WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Occult World’s Coveted Blacksmith ◈

Chapter 70: I Won’t Give It to You Until You Answer

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[Breaking News] Special-grade sorcerer Noh Jin-hyeok officially launches Noh Jin-hyeok Corporation.

At last, Noh Jin-hyeok Corporation had officially declared its launch.

Right below the headline was a huge photo.

Against the backdrop of the towering Noh Jin-hyeok Corporation headquarters, Noh Jin-hyeok and I stood back-to-back, arms crossed.

[HOT] Holy shit, what is this Noh Jin-hyeok Corporation?

(Article screenshot)

└ Damn, the visuals are insane.

└ So that place isn't some entertainment agency, it's a sorcerers' office?

└ That's cool as hell.

└ Wow, this is my first time seeing what Do Emperor actually looks like. Isn't that crazy?

└ The world is so fucking unfair T_T

└ Do Emperor's face is Eul-tier too.

└ T_T

* * *

Once the meeting ended, people began filtering out of the conference room one by one.

I tried to slip out with them when...

"Master Do, stay for a moment."

...I got caught.

I was brought to the CEO's office.

A display case along one wall was lined with the oddly shaped Ritual Implements he called toys.

The secretary served tea with practiced hands.

Noh Jin-hyeok sat with one leg crossed over the other, looking at his phone and grinning to himself.

"The response is good, right? I told you it was smart to include the photo. Didn't I?"

I'd been wondering about that.

"Did we really have to put the photo in there too?"

"Of course."

Noh Jin-hyeok answered as if I'd asked the most obvious question in the world.

"A company's lifeblood is credibility. We're taking sponsorships from now on, so people should at least know what the people getting their money look like."

That was fair enough, but it still felt kind of tacky.

Did we really need to stand back-to-back with our arms crossed?

How should I put it?

Right. It looked like one of those hospital ads on the subway, with two directors standing side by side with their arms crossed.

...Still, the response seemed better than I'd expected.

"And it looks cool, doesn't it? Secretary?"

The secretary replied without looking up from the tablet.

"Research has shown that as management's physical attractiveness rises, corporate credibility and investment attraction rates increase significantly."

"See? Science. It's science."

Noh Jin-hyeok grinned and shrugged.

"And what are you saving that handsome face for?"

"..."

'Seriously, I think he just wanted to take the picture himself.'

Well, it wasn't even my real face, so I didn't care.

"Like I said, the Seeds who debut from now on are going to do things this way too. We'll pick a concept and do a photo spread."

"..."

This wasn't an entertainment agency. Was all this really necessary?

No matter how popular they got, it would only matter in the Occult World anyway, wouldn't it?

When I asked Ji-an, who was sitting beside me, she said, "Come on, Do-hyeon. Do you know how important popularity is?"

With Cursed spirit incidents increasing, the sorcerer population itself was growing every year.

The Occult World was deeply intertwined with every industry, from the economy and politics to entertainment, whether people knew it or not.

The higher up you went in major corporations or politics, the more likely you were to find sorcerers practically everywhere.

So becoming famous in the Occult World wasn't just about becoming popular among sorcerers, filming commercials, and receiving sponsorships.

Its influence reached far more places than anyone could see.

In other words, popularity in the Occult World was ultimately tied to society as a whole.

'...It's spread this far, and people still don't find out?'

Then again, a Hellfire Ghost rampaged in the middle of the city last time, and an entire commercial building burned down.

Yet the regular news only ran one brief article calling it a gas explosion of unknown cause.

There must have been plenty of witnesses, but there hadn't been a single follow-up report.

'Of course, they control the media...'

Maybe they quietly took those people away and erased their memories or something.

The fact that people without Spirit Sight couldn't see Cursed spirits in the first place probably played a major role too.

It seemed the Occult Management Bureau worked harder than I thought.

Anyway, that was why Noh Jin-hyeok Corporation was putting so much effort into publicity.

Yuha had done the same, and Wukong's side had signed a new percentage-based contract after I made Heart-to-Heart for them.

And the money really did come in far better than I'd expected.

"Power isn't only about combat ability. This is part of it too."

Hmm. Was that how it worked?

"Which brings me to this."

Noh Jin-hyeok set down his phone and leaned forward meaningfully.

"For the next photo spread concept, this time at the forge, holding a hammer..."

"I'm busy, so I'll be going."

I sprang to my feet.

"Hey, Master Do? Where are you going? I told you the response was good!"

* * *

[Breaking News] It's official, Do Emperor joined No Corp.!!!

└ Damn, so that rumor going around last time was real lol

└ This is crazy. They recruited Do Emperor and are debuting people one by one?

└ I'm fucking hyped.

└ Damn... This is insane.

└ If they're saying they'll reveal them, they must already have everything prepared.

└ Is this really a non-House alliance?;;

└ Wow, so that's why they recruited Do Emperor.

└ Something big is coming, something big is coming...

└ I'm seriously so excited....

[HOT] Is the Sorcerer Avengers launch for real?

└ Is this a superhero universe?

└ ...I'm a non-House Awakened. Honestly, I've waited my whole life for something like this.

└ But Noh Jin-hyeok Corporation is such a terrible name;;

└ For real....

└ Emperor definitely named it.

└ Seriously lol

[Question] If you join them, does Do Emperor make you a Ritual Implement?

└ Wouldn't that be the idea?

└ Damn.... I want in too.

└ I'm printing out my résumé and applying right now.

[Chat] Who the hell are the affiliated sorcerers they're revealing one by one?

