Negotiation with Tak Woohyun
The virtual environment spat Lee Hyunseung out with a heavy whoosh. The moment he appeared, everyone in the vicinity swarmed toward him.
“You’re Lee Hyunseung, right? Could we have a quick word?”
“Are you a simultaneous awakener? And how on earth did you pierce that fireball? A normal pistol shouldn’t have been able to do that…”
“Mr. Lee Hyunseung, our guild would like to—”
It was probably the first time in the history of the F-class representative selection that anyone had drawn this kind of explosive attention. Especially now, when Gu Da-yoon’s hidden ability had just been revealed and Jeong Eunseo—the daughter of the Teore Guild leader—was standing right there. Yet every eye was locked on Lee Hyunseung alone. It was astonishing.
Lee Hyunseung scanned the crowd. Every last one of them was mediocre at best.
The competent ones must have all flocked to Yoo Heeyeon’s side. That makes sense… Still, there should be a few useful ones who didn’t join her.
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
“Ahem!”
Tak Woohyun pushed through the throng, stroking his thick beard as he approached. “You’ve got a natural talent for blacksmithing. I’d like to have a chat. Got a minute?”
Lee Hyunseung looked at him and smiled inwardly.
Jackpot.
At this point in time, it was no exaggeration to say Tak Woohyun controlled every blacksmith in the industry. His own skills were top-tier as well. Not a bad catch at all. Besides, Lee Hyunseung had been planning to raise his blacksmithing skill anyway.
Through this battle, he had once again realized just how efficient and powerful the blacksmith class truly was. Combat was unpredictable; no matter how much material you brought, it could all be lost or consumed. The enemy might wield a superior weapon. But if you could craft a fast, high-performance weapon on the spot, you could adapt to any situation. That advantage would be enormous during the upcoming Labyrinth exploration.
My blacksmith rank is higher than his, but he has far more connections. The value of using him is more than enough.
Not only did he possess countless crafting secrets, he also monopolized the entire supply chain that blacksmiths relied on. When Lee Hyunseung eventually started earning money on the side through blacksmithing, the network he built with Tak Woohyun would prove invaluable.
Ignoring the rest of the crowd, Lee Hyunseung extended his hand. “If you want to talk, I’m happy to. Where should we go?”
Tak Woohyun stared at the offered hand and burst into a hearty laugh. “Hahaha!”
There were two reasons he was so pleased. First, Lee Hyunseung had completely ignored everyone else, acting as if he already knew exactly who the most capable person here was. Second, the boy hadn’t shown the slightest fear or intimidation despite Tak Woohyun’s massive frame.
It’s been a while since a kid looked at my size and didn’t flinch.
Even in his forties, Tak Woohyun possessed an enormous build. His body was covered in muscle, and the thick beard that swallowed most of his face made him look like a wild warrior. Ask anyone who didn’t know him and they’d probably wonder if he was a barbarian rather than a blacksmith. Yet here was Lee Hyunseung, reaching out without hesitation and wearing a confident expression. Tak Woohyun liked him immensely.
“There’s a building nearby that the association uses. Let’s head there.”
Since today’s schedule had been replaced by the F-class representative selection, it was technically free time from now on. They could go anywhere. Lee Hyunseung accepted the offer.
“Understood. Lead the way.”
The people who had been hovering nearby looked disappointed at having their target stolen, but since the one who took him was Tak Woohyun, they could only click their tongues in silence. They quickly scattered to scout other promising students.
A noisy buzz began to spread. It grew louder, then surged straight toward them. A woman’s irritated voice cut through the din.
“Ugh, move already! I said I have nothing to say!”
When Lee Hyunseung looked over, he saw Jeong Eunseo buried under a mountain of people. The crowd that had been swarming him had simply shifted to her instead.
Jeong Eunseo waved her hand in annoyance. “I have no intention of joining any group, and I don’t need any help. If you want to scout someone, stop wasting time and go find someone else.”
Hearing her firm rejection, Lee Hyunseung couldn’t help but chuckle.
That’s the Jeong Eunseo I remember from the game.
Lately she had shown a lot of flustered, clumsy sides, but her true personality was exactly like this—cold, confident, completely unconcerned with others’ opinions, and blunt to a fault. Yet she also had strong principles.
Jeong Eunseo noticed Lee Hyunseung’s faint smile and snapped, “Why are you laughing when I’m in trouble? Help me out already!”
She stretched out her arm as if asking to be pulled free. Lee Hyunseung thought to himself,
She could get out of there by herself if she wanted.
One important fact not to forget: Jeong Eunseo was an Epic-grade mage. A crowd of this size was something she could easily brush aside with her own power.
No real need to help, but it’s not difficult either.
He grabbed her arm and gave a firm tug.
