[58] Ou Yezi [3]

"Everyone, tell me one item you want. It's been a while since I've held a hammer, so the quality might be a bit off, but I'll do my best."

The students' eyes lit up as they examined the works Ou Yezi had made in the past.

The items in the basement weren't theirs.

But to be able to request equipment from the person who made those pieces. It was a rare opportunity, one that might not come again anytime soon.

Excited, Ji-han raised his hand, puffing out his chest.

"Please make me an axe! A big and beautiful one!"

"A sword! I want a sword!"

"A spear... A staff in the shape of a spear that aids in healing and recovery."

"I'd like a wand or magical tool that can control my ice."

Each of them spoke of the equipment they needed.

It wasn't just one or two, but several speaking at once, making Ou Yezi's head spin. He pulled out six sheets of paper from the storeroom.

The yellowed paper showed how long it had been left untouched, but he began sketching rough designs on them.

As Ou Yezi's pencil moved swiftly, the students' ideas transformed from thoughts into reality.

"Grandpa, can you make a sniper rifle too?"

"No problem. I mastered firearms long ago. My hands might tremble a bit with age, but if I make several, one of them should turn out fine."

"Wow! Grandpa, you're the best!"

"Hoho, it's been a while since this workshop has been so lively..."

Though the continuous requests could be tiring, Ou Yezi's face was full of vigor. The lifeless impression he once had was nowhere to be seen.

Thanks to the lively young students, the wounds of losing his child seemed to heal a little.

If that's the case, then it's good.

"Aren't you going to join in?"

"Do you dislike me being here? I was your fiancée, you know?"

"Sigh, what can I say to you..."

I don't know why she's here.

My ex-fiancée, Isabelle. One of the victims mentioned in the rumors about Baek Seung-woo's malicious gossip.

Every time I talk to her, I don't know how to start or continue the conversation.

So I just stood there blankly.

Poke poke!

She poked my side with her finger.

What's with her now.

Does she have something to say to me?

"...Aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what."

"Why I'm not joining them?"

"Do I have to ask?"

"...Never mind."

Isabelle seemed to pout at my blunt response.

I really can't gauge the distance between us.

I don't know if she hates me or likes me.

Instead, I think I know why she isn't as excited as her friends.

Why she's here next to me instead of over there.

"Probably, it doesn't look satisfactory to your eyes. Even now, Ou Yezi's skills are superior to most active craftsmen. But it's been too long since he last held a hammer."

I had little knowledge of blacksmithing.

Though I've never handled casting, I had enough experience and knowledge to evaluate works.

From my perspective, Ou Yezi's skills were too rusty.

She agreed with my opinion.

"Right. He's been wandering for too long. The works he made during his prime were all remarkable, but now he's not as sharp."

"He'll need rehabilitation to return to his original skills. He'll have to make at least five or six weapons."

"So, he's giving us gifts out of goodwill, calculating that?"

Geez, if someone hears this, they might think I deliberately introduced them to a cheap craftsman.

Moreover, everything those guys are requesting is being bought with my own money. My funds are substantial enough that one weapon each isn't a big deal, but still, I'm buying them.

"I plan to request something after he picks up the hammer again and regains his original skills. The current Ou Yezi is below his reputation."

"Your evaluation is too harsh."

"Honestly, you're not satisfied with the current Ou Yezi either."

"That's true..."

To be precise, it's not just the current Ou Yezi.

Even the weapons he made during his prime didn't satisfy me. To be exact, they were quite different from what I used before my possession.

'Those old men really knew how to make incredible weapons.'

My master's demon sword, my teacher's rosary, and even my holy sword.

Compared to the craftsmen who made our equipment, Ou Yezi's skills were a step below.

Perhaps it's due to the difference in environment and mindset.

Feeling sorry for his skills, I immediately inspected the weapons.

While Ou Yezi was drawing the design plans for the weapons the kids requested, all I could do was pass the time like this.

While inspecting various weapons, shoes, and accessories, something shiny caught my eye.

A beautiful golden ring.

Curious about its purpose, I examined it.

[Ring of Strength]

[Grade: A+]

[Description: A ring made by the craftsman, Ou Yezi. Inside the ring, a semi-permanent 'Strength Enhancement' spell is engraved. If the strength stat is below A grade, it raises the strength stat by two levels.]

It raises the strength stat.

Just reading this, it's hard to understand what effect it has.

Suddenly curious, I took off my glove and slipped the ring onto my scarred hand.

[You have equipped the 'Ring of Strength.']

