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chapter-57

The Sound of a Dragon Calling (1)

-Thank you so much, sister. No joke, if you didn’t send the potion at the right time, I would’ve died.

-Bartender’s whisper: I’m glad you’re safe. It was worth the rush.

Claire’s response to Kang Shin-hyuk’s gratitude-filled message was elegant and stylish. Diving into a bathtub full of warm water after throwing his raggedy uniform into the trash, he once again expressed his gratitude.

-I love you, sister.

-Bartender’s whisper: I said before you’re too young, give up.

Despite the decisive rejection, his indomitable will wasn’t broken.

-This grace will be paid back.

-Bartender’s whisper: That’s a bit tough… let’s go to our bar regularly.

-Oh…

He had been caught up in the blink of an eye. He didn’t want to get too close to the space full of those heavy drinks she was creating. However, it was true that she saved his life, so he couldn’t refuse. Moreover, any time spent with her was purely enjoyable.

-Bartender’s whisper: Good?

-Y-yeah, good…

-Bartender’s whisper: Good. From now on, you are the server responsible for the mysterious Frontline Bar.

-You’re in charge of the mystery…but aren’t you in America? How will I get there?

Claire laughed and replied as if to ask him what he was talking about.

-Bartender’s whisper: Aren’t we setting it up in Korea?

-…Yeah?

-Bartender’s whisper: I’m tired of the US government labeling me an alchemist and trying to control me. Didn’t I say I wanted to become a bartender? But if I did that in New York, it would bother them.

-Well, sister? Wouldn’t it be bothersome in Korea too?

-Bartender’s whisper: I bet it’ll be fine. Korea will want me there, anyway.

He admired Claire’s absurd willpower and sheer optimism. Would the day come when he could be as flippant about the government? Maybe when he reached SS rank.

-Bartender’s whisper: The important thing right now is Eunah, not the government. What are you going to do?

-Sorry, sister, but I’ve already been half caught. I decided to stop playing around.

-Bartender’s whisper: Whoa, I thought it would be like that one day, but what’s serious right now is that Eunah is actually…ah.

Claire decided to cut off the message and send one that was a bit calmer.

-Bartender’s whisper: Maybe it worked out for the best. Maybe Eunah decided to cut it out before it went too far…

-…What?

-Bartender’s whisper: Nothing. Take good care of your granddaughter.

Claire ended the conversation, leaving Kang Shin-hyuk puzzled about what she meant. Maybe it was related to his sponsorship by the association? Shin Eunah had judged him as a great talent and tried to force him into joining them but gave up because she learned he was Anvil.

‘What an excessive granddaughter.’ Thinking of meeting with Shin Eunah made him feel like something heavy was sitting on his chest. Looking down, Onyx was sitting on his chest, splashing in the water.

“You.”

-Myu!

He was so cute he couldn’t stay mad at him. He closed his eyes with a satisfied expression.

‘It would’ve been really dangerous if it weren’t for this guy…do as you will for the time being.’ He slowly patted Onyx. He realized that he hadn’t checked his status in a bit, so he decided to check that while relaxing.

“Status window.”

[Kang Shin-hyuk: A-rank]

[Characteristic]

Golden-eyed Dragon (S)

[Physical ability]

Power: A-

Agility: A-

Health: A-

[Special ability]

Spirit: B+

Regeneration: B

[Skill]

Dragon’s Fan Dance (S+): B+

Metallurgy: C

Wind Mastery (A-): D-

Poison Resist (B+): C

“Ha, that’s crazy.”

All of his physical stats had risen to A-rank in addition to gaining the Wind Master and Poison Resist skills. His spiritual power grew to B+ rank after slaying the spider queen, and now his regeneration was also at the B-rank. That was thanks to slaying all those insect monsters who had excellent regenerative powers.

‘My status raised significantly while I was struggling to survive in that dungeon.’ He was unsure how others would react if they could see his status window. No doubt, they would faint if that happened. He would have to be especially careful around Baek.

‘It was dangerous but…still, I hit the jackpot.’ It wasn’t a simple urban legend that people would find nests full of monster eggs. Today, Kang Shin-hyuk had proven it to be true.

-In addition to your growth, you also have the automatic routing function.

“…” Intoxicated with the joy of growth, his expression quickly faded away at the administrator’s words: the automatic routing function. It was a service provided by the Hero Universe that allowed one to separate and obtain monster by-products quickly. It even stored the obtained items automatically into the inventory.

“It’s completely a game. It’s like an automatic looting feature.”

-I won’t say we didn’t refer to it during development, but it’s a great feature. It will be helpful to you as well.

“It was today…” It instantly secured everything it could from the spider queen in the short time he had while the gate was collapsing. It even acquired the loot from the spiders he killed in the cavern leading up to it. It was a great function; the problem was its price.

“I didn’t know it would cost 4 million HP.”

-That is thanks to the VIP 50% special discount. The original price is 8 million HP. It is also a feature that cannot be purchased unless one’s membership level is quite high. Please do not be discouraged; it will be helpful in the future.

“I also had to purchase two additional inventory slots…”

-Inventory space will also be quite helpful to you in the future.

Of course, Kang Shin-hyuk knew that. Both were useful things to have, but neither were things he could use in front of other people.

-The routing function is also referred to as an artifact or skill.

“…Oh, that makes sense.” There was no law that there would be no artifacts that could automatically dismantle monsters. Kang Shin-hyuk quickly understood and became quiet. Upon evaluating, he spent 7 million HP to purchase those functions and had 2.25 million HP remaining.

