LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 64
Chapter 64
The identity of the person who sent the message was obvious.
There was only one person who knew Jaehyuk’s community nickname.
Subject: To My Dear Friend
Sender: Honest Merchant
The content of the note was unnecessarily long.
It began with a query about his well-being, filled with flattery throughout.
‘The core part is short.’
The message could be summarized simply.
– I have items I want to sell to you.
‘They’re probably artifacts like the White Snake’s Bracelet.’
Honest Merchant seemed quite interested in players who could resist status abnormalities.
The reason was probably to dispose of ‘flawed items.’
Cursed items that decreased the wearer’s stats or caused status abnormalities.
As seen in the auction of the White Snake’s Bracelet, this type of item was hard to sell for their worth.
No matter how excellent their performance, it was challenging to find buyers.
From a merchant’s perspective, they were burdensome.
‘Are people who can resist status effects rarer than I expected?’
Honest Merchant claimed in the note that he had recently acquired items that might be to my liking.
It was likely a lie.
They must have been items he already had.
‘Shameless guy.’
Considering we had only known each other for a few days before he started doing business, it seemed he had been troubled by unsold stock for a long time.
Jaehyuk snorted and replied.
– Not interested.
It was the one who was in need that dug the well.
Having lived a life of scarcity, Jaehyuk knew it well.
Do you have items that only I can buy?
Then, try to increase their competitiveness to catch my interest.
Jaehyuk conveyed this intention clearly with a short reply and began searching keywords on the bulletin board and chat room.
Appearance change, custom, appearance, etc.
After about 20 minutes of searching…
“Welcome. The cost is written in the room description, 5,000 points, and I take half of it as a deposit.”
『Do you wish to purchase ‘Orc Leather’ for 2,500 points?』
‘Using worthless items to trade points, huh?’
Jaehyuk met a tailor quite famous in the community and entrusted him with customizing his boots.
“Oh, they are the Wind Spirit’s Boots. It’s an outstanding item not only in performance but also in design. You want it customized so it won’t stand out, right?”
There were countless customers who wanted to change the appearance of items.
Some did so purely for style or individuality, while others did because of dangerous stories they carried.
Hearing Jaehyuk’s voice resonating like a beast’s breath, the tailor recognized he wasn’t ordinary and set aside his unnecessary curiosity.
With a hint of regret, he rubbed the neck of the boots that reached just below the knee before swiftly cutting it off.
What if the item ends up destroyed that way?
Alarmed, Jaehyuk harbored doubts, but the tailor explained as if it were second nature.
“It’s not destruction; it’s modification. It’s about using a skill… altering the outward appearance without touching the core elements that constitute the item, so don’t worry and just wait. If my skills were lacking, could I have done business in one spot for three years?”
“Three years…? You must have a lot of regular customers.”
“Thanks to being kindly looked upon. I’ll do my best to make you a regular too.”
The tailor spoke with a bright voice.
He seemed proud of and enjoyed his profession.
Jaehyuk quietly watched as the tailor added various kinds of leather to the now short boots, covering the ankle level, eventually easing his wariness.
Having run the business in the same spot for three years, he figured the tailor probably did not leak customer information.
‘This is what I like about craftsmen.’
Their focus was solely on their work.
Often, they wouldn’t even glance at the person who brought in the job.
Jaehyuk recalled an old memory.
The master blacksmith who crafted and maintained weapons for the Kang family.
His father used to refer to that man as an elder and held him in reverence.
It was the first time Jaehyuk ever saw his father lower himself to someone else.
Could that person perhaps know about Yalugath too?
‘I should tell Steward Hwang to look into his contact information for me.’
There was one concern, however; the elder’s age.
Even ten years ago, his face was full of wrinkles, and his back was hunched nearly at 90 degrees. What would he be like now?
‘… He’s not someone to pass away easily.’
Jaehyuk calmed himself, recalling a few anecdotes, and it was three hours later.
“It’s finished.”
The tailor handed him the completed product, looking satisfied.
He had added red-dyed leather in a diagonal pattern on the instep of the boots, giving them a point, and thinly wrapped silver steel around the toe part, highlighting practicality.
That was all.
However, the perceptible change was dramatically significant.
With the shortened neck, the overall atmosphere turned casual.
Now, the boots seemed fit for any attire, not just formal ones.
The steel-wrapped toe also added a touch of sophistication to what Jaehyuk once thought appeared too pointy.
“One of the things I focused on to preserve the item’s performance was the weight. The weight distribution is the same as before, so you shouldn’t feel any discomfort.”
“Hmm.”
Jaehyuk was quite satisfied upon trying on the boots.
He could guarantee that no one in the world would identify them as the Wind Spirit’s Boots.
He was also happy that they were now easier to coordinate.
They were shoes he would always have to wear, after all.
“I’d like to use your service again in the future.”
