By Zephyria Dressed in a suit with a gentle demeanor, the civil servant Jung-bin, who had been scanning his phone, sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, watching the only S-Class The Artisan in the world put on a mud-floor tantrum show.
“Give me that Mana Stone!”
“Um— Hong Ye-seong, sir, you didn’t see anything.”
“Aaaa, I want you to get it for me.”
Flailing his limbs on the floor, he looked just like a child throwing a fit in the toy aisle of a supermarket. At Jung-bin’s gesture, an Awakened Management Bureau employee standing near the entrance of the traditional Korean house approached and bowed. Jung-bin whispered quietly.
“Since when did The Artisan Village have such good Wi-Fi? Didn’t you cut off Ye-seong’s Wi-Fi when he was admitted this time?”
“Of course, we did… but Lee Sa-young connected the communication lines and Wi-Fi, and in return, he was commissioned to make gloves.”
“Ah, that guy is really no help. Cut it off again here as soon as this job is done.”
“Yes, I understand. And it seems he got this information through Ranker Chat. The Mana Stone story was circulating in every channel.”
“I wish everyone would cooperate. They have no business ethics.”
Even as Jung-bin clicked his tongue and sighed briefly, Hong Ye-seong repeated the same words like a broken recorder.
“I want to go to Seoul. Give me the Mana Stone.”
“Seriously, you were the one who asked to be locked up in Jirisan. Teacher, you can’t leave here until you finish making all the weapons.This man, rolling around on the dirt floor even in white clothes, was none other than Hong Ye-seong, the 7th ranked in Korea and the one and only S-Class The Artisan, ‘Eccentric’.
Six years ago, a Gate opened in the middle of the Korea National University of Arts campus. It was evening, so there weren’t many students on campus, but the problem was the fourth-year art students who had become studio spirits preparing for their graduation projects. They stood at a crossroads, torn between choices.
Graduation project? Or life?
Most, of course, chose life. They were too young and too resentful to die like this. Going to heaven just after working on a graduation project was too much! Since the Gate was an act of God, the professors would take it into consideration! The students trembled with hammers and saws, hiding in the most secluded places they could find.
But there was one person. Hong Ye-seong, a fourth-year ceramics student.
He remained seated in his studio, whether the Gate opened or not. Even when the Monsters crawled out of the Gate, climbed the exterior walls of the building, and broke into the studio through the windows, Hong Ye-seong continued to mold pottery in his place.
And he Awakened. As an S-Class The Artisan.
The government first kept his Awakening episode confidential. The moment they announced that a college student working on his graduation project ignored the Gate and Monsters and Awakened as an S-Class The Artisan, it was obvious that the number of Hong Ye-seong wannabes who would stand their ground even if a Gate burst open would increase. It was a story that had to be absolutely sealed for the sake of the people’s safety.
Anyway, Hong Ye-seong, the greatest output of the ceramics department and the person who raised the entrance exam scores of ceramics departments nationwide, was the first S-Class The Artisan to appear in the world after the Day of the Rift. Moreover, he had truly amazing characteristics.
[Trait: Deadline Finisher (L)
Work efficiency increases and speed increases as the deadline approaches.
(If production is completed while the skill is activated, the quality increases by an additional 50%)]
Government and Bureau of Rift Management officials applauded as soon as they saw Hong Ye-seong’s Awakened data. He was a precious S-Class The Artisan and even possessed an L-Class trait. He was a talent who would greatly enhance Korea’s Hunter competitiveness in the future.
However, the moment Hong Ye-seong’s existence and traits were widely publicized, headhunters from overseas flocked to Korea, targeting him. After all, Mr. Hong was the only S-Class The Artisan in the world! As more countries and organizations wanted him, the Korean government became increasingly anxious. They were desperate to keep Hong Ye-seong in Korea at all costs.
The people also prayed earnestly with all their hearts. Suggestions such as taking away Hong Ye-seong’s passport and issuing an exit ban were nothing special and were common on the internet, and the media constantly discussed the value he could create. It was on one of those ordinary days.
Hong Ye-seong, who had become neurotic from headhunters knocking on his hotel door every night, shouted, “F**k you, I’m Korean!” and requested protection from the Korean government. And he demanded one more thing in addition to the state’s protection.
“When my work deadline approaches, no matter what I say, lock me up in a mountain with good water, good air, good energy, and no contact with the outside world.”
It was ‘imprisonment’.
