Chapter 52

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 52: Blaga’s Gift (2)

The place Hanul Kwon arrived at, following Park Tae-sik , was the latter’s personal workshop.

Although it was his second visit, the scene hadn’t changed much since the first. Tools were scattered all over, and various equipment hung on the walls. Each piece was extraordinary—one could easily call them masterpieces.

“This place is always impressive, no matter how many times I see it.”

“No need for flattery. Anyway, the equipment you’re here to see is…”

Just then, a stack of hammers leaning against the desk came crashing down. Park Tae-sik scratched his head in annoyance.

“Ugh, hang on a minute. Let me tidy this up first.”

While Park was organizing the mess, Hanul glanced around at the tools and equipment in the workshop.

“Huh?”

His gaze stopped on something. There stood a headless mannequin.

Hanul approached it, or rather, he focused on the clothes the mannequin was wearing.

It was dressed in a black suit—a classic style at a glance, unmistakably high-end.

The jacket had wide lapels and sharply defined lines from the shoulders to the arms. A vivid red tie knotted at the center of a crisp white shirt gave off a commanding presence.

The suit’s three-button design cinched tightly at the waist. It looked like only someone confident in their physique could pull it off.

“Wow…”

Hanul stared at the suit, momentarily entranced. He couldn’t understand why he was so drawn to it.

Out of all the impressive gear in the workshop, why was his attention caught by something as mundane as a suit?

“This is the first time I’ve seen you show any interest in a suit, Mr. Hanul.”

“Is that so?”

“Back before your debut, you were appalled at the idea of having to wear a suit out in public.”

“That was just because they’re uncomfortable.”

Hanul looked away awkwardly, but he kept glancing at the suit.

“Alright, finally done. I swear, this place never stays clean.”

Park brushed his hands off and walked over.

Hanul pointed to the suit and asked, “Did you have this suit tailored recently? Seems a bit small for you, though.”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Why would I wear something like that?”

“Then what is it?”

Hanul gestured toward the suit again. Park suddenly burst into laughter.

“I was wondering what you were getting at. That’s not mine—it’s yours!”

“You’re saying you had this suit made for me?”

“Why do you always miss the point? That is the armor sent from the Blaga family!”

At that, Hanul turned his gaze back to the suit, frowning in confusion.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I have time for jokes?”

“Then how exactly is a suit supposed to be armor?”

“Well, it’s rare, so I suppose it’s natural you wouldn’t know. But Hayun, you should be able to recognize it, right?”

Joo Hayun tilted her head in puzzlement. Then her eyes widened in realization.

“…Could it be a piece by the alchemical mage, Weber Heinkel?”

“Bingo.”

Park nodded in affirmation.

“It’s Weber Heinkel’s handmade No. 34—Blackriver. And, to my surprise, it’s made from dragon hatchling blood.”

Both Hanul and Hayun couldn’t help but be stunned.

In the world of dungeons and monsters, there are five standard danger rankings: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.

But the types of monsters are countless. Some defy categorization—creatures so dangerous that standard ranks can’t describe them.

Hunters assigned these exceptional threats with a special rank: S-class.

For example, the Eclipse monster that Kwon Chan-seong had previously slain was powerful enough to endanger the entire African continent. It was ranked as SSS-class.

Dragon Hatchlings, on the other hand, are typically S-class, sometimes even SS-class depending on the individual. In other words, incredibly powerful.

“Are you serious? That suit is made from dragon hatchling blood?”

Hanul had to ask again.

Despite their danger, dragon hatchlings are highly valuable for their by-products. Many of the world’s legendary weapons and armor are made from their hides and bones.

“I see the fire in your eyes now. Can’t blame you—dragon hatchlings are the pinnacle of draconic monsters.”

Why is the hatchling considered the pinnacle and not the adult dragon?

Simple—there have only ever been two recorded appearances of full-grown dragons in human history.

Since then, for decades, only hatchlings have appeared. In today’s world, they are essentially the strongest of their kind.

