Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Chae Yeonhwa's Darkening
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'Regular Summon...'
How had he failed to grasp the blatantly obvious meaning of those words?
No, forget not grasping it—he'd pressed the button as if entranced, without even pausing to consider what it meant.
Perhaps he'd gotten too carried away by the thrill of landing 10.5 billion won.
Or maybe, having signed the contract and heard her voice firsthand, he'd let his guard down.
Either way, what was done was done.
What mattered now was how to handle it.
With that in mind, he'd tried to gain the upper hand by leveraging the contract terms and the staff... and for a moment, it seemed to work.
"Hmmm..."
"Haha... where do you think we've seen each other before~?"
"No? We definitely have. There's no way I'd forget a face like that. I know we met... but where...?"
Pretending not to recognize him was a bust.
She'd remember any second now, so he decided to just come out with it.
"Maybe about two weeks ago, at the Crimson Lotus Hotel."
"Crimson Lotus Hotel... Ahhh!!!"
She remembered.
"I'm really sorry about that time. I had no idea you were the Crimson Lotus Guild Master. And I especially never imagined someone so cute could be the guild master. It was only later that a staff member told me the person I'd called cute was the Crimson Lotus Guild Master."
"Ughhh..."
"I just thought, 'Aw, what a cute kid who loves hamburgers~.'"
"...Cancel it right now!"
"Huh?"
"I told you I'd punish you if you called me cu...cute!!"
"I didn't just call you cute—I was just explaining the situation from back then..."
"Urghh...!!"
"Got it. Cancel."
As a fire mage, her eyes even seemed to blaze for a moment.
To lighten the awkward atmosphere, he spoke up first.
"Now, let me explain why I suddenly summoned you here."
"Oh, right! How did you do it?!"
He gave Chae Yeonhwa a brief rundown, sticking only to the regular customer feature.
He'd been summoned so abruptly himself that there was a risk of exposing his abilities, but luckily, he'd tucked his phone away, and the computer running the macro was off—thanks to the lingering effects of Orphan Conduct Rule - Save Electricity on his body, the monitor was powered down.
"So... you can summon me anytime?!"
"Uh... probably? I haven't had anyone worth using it on until now."
"Ahh... how lonely and long must those years of focusing solely on crafting gear have been... You must have had it so rough..."
Sudden praise for his hard work.
Did she see him as a steadfast blacksmith so dedicated he'd ignored all other skills?
She clearly couldn't imagine he was a total newbie who'd only awakened this year.
Making multiple B-rank items was enough to justify that preconception.
"Yeah, well... that's how it is."
"To give such precious gear to me...!!!"
As he nodded, she clutched the Crimson Flame Staff tighter.
He had similar gear piling up in his inventory... but now wasn't the time to mention that.
Since they were already at it, they decided to test his abilities, and the thrilled Chae Yeonhwa happily cooperated.
Distance testing could wait for a more convenient time, so they skipped that for now.
This round focused on cooldowns and other limitations.
"Doing it now?"
"Yes! Whoa!!"
He successfully summoned her twice in a row, from the front door to his bed.
No cooldown message appeared, so it seemed incredibly generous—practically no cooldown at all.
Next: Did it require regular customer rapport, or only work during mental conversations?
"Ready?"
"Yes! Ooh!"
She was startled by the suddenness, but there was no reason to have telepathy active when she was right in front of him, so he turned it off and tested.
Success again.
Chae Yeonhwa, now getting used to it, even seemed to be enjoying herself.
It had been a risky slip-up that could have exposed his powers or home address, but this regular summon ability was the real deal.
"So if I'm ever in danger, I can summon you anytime, right?"
"Uh... anytime?! At least warn me first..."
"What if I'm about to die~? Who'll make and repair my Fire Stick if I kick the bucket?"
"A... alright! But please warn me unless it's a dire emergency..."
It had to be disorienting to be yanked away suddenly.
Especially since Chae Yeonhwa was in her cute pajamas right now.
'Wait, how do I even send her back?'
Having someone come pick her up would reveal his address—not an option.
He considered borrowing women's clothes from Kim Hyeji next door, but...
'Something tells me she'd only have weird stuff.'
For now, Chae Yeonhwa seemed more interested in him—or rather, his abilities—than in leaving, so he'd figure it out slowly.
"Boastful Blacksmith."
"Yes?"
"Won't you really join my guild?"
"..."
Chae Yeonhwa's sudden guild invitation.
Not that sudden, really.
She'd sent a formal invite via message before, and the smooth contract and her chill reaction to the summon all pointed to how much she valued him as key talent.
"Sorry, but I'm not joining any guild. It's not just Crimson Lotus—I'm turning them all down."
"Then... are you planning to start your own?"
'Guild creation, huh...'
