Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: S-Grade Equipment (1)
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After summoning Kim Hyeji to my room last night, time had flown by in a whirlwind.
Ultimately, I succeeded in getting her promise to join the guild, and with her becoming a B-rank Awakener, it was a win-win for both of us.
I'd worried that if I revealed my identity, she might try to kidnap me and use me as her personal gear grinder, but that fear never came to pass.
From the start, since I'd summoned her right here to the Crimson Lotus Hotel, I believed I'd be safe even if she got any funny ideas.
And sure enough, it seemed Chae Yeonhwa was looking out for me quite closely...
No reply to the note I'd sent ahead last night, so she'd come straight here.
Knock- knock-
If she caught me alone in here with Hyeji, it might spark some needless misunderstanding, so Hyeji and I both clamped our mouths shut and held our breaths in silence.
Of course, it wasn't like I had a girlfriend or a wife I needed to hide from Chae Yeonhwa, but I didn't want to cement a bad image of bringing a woman into my room right after moving into this hotel.
Hyeji and I both pressed our ears flat against the door, focusing intently on the sounds from outside.
Fortunately, after a few more knocks, there came the sound of footsteps slowly receding.
"Phew..."
The moment we relaxed.
"Is Yujun perhaps out somewhere?"
"No, he should be inside."
The footsteps returned this way, accompanied by Chae Yeonhwa talking to someone.
That someone was Kim Hyuncheol, the A-rank Awakener who'd shown me to this room.
She'd been watching over me this closely? I hadn't expected that.
Of course, I was grateful and felt secure because of it, but right now, it was a total disaster.
"Wh-what do we do...?"
"Just stay quiet for now..."
Knock- knock-
Maybe if we just waited silently, they'd leave on their own?
Thinking I was asleep or focused on something else, perhaps.
"What if something's wrong? You have the master key, right?"
"He might just be sleeping."
"He hasn't checked my messages since last night. Better to confirm, just in case."
"...Understood."
Click—
"Haha... hello, Yeonhwa."
"Ah! I was worried, but looks like nothing's wrong! I need to discuss something briefly..."
"...Hello?"
...
"I'll head back to my post and stand by."
Bro, where you going...
——
I had no idea how it had come to this, but now both Kim Hyeji and Chae Yeonhwa were in the room, facing off in a three-way standoff.
Hyeji had been on her way home anyway, so she could've just left...
But Chae Yeonhwa apparently had a ton of questions for her.
"So... you summoned her with that skill again?"
"Yeah, pretty much. There was some urgent business."
"When did you even... Ah..."
Suddenly, Chae Yeonhwa shot me a look of utter disdain.
A massive misunderstanding had taken root.
"Sigh... it's not what you're thinking."
Chae Yeonhwa was bound to learn about Hyeji eventually anyway.
Since my guild was set to become a temporary affiliate of Crimson Lotus Guild for a while, basic info on its members during that period would surely reach her ears.
No reason to hide it from the get-go.
I explained that I'd gotten Kim Hyeji's promise to join my guild and had no choice but to meet her to prove I was the Boastful Blacksmith in the process.
It was a pretty straightforward situation, all things considered, but Chae Yeonhwa's endless follow-ups dragged the explanation out considerably.
I could roughly guess why the questions kept coming.
'You're letting a mere B-rank Awakener into the base just to recruit her?'
She couldn't say it outright, especially not in front of the person herself, so she kept circling around it.
Then, Kim Hyeji, who'd been listening quietly, dropped a bombshell.
"Yujun kept begging me to join his guild, so I said yes!"
"..."
Chae Yeonhwa glanced at me, silently asking if it was true.
Rustle—
Hyeji reached into the inner pocket of her long padding jacket.
"Wh-what are you!!"
Chae Yeonhwa recoiled in shock upon glimpsing the state of Hyeji's jacket lining, then grew even more stunned when she learned what had come out of it.
The very proof of the thing I'd thought better left unsaid—better not even mentioned—had appeared right before her eyes.
"For real...?"
A B-rank kukri.
"Yep! Got it as a signing bonus for joining the guild!"
"..."
"Ugh... why's it suddenly so hot in here?"
A whopping 105 billion won B-rank gear. The Crimson Flame Staff was practically smoldering.
"H-Hyeji. Don't you need to head out soon? You've got a Miracle Run today, right?"
"Oh, right! It was such an honor meeting you, Yeonhwa!! Yujun, I'll text you!"
Swoosh-
"Ahh..."
Kim Hyeji snatched the B-rank kukri off the table, stuffed it back into her long padding jacket, and bolted for the door.
"The guild'll be up soon. Guild hall and dorms coming right after, so get ready to move in."
"Got it!!! I really gotta go! See you tonight!"
"Sure thing~"
Bang!
With that, Kim Hyeji rushed out of the room.
She was set to join my guild, so you might think she'd slack off a bit, but no—she still took her Miracle Runs seriously.
