Chapter 116
As soon as Suhyuk saw Kindre’s face, he instinctively scanned the workshop’s interior. Unlike a typical workshop, it had a chilling atmosphere, with bright, almost blinding lights illuminating the room.
Sharp weapons such as swords, spears, and daggers hung on the walls, while a large vat containing blue molten metal sat in the center.
An unusual workshop. But nowhere did he see what he was looking for.
‘It’s not here.’
Suhyuk’s gaze naturally drifted back to Kindre. Apart from the girl standing before him, there was no one else in the room. The girl had pale, almost ghostly skin, and a delicate frame.
What was happening here?
“Surprised?”
Un Hyang’s mischievous voice cut through his thoughts.
“I couldn’t believe it at first either. But it’s true.”
It seemed she hadn’t mentioned this beforehand just to see his reaction. If he had even known Kindre was a woman, he wouldn’t have been so stunned.
Apparently accustomed to such reactions, Kindre asked nonchalantly,
“Is this the customer?”
“Yeah, it’s Suhyuk, the streamer.”
“Oh, nice to meet you.”
Kindre wiped the dark grime from her hands onto her clothes and extended her hand to Suhyuk.
“Nice to meet you.”
As he shook her hand, he was struck by how cold it felt. So cold that even a corpse would feel warmer. Her entire demeanor, from her expression to her temperature, was icy.
‘Nothing about her matches what I imagined.’
An old man. Hulking muscles. A workshop heated to boiling. Kindre was the complete opposite of everything Suhyuk had pictured.
“What do you want?”
Without any further pleasantries, she jumped straight to the point, prompting Suhyuk to retrieve the Heart of Thunder from his inventory.
“A sword.”
“What kind of sword?”
“I’d prefer a holy sword, but…”
Suhyuk shook his head.
“No, forget I said that. Please make it in the way you feel most confident.”
Though she appeared to be just a young girl, if she really was Kindre, she was one of the most skilled artisans in the tower.
It was pointless to give specific directions to someone like this. Trusting the artisan’s judgment would yield the best result.
“Creating a good sword is the artisan’s role. Using it well is the player’s role.”
For the first time, Kindre’s eyes glimmered slightly at his words.
“Good mindset.”
She reached for the Heart of Thunder in Suhyuk’s hand. Knowing it had to be entrusted to the artisan, he didn’t stop her.
Kindre examined the Heart of Thunder closely, her brows furrowing.
“It’s difficult…”
“Difficult?”
“It would be ideal encased in something, like for a hammer.”
She gestured towards the works hanging on the wall.
“As you can see, I’m confident in these.”
Dozens of Kindre’s works adorned the walls. Even at a glance, they were exceptional items. Despite not having met their owners yet, their blades exuded an almost tangible sharpness.
Any one of them could probably fetch tens of thousands of points at auction. Some might even sell for over a hundred thousand points.
“Are you recommending a hammer?”
“I’m not recommending it. I can make it into a sword.”
“What’s the difference?”
“If it’s a hammer, it’s easier to suppress the material’s power by using the properties of the metal. Handling will also be easier as the material won’t be directly exposed.”
“And for a sword?”
“It would be powerful but difficult to handle. The item’s performance might become a burden for the user.”
From the way Kindre spoke smoothly, it seemed she already had a mental blueprint of the final item.
Kindre presented two options:
A hammer, which would be safer but less powerful, or a sword, which would be more powerful but carry more risks.
“If you want me to make it into a hammer, I can do that.”
“No, thanks.”
Suhyuk shook his head at Kindre’s provocation. He had already decided on the form.
“Make it into a pair of gloves.”
“Gloves?”
“Yes.”
Kindre’s eyes widened at Suhyuk’s response. Then, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
“That’s an interesting choice.”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought.”
“But are you sure? It might be harder to handle than a sword.”
“That’s exactly what I want.”
Though Kindre spoke negatively, Suhyuk took it as a reward.
“The more challenging it is, the more valuable it will be.”
High risk, high reward.
That saying had governed Suhyuk’s life as a player. Handling lightning had always been like that.
The more he pushed his heart to burn hotter, the stronger the output he could achieve, and overcoming that allowed him to reach even higher heights.
This time was no different. No matter what, Suhyuk intended to master the item. Running away was not an option for him.
“I think the same.”
Kindre’s lips curved into a grin at Suhyuk’s reply.
“I like your attitude.”
Clenching the Heart of Thunder in her hand, she spoke confidently.
“I promise, I’ll make it the best.”
“Appreciate it. A discount would make it even better.”
As Suhyuk joked, she readily agreed, catching him off guard.
“Just pay for the materials.”
Feeling like he had struck gold, Suhyuk was about to ask the price when Kindre spoke up.
“300,000 points should do it.”
It was outrageously expensive.
*
On their way out of Kindre’s workshop, Suhyuk checked his remaining points after making the payment.
『Remaining Points: 61,016』
He sighed heavily.
His once hefty balance had dwindled drastically. Even with the discount, it almost wiped him out; had he paid full price, it would have been insufficient.
Swallowing his pride, he had tried to ask for a bit more of a reduction, but it was a non-starter.
