Eneaura (1)
Eneaura (1)
Hong Chae-yeon chewed the piece of steak tenderly, letting it rest in her mouth.
Her amber eyes widened as if they might pop out.
'What is this?'
Inside her mouth, the perfectly grilled meat burst, releasing the juices trapped within. The fragrant aroma of rosemary and butter lingered at the tip of her nose.
It was a flawless taste, comparable to anything a head chef at a famous restaurant could grill. She stared at Si-woo, who was still wearing his apron, with a dazed expression.
"Does it suit your taste?"
When Si-woo asked nonchalantly, Hong Chae-yeon hurriedly nodded.
"Yeah! It's insanely delicious. Were you always this good at cooking too?"
"Maybe it's because my Dexterity stat went up, so things like this work out."
Si-woo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Hong Chae-yeon wore a pleasant smile at the corners of her mouth as she busied her fork. It was a peaceful dinner, the kind she had imagined at least once at the end of an exhausting day. Time spent sitting across from each other like this, sharing delicious food, was enough to wash away her fatigue.
Just as their plates were starting to empty, Hong Chae-yeon asked naturally,
"Si-woo-ya, are you going to start work right away again tomorrow?"
It was an extremely careful question, seeing how utterly drained he had been today dealing with countless clients all day long.
Si-woo stroked his chin as if pondering for a moment, then opened his mouth.
"Mm... I'm planning to do some climbing first, the one I've been putting off."
At his answer, Hong Chae-yeon's hand hesitated in midair.
'Climbing.'
The instant she heard that word, a certain woman suddenly popped into Hong Chae-yeon's mind.
The imperial princess of the Empire who had appeared in Si-woo's tower conquest footage. A woman named Cassia.
With dazzling silver hair and mysterious violet eyes, she was so beautiful that she could leave even another woman mesmerized. More than anything, the unusual tension exchanged between her and Si-woo in that video bothered her. That sticky bond, the way they had each other's backs, had been secretly getting on Hong Chae-yeon's nerves.
'Now that I think about it, he seemed close with that person named Cassia up in the Tower... and she was pretty too...'
Hong Chae-yeon's lips moved slightly as she slowly chewed her steak. Her gaze naturally drifted toward Si-woo's face. Before she knew it, she had glanced at him with eyes tainted by veiled jealousy and unease.
At that moment, Si-woo raised his head and met her eyes squarely.
"Why?"
Si-woo tilted his head quizzically and asked. Hong Chae-yeon flinched, startled as if her innermost feelings had been seen right through.
"Ah... It's nothing!"
Flustered, she hastily waved her hands and dropped her gaze to her plate. To hide the burning sensation on her nape, she quickly added more words, as if making a prepared excuse.
"Then I'll start sorting through the clients a bit. I'll organize the paperwork so you can get to work as soon as you come back from climbing."
Si-woo spoke with concern.
"Thanks. But don't overdo it. You need to rest too."
Si-woo's gentle worry tickled her ear softly.
"Yeah, okay."
Hong Chae-yeon hid her reddened cheeks and smiled brightly.
And so, the pleasant dinner came to an end. Having perfectly blown away her fatigue with delicious food and warm conversation, Hong Chae-yeon walked out the door with light steps and returned to her own house right next door.
Only after seeing Hong Chae-yeon off did I fling myself onto the empty living room sofa.
My stomach was full and the tension was gone, so it felt like every muscle in my body was screaming. But my mind was strangely wide awake.
I turned my stiff neck and picked up the smartphone I'd tossed onto the table. These days, ending my daily routine always meant logging into the [Tower Gallery].
Since my guild had officially started taking commissions after the press conference, I was curious to see what people's reactions were like. As soon as the familiar screen loaded, I let out a chuckle. The entire board was plastered with stories about 'SW' and 'Kim Si-woo'.
I clicked on the most-viewed featured post.
————————
[Title: I'm spilling the review of leaving a repair to SW (this is seriously insane)]
[Author: EvenIfMyHeadCracksSW]
I seriously almost cried today. So I had this epic spear that only had 10 durability left after catching a boss a few months ago, right? When I tried leaving it to regular blacksmiths for repair, one guy scared me by saying it could fail and be destroyed. Another guy got cocky and said even if he repaired it, the max durability would drop by 10%.
But today I went to the SW Guild, trembling like crazy, and left it, right? Here's the result.
[Screenshot: Durability 300/300]
See that? They filled the durability up completely. Hell, the blade feels even sharper than before the repair. What the hell is this? Is SW a god? Is it real that they even polished it while repairing? sobbing ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
————————
└ Yeah: For real, I had my shield repaired today too, thought it turned new. └ Yeah: I was sick of seeing those old bastard blacksmiths rip people off on repair fees, this is perfect lol └ Yeah: Does filling durability to full even make sense? └ Yeah: If you leave a commission to that person, your life changes. I'm a devotee of SW from today on.
