Even the faint hum of the refrigerator motor died away.
It was already well past midnight.
Taehu glanced once at the firmly locked front door, then turned the desk lamp up another level.
On the desk lay the object he had barely managed to piece together yesterday using the single-use Restoration Catalyst.
The breastplate fragment and the charred inner lining.
At first glance, the two fragments appeared to have fused into one, but on closer inspection, tiny sparks were constantly flashing along the seam where they joined. The Mana Circuits that had been forcibly connected were failing to mesh properly and were colliding with one another.
"If I leave it like this, it'll split apart again."
Taehu muttered to himself as he slipped on a Precision Magnifier over his eyes.
In his hands were professional-grade Precision Tweezers and a Micro Mana Infuser, tools normally seen only at an appraisal center. They were typically used to examine the internal structure of damaged equipment, but tonight, Taehu intended to use them for something else.
Holding even his breath steady, Taehu carefully slid the tweezers into the narrow gap along the joined section.
A stinging flash of light spread through the seam and sent a sharp tingling sensation through his fingertips, but he did not flinch.
The interior of the equipment looked disastrous through the magnifier.
Mana Circuits thinner than strands of hair were tangled together like a hopeless ball of thread. The catalyst had crudely fused the fragments, but the resulting structure was far too unstable to properly circulate the immense amount of mana contained within Legendary-rank fragments.
"I need to untangle this one and connect it over there."
The tip of the tweezers delicately caught one strand of the tangled Mana Circuit.
Taehu carefully pulled the taut circuit back toward its proper position, then lightly pressed the button on the infuser in his left hand.
A faint blue glow flowed from the tip of the device and covered the junction between the circuits.
CRACKLE!
With a harsh metallic hiss, the mana that had been violently repelling itself gradually stabilized under Taehu's control.
It was by no means easy work.
Applying even slightly too much force could sever a circuit, and if that happened, the Restoration Rate could actually decrease—the worst possible outcome.
Only the ticking of the clock and Taehu's steady breathing filled the room.
Beads of sweat formed across his forehead and trickled down his eyebrows, but he did not even have the leisure to wipe them away.
Ignoring the dryness burning in his eyes, Taehu untangled and realigned dozens of Mana Circuits one by one.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
"Ugh."
The final thick circuit that had been misaligned slipped into its proper position.
Taehu immediately turned the dial on the Mana Infuser and raised the output to maximum.
Blue mana gently enveloped the entire joined section before erupting in a brilliant flash.
FLASH!
The air in the room trembled lightly.
The ominous sparks that had been bursting nonstop vanished as though they had never existed.
At the same time, the rough surfaces of the breastplate fragment and inner lining began to ripple softly like liquid.
The boundary between the two fragments melted into itself, fusing together without the slightest gap.
When the rippling surface finally hardened, a smooth section remained with no visible trace of a seam.
"Haa, finished."
Taehu set the tools down on the desk and sank deeply into the backrest of his chair.
When he tilted his stiff neck from side to side, CRACK, the sound of his joints echoed through the room.
He roughly wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his gaze fixed entirely on the object at the center of the desk.
The finished result beneath the desk lamp.
Until yesterday, it had been nothing more than an ugly piece of scrap metal and a charred strip of cloth rolling around in a junk pile.
Now, however, it had begun to take on a surprisingly convincing shape.
It was still far from resembling a complete piece of armor, appearing more like a fragment of a breastplate, but the aura it emitted was entirely different.
Mana flowed in steady, rhythmic currents along its softly gleaming surface like a heartbeat.
Smiling, Taehu carefully picked up the stabilized protective equipment with both hands.
A heavy yet cool sensation traveled through his palms. The solid, sturdy texture felt satisfying beneath his fingertips.
It was time to check the result.
Without hesitation, Taehu held the object and activated his Special Appraisal Window.
It was nothing like the dull blue System Window produced by ordinary appraisal equipment.
Brilliant golden text filled his vision, spreading magnificently through the air.
[Remains of the Starlight Armor]
[Rank: Legendary-rank Fragment]
[Restoration Rate: 11.3%]
[Special Effects: Mana Resistance +8% / Nighttime Mana Recovery Speed +5%]
[Multiple Additional Effects remain locked.]
Taehu's eyes widened as he read through the text in one sweep.
"This is insane. Seriously."
He involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath.
It was a fragment restored to barely more than ten percent.
Compared to the fully completed version at one hundred percent, it was nothing more than a portion of the outer shell.
And yet the effects attached to it already rivaled those of most A-rank equipment—or even surpassed them.
Mana Resistance +8%.
It was one of the most coveted effects among Combat-type Hunters, something they would fight fiercely over at an auction house.
Deep inside dungeons, surviving the wide-area magic of magical beasts or curses that ate away at the mind often depended directly on the Mana Resistance provided by one's equipment.
There were countless Hunters willing to spend enormous sums of money just to increase that stat by a single percentage point.
