by Park Saenal
Khan’s face and neck turned red. Then he wobbled like he would collapse.
‘What? Why is he in this state? Is it high blood pressure?’
Did I save him, only for him to die of high blood pressure? No! I can’t let that happen.
“Hey, hey, Old Man! Calm down, calm down! You have to be careful!”
“Ah! Kuoock…”
“Heok? F-Foam? Hey! Old Man. Hey! What is this? Don’t die! I succeeded the quest, right? Then why are you dying? If you have another quest, then give it to me!”
No, wait. If Khan died then what would happen to Dainsleif and Vahalla?
“…Hey, Old Man. Are you well? Damn! You have to live. You must live.”
After returning Dainsleif and Valhalla to their original locations, I carried the old man to the clinic.
***
The remote village of Winston. However, as the road was built and transportation developed, the village started to develop rapidly.
There were hunting grounds of various levels everywhere, and Winston overflowed with high-quality specialty products and unique quests. These factors meant that its development was endless.
Nowadays, many people came and went. In a survey of new users that a broadcasting station conducted, it was in the top 10 of ‘New Village where I want to Start.’
People envied the residents of Winston after seeing the ever-evolving Winston. The land prices in Winston had increased by as much as 20 times, so it was expected that the residents would be rich.
This was only an illusion for those who didn’t know the truth. The reality was quite different. The lives of the Winston residents weren’t better than ever. This was due to the Mero Company.
The Mero Company had dominated the northern area of the Eternal Kingdom since a long time ago. Valmont, the leader of the Mero Company, predicted the potential of Winston more quickly than anyone else. When it was still a remote village, he bought the land and commercial areas of Winston at a cheap price from the residents.
Therefore, most of Winston’s land and commercial areas were dominated by the Mero Company. It hadn’t officially been promoted to a city yet, but many of Winston’s signboards had the name ‘Mero’ on it. On the other hand, the residents lost their jobs and suffered from poverty.
The Mero Company’s monopoly of Winston. It was a big jackpot for the Mero Company. It was possible to accumulate a huge amount of wealth. The lord wouldn’t do anything due to the higher taxes and bribes.
“Indeed, people must have insight.”
The owner of the Mero Company, Valmont was happy every day. Most of the profit from the village entered his pockets, so he enjoyed numerous luxuries. However, there was one thing that was raining on Valmont’s mood: the existence of the smithy.
According to the decree of the king, cities and villages could only legally have one smithy. It was one of the government’s extreme measures to prevent local powers from building massive weapons and strengthening their military capabilities.
Thus, there was one smithy in Winston and the owner of that smithy was a blacksmith called Khan, not the Mero Company. A business that was steady and gained a large amount of money as a weapons business was rare.
The Mero Company offered Khan an astronomical amount to sell the smithy, but he refused, saying it had been in his family for seven generations. It was no use even if Valmont used intimidation.
Valmont had a headache. It was too regretful to give up on the smithy. So he thought hard and came up with an ingenious scheme to put pressure on Khan.
“Buy large quantities of quality weapons and farm equipment from the Taji Blacksmiths. Then sell it to the Winston residents and travelers at a cheap price. The profit? There is no need to worry about that. Sell it cheaply!”
Due to Valmont’s order, Khan’s blacksmith store lost its competitiveness. The residents and travelers of Winston no longer went to Khan’s smithy. The weapons sold at the Mero Company were slightly lower in quality than those sold at Khan’s smithy, but they were more diverse and cheaper, causing people to buy from the Mero Company.
In addition, Valmont planned one more thing. It was a plan to trick Khan by hiring an impostor.
“If you increase the scale of the smith, it will instill more confidence in the customers and business will be well again. I will lend you the money at a low-interest rate, so invest your money and grow the scale of the smithy. Show the people of Winston and the Mero Company that you will be successful!”
Khan foolishly believed the scammer. It was because the scammer was a long-time friend of Khan’s. Without imagining that his friend had been bribed by Valmont, Khan borrowed money without checking the contract. As a result, the debt snowballed into an amount that he couldn’t afford.
Valmont loved the feeling of watching Khan collapse.
“Huhuhu, that smithy will be mine in the near future.”
The last thing Valmont did was hire a group of gangsters and he waited, believing that the smithy would soon be handed over to him. But was Khan as stubborn as a bull? When he saw that Khan never let go of the smithy despite being cornered, an even greater rage boiled up inside Valmont.
“Where are they? I told those gangsters to be firmly prepared if they didn’t handle it this time.”
He seriously warned them, so they were motivated to work harder. This time, the smithy would enter his hands…
“What? They’re missing?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Those damn bastards!”
Chachachang!
Valmont overturned the table filled with delicacies at the unexpected report. Then he asked his closest subordinate, Rabbit. “Who recommended those gangsters?”
“Biel.”
“Bring him here right now!”
After a few moments. Valmont quietly asked the trembling Biel, “Weren’t you the ones who recommended those gangsters? You said I could believe in them? Then what is this? Not only have they not come back with Khan’s smithy in the promised time period, but now they have run away. I even paid them an advance up front. How will you take responsibility for this?”
