Chapter 80 (1/2)

Adam (1)

The next day, I took care of a few guild related issues in the car heading to the airport. In addition to the summary I received from Secretary Kim, I had a mountain of reports to read. Also, Danton’s data was delivered directly to me without passing through Secretary Kim, so I had to check them one by one.

After I finished reading the lengthy research report on the development of mass-produced artifacts, I wrote some feedback and sent it to the US partner. The following email that I checked was about how they planned to move the remaining payment from the sale of [Vital Flame]. When they sold less than 1 percent of the stocks, the profit was already billions of dollars. When all the flames that were mined last were disposed of, the settlement was enormous, and it was impossible to dispose of such a large amount of money in the shadows at once.

‘In the first place, the reason why I set up a joint venture also included a tunnel for the money to exist.’

Instead of transferring all of the funds in Korea, some were reinvested locally as development costs, and some were used as funds to recruit hunters through agencies. It was also used, in part, to purchase items that were not worth producing myself.

‘But there’s still a lot left.’

As I was writing a few emails like that, suddenly, the terminal’s hologram changed, and the phone connection sound rang.

“Nate?” Nate’s face filled the screen as I brought my hand to the hologram. He looked like he was about to cry.

“Jin-Wook!” he said in a hurried voice.

I could guess at the purpose of the phone call, so I said in a bold voice, “I’m a little busy right now.”

“So, I heard! You said you’re going aboard a plane! You said you were going abroad!” He babbled as if he would be in trouble if he missed this opportunity, “Take this off me before you go!” Nate pointed his finger at a small tattoo on the back of his neck.

I sighed lightly, “It’s impossible. I told you it’s a completely fused item.”

After stopping the Gwacheon break, I requested the ministry spirit for three out of ten items to be related to the keyword Sebrarian Empire. According to my request, the Spirit selected three items that I didn’t know existed.

“It’s an item you need.”

The crystalline item among the three was a kind of armor. After a brief thought, I gave it to Nate. It was indeed a useful item for both Nate and Hibiki, who had the summon and manipulative type skills, but Hibiki could wrap herself with her defensive spell and protect herself.

However, as soon as I brought the crystal near Nate’s neck, it flowed like water and left a tattoo-like pattern on his skin, according to the item’s instructions.

“Well, that’s that…why didn’t you explain it from the beginning! That ‘something like this’ is going to come out!” And, it wasn’t just the tattoo that appeared.

Nate is complaining, “He’s been following me all day! When I eat, when I sleep, when I train….” His face was all distorted, “No, at least it should go away when I poo!”

I sighed again with a small sigh, ‘From the result of the experiment, the performance is excellent. No, I should say it’s too good?’

As he saw my face, he spoke in a sulky manner, “You can be so easy-going because you can’t see it, Jin-wook!”

Actually, I could. The first time I tried to attach it and the tattoo was activated, Nate and I were surprised. The artifact, which settled on the skin, sucked up Nate’s Mana and rose above his head and shoulders like smoke. It materialized in the air and changed to a blue light shape similar to a human.

‘I thought I was looking at the genie of the magic lamp.’

Its lower half of the body became thinner as it went down, land the tail connected to Nate’s neck was like the Spirit of the lamp as I saw in a TV cartoon. The difference was that the whole body was made up of blue Mana. The appearance resembled a familiar, feminine body.

‘She looks exactly like the Ministry Spirit.’

But I didn’t think she had free will like the one I had met. Instead, it was more like the familiar automatic message to the hunters…a controlled cognition. The Spirit of the Artifact, which revealed itself like that, spoke telepathically and in a stiff tone that displayed no emotion:

– Confirmation of the completion of the attribution procedure. Initiating a close defense around the protected person.

The name of the item was:

[The 3rd Class Imperial Guard Program (Rank: SS.)]

– Item Description: A defense system developed for the safety of the third-class imperial family of the Sebrarian Empire. Fully imputed immediately upon initiation and automatically performs an ‘active defense procedure’ if a threat is detected to the protected body.

※ In order to ensure the safety of the subject of protection, the protective actions of the item may precede the risk recognition of the subject.

The Spirit, which appeared like that, did not disappear but continued to follow Nate, mainly because it was connected to him. Instead of blood and flesh, she was made up of his Mana, so of course, it was visible.

‘I can see it as well.’

The description of the item that the system message informed was too inessential, and it tended to explain its performance and use vaguely. If he had known in advance that it would be work that way, Nate would have refused.

“I read you the description of the item last time, didn’t I? It seems that the people of the royal family didn’t feel uncomfortable and found no issue even when ghosts like that followed them. So, wouldn’t it be okay if you got used to it?”

“I just can’t get used to it!”

I said while half-listening, “And, be careful. Don’t make a mess like last time. And train the Spirit well. If you don’t want to blow up another accommodation during training, that is.”

Even though the Spirit that manipulates the artifacts does not have free will, it could learn, like artificial intelligence. Thanks to this, the Spirit now has enough knowledge to distinguish between training situations and real threats.

It was fortunate for Nate.

“Well, that doesn’t happen as I wish!”

I changed the topic, “Oh, you have one thing to do while I’m out,” I asked Nate to mine more [Vital Flame], “I’ve spoken to Gate Keepers’ side. If you go alone, you’ll have trouble with traveling, so go with Hibiki.”

“That… That, I got it. But then, is there really no way to take this off?”

I spoke calmly to try and alleviate his sulk, “There is only one way to change the owner of a fully attributed item.”

Nate’s eyes flashed sparks of hope, “What is that?!”