Fucking Huge Spoon
Fucking Huge Spoon—shortened to Junkkun Spoon. I froze for a moment at Yi Hayeon's totally unexpected words. ...She was asking me to join Defenders? Do you know what Defenders is? It's one of the top major hunter guilds in Korea—no one would dare claim to be second. The idea of someone like me, just a humble streamer, joining a powerhouse like that had never even crossed my mind.
Seeing my flustered expression, Yi Hayeon spoke up in a tone laced with surprise. "I thought it was a great offer, but it doesn't seem to appeal to you?"
"Ah, no, of course I want to join! I really do, but... I'm not even a hunter. I'm just a streamer..."
Unlike typical hunter guilds, Defenders branched out into all sorts of activities, but at its core, it was still focused on clearing gates. Why would they recruit a non-hunter like me?
Yi Hayeon nodded at my words. "Yeah, you definitely couldn't join as a hunter. That's why you'd come on as a creator, not a hunter. Oh, and just so you know, I've already gotten the master's approval."
...A creator, not a hunter. The way she said it so confidently made it clear she genuinely wanted me in Defenders. Me, becoming a Defenders-affiliated creator... Even if it wasn't as a hunter, it was a guild I'd always admired, and just imagining it made my heart swell. I was certain this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
...But.
I took a deep breath and told Yi Hayeon firmly. "Unnie, I really appreciate the offer, but I'll have to pass."
"...Huh? For real?"
"Yeah. I want to join more than anything, but... parachuting in feels kinda shady."
Yi Hayeon was a top A-rank hunter, so slotting in someone like me would be no big deal for her. But I had at least a shred of conscience. Me, a nobody with zilch to my name, getting into a major guild on her recommendation? No matter how I spun it, that felt wrong. Even in my precarious situation with no ID, parachuting in meant taking someone else's spot. Better to find another way—it'd sit better with me. The ID issue... well, keep streaming and it'd sort itself out eventually.
Yi Hayeon burst out laughing at my serious face. "Pfft!"
"...W-why are you laughing? It was a tough decision!"
"Kh... sorry, sorry. It's not that. You seem to be misunderstanding something."
Still grinning, Yi Hayeon continued. "I'm just giving you a shot at an interview. Sure, that's a great opportunity in itself, but you'd obviously have to pass the proper tests to get in."
"...W-wait, you're not just plugging me right in?"
"Silly. Defenders isn't some small guild—even I couldn't pull strings like that. ...But it feels good to confirm you're a good person again. See? I do have an eye for people."
...Ah, got it. Yeah, thinking about it, one of Korea's top guilds wouldn't let just anyone in on connections alone. I'd only seen mid-to-small guilds so far, so I'd assumed nepotism worked everywhere. But if it was through proper testing, that changed things.
I looked at Yi Hayeon. "What kind of test?"
"Simple. Prove you're someone Defenders needs. And personally, I think your skills alone make you valuable. We have a studio here, so we can just do a live stream."
"A live stream here? H-honestly, I'm not confident..."
Yi Hayeon shot back with a slightly heated voice. "There you go again! ...Sigh, you really need to recognize how amazing your abilities are. I'm suggesting this because I'm sure you'll pass. And our guild master isn't an idiot—he'll approve you unless it's something crazy."
"R-really...?"
"Yeah, so please have some confidence, Semin. Anyway! The test is tomorrow, whenever you want—just come here at your preferred time."
"T-tomorrow?!"
...But I didn't have any auction-worthy items right now?
Back home, I flopped face-first onto the bed. It had been a while since I'd gone out, so I was a bit tired. Long story short, I accepted Yi Hayeon's offer. If it meant taking the test fair and square, there was no reason to refuse.
Joining Defenders would solve a ton of problems, as she said. Most importantly, my ID issue would be completely resolved. Affiliated with a major guild like Defenders, no one would question my status.
The real question was whether I'd pass the test... If I streamed like usual, it'd be an instant fail. What guild would take a streamer who dons the Reverse Bunny Girl Set mid-broadcast and pulls an ahegao? To avoid that, I had to pull something decent this time...
Nothing left in my inventory was auction-worthy. Oh yeah, come to think of it, I hadn't used my ability yet today. Might as well give it a spin.
Unlike usual, I activated it with some tension. Something solid started forming in my hand.
...Size-wise, it felt like the Dragon Dick Whip? Couldn't tell what it was just by touch. Pulling it out revealed...
...A spoon? Yeah, a spoon. The only weird thing? It was club-sized at a glance.
This thing could double as a weapon, but the key was its effects. I grabbed the appraiser and scanned it.
◈ A spoon over 50 times larger than a normal one. Nicknamed Junkkun Spoon for short.
◈ Despite the ridiculous name, it's one of the cherished weapons of a legendary mercenary. Rumor has it that mercenary bashed a Fire Dragon to death with this spoon.
◈ Don't let the appearance fool you—it's no joke.
◈ Effect: Indestructible. It will never break.
"Wha-what? B, B-rank?"
Finally, finally, a proper item! See? Life doesn't just hand you Ls forever. A B-rank was plenty auction-worthy—the Dragon Dick Whip was B-rank too.
'Fucking Huge Spoon,' huh... Another weird name. Why do these items always have profanity in the title? But the description rang a bell... Legendary mercenary and Fire Dragon? Wait, isn't this the same guy who made the Dragon Dick Whip? Didn't expect the lore to connect like this. Viewers would eat this up.
Indestructible property, though. Most indestructible items I'd seen were shields. First time on a weapon... But does it even work? Could you fight with a spoon? Aside from indestructible, it had zero other effects. Kinda iffy, but B-rank meant demand.
...To review it properly, though, I'd need Yi Hayeon.
The next day, Yi Hayeon greeted me at the Defenders studio. She gave me a puzzled look. "Semin, what item is so special that you need me for it?"
"...I'll tell you later."
No fun spoiling it early. Reactions are a huge part of live streams—save hers for the air.
I sat at the studio PC and hit start broadcast.
"Hey everyone. Notice the different background? I'm at Defenders HQ right now."
"Thanks for the donations. Ah, I'm not officially with Defenders yet! I'll explain later... For now, I brought a special guest today."
I nodded to Yi Hayeon, who'd been waiting off-camera. She approached awkwardly, clearly unused to streaming, waved at the cam, and said, "Uh, hi? This feels weird... Is this right?"
The moment Yi Hayeon appeared on screen, the chat exploded into chaos.