The start of the Great Hunter Era brought about the emergence of ‘Guilds’.
Like the adventurer guilds in fantasy stories, these organizations are formed by awakeners for their own benefit.
They range from small guilds with fewer than ten members to large guilds with the stature of major corporations.
Among such guilds is the ‘Wings Guild’.
Though it has fewer than ten members, they are tightly knit.
This is because the master, Moon Da-young, founded the guild after escaping exploitation by a large guild.
Half of the members are those who fled together with her.
The crafting guild assesses grades separately through tests distinct from the combat ranks.
Among them, Moon Da-young stands out as a B-rank crafting hunter.
Due to the scarcity of her profession, she enjoys considerable benefits granted by the country.
However, those benefits come with responsibilities.
“Master, when are you going to make me a new sword?”
“If you want something new, go run through some more dungeons.”
“I get exhausted and collapse after going just once a day!”
“Bah— you’re lacking in effort. Not long ago, you went three times in a day!”
“That day was just weird…”
Han-gyeol, slouched over on the desk since morning, let out a sigh.
Da-young, watching him, chuckled softly.
That was just the way things were; he would rest for a moment before heading off to work.
What a kind and diligent young man.
“I’ll go through two dungeons today… I need to work quickly to pay off the debt.”
“Heh, go on ahead.”
“By the way, how’s that guy doing these days?”
“Who? Ji-han?”
“Of course, who else?”
Han-gyeol straightened up and stretched, preparing to leave.
Once the conversation wrapped up, Da-young looked at him with an ambiguous expression and replied.
“He’s working hard, but I’m a bit worried.”
“Still like that?”
“Yeah, even when I warn him, it’s only for that moment.”
“If he keeps that up, he’ll get badly hurt later.”
“Sigh…”
Seo Ji-han, one of the initial members who fled from the large guild, was younger than Han-gyeol but was a senior among awakeners.
Currently, he’s the only C-rank combat hunter in the Wings Guild and is aiming for B-rank.
This means he gets considerable support from the guild and is aware of his position as an ace.
Perhaps a bit too aware.
“Han-gyeol, you should quickly get your C-rank too.”
“I’m trying…”
Han-gyeol let out a big breath at Da-young’s words.
Thanks to the learning at the academy, he quickly achieved D-rank.
But C-rank sometimes felt like a wall he couldn’t climb.
At that moment, the office phone rang.
Han-gyeol said he was off and stepped out, while Da-young gestured to the phone and picked it up.
“Yes, this is the Wings Guild.”
– …Hello. I was introduced by Han-gyeol. I’m Jeong Si-hyun.
“…Ah! I’ve heard about you; it’s nice to meet you. What’s the purpose of your call?”
– I’d like to visit and discuss a few things.
“Oh! When do you plan on coming?”
Da-young coordinated the schedule with Si-hyun.
After the call ended, Da-young rested her chin on her hand and thought.
Her voice was incredible.
Like the sound of jade rolling on a silver tray.
She hadn’t seen her appearance yet, but she already understood why Han-gyeol was so excited.
*
After scheduling a visit to the Wings Guild, she picked the nearest dungeon and made a quick run.
Having swiftly cleared two E-rank dungeons alone, she dashed to the highly recommended jjambong restaurant she had researched online.
Since it wasn’t peak meal time yet, the restaurant was quiet.
“Welcome! Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
“This way, please.”
Seated at the designated table, a female employee looked concerned and said, “It might be a bit spicy for a foreigner. Are you okay with that?”
“…Yes, I’ll give it a try.”
“Heh, your Korean is good! Go for it!”
Caught off guard by the employee’s encouragement, she thought,
…Do others see me as a foreigner? Or maybe an honorary Korean?
That could be it! It felt a bit strange.
Lost in thought, her food arrived soon after.
“Phew…”
Alright, it’s time to eat.
You can do it, Jeong Si-hyun!
Slurp—
She took a bite of the noodles, deeply tensed.
And then…
Cough, cough…
Things were getting dicey already.
