-Joon replied, presenting his snakeskin.
"And that would be?" Kim Jin-Hyuk questioned, not bothering to touch the item.
"It's snakeskin."
Of course, there was no real reason for Kim Jin-Hyuk to ask. The information window relating to the snakeskin had already appeared before his eyes.
[The Scaly Skin of the Glass Snake]
Description
- Tough and sturdy snakeskin. Nothing special.
Effect
- Defense Power + 5
Tsk.
Inwardly, Kim Jin-Hyuk clicked his tongue. Sure enough, the snakeskin had nothing of note. It was trash.
Dealing with clueless rookie Hunters and Gatherers was tiresome. They brought in inferior ingredients, held like treasure, and demanded gold be made from lead.
Far from manifesting something out of thin air with a magic wand, equipment-production was both time-consuming and labor-intensive.
"Sir, may I say something?" Kim Jin-Hyuk asked, looking at Kim Do-Joon.
"What is it?" Kim Do-Joon replied.
"Unfortunately, it'll be difficult for us to create anything handy with what you have. It may not even be worth the cost.”
He delivered the words as gently as he could. Regardless, Kim Do-Joon expectedly took them to be an unnecessary fuss.
"I'll pay the fee, so please take it," Do-Joon spoke politely, maintaining his composure.
Frustrated, Kim Jin-Hyuk scratched his head.
"Is it that you don't understand my words, or that you're ignorant of how the world works? With the commission fee, you're better off buying a decent, ready-made product!"
"I appreciate your advice, but this is—"
Kim Jin-Hyuk interrupted him and grumbled, "Are you under the impression that it's easy to craft equipment, all because it involves a skill? The process still requires a ton of work with all the hammering and stitching, one by one…"
As a Potion Crafter himself, Kim Do-Joon was well aware of the difficulty involved with equipment production. Despite his own production skill, he spent many an hour consumed with all sorts of tedious work including drying herbs and squeezing them.
Production skills weren't everything, and items did not pop out of a hat upon summons. A craftsman's skill made all the difference.
That aside, Kim Do-Joon saw the ill-mannered and grumbling Kim Jin-Hyuk and wanted to try his chances elsewhere. No need for him to bend over backward, there were plenty of manufacturing guilds to go around.
Dawdling not a second longer, Kim Do-Joon abruptly stood up from his seat.
A voice sounded. "Hey, Kim Jin-Hyuk! Is this where you were?"
"Huh? Master, were you looking for me?" Kim Jin-Hyuk asked.
A bearded middle-aged man entered their booth. He seemed to be the one looking for Kim Jin-Hyuk.
Kim Jin-Hyuk stood up to politely greet him.
"Oh, my bad. I wasn't aware you had a guest. Go ahead and help him first," said the man.
"No, no, it's okay. He'll be leaving soon," said Kim Jin-Hyuk.
"Is that the case?"
Hearing Kim Jin-Hyuk's words, the middle-aged man examined the snakeskin laid out on the table. He read its information window.
However, unlike Kim Jin-Hyuk, he went the extra mile of touching the snakeskin to examine it.
Smiling at the middle-aged man, Kim Jin-Hyuk said, "It seems like he was lucky enough to pick this up somewhere… It's just that the item effect doesn't seem too good, so I decided to turn down the commission. The ingredient isn't worth the labor fee."
The middle-aged man frowned in response. "What the hell did you just say?"
Not seeing the man's puzzled reaction, Kim Jin-Hyuk repeated his words with the same smile.
"The labor costs wouldn't be covered. So I didn't accept the commission…"
"Are you insane?" the middle-aged man shouted.
Slap!
The middle-aged man smacked Kim Jin-Hyuk over the head. As a blacksmith with ample experience, he had tons of strength to spare. Kim Do-Joon, on the other hand, had to endure the sudden assault without even knowing what he did wrong.
"Sir, I don't know what he said to you, but please give us another chance. I will try my best— I mean, I'll get the top brass to help turn this snakeskin into the best item it can be," said the middle-aged man.
“..." Kim Do-Joon responded with silence.
Kim Jin-Hyuk rubbed his aching head and asked, “Master, what are you talking about?"
“Zip it! And don't bother calling me Master. I'm embarrassed that you don't even know how to examine things properly!" the middle-aged man shouted.
“Why don't you tell me what's going on so that I can understand?"
The middle-aged man clicked his tongue at Kim Jin-Hyuk's rebellious attitude. He turned the snakeskin inside out and showed it to his apprentice.