└ There are probably a ton of them.

└ Seriously, if Noh Jin-hyeok told me to come, I'd go right away lol

└ What if every top-ranked non-House sorcerer is already in there?

└ Wow, that'd be creepy as hell.

└ Probably not? Don't they all have offices already?

└ Yeah, some of them get House sponsorship too.

└ Yep. It's definitely not that, since nobody contacted me.

└ Who are you?

└ I'm a solid Grade 3 sorcerer.

└ Not buying it.

Everyone was losing their minds.

Maybe because Goblin Fire already had a high percentage of users from non-House backgrounds, but the excitement was no joke.

They were all going on about something big coming.

Then again, if I were them, I might be getting a little fired up too.

They must have faced plenty of unfair treatment just because they weren't born into a sorcerer family.

But a non-House special-grade sorcerer, of all people, was taking the lead and shaking things up?

I'd probably get chills too.

Hmm... I had ended up looking like a central figure without meaning to.

So what? I'd live freely, just as my contract said.

"Let's see, the time..."

It was almost time for Su-a's training.

Apparently, Su-a's naps had been reduced to once a day.

It hadn't been easy to get rid of them altogether.

Since I was the one who made the Ritual Implement, I'd agreed to help her learn how to operate it.

It had a lot of hidden functions.

And plenty of ways to use them.

It would be a waste if she couldn't use the functions I'd added because she didn't know they existed.

I'd had a lot of fun designing them, after all.

Besides, it was my baby.

It deserved to be used properly.

I should grab a coffee on the way.

Before heading to the training hall, I stopped by the cafe.

Man, unlimited refills at the company cafe were great.

Back when I had my workshop at Goblin Market, I had to go outside just to get a cup of coffee.

"One blueberry smoothie, please."

After placing my order, I glanced around the cafe.

At a window seat, I spotted a familiar face. It was Su-a.

She was sipping a milkshake through a straw, beaming as she looked through her phone.

'There she is.'

Loading up on sugar before training?

I quietly crept closer, then suddenly leaned over her shoulder.

"What are you looking at that's so fun?"

"...! Cough, hack...!"

Su-a coughed, thumping her chest.

"Hey, hey. Sorry, sorry. Are you okay? Want some water?"

She suddenly stood up.

Instead of answering, Su-a grabbed her shake and walked right out of the cafe.

"..."

'She's doing it again.'

Su-a had been like that ever since that day. She didn't respond when I spoke to her, and she wouldn't even make eye contact.

Tsk. Things had been fun until then.

Did something happen?

Did she not like the gift?

Hmm... That didn't seem right, considering the training instructor said her Spiritual Power consumption had dropped significantly.

'And Goblin Fire's reaction was good too.'

Did she want one of those sparkly magic wands after all?

Usually, people went crazy when they used something I made.

'You're the first person who's ever been this cold after getting one of my creations...!'

...Something like that?

But it didn't really seem likely.

I was pretty confident in the things I made.

Right. Come to think of it, that was her first deployment, wasn't it?

It was probably the first time she'd seen a Cursed spirit in person too.

And her first one had been a burning zombie. Anyone would be shocked by that visual.

It wouldn't be strange if she had PTSD.

I thought they had mental-health care as part of the training here.

I should properly recommend it sometime.

Creeeak.

The moment I opened the training hall door, a fishy smell hit me.

Su-a, already changed into a swimsuit, was in the middle of training.

Shwaaaaaa-

As the trident sliced through the air, a wave smoothly curled upward along its prongs.

'She's improved again already.'

No wonder she was first in line to debut.

Her hands on the dial had become quite natural too.

Her rate of growth was extraordinary.

Then...

"...."

Su-a glanced this way.

The moment our eyes met...

"...!"

Su-a whipped her head forward in surprise.

'Look at that.'

She couldn't even look someone in the face properly.

The kid was completely broken.

Was she going to develop something like social anxiety at this rate?

Hmm, I came to help with her training today, at least.

"Su-a, before you swing upward in wave mode, try spinning it once in place first. Then, after the wave hits, the water pillar will rise one more time."

"..."

Without answering, Su-a spun the trident as instructed.

Whoosh- Shwak.

'Sigh. That's not it.'

The rotation was half a beat too fast. The wave would fizzle out like that.

"No, no. Hand it over for a second. Like this, move your wrist like this. There, try again."

"..."

Taking the trident, Su-a awkwardly twisted her body.

"That's not it."

I reached out to guide her from behind when...

"...!"

Su-a flinched violently and recoiled.

Clang-

Splash.

The trident rolled across the tiled floor, and Su-a fell straight into the pool.

Then...

Crash- Slosh!!

Centered on where Su-a had fallen, the entire pool began churning wildly.

Waves slammed into the walls, and the surface heaved in every direction.

'...Oh.'

Would you look at that?

Now that she'd let go of the trident, all the thoughts it had been absorbing were being broadcast through the water, live and unedited.

You could call it a live electrocardiogram.

I grinned. This could be fun.

Pwah-

Su-a broke the surface and frantically swam to the edge.

The instant she climbed out of the pool...

Tap!

She reached for the trident on the floor.

'Where do you think you're going?'

I picked it up one step ahead of her.

"...?"

Su-a stared up at me blankly.

Water dripped from her face as she blinked.

I'd been wondering why she'd been acting like that lately.

And now there was plenty of water right there that couldn't lie.

I had to ask what I wanted to ask, right?

I grinned.

"Sigh. I'm not giving this back until you answer me."

"...!"

Footnotes:

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