1. [RealBest] ClimberChick Welcomes GaonGod During Her Convenience Store Shift

Lee Haerin, of all people, actually thanking me. Guess she'd genuinely liked it. I kept the conversation going.

Ha. A laugh slipped out of me. Her intent was plain as day. Had she learned that from Jin Bora? The routine was exactly the same.

Now she wasn't even pretending. I pulled up Lee Haerin's status window. How far should I take this?

So we were at the talking stage. Given that she'd messaged me first, something was up. Did five out of five hearts mean love?

Lee Haerin craved recognition and achievement, exactly as she'd shown on stream. That was why Jin Bora, stung by her own inferiority complex, had moved to keep her in check. Put the two side by side, Haerin was simply the more gifted of the pair — and Haerin herself, clueless, was barking up entirely the wrong tree.

Provoke Jin Bora while I was at it. I resolved to finish Lee Haerin off completely before the sun came up. There was Coin to farm, a gear promo video to shoot, and DMs from 3-Star female climbers piling up by the minute. Once the party was complete, I would break free of Coin.

...Well, well. Look at this one? Let's see how long she can keep that up.

Clicker was a derogatory name for Blacksmiths — with materials on hand, they could churn out gear with a few button presses. What had started as slang climbers tossed around among themselves had spread all the way to the gallery. It stung like being called a hack writer, and just like that one, it was a label I'd grown used to answering to.

I waited, getting the gift I'd prepared for her ready. Lee Haerin didn't take long — her place must have been close, because I only waited ten minutes.

Ding-dong.

"Guildmaster."

Lee Haerin waved as she pushed the door open. She was still wearing the gear, just as she had been on stream. I asked, feigning surprise.

"You didn't change out of it?"

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"It's way more comfortable than I expected. I never wear clothes like this, but now that I've tried it? Not bad at all."

Lee Haerin lifted both arms and turned her torso. She looked thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Going forward, I'll be fitting you in gear even better than that."

"There's something better than this?"

Lee Haerin's eyes flashed like an angler who'd just felt a tug on the line.

"Of course. That set was made from nothing but tutorial-zone materials. The higher you climb, the better I can tailor your equipment."

"Hm... In that case."

Lee Haerin said,

"What about a weapon? Are you doing hats and shoes first? Two of my armor slots are sitting empty and it's been bugging me."

"Was that your whole reason for joining?"

Lee Haerin answered as though I'd asked something absurdly obvious.

"Obviously. Why else would I have joined?"

I nodded.

"And by now your DMs must be flooded with join requests from 3-Star female climbers."

"They are. How did you know?"

I opened my eyes wide, the picture of astonishment. Lee Haerin wagged a finger at me, apparently convinced she held the initiative. She would soon learn how wrong that was.

"I feel awkward even saying this, but it's just fact — 3-Stars are weak, aren't they? A combat power of 1,000 is one thing, but the abilities themselves are meager."

"That's a fair point."

Lee Haerin laid out her case.

"Abilities only get truly powerful from 4-Star on. You can't change what you were born with. 'Can throw a spear really hard,' 'Provokes the target' — those are nothing."

"I agree."

"You saw my Phantom Arts, so you've caught on, right? From 4-Star, you can actually wield mana."

"Correct."

"Check the guild rankings and you'll see — honestly, any Korean guild outside the top ten is more or less the same. It's because they're all stuck with 3-Star Blacksmiths. No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠matter how well they gear you, 3-Star has a hard ceiling."

She was exactly right. Except for Celebrity in nineteenth place, every guild below a certain rank was built entirely from 3-Star climbers — because you could only equip gear of your own star tier. 3-Stars made up the overwhelming majority, so a guild could climb the rankings on headcount alone. For what it's worth, the Clicker nickname had been born inside a 3-Star guild.

I shook my head as if I had no choice, and said,

"I see what you want. You're saying that to climb high, this guild needs Lee Haerin."

"Exactly. Now we're finally speaking the same language."

"Your gear, of course I'll craft it. As it happens, I already have a hat and shoes lined up for you."

"Really?!"