A diligent guild member who promised to be highly capable going forward. I was quite satisfied.
"Phew..."
That was that.
Now I had to soothe the Crimson Lotus Guild Master, whose mood had soured considerably.
After seeing Hyeji off, I returned to find Chae Yeonhwa still waiting.
Swoosh—
Somehow feeling like I should, I quietly sat back down in my original seat.
"Ahem..."
Felt like I needed to say something, but I had no clue what.
Strictly speaking, I hadn't done anything wrong, so no need to apologize...
Which made it even harder to figure out what to say.
"Is it real?"
"...Pardon? Real what?"
Thankfully, Chae Yeonhwa spoke first, so I just had to answer confidently.
"The gear Hyeji showed earlier... it's really B-rank?"
"Yes. It's bait for recruiting talent."
This was plain fact.
In Hyeji's case, it was an investment to awaken her at B-rank.
I just wasn't ready to reveal those details yet.
"Yujun, you're not the type to..."
"Huh??? What do you mean..."
"...It's about time to set up the guild basics. You know you need a guild name and three initial members, including the master, right?"
"Yeah, sure..."
"I've handled everything that can be done without the guild name and member list. Send it via note as planned."
Swoosh—
"Ah, leaving already?"
"Yes, gotta make money... Still 15 billion left to go..."
"Ah, right... Take care."
Chae Yeonhwa's footsteps as she exited the room seemed somehow forlorn.
With each step, the tip of her staff tapped against the floor.
It wasn't the usual resonant echo of blazing magic, but the lonely footfalls of a solitary person.
——
Plop!—
"Haaah..."
Chae Yeonhwa slipped out of Shin Yujun's room and hurried straight back to her own.
She'd had no particular plans for today, but she hadn't expected to return this early.
"Crimson Flame..."
Only her staff could comfort this gloomy mood.
But ever since seeing Kim Hyeji's kukri, it had started feeling like just a plain B-rank staff.
A B-rank Awakener...
Of course, B-ranks were fine Awakeners in their own right, but no talent was worth a master blacksmith like Shin Yujun offering B-rank gear as a bribe to recruit.
So despite his denials...
The word "parachute" kept floating into her mind.
"He's not that kind of guy..."
No female friends, no buddies—just holed up at home all the time, yet he took perfect care of himself and achieved massive success in his field of interest...
That handsome face hidden under unkempt hair, refusing to stay concealed...
Did he fool me?
——
"Sigh..."
Not everything had gone exactly to plan, but the results were satisfying enough.
Kim Hyeji was now on board as a guild member, and the guild creation process I'd entrusted to Chae Yeonhwa was proceeding smoothly.
As she'd put it, all I had to do now was provide the guild name and initial members.
"Gotta do this right... gotta nail it..."
The time had come to do what I did best.
Finally, all ten pieces of A-rank gear that would serve as materials had been gathered.
Today, I would become the first blacksmith to create an S-rank piece of equipment.
And the first individual to possess one.
The main piece for the synthesis had been decided long ago.
『Runestone (A)』
Naturally, it was one of the items that couldn't have attributes imparted.
Among those, I'd specifically chosen the Runestone purely because it was a magic-use weapon.
I hadn't noticed any particular effects during tutorial-stage synthesis, but who knew?
Besides, in a random-stab situation like this, it was worth banking on even a sliver of potential.
S-rank gear I'd never crafted before.
In fact, from S-rank onward in [Equipment Craft], everything was marked with a 🔒 icon, so synthesis was my only option right now.
"Goooooo!!!!!!"
I'd held back as long as I could.
『Longbow (A)』 destroyed!
『Kite Shield (A)』 destroyed!
『Gauntlet (A)』 destroyed!
"Ah... ah..."
"Ah..."
"Ah... fuck..."
"Ah... you fucking..."
"Haa..."
I'd blown all ten prepared pieces.
All that remained with me was the unchanged 『Runestone (A)』, even after devouring ten gears...
"No..."
Why only the Runestone?
That was completely wrong.
I still had the halberd and the orb left, after all.
Honestly, attribute weapons weren't guaranteed to be overpowered.
I'd already learned that lesson from the Soaked Karambit.
"Sigh... yeah, you're up next."
The halberd was no longer a weapon brimming with boundless potential.
『Gale Halberd (A)』
Wind attribute wasn't bad by any means...
But if it could serve as fertilizer for an S-rank piece, wouldn't that be fulfilling its role amply?
What good were A-rank attribute gears?
Not when true S-rank gear existed—a whole league above.
"Sigh..."
All I could do was pray fervently.
With ten sacrifices offered before it, perhaps some merciful soul would deem it worthy and grant a miracle...
No, I believed a miracle would be born.
Channeling the energies of the entire universe to my fingertips.
Cheers.
First to discover Equipment Synthesis Formula! [Divine Artifact] unlocked.
First to succeed in crafting an S-rank weapon! [Accessory Craft] function unlocked.
"Fuck... I did it!!!!!"