Creak.
The sound of the rusted hinges grates harshly on the ears.
However, more bothersome than the rusted hinges is the stench piercing his nose—a foul odor mixing mold, dust, and filth.
The knight, whose sense of smell was several times more sensitive than others, involuntarily furrowed his brow.
Flinch!
But perhaps the furrowed brow caused a misunderstanding, the boy flinched, thinking he was angry.
"I-I'm sorry."
"Hm? Why are you apologizing all of a sudden? I'm not angry."
"B-but your expression..."
"The stench is just that bad. Yet you don't change your expression at all in this kind of environment."
"I-I come to this space often, so... I guess I've probably adapted to it."
"Is that so."
"Y-yes..."
Hearing that he wasn't angry, the timid boy finally felt relieved, but the kid was still walking on eggshells, making Yi Han feel unnecessarily sorry.
At the same time, an unbidden sense of pity arose within him.
'It's not good if that becomes a habit...'
What kind of surrounding environment made "I'm sorry" his catchphrase and looking for cues a passive skill?
A bitter laugh escaped the knight.
'He's just like me.'
It reminded him of his childhood in his past life, after losing his grandfather and getting pushed around everywhere, evoking a deep sense of empathy.
That must be why he cared even more and ended up meddling.
"Setting up a workshop in a place that seems bound to ruin your health... that's really..."
"T-that's, ......I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing. You're making me look like the bad guy."
"......"
"...Fine, I'm sorry. I'm the bad guy, damn it."
"...Haha."
As he grumbled playfully, the timid boy seemed to finally relax, letting out a small laugh and looking a bit less timid.
Then, shortly after.
"Ah! I-It's here, Instructor."
"...Oh."
Where the kid stopped and pointed, there was nothing but a thick wall.
If a third party had been present, they would have suspected, 'Did he drag me all the way to this stinking sewer to mock me?' and gotten extremely annoyed, but he did not.
He didn't know if the timid boy knew this, but his senses told him there was an empty space beyond the thick wall.
"Do I just hit it with all my might?"
"U-usually, people figure out a way to enter, they don't think about breaking the wall, do they?"
"Why would I leave a shortcut unused?"
"...Umm, a normal person can't break a 1-meter thick wall with their bare hands."
The boy scratched his cheek as he counter-argued, and tapped the wall familiarly.
Thud, thud-thud, thud-thud.
A consistent rhythm.
It was clearly not a skill practiced just once or twice, and an ordinary person probably wouldn't even know what pattern it was.
'Four times downwards, two weak taps upwards, then one strong strike. After that, five sweeping taps from the middle?'
But that was just talk for ordinary people; he watched in wonder, somehow catching every subtle difference that others wouldn't even notice.
Screeeeech...
A noise that made the rusted hinges sound like nothing occurred, and the wall slowly sank downwards.
And what was revealed was—.
"W-welcome to my [Workshop]."
Derek opened his mouth as if this was a line he'd always wanted to say, yet somehow looked embarrassed.
...Still.
'It's definitely something to be proud of.'
It truly was a magnificent space worthy of admiration.
A [Secret Workshop] that he never thought would exist in such a deep sewer revealed itself.
* * *
Underground sewer.
A facility rated as one of the five great achievements of the great God of War.
At first, all the nobles cried out in opposition and complained about the budget, but after the God of War pushed it through and completed the sewer, it was said that the kingdom even wept while praising the God of War.
Well, it was understandable.
Originally, it was everyday life to have streets overflowing with filth and muddy water emitting a rotting stench, but after the sewer was completed, clean drinking water became available cheaply, and public restrooms were built so people no longer dumped their waste by the roadside.
Furthermore, as the streets became cleaner, stomach illnesses and fevers reportedly decreased.
It was no exaggeration to call it a great achievement.
"They say it's no exaggeration that no one has died from stomach illness since this sewer was built. Originally, 30 out of 100 people died from stomach illnesses, but it dropped to less than 3."
"Why the sudden history lecture?"
"I-I'm a cadet in the history department, you know."
"Huh, and such a history department cadet shows the audacity to openly set up a workshop on the former king's achievement."
"T-this space itself was originally here. ...Still, you have to keep the workshop a secret, okay? If I get caught, I go straight to the guillotine."
"Don't worry. Since I've come here, I'm an accomplice from today onwards."
"......I didn't bring you here with that in mind."
Derek scratched his head with an awkward smile, and leaving Derek be, Yi Han quietly observed the workshop.
'They absolutely splashed money all over this place.'
Yi Han clicked his tongue as he checked the items filling the space of just over 10 pyeong.
He couldn't accurately measure their value, but an extraordinary aura emanated from every single one of them.
A dresser full of herbal scents.
This was more densely packed than what he had seen at an oriental medicine clinic, and the herbal scent emanating from each drawer was unusual.
Larger than a cauldron, the Medicine Decoction Vessel (藥湯器) emanated an extraordinary presence, and the mortars and beakers, though old, contained an unordinariness that contrasted with their worn appearance.
It was a space that looked like a combination of an alchemist's and an oriental doctor's lab, truly revealing a harmony of East and West.
"Since when did you make this space?"
"Umm, about a month? It's still very lacking, though."
"......"
"W-why are you looking at me like that?"
"...It's nothing."
As expected, the status window.
While others would have to work for decades to equip a workshop like this, he built one in just a month?
This was no different from a guy who hadn't even gone to grad school immediately getting a lab that even professors would envy.
'Seriously, how miserable must it be to live without a status window...'
He knew it was petty, but he was a bit jealous.