[The wearer's strength is below A.]

[While wearing the 'Ring of Strength,' your strength is adjusted from E+ → D.]

"...!"

I involuntarily widened my eyes.

My strength had increased by two levels. The discomfort from my body's side effects was temporarily alleviated.

Just in case, I clenched my fist tightly, and the grip strength felt different from before.

It felt like an artificial muscle had attached itself to my arm.

[Name: Baek Seung-woo]

[Age: 21]

[Race: Two-Tailed Fox]

[Title: None]

[Rank: ——]

[Abnormal Status: Solar Severed Meridians]

[Magical Genius], [Nation-Toppling Beauty], [Bluffing], [Egoist]

[Stamina: D+] [Strength: E+ (D)]

[Endurance: E+] [Agility: D]

[Mana: A+] [Senses: S]

[Due to the 'Ring of Strength,' strength has increased by two levels.]

[Charm (S)], [Fox Fire (A)], [Demon Eye (A)], [Energy Absorption (A)], [Double Helix (C)], [Weak Body Resistance (E+)]

Opening the status window, I saw a clear difference from before.

It was definitely more abundant than before.

Especially the change in stats, which were below average, was noticeable.

'Why didn't I think of this before?'

Thinking about it, it was quite simple.

I couldn't increase my stats through training or elixirs.

But occasionally, quest rewards offered stat boosts, so I was determined to dig into quests if it meant increasing stats.

One quest wasn't something I could do at will.

So I had given up on stats.

Who knew there was such a good method?

It felt like a hammer had struck my head.

'I've been under a misconception all this time.'

The stagnation of physical abilities, one of the aftereffects of Solar Severed Meridians, is limited to my body. Then, all I needed to do was rely on external items.

External items refer to items that overly depend on things worn on the body.

This ring that increases strength is a prime example of an external item.

For martial artists who continue training and practice, it's right to avoid external items, but for me, this was the only way.

Moreover, it's been over five years since I put down the sword.

It wouldn't hurt to rely on the ring.

"Excuse me, do you have more rings like this?"

"What ring? Ah, the Ring of Strength? That's the only one that increases strength."

"Are there any for other stats? Agility, endurance, health, anything is fine as long as it increases stats."

"No. That's all I have."

Too bad, but I expected as much.

Making such rings isn't easy.

When creating items, the craftsman's skill is important, but so are the materials, the completion of the magic or abilities engraved within, and so on. Only when these complex factors combine to produce the best result can such an item be born.

Moreover, there are usually limitations and restrictions.

Take the Ring of Strength, for example. It doesn't work for players with a strength stat above A.

So even if another ring is made, it might be meaningless for me to wear.

This is troublesome.

A good idea came to mind, but who knew there'd be such variables.

"...If you need something similar to that ring, why not try the auction house?"

"Auction house?"

"Yes, the auction house. You're the head of the Cheonho Baek family, right? Then you must be well-versed in the money games of the wealthy. There's an auction tonight, so why not go?"

Auction house, I didn't quite understand what he was saying.

Did this worldview have an auction house that dealt with such equipment?

Even after pondering, I couldn't recall.

"...Goodness. Judging by your blank expression, it seems you don't know about the auction house. I used to submit works to the auction house when I was young."

"Don't just talk to yourself. Please explain."

"I'm talking about the Jongno Underground Auction House. You must have heard of it, right?"

Jongno Underground Auction House.

Unfortunately, it's the first time I've heard the name.

Well, there's an auction house with such a name.

An auction house is an auction house. What's with the underground auction house?

Seeing my expression of hearing it for the first time, Ou Yezi's face soured.

He stopped drawing the design and started sketching a map on it.

"Ah, my design! Grandpa, what are you doing now!"

"Hey, whose design is this! It's mine. I'll draw it again later, so don't be noisy."

Perhaps he was drawing Ji-han's axe design, as the kid shouted loudly.

Whether the kid was noisy or not, my thoughts were quietly immersed.

The auction house, a place I've never heard of, makes me uneasy. But if they deal with items like this ring, I have no choice but to go.

Still, I plan to thoroughly investigate the auction house before going.

"It's held once every six months, and it happens to be tonight. Are you thinking of going?"

"No, not really."

"Too bad. From what I've heard, they're auctioning Japan's Life-Killing Stone this time. If you handle that, you could make even better weapons."

"What did you say?"

For a moment, I doubted my ears.

Because I heard the name of an item that shouldn't be mentioned at this point.

***

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