Chapter 39

Hajoon made his way to a nearby armory.

Just a ten-minute walk?

Judging by the fancy exterior and well-arranged weapons, it appeared to be the area's most well-known armory.

Maybe it's because of Rokia Academy's proximity, a lot of students seemed to frequent this place.

Hajoon didn't hesitate. He opened the door and stepped inside the armory.

Ding-

"Welcome, customer."

As he entered, a woman at the counter greeted Hajoon with a friendly receptionist's smile.

Hajoon approached the counter.

He quickly took out his magic stone and handed it to the woman.

"I need an appraisal for this item."

"Ah, then please wait a moment."

The woman accepted the magic stone and disappeared into a space behind the counter. In the meantime, Hajoon glanced around, admiring the weapons. The shop was surprisingly peaceful.

Could it be lunchtime? He spent around ten minutes wandering the unusually quiet shop.

The woman returned to the counter, her forehead glistening with nervous sweat.

"Um, customer?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"I'm sorry, but where did you find this magic stone?"

"I got it from hunting a magus."

The woman gazed at Hajoon curiously after hearing his answer.

What's the issue, is there a problem?

"Are you, by any chance, a student of the academy?"

"Yes, why?"

"Could you show me your student ID?"

"I left my student ID in the dorm. Is there an issue?"

"Ah, well..."

As she stumbled over her words.

Ding-

The doorbell rang and two heroes in their hero suits walked into the shop.

It's not unusual for heroes to visit armories, he thought, turning back, only to find the two heroes starting to circle him.

"Is this the student?"

"Ah, yes."

"I'm sorry, student, but could we see your ID?"

Hajoon felt a sudden chill.

He was speechless, the situation felt unreal.

He gazed at the two heroes, dumbfounded, before finally finding his voice.

"Why?"

"We received a report of a magic beast crystal with an unclear origin."

"But this is the magic beast crystal I got from hunting a magic beast?"

"Sure. But a magic beast crystal of this quality can only be obtained from a metropolis-level beast at least..."

Hajoon fell silent, his expression frozen, upon hearing those words.

So, the woman, who must be the shop owner, saw my loot, decided I was lying, and immediately reported me to the heroes. Is that it?

"Was there a recent theft of a magic beast crystal?"

"We found one when we checked. So, sorry, but could you help with our investigation?"

"...."

Hajoon was somewhat taken aback at the hero's words.

How could such a surreal and bizarre coincidence happen?

'Well, I'm at a loss for words.'

Hajoon sighed internally.

He could empathize with the shop owner's viewpoint.

She might incur losses if she dealt in magic beast crystals of unclear origin.

Yet he couldn't help but feel astounded.

'It's the first time I've ever faced such a misunderstanding.'

First, Hajoon mulled over how to unravel this vexing situation.

Then the doorbell chimed again, and several men in black suits walked in. They headed directly towards Hajoon.

The two heroes who had encircled Hajoon narrowed their eyes, their expressions confirming their suspicions.

"They're agents from the association's management department."

"Sigh, how could a young student stoop to theft..."

With the agents' arrival, the heroes and the shop owner already assumed Hajoon was guilty.

Ironically, Hajoon's mind started to whirl as he began to grasp the situation.

He sensed things spiraling out of control.

Should I stop time and do whatever I want? He pondered briefly, but realizing it might only complicate things further, he chose to wait.

One of the approaching agents recognized Hajoon and approached him cautiously, lowering his voice to a whisper that only Hajoon could hear.

"Are you Student Kim Hajoon?"

"Ha... yes, but why?"

"I'm sorry. Could you wait a moment, please?"

Contrary to Hajoon's expectations, the agent treated him with respect.

As he puzzled over this, the doorbell chimed again, and a middle-aged man in a suit walked in.

There was no one in the shop who didn't recognize this man.

"Th-The Chairman?"

"No way, why is the Chairman here... "

Chairman Kim Jeongyong of the Korean Hero Association.

He'd made an unexpected appearance in this quiet armory.

Soon after, Kim Jeongyong spotted Hajoon. His eyes lit up, and he made his way over.

With a face filled with emotion, he grabbed Hajoon's hand and stared at him, his face trembling.

"It is... it's you... "

At this, Hajoon was at a loss for words.

He was starting to feel overwhelmed by the absurdity of it all.

"It's you, right? I clearly remember your face."

"..."

Even if he feigned ignorance, the Chairman had already seen Hajoon's face.

He simply couldn't find the words to respond.

How did he know I was here...

And shouldn't this man be dealing with the situation in the Dimensional Dungeon instead of being here?

"Excuse me, Chairman. Given your keen eyes, could you please take a seat..."

"Oh, uh, right. I apologize, but could I use your reception room?"

"Huh? Ah! Yes! Of course!"

The woman who seemed to be the shopkeeper was taken aback by the Chairman's request, but immediately guided him to the second floor. Hajoon silently followed behind.

And the two heroes, left behind in the shop with bewildered expressions on their faces.

"...What just happened?"

"Did I see that right? Was the Chairman being deferential?"

"Did we... Did we mess up?"

Their stupefied expressions mirrored their confusion as they stared blankly at the scene unfolding before them.

"I apologize for the abrupt visit."

Once Kim Hajoon and Chairman Kim Jeongyong of the Heroes Association had settled into the guest room, the Chairman started wiping away a tear, his gaze moving anxiously between the room and Hajoon.

With a blank look, Hajoon spoke in a polite tone.

"Please lower your voice, Chairman."

