The All-Master Who Returned to Bronze – Episode 008

“…and that concludes the content of the placement exam.”

“Hahaha! Using money to press down money. To press down Oh Seong with money at that! Even though I already knew the story, hearing it from my grandson’s mouth makes it feel fresh.”

A phonograph. No, as Shinhyuk finished speaking, Choi Cheol-ho, who had already finished his meal, smiled broadly and clapped.

Unable to hide his pride at having dealt a blow to none other than his rival Oh-seong, Choi Cheol-ho soon turned his gaze to Shinhyuk.

“Can you show me your status window?”

“Of course.

There was an unwritten rule among players that status windows shouldn’t even be shown between parents and children, but Shinhyuk showed his status window without the slightest hesitation.

[Status Window]

Name: Choi Shinhyuk

Class: X

(Stats)
Strength: 29 Stamina: 27 Intelligence: 27 Mana: 27

(Characteristics)

1. Versatile

(Skills)
Necromancy[C], Fist Fighting[E], Shield, Comprehensive Weaponry[D], Tracking[E]

“Haha, even seeing it with my own two eyes, I can’t believe it. Are you telling me you achieved such an overwhelming victory with stats not even reaching 30?”

“If you use your skills well, it’s easy.”

“…Ugh! Right, if you study well you go to Seoul National University, if you’re good at sports you win medals! You’re right! You’re absolutely right!”

At Shin-hyuk’s calm yet confident words, Choi Cheol-ho laughed heartily and patted Shinhyuk’s shoulder.

Watching that, Shinhyuk smiled coldly inside.

‘It’s definitely good that the status window hide function isn’t known yet. I can earn trust just by showing a tiny bit of my status window.’

In fact, it was obvious even at a glance, but the status window shown to Choi Cheol-ho was one full of holes from Shinhyuk’s perspective.

What made that possible was precisely the status window’s hide function—a feature that lets you not show what you don’t want to show.

Naturally, it was a function not yet known at this time.

Having hidden his class and characteristics with the hide function, Shinhyuk had also taken off the Armor of Absorption before coming to the mansion and put it in his inventory.

All of it was in anticipation of a situation like this.

And Shinhyuk’s thinking was precise; he was able to earn Choi Cheol-ho’s trust in abundance.

It was only natural, since he showed him the status window that isn’t even shown between parents and children.

“Right. I can’t just sit still with such a clever grandson. In-ho, bring ‘that thing’.”

“…Father, are you really going to give that to Shinhyuk? Wouldn’t it be better to give it to Ho-seong-“

Thus, Choi Cheol-ho decided to give Shinhyuk a gift.

At the word “that thing,” Choi In-ho, the guild master of the Myth Guild and his second son, waved his hands with a pale face, but—

“You yourself said that everything bearing the name Myth is mine.”

“…Yes.”

“Bring it.”

“…Understood.”

At Choi Cheol-ho’s stern voice, he finally took something out of his inventory and placed it before Choi Cheol-ho.

“A High-Grade Stat Enhancer and a High-Grade Mana Pill.”

“…!!!”

A High-Grade Stat Enhancer and a High-Grade Mana Pill.

They were items with effects on a completely different dimension from the low-grade ones Shinhyuk had taken before the placement exam.

At that, Shinhyuk unknowingly swallowed his saliva and asked again.

“Are you perhaps giving these to me, Grandfather?”

“That’s right. Your grandpa prepared these for our clever grandson instead of pocket money. How about it?”

“…Really. Thank you so much, Grandfather.”

Items so indispensable in the early game that even the mighty Shinhyuk had to ask two, three times.

Therefore, Shinhyuk promptly bowed his head towards Choi Cheol-ho.

As if very pleased with Shinhyuk’s expression of gratitude—so different from his usual calm, confident demeanor—Choi Cheol-ho burst out laughing.

“Hahaha, yes, yes. If you need anything else, just say so. If it’s within my reach, I’ll grant it for you once.”

“If that’s the case, there is something I’d like to mention. May I speak with you later? In private.”

“No reason not. First, try taking these. The child is so terribly skinny. Take these and grow big and strong.”

“I’m not skinny… Anyway, I’ll take them well.”

Choi Cheol-ho shoved the High-Grade Stat Enhancer and High-Grade Mana Pill into Shinhyuk’s mouth, just like a grandmother feeding her grandchildren during the holidays.

Shinhyuk, not particularly refusing, promptly accepted and swallowed them, and soon could see the message window.

[All stats have increased by 20.]

[For the next month, the growth rate of stats will increase.]

‘This is it. To be honest, the +20 to all stats is good, but the growth rate increase is truly excellent. Excluding stats gained from training or game achievements, there aren’t many ways to get stats. In that sense, the growth rate increase that boosts training efficiency is very good.’

A whopping increase of +20 to all stats.

But Shinhyuk focused more on the latter message.

Growth rate increase.

The fact that the growth rate gained through training increases was the most important.

While Shinhyuk was inwardly cheering at the fact he could grow stronger even faster—

“Looks like everyone’s finished eating… Shinhyuk, you come see your grandpa for a bit.”

“Yes.”

The family meal had ended without anyone noticing.

The first to rise from his seat, Choi Cheol-ho, gestured to Shinhyuk and walked off towards the study, hands clasped behind his back.

Shinhyuk

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”

In-gyun’s eyes turned red again, as if viewing Choi Cheol-ho’s study as some tiger’s den, but they quickly calmed at Shinhyuk’s confident demeanor.

Thud!

And the moment the heavy study door that swallowed Shinhyuk and Choi Cheol-ho closed—

“Hey, what did you give Shinhyuk?”

“Just tell us quietly.”

