CLUNK.
The heavy piece of metal landed on the old table with a dull scrape.
Taehu took off his coat, hung it over the back of a chair, and lightly rolled his arms.
This was a small private workshop he had recently rented in the basement of a commercial building on the outskirts of the city, paying both a deposit and monthly rent.
There was only so much he could do while handling discarded items under the watchful eyes of others in the appraisal center's warehouse or break room. He had rented this place solely so that he could restore and process items in complete privacy.
The space was cramped, and the ventilation fan was noisy, but to Taehu, it was an incomparably comfortable secret base.
Lying in the center of the table was the broken longsword he had won at the salvage auction for only 7.2 million won.
Nearly half of the blade was missing, and even the remaining surface was covered in dark red rust.
From outward appearances alone, it was nothing more than scrap iron fit to be tossed straight into a junkyard.
But the result of Taehu's Special Appraisal, visible only to him, told a different story.
The value sleeping within the sword and the restoration recipe required to awaken it.
As if mocking every appraiser who had been present at the auction, the method was absurdly simple and inexpensive.
Taehu emptied a black plastic bag he had prepared beforehand onto the table.
"Just thinking about how little all this cost..."
A fist-sized, ash-gray lump rolled out of the bag along with three bluish Magic Stones.
He had no need for top-grade refining stones worth millions or even tens of millions of won.
The ash-gray lump was the Heart Core of an Ironclad-type monster, something sold cheaply in the market because its difficult processing requirements made most people avoid it.
Taehu had picked it up for a mere 1.5 million won.
Even after adding several commonplace Mid-grade Non-Attribute Magic Stones, the total cost remained below ten million won.
Considering that he was about to restore equipment worth hundreds of millions, the price was so absurdly low that it almost felt like theft.
Taehu firmly gripped the hilt of the broken sword with his gloved hand.
Then he slowly exhaled as he drew up his mana and directed it toward the Heart Core and Magic Stones scattered across the table.
Transparent waves extended from his fingertips and gently enveloped the materials.
HUMMMM!
The blue Magic Stones suddenly emitted an intense light and shattered into tiny fragments.
The pieces rose into the air before immediately sinking into the Ironclad-type Monster Heart Core.
The once-solid Heart Core began melting like candle wax exposed to heat.
Now transformed into silvery liquid, it writhed like a living creature as it crawled toward the broken edge of the sword.
HISSS!
White steam billowed upward alongside the harsh sound of metal.
The silver liquid pushed away every trace of dark red rust as it smoothly coated the blade.
Even the blunt, broken end of the sword gradually regained its original shape, extending outward into a long, sharp edge.
A blinding flash swept through the workshop.
When Taehu lowered his hand and caught his breath, an entirely different object rested on the table.
The dark red rust had vanished without a trace.
In its place lay a sleek longsword gleaming with a cold silver light.
It was almost impossible to believe that only moments earlier, the weapon had been treated as scrap metal.
[Sword of the Fallen Knight Commander]
-Current Rank: A
-Option 1: Weak-Point Attack Damage +25%
-Option 2: Increased Mana Conductivity
-Special Property: Growth Condition Exists
A broad smile spread across Taehu's lips.
It was exactly as the information window had indicated.
The sword had not merely regained its appearance.
The power of the A-rank Relic sleeping within it had fully awakened.
The option that dramatically increased damage dealt to weak points would clearly have tremendous synergy with the Tracker's Glove Taehu was already wearing.
On top of that, it possessed Increased Mana Conductivity, allowing the user to channel mana into the weapon far more quickly.
"Let's see whether you're worth the money."
Without hesitation, Taehu sheathed the sword in the scabbard across his back and left the workshop.
There was no better way to properly test equipment than in actual combat conditions.
A Hunter-exclusive training facility stood on the outskirts of the downtown district.
As long as they paid the fee, Hunters could configure whatever environment they wanted and test their equipment or skills without outside interference.
Taehu approached the counter and placed down his Hunter badge, which also served as identification.
"I'd like to rent a private training room. Set the target to a Magic Golem."
The employee tapping away at the monitor looked up.
"Certainly. What rank would you like the Magic Golem set to?"
"Upper C-rank, please."
The employee's fingers paused over the keyboard.
He glanced at the badge lying on the desk.
It was unmistakably an old C-rank badge.
And not even one belonging to a combat-type Hunter, but an appraiser-type Hunter.
An awkward look crossed the employee's face.
"Sir, an Upper C-rank Magic Golem is a difficult setting even for ordinary combat-type Hunters. If you take a direct hit, broken bones are quite common, and if the unit is damaged, you may also be charged for repairs."
There was a subtle condescension disguised beneath his concern.
In other words, he was telling an appraiser not to overestimate himself and end up saddled with hospital bills and compensation fees.
Taehu gave a faint chuckle and held out his card.
"You're worried I won't be able to pay if I break it, aren't you? My credit limit is more than enough, so don't worry and open the room."
"Ah, yes. Understood. Please just sign the liability waiver."
Looking slightly embarrassed, the employee accepted Taehu's card and processed the payment.
Taehu scribbled a rough signature, took the access card the employee handed him, and headed inside.
The training room was spacious and comfortable, resembling an empty warehouse.
Bright white lights illuminated the ceiling, while every wall was covered in special panels designed to absorb mana impacts.