But she couldn’t give up.
Another bite, and then another.
“Ugh, ugh…”
It was indeed tough.
Unable to hold back her grimace, she gulped down some water.
From the first day she had that spicy fried chicken, she sensed something was off.
Her confusion deepened after trying various foods with Si-yoon.
And today, she was certain.
She was suffering from severe spice intolerance.
There was hardly any spicy food in the other world.
Now, back in her Earth body, her tongue felt like it was on fire, and tears welled up unconsciously.
It was like watching Westerners struggle with Korean food.
She felt a dissonance between her mind and body.
Cognitive dissonance… sighs
About two-thirds of the jjambong remained.
Continuing to eat like this was definitely pushing it.
Realistically, it was too much.
But leaving some behind felt like a waste.
Pride aside, she needed to give her tongue a break and recover it first.
Hmm, people should know how to compromise.
…
After finishing her meal, she stood up.
With a glare full of grievance, she stared at the remaining bowl.
In the end, she left a third of it uneaten.
Her stomach was too full.
She remembered the days she could easily finish a large plate.
Returning to Korea, perhaps the newfound freedom and leisure time made her realize how much things had changed.
…There’s no helping it.
She just had to adapt bit by bit.
It was time to run through one more dungeon and head to the Wings Guild.
“Here, have this! It’ll help reduce the spiciness!”
“Oh, thank you.”
The staff was kind.
Next time, she would definitely come with Si-yoon for a re-challenge.
She wasn’t giving up yet.
*
When Si-hyun completed her self-imposed quota and visited the Wings Guild,
The first thing she heard when entering the office she was guided to was this:
“Wow, oh my gosh. You’re even prettier than I expected!”
“…Hello.”
“Come, take a seat.”
“Yes.”
Da-young welcomed Si-hyun with a bright smile.
good rice cake looks good to eat, they say.
Confronted with such unrealistic beauty, it felt like she might have a beautiful heart as well.
Even as a woman herself, she was captivated by Si-hyun’s charm.
“…Um, excuse me?”
“Hmm! What’s up?”
“…Your gaze.”
“Hehe.”
Da-young, who was openly admiring Si-hyun’s chest, lifted her head.
Thinking of that large chest as a close-quarters hunter led to some strange fantasies.
Though she didn’t think of herself as lacking in attractiveness, the fresh appeal of their contrasting body types was striking.
Da-young smirked and smoothly changed the subject.
“You mentioned you came to trade! Could you show me your goods?”
“It’s this one.”
Si-hyun pulled out a fist-sized magic stone from her magical accessory bracelet.
With hand gestures similar to manipulating a status window.
She had observed other hunters sufficiently when she formed her previous party, making this possible.
“Ah, so this is what Han-gyeol was talking about. May I take a quick look?”
“Yes.”
As Si-hyun granted permission, Da-young swiftly took the magic stone.
The status window provided basic information on the magic stone.
Its name, grade, quality, etc.
“Oh, this should be worth around 2 million won. Did you check the price at the exchange?”
“…2 million?”
“Yes! The grade is low, but the quality is high. Where you use it depends on the creator’s ability. If you don’t need to negotiate, I’ll buy it for 2 million.”
“…”
Si-hyun fell silent, lost in thought.
When she previously exchanged various magic stones, she did check the prices at the magic stone exchange.
The price the exchange had quoted was about 1.5 million won.
Of course, there would be some discrepancies in processing it comfortably, but she never expected to receive such a starkly different price.
“Let’s see, at the exchange… Um, maybe they suggested around 1.5 million won?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
“Hehe, it’s my job, after all. Thanks to Han-gyeol’s recommendation, I was able to make a fair offer.”
A guild member’s recommendation.
Perhaps she had been deliberately given a higher price to score points.
Otherwise, it could be due to tax issues.
Considering this, it was more rational to think that way.
Having organized her thoughts, Si-hyun slowly opened her mouth.
“I heard you’re a crafting hunter.”
“Yes! That’s right. I’m a B-rank!”
