Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World
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"This building is insanely nice."
The weather was so clear that the sunlight blazed down fiercely, making my eyes ache just from looking up.
Compared to the Justice Guild's rundown four-story building tucked away in a corner of Jongno, this place was on another level—laughably so.
"Maestro lives up to the hype."
Rumors weren't wrong about Maestro being the richest among the four major guilds.
They had the kind of wealth to buy out an entire tower like Jamsil Tower, built by a top conglomerate staking its future on the project.
Even now, production-type awakeners made up a surprisingly high percentage of non-combat awakeners.
That's why there were so many production guilds, but even combined, they couldn't touch Maestro's toes.
The variety, quantity, and quality of items they produced were unmatched.
Even compared to famous overseas production guilds, Maestro was always in the top ranks.
"No wonder they're called the luxury brand of the hunter world."
And among Maestro's offerings, the guild master's 'creations' were the most famous—and expensive.
They had reached a realm far beyond mere items.
Yet the guild master remained anonymous, never revealing their name, face, or any personal details.
Last time, their vice guild master, Geum Eun-dong, had barged into my hospital room acting as the guild's representative.
"Might as well go in and have a look."
I stepped into Maestro Tower, where the floor gleamed so polished it felt burdensome to walk on.
"Feels just like a department store."
On the first floor, bustling with the highest foot traffic, they sold cosmetics, perfumes, and health supplements infused with production awakeners' skills.
Since the main customers were civilians, the effects weren't dramatically better than regular products, but who were we?
Koreans who would boil and eat tree roots if they were good for you.
Maestro's first-floor health foods had long been sold-out hits every holiday season.
"Wonder what they sell on the second floor."
I rode the escalator up to the second floor—no noise, no shaking, like floating on a cloud.
"Ah, this shop's here."
Right in front as I stepped off was a dessert store.
Pink and fluorescent green design, complete with a massive lollipop model so dizzyingly colorful it made my eyes spin.
This flashy place was apparently famous for its desserts.
Even Jang Su-ho, the only one in the guild who liked sweets, had handed me his crumpled pocket money and begged me to buy some.
"Welcome to Candy Land!"
The moment the employee beamed and greeted me, I thought:
I want to leave.
I'd planned to sample a bunch since it was so famous, but not anymore.
"One bag of your most popular hard candies, please."
Just grab what Jang Su-ho asked for and get out quick.
"Sure thing! I'll help you at the counter!"
As I eyed her uniform, as vibrant as the store's interior, I suddenly added:
"Ah, make it two bags."
There was one other person who loved sweets as much as Jang Su-ho.
"Hah, I'm in heaven."
After buying the candies, I turned on my heel without a second thought and hopped on the down escalator.
Passing the first floor still thick with perfume and cosmetic scents tempting passersby, I descended further until delicious aromas began wafting up.
"This is perfume. This is what it's supposed to smell like."
My heart pounded wildly at the B1 food court smells.
"Sushi, sushi, sushi."
Rotating sushi was the undisputed king of department store basements.
Like a starving hyena, I prowled the vast food court.
"Found it!"
About three rotating sushi spots were clustered together.
I picked the one with the most people and grabbed a seat.
Right away, I snatched an egg omelet sushi and popped it in my mouth.
"Mmm, delicious."
The fluffy, sweet sushi sang in my mouth.
I inhaled the two pieces on the plate in seconds, reaching next for a small shrimp sushi when...
"...Golden plate."
A gold-rimmed plate I'd never glanced at before was drifting slowly toward me.
Menu check: tuna belly sushi.
"Sh-should I?"
But it was a gold plate.
Super expensive.
I quickly opened my banking app to check my balance.
It wasn't lottery-winner impressive after all my recent spending, but I had enough for that gold-rimmed treat.
Yeah, let's do it.
"Challenge accepted."
I steeled myself dramatically, picked up the gold plate,
wiped the chopsticks I'd used for the egg sushi with a napkin,
and reverently placed the tuna in my mouth.
"Oh, an orchestra!"