Reading the comments people left, the corners of my mouth twitched involuntarily.
As for repairs, it's just a matter of a few hammer strikes and grinding on a whetstone, so it's simple. Guide-nim always pointed things out so precisely that there was no reason durability would drop. But to people, this seemed to look like an enormous miracle.
I scrolled down and began browsing other posts.
————————
[Title: Seriously recruiting for a Kim Si-woo kidnap party (1/100)]
[Author: DungeonOwner]
Honestly, haven't all of you thought about it at least once? I want to lock a producer like that in my basement, only feed him steamed buns, and make him craft items forever. No, forget steamed buns, I'll grill you top-grade Hanwoo beef, so please, can't you just make my equipment? I want to chain him up with iron shackles and just make him swing a hammer in front of the forge. Haaahk...
————————
└ Yeah: You crazy bastard lololol but I'm joining too (2/100) └ Yeah: A monster who folds a branch manager that took down two rankers with his bare hands, you think you can kidnap him? You'll be the one locked in the basement lololol └ Yeah: To kidnap Kim Si-woo, you'd need to gather at minimum 10 unique-grade people;; └ lololol but honestly, looking at the speed he pumps out items, he's practically a machine.
"T-These crazy bastards...?"
At the spine-chilling joke of kidnapping me and locking me in a basement, I was dumbfounded and let out a hollow laugh.
But the content of the following comments was even more of a sight to behold.
————————
[Title: Don't let Kim Si-woo rest]
[Author: InsomniacHunter]
Hey, all of you, when Kim Si-woo is sleeping, go raid him and wake him up. A genius like that sleeping is a loss to humanity. Time spent eating is a waste too, so you should hook him up to an IV and just make him swing a hammer. My commission request is still in the 3,000s waitlist number, crying ㅠㅠㅠ Please don't rest and just carve some gear for us, Si-woo hyung-nim, crying ㅠㅠㅠ
————————
└ Yeah: For real, you can sleep when you're dead. Light the forge fire right now. └ Yeah: Being in the 3,000s is gentle. I'm past the 10,000s waitlist bracket, fuck. └ Yeah: This is a guy who's been hitting rank 1 in the Tower since his Barcode days, so his stamina is probably jacked, right? He'll be fine pulling all-nighters for a week lololol
"......."
I pressed my forehead. These people are seriously too much. They probably couldn't even imagine the sight of me sprawled out on the workshop floor earlier, gasping "heok-heok".
Sleep when I'm dead, my ass. Hook me up to an IV and make me hammer away.
I couldn't tell if this was genuinely praising me, or if they just wanted to slave-drive me to death.
"Can't do this. If I look at more, I feel like I'll really have to make items all night."
I hurriedly turned off the smartphone screen. I was grateful for people's blind expectations and enthusiasm, but the weight of it was starting to feel real. A waitlist numbering in the tens of thousands. Thinking that I actually had to clear it all with my own hands suddenly brought on a wave of fatigue.
"Engraving Stone... I desperately need an Engraving Stone."
There was a clear limit to measuring every single person by myself and doing custom production. But there was no way to get an Engraving Stone right now, so tomorrow I'll have to go up the Tower, clear my head a bit, and check out the situation beyond the 22nd floor.
I set aside the burden of tens of thousands of clients waiting for me, and headed toward the bed with a lightened heart.
Broad daylight, under a dazzling sun.
Unlike all those times I had snuck in like a stray cat in the dead of night, today I walked my steps to the Tower openly and confidently. As I walked down the street, I could feel the gazes around me collectively fixed on me. Probably because the press conference had a huge ripple effect, the murmurs of people who recognized me clung persistently to my back.
"Huh? Isn't that person SW?"
"It is, Kim Si-woo! Looks like he's entering the Tower, wow."
"They said he's rank 1, maybe it's true. Look at that aura."
Letting the whispers of people slide past my ears, I arrived at the Tower entrance. The Association staff member guarding the entrance, upon seeing me, approached with a sharply military bearing.
"Please confirm your identity."
It was a formal procedure. When I handed over my ID, the staff member scanned my identity with a terminal. Along with a beeping sound, a green light appeared on his terminal screen.
"Confirmed. You may enter, Kim Si-woo Hunter-nim."
The staff member deeply bowed his waist and politely cleared a path. I gave a light nod in return and placed my hand on the Tower's entrance, where blue light flickered.
A familiar vibration spread from my fingertips throughout my body.
-Ding!
[Entering the 22nd Floor.]