“I-I’m really sorry. They are the most notorious people in the neighborhood so I recommended…”
“I don’t need your apology. Give it to me.”
“Huh? W-What…?” Biel asked because he couldn’t understand Valmont’s meaning.
Valmonth was frustrated with Biel’s confusion and spoke bluntly. “You must be stupid if you don’t understand while working for a merchant company. Money. Give me money. You are responsible for the advance given to them as well as compensation for the failed commission.”
“Y-Yes?! I-I don’t have that much money. Please give me one more chance…”
Biel grabbed Valmont’s clothing and begged. But Valmont was relentless.
“If you don’t have money then create it. Otherwise, I will sell you to the slave market. Then I will be compensated to some extent. Huhuhu.”
“M-Master! Please…please!”
“Remove this guy.”
Biel had been with Valmont for 10 years. He always worked hard, like a dog. But Valmont didn’t tolerate even a single mistake. It was a cruel decision but he didn’t care about morals.
‘Proud and cruel.’
Rabbit didn’t like this about Valmont’s nature. But he could earn big money if he worked under Valmont, so Rabbit never betrayed him. After Biel was dragged out, Rabbit was left alone with Valmont and opened his mouth.
“It is hard to believe that the gangsters hired by Biel would run away. They live here in Winston. They can’t throw away their homes easily just for a little bit of money.”
“If they didn’t run away then what is it? Were they hit by the old man?”
“For now, it is most appropriate to think so. Until this morning, they visited Khan’s smithy as normal. However, they were missing after that. It is certain that something happened in the smithy.”
Valmont asked after hearing the
explanation. “Where is Khan?”
“He has also disappeared.”
“This is ridiculous! What on earth happened in that smithy?”
“We are investigating so you will know soon.”
It was frustrating because he didn’t know the exact circumstances. Valmont and Rabbit were coming up with various assumptions and guesses.
“I’ve found Khan’s location!” An informant entered and reported. “Around two hours ago, there was a witness who saw a strange young man carrying Khan on his back.
“Strange young man… He must be the culprit in this incident. Rabbit, I will leave the business of the smithy to you from now on. Take care of anyone who gets in your way.”
“Yes.”
According to someone’s evaluation of his personality, Valmont had talent as a merchant but he was harsh and violent. How was he able to grow the Mero Company to this extent? This was because he had Rabbit. Rabbit was a resourceful and skilled person who could cover Valmont’s deficiencies. He suppressed his emotions and made calm judgments to produce the best results.
Now Rabbit was about to have an encounter with Grid.
Chapter 27
Chapter 27
“Lululala~”
I naturally hummed a song, and as soon as I got out of the capsule, I sat on the toilet seat.
“Lululululu~”
I then headed to the kitchen and drank cold water.
“Lalalalala~”
I lay back on the couch and watched TV. The humming didn’t stop, and laughter even started to emerge. I was so happy! Thanks to the hidden quest, I obtained a combat buff skill and cleared the quest safely, opening the path to a linked quest. I also gained a lot of levels in a short amount of time.
“I killed a few gangsters and got to level 21, isn’t this a really big jackpot? Why is my luck so good these days?”
Hidden quests weren’t easily obtained. This was the first time in my one year of playing Satisfy. Among the billions of people currently playing Satisfy, only a handful would’ve obtained a hidden quest.
Many things had gone well since I became Pagma’s Descendant. It really was an incredible class.
“There was a reason for my misfortune. It was a divine revelation after years of enduring misfortune. Ahahahahat~!”
What type of quest would Blacksmith Khan give me? And the reward? Maybe the enormous reward would be a unique item that I could use for a while…
If so!
“I can become a billionaire! Kuahahaha!”
The performance of Dainsleif and Valhalla was almost the same as the unique rated ‘Failure’ that I designed. However, since the usage conditions were very normal, it was possible to have an astronomical value when dealing with users.
‘They are items that remind me of why Failure is a failure.’
Albatino was a great blacksmith. He was probably the blacksmith who gave inspiration to Pagma…
“Such a great person wasn’t a legendary blacksmith, while I stumbled across the legendary blacksmith class during a quest… Well, this is the world.”
I once again felt gratitude towards the legendary class that I obtained.
“Hrmm.” I gazed at my watch with a yawn and saw that it had been two hours since I left the capsule. “Eight hours have passed in the world of Satisfy. Won’t Khan wake up soon?”
According to the doctor, Khan’s health was severe to excessive drinking and stress. But if I followed the quest story, Khan would overcome the alcoholism and his health would be restored. So I didn’t have to worry about it.
I connected to Satisfy.
“Log in.”
My vision darkened before giving way to a warm light as I opened both eyes.
“…This is the clinic.”
The last place I logged out of was the clinic where Khan was hospitalized. I immediately went to find the doctor called Simon.
“What is the old man’s status?”
Simon smiled kindly.
