Chapter 206
Chapter 206. Return (6)
Upon receiving the contact, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu hurriedly ran to where Chilla was being treated.
As they opened the door, Chilla, with its ears perked up, welcomed them.
“Cheep! Our friends have arrived!”
“Wow, it really can talk?”
“Yuri, what’s going on here?”
“I-I don’t really know either.”
“Cheep- cheep!”
Chilla, as soon as it opened its eyes, was searching for enemies while turning its head.
It made sense that the moment it collapsed was during a standoff with people from another world in Haenam.
However, when Chilla suddenly started speaking Korean, Min Yu-ri was taken aback.
‘A monster talking like a human.’
This was a case that had never happened in history.
Moreover, its pronunciation was skillful, almost at the level of a well-educated elementary school student.
Not only was it able to communicate with its owner, Min Yu-ri, but it also had no trouble communicating with others.
As Kim Si-hu awkwardly approached Chilla, he asked,
“Chilla, do you recognize me?”
“You’re the friend carrying that strange twig!”
“Th-that strange twig?”
“Yep! Cheep!”
Chilla referred to Florun as a strange twig.
This made Kim Si-hu slightly annoyed.
“Hey! This is something special!”
“If you need something better, just say it. I can go pick something from that mountain over there!”
“Yuri, unfortunately, it seems its intelligence hasn’t increased at all.”
“Cheep-cheep? Are you insulting me right now?”
Yoo Ji-han watched the dialogue between Kim Si-hu and Chilla keenly.
With its mouth wide open, Chilla was continuing the conversation based on past experiences.
This meant it still carried the memories of a time when it couldn’t communicate.
‘Could it be thanks to the absorption of that drug?’
The chocolate milk that could turn monsters into mutations.
If Chilla had transformed into a mutation by absorbing a small amount of the drug through breathing,
then somewhat understanding the dramatic change it underwent made sense.
However, the peculiar aspect was that there was no physical change like a typical mutation.
Only its language ability had improved.
“I can recognize you too!”
“Cheep! Our captain!”
“……Captain?”
“The captain who always takes the lead! Cheep-cheep!”
While there was a somewhat concerning word included,
Chilla surely recognized Yoo Ji-han as the leader of this group.
“The captain cooks meat deliciously!”
“You remember that too?”
“Cheep-cheep! It was very tasty!”
“I’ll grill more next time.”
Remembering the time they grilled meat at the resort wasn’t a particularly intense moment, yet it seemed Chilla had a decent long-term memory.
‘No need to teach basic knowledge.’
It felt much easier to manage than an infant who hadn’t learned anything.
“Si-hu, check Chilla’s body.”
“Yes.”
Kim Si-hu placed his palm on Chilla’s belly.
Because they were out on an expedition, its fur felt a bit stiff against his hand.
“Cheep-cheep. What are you doing?”
“Stay still for a moment.”
Kim Si-hu closed his eyes and focused his magic on his palm.
After a moment, he opened his eyes and spoke.
“There’s magic residing in its body.”
“That’s just as I expected.”
“It’s quite a lot, perhaps because of its larger size.”
“How much exactly?”
“More than when I just graduated Hero Academy.”
Yoo Ji-han nodded.
Unlike the past, where it had either no magic or very little that couldn’t be sensed.
Chilla’s body now possessed an amount of magic comparable to that of a decent hero.
This confirmed the assumption that the drug had been absorbed.
—Chilla! Congratulations!
“Cheep! You too!”
—I’ll recognize you as my little brother.
“Why am I the little brother? Cheep?”
—Because you spoke later than I did!
“Cheep-cheep! That’s unfair!”
The Sylph and Chilla congratulated each other on their ability to communicate.
With this, there would no longer be speechless creatures in Yoo Ji-han’s party.
In the future, they could expect more complex and closer cooperation.
“It seems there’s no way to hide this.”
“That’s right. With its size and speech, it’s too obvious.”
“Cheep-cheep?”
“It’s going to get noisier.”
Given the situation was already drawing attention, now having a talking pet would likely lead to more scrutiny from reporters.
