45
Running dungeons every day without fail, save for one day a week for maintenance, the two weeks had slipped by in the blink of an eye.
And so, he returned to Daejeon once more.
"Try these on."
The middle-aged man who still hadn't given his name held out neatly folded garments.
Black coat, black shirt, black pants.
And finally, black boots.
He had taken measurements two weeks ago, and it didn't take long to realize the middle-aged man before him wasn't the joking type.
Besides, having already seen with his own eyes the artisan on the first floor drawing minerals out like thread to weave into clothing, it wasn't difficult to guess that these garments he now held out weren't ordinary clothes but armor meant for dungeon wear.
"Oh."
After changing into all the clothes in the fitting room, an exclamation of admiration slipped out unbidden.
Contrary to its appearance, the shirt's elasticity was beyond imagination, and however it was made, even the feel against the skin was incredibly soft.
The pants, which didn't cling too tightly, were the same as the shirt.
The coat's hem wasn't too long, so it didn't seem like it would hinder movement or combat, and though he clearly hadn't measured his foot size, the boots' fit was more satisfying than any footwear he had ever worn.
"It does look a bit drab, but with your good fundamentals, you finally have something of a hunter-like vibe."
He didn't know what a hunter-like vibe meant, but the fit was so satisfying even before considering performance that he wanted to wear them as everyday clothes—comfort alone was truly the best.
"Don't expect shield-like performance."
"I won't."
Anyone who expected such performance would clearly be someone who had lost all conscience.
"Excluding the boss, it'll block most attacks from the creatures that appear in C-rank dungeons. When I say block, I only mean preventing penetration—it doesn't mean it'll absorb all the impact, so don't misunderstand and end up in the afterlife resenting me for nothing."
"Thank you."
Unnecessary remarks had been tacked on at the end, but he lightly pretended not to hear them and expressed his gratitude. The middle-aged man then gave a small, sheepish cough and turned away.
"Follow me."
The place the middle-aged man led him to was an open space.
He pointed to a black case placed in the center.
"Try swinging it."
Baek Woojin walked to the center and opened the case.
A length perfectly matching the halberd he had previously used.
However, not everything was the same.
First, the color.
The previous one had the bright gray hue typical of ordinarily refined steel, like a mass-produced item.
But the new one lying in the case was coated in an ink-black shade so deep from end to blade that it seemed to swallow even light.
"It's heavy."
"The weight increased four times compared to the one you used before, so it would be stranger if it wasn't."
Just as the middle-aged man said, the previous halberd could be swung easily with one hand, but the new halberd, even though his stats had increased somewhat over two weeks, required both hands to swing properly.
'Would I be able to use it in actual combat if I take a strength potion?'
After swinging the halberd a few more times, he concluded that even with the help of a potion, practical use in real combat was still premature.
"This one contains precious materials that you couldn't obtain even if you died and came back to life, so never lose it. Understood?"
"As long as it's not taken from me by force."
Baek Woojin opened his item box and slipped the halberd right in, right in front of the middle-aged man, as he said that.
"...If you're done with your business, go back now."
"What about the headset?"
When he tapped the thing on his head, the middle-aged man blinked for a moment, then made the same awkward expression as two weeks ago and strode past Baek Woojin.
"What are you doing? Aren't you coming?"
"I'm coming."
After coming down from the second floor and crossing about half of the first floor, Baek Woojin casually spoke.
"Next time, I'll bring at least one useful material."
"Hah! I'm not expecting that, so just don't ruin what I painstakingly made and use it for a long time."
At first glance it might sound like mere dismissal, but Baek Woojin read the concern for him within those words.
"I'll use it gratefully and well."
"...Just hand over the headset and hurry up and leave."
The middle-aged man grumbled as he reached out his hand.
"……?"
However, when the headset wasn't placed in his hand even after a long while, the middle-aged man slightly furrowed his brow and glared at Baek Woojin. In response, Baek Woojin calmly accepted that gaze and spoke.
"The taxi hasn't arrived yet."
The equipment was appreciated, but that grateful feeling didn't block out the noise.
**
Two more weeks after receiving the new equipment.
'What should I say to Schroding.'
Through boss subjugation and repetitive monster hunting, his stats steadily increased and his bank account grew fatter by the day, but the magic stones, which he considered most important, amounted to only 1 in total.
Baek Woojin, who was suffering from a headache over a problem others wouldn't even consider a worry, watched the rapidly passing scenery outside and scratched his ear for no reason.
People can forget things as they live.
To nag him until the train time approached just because he forgot to send a message after successfully clearing the tower.
'She's not even Mrs. Jang.'
