Chapter 7

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: penny

Chapter: 7

Chapter Title: Guild's Approach

-----------------------------------------------------------------

There was no way the buzz about me would end with just a few comments. The awakening of someone who'd been diligently posting for a solid 999 days was more than enough bait to shift the entire thread.

Of course, the overwhelming consensus was that I'd hit the 1,000-day mark and decided to troll everyone.

It was amusing in its own way, but nothing beat the thrill of shocking the whole gallery.

"Heh... Fake, huh? Let's see if you still say that after this."

I placed my Awakener registration card on the desk, covering personal details like my photo and name with my hand. I didn't forget to add a slip of paper with my nickname next to it.

Imagining the gallery users flipping out, I uploaded the post.

Now hordes of aspiring Awakeners would swarm my post—denying reality, raging, trash-talking me, you name it.

But here's the thing.

'So what the hell can you do about it?'

My account was purely for daily persistence posts and random bullshit—no personal info exposed whatsoever. Their words couldn't touch me.

It was like wearing full plate armor with a mask on.

I was invincible right now.

But the comments weren't quite what I'd expected.

They weren't focused on verifying the card—they were fixated on my hand in the photo.

'...Yeah, my hands are pretty small.'

These days, even gripping my phone took two hands.

The Awakener Gallery, which had been blowing up over my awakening bait, was now flooded with hand discussions.

The "bishoujo" bait would've made me laugh it off before, but now it hit different.

After all, the mirror showed a girl who could easily rank SSS on looks alone.

'They're just teasing, but since it's true... kinda embarrassing.'

I was an attention whore online, sure, but getting bishoujo treatment over pretty hands felt hollow. No real satisfaction there.

Wouldn't it feel better to get compliments on a face pic?

With that thought, I opened my phone's camera app. Hadn't snapped any pics in ages—the last was a memo shot from months ago.

'Maybe I should start taking photos from now on?'

Wasting this adorable look would be a crime.

Switched to selfie mode, held the phone high to capture my full body, arm stretched out. No matter the angle, the composition was flawless.

But something more atmospheric would be better. Sat on the bed, struck a cute pose—puffing my cheeks slightly, poking one with a finger.

Click!

Looking at the result stirred complicated feelings.

"Hmm..."

Cute. Definitely cute, but...

'The angle's kinda lewd. Clothes are all loose, practically exposing my upper body...'

And knowing an SSS-Rank Awakener was snapping shots like this? Self-loathing and shame surged up.

Took a moment to clear my head and cool my flushed face by heading to the bathroom.

While there, figured I'd handle business too—hiked up the T-shirt hanging down to my thighs. But my little buddy was gone. Just a smooth mound now.

"Oh, right. Yeah."

Meant to cool off in the bathroom, but my face heated up even more. It was my body, but the sense of ownership hadn't fully sunk in yet. Felt like peeking at some random girl—guilt included.

Shifted to sit on the toilet, but even that wasn't comfortable.

'Tail keeps getting in the way again.'

Too short to reach the floor when sitting, and the long, plump tail made perching a hassle.

Ended up opting for a weird reverse squat, facing the tank.

Trickle trickle trickle.

Finished up, wiped the liquid, and thought to myself.

'Going to the bathroom's such a pain now.'

From grabbing stuff off high shelves to this. The new body was nothing but inconveniences.

Washed my hands, splashed cold water on my face, and flopped onto the bed. Gallery aggro was too hot anyway—better wait for the bait to die down.

'Oh yeah, I had that other account.'

The new one: 'Golden Hand.' Made it with a concept for operating as a crafting Awakener.

Seemed perfect for gallery lurking and building goodwill.

Wiggled my tiny fingers to switch accounts.

"Huh?"

Didn't expect notifications, but there was a 1-on-1 chat request. From Lee Ji-young. Real name?

Accepted and sent a greeting, sticking to my middle-aged crafter persona.

Reply came in minutes.

Azure Rose Guild. One of the top 1-2 guilds in the country. I'd seen them on the news plenty.

Mostly the Guild Master showed up in photos, while the Vice Guild Master handled interviews and events. Stuck with me.

But why would their Vice Guild Master commission me?

Sure, I had SSS-grade crafting skills, but rumors shouldn't have spread yet. It'd barely been a day since my appraisal.

Materials ready upfront? Nice. But no word on the most crucial part: pay.

'Azure Rose Guild's rep means taking it won't hurt, but gotta lock in the fee.'

Money made the world go 'round. No cash, no deal.

Shot it off. If the offer sucked, I'd turn anti-Azure Rose in a heartbeat.

"Wha?!"

The reply blew my mind.

Lee Ji-young, Vice Guild Master, closed her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠phone and thought.

'Thanks, Hwa-rin. Now I've got a line on a great crafter.'

She'd learned of 'Golden Hand's' skills faster than anyone—thanks to Kim Hwa-rin.

"What're friends for if not this? Exactly for stuff like this."

They'd been friends since middle school, and she'd been the one to introduce Kim Hwa-rin to the Hunter Gallery.

That's how she knew her friend's nickname, 'Flame Salt'—and the second she saw the deal with Golden Hand go through, she'd messaged them.

'Gotta push the guild to #1 this quarter.'

Competition with Flame Dragon Guild had the Azure Rose Guild Master obsessed with rankings. It meant the Vice Guild Master was getting overworked too.

For her, a solid weapon crafter was essential. Guild Hunters were always short on gear.

"I'll bring them into the guild, no matter what."

In her office at Azure Rose Guild HQ, Lee Ji-young steeled her resolve. She'd pay whatever it took to snag 'Golden Hand'.

And escape the Guild Master's nagging once and for all.