14. This Is My Real Job
“Ah, no, hey! Calm down first and stop crying!”
I flailed my hands in the air, at a complete loss. Just moments ago, I'd felt like a dark hero awakening dragon powers after shedding my junkyard repairman skin—but that high vanished in an instant thanks to the female hunter bawling her eyes out at my feet.
“Waaah! How am I supposed to calm down?! This was brand new today! I haven't even paid the first installment yet!!”
“No, I didn't do it on purpose—the fog made it impossible to see anyone...”
“If you're a high-rank hunter, go hunt high-rank gates! Why throw your spear like a total brute in an F-rank gate... Sniff... My sword...!”
The woman clutched the broken sword hilt and scattered metal shards to her chest, tears streaming down her face. Her features were caked in dirt and tears, but even through the mess, I could tell she had sharp, strikingly pretty looks. Her petite frame was hugged tight by hunter light armor, accentuating her figure nicely.
Huh...? She looks familiar, like someone I know...
I'd never seen her before today, so that was impossible. Blurting out something dumb like “Have we met?” would just come off as cheesy flirting and get me chewed out. Better to calm her down first.
“Sorry, really. I'll compensate you, so please stop crying.”
“F-For real...?”
Back when I was broke, I might've turned it around on her, but not anymore. I was rich now. And it was a shame—she seemed like a newbie with big dreams, going 60-month installments for her first gate run, only for her weapon to snap.
Fixing it would settle things, so I wanted to take responsibility. Absolutely not because she was cute.
“Y-You're a good guy! Th-This cost 60 million won...”
The number made my eyes widen.
“...60 million won? For that junk?”
“J-Junk?! It's a proper D-rank sword!”
60 million won. A fortune for normals, but after banking 200 million tonight, it barely dented me. I could just buy mana stones from the market and flip them. But did I really need to shell out 50 million cash?
I crouched down, eyeing the broken sword fragments she cradled. Shattered to bits, but she'd gathered every piece.
“Eh, paying cash feels off. Let me fix it for you.”
Her eyes went wide as saucers.
“F-Fix it? Are you a blacksmith?”
“Not quite—a repairman. Looks like I can handle it.”
“F-For real?!”
“Yup.”
I coolly yanked the black iron spear from the Wild Boar, slung it over my shoulder, and turned toward the portal. Footsteps pattered behind me—half-doubting, but clinging to that sliver of hope for her 60-million-won sword, she trailed after me.
“...This is your workshop?”
In front of the junkyard, the faded Daesung Resources shutter—with not even the sign lit up—the female hunter gaped in disbelief.
“Yep. My workspace.”
She started sniffling again.
“Ugh... You're not saying fix it by selling it as scrap, right...?”
Her doe eyes made me chuckle inwardly at how cute she was.
“Nah, I'm not that rude.”
“P-Please, I beg you... I'll get in so much trouble without this...”
“No worries. Come on in.”
Trouble at work? Not hunter trouble? I tilted my head, flipping on the workshop fluorescents.
“Hand it over.”
The still-nameless girl passed me the sword fragments. I laid out the hilt and five shattered blade pieces neatly on the workbench.
Hmm, 60 million for this?
Mana Steel Sword
Rank:D
Status: Blade shattered from severe impact, mana conduction circuits severed
Repairable: Yes (Upgrade available)
Basic Repair: 3x D-rank Mana Stones, 10g Low-grade Mana Gold, 30 MP
Upgrade Repair: 3x C-rank Mana Stones, 15g Low-grade Mana Gold, 40 MP
D-rank, sure, but plain as dirt.
No need for the upgrade, right?
To the girl praying with clasped hands, I said,
“Uh... Mind stepping out? I work alone during repairs.”
She startled and scurried outside.
“O-Oh, sure.”
Once alone, I bought the materials from the Point Shop and started the repair.
Fwaaah—!
Mana Steel Sword restored to perfect condition.
Done in a blink. I flicked the restored blade—ting—a clear, resonant ring.
Hmm, not bad up close.
But weird. Same rank as my black iron spear—why shatter so easily? Dragon mana, maybe?
Dragon mana outclassed normal mana; that must've wrecked it. If true, game-changer.
Definitely useful someday.
I flung open the workshop door.
“All done.”
“F-For real!?”
She took the sword, and her face lit up with a scream.
“...W-Wow! It really is! You fixed it!”
I smirked inwardly. Personality reads easy.
“I-It's my sword? Wait, something's off—the nicks on the blade are gone...”
Oh yeah? News to me. Guess durability reset.
“C-Can I test it?”
I shrugged.
“Go ahead.”
She infused her faint mana, tense—and
Wooong—!
The blade hummed pleasantly, a vivid mana blade erupting from the tip, clear as day.
“N-Not my imagination!”
“Huh?”
“It's better! Mana conduction was never this smooth!”
Durability worn down conduction; my mana gold rebuilt the circuits fresh. Performance boost made sense.
Nice intel.
Like kitchen knives dulling over time, her mana sword had faded with use. I'd honed it back to new.
She knew the feel in her grip. Bouncing like a kid with a new toy, she cheered.
“Amazing! Thank you so much!”
“No biggie—my fault, so I fixed it.”
“N-No! Not just words—I’ll pay repair fees!”
I chuckled again.
“It's fine. Wasn't about the money. Still got 60 months on installments, right? My rates are steep.”
“R-Really? W-Well, with skills like this... S-Sorry. I'm broke now... Maybe 2 million won...”
Less than two D-rank stones. Better to leave her owing a favor.
“Doesn't cover materials. Keep it.”
She bowed her head.
“Y-Yes... Sorry...”
“I said it's fine. Really. Don't sweat it. If it bugs you, send busted-gear folks my way later.”
Why waste this skill? Repair materials cost a tenth of new price. Charge 50% retail—even once nets 30 million. Cheaper than buying new. Word spreads, crowds come?
No need to flip market mana stones.
Yeah, this was my real gig. Repairs took minutes. Bill a week, finish in a day. Alternate gates and fixes? Rolling in cash soon.
And she was cute, seemed popular. Her buzz could make my shop famous fast.
She eyed her sword and me alternately, gaze full of awe and respect now—like she'd incurred an unpayable debt.
“Boss... What's your name?”
“Oh, right—no intros. Kwon Daesung.”
“I'm Seo Ayoung!!”
“Ah, nice to meet you, Seo Ayoung.”
“...”
Silence hung. Time to send her off?
First time a cutie like her showed at my dingy shop late night. Ignoring it was easy; noticing felt weird.
As I opened my mouth—
“Um... Hey...”
“Ah... H-Hey...”
We spoke at once. I chuckled.
“You first.”