Of course, separate from the nagging, Geum Na-hee had once again packed him plenty of potions. That was also the reason he had quietly listened to her nagging for over an hour.
"Seems like you come down about once a month."
Arriving at Busan Station, Baek Woojin immediately caught a taxi and headed toward Centum.
It was because the observation schedule for the high-rank dungeon, which he had expressed interest in 4 weeks ago, was today.
"Oh my, it seems Hongryeon is entering a big dungeon today."
"Please drop me off over there."
"Got it~"
Getting out a short distance from the Hongryeon building, Baek Woojin walked toward where black vans were lined up and sent a text to Hong Yeon-ha.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He was about to pass the van at the very back when the sound of someone tapping on the van's window made him stop and turn his head. Then the heavily tinted window rolled down, and Hong Yeon-ha, who had neatly arranged her red hair, waved her hand and revealed her face.
"You came a bit early."
"As someone taking the bus, I can't be late."
Hong Yeon-ha didn't bother answering and rested her arm on the window sill, tapping the car door with her fingers as she asked.
"Luggage?"
"I've packed everything where it can't be seen."
"Well, if it's you, you would've prepared well enough. Get in if you don't need to use the restroom."
Hong Yeon-ha opened the door herself, and Baek Woojin briefly glanced at the other vans lined up before boarding the same van as her.
"Sit wherever you're comfortable. It's just the two of us riding anyway."
"In that case."
Hong Yeon-ha laughed at Baek Woojin's action of reclining the backrest and leaning against the chair in an overly comfortable posture.
"Even if you read the room, shouldn't you be reading my mood?"
"We're both in the same position of taking the bus, why would I read your mood?"
"I'm the one who gave you that opportunity, you know?"
"Thank you."
Even at the soulless thanks, Hong Yeon-ha wasn't particularly offended. Rather, she looked at him with eyes full of interest as if finding it even more amusing.
The same age as her.
Even possessing skills far superior to hers, who had shattered world records.
It would be stranger not to be interested.
"When are you going to drop the formal speech?"
"Who knows."
Hong Yeon-ha was quietly observing the side profile of Baek Woojin, who was practically lying down.
The driver's door opened and a woman wearing a red uniform got in.
"Unnie, weren't you on vacation today?"
Apparently knowing each other, when Hong Yeon-ha spoke amicably, the woman who started the engine and grabbed the steering wheel looked back through the rearview mirror and smiled.
"I heard the young lady brought a man, so I had to come see even if I had to pay for it."
"I didn't bring him; he came on his own."
"In professional terms, we call that 'hooked.'"
"Shut up and just drive."
Baek Woojin, who had been letting their conversation go in one ear and out the other, straightened the reclined backrest at the woman's glance through the rearview mirror and slightly bowed his head in greeting.
"I'm Lee Da-young. If you pulled your hair up a bit more, you'd be exactly my type."
"Unnie. You know he's the same age as me, right?"
"Young lady. When someone's pretty and handsome, age doesn't matter."
"What are you talking about? Are you crazy?"
"We're departing~"
As they started moving following the lined-up vans, Lee Da-young finally quieted down.
"What? Is older women your type?"
Since he was staring at Lee Da-young's face reflected in the rearview mirror, Hong Yeon-ha, who was watching that, furrowed her brow and took issue with it.
"More than younger women."
"What?"
Not expecting him to answer that way, bewilderment appeared on Hong Yeon-ha's face.
"Should we quickly clear the dungeon and have dinner together, oppa? I know a good restaurant."
"No."
"Come on~ don't be like that──"
"How about you just focus on driving?"
When Hong Yeon-ha's eyes blazed with anger, Lee Da-young shrank her neck slightly and stuck out her tongue.
"Hah."
Hong Yeon-ha began to blatantly show her displeasure. However, unfortunately, no matter how much discomfort she showed, Baek Woojin didn't even give her a glance.
'Lee Da-young, Lee Da-young…….'
He didn't know her face, but it was definitely a name he had heard before the regression.
And from news related to the Hongryeon Guild.
"Hey."
'I can't remember what the news was about.'
"Are you ignoring me?"
'It didn't seem like it was good news, though.'
"Are you just going to keep staring into the mirror?"
"Young lady. This is what you call mature charm."
"Unnie, can you please shut up and just focus on driving, okay?"
Ironically, as Hong Yeon-ha started a childish argument with Lee Da-young, Baek Woojin closed his eyes to examine his deeply submerged memories a bit more closely.
"Want to put rank insignias on and have a go at it?"
"Young lady. I'm against that, you know?"
Of course, just because he closed his eyes didn't mean he could always maintain his concentration.