Whoosh—!
Because he hadn’t controlled his strength properly, Jeong Eunseo was yanked straight into his chest.
“W-what are you doing?!”
Her face flushed bright red as she shouted at him.
“Ah, sorry. I misjudged the force.”
“N-next time be more careful.”
She stepped back a little and stood beside him, then asked, “You’re going with that man?”
Her gaze was fixed on Tak Woohyun. Lee Hyunseung nodded.
“Yeah. He said he wants to talk for a bit.”
“Hmm…”
She thought for a moment, then turned to Tak Woohyun. “Can I come along too?”
Tak Woohyun looked at Lee Hyunseung instead. “Does he want her to come?”
Even though Jeong Eunseo had asked, he directed the question to Lee Hyunseung. It was a glimpse into Tak Woohyun’s personality. He might look rough and crude, but he was the kind of man who quietly showed consideration for the person he had been speaking with first.
Lee Hyunseung nodded. “Yes. She’s my friend. There won’t be anything she shouldn’t hear. If you’ll allow her to join us, I’d like her to come along.”
Tak Woohyun gave another nod and spoke to the secretary standing nearby. “Bring the car that’s parked. As fast as you can.”
“Yes, understood.”
The man answered quickly and soon returned driving a massive limousine.
Click.
“Please get in.”
It was clearly a luxury vehicle. It felt completely at odds with the rough-looking man. The building they arrived at shortly after was adorned with lavish gold decorations everywhere.
So despite how he looks, he actually cares a lot about appearances.
Though he resembled a barbarian who had drifted on a deserted island for days, his artistic sense seemed surprisingly refined.
Well, if you’re going to make a living as a blacksmith, both a weapon’s performance and its design matter. That’s only natural, I suppose.
People valued both performance and appearance in weapons. While the basic creation could be handled through crafting skills, detailed shaping and design required a blacksmith to process and customize the finished product. These were exactly the supplementary techniques Lee Hyunseung wanted to learn.
Even with identical performance, a superior design can drastically change the price.
The same principle applied to food, clothing, or bags. Using the same materials, something more beautiful would always command a higher price. Whether for personal use or resale, processing and design were essential skills to master.
This is something the system can’t replace.
Weapons popped out through the Orb of Creation, so the act of making them wasn’t difficult. But he still had no clear sense of how to process them afterward. Tak Woohyun would be able to teach him a great deal in that area.
Tak Woohyun sat down at a large table and gestured toward the seat across from him. “Sit here. Let’s talk calmly.”
As Lee Hyunseung took his seat, he thought,
He’s been using casual speech this whole time. He must unconsciously believe he holds the superior position.
To excel in negotiation, one needed to seize the higher ground. Tak Woohyun possessed the authority and power of the Blacksmith Association president. In contrast, all Lee Hyunseung had was a Legendary-grade class that hadn’t fully matured yet. Even so, there was no need to enter the negotiation at a disadvantage.
Lee Hyunseung had already found a way to turn the situation around—while securing the upper hand and dragging the entire Blacksmith Association into his fight against Yoo Heeyeon.
No pointless chatter. Get straight to the point. I can’t let him control the pace.
“I’ll be direct. You’re curious about my blacksmithing ability, aren’t you?”
Tak Woohyun flinched.
He was a crafting maniac with zero interest in anything that wasn’t blacksmithing. Naturally, he wouldn’t have cared much about the gunslinger class. What had caught his attention was the absurdly fast crafting speed Lee Hyunseung had displayed in the virtual environment—and the fact that he had used two crafting slots. It wasn’t hard to deduce.
“Ahem…”
When Tak Woohyun cleared his throat as if his inner thoughts had been exposed, Lee Hyunseung continued.
“If you’re curious about my ability, I can tell you. But before that, you need to offer me sufficient compensation. As a blacksmith, you understand that a proper deal requires clear payment. What I want in return is an alliance with you. Not membership in the Blacksmith Association—I want you to become a protective shield that watches over me. Of course, I’d also appreciate it if you taught me various techniques.”
“Hmm… It’s true I’m curious about your ability, but I’m not particularly fond of forming alliances with anyone.”
“Then we have no deal. That’s the only thing I need. May I leave now?”
At Lee Hyunseung’s blunt and brazen tone, the secretary beside them scowled and shouted.
“You insolent brat! Do you even know who this man is to speak to him that way? There’s a limit to rudeness! Show some respect!”
In that instant—
A tremendous vibration shook the room.
Tak Woohyun glared at the secretary with ice-cold eyes.
“H-Honorable President, why suddenly…?”
The secretary stared back in confusion, and a heavy silence fell over the room. Then Tak Woohyun’s chilling voice rang out.
“Shut your mouth and don’t step out of line, you insolent fool.”