The government, already worried that Hong Ye-seong might suddenly leave for another country and wanting to lock him up in a secret place to prevent him from leaving the country, was overjoyed at his request.
“Yes? Oh, that’s great, no, ahem. What’s the reason?”
“Well, I actually have another trait?”
It is said that there is no perfect human being in the world. Hong Ye-seong also had a fatal ability control device.
[Trait: Sluggard (L)
You want to postpone everything. (A lot.)]
The System performed its own balance patch with traits instead of giving an S-Class The Artisan. A trait that puts things off and barely manages to create one item before the deadline. A crazy human who controls outstanding talent with traits. The embodiment of last-minute cramming who only burns up when the deadline is right in front of him.
But that was something! The Korean government designated several mountains with good energy throughout the country for the lazy Eccentric and nicely locked Hong Ye-seong up there when the time came. Last time it was Seoraksan Mountain, the time before that it was Gyeryongsan Mountain, and this time it was The Artisan Village in Jirisan.
Jung-bin rested his chin on his hand and took a deep breath. He stared blankly at the white lump lying on the floor and said.
“I even canceled my appointment with Lee Sa-young today to come and catch Ye-seong, sir. You know that, right?”
“Hey, civil servant.”
Instead of answering, Hong Ye-seong called out to Jung-bin. Unlike his whining voice from before, his tone was a little calmer.
“If I make a weapon with that Mana Stone, I can make at least an S+ grade one. I can tell just by looking at the picture.”
“Oh?”
Jung-bin raised his eyebrows, looking a little surprised. The highest grade of equipment Hong Ye-seong had made so far was S-Class. He had said that he needed both materials and skills to make higher-grade items. So Jung-bin couldn’t help but be tempted by the idea of an S+ grade weapon.
Jung-bin had also been briefed about the unidentified Mana Stone seller while flying to Jirisan by helicopter. To be exact, it was about a crazy guy who put a sparkling Mana Stone on Tomato Market.
The fact that he didn’t put such a precious thing on the Hunter Market meant that it must be a shady item, but seeing Hong Ye-seong acting like this, the quality must be certain. And even though there was only a picture, the Mana Stone looked pretty good to Jung-bin’s eyes. It was also a type that had never been distributed in Korea before.
But where did something like that suddenly come from?
Did he steal it from someone? Or was it smuggled in from overseas? While setting up various hypotheses, something flashed through Jung-bin’s mind like lightning. The reason why Lee Sa-young, who had broken into the Awakened Management Bureau not long ago, had turned the Awakened database upside down. He said that a skilled Unregistered Person was wandering around.
Jung-bin jumped up from his seat and squatted next to Hong Ye-seong, who was flopping on the floor like a freshly caught fish.
“Hong Ye-seong, sir.”
“Aaaa, give me the Mana Stone. Bring the Mana Stone and then talk.”
Where had the slightly clearer eyes from before gone? Jung-bin gently coaxed Hong Ye-seong, who had returned to being a five-year-old tantrum-thrower.
“Listen for a second. That Mana Stone, it’s really good, right?”
“Of course. Just by looking at it, you can tell it’s top-notch, with no impurities or Monster energy mixed in. Ah, give me the Mana Stone!”
“The number of people who can get such a Mana Stone must be limited. Right?”
“It must be at least a Ranker in the top 100.”
“Top Rankers usually don’t trade like amateurs, leaving traces everywhere. Right?”
“Of course. There’s a black market and a Hunter Market, so why would they put it on Tomato Market? Are they stupid?”
Hong Ye-seong, who had spoken bluntly, began to jump around again.
“Ah, I still can’t believe it… I’m in Jirisan, so I can’t see the Seoul Tomato Market! Ack! Next time, lock me up in Bukhansan!”
“Yes, yes, I’ll tell the Director that the next exile destination will be Bukhansan. And,”
Jung-bin got up from his seat and dusted off his knees.
“I’ll try to find that Mana Stone.”
“…Really?”
At Jung-bin’s refreshing words, Hong Ye-seong raised his head sharply. His white fleece was covered in dirt, and his eyes were overflowing with clear madness, making him look like a Pomeranian who had gone for a walk and drifted about 30 times in a dirt field.
“Yes.”
Jung-bin gave a 100% reliable smile that was often shown in public service advertisements. A strange confidence could even be felt in his voice.
“I feel like I’m going to find a gold mine while mining Mana Stones.”