Reset Life with Infinite Talents - Chapter 248

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Infinite Talent Reset Life Episode 248

Squish! Squish!

Small feet dig into the thick, sticky mud mixed with various materials. The mud grabs onto the feet and won’t easily let go.

“Huff! Hah!”

Breath rising up to his chin.

Vision blurring before his eyes.

The small body sways unsteadily.

Smack!

“Agh!”

“Stomp harder! I told you to squeeze out the air and mix it well!”

Perhaps it’s because sparks are flying before his eyes.

His fading consciousness returns and anger flares up.

“My head’s going to get a hole in it!”

“This brat?!”

As the short pipe is raised, the boy tries to run away desperately, but he falls face-first into the mud that grabs his feet.

“Urgh?!”

Splat!

“Hehe. That guy’s way of resting is quite unique.”

“S-save me…!”

He’s being sucked in. His whole body is being sucked into the mud.

‘I-I’m going to die like this? No way!’

How had he lived until now, how had he endured that hell, only to die like this?

After the Imjin War when even the king fled because of the Japanese invaders, the common people who had lived for decades in another living hell of poverty and starvation.

The boy was one of those common people.

A beggar who had it twice as hard because he had no parents, whom no one looked after.

A life that would have died of starvation or disease if he hadn’t been saved by his current teacher by chance a few months ago. How could he lose this life he had barely managed to keep in such a futile way?

As he struggled in despair, a rough hand grabs the back of his neck and pulls him up.

“Puha! Huff! Huk! Q-quickly save me!”

“Should I shove you back in?”

“…Ugh!”

The boy quietly avoids his teacher’s eyes and wipes the mud off his face, feeling frustrated.

“Why do we have to work so hard?! Those kids down there were doing it half-heartedly!”

The kiln workers below and laborers doing odd jobs who roughly gather soil, sprinkle water on it, and make it into bricks.

“What those guys make is for common people to use, so they make it roughly! Do you think anything great would come out of kilns made by such people?”

He clicks his tongue and takes a deep drag from his pipe.

“The soil is different so it withstands fire differently, the pores are uniform so air flows well, it withstands water well so the temperature is consistent! Everything is different, and good things come from those differences, you brat!”

Smack!

“Argh!”

It’s the moment when the boy rubs his head mercilessly.

“Are you here?”

‘Huk?!’

The boy is startled. A well-dressed man wearing silk clothes and a hat has entered.

A scholar, a noble. Either way, not someone good to encounter.

“I’m here, but come back in 3 years. I have a lot of reservations backed up.”

Flinch!

Both the boy and the man are taken aback.

“…Haha! They say Master’s reputation echoes throughout the eight provinces of Joseon, and those words weren’t lies! I’m Kim from Gaeseong. Master Gong Duwon needs a kiln, so I’ve made this long journey.”

“If you say one more word, I won’t build a kiln for whoever this Gong guy is.”

“How dare you! Do you know who Master Gong is! The white porcelain he makes…”

“Do you think I wouldn’t know the name of someone I built a kiln for! Even if that guy came and asked directly, I might or might not do it, but some merchant pretending to be a noble raises his voice! Should I tear open your and that guy’s greasy bellies!”

“Hieek!”

As the man falls backward, a large man in shabby clothes who had followed behind steps forward with a scowling face.

“Do you know who this person is…”

“Fine! Go ahead and try to start a fight if you want! Even if my hands and feet get twisted, I won’t make a kiln for the Gong family!”

“L-let’s go. H-he’s crazy.”

“But sir! Master Gong…!”

“E-enough. It’s not like he’s the only kiln worker around!”

The man hurriedly left the place, and the boy looked at his teacher with wide eyes.

“Isn’t a pottery master the leader of potters?”

The leader and teacher of potters belonging to large trading companies.

Both potters and kiln workers were looked down upon equally, but still, a pottery master who made ceramics that went into nobles’ mansions had to be different.

Yet he had driven away someone who came with such a pottery master’s request like chasing away a beggar.

The boy, who had only been serving as his disciple for a few months and didn’t know much about his teacher, couldn’t help but be greatly surprised.

“What’s so great about those guys anyway. No matter how great they are, without kiln workers like me, they can’t fire a single piece… Hm?”

