The Return Of The Greatest Strengthener

Chapter 07

 “What’s your job?”

The reply came right away.

Yujin quickly typed on the screen:

– Enhancer.
– Enhancer?

The Sword Demon responded like he was annoyed or couldn’t believe it.

Even through text, Yujin could feel the emotion behind it.

– Do I look like someone who needs some silly enhancement?
– Then what do you need?
– I can’t say.

‘Then how am I supposed to fix it?’

Well, it made sense.

The guy probably only ever used swords his whole life.

The Sword Demon had been using swords even before the world changed.

He was probably all muscles—even in the brain.

– I’m an Enhancer, but no matter what you need, I can help you.

– Why should I trust you?

– You’re going to make me sign a silent contract anyway, right?
– …

– Even if I fail, all you lose is time.

– Do you even know how valuable my time is?

***

Wow, what a picky guy.

‘Yeah… I figured this would happen.’

The Sword Demon had a terrible personality.

Yujin hadn’t met him personally, but he used to be close to someone who was friends with him.

– That guy’s dumb and slow, but he’s a good dude!

– …Isn’t that an insult?

– Whatever! He’s hard to get close to at first, but once you do, he’s a loyal friend!

– And that same loyal guy went and died in a dungeon? Just because he couldn’t fix his sword?

– Hey! You wanna die? That sword was his life!

It didn’t sound super reliable, but according to that woman, the Sword Demon was a solid ally.

He was the best swordsman in the world, so maybe she was right.

‘Even if he’s not the best ally, I just need him for a year.’

If Yujin could just get one sword skill from him, it would already be worth it.

‘Now, how do I attract him out?’

Yujin thought back to the past.

– How did you even become friends with him?

– Hmm… He’s a weirdo. But he loves money.

– Money?

– Yeah. He also values time like it’s gold. But there was one thing he really enjoyed.

– What was it?

– Bets.

– …He was a gambling addict?

– No! Not like that. He believed that betting against strong opponents helped him grow faster.

So he loved making bets.

So, what kind of bet would bring him out now?

Yujin got an idea.

– Let’s bet 100 million won.

– Only 100 million? That’s it?

100 million won was a lot of money, but to an S-rank Hunter like the Sword Demon, it was probably pocket change.

But—

– What, are you scared of just 100 million?

– …What did you say?

That was enough to push the Sword Demon’s buttons.

– I won’t need much of your time anyway.

And if I win, 100 million should be enough to pay for it, right? If not, I’ll throw up in my neck too.

– …Are you trying to die?

– Doesn’t matter. Are you in or not?

– Ha!

In short, Yujin just called him out.

And it worked. The Sword Demon responded right away:

– Fine.

Nice.

He took the bait.

– If you succeed, I’ll even lick your toes.

– No thanks. Just show up on time tomorrow. Or should I come to you?

– I’ll go.

– Okay. Tomorrow at 10 AM.

My place is—

“Ah, wait a second…”

As Yujin was typing, he suddenly realized a problem.

“…Where was my house again?”

Ah, damn.

Yujin held his head in frustration.

Even with a good memory, he couldn’t remember the exact place he lived five years ago.

Plus, as soon as he got money, he kept moving to new places.

Back then, he thought the only thing worth spending on was housing.

‘Ugh, I shouldn’t have done that.’

Buying expensive homes turned out to be useless.

Well, nothing he could do now.

Taptap.

– Let’s meet at the Steel Kendo Dojang.

You know where it is, right?

– Isn’t that place shut down?

– That’s why we’re meeting there.

Steel Kendo Dojang.

More accurately, the place used to be a kendo school.

Now it was abandoned and destroyed by monster attacks.

Just ruins.

The government didn’t have the budget to rebuild it.

‘It’s the perfect place to lure him.’

– Tomorrow, 10 a.m., at Steel Kendo Dojang.

“Hah!”

The Sword Demon laughed, almost in disbelief, at the short message he received.

“Is this guy crazy or what?”

The location wasn’t a big deal.

It was still in Seoul.

Just a short car ride away.

But…

‘He doesn’t even know what I want fixed, but he’s betting 100 million won and even his own life? Is this guy just a keyboard warrior?’

A “keyboard warrior”—someone timid in real life, but bold and aggressive behind a keyboard.

Maybe this guy was one of them?

‘Most likely.’

No, almost definitely—like 99.9%.

‘This is a waste of time.’

The real Sword Demon would have ignored this.

But then…

‘Why did he say “Steel Kendo Dojang” specifically?’

He could’ve said a house, a sauna, or even a dungeon.

But this mysterious person chose that name.

A really cheesy, old-school name.

Still, it stirred something in the Sword Demon.

That place was run by his parents when he was a kid.

He was born and raised there.

‘I need to find out.’

Why did he mention that specific place?

Even if it was just a coincidence…

‘…There’s not much time left.’

The Sword Demon looked down at his beloved sword.

It was a family heritage, passed down by his late father.

***

“Son, this is a very expensive sword. It’s a real one—not like the practice swords we usually use. Take good care of it.”

“Yes, Father!”

***

The sword’s name was Vigrid.

Its original name was something like Gwangsan Cheonmado, but when the Great Cataclysm happened and the Sword Demon awakened, it got a new name.

It became an S-rank weapon!

Thanks to this sword, the Sword Demon became one of the strongest hunters.

But now…

Shing… clink.

[The sword cannot be used for unknown reasons.]

[It can no longer function as a weapon.]

