Chapter 69
I accepted the ring the king held out to me.
A ring engraved with delicate patterns.
I read the item description.
[Memory of Fire]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Effect: You can view the dwarves' blueprints.]
[You will be able to imitate their techniques.]
[Current Level: Lv.1]
"Please put it on and try it."
As soon as I slipped it onto my finger, it fit as if it had been mine from the start.
The king looked down at my hand with a satisfied expression.
"Inside that ring are all the knowledge and blueprints our dwarf race has accumulated since the beginning of time. Armor, weapons, machinery, even ancient relics...."
"But I'm not a blacksmith."
"Don't worry. If a dwarf can make it, then you will be able to make it too."
As expected of a Legendary item, the description was grandiose.
An artifact containing the technical prowess of an entire race?
Its value was beyond calculation.
The dwarves around me were also looking at me with faces full of pride and satisfaction.
They seemed convinced that they had offered the finest treasure they possibly could.
But my expression was conflicted.
'...You want me to hammer metal?'
My mind was in a jumble.
I understood that there were blueprints.
But that was it.
We didn't even have a proper hammer at home, let alone a furnace.
No, even if every piece of equipment were available, could I actually use it?
I was a mage.
Fighting from a distance with skills was my style.
I had never even imagined myself sweating buckets while pounding metal in front of a blazing fire.
The dwarves, oblivious to my thoughts, kept piling on the praise.
"The king really is generous! In our long history, there has only ever been one time we gave that as a gift!"
"That thing is the very soul of our race! It's not something that can be measured in money!"
"It's on a completely different level from the wooden trinkets those pointy-eared bastards hand out!"
Despite their fervent reaction, my expression remained hard to read.
'It's definitely good, but....'
How in the world was I supposed to use this?
I twiddled the finger wearing the ring as I thought.
The dwarves apparently interpreted my silence as being moved.
With a satisfied smile, the king patted my shoulder.
"Haha! So you recognize its value after all!"
"Uh... thank you?"
"No need for thanks! Dwarves are a race that never forgets a kindness any more than a grudge! I'll remember today's deed until my beard grows so long it can be stepped on!"
That was the last farewell.
The moment the king finished speaking, a familiar system message appeared before my eyes.
[The dwarves remember you.]
With that message, the scenery around me was enveloped in light.
The sensation of being ejected from the tower.
The noisy cheers of the dwarves and the furnace's searing heat quickly faded away.
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing on my private road.
I raised my hand and looked down at the newly obtained ring.
"I'll go home and try it out first."
A sigh escaped me.
***
After returning home, I threw myself straight onto the bed.
The fatigue from clearing the 30th floor and enjoying the banquet hit me all at once.
But there was still something I had to do before sleeping.
I got up and sat down in front of the computer.
Then, as usual, I logged into Hunter Gallery.
"Gotta do what I gotta do...."
Although it seemed like an item of little immediate use to me.
Still, I had to brag about it.
The problem was how to package this reward.
"Should I just say it's Unique grade again this time?"
Should I lower the grade appropriately, like I always do?
But the ring lacked impact compared to a weapon.
A mere Unique ring might leave people lukewarm.
Besides, its options were awkward to explain.
After much deliberation, I made a bold decision.
"Yeah, this time I'll say it's Legendary."
[Title: I got my first Legendary item, but the options are a bit disappointing ㅠㅠ]
[Author: ㅇㅇ(5F5.5F5)]
[Content: (ring photo.jpg)]
[I got a Legendary ring, but the options are kind of vague.]
[This is a dud pull, right?]
Before even a minute had passed since my post went up, dozens of comments started pouring in.
ㄴ Ahh~ what a nice place to live, Hunter Gallery.
ㄴ It's you again, tower lurker?
ㄴ Seriously, what the hell lol. Disappointed by the options? There are tons of people here who've never even seen a Legendary lol.
ㄴ Ah, the gallery's gonna be burning for a while again. I'm logging off for an hour and coming back.