Discovering the boy’s bright, curious eyes, the teacher chuckles and arrogantly straightens his shoulders.

“Hehe. Why? Does this teacher finally look impressive to you?”

“…Ugh, annoying.”

Smack!

“Argh!”

“Just stomp the clay, you brat. Even if I sold your body, I couldn’t buy even a handful of this clay.”

“I got it.”

This happened 36 years after the Imjin War, at the entrance of a village in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do.

* * *

Whirrrr!

Early dawn, at Korea’s Incheon Airport where planes take off and land.

Emily, with a disheveled face, lets out a hollow laugh.

“Wow. I really came all the way to Korea just to get soil.”

In all her life, she took a plane just to get some soil. Taking a whole 13 hours at that.

When will this boyfriend’s eccentric behavior ever end?

‘I didn’t know I’d come either.’

Korea, which she thought she’d have no reason to visit again.

But there was a reason.

“If you can build the kiln properly, it’s an A+.”

“Until graduation! No exams, no reports, nothing! My student’s girlfriend should register too if she’s interested!”

“Really?”

Then it’s a deal.

A chance to fill credits for free. Taking one less class would mean more time available for other things.

“So this is Korea.”

Emily’s eyes light up as she finally starts noticing the surrounding scenery.

“Wow. It’s clean and spacious? The smell is interesting too!”

Her first time ever coming to Korea.

She’s even more amazed by the faint garlic smell penetrating her nostrils.

“Since it’s a place with many Koreans, there’s definitely a garlic smell.”

“It’s the same as Americans smelling like butter, you know.”

The difference in food and environment.

“Indians have the strongest smell though?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I don’t smell.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Stop the lovers’ quarrel in front of a married woman going through separation.”

“Stop fighting about love in front of a single teaching assistant!”

“I have a boyfriend, but stop it!”

The ceramics teaching assistant who followed Professor Evelyn and the top ceramics student who will enter graduate school in a few months grin mischievously.

“You said it was called Kangki or Kangju, right?”

“Yes. According to those records, it was called Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province.”

A fictional book made up to create credibility for the story, the diary of some kiln worker he claimed to have seen at a flea market 6 years ago.

“Ah, why didn’t you buy that!”

“Right! Why! If you weren’t going to buy it, you should have told us!”

Professor Evelyn and the others making ridiculous claims even though he said he saw it before even entering university, before even knowing them.

Johann shook his head and let out a deep sigh.

“I remember all the content, so once I finish organizing everything, I’ll bind it and give it to you.”

“One more copy, no, two more copies please.”

“…I’ll try my best.”

“Okay! Then let’s go go go!”

Adjusting their bags, they ran outside, and Johann shouted loudly toward the girl-like professors.

“The rental car isn’t that way!”

Screech!

Johann, Emily, and Rick shook their heads at the sight of them stopping urgently.

Vrooom!

Inside the running van.

Emily shakes her head looking at Professor Evelyn and the others who had fallen asleep, snoring.

“They didn’t sleep on the plane and now finally…”

It’s like looking at young siblings rather than adults.

“Johann, this is your second time in Korea?”

“That’s right?”

“How was it the first time?”

“…Didn’t I explain that back then?”

“I want to hear it again.”

“Hmm. Except for a few parts, everything was good.”

Johann carefully explains the feelings he had when visiting Korea before, and Emily listens seriously.

“What was particularly impressive was the conscience, I guess?”

A young man in his 20s who didn’t take a phone that had fallen on the street but placed it on a nearby flower bed instead.

Besides that, various conscientious behaviors caught his eye.

“The sight of most Koreans maintaining moral standards was very impressive.”

“I see…”

In America, that would be unthinkable. If a phone fell on the street, it would disappear within 5 seconds.

“I don’t know when I’ll be able to come again, so I’d like to look around various places, but that would be difficult, right?”

“…If we find it quickly, we might be able to make time.”

He had told Kim Seo-hyun from SJ Group, with whom he had a long-standing connection, that he was going to Korea, so he had to meet her too.

“Really?”

“I’ll find it as quickly as possible. Let’s tour Seoul.”

“Yes!”

Emily, who smiled brightly, suddenly asks about something she had been curious about.