In the center of the room stood a massive armored Magic Golem in standby mode, more than a head taller than an ordinary person.
Its entire body was covered in thick alloy plating, giving it an appearance that suggested ordinary attacks would struggle to leave even a scratch.
Taehu took a long breath and drew the longsword from his back.
The leather-wrapped hilt settled comfortably into his palm.
Then he channeled mana into the Tracker's Glove covering his hand.
He was ready.
Taehu called toward the control panel on the wall.
"Start."
BEEP!
With a shrill mechanical tone, red light ignited in the Magic Golem's eyes.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Heavy footsteps shook the training-room floor.
The Magic Golem kicked off the ground and charged toward Taehu at tremendous speed.
The old Taehu would never have been able to react.
Back then, it was the sort of movement that would have sent him scrambling backward among the porters.
But now, everything was different.
Taehu could clearly see every movement of the onrushing machine.
At the same time, the Tracker's Glove activated.
Bright red points appeared over the Magic Golem's knee joints, the gap in its waist, and the back of its neck.
The glove had identified minute structural weaknesses in the enemy.
"There."
Taehu infused mana into the Sword of the Fallen Knight Commander.
Increased Mana Conductivity responded immediately.
There was no need to force the energy through.
Mana flowed along the blade as naturally as breathing and formed a blue Sword Aura around it.
The Magic Golem swung one massive steel arm toward Taehu's head.
The heavy rush of displaced air struck his ears, but Taehu did not retreat.
He merely lowered himself enough to avoid the incoming arm.
At the same time, he swung his sword in a wide arc toward the red-glowing gap in the golem's waist.
SLICE!
A disturbingly smooth sound echoed through the training room.
Taehu felt almost no resistance at all through his fingertips.
It felt as though he had simply cut through empty air.
After the single exchange, Taehu relaxed his stance and slowly turned around.
Unable to overcome the momentum of its charge, the Magic Golem staggered several more steps before stopping.
SCREEECH.
A grotesque metallic grinding sound followed.
Then a distinct diagonal crack began spreading across the golem's thick waist.
Its heavy armored plating had been sliced apart as easily as a sheet of paper.
CRASH!
The upper half of the Magic Golem slammed into the floor with a deafening metallic impact.
The remaining lower half lost its balance as well and collapsed.
One strike.
That was all it had taken.
The golem had not even had time to counterattack, much less activate its defensive systems.
It was the result of the A-rank weapon's destructive power combining perfectly with its specialization in weak-point attacks.
Taehu clicked his tongue lightly as he looked at the heap of expensive scrap metal scattered across the floor.
'I didn't think it would be this powerful.'
In a single instant, the limitation that had shackled him—his natural combat ability being only at F-rank level—had been shattered.
A thrilling rush of exhilaration surged from deep within him.
After finishing the brief test, Taehu looked into the air.
Beneath the sword's information window, a new line of text that had previously been obscured slowly began taking shape.
[Second Evolution Condition: Recover the Knight Commander's Legacy from a Specific Dungeon]
The sword did not end at A-rank.
There was now a clear clue showing how it could climb another step higher.
Taehu looked at the sword and swallowed the surge of anticipation rising inside him.
A piece of scrap metal he had picked up for only 7.2 million won had turned him into someone capable of cutting through Upper C-rank opponents in a single strike.
This was how Taehu would move forward from now on.
He would find the true value hidden inside things others discarded as garbage.
If an item was useful only for making money, he would sell it without hesitation and accumulate enormous wealth, allowing his parents to live comfortably.
But he would never sell the core equipment capable of making him stronger.
He would equip those items himself, shatter his own limits, and enter deeper, more dangerous dungeons accessible only to high-ranking Hunters.
Then he would simply uncover the relics hidden there that no one else could see.
"Sell what I can sell, and use what I can use."
What principle could be simpler or clearer?
Taehu put on the coat he had left on one side of the training room.
The repair fee would be charged automatically to the card he had provided anyway.
Cleaning up the expensive pieces of scrap scattered across the training-room floor was the employees' problem.
Taehu opened the door and walked out into the corridor.
He had acquired new equipment and experienced the difference in power for himself.
All that remained now was to find a stage where he could properly wield this weapon.
"Which dungeon should I try next?"
A relaxed smile appeared on Taehu's lips.
His steps felt lighter than ever.
As he walked through the exit, his thoughts were already painting a picture of some undiscovered dungeon waiting ahead of him.
The days when he had mingled with porters and timidly watched everyone else's reactions were completely over.
He was fully prepared to climb from the very bottom to the top using nothing but his own eyes.
Everything the world had discarded was, to Taehu, the finest material and the perfect stepping stone.
Taehu hummed pleasantly as he continued walking.
His sights were already set firmly on his next objective.
And just thinking about taking his parents out for a delicious dinner in the new car was already making him hungry.
After all, making money and growing stronger ultimately served the same purpose.
To eat well and live well.
It was a pleasant evening.
With his hands tucked into his pockets, Taehu leisurely disappeared into the crowd.
Not a single person could have imagined that the sword carried on the back of the young man wearing an ordinary, worn C-rank badge was a Relic of extraordinary value.
With every step Taehu took, the faint remnants of mana trailing behind him scattered gently into the wind.