AMRTB 07

The All-Master Returns to Bronze – Episode 007

[Player Choi Shinhyuk’s tier is Silver 1.]

“…Does this make any sense?”

Silver 1.

Considering that, on average, players are said to truly begin at Gold, Shinhyuk had essentially started on the same line as them right from the beginning.

There was one particularly important point in addition to that.

[You have been placed in Silver 1 for the first time in this dimension.]

The fact that Shinhyuk’s placement result was the first in his dimension, Earth.

And the Dimension Arena never stinted on rewards for “firsts.”

[You have obtained Blessed Steel as a first-time achievement reward.]

“Blessed Steel… To give a Unique-grade material item as a reward, even if it’s not Legendary. The reward for being the ‘first’ is quite sweet.”

Blessed Steel.

A material item of the Unique grade, the third rank in the system of Common – Rare – Unique – Legendary – Mythical.

Weapons made from this could unconditionally be crafted at Unique grade or higher, so a satisfied smile spread across Shinhyuk’s lips.

But only for a moment.

Along with a message announcing the end of the placement test, another message popped up stating that his stats had increased.

[You achieved the most outstanding performance in the placement test.]
[You gained Strength 10, Stamina 9, Intelligence 9, Mana 13.]

“…That’s astronomical? Even considering it’s the early game, this many stats… The achievement I pulled off must not have been small.”

A total stat increase of 41.

Even accounting for the early phase where stats rise easily, it was a significant amount, and Shinhyuk was feeling pleased.

[The game has ended.]
[Returning to your original location.]

Whoosh!

A sensation similar to when he first entered the waiting room enveloped Shinhyuk, and simultaneously, he returned to his own room.

Burst open!

The moment Shinhyuk returned to his room, the door flew open and In-gyun, with a beaming face, pulled Shinhyuk into a tight hug.

“Shinhyuk! You really did it!”
“Well, it wasn’t that hard.”
“Do you know how anxious I was when that jerk Lee Joo-ho first put a bounty on you?”
“Ah, that… I actually bet on myself at the end. Is that okay?”
“Hmm, 10 billion is a lot of money, but I can’t be stingy after seeing my son’s successful placement test. I’ll make sure it’s paid out right away.”
“Thank you.”

Shinhyuk bowed his head in gratitude toward In-gyun, who readily agreed to hand over the huge sum of 10 billion—

“No, I should be the one thanking you. First place in the placement test! Even if it cost 100 billion, it wouldn’t be a waste!”

Instead, In-gyun was the one thanking Shinhyuk.

First place in the placement test.

For In-gyun, who had married a woman from an ordinary family and had most of his support cut off, leading to his demotion from Platinum to Gold… his son’s first place in the placement test was a wave of emotion in itself.

“Honey. Do you plan on hugging him all by yourself?”
“Hyung! I watched it all on TV! It was totally amazing from start to finish!”
“Ahem, right now is father-son time—”
“If you want to eat only rice and kimchi for breakfast tomorrow, go ahead.”
“…Shinhyuk, why don’t you give your mom a hug too.”
“Ahem, alright. I will.”

In-gyun, sunk by So-yeon’s words while holding a ladle, released Shinhyuk.

Leaving In-gyun’s embrace, Shinhyuk was soon surrounded by Soyeon and Shin-woo.

‘This is nice.’

Though stuffy and hot, even that felt like the warmth of happiness. But Shinhyuk’s reverie was soon broken.

Buzz!

“It seems you got a call. You should take it.”
“Ah, yes.”

The vibration from the phone in his pocket was the cause. Shinhyuk frowned at the fact that a sudden call had shattered his happiness, but the moment he saw who the message was from, he couldn’t help but smile.

[Come to the Pyeongchang-dong mansion tomorrow. -Grandfather]

Because the sender was his grandfather, Choi Cheol-ho.

“It seems I have to go to Pyeongchang-dong again tomorrow.”
“Don’t tell me it’s a message from Father?”
“Yes. Grandfather seems to want to see his grandson. I can’t not go, can I?”
“…Haha, I never imagined you’d have to go to Pyeongchang-dong outside of a family gathering.”

Leaving the dispirited In-gyun behind, Shinhyuk checked the next message after Cheol-ho’s, which was from Sua then turned off his phone.

Whew! Woof! Woof! Woof!

‘They’re all people I don’t know. No need to answer.’

The only friend Shinhyuk, once called the useless extra, had was Sua.

Everyone contacting him now were nothing but hyenas.

Knowing that, Shinhyuk turned off his phone’s power without a shred of regret, pushed his parents and younger sibling out of the room, and threw himself onto the bed.

“Oh right, I have this.”

But before falling asleep.

He took out the random box stored in the inventory he gained upon becoming a player.

Placing the gift box-like item on his palm, Shinhyuk opened the box with a light heart.

“I won’t ask for much. Just let me get a Legendary.”

As the lid of the random box, which could yield up to Legendary grade, swung wide open along with Shinhyeok wish—a testament to his truly humanity character—

Hwaaaaah!

“…Oh.”

The brilliant light that burst forth the moment the lid opened filled Shinhyeok with swelling anticipation.

The light subsided not long after.

Inside, a single piece of armor remained.

“…What is this? A hidden camera?”

An ordinary-looking exterior.

The only notable feature was something like a mouth attached to the breastplate part.

