The Hefei Quest Grinder
Damn, who the hell is this? Yi Hayeon, sub-branch head of the Eonha Merchant Group, might as well be a barbarian. If she'd heard that, she would've shot back that she wasn't some barbarian but the proud daughter of the one true God Yahweh—but in the end, it just meant she wasn't from the Central Plains.
And the Jewish folks back home probably didn't see her as one of their own either. To them, Hayeon was nothing more than a slave girl shipped off to the distant Central Plains.
For that slave girl to rise to sub-branch head of the Eonha Merchant Group—no, the greatest merchant group in the Central Plains—that was nothing short of a miracle. Only she knew the trials she'd endured to make it happen.
One thing was certain: the path hadn't been smooth. You could tell from the conviction she'd forged along the way.
All the world's problems come from money, and money solves them all.
The reason Hayeon was hailed as one of the top late-stage experts was because she'd bought up every elixir and manual money could buy.
The guildmaster of Eonha despised her but still made her sub-branch head because of the massive funds she brought in.
And now, the reason she was scheming to oust the guildmaster and seize control of Eonha? Money, of course.
With enough money, no one could touch her. In the end, money was everything to Hayeon.
That was why she'd approached Namgoong Juhee.
The war to topple the guildmaster was right around the corner. The more manpower, the better—and Juhee had the firepower to take out two second-rate experts in one go.
A fallen noble turned ronin? Perfect as a disposable pawn. Six gold taels oughta do it.
With that casual mindset.
"No thanks."
Namgoong Juhee's reply was straightforward. Straightforward enough to leave even Hayeon—who rarely got rattled—looking dumbfounded.
"...Pardon? Did I hear that wrong?"
"Nah, I got no business in Wuchang. Look for someone else."
"...Ah, maybe I forgot to mention the pay?"
"You did. Three gold taels, right?"
Then why the high-and-mighty attitude? A ronin turning down three gold taels? Aren't you grateful just to get that? Hayeon barely held back those words. A skilled merchant smiles shamelessly even when a deal goes south.
Still, she couldn't help being baffled. The job she'd offered Juhee was simple: escort her to Wuchang. Three gold taels for three days—equivalent to three years' salary for a commoner. A steal.
A ronin's life wasn't much different from a modern freelancer's. Income was unstable, so you grabbed what you could when you could. Three gold taels for a three-day escort? No ronin in their right mind would say no. That was Hayeon's common sense—and the world's.
Yet Namgoong Juhee had turned it down. For the flimsy reason of having no business in Wuchang.
Ronin negotiation tactics? Hayeon mentally upped Juhee's price tag.
"Ah, I've been rude."
"Huh? Suddenly?"
"Hiring someone like Namgung Sojeo for a measly three gold taels? What was I thinking?"
"That's not it."
"...Pardon?"
"I just got to Hefei, so heading to another region already feels off... Gotta clear the regional quests first, y'know."
Ah, she's a bit off in the head. Hayeon nodded in understanding.
Juhee would've felt wronged if she'd heard. But wasn't it basic manners in a new region to knock out at least one main quest and one side quest before moving on?
Plus, you had to watch out for NPCs suddenly sending you to a new area. Most times, they'd dump you in some high-level zone with no way back and ghost you. That was why Namgoong Juhee turned down Hayeon's offer.
"Hayeon, was it?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Catch you later if there's a chance. Here're your three gold taels back."
With those words, tap tap tap. Three coins were suddenly in Hayeon's hand. A neat trick from all that fidgeting earlier.
"Very well. Until fate brings us together again."
With that, Hayeon cleanly wrote off Juhee. In her eyes, Juhee was first-rate at best. Ronins like that were a dime a dozen if you had the cash. What an odd one. What's more important than money that she'd make up such a lame excuse to stick around Hefei?
Truth be told, all RPG games were pretty much the same at their core, no matter the setting or mechanics.
Meet people, take quests, get rewards, get stronger. Bonus: beat up other players while you're at it. Sure, some might ask why repeat the same grind, but the dopamine hit was one of a kind.
So Namgoong Juhee decided to start by meeting people. She hadn't thought it through deeply—just figured if she solved whatever problems came her way, word would spread and folks would show up.