“The jacket was crafted from the hatchling’s blood. The shirt, from its bones.”

In short, the entire suit was made from the creature.

Still, Hanul couldn’t wrap his head around one thing.

“How do you make clothing out of blood and bone?”

Blood is a liquid, bone a solid—neither seems suitable for fabric.

“Weber Heinkel was a master of material-altering magic. That’s why he was called an alchemical mage. For him, transforming blood and bone into fabric was child’s play.”

Which is likely why Park thought Hayun might recognize it—she was afterall a witch.

“What kind of abilities does it have, specifically?”

“Well, it has auto-repair and just by wearing it, it… Ugh, forget it. You’ll find out yourself.”

Park scowled as if chewing on bugs.

Hanul cautiously asked, “You don’t seem to like it?”

“Of course I don’t. This thing is the epitome of inefficiency! What kind of lunatic uses dragon hatchling materials to make a suit for armor?!”

He exploded, as if waiting for an excuse to vent.

“He obsessed over aesthetics and completely failed to maximize the material’s potential! If I had those resources, I’d make something twice as powerful—no, three times!”

His rant didn’t look like it would end anytime soon. Hanul found an opening and interjected.

“So, the performance is subpar?”

“…Not exactly.”

Park’s tone softened a little.

“The performance is… decent—no, to be honest, it’s exceptional. You won’t find anything like it, even worldwide.”

His expression clearly showed he hated to admit it.

“To put it bluntly, it’s far too good for someone like you right now. Even world-ranking hunters would have no problem wearing it.”

“How much would it cost to buy?”

“You want to buy a Weber Heinkel piece? Don’t be stupid. His works are more collectibles than gear. You couldn’t get it for all the money in the world.”

Park smoothed the sleeve of Blackriver, adding, “For Catalina Blaga to send you something like this… It couldn’t have been an easy decision. I can’t say for sure, but I bet the Blaga family had to give up one of their foundation pieces for this.”

Hanul recalled what Catalina Blaga had said.

“You won’t be disappointed.” She hadn’t been bluffing.

“Want to try it on?”

As if entranced, Hanul nodded.

“There’s no fitting room, so change behind that pillar.”

Hanul carried the mannequin behind the pillar and started changing.

He took off his own clothes and began donning Blackriver. But a small problem arose.

“…Ugh…”

Unfamiliar with suits, Hanul couldn’t get it to sit right.

It had looked perfect on the mannequin, but on him, it was wrinkled and awkward.

“Well, performance is what matters, anyway…”

“What do you mean, performance is what matters?”

Startled, Hanul turned to see Joo Hayun standing behind him. While he gaped in surprise, she stepped in and adjusted his suit.

“You really don’t have to—”

“Of course I do. As a member of Hyukcheon, you need to at least wear a suit properly. Otherwise, how will you maintain dignity in public?”

Now that he thought about it, wasn’t formal attire for the Hyikcheon family… a suit?

Kwon Hanul had no choice but to let Joo Hayun take over and put himself in her hands.

What he couldn’t manage on his own, she handled flawlessly, leaving him neat and presentable.

“Why aren’t you wearing the tie?” she asked.

“It was a bit... difficult.”

Letting out a sigh, Joo Hayun tied the necktie for him herself.

Once the tie was secured, Kwon Hanul stepped out from behind the pillar.

“You two out here playing lovers now?”

As they emerged, Park Tae-sik greeted them with a gruff comment.

“The Witch of Hyukcheon, tending to a man like his maid. There’s a whole truckload of people who’d be shocked to hear this.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Oh? Talking back to me now... Alright, alright, I get it.”

When Joo Hayun shot him a cold glare, Park Tae-sik finally backed off.

“Hmph, well, I’ll admit—you clean up nicely.”

Coming from Park Tae-sik, who rarely gave compliments, that was high praise. That’s how well it suited him.

“So, how does it feel?” Park Tae-sik asked, but Kwon Hanul didn’t answer. He couldn’t—he was too stunned.