“But can’t you get that soil in America?”

“Hmm. How should I put it… American soil has strong properties.”

“Huh?”

“Should I say it’s easy to supplement what’s lacking, but difficult to remove what’s excessive?”

Of course, kilns can be made sufficiently well with American soil too.

Since America is a land blessed by God, a much superior kiln might be created, an incredible kiln that no kiln worker has ever made before.

‘But we’d have to go through countless trials and errors to make that.’

It might take days, or even months.

That’s why he came to Korea. Even if the soil has been altered by industrialization and such, the deep soil untouched by human hands might still be fine.

“While we’re at it…”

“Let’s also get pottery clay! Korean soil is really good! Wow, you drive well, Mr. Bottom!”

Rick smiles awkwardly at the action of Professor Evelyn in the passenger seat, who had opened her eyes seductively and was stroking his forearm, though he didn’t know when she had woken up.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t seduce someone else’s manager. He’s a married man.”

“…You treat professors quite casually, don’t you?”

“At this point?”

“…Hohoho! I’m hungry! If there’s anywhere nearby where we can buy food, let’s stop! Ah, that place looks good! The sign color is pretty!”

“Where… Ah, it’s a place that sells freshwater fish.”

“Pass!”

At this age, he didn’t want to get infected with parasites.

* * *

A quiet village somewhere in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

An elderly man in his 70s wearing a shabby hat with “Saemaul Movement” written on it paces back and forth looking toward the village entrance.

“Is your dead wife coming back or something?”

“Stop talking nonsense and just go your way.”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing special… They’re here!”

The old man smiles brightly at the luxurious black mid-size car running toward them. Soon, men in suits get out of the car that stopped in front of them.

“Are you by any chance Village Head Kim Bok-nam?”

“Yes, I’m Village Head Kim Bok-nam who spoke with you on the phone before! You’re from Samjeon, right?”

“I’m Manager Park Chan-ho from SJ Group’s secretariat.”

“Oh my. Yes, yes.”

‘Suit-wearing people came from Samjeon?’

SJ Group, which started long ago by receiving rice warehouses and selling saccharin, and became the top group in South Korea.

The eyes of an old woman of similar age who had been talking to the village head widen.

‘Samjeon wants to buy land around here!’

For what reason would they want to buy it?

Just as the old woman’s ears perk up.

Another van enters the village and stops in front of them.

Vrroom!

“Wow!”

“Ugh! Ah, hello?”

‘What, what Western kids came all the way to this countryside?’

“My goodness, they’re devastatingly pretty.”

While the old woman mutters in confusion, Manager Park Chan-ho approaches Johann getting out of the car and bows his head.

“Vice Chairman Kim Yong-jae sent me. I’m Manager Park Chan-ho from the secretariat.”

This was the person who had asked him to take good care of not only Vice Chairman Kim Yong-jae, who will lead the next generation of SJ and is currently leading SJ Group, but also President Kim Seo-hyun. He involuntarily swallows his saliva.

“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Johann Jefferson. These are my companions.”

The manager, who bowed to each person, points to the village head.

“This gentleman here is the owner of the land you’re looking for.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Johann approaches with a smile and bows his head.

“Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Johann, who arranged to see your land today.”

“Yes? Ah, yes yes.”

It was surprising and admirable that Korean words came from a foreigner’s mouth, but this was also someone to whom even the high-ranking person from the great SJ Group bowed his head. He couldn’t treat him carelessly just because he was young.

“But you seem to be a foreigner, so why would you want this kind of rural land…”

Especially since he even wants the mountain where the soil everywhere is so messed up that nothing grows well except trees and weeds.

“I’m planning to build a villa.”

“Oh my, I see. Yes, yes. This way please.”

Not only the Village Head but also the Old Woman’s expectations completely deflate.

When they heard SJ wanted land, they wondered if a factory might come in, or a research institute, or a new city might be built, and they had been thinking about how many times over they should mark up the price.

‘Ugh. I’d be grateful just to get fair value for it.’

Soon the Village Head, who had guided them to land that had been passed down from previous generations but was too far from the road and utterly useless, practically a white elephant, was startled. There was an excavator standing at the entrance to the land.