“To withstand this material, I’d need at least Star Fragments. Any less, and it might break easily due to poor durability.”
Star Fragments.
A precious metal said to have fallen from a meteor. Known for its exceptional strength and hardness, it commanded exorbitant prices.
More importantly, it was so scarce that even with the money, it was hard to find.
‘To think she had a stockpile of it.’
Kindre was indeed remarkable. She had several chunks of a material that most artisans struggled to acquire even a fist-sized piece of.
‘Asking for a further discount would be shameless.’
After hearing the details, 300,000 points even seemed cheap. So Suhyuk paid the amount without complaints and left.
“It’ll take about five days for the creation.”
Five days. That was quicker than expected. He had prepared himself for up to ten days, but it was half that time.
Her speed was as impressive as her skill. This advancement moved up the timeline for the next trial considerably.
‘I need to be fully prepared when starting the next trial.’
There was a high chance the next trial would be connected to the 5th floor. That meant the setting would likely be Asgard.
Given the stage, the difficulty level would undoubtedly be significant. The time given was five days. During those five days, Suhyuk planned to prepare for the next trial.
And to do that, ‘I need to gather the remaining points.’
While leveling up through hunting was an option, Suhyuk’s current level was too high for that to be efficient. The quickest way to boost his efficiency beyond his current level was to earn points.
Items. Skill levels. Enhancements.
With enough points, Suhyuk had numerous ways to amplify his abilities in a short time. The notion that points equated to strength wasn’t exclusive to Suhyuk.
There was a reason why players with golden spoons always succeeded.
To achieve this, “Are you ready?”
A slightly inconvenient, yet necessary journey awaited.
“Yes.”
Un Hyang, Cheon Ryang, and Suhyuk boarded a carriage. A means of transportation to travel between floors. Standing at the portal leading to the lower floors, Suhyuk already felt a bit nauseous.
Just thinking about how much this carriage would shake made his head spin.
“Fortunately, Bald Suhyuk advanced to the 4th floor a few days ago. Otherwise, traveling would have taken even longer.”
Bald Suhyuk.
The streamer Suhyuk had initially watched, and one of the top streamers at Balhae Entertainment. This upcoming schedule involved a collaborative stream with him.
‘To handle the Heart of Thunder, I’ll need higher stamina.’
The current points balance was 60,000. He still needed 440,000 more points to receive enhancements from Jinwoon.
‘Is it possible?’
Glancing-.
Suhyuk checked the Players Channel through his kit and verified the time. A new video was about to be uploaded. Coinciding with that, Falcon Eye’s stream would start.
It was now time for him to work as a partner.
***
『’Falcon Eye’ has started the stream.』
Falcon Eye’s stream had begun.
As previously announced by the streaming station, today’s content was a review of Suhyuk’s stream.
– Fal-hi
– Fal-hi
– Is the mild version here?
– The fake Suhyuk fanboy is here, hi
– The haters are here again, yikes;
Falcon Eye and Suhyuk had become inseparable.
The reason was simple.
It attracted the most viewers and got the highest views.
『Viewers: 8,419』
Within just 5 minutes of starting the stream, over 8,000 viewers had gathered. It seemed possible for Falcon Eye’s stream to surpass 20,000 viewers for the first time.
After a brief wait,
Static-
“Fal-hi.”
The screen flickered momentarily, and then Falcon Eye appeared on the stream.
– Fal-hi
– Fal-hi, Fal-hi
– Start the stream already, damn, I’m getting anxious
– Seriously, hunting time
In response to the enthusiastic welcome from the viewers, Falcon Eye made his opening remarks.
“Sorry, sorry. Nothing interesting has been happening lately. You know? I’d rather not stream than do a boring one.”
– It wasn’t entertaining enough for a video
– This guy is all about the video clicks
– Bro… are we just props for your videos…?
“Come on, you know I’d starve to death without you guys.”
A familiar opening.
It had been a while since his last stream, and he was spending a few moments interacting with his viewers. The chat and donations teasing Falcon Eye, along with his banter, quickly passed the time.
The review?
An abbreviation for ‘So when’s the review?’ often used by viewers of Falcon Eye’s stream when the chat gets too chatty, and they want the review to start.
“Alright, fellas. To the main event… but before that.”
– Oh, come on
– Not again ㅡㅡ
– Seriously pissing me off
– Whyyyyy
The chat flared up at Falcon Eye’s comment. As the chat rapidly ignited, Falcon Eye quickly waved his hands.
“No, no, I’m not saying I won’t do it. Just one thing to show before we start.”
Falcon Eye said this while switching the screen. He showed a post from the Players Community.
▶ Pointing out why the fake Suhyuk is overrated ◀
『People say he’s amazing, but he’s barely scraping through the 5th floor LOL. If he was really that good, he would have breezed through.』
A post that had garnered a high number of upvotes and downvotes. It was one of the typical posts belittling Suhyuk, which were common to see.
Showing the post on the stream, Falcon Eye addressed his viewers with a prepared comment.
“Let me say just one thing.”
– Spicy Falcon Eye.
– In his usual review style.
“You idiot, do you not have eyes?”