Rookie of the Year 2nd Semester (4)

On Wednesday, Hyeongju Ahn showed up in a much better state. As soon as he saw Kang Shin-hyuk, he waved him over with papers in hand.

“This is a list of assets that can be handed over now.”

“I wish you’d just text.”

“It’s clearer like this.” A quick glance showed the resources that Vanguard would offer in exchange for the artifacts he created for them.

“Can you offer me this?”

“Of course. If I tell everyone I sold it to you, they’d understand.”

“Man, you guys need to learn from Baekyang about making deals.”

“Well, I’m in no rush.”

“Huh…!” Losing their guild master had been a heavy blow, but Baekyang had been taking advantage of the weakness they had been showing. Kang Shinhyuk examined the charts Hyeongju handed over and engraved them into his mind. He could calculate the value of everything on them if he took some time, but he knew someone who could do it more accurately.

-It is clear they’re begging you for help. This level of assets is barely in the A+ class.

That was the administrator.

“The A+ level is no joke. Why are you looking at me funny?” Kang Shin-hyuk sighed and pressed Hyeongju Ahn, who responded with surprise.

“It’s not that you can create SS-class artifacts every time. This already means we’re investing in your future heavily…”

“Hey, Baek. Show him.”

“Ha.” Baek In-ha, trembling slightly, pulled out the pistol Shin-hyuk had made for him. Artifacts with owners could be set, so only certain information was viewable, and right now, it was set so that only the name and rank could be read.

“SS+?!” Hyeongju Ahn was stunned upon examining it. He wasn’t entirely wrong about making SS-grade items each time, as the soul connector and the zephyr were made of special materials, but that didn’t need to be said out loud.

“There will be far greater things than what you imagine, depending on what you invest.”

“Hey, I’ll pull out all stops, so wait!”

“No, today, I’ve got to go to practice first.” After Kang Shin-hyuk and Baek In-ha had cleared the S-class gate and proved themselves, they were being assigned A-class or higher gates. In fact, they were already treated fully as official superhumans in the top 5%, not as students. However, they were able to break through the A-class gate they went to in no time, so now Hyeongju Ahn was taking care of business.

“I want to face a release type next time.”

“Ha, it’s surprisingly difficult to shoot this.” Kang Shin-hyuk was wondering what sort of gate they’d go to next as Baek practiced shooting the pistol next to him.

“Did you not learn how to shoot?”

“Shinyuk, please teach me.”

“I’ll only teach you the posture.” The gun he built used special .550 magnum bullets filled with mana stone powder from Mystic, a weapon brand for superhumans. Kang Shin-hyuk had already analyzed the bullets’ structure and thought of making his own sooner or later. Baek’s posture was corrected by Shin-hyuk, and he managed to hit a target for the first time. A shock wave rippled out from the bullet after it connected, shattering the target.

“This really is killer…”

“Make sure to practice.”

“When the next gate breaks out, I’ll face it with only this pistol.”

“Are you playing games?” Fortunately, incidents like the S-class gate and Jormungand’s attack couldn’t happen all the time, so they were able to clear all their assigned gates in the second week without incident. Shinyoung carefully checked and posted the success of the gates assigned to the students to ignite their competitive spirits. They had beaten out the second years and ranked first.

“They’re trying to turn the students’ complaints into competitive spirit.”

-The effect seems to be working. Maybe this type of environment is better for skilled people.

“You’re acting laid back, administrator.”

-A 110,000HP bonus for members who accurately grasp my heart!

The school was functionally telling the students to participate in national and global emergencies, but it was a good experience for them so that Kang Shinhyuk wouldn’t complain. In addition to that, even members of the Hero Universe seemed to be busy dealing with similar issues caused by Jormungand.

***

“Okay, are you all ready?”

“Yes, but what’s with this cloak? Was it made with the pieces from the shadow predators you collected before?”

“Wow, don’t…”

“Somehow, it feels good.” Meanwhile, Masked Bacchus’s activities had begun. After recruiting Baek In-ha as a new member, they all put on their masks and capes made of shards of shadow predators and wandered the streets of Seoul at night with their pistols, sweeping through the irregular gates that formed. Claire and Lee Na-hee worked as magic agents, whereas Kang Shin-hyuk and Eleanor served in the front as melee users. Baek In-ha was in charge of assisting both teams with his unique mobility. Shin Eunah, their non-regular member, would only appear when she was available. Her pistol was designed to manage her enormous magical power, so each time she showed it things ended pretty quickly after only a couple of bullets.

The fame of the elite group called Masked Bacchus, led by the Alchemist and the Death Puppeteer (though most people were calling him Shin Eun-hyuk), began to spread. The power of those two was quite high, but all of them were of a high-level that people couldn’t help but pay attention to. There were suspicions that Shin Eunah was a member, but they managed to keep her presence under wraps for the most part. Besides, most people assumed the number one in the world wouldn’t have time to gallivant around in a mask.

“Now there are posts asking us to come abroad. We’ll be busier in the future.” In that way, Masked Bacchus was gathering attention around the world and not just in Korea. The members were gathered today in Kang Shin-hyuk’s room in the Royal Class dorm to celebrate. Claire was scrolling through her phone, humming while Kang Shin-hyuk smiled at her.

“It’s good to be busy, but will there be a payoff?”

“Hey, did you know? Whenever you work, the association receives compensation?”

“?!” Claire laughed and put her lips next to his ear at his shocked expression.

“How about I reward you with a date?” Baek In-ha, who was sitting on the other side of Shin-hyuk, understood immediately what was happening and raised his hand.

“Oh, the boss is embezzling! Please date me too!”

“Baek, you don’t receive a share.”

“Ah.” Kang Shin-hyuk coldly silenced Baek.

“Unnie…”

“Hmph.” As the eyes of the rest of the female members sharpened, Claire smiled.

“I’m joking, I’m joking. We’re working in secret, right? I can’t just hand out the money proudly, but I’ve been holding onto it.”

“Unnie, you’re really thorough.”

“Ah…” Lee Na-hee let out an excited sigh as Eleanor pouted. Watching them, Kang Shin-hyuk realized that Claire had just claimed him as her own to them.

‘No, that’s kind of scary.’ He decided to eat quietly and avoid getting in-between the three. But, just then, a whisper arrived.

– Halo’s whisper: Anvil, will you be arriving soon?

-Yes, I’ll be there this weekend.

-Halo’s whisper: Wonderful. It will be over in the next few decades or so.

-It won’t take that long.

He still had quests left to resolve. Kang Shin-hyuk bitterly smiled, then suddenly thought of Janus. Where was the one who kept asking him for a new sword?

…We’ll meet someday.’ As his synchronization rate increased, his feelings toward those he had known in the past did as well. If he hadn’t met Claire, he might’ve ended up a lot more like the Anvil of his previous life.

“Shin-hyuk?” Noticing his complicated thoughts, Claire called out his name, anxiously.

“Yes?”

Only

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

“Aha.” The two shared a look, and Claire smiled in relief, but the others were only more dissatisfied.

“Ah, I want to go.”

“I’m not going to leave these two as they are.”

“You go alone.”

“Yep.”

October passed without any festivals, and soon November arrived.

Shin Eun-hyuk’s world ranking rose to fourth place.