Chapter 81: Tinnitus (3)

"Uh, um... so..."

"There are 'Black Thunder Full Moon' and 'Dark Axe Magester'."

"......"

There was no hint of jest or laughter in his expression, which bore its usual kind smile.

This conveyed one fact to Elena.

That the words from Kim Hyunwoo's mouth were a serious truth without any jest.

That he was truly considering giving her one of those two titles.

"Uh..."

"Please speak freely."

Therefore, Elena truly felt a crisis.

Receiving a title recognized by the world was something she had deeply wished for.

However, that was only if the title to be obtained was conventional, neither Dark Axe Magester nor Black Thunder Full Moon were the titles she wanted.

...Honestly, they were titles she absolutely did not want to obtain.

'What is Dark Axe Magester...? My axe isn't black, neither is my magic... Black Thunder Full Moon... What does that even relate to?'

Even while being 'forced'(?) to choose a title by Kim Hyunwoo, these thoughts surfaced.

Even amidst these thoughts, she wondered if Kim Hyunwoo was joking, but his expression remained serious.

"...Um, are there no other titles?"

"Ah, other titles?"

"Yes."

She liked Kim Hyunwoo, but the titles he provided seemed really off, so it was her desperate struggle to escape from the adolescent-sounding titles.

"Um, there are others."

"...! What might they be?"

Responding to Kim Hyunwoo's words as if answering her desperate struggle, Elena asked with a genuinely happy expression.

At least at this point, Elena hoped her title wasn't something like Black Thunder Full Moon or Dark Axe Magester.

"How about 'Celestial Demon Sunderer'?"

"......"

"Perhaps, is it not good?"

As Celestial Demon Sunderer was added to Elena's list of titles she absolutely didn't want to become, she tightly closed her eyes while listening to Kim Hyunwoo's words.

"Tha..."

She liked Kim Hyunwoo.

At least, Elena held him in high esteem and never wanted to act against his expectations if possible.

But despite that, this was something she couldn't compromise on, not wanting her title to be Black Thunder Full Moon or Dark Axe Magester or Celestial Demon Sunderer, so Elena asked with a cautious expression.

"Can I- can I decide on it?"

"Ah, is the title a bit, like that?"

"Uh, yes..."

"Ah... Yes, I understand. Then, if you have a preferred title, I will make it so,"

Kim Hyunwoo's responded.

He sighed for a moment.

'Uh, what title should I choose?'

Having never really thought about her own title before, she was taken aback by Kim Hyunwoo's sudden question but remembered this was her only chance and desperately racked her brain.

"Please, let it be Snow Spirit."

"Snow Spirit...?"

"Yes."

"Hmm..."

Kim Hyunwoo, making a slightly puzzled face, muttered 'Snow Spirit, Snow Spirit' a few times.

"...Isn't Black Thunder Full Moon cooler after all?"

He said.

Seeing Kim Hyunwoo's sincere expression, Elena seemed momentarily swayed.

But as she repeated Black Thunder Full Moon to herself, she was able to speak in a firm tone.

"I-I think Snow Spirit is better."

Ultimately, following Elena's words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded as if he had no choice and set her title to Snow Spirit.

And on that day,

"It's-it's a relief..."

Feeling a deep relief that her title was the relatively safe Snow Spirit, Elena smiled a comforting smile, and soon after she left, he looked at the place where Elena had been.

"...Honestly, isn't Black Thunder Full Moon not bad?"

He thought seriously with a slightly dejected expression.

At least by Kim Hyunwoo's standards, he thought a title with a bit more impact was better than something like Snow Spirit.

"It doesn't even give off a middle school syndrome vibe..."

Kim Hyunwoo muttered as if he was disappointed.

He sincerely thought that names like Black Thunder Full Moon or Dark Axe Magester wouldn't give off a middle school syndrome vibe.

At least, he thought his own disastrous sense for naming had been cured ten years ago.

Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been pondering for a while, soon sighed and continued making the Magnifying Glass he had been working on.

Rania Tesnoka, the Lord of Tesnoka territory and someone who has been a great help to the growth of Lartania recently, said with a newly admiring expression.

"You bought resources again? And this time, much more than before?"

"Yes."

At the words of the hero Roman, who bowed his head, Rania spoke with a look of newfound wonder.

"Where is all this money coming from?"

Rania didn't know the details, but she was well aware that Kim Hyunwoo had a source of money.

However, the reason Rania was questioning was because she thought the rate of Gold Coins consumption in Lartania territory was abnormal no matter how she considered it.

