The two stared at each other, neither of them said anything. His grandson Kwon Palmo didn’t know Specter’s face, but Kwon Noya did. He was the one who made Specter’s mask after all.[1]

The two didn’t care about appearances and were friends despite their age difference. Kwon Noya looked at Seo Jun-Ho with one eye squinted. “Excuse me…have you two met before?” 

Kwon Palmo tilted his head as he asked, but Kwon Noya shook his head. 

“Don’t worry about it. Palmo, fetch a glass of Agarit tea for our guest.”

“Huh? That precious tea…?” 

When Kwon Noya nodded, the giant headed to the kitchen, still stealing glances at Seo Jun-Ho. Seo Jun-Ho grinned as he watched his back get smaller. 

“He still listens well to his grandfather.”

“That’s because you don’t know. When he doesn’t listen, he gets stupidly stubborn.”

Seo Jun-Ho picked up the sword on the anvil. “But still, he learned well despite crying during all your scoldings. It’s a great sword. The balance of the weight is perfect.”

“...Hmph, I still have a lot to teach him.”

“As always, you’re still terrible with compliments.” Seo Jun-Ho chuckled as he walked over to him. “Why aren’t you welcoming me back? Aren’t you happy that I returned?”

“Happy?!” Kwon Noya had been heavily frowning but his expression quickly became disgusted. But it was only for a moment. His face cleared as he patted Seo Jun-Ho on the shoulder. 

“...You’ve gone through a lot. 

“Thanks. You’re still healthy. Your personality also seemed to have gotten softer.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere. Sit for now.” Immediately after offering Seo Jun-Ho a seat, Kwon Noya asked a question, his voice grave. “What was the reason?”

“What am I supposed to answer when you ask me like that?”

“I heard the summary from Shim Deok-Gu, but I didn’t hear the reason why you decided to come back.”

“Um, well, seeing is believing.” 

Seo Jun-Ho flicked his finger, and frost crystallized in the air. After staring at it with a piercing stare, Kwon Noya finally spoke. “Is that the Frost Queen’s skill?”

“Yeah. I got her skill, and now I have a chance to save my teammates.”

“I see.” Kwon Noya understood everything. If it was like that, the kindhearted idiot in front of him would return as a Player without a second thought. 

“So let’s do our best from now on since we have a lifelong contract anyways.”

“Hm?” Kwon Noya let out a meaningful sound. “The lifelong contract I signed was with Specter, not some newbie named Seo Jun-ho.”

“Hey, that’s not fair…you’re joking, right?” Seo Jun-Ho swallowed nervously. 

Kwon Noya burst out into laughter. “Ahahaha! It’s a joke. I wanted to see that stupid face of yours for once.”

“What stupid face? I’m very handsome.”

“Handsome my ass. You just look like a dandy. Our Palmo is the manly, handsome one.”

“Ohh is that so.” Before Kwon Noya started bragging about his grandson, Seo Jun-Ho had to finish his business. “I came because you said the sword is done.”

“The one you told me to make with dragon bones? It’s finished.”

“Hasn’t it only been five days since I commissioned you?”

“Hah, have you forgotten?” Kwon Noya went over to a shelf in the back and brought back a black scabbard. “I wield the hammer for you, and you wield the sword for me. That’s the promise we made.”

“I’m not the one that said that, right? It’s cringey.”

“...Ahem, check out the weapon.” 

Seo Jun-Ho took the scabbard into his hands, and his eyes started to sparkle. It was made of dragon bones, and the red symbol of Kwon Noya’s workshop was carved in the middle. 

“The red and black combo…it’s so cool.”

“The guy inside is even better,” Kwon Noya said, full of confidence. Seo Jun-Ho swallowed and looked at the hilt. It was the same black as the scabbard and was shaped like a dragon’s head. Filled with anticipation and excitement, Seo Jun-Ho wrapped his hand around it.

‘…It fits my hand perfectly.’ 

Despite the 25 years that passed, Kwon Noya still remembered his measurements. Seo Jun-Ho’s chest started to tingle and sour. But before he got all emotional, Seo Jun-Ho unsheathed the sword. 

Shing! 

A sharp sound reminiscent to that of the air being cut rang out. The blade that came out from the dragon’s mouth captivated him. It was like a work of art, and his jaw dropped as he studied it. 

As he was doing so, Kwon Noya started complaining from behind him. “You rascal, who throws someone a bunch of dragon bones and tells them to make a sword? I had to mix in some other materials.”

“Ah, that’s why it’s so shiny. It wouldn’t be like this if it was just made of bones.” 

“Its durability and magic conductivity is a lot better than if it was just pure bones.”

“Let me check. Item data.”

The information popped up in front of him. 

[Black Dragon Fang]

Grade: Unique

*Durable weapon: This sword is extremely durable. 

*Critical injury: Wounds caused by this sword are not easily healed.

*Persistent Hunter: If there is blood on the blade, its owner’s location can be roughly estimated. 

Use requirements: Level 23, 60 strength, 60 speed. 