In stark contrast to the gorgeous light, the reward seemed utterly shabby. Shinhyuk was left speechless for a moment.

“Let’s check it first. I can always melt it down for scrap after checking.”

Acting on a ‘what if’ thought, Shinhyuk checked it and couldn’t help but be astonished.

[Armor of Absorption]

• Common Grade
  An item that once housed the power of a Grand Demon, but that power has now completely left it.

• All Stats +5

• This item can grow.

“A growth-type item that gives +5 to all stats right from the start? Just how powerful was it before losing its power?”

Growth-type items were extremely difficult to obtain.

Moreover, this armor, despite being its starting Common grade, had the absurd option of All Stats +5. It was a treasure even the Shinhyuk of his past life had never laid hands on.

“This is undoubtedly an item I’ll use for life. Equip.”

Click-clack!

Therefore, Shinhyuk equipped the armor without further ado.

The armor adjusted perfectly to Shinhyuk’s body size, lengthening where needed and shortening where necessary.

But the most important thing was the changed stats.

“From Strength to Mana, everything increased by 5. I can really feel the difference. With this, I’ll have no rivals within Silver.”

All Stats +5.

Thanks to this effect, all of Shinhyuk’s stats now exceeded 30.

Of course, that merely meant he had reached the starting line others stood at, but Shinhyuk didn’t mind much.

“The stat limit within the Silver league is 50. And there won’t be anyone who grows all their stats evenly like me, so the average will be around 40. With that difference, my Traits and skills should be enough to bridge the gap.”

Trait, Jack-of-All-Trades.

And the numerous skills derived from it.

“Plus, I have the new Trait, Predation, so my growth potential should be exceptional too. All I have to do now is climb like crazy.”

Finally, with the newly acquired Trait, Predation…

It meant Shinhyuk was perfectly prepared to soar.

“Phew, now let’s just sleep. Tomorrow holds a schedule even tighter than the placement test.”

Having concluded his thoughts, Shinhyuk headed straight to dreamland.

A schedule tighter than the placement test.

That was none other than Shinhyuk’s meeting with his grandfather.

Choi Cheol-ho.

Pyeongchang-dong Mansion.

A limousine parked smoothly there.

“…It’s been a really long time since I rode in this too.”
“You’ll be doing it continuously from now on, so don’t make a fuss.”
“Really… Thank you so much.”

Getting out of the limousine and stroking it, In-gyun was met with Shin-hyuk’s grin.

Just as In-gyun’s eyes were about to turn red again, reminded once more of what achievement his son had accomplished—

“Grandfather must be waiting. Let’s go in quickly.”
“Ah, right. We mustn’t let Father feel any discomfort toward you, Shin-hyuk.”

At Shin-hyuk’s quick-witted remark, In-gyun’s tears vanished.

Knowing better than anyone what kind of person his father Choi Cheol-ho was, In-gyun entered the mansion, stiff with tension.

Following behind, Shin-hyuk entered the mansion and saw a scene similar to the one he had witnessed a few days prior.

“Uncle, Second Uncle, Aunt. Have you been well?”
“…Yes.”
“Haha, that’s my nephew for you! To crush Oh seong’s  Lee Ju-ho like that! Truly worthy of being the divine star of our Shinwha Guild!”
“Hm, seems you didn’t inherit your parents’ blood. Well, did they pick you up from somewhere?”

Eldest Uncle, Choi In-seok.
Second Uncle, Choi In-ho.
Aunt, Choi Seonhwa.

These three were the first to greet Shin-hyuk’s family.

The stern Choi In-seok gave a curt reply, the lively Choi In-ho chuckled and piled on praises for Shinhyuk.

But Choi Seonhwa shot back with thorny words.

Seeing her grumbling, asking if they picked Shinhyuk up from under a bridge, a flash of killing intent passed through Shinhyuk’s eyes, but—

“What are you all doing there? I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
“Yes, Father.”

It instantly disappeared due to Choi Cheol-ho, who had just come out of his study and was descending the stairs.

As the representative, Choi In-seok bowed his head slightly and headed to the dining table.

A large, long table that could easily seat over ten people.

Shinhyuk tried to sit next to his father, who had taken a seat appropriately at the end.

The hierarchy at this table directly reflected the hierarchy in reality.

But—

“Shinhyuk, eat next to me. I should have your exploits as a side dish for my meal.”
“…!!!”

It was shattered to pieces by Choi Cheol-ho, who spoke casually while picking up his utensils.

The spectacle of Shinhyuk, who should have been at the lowest position, instantly rising several ranks.

Especially Choi In-seok’s expression, having his seat taken away, was quite a sight to behold.

Trembling, quivering cheeks.

Apart from that, watching Choi In-seok, too afraid of Cheol-ho to say anything, Shinhyuk sneered inwardly and stepped forward, plopping down in the seat next to Cheol-ho.

Seeing Shinhyuk act as if it were his seat all along, even Cheol-ho’s eyes widened for a moment.

“Let’s eat.”

Cheol-ho said that in a relaxed voice and scooped a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

“Shinhyuk, tell me about what happened during the placement test.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”

And so, Shinhyuk became a phonograph, reciting his experiences verbatim.

But that alone was enough.

To realize that a storm had hit the stagnant, rigid Shinwha family.

To be continued.