A creepy idea. No one's dumping their troubles on a random stranger offering to fix them. They'd just think, what crazy bitch is this? and bolt.
Anyway, Namgoong Juhee put it into action right away. Her execution was top-tier, second to none.
As expected, the first week brought reactions straight out of central casting. Rumors spread of a pretty-faced crazy lady wandering around offering to solve problems.
By the second week, curious kids showed up. Their cat went missing, or a friend stole their favorite marble—little sob stories like that.
Ah, this is it. The true flavor of RPGs. There was something satisfying about clearing these minor quests. As Juhee handled them, kids started flocking around her constantly.
"Unnie! Unnie! Play with us today! Let's play kickball!"
"No way! Unnie's playing with us today, right? Let's do rock-paper-scissors!"
"Hey, no fair! Unnie, he's bullying us!"
Somehow, she was getting treated like the idle young guys back in her neighborhood. It irked her at first, but the feeling faded quick. She saw what the kids held in their tiny hands—gifts for her.
"Unnie! Thanks for finding Mimi last time! Here's a present!"
"Me too! Unnie, this is from our shop—super good luck charm! They say it'll bring money rolling in!"
These little rascals. Who knew they could be so thoughtful?
Namgoong Juhee smiled and accepted the gifts. Crude accessories, every one—but that made them priceless. They weren't thinking of themselves; they'd given the most precious thing they owned. If they'd offered gold taels as "payment," she'd have been weirded out.
"Unnie! Wear this! It'll look cool!"
Among the gifts was a fox-shaped mask. Oh yeah—didn't they say in murim it was smart for women to hide their faces? She'd been annoyed lately, beating down gangs trying to grope or harass her every night. She slapped on the mask and rebound her chest with compression bandages. Petty trouble dropped off, and she could walk the night streets worry-free.
By her third week in Hefei, people had gotten used to her weirdness. At first, they freaked out like she was some serial counselor, but repetition dulled it to, oh, she just likes being nosy. Plus, with kids singing her praises nonstop, her reputation soared.
"Um, great hero. My husband's been vanishing every night—could you look into it?"
"Sure, no problem."
"Thank you. Just like my kid said, you're a good one."
Soon, the range of people spilling their woes expanded—from average guys to white-haired elders.
The requests weren't dark or tough. At worst, mediate neighbor disputes or investigate affairs.
Business poured in, but she still had downtime.
She used it for diligent training, and before she knew it, her proficiency in the Emperor Sword Form had risen. She could probably pull off some of the forms now. Sure, she'd collapse exhausted after, but as a divine art, the power would be insane.
Her Instant Kill Throw was getting comfortable in her hands too. Solving jobs meant using chopsticks more, especially against those rotten Sapa bastards stirring up trouble at gambling dens or brothels. No need to infuse inner energy—just jab a chopstick in an eyeball, and they shut up.
And so the fourth week rolled around.
"Unnie! Play with me today too!"
"Great hero, have some dumplings at our inn before you go! On the cheap!"
"Isn't this Namgung Sojeo? If you need sword repairs like last time, leave it to me. First time handling a blade like that."
"Aw, thanks everyone."
Now she was a local celebrity—recognized everywhere she went. Everyone in Hefei had gotten some help from her, great or small, so their eyes brimmed with goodwill. They were starting to see her not as an outsider, but as one of their own.
Meanwhile, Namgoong Juhee was gearing up to leave.
Hmm, guess there's no main quest in this city. I've built up enough here—time for the next one. One last request before she went. That was her thought as she rounded the corner.
What appeared before Namgoong Juhee were your standard Central Plains thugs. Except an unusually high number were one-eyed. Who the hell did this to their eyes?
"You know who we are, bitch."
"... "
"Ha! Too scared to even talk."
Ah, fuck, who are they? Juhee squinted at the nagging, almost-there sensation. To the thugs, it looked like fear.
Emboldened, one stepped forward with a thud! And spat his line.
"I'll chop off your arms and legs and toss you in the pigsty!"
Ah, fuck. Everything's fine except—who the hell are you? That was Namgoong Juhee's thought.