“Our Hwa-yeon has been grumbling lately that her tier-up speed is slow. So tell us. What’s this about family being good?”

In-gyun’s face turned pale as a sheet under the barrage of questions from his older siblings, who swarmed in like hungry hyenas.

“Sit down. What would you like to drink? Tea? Coffee?”

“Cola. Zero Coke, please.”

“Shall I give you Pepsi?”

“…Even if it’s you, Grandfather, I cannot forgive Pepsi.”

“Hehehe, just kidding. Pepsi is distributed by Oh Seong side anyway. Thanks to that, people from the Myth side absolutely do not drink Pepsi. Here, Coca-Cola.”

“Thank you.”

After a round of pointless banter passed by.

“Shinhyuk.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, countless checks, trials, and eyes will follow you.”

“…Yes.”

“That bastard Lee Joo-ho got what he deserved, but because of that incident, I heard Yong-jae—that is, the chairman of Oh Seong—is furious, enraged to the tips of his hair.”

“I see.”

“Aren’t you surprised? You’ve fallen out of favor with the chairman of Oh Seong, which is called one of the two leading forces in Korea alongside Myth, a rivalry of equals?”

A sharp shower of questions assailed Shinhyuk.

To Choi Cheol-ho’s words, who looked at him with a cool gaze as he asked, Shinhyuk retorted with a calm face.

“Instead, I’ve caught the eye of the chairman of the Myth Group, number one in Korea, haven’t I?”

“What? Ha…… haha…… khuhahahahaha!! Right, correct. If you become disliked by number two but look good to number one, then that’s enough. Your words are right, right.”

As if very satisfied with Shinhyuk’s answer, Choi Cheol-ho laughed, slapping his knees repeatedly, then wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and asked.

“So, what was the request you wanted to make earlier?”

“I obtained some decent materials this time. I want to make them into a weapon, but…”

“Can’t you use the Myth Guild’s workshop?”

Hearing Shinhyuk’s plan to make a weapon using the consecrated steel, Choi Cheol-ho asked back as if puzzled.

It wasn’t for nothing; the Myth Guild’s workshop housed craftsmen of world-class standards.

It wasn’t for no reason that the Myth Guild was implicitly recognized as number one in Korea.

But Shinhyuk revealed a slight sneer.

“The Myth Guild workshop is fine too. But what I desire is a true master, not a hollow shell adorned only with outward pretense.”

“…You’re calling the craftsmen belonging to the Myth Guild’s workshop hollow shells. Can you take responsibility for those words?”

Towards Shinhyuk, who described the workshop he considered one of his finest masterpieces as a hollow shell, Choi Cheol-ho expressed his displeasure unreservedly.

The bearing of a conglomerate chairman and absolute ruler.

Combined with the martial prowess of a Platinum player, the pressure was beyond what words like ‘considerable’ could describe.

“Yes. You saw it this time too, Grandfather. How I take responsibility for the words I say.”

“…Interesting. Then what do you need?”

But Shinhyuk didn’t mind in the slightest.

It was possible because Shinhyuk had once reached the level of a Challenger player.

Thus, Shinhyuk went beyond enduring and took a step further, laying out his desires.

“I want to specially insert the person I want into the Myth workshop. Of course, under the condition of not being interfered with by others. This condition also applies to my uncle, the guild master, and the workshop master.”

“You’re asking for a kind of small inviolable territory… Are you confident? Rather, ask for a Unique-grade weapon. Then you’ll only gain benefits without any loss. And yet, do you intend to scrap that?”

The request to create an inviolable territory solely for himself within the Myth Guild’s workshop.

If the craftsman Shinhyuk brings turns out to be worthless, that inviolable territory would disappear immediately, and Shinhyuk’s standing would fall back into the abyss.

Worried about that, Choi Cheol-ho instead offered to give him a Unique-grade weapon, but—

“I have no intention of being satisfied with a mere Unique-grade weapon.”

“What?”

“A Legendary-grade weapon. Don’t you want to see the world’s first Legendary-grade weapon being born from the Myth workshop?”

“…!!!”

Shinhyuk countered that offer with a counter-offer.

The world’s first Legendary-grade weapon creation.

At those words, sweet as the sweetest honey cookie, Choi Cheol-ho nodded as if enchanted.

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

To such a Choi Cheol-ho, Shinhyuk bowed his head as if he had expected it all along.

Thud!

The sound of the heavy study door closing echoes fully inside the study.

“…Shadow. What do you think?”

“What are you referring to? The point about overcoming O-seong’s checks? Or the point about really making a Legendary-grade weapon?”

“Both.”

“The former seems certain. But the latter… Hmm, I don’t know yet.”

Inside the completely closed study, Choi Cheol-ho conversed with his shadow.

Since the shadow had heard the entire conversation, answering was easy, but the latter question was problematic.

Can he really make a Legendary-grade weapon?

That was what the shadow was truly curious about as well.

But right now, there was something even more surprising to the shadow.

“…Haha, it’s the first time I’ve been tailed.”

“What is it?”

“It seems to be a note Lord Shinhyuk left for me.”

“Shinhyuk? How does he know about you, Shadow…?”

It was a note that had been placed at the shadow’s location at some point.

The two, who hadn’t imagined Shinhyuk could have actually pinpointed the shadow’s location, carefully unfolded the note.

[Since you’re Grandfather’s person, I’ll overlook it.]

“……”

“…This, I think I need to log into the Dimension Arena myself after a long time too.”

At the overly audacious words, Choi Cheol-ho was left speechless.

But not long after, the study was filled with the sound of one person’s laughter.

That laughter was blocked by the thick study door and merely circled inside the study, but only the shadow knew well that it lasted quite a long time.