Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: New Friend?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Holding the spoon, I paused for a moment. Again?
Why were all these hunters so desperate to meet the craftsman? Seol Yu-hee, Seong Ji-yoon, and now even Han No-eul.
It seemed the top-tier hunters had quietly spread the word that an insanely talented craftsman awakener existed in Korea.
"Hmm..."
Honestly, I wasn't thrilled about it. Even if my existence was gradually coming to light, meeting in person felt entirely different.
I'd bumped into Seong Ji-yoon by sheer coincidence, but at my core, I was an introvert. I preferred lounging at home playing games or watching anime over scheduling meetups with strangers. Total shut-in vibes.
"Of course, you can refuse. It's just a proposal. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it."
I ran a quick simulation in my head.
'What good would come of meeting?'
It'd probably just increase the chances of my info leaking further and stir up more trouble.
But she was a VVIP customer who'd dropped over 3 trillion won in cash.
3 trillion. Yeah, I should probably show some goodwill.
'Fine, consider it my magnanimous gesture!'
"Meeting face-to-face feels off. Just send her my messenger ID."
Thanks to the management bureau's phone, I now had a dedicated business messenger account. That should be safe enough for chatting.
"Understood. I'll pass along 'Golden Hand's contact info."
Yu So-jeong nodded, looking reasonably satisfied with my response.
And with that, the matter with Han No-eul seemed settled for now.
The next afternoon, as usual, I was sprawled in the lair watching Sparkle☆Princess Heart!.
- "The power of love is magnificent!"
I was right at the beautiful season 1 finale, where the protagonist defeats the final boss.
My phone buzzed with a new message notification.
Hi, are you the creator of Lava's Fury?
Han No-eul, guild master of the Flame Dragon Guild.
It had finally arrived. Before replying, I checked her profile first. Know thyself, know thy enemy—victory in a hundred battles.
Her profile pic was an angled selfie: long red hair, sharp yet cheerful eyes, and revealing outfit.
The classic "delinquent" look. Total opposite of me.
Her background was a group photo after clearing a dungeon—surrounded by her tough-looking guildmates, she was standing on the boss's severed head, flashing a V-sign.
Every photo scrolling down screamed "extrovert": new item flex shots, selfies from behind a supercar wheel, drinking pics with the guild...
Any more and I'd suffer internal damage from the sheer social energy overload, plus delay my reply. I stopped browsing and typed.
Yes, that's me.
Test-drove it a bit and it's insane?? Gotta say thanks for real lol
Casual tone for a guild leader and multi-trillion won asset holder. The type who could suck the life out of you via chat alone.
Glad you're satisfied.
Way beyond satisfied lol
Never dreamed I'd hold an S-rank weapon
Wanna use it forever
Take commissions by any chance?
If identity's an issue
Can go through management
A barrage of messages in seconds. At this rate, my immersion in the Sparkle☆Princess Heart! climax would shatter.
No choice—I wrapped it up with a curt, professional reply.
Will think about it later.
Getting close to this person seemed impossible. Better to keep it strictly business.
Three days later, things between Han No-eul and me had veered in a completely unexpected direction.
Ding!
The cheerful alert chimed, and I snatched up my phone.
Golden Hand around?
Saw the news comments? lol
Why? What's up now?
Seol Yu-hee interview vid dropped lololol saw her sour face?
[Link]
So freaking hilarious lololol
The screen scrolled rapidly as messages flew back and forth.
Clicking Han No-eul's link brought up an article on her short statement about the Flame Dragon Guild securing an S-rank weapon.
The comments were full of "Seol must be salty" and "Flame Dragon's on top now."
Right after your interview? Nice timing.
Right? Pulled out the sword in front of the reporters and did a fire show.
[News capture photo]
Check this firepower. That's S-rank for ya.
Yeah. We'd switched to casual speech.
I'd intended to draw a business line, but chatting shifted my perspective a bit.
Her bluntness came off as confidence, not rudeness. Our mismatched tastes felt like personality instead.
Sure, guys new to talking with girls often misread vibes, but she clearly saw me as a friend.
I'd never chatted with a girl before, but this wasn't a delusion.
And her nonstop praise played a big role in warming up to her.
Whoa dungeon yesterday, final fury hit—goosebumps lol
Thought I'd need heals every turn but boss got sliced like tofu
Saw Midas's weapon abroad once—no comparison
A VVIP who'd shelled out 3.7 trillion in one go, hyping my work daily while swinging it? Impossible not to feel good chatting.
Unlike Shinchang's one-off thanks or Seol Yu-hee, too busy training, sparring, and raiding dungeons.
Han No-eul felt like... a gaming buddy? Except her buddy was Korea's 2nd or 3rd strongest.
Oh btw since it came up
Free tomorrow?
Meet up for food lol
I'll buy. Wanna show off the sword in action
[Address] Come to my place ok
Meet up?
My mind went blank for a second. What to make of this? I mean...
'...First time ever invited over by a friend!'
Yeah, this qualified as friends, right? Daily chit-chat on everything and nothing, geeking over shared interests. Textbook friendship!
Hiding my identity was a minor detail.
For VVIP relations and this new friendship, no way I could turn it down.
Cool heading over tomorrow
After locking it in, my heart started racing for no reason.
I bolted out of the lair and dashed to the kitchen, where Yu So-jeong was slicing fruit.
"Miss So-jeong! Can you give me a ride somewhere tomorrow?"
She stopped and looked up at my call.
"Where to?"
"A friend's! Going to meet a friend."
A weird swell of pride had me puffing out my chest. First home invite since elementary school.
"A... friend, you say?"
"Yep! Address is here."
I showed her my phone screen. She peered at it for a few seconds, then met my eyes.
"Miss Da-yoon."
"Yes?"
"Isn't this the private residence of Han No-eul, guild master of the Flame Dragon Guild?"
"Uh... yeah?"
Her suddenly icy expression made me flinch. What was wrong? Some issue?
"Miss Da-yoon. Have you been in direct contact with Hunter Han No-eul?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Via messenger."
"Does she know what you look like?"
"No? She knows I'm Golden Hand, but not my face."
Yu So-jeong fell silent for a moment, then asked again.
"Have you ever voice-called?"
"Nope. Just chat."
And her response came.
"Miss Da-yoon, you need to learn more about caution with strangers."
"But No-eul's my friend?"
"Hunter Han No-eul is boldly outgoing at best—or impulsive and unpredictable at worst. Entering her private space is like handing your lifeline to an A+-rank hunter. Therefore..."
She didn't outright say no, but her words clearly opposed it.
The longer she spoke, the more my tail drooped toward the floor.
"...Do you understand?"
"But..."
I mumbled regretfully.
"It's my first friend invite ever..."
Yu So-jeong stared back and forth between my tail and face, momentarily speechless.
I heard her let out a soft sigh.
"...Understood. I'll take you."
"Really?!"
"On the condition that I accompany you."
"You too, Miss So-jeong?"
"Yes. In case of any violent confrontation. You're a target for countless people. Escort is always necessary."
Having her tag along to a friend meetup felt oddly embarrassing, but I had no other options.
"Mm, got it. We're still going to the house, right?"
"...Yes."
"Awesome!"
I grinned wide and nodded vigorously. A hint of relief seemed to flicker across Yu So-jeong's face.