"Just thinking about the resources bought right now, it's already hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins...?"

It was entirely possible for Tesnoka territory to manage hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins.

Her territory was one of the largest in the Norba Kingdom, and her acumen made it entirely possible.

However, Lartania was initially too small for that to be possible.

"Even if there's a Labyrinth and some of the Magic Stones are collected as taxes, they're not releasing the Magic Stones but are exchanging them... Can that really work?"

With just a few pieces of information, Rania's intelligent mind, which could deduce how Lartania was functioning, started to become curious about the finances of Lartania.

At least in her mind, the amount of Gold Coins Kim Hyunwoo had to spend to maintain Lartania was enormous.

And at that moment,

"In my opinion, maybe it's because of this."

"...What's that?"

"It's the Lowest-Grade Explorer's Magnifying Glass."

Rania was able to receive a Magnifying Glass from Roman.

"Lowest-Grade Explorer's Magnifying Glass?"

"Yes."

After listening carefully to Roman's explanation about the Magnifying Glass, she said at the end of his explanation,

"So, it's like a gambling item that can be used in the Labyrinth... something like that?"

"That's how they're being consumed in Lartania."

"...Heh."

Rania, looking at the Magnifying Glass as if it were peculiar, was not unfamiliar with it.

She had actually seen the Lowest-Grade Explorer's Magnifying Glass before.

At the auction house in Rapengan, for about 20 Gold Coins, which was much more expensive than the 1 Gold Coin Lartania territory was selling it for.

"They're selling thousands of these, right?"

"Yes. It seems they've succeeded in mass production."

"Really impressive."

Rania genuinely admired after listening to Roman's words.

At least, among the lords she knew, she had never seen one as versatile in many ways as Kim Hyunwoo.

"...At this point, it's practically the Lord running the territory by himself."

Rania is an exceptional Lord.

That's why she knew.

That a territory could never be run alone.

As everyone knows, running a territory requires a lot, even excluding combat strength.

From creating the operational structure of the territory to handling numerous minor issues within the territory, various administrative tasks, and collecting and using taxes from within the territory.

Even a summary reveals the need for many people to assist the lord.

Yet, in the face of Kim Hyunwoo seemingly running the territory alone, a fact she knew so clearly and definitively that the word 'absolutely' fits, Rania wore a genuinely admiring expression.

For a moment, Rania became interested in the Magnifying Glass.

"This Magnifying Glass is essentially the same as gambling in the Labyrinth, right?"

"Yes. As I mentioned, it seems very rare items worth 5000 Gold Coins can also appear."

"Really? Should we try it? How many do you have?"

"I've bought about five just in case. Do you want to do it?"

"Yes, I heard that now even the citizens of Lartania are buying and trying one each. I'm curious since it's gotten to that point. This can only be used in the Labyrinth, right?"

"Yes. It can only be used in the Labyrinth. Probably all the monsters have been dealt with this time, so you can use it right away."

"Really? Then let's go."

When Rania got up, Roman looked at her and replied,

"My Lord."

"Hm? Why?"

"But knowing it's essentially gambling, I think it might be better not to do it,"

Roman advised, concerned.

However, Rania smiled wryly as if wondering what there was to worry about.

"Don't worry too much. If this Magnifying Glass is considered to be worth 1 Gold Coins and there's already talk of it being gambling, it's absurd to think rare items would come from it. And would I get hooked on something like this?"

"...Certainly..."

"You know, only those in need of Gold Coins would get hooked on this. I can't get addicted when I have no benefit from doing it. Besides, anyone with a bit of common sense and not getting too absorbed would know that getting hooked on this Magnifying Glass would be foolish."

Saying that, she walked towards the Labyrinth with a wry smile.

About 30 minutes later,

After a total of eight uses of the Magnifying Glass, when a 'Sword of Alanka' and an 'Iron Frame Amulet' worth a whopping 600 Gold Coins appeared,

"...This."

The thought 'Could this really work?' began to spread in Rania's mind.

Several days passed after that.

Kim Hyunwoo was seriously considering ways to automate the Magnifying Glasses.

A messenger from the 'Blacksmith Guild' has arrived at the territory!

A ★★★★ hero 'Iron Monarch' has arrived at the territory!

"...?"

A notification window popped up in front of him.

Shortly thereafter.

"Wow! A true friend, right!? Long time no see!!"

Kim Hyunwoo met a dwarf who was smiling broadly as if truly happy to see him.

"...Who?"

To Kim Hyunwoo's subsequent confused expression,

"...Eh?"

The dwarf's smile cracked.