An awkward silence ensued as Hanul took a good look at the group he presumed to be Amna imperial knights. The symbol of a black beast engraved on their silvery-white chest plate could not be mistaken as something other than the insignia of the renowned order.

One of the men soon stepped forward and spoke, “Alright, stop patting us down with your stares. You saw nothing here, understood?”

“Excuse me?” Hanul asked as if he misheard. Saw nothing? Where did that come from? “With all due respect, kind sir, I don’t understand what you mean,” Hanul added.

“Apologies, what my friend here meant was that… Is it alright with you to pretend you didn’t see us here and hand over the Crimson Slime’s core? Of course, we won’t take advantage of you. We will pay the fair market price,” another knight stepped in. From his sharp look and tall demeanor, one could tell he was the head—or at least the de facto leader—of the group.

Hanul couldn’t point out exactly who was the captain of the unit as they all wore the same, but his guess was probably right on the money.

Hanul pondered for a bit before deciding, “That won’t be a problem.” He then flashed his credit card.

The acting leader heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. “I believe for something the size of this core… It would fetch around five gold credits, no? Is that a fair price for you?” he offered with a smile, holding his own card and looking as amiable as he could.

“That sounds about right.”

With a light tap, the two white credit cards glowed and a transfer was made. This instantaneous, snappy convenience had made monetary transactions in this world a breeze.

The expression of the group quickly brightened after having the deal pushed through. “If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave,” the acting leader said as he bowed courteously.

“Actually, there’s something I do want to ask.” It wasn’t in his nature to meddle with anyone's business. However, Hanul took it upon himself to fill his curiosity this time around. He stowed away the [Sea Severing Sword] in his storage ring. Without a sheath to carry it around like he would a normal sword, it was the only way he could keep it.

He then brought out his usual sword, a sleek katana with a deep green handle. Hanul cleared his throat, “Who are you people?”

Imperial armor and white credit cards? Those were clear indications that these men were no ordinary knights. Their pathetic display of combat skills, however, betrayed all those.

“Draw your swords and let them talk.” With a dash a quick sweep of his blade, Hanul was able to force the men to defend themselves.

…

Vale Allister [Lvl 55]

…

Hanul Haka [Lvl 24]

…

With the sudden clash triggering the systems of both sides, illusory characters indicating their name, level, and special title started floating above their heads.

“What is the meaning of this!?” the knight captain, Vale, protested, “Are you reneging on our deal!?”

Hanul shook his head and smiled sheepishly. “No, not at all.” He then retreated, sheathing his katana. “I was just testing something out. I hope you won’t bear any ill will from this.”

The faces of the knights twitched hearing this, but witnessing what the mysterious swordsman could do—slaying the Crimson Slime in one fell swoop—they dared not mess with him.

The imperial knights left the dungeon without protests, uttering not a single word.

“43rd division… Is that not too many divisions for a group that’s supposed to be ‘few and elite’?” Hanul muttered. “Something isn’t right…”

Besides having too many a division, there was nothing “elite” about those knights he just met. Having crossed swords, Hanul could tell that aside from his exceptional brute strength, the captain, Vale, was an amateur at handling swords. He fought like a trainee at best. Hanul had fought his fair share of battles back in the Rising Sun Continent, and not once had he met an acclaimed warrior with such a novice-like skill.

‘He’s level 55 as well…’ Hanul thought of another detail he caught sight of. If he was really that strong, Vale alone could have handled the Crimson Slime and break not a sweat. The monster was merely a level 30 mob that even a level 24 like Hanul could kill. “I’ll have to inform them of this…’

---

Ten woke up the next day feeling well-rested. The morning somehow felt extra cozy.

He rose from his bed and washed up. For almost a month he believed he came to the Twilight Continent without a boon. But now, it seemed a fortune has finally befell him. It wouldn’t take a genius to realize the boundless potential of the Celestial Blueprint.

He opened his blacksmithing shop with glee, but the gleeful feeling quickly vanished as soon as he realized no one knew of his amazing skill. Not even Hanul had realized it yet.

‘Should I advertise it?’ he thought for a moment before promptly deciding against it. ‘That’s too dangerous to do just yet.’

The ‘promoting’ part was simple. At the end of the day, he was once a business major. However, dangers lurked everywhere. If he were to announce to the world that he was a man who could forge their perfect, dream weapon, it would be like signing himself to get kidnapped and taken advantage of.

What can a level 1 do against the greed of man?

Ten pondered for a way out of this dilemma. To advertise, or not to advertise—it was a paradoxical problem that could end up nowhere.

“Excuse me, sir? Are you open?” a voice suddenly snapped Ten out of his train of thought. “I’d like something custom-made if your schedule is open.” It was a young man not any older than Ten.

Ten took a look at the young man and immediately noticed something peculiar, ‘A wolf in sheep's clothing huh. I guess it’s not uncommon for rich people to hide their identities and all that.’ Despite the plain-looking clothes, Ten could see through the facade. The meek young man clearly came from an affluent family. His time as a young master of the Huan Clan has trained his eyes to differentiate the classes on a whim.

‘Well, it’s none of my business why he’s hiding his true identity. Business is scarce and at this point… I’ll take what I can,’ Ten thought.

With a bright smile, he offered, “Hi. A custom-made weapon, yes? What do you have in mind?”