Blackriver – Suit Jacket

Grade: Legendary (S++)

Description: The 34th masterpiece of Arch-Alchemist Weber Heinkel. Crafted by weaving fabric from the blood of a dragon hatchling.

Dragon’s blood symbolizes resilient life force. Wearing this suit is akin to donning that very power.

Abilities:

Absorbs up to 30% of all external damage.

Reduces elemental damage below a certain threshold by 70%.

Complete immunity to low-tier fire-based attacks.

Blackriver – Suit Pants

Grade: Legendary (S++)

Description: The 34th masterpiece of Arch-Alchemist Weber Heinkel. Crafted by weaving fabric from the blood of a dragon hatchling.

Dragon’s blood symbolizes resilient life force. Wearing this suit is akin to donning that very power.

Abilities:

Absorbs up to 30% of all external damage.

Reduces elemental damage below a certain threshold by 50%.

Complete immunity to low-tier fire-based attacks.

Blackriver – Dress Shirt

Grade: Legendary (S++)

Description: The 34th masterpiece of Arch-Alchemist Weaver Heinkel. Woven from the processed rib bones of a dragon hatchling.

Dragon bone is more durable than any mineral known. Wearing this is like donning a fortress.

Abilities:

Increases all stats by 30%.

Boosts mana efficiency and regeneration by 40%.

Enhances resistance to all status effects by 70%.

Amplifies magic power by up to 30%.

Wearing the full Blackriver set unlocks special abilities.

Blackriver Set Bonus:

Auto-Repair: Automatically restores any damage to the equipment.

Enhanced Defense: Durability and protection increase by 100%.

Dragon Fear: Consumes mana to unleash the effect of Dragon Fear.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Park Tae-sik remarked.

Kwon Hanul could only nod blankly in awe.

“The individual parts are already incredible, but the set bonus—that’s the real game-changer. Auto-repair and enhanced defense? Even a world-ranked player would have a hard time scratching that armor.”

But that wasn’t even the most astonishing part.

“And Dragon Fear... I can’t help but respect that. How did they manage to replicate Dragon Fear?”

Dragon Fear—arguably the most powerful area-of-effect skill in existence.

Just activating it instills terror and can inflict internal damage on enemies.

Those exposed to Dragon Fear suffer multiple debuffs, while allies receive buffs instead.

“You have Black Dragon’s Blood, so this armor is a perfect match for you.”

Dragons and drakes are different monsters, but as dragonkin, they share certain affinities.

For Kwon Hanul, this gear was the best possible equipment. Likewise, for the gear, he was the ideal wielder.

“So, you like it?” Park Tae-sik asked curtly.

Kwon Hanul knew he was supposed to say no in situations like this. But he couldn’t lie.

“It’s incredible.”

Just then, Kwon Hanul noticed that Joo Hayun seemed... dissatisfied.

“Hayun?”

“...It just bothers me, like that ‘woman’ beat me to the punch,” she muttered, seemingly irritated.

Suddenly, she turned to Park Tae-sik.

“Master Park, there’s no weapon for a martial artist in the Blackriver set, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that’s true.”

Joo Hayun opened her dimensional storage. From it, she pulled out something that looked like elephant ivory and a large piece of leather.

Master Park Tae-sik immediately recognized them.

“That’s a dragon hatchling’s fang and hide, isn’t it?! How on earth did you get something so rare?”

“I once hunted a dragon hatchling with the chairman. This is what I received. Originally, I was going to use these to craft armor for Kwon Hanul, but...”

She handed both items to Park Tae-sik.

“Since he already has armor, please craft gloves for him using these.”

“You want me to use all of this?”

Park Tae-sik’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

One of the core skills of master craftsmen is material compression—in simple terms, compressing large quantities of materials to greatly enhance the item’s power.

Using all of this to make a single pair of gloves would result in an extraordinary item.

“But they must surpass that set.”

Joo Hayun glared at the Blackriver set as she said it, her words carrying such weight that even Master Park swallowed hard.

“Y-yeah... I’ll do my best.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]