But the jealousy quickly disappeared.
Because.
"T-then, I will now begin the 'Refining (鉛丹)'."
Was he not using that incredible status window chance himself?
So now was the time to feel grateful.
The boy with the estimated class of Thief, but who also possessed the subclass of Alchemist, began refining the Ghost King's heart.
* * *
- I-I know how to do it, um... when it comes to handling medicine.
For the first time, Derrick boldly asserted his skills.
And why wouldn't he, when would such an opportunity ever come again!
'Jackpot! I never thought I'd get the chance to handle such an ultra-rare material!'
For Derrick, it was nothing short of luck.
His main class was [Thief].
Originally, he wanted the Warrior class, but he knew his own disposition well.
Being infinitely far from bravery, he chose Thief instead.
But it was fine.
The Thief class had many advantages as one developed it, and he could even use incredible skills like the Mantianhuayu he had shown the day before.
'The risk is still high, and it's infinitely lacking, though.'
Still, Derrick worked quite hard, and the subclass he chose for his own growth was [Alchemist].
The Alchemist class, which improved dexterity and allowed him to handle medicines and poisons, had good synergy with the Thief.
Thus, he gave his all to alchemy, and originally, when he went to the academy, he planned to enter the alchemy department, but...
'...the level was too low.'
He didn't know how bewildered and disappointed he was when he confirmed that his handling level was still only enough for two or three potions.
Feeling like his dexterity would rather decline, Derrick changed his path to the history department.
Planning to at least consume the Hidden Piece in the history department instead.
However, he didn't give up on developing the Alchemist class.
Using his wealth, capabilities, and even the Hidden Piece he could use right away, he finally completed this secret workshop.
And after completing the workshop, the 'unlocked skill' was none other than Mantianhuayu.
The crafting methods for the concealed weapons, poison, and medicine needed to use Mantianhuayu were imprinted in his mind.
In conclusion, the Alchemist class was essential, and when he saw its power as he unleashed it against the monsters the day before, he was even proud of having developed the Alchemist class.
...Still, there was a point that wasn't entirely satisfying.
'Mantianhuayu... this is truly a money-eating monster.'
As befitting a top-tier skill, just the poison and herbs used to execute it once required an enormous budget.
If a situation arose where he had to use it twice in a row, he might go bankrupt.
Anyway, to develop his class skills like this, the Alchemist skills needed to grow, and what was needed for growth was the existence of difficult-to-handle 'Rare Materials'.
Because the more he handled rare materials, the better his dexterity became.
But in such a situation.
'The Ghost King's heart...! This isn't just a rare material, this is the level where the final boss came out...'
Final boss-tier rare material.
Since it was a Ghost King weakened to the extreme, the quality of the material had dropped by about five stages.
Even so, it was the 'Ghost King's Heart'...!
It was more difficult to handle than any material he had ever dealt with, but its value was astronomical.
Honestly, he had some hesitation about whether he could handle it properly, but Derrick gladly raised his hand, saying he would handle it.
This was partly to grow his Alchemist class, but also because he was probably the only skilled person in the kingdom who could handle that material.
But above all, the reason he wanted to refine this material was inevitably...
'To repay the favor, if nothing else.'
He had a debt to repay.
...And it was continuing to pile up even now.
'......He probably put me in on purpose because I was struggling.'
He said in words that he brought him to make him an assistant, but Derrick was also perceptive.
Since he was receiving too much attention in the [Ghost King Subjugation Battle], he must have deliberately brought him to the Swordsmanship Department.
Knowing that if he received more attention than necessary, his activities would be restricted...
'......Just what kind of person is he?'
Derrick glanced at him.
At him, who was looking around the workshop without a single sign of agitation, even after entrusting him with such a precious material.
Wasn't he worried that he might burn this precious material?
He didn't know if he had guts, or if he simply wasn't attached to material wealth.
However, the reason Derrick was glancing at him now wasn't because of that kind of audacity—.
'-[Yibaluohan], [Meihua Jianfa]... this is teaching me way too openly.'
Besides, he couldn't help but notice from the words he occasionally used.
Of course, it could be his misunderstanding.
Wasn't this game and the [Original Work] created by [Made in Korea] in the first place?
Because of this, there was a possibility that oriental terms were occasionally mixed in like errors.
...But Derrick felt that wasn't the case, and sought another reason.
And the conclusion he reached was one.
Even if he wasn't a Player like himself—.
'A compatriot, perhaps?'
That he was a compatriot, someone who had entered this game in some way.
And if he was truly such a person.
'I must apologize.'
As a developer who created this damn game, ...shouldn't he convey his apologies?
Blaze!
Derrick began handling the medicinal ingredients with full concentration, wanting to repay that fraction of apology.
...But unfortunately, the passion shown alongside that apology.
'That guy is the real deal?'
He needed to know just how dangerous of an action it was...
'...Wow, no joke, I should really make him an assistant.'
He was the Assistant No. 2 he had spoken of in a half-joking manner, but seeing him like this, he couldn't help but feel greedy.
Not only did he listen better than Assistant (Slave) No. 1, but he was also diligent.
On top of that, he used alchemy, and even used [Mantianhuayu].
Additionally, he had a feeling there was still more to come.
This was...
'To think I'd meet a guy who makes me drool more than a guy with an excavator license...'
It was like the emotion you'd feel when a '10-year veteran of manual labor' appeared before a chief warrant officer.
It was nothing short of the appearance of a talent that must be made a master sergeant.
A regressor genius swordsman?
A possessed mage heroine?
Don't need any of that.
Skilled worker Taechang is the best.