"No, no. I just find it more comfortable to talk this way, you don't have to worry."

Why in the world was he raising his voice...

What a remarkable day this had turned out to be.

He had simply planned to sell his magic crystals, purchase a pole arm, and grab a bite to eat.

He was wrongfully accused of theft, and then the most respected person in the Heroes Association made an unsolicited visit.

'Did I make a mistake coming out?'

The phrase 'The road is fraught with perils' seemed apt.

After a while, the Chairman, still blinking away tears, found his voice again.

"At that time... I felt so lost, I didn't know what to do. It felt like I had lost everything in an instant."

Just then, the door to the room opened with a knock, and the woman from the counter entered, carrying a tray with tea.

Upon seeing the scene inside the room, she froze.

Regaining her composure quickly, she placed the tea in front of Kim Jeongyong and Hajoon with trembling hands and spoke.

"P-please, make yourselves comfortable."

For some reason, she gave Hajoon a fearful look before quickly leaving the room.

Sighing at the scene, Hajoon looked at the Chairman with an annoyed expression and asked.

"So how did you find me, Chairman?"

"I simply searched the student roster of the academy after recognizing your face. Fortunately, I found you without much difficulty."

"Huh..."

Well, they could likely find anyone using that method...

"I'll have to ask Principal Choi Jungwon to hide my face in the profile picture later."

"I'm truly grateful. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have been able to save my son, my granddaughter, and the citizens."

With a humble smile, he looked at Hajoon and spoke.

"Initially, I had thought about resigning from my position as the chairman of the association. However, there's a major case that remains unresolved, so I can't step down easily."

The case that the Chairman was referring to was likely about the S-rank villain, Karthon.

Even with all the criticism he had received for his decision, it seemed tough for him to resign from his position as chairman while there was a crisis threatening the country.

"Indeed, once that matter is resolved, I do plan to step down. So, while I'm still in this position, I'll do my best to assist you, Student Hajoon."

After hearing his words, Hajoon took a moment to consider his options.

Wouldn't it be better to accept help from someone in the Chairman's position rather than trying to hide, now that his identity had already been revealed?

"Then, I have a favor to ask."

"Please, feel free to ask."

"I'm trying to get an artifact."

"An artifact?"

"Yes."

Hajoon immediately took Maharazu out of his pocket and laid it on the table.

Upon seeing Maharazu, Kim Jeongyong's eyes started shining.

"Oh! This, this is!"

"It's too conspicuous a hammer. I'm looking for an artifact to hide it."

Hearing his words, Kim Jeongyong nodded with a confident expression.

"You don't have to worry about that. After all, this place is an artifact shop."

At his words, Hajoon smiled contentedly and nodded.

From the sound of it, it seemed like he would be able to find an artifact for him.

"Should I fetch one right now?"

"Yes. I'd like to see and choose one for myself while I'm here."

"Let's go then. There's no limit to the cost or number, choose whatever you like. We'll support it from our association."

With that, Hajoon stood up from his seat to examine the artifacts.

Just then, Kim Jeongyong, who seemed to have remembered something, suddenly turned to Hajoon with an awkward look on his face.

"Ah, I'm sorry, but can I ask you a favor?"

"A favor?"

"Yes. I apologize, but could you give me an autograph? It seems my granddaughter has become a fan of student Hajoon."

"··········."

A short while later.

After leaving the store with Chairman Kim Jeongyong, Hajoon was ready to return to the academy immediately.

However, with a puzzled look on his face, Kim Jeongyong began speaking to Hajoon.

"Are you really okay with just that?"

"Yes. This is enough."

In Hajoon's hand was a box containing the artifact he had chosen.

It was not a Unique or Legendary artifact, but a Rare one, just a tier above Normal.

"I could have given you a better artifact."

"But I liked this one the most."

There was actually an artifact he liked more than this, but he couldn't use it because of the recoil phenomenon.

If the other artifacts had an Ego like Philaten, he could handle it, but without it, he couldn't...

Nevertheless, the performance of the artifact he obtained was not bad.

Could he say that the characteristics of this Rare artifact were quite useful?

"Let's get in the car for now. I'll escort you to the academy."

But why would he escort him to the academy, which was just a 10-minute walk away?

"But there's no need, I prefer walking."

Hajoon was neither seeking attention nor was he audacious enough to ride in the chairman's car all the way to the academy.

Especially given the fact that there were already reporters stationed around the academy. Walking was indeed the best choice.

"It's unfortunate that I couldn't do much for you today. If you ever need anything, please contact me at this number."

Saying this, Kim Jeongyong handed Hajoon his business card.

Receiving the card, Hajoon quickly stashed it into his pocket, waiting for the chairman to leave.

It wasn't anything serious, but he noticed the gazes of the surrounding people slowly focusing on them.

"Well then..."

Kim Jeongyong, looking somewhat regretful, got into his car and drove away.

As Hajoon watched the car disappear into the distance, he cast a glance at the store.

The shop owner could be seen continuously bowing and offering apologies.

"Well, she couldn't help it..."

Indeed, it was only natural for her to be suspicious.

The coincidental timing of a stolen magic crystal appearing just as he had brought in a similarly graded magic crystal was simply unfortunate.

He just didn't want to make a fuss over it.

That being said, it was also awkward to think about selling this magic crystal back to that same store...

"Sigh... I'll have to think about it later."

Right now, Hajoon needed a break.

Deciding to forgo the magic beast meat for the time being, Hajoon made his way back to his accommodation.