“I thought it was dangerous because of the sudden increase in blood pressure in his weakened state. However, his condition is better than expected. He can soon be discharged from the hospital. God has blessed him…”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“He will be healthier if he stays away from drinking in the future.”
I headed to Khan’s room with Simon. After a while, Khan smiled as he saw me. “Ohh, welcome. I owe a lot to you.”
I responded with a smile, “Those in difficult circumstances should help each other. Now, you can leave the hospital. You just need to pay for the treatment fee.”
“……”
Why wasn’t Khan answering? I couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. Then Khan’s words were like a lightning bolt from the clear sky.
“I’m sorry… I currently don’t…”
T-This…! It was like a lightning bolt struck my mind.
“Don’t tell me… you won’t pay the bill?”
“It isn’t that I won’t pay, but I can’t. I don’t have the money.”
“Then what are you going to do? Does this clinic accept credit?”
I stared at Simon. His kind expression that had always been present was gone. Then Simon spoke with a very business-like expression. “Credit isn’t possible.”
“……”
I wanted to leave this old man alone, but then I wouldn’t be able to get the quest.
“Damm..it! My bad luck was waiting! Luck is truly the worst!”
I had to pay one gold for Khan’s treatment cost. I was afraid to calculate how much I had spent today.
Khan’s smithy.
“Thank you once again.”
As soon as Khan arrived at his smithy, he turned to me and bowed 90 degrees, expressing his sincere gratitude. Fortunately, he had a conscience. He thanked the person who paid one gold for his medical bill.
“Thank you. Thank you very much. I was able to feel hope again because of you. I was able to maintain the business that has been in my family for seven generations, that I almost lost due to my ignorance. I don’t know how to repay you…”
Khan started crying. Unlike young people, elderly people really had a lot of tears.
“Old Man…”
I grabbed Khan’s rough hand.
It was a common action that the ‘main character’ of dramas would do. ‘Isn’t it natural to help a neighbor in trouble? This was nothing, Old Man. There is no need to feel sorry. I don’t need anything in return for my help.’ Such unrealistic words would be spoken.
But I wasn’t a protagonist of a drama! I was a loser of the cruel, relentless modern society that was close to the natural laws of the Serengeti. I want a reward!
“If you really appreciate it, give me something. Come on.”
“Yes, that’s right. Of course, I have to pay you back. Your grace was too big, I don’t know what type of reward to give you.”
I just noticed, was this old man really simple? Didn’t he notice the words I use? I stayed focused. I couldn’t think about anything else.
“Old Man, you were almost robbed of this smithy by those gangsters. If you keep drinking, your health will worsen and you will eventually die.”
“Um, that’s right.”
“When you collapsed from high blood pressure, you could’ve died. Didn’t you live because I took you to the clinic and paid for your treatment fee?”
“Yes.”
“Then aren’t I the savior of your life?”
“Yes.”
I spoke logically. “To the savior of your life, you should give me a precious treasure equivalent to your life!”
Khan stopped crying and looked very sorry.
“A precious treasure equivalent to my life… I don’t have such a thing. What should I do? Ugh…”
“Don’t look so sad. I am very nice so I don’t want treasures that are equivalent to your life. Over there, there.” I pointed to the second floor with my finger. “If you give me Dainsleif and Valhalla, that is eno
ugh of a reward.”
My heart was beating excitedly. It was because I was filled with expectation at receiving the items as a gift. But this was me. The world never went my way so easily.
“They are the heirlooms that have been passed down in my family for many generations. It is a treasure that my life can’t be compared to. I will give my life to you, but I can’t give you those items.”
It was a flat refusal. If he wasn’t going to give it, why bother being so earnest? As a frown appeared on my face, Khan coughed with shame and explained.
“These are treasures that my ancestor, Albatino dedicated his soul to. The treasures of his soul can’t be handled by his descendant. I am obliged to keep these heirlooms until the day I die. But there’s an exception.”
Khan was Albatino’s descendant? He couldn’t fake his blood. Did that mean he would display advanced blacksmith skills once his alcohol addiction was healed? And what was the exception?
“What is the exception?”
Khan’s gaze became serious. “There is something I want to ask you. How were you able to use the treasures? And how did you know its value at a glance?”
Khan explained.
“Dainsleif and Valhalla are unlucky battle gear. Their performance transcends imagination, but due to the usage requirements, it has been hundreds of years since an owner showed up. No hero could use them. It’s been like that for the past few centuries. Due to that, they have disappeared in the history records. Now no one knows about their existence.”
Khan and I went upstairs. We stood facing Dainsleif and Valhalla.
Khan touched them and beckoned.
“I am sad since I want the world to know the value of Dainsleif and Valhalla. So I placed it in this prominent place. But in order to fully understand such an extremely good work, the person needs the same level of insight as the creator. Despite having displayed it for decades, no one has understood its value.”
Khan faced me.
“Then you showed up here.”
The long story began.
“There is a legend that is passed down in my family. Around 130 years ago, a man called Pagma came here. He found Dainsleif and Valhalla accumulated dust in a corner of the store. He saw it at first glance. The value of Dainsleif and Valhalla…”
