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The Sound of a Dragon Calling (6)

Now that the taming artifact wasn’t working, Meloy was said only to take meals provided by the members but wouldn’t approach them. If you weren’t careful in feeding it, it would begin to riot. The barn was sturdily built and had special magic woven to help in trapping the wyvern, but it had no safety devices built-in.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“I think it’s the first time Meloy has latched onto a person like that. Not even the former leader got along with it that well.” Each of the knights approached with an expression of surprise at Kang Shin-hyuk and the wyvern. He looked embarrassed as he gnawed at the skewer he received from Algiers.

“Isn’t it always like this?”

“Don’t you have a taming talent?” To demonstrate, a third-year senior approached Meloy but was only met by the wyvern baring its teeth at her. Indeed, it was treating him differently.

“Is it a female wyvern that prefers men? Maybe that’s the reason why the captain has been a man through the generations.”

“Not even the captain can approach him that well.”

“Unlike Shin-hyuk, the two other men…hey, do I have to say it?”

“It looks like you already have.” Do Woojin seemed a little outraged. Shin-hyuk scratched Meloy’s chin with an embarrassed smile. The wyvern fluttered around like a cat, which caused Algiers eyes to open wide.

“I think you could ride it.”

“I’m not actually taming it, so that would be dangerous even if it likes me.”

“Shin-hyuk should accept it and throw a coup. If you’re the head of the Wyvern Knights, you should ride a wyvern.”

“Then, Shin-hyuk will be the leader?”

“A freshman leader…so cool.”

“It’s possible.” Kang Shin-hyuk shook his head at their story and moved away from Meloy. The wyvern let out a sad cry and went back into his cage. Even if he did tame him, he belonged to the knights.

“It would be nice if it was like that normally.”

“I hope Shin-hyuk comes to play often.”

“We’ll be good to you, so come to play in the future, huh?”

“Seniors, please stop dreaming. First, I’m going to eat.” The barbecue party continued on for another half hour. Everyone could easily eat at least three or four servings, except for Kang Shin-hyuk, who ate about as much as Meloy. His caloric intake had increased since his regenerative power grew to B-rank.

“Our Shin-hyuk eats so well.”

“Senior, you’re a little too old to speak like that.” Do Woojin was always complaining about something, but he seemed to be getting along quite well with the 2nd Hall knights. Kang Shin-hyuk ate a grilled pineapple while watching him argue with his seniors.

“Come to think of it…” Shin-hyuk turned toward Algiers at the end of the meal as he sipped at the herbal tea he was provided by Karen.

“I haven’t seen the artifact yet.”

“Oh, that was an excuse.”

“Don’t call it an excuse if it is.”

“I’ll show it to you, follow me.” Algiers led him into the training camp. The seniors gave them the thumbs up, clearly misunderstanding something.

“Where is it?”

“It’s kept in here.” Somehow he had arrived in Algiers’s private room. The office room was artfully arranged, decorated with armor on the walls and a closet. Inside the closet was a colorful saddle.

“This.”

-It’s a high-level artifact. It’s more mana crafted than metallurgy.

Mana Craft was an exceptionally rare skill among the abilities of those with enchantment. It was a specialized skill that produced artifacts using materials containing mana. It was a skill that solved everything from crafting to enchanting entirely by yourself without the need for a blacksmith.

“Be careful, okay?”

“No, just looking at it is fine with me.” The saddle seemed to be intact. It had a metal base covered by soft leather. Something bothered at him a little, those metal decorations added to it…

“What are those?”

“The badges of previous leaders. The most recent one is the badge of the now captain Douglas Payne.”

“Isn’t that a problem?”

“Why is that…does it matter?” Apparently, the general public had a slightly different view of artifacts than he did. He let out a sigh.

“Senior, can I touch it myself?”

“You can call me Eleanor.”

“Then…Eleanor.” She nodded, satisfied at what he said, and he reached out with his hand. He carefully touched the saddle and looked at her, noticing her face was turning a slight red color.

-That woman must be a fox. What an ugly world we live in.