"The response is more lively than I expected?"
I tilted my head at the more intense-than-expected reaction.
Even if it was Legendary, it was an accessory item, not a main piece of equipment.
Was it really something to be this excited about?
Fortunately, a few helpful people began explaining my confusion.
[Title: Hmm, is it really that much....]
[Author: ㅇㅇ(128.48)]
[Content: It's a ring, not even a weapon anyway, right? If the options are bad, isn't it a dud?]
[Why is everyone getting so heated? I genuinely don't get it.]
ㄴ Yeah, that's about right.
ㄴ What, are you missing a hand? You can wear ten ring slots, you know.
ㄴ Even if the options seem a little iffy, you can wear ten of them, so you should practically bow to it before putting it on.
ㄴㄴ(Author) So do you have ten rings on right now? No, you don't.
ㄴㄴ Ugh, you're stubbornly insisting on not backing down.
Reading people's comments, I realized something new.
Rings can be worn ten at a time.
"Ah, right. I can only wear eight?"
I was missing one finger because I used it to make Chohogi.
Besides, one of the remaining nine was already occupied by Sandworm.
On top of that, sometimes I had to sacrifice fingers when using magic, so filling all ten seemed impossible.
But that wasn't very important.
I realized it.
No matter what the item's actual performance was, if people thought it was good, then that was enough.
With a satisfied smile, I headed to my next destination.
An anonymous community where only A-rank hunters and related people were active.
I posted the exact same kind of message there too, just like in Hunter Gallery.
My first post in the A-rank gallery.
I wondered what kind of reaction these people would have.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ1: If you happen to have any intention of selling it, please reply.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ2: I can trade rings.
ㄴ ㅇㅇ3: I'd like to buy only the information. Where did you obtain it?
"Are A-rank hunters just different after all?"
The reaction wasn't as explosive as it had been in Hunter Gallery.
The comments had a slightly more serious tone.
Rather than getting angry at my baiting, most of them were evaluating the value of the item and the information and expressing interest in buying.
Of course, I had no intention of selling it, not even a little.
That was when it happened. Other comments suddenly started appearing too.
They were all comments about my busted IP address.
ㄴㅇㅇ5: Oh, this guy's the Hunter Gallery top anon.
ㄴㅇㅇ6: What's that?
ㄴㅇㅇ5: You don't even read Hunter Gallery?
ㄴㅇㅇ6: Why would I? They don't even talk about hunter-related stuff there.
ㄴㅇㅇ5: Tsk tsk, that's the fun part.
ㄴㅇㅇ7: But this person is A-rank too, huh. I had a hunch.
ㄴㅇㅇ8: The fact that they act the same here is hilarious lol.
People who recognized me.
And even people trying to figure me out.
ㄴㅇㅇ9: If they're A-rank, can't you figure out who it is?
ㄴㅇㅇ10: Someone in the group announcement chat would probably know.
ㄴㅇㅇ11: I'm A-rank too, and I think it's best not to dig into this person's info.... They're a remarkable person.
ㄴㅇㅇ9: lol, don't pretend you know when you don't.
ㄴㅇㅇ11: ? Want me to prove it? There's a level you porters wouldn't understand.
I let out a wry laugh.
I thought A-Rank Gallery might be a bit different, but before long it had become just like Hunter Gallery.
Maybe my very existence was the reason the gallery got polluted.
"Still, I guess I've become pretty famous."
A situation where people recognized me wherever I went.
I didn't feel particularly bad about it.
No, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.
But now I was starting to get curious about the reactions of the real experts.
People who could talk about this ring's true options.
Finally, I headed to Mage Gallery.
There was no real need to hide the options there anymore.
I posted with a photo that fully revealed the ring's name and all its options.
The first to show interest was Fridge.
ㄴFridge: The original owner of the 20s floors was a dwarf? Interesting. I think that might solve one of the hypotheses I had made before.
ㄴㅇㅇ(88R.Y88): What hypothesis?
ㄴFridge: I once picked up an item in the 20s before.
