Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

060 – Desired Items

“Haah… I want it…”

Even after the employee finished explaining and the others had moved to see different equipment, Arin continued to stay in her spot, sighing and gazing at the drone in front of her.

Ever since participating in a drone competition with a bet against her friend, Arin’s desire to control drones had been burning non-stop in her mind. The feeling of becoming a bird, flying freely in the sky when controlling a drone was something she couldn’t let go of.

Arin had even convinced her parents to return a portion of her premium prize money, which she had earned after winning the competition, to purchase a drone. However, cheaply made drones designed solely for hovering in the air did nothing but worsen her thirst for more.

“This won’t do.”

From tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, from hundreds of thousands to millions, within a span of less than a month, Arin had tried countless drones in an effort to quench her thirst. However, not a single expensive drone managed to satisfy her inner craving.

She even borrowed her friend’s drone, which she had used in the competition, in the hope of experiencing that sensation once more. Yet, it was of no use. The feeling of frustration only grew stronger, no matter how she pushed the machine’s performance to the limit.

Furthermore, her parents had put a brake on her excessive spending on drones. To them, buying a drone for 10 million won only to control it once and then stash it in a corner was an action they couldn’t understand.

In addition, the desire within her heart couldn’t be quenched simply by purchasing high-priced drones. Generally, as the price range of drones increased, there was a tendency to prioritize factors like flight distance, carrying capacity, and whether humans could ride them, rather than the actual drone’s flying performance.

Arin joined RC flying clubs on the internet, where she even tried controlling models with small jet engines, but that didn’t give her the desired feeling either. The speed was there, but the responsiveness and maneuverability she loved in drones were lacking.

Her last resort was the equipment shop of the Liberal Clan, known as collection of monster technology.

It was there that she finally found a drone that perfectly matched her desires. It was a machine that had discarded all unnecessary features for her, such as payload, armament status, and the ability for someone to ride it. Instead, it focused entirely on speed and maneuvering performance.

With an aero-dynamic design that could be called the embodiment of aerodynamics, it could reach an average speed of over 400 km/h, using overwhelming power to provide over five hours of operation on a single charge.

Despite its ultra-high-speed travel, it offered instant turns reminiscent of a bee’s flight, thanks to its insane agility powered by decisive energy.

This drone, weighing only 30 grams, could transmit the 100% view of the controller through a lightweight, dedicated goggle.

Lastly, it had a control system that transcended the era, allowing for manipulation of overwhelming maneuverability as if guided by the “heart,” all without the need for a complicated controller, solely with the user’s brainwaves.

The existing drones were designed to explore the inside of the gates. They were specially configured with every detail, from their design to each component, for gate exploration, which was necessary to handle high-speed aerial combat against humanoid enemies that could easily destroy conventional drones. Arin believed this drone was like a dream machine capable of fulfilling all her desires, but there was a major drawback.

‘the price……’

In all honesty, she wasn’t exactly broke. Even after spending money on drones like crazy recently, apart from the money she spent on drones, she still had a fair amount of prize money she had received. The problem was that the equipment sold by the Liberal Clan was beyond her means.

The Liberal Clan sold equipment solely in exchange for points, which could only be obtained through crystal exchange or material exchange. Currently, the prices of the materials and crystals required to earn those points were skyrocketing. This created an automatic price adjustment mechanism that didn’t require the Liberal Clan to adjust equipment prices manually in response to market fluctuations. As a result, the price of the Canary drone she was looking at had increased over five times from its initial release.

On top of that, prices were going crazy day by day. Eventually, all Arin could do was come to the display case after school every day and gaze at the drones, sighing endlessly.

‘Maybe I should have accepted the party invitation?’

Just today, Arin had rejected several party invitations. Men who proposed that she should join the same party while she sat in front of the drone. However, she refused all those invitations, recalling the rumors circulating about the Awakener party.

‘Could it be that even if only part of the rumors is true…?’

Normally, joining an Awakener Gate raid party as a minor under 19 years old was illegal. However, it was different for those under 19 who were Awakener. They were allowed to join parties and participate in gate raids freely. As long as they were Awakener, they could do as they pleased, whether participating in Gate raids or hunting monsters in gate.

That’s why despite being minors, they were constantly engaging in illegal actions to participate in Gate raids. This resulted in a thriving but shady trade that naturally followed, offering favors like romantic relationships in exchange for inclusion in a party. There were even stories of minors disappearing from Gate raids, where no legal surveillance equipment was present.