But he couldn’t raise his voice unnecessarily and let slip away the opportunity to sell off land that hadn’t sold for decades, so he just groaned inwardly.

“Whew. The air is good.”

The manager smiled faintly and approached Johann, who was getting out behind him.

“Is this the right place?”

“Just a moment?”

Johann looked around not only at the mountain but also at the land adjacent to it.

Land thick with only grass and trees, as if untouched by human hands.

‘It seems right, but…’

Hundreds of years had passed. It wouldn’t be strange if the shape of the mountain had changed.

Johann approached the Village Head.

“Have you ever heard stories about there being a small village here in the old days? Hundreds of years ago?”

“Huh?”

The Village Head was startled.

How could this young foreigner know about that?

“Yes, yes. I’ve heard it said that long ago, Kiln Workers gathered and lived here.”

His late Grandfather, who was born during the Korean Empire era, had told the Village Head’s Father, and his Father had passed the story on to him.

He said that was also why the village he currently served as head of was named Jangshim-ri.

‘That’s right.’

Johann looked at the manager.

“Please proceed with the contract.”

“Yes, understood! Village Head, this way.”

“Ah, yes yes.”

The manager, who had signaled to the Samjeon Construction Employee standing by the excavator, headed toward the car with the Village Head, while Johann looked around the mountain and land again before pointing to one spot.

“Please start digging from that land over there.”

‘That Kiln Worker didn’t extract soil from high places.’

Rather, it was a spot that went slightly up toward the mountain from where the mountain and land met.

‘Right there. But just in case…’

“Please dig deep.”

“Ah, yes. Understood.”

It was a VIP’s request. If he said dig, they had to dig.

Vroooom!

The excavator that had climbed slightly up the slope belched black smoke and scooped out the soil.

Thud! Crack!

Tree roots being cut by the excavator and coming up with it.

Johann, who had clenched his fist and sent a stop signal, approached near the shovel and examined the soil.

Emily, Professor Evelyn, the Assistant, and the Graduate Student all opened their eyes wide and looked at Johann.

“Hmm…”

Johann picked up some soil, rubbed it between his fingers, and put it in his mouth.

“Ptui!”

Emily made an expression of disbelief.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“…I was just trying to get into the mood.”

No.

‘This is definitely the right place!’

But the soil was light. Both in color and taste.

‘There’s a bit of impurity mixed in the taste, but…’

If they dug deeper, good soil would definitely come out.

“One more scoop, no, two more scoops please!”

Vroooom!

When Johann and the others stepped aside, the excavator dug twice more in the same spot.

Then…

Johann’s eyes wavered.

“That’s it.”

Everyone was surprised by those words.

“That’s it?!”

“Yeah. This color, this feeling.”

This color, this texture.

Johann pinched a bit of soil and put it in his mouth.

‘There’s still some impurity mixed in, but…’

Still, this much could definitely be purified with the power of sunlight and fire. The ‘Kiln Worker’ said so.

‘Is it because it hasn’t been touched by human hands?’

“It’s exactly as written in the diary.”

“…Kyaaaah!”

They found it.

The soil to build a Joseon kiln with techniques now lost, the highest-grade kiln that only renowned ceramicists could possess.

And they had found it with just over ten hours of travel.

So Professor Evelyn and the others, who had been dumbfounded, soon had their eyes turn wild.

“Th-then how do you make the kiln bricks? Do we have to make them here? How do we do it!”

“We don’t have to make them here…”

They did need materials from this mountain.

But if he said that, Professor Evelyn and the others would obviously want to start making bricks right away.

“But you know what? There’s also kaolin here.”

Not only the ‘Kiln Worker’ and his Teacher, but Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do had long been home to many ceramicists and potters for generations.

The ‘Kiln Worker’ and his Teacher not only built kilns for like-minded ceramicists, but also gifted kaolin extracted from somewhere in Gwangju’s mountains that only he and his Teacher knew about.

And that kaolin invariably became the finest ceramics that went to the households of those in high government positions.

That’s why ceramicists would line up begging the ‘Kiln Worker’ to please sell them the clay.

“My goodness…! How much will it take! How much to sell us this mountain and land!”

Just shut up and take my money!

Professor Evelyn’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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