*
Yoo Ji-han carried a box containing Drimium and headed towards the Sweet Fun Workshop.
Hiding in his inner pocket was a shrunk Sylph.
“There’s no one around, right?”
—Nope.
“Let me know if anyone starts following us.”
—Do I really have to do that?
“It’s an item worth that much.”
Yoo Ji-han hugged the box like a treasure chest.
Anyone trying to mess with the Drimium was to be considered a wicked foe.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As they got closer to the workshop, the sound of hammers became clearer.
Nam Ho-yeol, who came to work at the workshop, was busy working on personal projects.
“Ho-yeol!”
“Oh wow! The renowned celebrity has arrived.”
“You’re saying that too?”
“Haha… since Ji-han’s face was on the front page of the news, it feels strangely unfamiliar.”
Nam Ho-yeol rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.
He had believed that Yoo Ji-han’s party would someday become famous, but he hadn’t expected their rise to fame to be so swift.
“Do you know you’re also mentioned online, Ho-yeol?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Of course. You’re officially registered as a guild member.”
“The guild member list hasn’t been revealed to the public yet.”
“There are people who dig out such information specifically.”
“Interesting folks they are.”
“You said you greeted Park Jae-kyung from the Dice, right?”
“Yes! I thanked her for protecting me…”
After chatting casually with Nam Ho-yeol for a while, Yoo Ji-han placed the box on the desk.
Nam Ho-yeol revealed keen curiosity toward it.
“Is this the item you mentioned? The one the Hero Department gave you as a gift?”
“That’s right.”
“What on earth did you receive? You didn’t even tell me over the phone.”
“What do you think it could be?”
“You mentioned it was a rare material, so the price should be well over a billion, right?”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
Drimium had never been auctioned before, making it impossible to estimate an exact price.
“Let’s take a look.”
“Sure.”
Nam Ho-yeol opened the lid of the box with a sense of anticipation.
As he did, the mysterious appearance of the Drimium was revealed.
“…What is this?”
Nam Ho-yeol froze, still holding the lid with his hand.
It was clear at first glance that this was not an ordinary item.
It could be called the instinct of a blacksmith.
“I recall you saying you often look for materials.”
“That’s true…”
“In that case, you should know what this is.”
“As far as I know, there’s nothing but Drimium like this. But that’s too insane…”
“Correct.”
“Hiii—!!”
The dream metal was right in front of him!
Nam Ho-yeol, breathless, unintentionally closed the lid of the box.
Sweat beads began to form on his back.
“This, this is Drimium? How did you get it?!”
“I told you, I received it.”
“Did you steal it or something?”
“How could I steal that?”
“But…!”
“If you don’t want it, hand it back. I’ll take it back.”
Clang!
As Yoo Ji-han reached for the box, Nam Ho-yeol pulled it towards himself.
Seeing this, Yoo Ji-han wore a meaningful smile.
“Why act like you don’t want it?”
“Cough-cough!”
“I made a promise that if I create equipment from Drimium within a year, I can claim full ownership.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But while I might have been boastful about acquiring it, I’m not sure if I can actually handle it.”
“I’ve only heard legends about it…”
Metal that even the most skilled blacksmiths had given up on.
Nam Ho-yeol hesitated as he once again opened the box at Yoo Ji-han’s request.
Then, as he took the Drimium out—
“This feels somewhat heavy.”
“Huh? No way.”
Tilting his head in confusion, Yoo Ji-han took the Drimium back.
He could feel a significant weight this time.
It was heavier than steel of the same size.
‘Is this metal that can change its weight at will?’
Yoo Ji-han observed with fascination as he set the Drimium down.
Soon, Nam Ho-yeol picked up a hammer and pointed it at the Drimium.
“I’ll just do a quick test.”
He swung the hammer robustly toward the Drimium, wanting to confirm the rumors he had only heard.
Moments later, amazing results unfolded.
Bam—!!
“Ugh!”
Due to the recoil greater than the force he swung with, Nam Ho-yeol’s arm was flung back.
Yoo Ji-han, standing by, caught him to prevent injury.
“Are you okay?”
“W-what just happened?”
