Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Provisional Contract with the Crappy Thief (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“So... the Boastful Blacksmith who can hook you up with B-rank gear no problem wants you to join his guild and asked about your abilities?”
“Oh... yeah! That’s it!”
“But why bring up your abilities all of a sudden? There must be something special about them to catch his interest.”
“Ah! I told him my ability is super special and awesome!”
Pretending not to know what conversation had already taken place was pretty exhausting.
“And now? You said you’d discuss it with someone else first?”
“Ah, no! Oh right! He told me to keep it secret! Hang on!”
[I'll think about it for a bit!!! Please wait just 5 minutes for real!!!]
I finally got Hyeji’s message, and it looked like Kim Hyeji planned to decide within the next five minutes.
“Done! So what do we do??”
“The situation seems positive overall. The fact that he offered guild membership in the first place means he thinks highly of you.”
“Gasp! Right! He said he liked the desperation in my message!!”
“So just tell him your ability. You’re anonymous for now anyway, and even if he’s got bad intentions and leaks the info, you can just say you lied because you wanted B-rank gear.”
“Ooh...!!! Got it!”
“Yeah, so...”
[I'm a thief who can steal equipment grades! If I get the B-rank gear you're offering, I'll become a B-rank Awakener, and with S-rank gear later, S-rank! I'm basically an S-rank Awakener already!!!]
Wow!...
“Sent it!”
“Uh, yeah... so it’s settled now?”
“Wait! Don’t hang up! Keep helping me with this chat.”
“...Fine.”
In the end, I ended up on the phone with Kim Hyeji while chatting via messages at the same time.
It might actually work out better this way.
I could check Kim Hyeji’s honest reactions in real-time while talking to the Boastful Blacksmith.
“Gasp! He just messaged asking if I’ll become a regular customer?!!”
“Must be the blacksmith. Accept it.”
“Accept...? How’d you know it’s an accept button, Yujun?”
Oh.
Things were going so smoothly I hadn’t even considered she might get suspicious.
I needed to say something.
The excuse I went with...
“I’ve gotten those messages before~ They pop up when you join a guild.”
“Oh~ really?? I had no idea! That’s neat!”
Luckily... she bought it.
She didn’t press further, so it seemed fine.
Gallery user ‘Solo Level Up’ has been registered as a regular customer!
At least we got through the regular customer registration.
She accepted without much suspicion since it was required to get the B-rank gear.
I quickly sent her a tweaked version of the contract.
“Whoa!! This guy must be an amazing Awakener!!!”
“...Probably? He’s the only blacksmith in the world who can make B-rank gear, so he’s gotta be something special.”
“The contract’s in front of me! I’ll read it out!”
And so began Kim Hyeji’s full recitation of the contract.
“In exchange for promising to join the equipment seller Boastful Blacksmith’s guild later, the price of the ‘Kukri (B)’ is paid! Violating the contract results in equipment recovery and payment of the average B-rank market price... What do you think? Should I sign?”
“Yeah... seems fine...”
I couldn’t figure out why she was so suspicious of the Boastful Blacksmith but trusted real-life Shin Yujun so blindly.
We were neighbors with some familiarity, but I didn’t think I deserved that much trust...
Maybe it was because I’d given her C-rank gear and bought her meals multiple times.
Either way, it was a good thing for me—extremely fortunate, in fact.
If I hadn’t approached her quickly and waited until after forming the guild, she might’ve fallen for some other guild and signed a slave contract by now.
“So I’ll sign right now?”
“Uh... congrats, you’re finally getting B-rank gear.”
“...But signing this means joining the guild... Is it okay to contract without meeting in person?”
“...”
She had a point... a very realistic concern.
“He’s an amazing blacksmith, right? The contract’s only a minimum of one year, so if it’s not for you, just do the year and bail.”
“Hmm...”
Choosing a guild to stick with for at least a year was a huge decision.
I’d hoped she’d be dazzled by the B-rank gear and sign immediately, but Hyeji wasn’t that careless.
“...So if the guild I join turns out to be his, will you come with me?”
Kim Hyeji trusted real-life Shin Yujun more than the Boastful Blacksmith offering B-rank gear.
Looking back, that made perfect sense.
I’d given food to a starving Kim Hyeji, turned a hopeless D-rank into a C-rank—her benefactor.
And most importantly, we were same-age friends who’d actually met up until a few days ago, living next door.
“Th-that time! The guild you joined was the Boastful Blacksmith’s?!!”
“Mm... something like that.”
“Then I’ll join, but... you joined the Boastful Blacksmith’s guild, Yujun~? When you just lounge around at home all day?”
“...”
“I do go out... not every day, but often? I just leave later and come back earlier than you.”