‘There’s no risk of finding a corpse, and if the entire party is a tight-knit group, there’s no danger of witnesses…’

Of course, not all parties operated that way. However, it was certain that in some parties, there were occasional reports of young women being recruited as new party members and then reported as having died during a raid. Most of the offers given to her were also of such a suspicious nature.

‘They don’t even know who I am…’

These people offered inclusion in their party despite not even realizing that she was an applicant for a Gate explorer. These were individuals who believed that if they gave her the opportunity, she would eagerly accept it. Arin understood their mindset very well.

It was too extravagant to use a drone that cost over 50 million won just to seduce a high school girl. For this reason, when Arin heard a voice again from behind, she could only assume that it was another attempt to lure her away, just like all the previous ones she had encountered.

To conceal their identity, the person wore a mask, a sight that heightened Arin’s already cautious demeanor. She responded sharply to the man who addressed her.

“What do you want?”

The man wearing a mask hesitated and continued, taken aback by her sharp tone. “Um, I’ve been watching you for a while… Do you, by any chance, want that drone?”

“If I want it, will you buy me one? What’s the catch? A date? You won’t hand over a 50 million won drone for just one date, what else? Are you suggesting we go on a Gate raid with people we’ve never met?”

“Uh, I approached you as a favor, but you seem extremely sensitive.”

“If I sit here for half a day, I’ll receive similar proposals at least five times. So let me answer in advance. I have no interest in Gate raids, and I don’t particularly want to date. Besides, I have no desire to be with someone who hides their identity with a mask for nefarious purposes.”

“Well, you seem to have a reasonable suspicion, but there’s one thing you got wrong.”

Taking off his mask, Myung-jun addressed her, “Sometimes, you have to hide your identity even when you have no malicious intent.”

Seeing her freeze like ice upon looking at his face, Myung-jun raised his mask again and smiled as he told her, “Now, do you understand why I’m wearing a mask?”

A little while later, Arin and Myung-jun began their conversation while facing each other at a café adjacent to the Liberal Clan headquarters on the first floor.

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“Liberal Clan leader, Cha Myung-jun.”

“I’m Seo Arin, just a regular high school student. Is it really you, the Myung-jun they talk about on the 9 o’clock news every day? The one who cleared a Rank 4 Gate that everyone else had given up on?”

“That’s right.”

“But why would someone as famous as you be interested in an ordinary high school girl like me?”

Arin thought for a moment about why Myung-jun might be talking to her and suddenly stood up from her seat, exclaiming, “Could it be a scout?”

“Under Korean law, it’s impossible to recruit minors who are not Awakener to join the clan.”

“That’s the law, but there aren’t many people who actually follow it.”

“We do. Moreover, with organizations like the Liberal Clan, which are private enterprises that receive media attention, we take caution in recruiting clan members. So, unless you’re an Awakener, we would never make a recruitment offer to a regular underage person like you.”

“Then, for what reason?”

“Remember this video?”

Myung-jun took out his smartphone and showed a video. The video displayed a drone navigating a maze of obstacles at lightning speed, nearly packed to the brim with obstacles. And Arin recognized the video very well. It was a recording of herself operating the drone during the finals of the World Seeker Grand Prix, a drone racing competition she had participated in and won.

“Is this the video of me operating the drone in the finals?” Arin inquired.

“Myung-jun replied, “After seeing the video of your drone piloting in the finals, our CTO at Liberal Clan, Han Soo-jeong, showed significant interest. She also believed that Arin could handle this device.”

When Myung-jun placed the drone on the table, Arin’s pupils dilated significantly. This drone had a unique design, combining white, blue, and gold, unlike the black Canary drone displayed on the shelf. It had six additional thrusters that could be freely controlled, even though the propellers were absent, just like the Canary drone.

The new drone was clearly designed for high speed and maneuverability. Arin couldn’t resist reaching out for it.

Arin held the drone in her hands and was astonished by how lightweight it was. Even assuming that it was low on fuel, the drone was incredibly light.

Observing her expression, Myung-jun smiled and said, “Do you like it?”

Arin responded, “It’s not just liking. This… This is… It’s truly perfect.”

Myung-jun explained, “It’s a rare Relic-Rank equipment, even within our Liberal Clan. Although it was developed as a prototype of the Canary drone, its superior performance made it difficult to operate by anyone, so it remained idle. We had no choice but to put it in storage.”

Intrigued by Myung-jun’s words, Arin shouted, “You mean, no one could operate it?”

Myung-jun confirmed, “You’re likely correct, Arin. I want to hand over this drone to you.”

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