“Then, could I take a look at some of your items first?”
“Of course!”
Da-young led Si-hyun to the storage area.
Due to the building’s size, it wasn’t spacious, but various items were stored there.
While browsing through them, Si-hyun realized something important.
Each item emanated mana, indicating they were crafted using magic stones.
Yet, without a rough visual inspection, she couldn’t discern their functions.
After all, she wasn’t an awakener.
Lacking the status window.
To know their functionality, she would have to inspect the items in detail.
She had been forgetting that.
“…Oh.”
“Is there a problem?”
Si-hyun was plunged into deep contemplation.
There was no need to conceal her identity as a returner.
But revealing she was not an awakener was something she felt a bit hesitant about.
Being different could draw special attention.
Though it would be revealed eventually, it shouldn’t be now.
She should just blur it over.
“There are so many items. Are there any related to safety?”
“Are you asking about armor?”
“Oh, not that. Something portable. I want to gift it to my non-awakened brother.”
“…Wow.”
Upon hearing Si-hyun’s words, Da-young’s eyes widened.
An E-rank hunter wanting to trade a magic stone worth 2 million won.
Naturally, she had assumed she would want equipment for herself.
But to think about a safety item for her ordinary family member?
Was she really as kind-hearted as she appeared?
Da-young thought she needed to test her just once.
“What sort of value are you looking for?”
“The maximum. It can be more than 2 million won.”
That was a straightforward answer.
At that moment, Da-young’s evaluation of Si-hyun jumped vertically.
In today’s world, finding someone like that was rare.
Especially among hunters.
People tend to invest mainly in improving themselves.
But prioritizing family like this?
She closely resembled the motto of their Wings Guild.
This person, I like her.
With a serious expression, Da-young said,
“Si-hyun.”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to create an item together?”
“…?”
Si-hyun tilted her head, not grasping the meaning.
‘She’s cute… No, wait.’
Da-young corrected her thoughts that were trying to run away.
“Portable accessories require small yet high-quality magic stones and materials.”
“Yes.”
“Anything available now might not meet your standards. How about collaborating with me to create one?”
Collaboration.
Just that one word seized Si-hyun’s thoughts.
The idea wasn’t bad.
After all, this was being proposed by a B-rank hunter.
It made sense to accept this.
But her accumulated mistrust in humanity made her hesitate to agree easily.
“Oh, of course! This is a trade, a trade. I’ll pay for the costs, and I’ll keep any leftovers. Si-hyun, you’ll be providing labor in exchange for high-quality items.”
Da-young gazed at Si-hyun with a serious expression.
If she were an average E-rank hunter, she would never make such a proposal.
In hindsight, she stood to lose more than gain.
Yet, Han-gyeol had emphasized time and again.
One must not judge the battle prowess of this beautiful woman solely by her appearance.
He insisted that even if she were D-rank now, she wouldn’t be any less than C-rank.
Da-young believed in her guild member’s insight.
Thus, she boldly decided to invest her time and resources.
“…Yes, it’s a deal.”
Looking at Da-young’s expression, Si-hyun sensed her earnestness.
Perhaps she could give them a shot at trust.
If troubles arose during their collaboration, she was confident she could resolve them.
And if they became close, she would benefit more.
“Thank you in advance.”
“Mm! Good thinking.”
The two shook hands.
*
“What on earth is this?”
Da-young stared ahead in disbelief.
Though she was a B-rank crafting hunter, her combat rank was only D-rank.
Thus, she could enter a D-rank dungeon with Si-hyun.
They had agreed to run if danger arose and entered together.
“Shall we go?”
“Uh, um… Yes!”
The threat wasn’t in humans but the monsters outside.
With each step Si-hyun took, the monsters fell apart like confetti.
How could this be an E-rank hunter?
Da-young’s evaluation of Si-hyun had skyrocketed.
Now, it was no longer just vertical; it had pierced through the ceiling and surpassed all limits.
Unmeasurable.
This girl, she’s amazing!
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