And on top of that, it increased Nighttime Mana Recovery Speed by five percent.
For large-scale raiding parties forced to remain inside dungeons for days at a time while continuing their expeditions around the clock, that effect was quite literally a lifeline.
Mage-type Hunters who practically lived on mana potions would probably burst into tears and open their wallets on the spot if they saw it.
All of that value had been compressed into this one small fragment.
'What kind of reaction would I get if I took this to a premium private room or the purchasing desk of a major guild?'
For a moment, Taehu indulged in the pleasant thought.
The representatives might very well lose their minds.
In a market where the asking price could become the selling price, would it bring two billion won? Three billion?
If wealthy collectors of rare equipment began competing for it, he could easily end up with tens of billions of won in his hands in an instant.
Perhaps enough wealth to never work another day at the appraisal center for the rest of his life was glowing brilliantly in his palm.
But Taehu's gaze lingered far longer on the long line of lock-shaped icons beneath those effects.
Locked Additional Effects.
An endless reserve of unrealized potential was waiting to be unlocked.
Then, at the very bottom of the Appraisal Window, a single line of golden text pulsed gently and caught Taehu's attention.
[Clue: There is a high probability that fragments of the same series exist within unopened areas of Starlight-series ruins.]
"Sell it? Like hell. I wouldn't sell this even if someone begged me."
Taehu muttered briefly and shook off his thoughts.
The enormous amount of money dancing before his eyes was undeniably tempting.
If tens of billions of won landed in his account tomorrow, he could immediately buy his parents a better house, treat them to expensive meals every day, and let them live without a single financial worry.
But Taehu understood the weight of money.
And he understood the weight of power as well.
There would always be other ways to make money.
Simply restoring and selling the troublesome inventory lying around the appraisal center's warehouse or the objects he recovered from scrap heaps would already be more than enough to keep his family's everyday life comfortable.
This Legendary-rank fragment, however, was different.
It was not something money could simply buy.
If barely eleven percent restoration already provided effects of this caliber, he could not even begin to imagine what level it would reach at fifty percent—or eventually at a complete one hundred percent restoration.
True power that could not be measured in monetary value.
It would undoubtedly become the strongest and most dependable shield for protecting both himself and his family's peaceful life from any threat.
'I'm collecting every piece of this, and I'm using it myself.'
Taehu reached his conclusion without hesitation.
He lifted the combined Remains of the Starlight Armor and lightly pressed it against his chest.
"Hmm. Yeah, there's no way I can actually wear this into battle yet."
His brow furrowed slightly.
Its shape was incomplete, and its size was awkward.
It was far too small to protect his entire chest, and more importantly, the exposed edges where the remaining fragments had yet to be attached were sharp like blades.
If he tried to use it as armor in its current state, the pointed edges might end up cutting into his own flesh.
Forcing himself to carry it into a dungeon like this would only hinder his movement and become an irritation.
'I'll need at least two or three more pieces connected around the edges before it takes a shape that's actually usable in combat.'
There was no need to rush.
His existing equipment was already more than sufficient for the dungeons he was currently running.
His goal was now clear, and he had even obtained a clue for finding the remaining fragments.
All he had to do was gradually narrow his search around Starlight-series ruins, just as the golden text had indicated.
Taehu set the equipment back on the desk and opened the first drawer.
He took out a sheet of black Special Mana-Shielding Cloth.
Placing the Remains of the Starlight Armor in the center, he carefully began wrapping it.
One layer, then another.
Once the cloth had been wrapped securely around it, the faint Mana Waves leaking from the fragment vanished as though they had been washed away.
To an ordinary person, it would look like nothing more than a rectangular black bundle.
Taehu rose from his seat and walked toward the large personal safe standing in one corner of the room.
He had purchased the top-of-the-line model for a considerable sum shortly after he began making money, using home security as his justification.
It was sturdy enough that ordinary physical force or low-level magic could not even leave a scratch on it.
GRIND. CLICK.
Taehu expertly turned the complicated dial and placed his thumb against the fingerprint scanner.
With a soft mechanical sound, the heavy steel door swung open.
Inside the safe, the useful materials he had collected so far and several bundles of emergency cash were neatly arranged.
Taehu shifted them slightly toward one side.
Then, in the deepest and safest spot at the center of the safe, he carefully placed the bundle wrapped in the Mana-Shielding Cloth.
The first Legendary-rank treasure he had personally discovered.
Simply knowing that it was safely stored inside his room gave him a deep sense of security.
Taehu pushed the safe door shut and firmly pulled on the handle to confirm that the lock had fully engaged.
CLANK. CLANK.
The solid door did not budge in the slightest.
That reassuring sensation traveled through his fingertips.
A quiet chuckle escaped him without his realizing it.
"Sleep well."
Taehu lightly tapped the cold surface of the safe.
The fatigue that had accumulated from working with such precision late into the night had long since disappeared without a trace.
In its place, a swelling sense of accomplishment filled the room, pleasantly warming the still night air.