“…?” Shin-hyuk was confused at the administrator’s malice filled message. He raised his spiritual power and ignored it, unable to understand what he was saying. After communicating with that dungeon, doing so with an artifact was much easier.

‘The badges aren’t just decoration…’ He was only trying to communicate with the saddle, but each badge had its own individuality. Originally, they contained the user’s magic and allowed them to connect to the saddle. The problem was that several of them were now in the saddle, disrupting any new connections.

“I’ll take them off.”

“Ah.” Eleanor raised a hand, but Kang Shin-hyuk boldly removed all of the badges. The saddle’s energy revived a little bit, but its original ability showed no sign of recovery. The saddle’s incorrect usage over the years had tangled its magic flow.

‘It’ll be difficult to analyze in this state.’ Eleanor was staring at him blankly as he made a face.

“Those are the badges of our predecessors.”

“I know how it broke now. When the captain attached his badge, the magic power confused inside the artifact reached a critical point. Remember when I said the badges were a problem?” She looked surprised, realizing belatedly that his ability to deal with artifacts was extraordinary. Meanwhile, he was only focused on the saddle. He attempted to grasp the flow of mana inside of it and reinforce it with his spiritual power. It was hazy, but slowly, the structure of the artifact was drawn into his mind. It was still too weak, however. While originally a high-ranking artifact, it was not properly managed over the years.

“Wow.” Kang Shin-hyuk stretched out his shoulders after trying to wrestle with the artifact a few more times.

“Can I borrow this for a while? I don’t think I can solve it here.”

“Are you confident you can solve it if you take it?”

“Maybe not fully.” He once more instilled spiritual power into the saddle, carefully grasping its exterior structure. He thought it would be possible to make the internal magic flow a bit more smoothly, at least to an extent.

“It’s worth a try.”

“Okay, then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Would it be okay?”

“The captain told me to repair it. I can’t take it outside, but you’re not an outsider.” Looking at her sincere expression, he could tell she just made a rather big decision. He nodded.

“Okay. Then excuse me for now.”

“Huh.” Kang Shin-hyuk carefully wrapped the saddle and left the building. On his way, he found Do Woojin cleaning up after the barbecue.

“Ah, Shin-hyuk’s already here!”

“Come play tomorrow! We can fight!”

“If you lose to us, join us!” All of the female seniors seemed to have taken a liking to him after his match with Algiers. Kang Shin-hyuk waved them goodbye and returned to his dormitory. Once he was there, he got to work examining the saddle. There was no immediate answer, however. If you were to compare it to a human, the saddle needed long-term medical care.

“It would be dangerous to add anything else to it…”

-In your previous life, you were quite adept at making and repairing leather products. It is certainly possible for you now.

“With metallurgy?”

-It would be correct to view it as starting from metallurgy and reaching the realm of ‘All Craft.’

“That’s still too far away.” Once more, the administrator seemed to have identified him as the Anvil of his previous life. With a bittersweet smile, he began to trim the saddle. Right now, he was cleaning the exterior of it with a brush that contained his spiritual power and leather oil. He didn’t know if the spiritual power was working, but bit by bit, it felt like it was improving.

“… It’s not bad if I view it as spiritual training.”

-A 200HP bonus for this member’s appearance that can only be seen when cleaning leather!

Was it just him, or were the criteria for receiving a bonus becoming stranger each day? As he cleaned the saddle with a sly smile, Onyx rolled over the floor and climbed onto his knees.

“Be careful not to tear up the floor with your thorns.”

-Myu!

He warned Onyx and let him take a bite out of some iron he had prepared. Working with Onyx relaxing on his lap didn’t feel too bad.

“What if you were a wyvern?”

-Myu?

“Eat a lot and grow up.”

-Myu!

The day ended peacefully as so.

The next day, Friday was a temporary holiday. Kang Shin-hyuk received a visit from the dorm supervisor early in the morning.

“Congratulations, Kang Shin-hyuk. I knew you’d become a resident of the Royal Class someday, I just didn’t know it would be this year…it seems my eyes are getting rusty.”