[Durability: 10/100]

A small part of the sword fell off.

It looked dull, like a stone, and felt very hard.

It all started after visiting an A-rank dungeon called “Grave of Swords.”

[‘Vigrid’ absorbs swords buried in the Grave of Swords.]

After that message, the sword completely stopped working—like it had turned to stone.

He tried to use it anyway, but it only lost more durability.

Repairs could barely increase the durability, and even then, it might break at any moment.

If it did break—

“I wouldn’t be able to face my father.”

So, the Sword Demon stopped going on missions and used all his money and connections to find a way to repair the sword.

But no one could fix it.

“Even the so-called best blacksmith in the world failed.”

Without Vigrid, the Sword Demon was only half of what he used to be.

More importantly, he couldn’t honour his family’s legacy.

People called him stubborn and said it was foolish to care so much about just a weapon.

But to the Sword Demon, who deeply loved his family, the sword meant everything.

“I hope he’s not a scammer.”

He slid the sword back into its sheath and tapped the hilt.

If that guy wasn’t lying…

If he really could fix the sword—

“I’d even lick his toes.”

He was serious.

…Even though he hated guys

***

“Haven’t been here in a while.”

Yujin had taken a nap at a nearby sauna and was now looking around the area.

The place looked too destroyed to believe it was near Seoul.

“Still no plans to clean this place up, huh?”

The appearance of dungeons and monsters had left many people wounded.

Not only did they lose loved ones, but also their homes and towns.

Some places were completely destroyed.

This place was one of those.

Dungeons kept appearing here so often that rebuilding was pointless.

People just left it as-is.

“Funny enough, later it becomes one of the safest places.”

Dungeons aren’t infinite.

If enough appear in one spot, no more show up for a while.

(Of course, North Korea was a different case.)

Step, step.

He walked through the ruins—familiar, yet unfamiliar.

“Still as run-down as ever.”

Yujin stepped into the building with no roof.

At the centre of the ruined place stood the Sword Demon.

He wore a black coat and had a sword at his side.

Even just standing there, he gave off a strong and powerful energy.

“So that’s… the Sword Demon.”

It was Yujin’s first time seeing him in real life.

He’d heard plenty about him from that woman, who talked about him nonstop.

Yujin nodded slightly.

“Are you the unknown one?” (referring to his chat ID)

“Yeah.”

“What do you want me to fix?”

“Before that—”

Flap.

A piece of paper flew toward Yujin. He grabbed it out of the air.

“Sign the contract first.”

“Alright.”

It was a Secrecy Contract.

Each one cost about 10 million won (around $7,000–$8,000), and it could only be used once.

That’s why rich people and high-level hunters used them often.

“Pretty weak security.”

In the current time, even these expensive items have loopholes.

Yujin noticed a few—things that could be worked around using power.

Like not revealing each other’s identity, or not talking about the job… but maybe it was okay to say things indirectly.

Yujin carefully checked the contract and signed it.

A bright light flashed.

[Contract between ‘Sword Demon’ and ‘Han Yujin’ has been completed.]

“It’s done.”

“Fix this sword.”

Whoosh!

The Sword Demon threw the sword.

Yujin caught it and slowly pulled it out from its sheath.

The blade was dull and grey—completely colourless.

“Oh? This sword…”

Yujin’s eyes sparkled.

It was a very familiar sword.

“I don’t even need to analyze this.”

He was planning to ask for a scan since he didn’t have a skill like “Analyze” or “Identify” yet.

But now, that wouldn’t be necessary.

“Sword Demon.”

“…You know me?”

“Is there a hunter alive who doesn’t know you? Well, maybe some foreigners who don’t care about Asian hunters.”

Yujin held the sword loosely and looked at the Sword Demon.

“Do you want me to tell you why this sword is broken—or rather, why it’s stopped working?”

“…!”

The Sword Demon’s eyes widened.

He hadn’t shared any info about the sword yet.

He just told him to “fix it.”

Normally, people would talk about “repairs”…

“You… you know something. Can you fix it?”

“Of course not.”

“…What?”

The Sword Demon frowned at the nonsense.

But Yujin remained calm.

Not many people could keep their cool in front of an S-rank hunter like the Sword Demon—unless they were truly confident in what they were saying.

The Sword Demon eased his energy down.

“This sword isn’t broken. It stopped working because it absorbed too much power.”

“…So?”

“That means it shut down because it went past its limit. So if I raise its limit, the problem will be solved.”

Smirk.

Yujin smiled with full confidence.

But the Sword Demon still looked unsure.

“Raise the limit?”

“Yeah. Every sword has a limit to how much power it can handle. You get what I mean, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Just like how a wooden chopstick can’t become a spear, everything has its natural limit.

There’s only one way to go beyond it—

“And I can break through that limit.”

Yujin’s job was the Soul Enhancer.

He could use souls to strengthen any piece of equipment.

“I’ll unlock this sword’s true potential.”

Yujin looked straight into the Sword Demon’s eyes.

His eyes glowed with a faint reddish light.

The Sword Demon, without thinking, swallowed hard.

“This kid… He looks younger than me, but how…”

The Sword Demon—a man who had cut down countless monsters with just his sword, and who had survived endless battles.

And yet, the look in Yujin’s eyes was so deep… so heavy… that even the Sword Demon felt like he was the one being tested.

“You.”

Yujin stared deeply into the Sword Demon’s eyes and asked:

“What can you give me in return?”