Lee Haerin's eyes went round and bright.

"Yes. Here, I'll show you. The hat and the shoes."

I brought up the equipment info windows.

Lee Haerin let out a gasp of admiration.

"Ooh... these are actually nice? And here I was braced for something weird. Like bunny ears?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have the materials for that yet."

"Ahem. That's... something I'll wear later. If I ever get stuck, that is."

Lee Haerin looked away, suddenly very interested in nothing.

"Transparent... shoes?"

Lee Haerin said, clearly unimpressed.

"There are other options."

Lee Haerin leaned forward slightly, a hand at her mouth, studying the lineup. Choice paralysis, by the look of it. Even if I ordered her to wear the transparent shoes, she would refuse — and having seen Floor 1 for myself, I couldn't exactly push them on her in good conscience. Never mind that she wouldn't feel a thing underfoot; bringing your bare foot down on a bug takes a certain kind of nerve.

"How about these white running shoes? They don't actually touch your feet at all."

Lee Haerin nodded.

"Okay. The running shoes, then. Up to Floor 5, those are the only things I'm wearing on my feet."

Lee Haerin's face soured, as if she'd just pictured something.

"But."

Lee Haerin stared at me, waiting.

"I'm short on materials. Even if you handed over everything you own, it wouldn't come close. As written in your guild application, you agreed to supply a set quantity."

"Right, I did. The other guilds work that way too."

A Blacksmith needs materials — many of them, an absurd number of them. More so still if, unlike me, you hadn't built yourself a place to duplicate Coin. Once Floor 5 opened, duplicate materials could be traded in. That was why Blacksmiths always belonged to a guild, and the rank of guild you could enter was decided by the highest combat-power gear your Blacksmith could make.

"And you, Lee Haerin, haven't even set foot on Floor 5."

"That's... what climbing up from here is for! With the gear you gave me, Guildmaster!"

Lee Haerin spluttered, tongue-tied.

"Of course! And if it helps showcase my gear, I'll be counting on you."

I went on.

"Just as high climber rankings pay out rewards, so do guild rankings. And for a Blacksmith, one of them matters above all else."

"You mean alchemy?"

"Yes! We have to break into the top five, and fast!"

From fifth place onward, a guild earned an alchemy workshop and the ability to brew potions. Potions were worth a fortune. Setting my gear aside, that was the only other way to inflate combat power. The moment Slave cracked the top five, the gap would open up beyond all reason.

"We'll want to keep collecting the climber ranking rewards, too. Some materials can only be had through ranking rewards — the shop stocks nothing but common monster drops."

"Right. Then, could it be...?"

The word weapon seemed to flash through Lee Haerin's mind.

"Yes. Clear the Floor 5 boss, and I'll craft it for you on the spot."

"Nice!"

Lee Haerin cheered.

"And when you climb, I'll have a favor to ask of you."

"What favor? Gear promo stuff?"

"No. This one's for you. Information on the Secret Monsters."

Lee Haerin jolted upright.

"Seriously? How would you even know that? The guilds lock that information down."

"You don't buy it?"

"It's not... that I don't."

Lee Haerin scratched her head.

"I am a 6-Star Blacksmith. Knowing how to source the materials needed for crafting is one of my abilities."

"Really?"

"Of course. I'll fill you in on your next climb."

"Yes! A 6-Star could pull that off, right? 6-Star abilities are genuinely reality-bending class."

"Thank you for having faith in me."

I already knew it all, having cleared Grand Tower Law hundreds of times over — and for good measure, every material-gathering route crafting required had been written down somewhere, too.

The conversation wrapped up neatly. We headed into the office to do what we'd actually met up to do.

"If you'd like to sleep over, my place is on the second floor."

"...Right. Okay, sure."

I'd braced for her to balk. Instead, Lee Haerin cleared her throat and went red in the face. Having come this far, she seemed to have accepted what tonight was going to be.

"Shall we order the snacks for delivery and go pick up some drinks?"

"There's a convenience store right nearby."

"Perfect. Let's go together."

"...Sure."

Lee Haerin followed along without a word.