ㄴFridge: I never figured out what it was used for, so it's been sitting in storage. But now it seems like it might be related to dwarves.
Along with that, Fridge attached a photo.
In the photo was a fragment of some unknown metal.
Given the vivid colors and patterns painted on its surface, it was easy to guess that it had broken off from something.
ㄴFridge: If you have that ring you got, maybe you could tell what the original form of this thing was too? Maybe you could even restore it.
"Hmm.... It really does seem possible."
At that suggestion, I felt my heart start pounding faster.
An unexpected possibility.
This ring might be the key to interpreting and restoring existing relics.
What if that fragment was part of a legendary dwarf relic?
That would be a huge jackpot.
ㄴFridge: If you want, you can come to the lab anytime and check it out yourself.
ㄴFridge: No, let me put it more clearly. I'd like you to do that. I've been curious about what this item is for a long time.
She went a step further and made a startling proposal.
ㄴFridge: If you figure out what this fragment is and successfully restore it, you can have it. The data I get from the process will be enough for me.
At those words, I unconsciously swallowed.
An opportunity that might turn into a free Unique or even Legendary item.
"What should I do...."
I thought it over for a moment.
Meeting someone in person was still awkward for me.
But this offer was too tempting to refuse.
ㄴㅇㅇ(88R.Y88): Okay, okay. But I don't think I can right now.... I'll come by sometime later when I have time.
For now, I tossed out a vague promise.
I would go meet them someday, but I didn't set a time for it.
It was a kind of insurance.
At that moment, the other mages who had been quietly watching the conversation sprang into action.
ㄴMagic Is Firepower: Wait. Why are you meeting only them? What about me? Why won't you meet me? I've asked to meet up several times too!
ㄴPkkatju: You're meeting Fridge too after Beetle, daeyo. At this rate I'm the only one getting left out, daeyo. I'm so sad I can't live like this, daeyo.
MagicIsFirepower and pkkatju voiced their protests at the same time.
I snickered and playfully tapped away at the keyboard.
ㄴㅇㅇ(88R.Y88): Firepower noona somehow feels like she'd kidnap me the moment we meet, so I'm too scared to meet her.
ㄴㅇㅇ(88R.Y88): Besides, there's no real reason for us to meet, right? We don't even have anything to exchange.
ㄴMagic Is Firepower: No, I did have something to give you.... I don't anymore, though....
ㄴPkkatju: I do too.
ㄴㅇㅇ(88R.Y88): What is it?
ㄴPkkatju: I can be your 24-hour gaming duo anytime. We can even do Discord....
"Oh, come on. What is that supposed to mean."
Once again, at pkkatju's bizarre words, I laughed out loud.
I closed the gallery and lay back down on the bed.
As I fiddled with the ring while staring at the ceiling, the conversation from just now came back to me.
"Meeting someone from the gallery...."
It was something I couldn't have imagined just a few months ago.
I had always been extremely reluctant to get involved with other people.
My contact with people only ever happened through the filter called the internet.
Meeting in real life was a hassle and dangerous.
But since when had it started?
Out of necessity. Or because I had no choice.
I met the broker, faced Beetle in person, and even ended up building some kind of relationship with Jeong Man-ho, the old man next door.
And little by little, something began to change.
Kim Sooho felt less like an S-rank hunter and more like a neighborhood big brother with a goofy side.
The broker became a dependable helper, more than just a business partner.
And Jeong Man-ho now felt less annoying and more like a slightly ridiculous neighbor.
Maybe meeting people in person wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Of course, it was still a hassle and something to be careful about.
But I no longer felt like avoiding it unconditionally like I used to.
If anything, I was even starting to feel a little curiosity and anticipation.
Meeting Fridge.
Maybe that would open up new possibilities for me.
It wasn't just curiosity about an unknown item.
What kind of life did someone who was a mage like me live?
I found myself wanting to meet them in person and talk.
I tossed and turned in bed.
It was still a story far off in the future.