"If so, Crimson Lotus Guild would love to maintain a great relationship with you!"
"Well, of course. You're my regular customer."
"Ah, right!"
He'd considered starting a guild himself.
His reluctance to join one stemmed from not needing their help while having to share profits.
Starting his own changed that entirely.
Plus, with the money he'd rake in, tax breaks alone made it worthwhile.
The issue was revealing his identity, so he'd need a proxy helper—until Yena showed up, staying holed up quietly was best.
"For now, I want to focus on honing my skills."
"Gasp... How admirable!!"
Chae Yeonhwa, fully viewing him as a pro blacksmith, was moved by even the slightest earnest words.
Time to amp up the.
"Have you checked the Crimson Flame Staff's options?"
"Oh, yeah! They're even better than I expected?!"
Gear's full specs weren't clear until appraised.
Usually, people equipped it and checked their status window, or for top gear, hired appraisers.
Chae Yeonhwa had planned an appraisal, but he'd summoned her first, so she'd only seen status changes from equipping it.
"No need for that. I'll tell you myself."
"Gasp! You can appraise too?!"
He wanted to say "Obviously," but fellow pseudo-blacksmiths often couldn't grasp their own creations' details, so it wasn't a given.
"Before that, Chae Yeonhwa."
"Yes..!!"
She answered tensely as he set the mood by calling her name.
"As per the contract, I need you to keep my secrets airtight."
"Yes..!!"
No hesitation whatsoever.
Which somehow made him more uneasy.
Wasn't there a surer way to ease his mind?
...
"Nah, this won't cut it."
"Pardon!.. Huh?! What?!"
"You know I've revealed a ton of my abilities and secrets, right?"
"Yes! You're amazing!!"
"So for mutual trust, I need one of your secrets too."
"What do you..."
He fired up the computer and showed her a trending aegyo video.
"..."
"Think you can do it?"
"Urghhh...! I told you I hate that!"
"That's why it's a secret."
"In exchange, you'll fully detail Crimson Flame—not just the staff."
"Just get it appraised and..."
"Open the Gallery right now."
"Huh? Suddenly?"
"Yeah. Search for 'Blacksmith's Recognition.'"
[Guys, what the hell is "Blacksmith's Recognition"???]
Author: Whole Body Hurts Lol
A while back, I bought that C-rank Sturdy One-Hand Shield that got posted. Got it appraised, and it said if I receive the Blacksmith's Recognition, I can use a C-rank skill called Mountain Blocker... How do I get recognized??
(Original appraisal attached)
??? There's such a thing?
Holy shit, first time seeing crap like that?
What kind of bullshit aggro post is this lololol
For real lol
If it's real, obviously the blacksmith who made it has to do something for ya. But it reeks of fake, buddy.
A post from the Gallery a few days ago.
Dismissed as fake, but as he sold more gear and more got appraised, the truth would come out.
He'd wondered if the rapier buyer appraised it or if it showed for everyone, so he searched—and sure enough, the C-rank shield buyer had gotten one.
It displayed identically to what he saw, minus "[Infused with the Blacksmith's Touch, Imbued with Special Power]."
Anyway, if Chae Yeonhwa checked this...
"Bo... Boastful Blacksmith's recognition?!!"
"Pfft... what about it."
"Ahaha..."
She seemed to realize she was still in the subordinate position.
"Alright~ Let's record?"
"I... I don't wanna act cute, it's not... Ahf!!.."
"Cut! Again."
"I... wanna act cu...te......."
"Again."
...
"The way you keep saying 'act cute' makes it~ so hard for Yeonhwa! Hmph! Hmph!"
After countless NG takes, it took about an hour to nail it fully.
He'd called cut endlessly but never stopped recording, capturing a full 1-hour-5-minute video.
"Ughhhh..."
Chae Yeonhwa collapsed on his bed, writhing as if deeply wounded.
Now that he had leverage beyond the contract, time to deliver.
"Yeonhwa, great job."
"Yeeesss......."
She was on the verge of melting from shame into the floor.
He needed to perk her up fast, so he started the ritual right away.
"Recognition! Chae Yeonhwa, I can't not give you this one."
He proudly extended his right hand, thumbs-upping her achievement.
"Gasp, that's it?!!"
She sprang up, instantly revitalized.
"Yeah, your Intelligence stat probably jumped two stages."
"Wooow!!"
Her over-the-top joy made him oddly proud yet embarrassed.
"...Boastful Blacksmith?"
"Hm? Oh, right—there are options that don't show in the status window~"
"My Intelligence didn't change...?"
"Huh?"
"What happened...?"
"No way."
"Boastful Blacksmith...?"
Her expression iced over as she stared daggers, closing in.
He instinctively backed away, but she advanced faster.
Soon, she had him pinned, bodies pressed tight.
"Did you trick me?"