“What about it?" Kim Jin-Hyuk asked.
“Look closely!" the middle-aged man insisted.
Once Kim Jin-Hyuk looked where his master was pointing, his eyes widened. He discovered that the snakeskin was double-layered, with the outer layer transparent as glass. He reached out to touch it and found it thin like paper.
It was his first time encountering a crafting item like it.
Transparent leather was something that could very well revolutionize the industry.
We'll have to conduct some research into it, but…
For any research to be done, Kim Do-Joon's request was one their guild absolutely had to take. Especially if it turned out that he had more of the snakeskin in store.
“Stop looking at it and give it back," Kim Do-Joon interrupted.
Realizing his mistakes, Kim Jin-Hyuk grew pale.
“S-sir, I take back what I said earlier. Please allow us to work with your snakeskin," Kim Jin-Hyuk said.
“Excuse me? Did you just say you're taking back your words?" Kim Do-Joon asked.
“Yes, yes that's right. I take back what I s—" Kim Jin-Hyuk said with an awkward smile. He looked up and noticed that Kim Do-Joon was looking at him coldly.
The middle-aged man grabbed Kim Jin-Hyuk's head and forcibly lowered it into a bow.
"What kind of attitude is that, you brat! You should be apologizing first!"
"I'm s-sorry!"
Kim Jin-Hyuk stuttered his apology. The middle-aged man bowed his head beside him.
"If my student has made you upset, I apologize. I'll scold him later. So please…"
The middle-aged man's eyes glinted while looking towards the snakeskin.
"There's no need to lower your heads," Kim Do-Joon said.
“Does that mean we get to work with your crafting item?"
Both men raised their heads with bright faces.
Kim Do-Joon bluntly crushed their hopes. “I'm not your client, so why are you bowing?"
Kim Jin-Hyuk's mouth gaped open at his words.
Kim Do-Joon quietly packed the snakeskin into his inventory and turned away without hesitation.
Although Kim Jin-Hyuk followed Kim Do-Joon outside the building, desperately trying to change his mind, he remained steadfast.
As he hailed a taxi, Kim Do-Joon heard a loud voice from behind him.
"Ugh, you bastard! Why don't you write up your resignation letter and submit it right now? Get to it!" said the middle-aged man.
“I'm s-sorry!" Kim Jin-Hyuk apologized.
That was the last time Kim Do-Joon bothered to think about the two men.
Kim Do-Joon said to the taxi driver, "Take me to the Black Maiden, please."
***
Kim Do-Joon's visit to Black Maiden was free of incident. The people there recognized the value of his snakeskin at a glance and asked how he had acquired it.
Kim Do-Joon simply brushed off their questions, quoting a lucky discovery. He did make sure to subtly hint that he could obtain more, and was subsequently treated like a VIP client for it. Perhaps making good on his insinuation would turn him into a proper VIP.
Let's see how things go.
The commission went smoothly. The craftsman he was connected to made diligent work meeting Kim Do-Joon's terms. The finished product was a pair of gloves, thin like gossamer webs and as clear as ice.
"Thank you very much! Please come by again!"
With the staff's farewell, Kim Do-Joon left Black Maiden. He walked while fitting the glassy gloves, finding that they gave him no discomfort.
He was quite impressed with the results. The gloves were unimposing enough that he hardly felt a difference from when he was barehanded. Thanks to their transparency, his hands looked free. There was nothing impeding the movement of his fingers, either.
The only thing setting the gloves apart from his bare hands was the distinct sensation of touching something.
And on top of that…
[Gloves of the Glass Snake's Scaly Skin]
Description
- Gloves made of snakeskin; they are transparent like glass. Despite how thin they are, the gloves are tough and sturdy.
Rarity
- Common
Classification
- Armor
Effect
- Defense Power + 17
- Minor resistance against slashing
- Minor resistance against impacts
The Defense Power had increased significantly from the raw material, and new slashing and impact resistance effects were added into the mix.
To test their efficacy, he took out a knife and slashed at the palm of his hand. He had put some force into the cut, but his gloves remained intact. There was not a single scratch on the inside of his palm, either.
Not bad.
The gloves looked to be useful.
Kim Do-Joon had also entrusted the guild to repair his broken gauntlet, thinking the two items would synergize well.
Satisfied, Kim Do-Joon returned home.
[Additional Effect]
- Skill: Grants entry to the labyrinth 'Elemental Island.' Cooldown of 148 hours.
Six days remained of the cooldown, but he was already anticipating his upcoming trip.
Comments
Top