“Ugh... you can’t live that lazily! At least you’re not holed up at home all the time—good thing!”
So that’s how she’d seen me all this time.
“Phew...”
I’d figured out how to resolve this situation.
There were three issues here.
First, Kim Hyeji was hesitating on the guild contract because she’d never met the Boastful Blacksmith in person.
Second, she trusted the me she actually knew more than the Boastful Blacksmith.
Third, she’d treated me like a total NEET, and I needed to give her a good smack upside the head right now.
A way to solve all three at once.
“Hey, I’m the Boastful Blacksmith.”
“Yujun! Lying is bad!”
“Where are you right now.”
“At home! Why?”
“I can prove it by meeting you right now. Wanna?”
“Heh~ sure? Should I head to your place like always?”
“No, I moved.”
“Oh... right. Where to then??”
“You’re registered as a regular customer now, right?”
“Yeah! Why bring that up?”
“I can summon regulars right in front of me. Wanna try now?”
“Eeeh~? What does that mean!”
“I can teleport you right here.”
“Hmph... prove it! Prove it prove it prove it!”
Solo Level Up
└Regular Customer Summon
“If you’re really the Boastful Blacksmith, I’ll join the guild—no, I’ll work for free for three years!”
Pfft...
Kim Hyeji, summoned onto my bed, screamed while staring at her phone.
“You liar!”
“...”
Realizing her surroundings had changed abruptly, she slowly looked up, then finally turned around.
“...Ahaha... Hi, Yujun?”
“Hey.”
“Oh, long time no see! Where’s this~?”
“My new place.”
“Nice~ you moved somewhere great!”
She got off the bed casually and started walking somewhere.
I was just as flustered as Kim Hyeji and couldn’t react right away.
Catching up late, I asked about the Boastful Blacksmith and the contract first since I was dying to know.
“Why are you dressed like that...”
“I... just... didn’t want to waste the purchase, so I tried it on...”
That damn bikini armor.
She still hadn’t thrown it out...
The transaction with buyer ‘Solo Level Up’ has been completed! Contract terms must be fulfilled, but can be canceled by mutual agreement.
“W-wow...”
The B-rank kukri summoned in front of Kim Hyeji’s eyes.
Wrapped tight in the blanket, she yanked the kukri inside with her.
The white blanket glowed blue for a moment.
“Good now?”
“Yeah, I’m a B-rank Awakener too...”
And just like that, Kim Hyeji became a member of my guild—even if it hadn’t been created yet.
“Yeah, and now you’re in my guild too.”
“How are you the Boastful Blacksmith, Yujun... how...”
“Still don’t believe me?”
“No... I do... no, I can’t believe it, really...”
I’d already verified it via messages and shown her multiple other B-rank gear for proof.
In the slightly awkward atmosphere thanks to Kim Hyeji’s outfit, I’d fully revealed my identity and wrapped up the contract.
Everything had gone as planned, but somehow it felt like more of a headache now.
There had to be a better way than summoning her here outright—I couldn’t hold back from wanting to flick her forehead.
“Can I teleport home too when I leave...?”
“No, you gotta go back the normal way...”
“Oh...”
“Maybe wrap up in a cape or something?”
“...”
“I’ll buy you some clothes tomorrow.”
“...Thanks.”
The first night after the contract passed without much conversation.
We both felt too embarrassed to talk much anyway.
The next morning, I went out and bought a women’s long puffer jacket.
This should do.
She just needed it to get home, and plenty of people were still wearing long jackets in this weather, so no one would bat an eye.
Time to send Kim Hyeji home.
Once she put on the long jacket, she finally unleashed all the questions she’d been holding back.
Why hadn’t I told her from the start that I was the Boastful Blacksmith?
Could I make A-rank gear yet?
Wasn’t the bikini armor pretty design-wise?
When did she need to officially join the guild?
What was the guild’s size?
What would she do in the guild going forward?
I answered every single one—questions she’d wanted to ask yesterday but couldn’t.
“What’s the guild name?”
“That’s... something I still need to think about.”
I had several candidates, but nothing set in stone.
Guild creation prep would wrap up quickly, but there was no rush to make it official right away.
So for the name, I planned to get Yena’s input after training in three days.
“Mm... got it! So I’m really going now...?”
“Yeah, no rush—live like normal, take it easy.”
After nearly an hour of answering questions, Kim Hyeji was finally putting on her shoes to leave.
Hurry...
My head was already full of thoughts about trying equipment synthesis.
Ding-dong—
Knock-knock-
“Huh..?”
The moment Kim Hyeji reached for the door.
“Wh-who’s here now...?”
[Can I visit Yujun's guest room tomorrow morning? Is the timing okay???]
“Ah...”
I hadn’t checked messages because of Hyeji.