‘It’s a huge amount, but it’s not quite enough for an Ogre Power Gauntlet.’ He decided to clear away his regrets about the artifact. Rather, buying various materials and crafting his own might be more beneficial in the long run. No, before that, he had the by-products of the spider queen he killed…wait, wasn’t there something more important than that?

“The marble!” He hadn’t checked the pieces of the marble yet. It was clearly a key object from the gate, but he hadn’t figured out its functions yet.

‘… Let’s take a look…’ The moment he tried to get the two marbles out of his inventory, his stick vibrated. He wondered if it was Shin Eunah. He left the bathtub with a bitter smile at the timing, Onyx still clinging to him. Now he had to have a conversation with this overbearing granddaughter.

***

The meeting place was on campus. It didn’t make sense to head out of school right after being attacked by strangers. It was a place where he could chat with Shin Eunah without attracting other people’s attention. Their meeting place was the Artifact Production clubroom.

“I’m glad you’re back safely.” Lee Manwoo greeted Kang Shin-hyuk. Seeing Shin Eunah standing beside him, Kang Shin-hyuk nodded quietly. She had already told him about the situation.

“Yes, somehow. The Alite javelin I made turned out to be pretty helpful.”

“You recovered it, right?”

“Of course.” He almost lost it, but thanks to the automatic routing function, he recovered it.

“It’s an item for the contest, so keep it safe.” Lee Manwoo glanced at Shin Eunah one last time before standing up. He paused at the door and glanced back at the two.

“It’s not a romantic thing, right?”

“No!”

“Alright, then. That’s fortunate.” Kang Shin-hyuk wondered if he knew something about Shin Eunah as he left with a look of relief. Shin Eunah stared at him as he considered this. He sat at the table opposite to Shin Eunah. She was wearing a black leather skirt and a white blouse, revealing the charm of an adult woman, which only served to pressure him. He knew something was wrong.

“…”

“…” Shin Eunah was silently staring at him. He twisted his body, unable to withstand the awkward atmosphere, as she examined him closer.

“That…”

“Grandpa?” The moment he opened his mouth to speak, Shin Eunah struck like lightning with a fastball. Kang Shin-hyuk stared into her golden eyes as numerous thoughts ran through his mind, but in the end, he nodded.

“…Yes, I’m Anvil. As I said last time, I still only have a few memories of my previous life.”

“You knew I was Eunah?” The fastballs kept coming.

“Yeah.”

“Why did you hide it?”

“It was a burden. Moreover, I didn’t think revealing my identity would help you…”

“Right.” Her words hardened. The words that followed, however, were not what he was preparing for.

“…Eunah.”

“Yes?”

“Call me Eunah.” He felt if he didn’t call her Eunah, she would be inclined to rip his throat out. However, he hesitated to do so, and she reluctantly suggested a compromise.

“When it’s just us two.”

“Then…Eunah.”

“Huh.” Suddenly, it felt like the room had brightened, but it was just because she was smiling wide. It was a beautiful smile none had ever seen before. It was a smile so bright that it could even purify the undead.

“So that’s it now.” Shin Eunah stood up with a refreshed expression.

“Yes?”

“Hm.”

“What happened…hey?” She ignored him and moved to sit right next to him.

“Uh, huh?”

“Whoo…so.” Kang Shin-hyuk sat stiffly as she laid her head on his knee.

“Well… we’re not done with this yet.”

“What?”

“I’m mad.”

“Ah.”

“I’m angry that you could recognize Eunah right away, but Eunah couldn’t immediately recognize her grandpa.” As it became clear he was Anvil, she began to regress immediately to this childish form. The imbalance between her mannerisms and her mature beauty was too much. His head began to swim as he could smell her fragrant shampoo.

“But I shouldn’t be mad at grandpa for that. Eunah is a good child, so she doesn’t blame others for her own faults.”

“…” Kang Shin-hyuk couldn’t say anything to Shin Eunah, who looked like an adult but was acting so childishly. He wanted to ask her how she grew up like this, but he knew that wouldn’t go over well.

“Hick.” Instead of saying anything, he looked down, but she quickly raised her head. He could see her underwear through the gap in her blouse, and his heart began to pound. She reached out to grasp his hand gently. He tried hard not to make a sound.

“So that’s it for now. This is it.”

“…Sorry.”

“Yes… I’m glad grandpa is safe.” As if she didn’t hear his apology, she muttered, gently squeezing his hand.

“I’m so glad grandpa visited Eunah.” Kang Shin-hyuk instinctively extended his hand to her forehead as he heard that. That memory of Anvil was evoked.

“Huh…hugh…” He gently swept her bangs. It was an act that would be very rude and unpleasant for anyone else, but she gently closed her eyes and smiled comfortably. She was the very image of a granddaughter infatuated with her grandpa.

‘This one’s really weird.’ While thinking that, he didn’t stop gently brushing her hair. He thought it was weird, but now he was filled with a warm feeling. Maybe it was Anvil’s influence, but he didn’t hate it.

“Grandpa…I love you.”

“Stop calling me grandpa…”

Only

“Grandpa, I kept the hairpin you gave me as a birthday present. Are you proud?”

“…Yes, yes.”

“I love grandpa…” She suddenly turned outside, wondering how long they sat like that. He thought it was unfortunate he couldn’t see her face, but he could feel something wet on his knee. Her shoulders were shaking quietly. He didn’t dare ask if she was crying. He only kept brushing her hair.

“…In the future…” Before long, she quietly spoke up in a voice choked by emotion.

“In the future, we will continue to be together…”

“…” Shin Eunah laid crying on his knees for three hours.

Kang Shin-hyuk thought it would be better if she was angry at him, but he couldn’t dare do anything but sit and wait quietly for her.