“I’m glad to have met the goal of acquiring a new regular customer. Please register me as a friend and leave a message whenever you need. My nickname is ‘Custom Master’.”
“Custom Master?”
“Because I specialize in customization.”
His pride was evident even in his username.
Jaehyuk was pleased with his good fortune in finding a reliable business connection, paying exactly 2,500 points before leaving the chat.
“What… Wasn’t he supposed to give a tip?”
He suspected a big deal due to the formidable aura but it seemed to be a misunderstanding.
Well, it made sense since he was short on points and used plain masks.
“Gotta increase my service charge or something. Offering such a low price, all my customers are as broke as I am.”
How long would it take to gather the points he aimed for at this rate?
He let out a deep sigh and returned to his room, which was identical in structure to Jaehyuk’s room.
***
Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Cuckoo.
‘What is this?’
Jaehyuk was startled upon waking to the alarm.
He had no headache after waking up.
He hadn’t even stretched yet, but nothing felt sore.
Most surprisingly…
‘My eyes aren’t blurry?’
His vision was clear, even without utilizing mana.
He could count the exact number of leaves on a giant tree standing outside the window and even notice the fine hairs on each leaf without much effort.
“How could this happen all of a sudden…?”
Jaehyuk pondered in the bathroom while washing his hair.
‘Could it be because I had a good sleep?’
Originally, Jaehyuk couldn’t sleep more than four hours a day since he wanted to train even a second longer.
Even after awakening and leveling up, the physical fatigue continued to accumulate.
Jaehyuk, particularly in his growth phase, experienced not just physical recovery, but growth while sleeping.
However, after more than eight years of insufficient sleep, the stress his body experienced was unimaginable.
‘No wonder Steward Hwang kept insisting I sleep.’
Steward Hwang often emphasized the importance of sleep.
But Jaehyuk always retorted that doing his best in everything was the Kang family’s motto, disregarding his advice with a proverbial shrug.
He felt sorry for himself at this point.
‘I suppose my headaches ceased because my mental fatigue dissipated.’
Certainly, when reflecting on how he lived previously, the mental fatigue was far more accumulated than the physical.
‘I thought it was simply low blood pressure…’
As if it were a hereditary disease.
‘Forgive me for doubting the genes of my ancestors.’
Jaehyuk solemnly bowed his head and left the dormitory with resolute steps.
The Class B students he ran into on campus were startled.
‘Did he eat something wrong this morning?’
‘He’s going to eat now, isn’t he?’
‘He must’ve eaten something strange, not breakfast.’
Jaehyuk usually had two types of smiles.
Either a very obvious mischievous grin or a very clear teasing smile.
The Class B students had never seen such a natural smile on Jaehyuk’s face.
“Wow, he’s stunningly handsome…”
Chun Hyeji unintentionally murmured. Other female students nodded in agreement, unable to take their eyes off Jaehyuk.
But it didn’t last long.
“Eat lots of breakfast and make sure to visit the restroom. I’ll work you hard today, so better empty yourselves beforehand.”
The female students’ dreamy gazes turned frosty.
“Do you have to bring up bathroom talk when we’re going to eat breakfast?”
“Honestly, it’s impossible to see him as a man. He’s just a tall brat.”
“Why look for a boyfriend at school? Did you come to study or date?”
“Shut up, Jinsung…”
Thanks to Jaehyuk, Class B students were always chatty.
Upon their boisterous arrival at the cafeteria, they halted in silence.
An unbelievable sight unfolded before their eyes.
Several Class A students, known as the strongest among the first-year contingent, lay sprawled bloody on the ground.
“That’s what happens when you overstep.”
A green-haired boy pressed his foot against the chest of one trembling, groaning student.
Lauren.
The Austrian National Treasure candidate had caused an incident.
The atmosphere turned tense instantly.
The second-year students actively intervened.
The upperclassmen’s glares at Lauren were far from kind.
The fact that a first-year had caused a commotion in a public place was the least of their concerns.
Nationality.
Lauren’s status rubbed the second-year students the wrong way.
It was as if a European had brazenly assaulted Korean students right in the heart of Korea—the Lion’s Castle—before countless onlookers.
“The brat acts like nothing scares him. Is Korea really that easy to push around?”
“There’s no object of fear here.”
Lauren coldly responded, and the veins popped on the senior students’ foreheads.
“You coward who ran away while others fought, what are you yapping about?”
Oh Jaha.
The usually fair-skinned boy who always followed eagerly behind Silla Kyung, appeared alone, smirking.
His hand on the hilt of a sword.
“Your majesty calls yourself a National Treasure candidate, but you only talk big. Lauren, you know? I really, really didn’t like you from the first moment I saw you.”
Tension was at its peak.
The cafeteria became as quiet as a storm before the storm.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
… Well, calling it silent was a stretch.
The noise of Jaehyuk piling food echoed without pause.
Today, feeling particularly good, he was packing six trays full of food.