“...Yes, this is what a sword should be,” Seo Jun-Ho muttered, entranced. He was using a random sword from the Association’s storage so far.

Most items made by smiths were usually Normal-grade, or Magic-grade if it was made well. But Kwon Noya was one of the most skilled, most famous blacksmiths in the world. Perhaps that was why Black Dragon Fang was Unique. 

“Your skill is as sharp as ever. It’s an amazing sword. A dragon’s fang, I like that.”

“As sharp as ever? I got even better, you rascal.” Kwon Noya smiled. He seemed happy to see Seo Jun-Ho grinning at the sword like a child. “You evil bastard. I was planning on retiring to my room and playing Go, but you’re making me work again.” 

“You? Playing Go with your personality? Don’t make me laugh. You’re not even that good.”

“Do you think I’m the same as before? I’m good now!” 

Their bickering eventually led to a Go board being taken out. At that moment, Kwon Palmo came in with an apron, carrying a tea table. “It’s hot, so please be careful.” He placed down the teacups and went upstairs after noticing Kwon Noya’s look that asked him to leave them alone.

“It’s a rare tea. Don’t spill any.”

“Geez Noya, you know I’ve had all sorts of expensive teas.” But as Seo Jun-Ho blew on the tea and took a sip, his eyes bulged. “W-what is this…?”

“Kukuku, doesn’t your head feel clear? And your eyes too? You want to drink more, don’t you?”

“What kind of tea is this?”

“I’ll tell you if you win.” Kwon Noya cackled, and Seo Jun-Ho had to grab a stone.

30 minutes later, Kwon Noya picked up the innocent stones and threw them on the ground. 

“This is a shitty game.”

“You weren’t supposed to play Go like that...”

“Shut up!” Kwon Noya drained the last of his now-cold tea. “Kid, have you heard of the Second Race?”

“Monsters with intelligence that are similar to humans? Orcs, elves, banshees…those guys?”

“That’s what we called them before, but their standards of intelligence are different on the 2nd floor.” Kwon Noya began placing the stones on the Go board to help with the explanation. He pushed the black stones to one corner of the board. “So, these black stones are members of the Second Race that Players have hunted in Gates thus far. We still call them monsters.”

“How about the white ones?” 

“They’re the ones we now call the Second Race.”

“What’s the difference between them?”

“Intelligence.” Kwon Noya tapped on his temple. “The ones we now call the Second Race are now all responsive to communication.”

“Wait. We can communicate with orcs?” Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes were filled with shock. All the orcs he had encountered so far could only screech gibberish. 

“Orcs are a race with a lot of tribes. There’s not a lot of them that we can communicate with.”

“But there are still some out there. But why are you suddenly bringing this up…?”

“You asked me about the tea.” Kwon Noya stroked the teacup. “It’s called Agarit tea. The elves cultivated the leaves themselves, and you can’t buy it with money.”

“...Not even on the 2nd floor?”

“Who knows. If you make a connection with the elves, you might be able to get some.” 

Seo Jun-Ho was a little disappointed since he liked the tea. 

“Noya, can I ask you one more question?”

“Spit it out.”

“It’s easier to just show you.” Seo Jun-Ho finished his sentence and pulled out the ‘Unknown Ball’ he had won at the auction. Kwon Noya stared at the ball on the Go board and tilted his head. “Hm? It’s an interesting-looking ball.”

“...So you have no idea what it is either?”

“You bastard, I’m not some sage from Chamseongdae. Do you think I know everything? But…”[2]

Noya picked up the Unknown Ball and studied it. He eventually nodded. “There’s one thing I know. This ball is Elven.”

“How do you know that?”

“Hm, it’ll take too long to explain everything so I’ll summarize. I once met an Elven elder.”

“Wait, so you’ve gone to the 2nd floor before?”

“Not me. He was the one that came down.”

“...!” 

Seo Jun-Ho never imagined that creatures from the upper floors could ride the Dimension Elevator. The brand-new information truly shocked him this time.

“Don’t go around talking about this. It’s top-secret,” Noya said. 

“You know I’m tight-lipped. Tell me more.”

“The elf, how should I say it…gave off an energy that was both mystical and strange. The being in front of me was definitely humanoid, but it was like I was standing in front of water or a plant.” Kwon Noya stared at the ball as he spoke. “It’s the same feeling I get with this ball.”

“...An Elven item.” Seo Jun-Ho looked at the ball with new eyes. 

“You won’t be able to find elves on the 1st floor, so go to a dark elves’ forest instead.”

“Dark elves? Is that necessary?”

“You tell me. But Elven items that give off the energy of the World Tree can be activated.”

“Then…” Seo Jun-Ho took a moment to sort his thoughts before he tapped on his Vita, looking for an article. He had seen a relevant article on a flight on the way here. 

[New Gate in Grantham, England, featured monsters are dark elves. Recruitment open.]

“Perfect.” 

He finally decided on the next Gate he’d conquer.

1. Palmo can be read as Mr. Arm ☜

2. Oldest surviving astronomical observatory in the world that’s in Korea ☜