“Mr. Bolton…thank you.”

“I want to see you take the two crowns next year. Now, it looks like your luggage is packed, so move.”

“Yes, teacher.” He had already packed up what others shouldn’t see inside his inventory, and the rest in his suitcase. Kang Shin-hyuk pulled it behind him as he followed Emil Bolton, ignoring the curious students peeking out at him.

“Teacher, is it possible to bring a pet into the dormitory?”

“Normal ones, but I doubt this is an ordinary pet.”

“It’s a small monster.”

“That will need a taming certificate. If you submit it to the school and receive certification, you can bring it with you to practice depending on its type.”

“Thank you.” Arriving at the dorm lobby, then climbing into the elevator outside. Emil produced a key card made of pure gold and handed it to Kang Shin-hyuk.

“This belongs to you. When you’re no longer a resident of the Royal Class, you can return it.”

“It looks expensive.”

“It was made with magic. Some even say they used an alchemist in the production process. It isn’t just for the elevator, but it is also your room key and restaurant access key. It will also grant you access to the special facilities available exclusively for the Royal Class, so don’t forget it.”

“The treatment here is incredible…”

“Shinyoung is a training center with the goal of cultivating strong superhumans. It’s natural to treat talented people well.” Kang Shin-hyuk could sympathize with that. The students didn’t come here to be treated fairly. This was all to turn them into superhumans officially recognized by the government.

“Here you are, the 13th floor.”

“This building goes up to the 13th floor…no, never mind.” Kang Shin-hyuk shook his head at Emil’s smile and went down the hall, dragging his luggage behind him. There was a luxurious carpet and a sparkling chandelier, even a commons lounge.

“Let’s see…my room is 1303…” He used the key card to unlock the door. Pushing it open, the only word he could mutter was, ‘wide.’

“There are private rooms where you can exercise as well, so you don’t need to worry about going down to the training facilities. The rooms are soundproofed, so don’t worry about the noise when training.”

“What a scam…” Not even hotel suites would be as luxurious as this. He hadn’t been attached to anything in Shinyoung so far, but now he thought he wanted to live here forever.

“Should I help you unpack?”

“Oh, no, it’s alright. Thank you so much for the guidance.”

“Yes, then that’s that. There are separate restaurants for the royal class, so be careful not to forget your card. A file with additional details will be sent to you later today.”

“Yes.” After Emil left, he decided to contact Baek. He felt like he would be like abandoning him if he went to one of those restaurants to eat alone.

[Baek In-ha: It’s alright, I’ll be in the Royal Class soon.]

[Student council?]

[Baek In-ha:…Is it fancy?]

[Naturally.]

Shinyoung’s student council election was due to be held at the end of the semester, right after the final exam. The council was no place for ordinary students to intervene in, and no amount of politicking could get one in. Baek was, no doubt, one of those being considered for it.

[Baek In-ha: Let’s go out together and team-up.]

[No.]

[Baek In-ha: I knew it would be like that.]

Baek gave up easily.

[So, how is it structured? No, rather, what are you going to do?]

[Baek In-ha: According to the school, a first-year cannot become the president, so I’m aiming for the vice-chairman seat. I know one of the seniors who is a current vice-chairman, so I’ll help them become the president.]

A dirty scheme was starting to unfold before him.

[Don’t bother me.]

[Baek In-ha: Don’t worry, there’ll be no dirty tricks, so just watch.]

Kang Shin-hyuk wondered how he should respond to him but decided just to quit.

Only

[Do whatever you want.]

[Baek In-ha: It’ll be fine. So, until the election is over, please eat with me at the regular cafeteria…]

Suddenly, he was acting sneaky. Kang Shin-hyuk let out a sigh and agreed.

[Bartender sister: You entered the Royal Class?]

While he was organizing his luggage after talking with Baek, a text came from Claire as well.

[How did you know that?]

[Bartender sister: Well, how indeed?]

The answer came that evening when Claire appeared confidently in front of his door.