Nam Ho-yeol released the hammer that he had been holding tightly.
The handle of the hammer, made from solid wood, had developed a small crack.
In contrast, the Drimium showed not even the slightest mark.
Yoo Ji-han squinted and spoke.
“This won’t be easy.”
“What kind of material is it….”
Even if subjected to very high heat, it wouldn’t undergo even a slight alteration.
It was clear that conventional methods of crafting equipment would be impossible with this finicky metal.
There was a good reason why so many people had given up on it.
“I think it would be best to stop if there’s a chance Ho-yeol might get hurt.”
No matter how good the material was,
he didn’t want to ruin Nam Ho-yeol’s body for the sake of equipment crafting.
“No! I’ll do it safely without getting hurt.”
“Are you sure?”
“Trust me! When will I get this opportunity again?”
Nam Ho-yeol showed strong determination regarding the Drimium.
It was a material that ignited the desire to challenge.
Then suddenly—
—Ji-han, Ji-han.
“What?”
—I have a favor to ask.
“Suddenly a favor?”
The Sylph flew up towards the Drimium.
—Can I eat this?
“Hey! That’s not like magic stones or anything.”
Until now, what the Sylph had absorbed to show Yoo Ji-han memories had all been magic stones infused with someone’s magic.
But this chunk of metal before them was different.
While it did contain magic, it was an entirely different object.
—I’m drooling over the mouthwatering magic.
“Since you can drool?”
—That’s just a figure of speech! Isn’t that a common expression among humans?
The Sylph was eyeing the magic contained in the Drimium.
However, Yoo Ji-han hesitated, unable to give a straightforward permission.
It could be a unique item he could never procure again.
—There’s no way this Drimium will disappear.
“What does that mean?”
—I only want the magic!
The Sylph was insisting on taking only the magic embedded in the Drimium.
Crossing his arms, Yoo Ji-han looked at Nam Ho-yeol.
As he nodded, Yoo Ji-han also nodded along.
They reached an agreement that as long as the item didn’t disappear, it would be fine.
“I allow it.”
—Really? For real?
“Go ahead and eat it.”
—Whee! I’ll enjoy it!
*
“So, you’re saying this was a directive from Park Joong-seob of Keroes?”
“Yes. It was also a bribe.”
“Hmm…”
“In the beginning, they splashed a lot of cash. I’d say over half of Keroes’ black money went for that purpose.”
In a closed-off place where even the smallest ray of sunlight couldn’t penetrate, reporter Lee Wan from Hero Daily recorded the details of the interview on a notepad.
The man across from him spoke with a worried expression.
“This is definitely going to be anonymous, right?”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
“If my identity gets revealed, it’s going to be a huge problem! Park Joong-seob won’t let it slide!”
“If any information leaks, our Hero Daily will fully protect you.”
Lee Wan did his best to reassure the anxious man.
The subject of today’s interview had worked at Keroes for about four years before resigning.
He was someone they had managed to contact purely by coincidence through a friend of a friend.
After much back and forth in getting him to agree, they were conducting the anonymous interview.
‘There’s a lot of stench coming from this.’
Keroes had grown at an incredibly rapid pace compared to guilds founded around the same time.
As the interview progressed, hidden stories about Keroes began to spill out that weren’t revealed to the public.
They had provided bribes to certain government agencies and some media outlets as a matter of course.
There were also numerous indications that Keroes had worked to diminish the evaluation of other guilds that were in comparison.
“Can you tell me about the Kim Hyun-tae party as well?”
“I have quite a bit to say. Like Kim Hyun-tae’s nasty character, or how the supposedly pure and clean Im Si-yeon is actually quite promiscuous…”
“Those gossip stories are fine, but I’m curious about a certain individual who often carried a bag and covered their face.”
“Are you talking about that person who always had a bag and a face covered?”
“Exactly! That person!”
Bang!
Lee Wan slammed his hand down on the desk.
“Could that person… be Yoo Ji-han from Sweet Fun?”
As Yoo Ji-han’s party attracted attention due to their expedition,
if this question proved true, it would lead to quite an interesting situation.