If the white-plate sushi had been a recorder playing 'My Joyful Home,' this was a symphony orchestra.
Title: Dvořák Symphony No. 9, From the New World.
After that, I went straight for every gold plate that came around.
The first bite's the hardest—now I couldn't go back to white plates.
"Ah, so full."
As I slurped the complimentary udon the owner kindly tossed in after my gold-plate feast, rubbing my bloated belly, all I wanted was to head back to the dorm and crash.
Savoring the symphony's aftertaste.
But I'd come all the way to Jamsil for a reason—I couldn't slack off.
Time to make some money.
I checked the time.
"Still some time left."
Sugar Workshop's owner was so unmotivated, they didn't open until 1 PM, post-lunch.
To kill time and aid digestion, I opened Hunters, the hunter-exclusive community app.
And there, amid the posts, some mentioned me.
"Oh, right."
I'd forgotten amid the chaos.
Guilds didn't always issue press releases for every recruit, but cases like mine were different.
Like a star soccer player posing with their new team's jersey, hunters posed shaking hands with the guild master, uniform in hand, plastered everywhere.
A big "hands off" declaration.
"But we don't even have uniforms yet."
Usually, the guild master, vice, or management handled this.
Our guild master was off cultivating his path, oblivious to worldly affairs; Han Ji-seong was too busy surviving to think PR; so that left management...
"Which is me."
Honestly, press releases were as irrelevant as ginger scraps to chopsticks.
But right now, Justice Guild desperately needed any positive press to salvage our rock-bottom rep.
Just then, my phone rang from an unknown number.
"Yes, who's this?"
[ "Ah, you finally picked up! Hello, Nayeo-ju-ssi. I'm Lee Ji-han, a reporter from Live News." ]
What perfect timing.
Normally I'd hang up, but not now.
"Hello."
[ "You must be swamped, but the public's dying to know your next move! If you've decided, could you share a bit with Live News?" ]
"Sure. Yeah, I can."
[ "Y-you can?" ]
The reporter sounded more shocked than me.
Early birds don't always get the worm—lucky ones do.
I rinsed my mouth with green tea and said:
"I've joined Justice Guild."
[ "Pardon? Where?" ]
"Justice Guild."
[ "......" ]
The reporter went silent.
A few seconds later, a dazed voice came through.
[ "That Justice Guild—the one I know?" ]
"Probably. I signed with the Justice Guild under Guild Master Kang Han."
[ "Wh-why?" ]
It was nearly time for Sugar Workshop. I pondered a casual reply, then answered carefully, imagining the headline.
"I rate Justice Guild's potential highly. People undervalue them too much. Personally, the former guild master, Hunter Kang Young-won, helped me once."
[ "Oh, I see..." ]
"It's not just sentiment, though. Like I said, they're just in a rough spot from bad luck piling up. I believe they'll reclaim their glory. People might question my choice now, but time will prove it right."
[ "I... understand. One more question: you mentioned ties to Kang Young-won..." ]
"Sorry, I've got somewhere to be. Make the article a good one."
[ "W-wait, Nayeo-ju-ssi!" ]
His desperate call echoed, but I hung up firmly.
Now, time for my real Jamsil purpose.
Dangling the candy bag in one hand, I rode the escalator down.
B2 and below felt different.
If upstairs was a pure department store, this was like Yongsan's electronics market.
The museum-like displays vanished; now, shoddy items littered the space at a glance.
'Clear quality gap.'
Maestro's basement was for apprentice producers without formal guild affiliation to sell their works.
Item quality plummeted the deeper you went.
Honestly, buyers shouldn't pay—they should get compensated for using them.
And at the very bottom, B4.
In the farthest corner, a tiny shop had a sign without even lights on.
'Sugar Workshop'
B4 was already deserted, but Sugar Workshop had zero signs of life.
Door ajar meant the owner was inside, though.
With a pounding heart, I stepped in.
"Hello."
My quiet greeting got no reply.
But someone was there.
A shaggy-haired man hunched over a desk by the counter, fiddling with something.
The owner of this massive Jamsil Tower, Maestro's guild master, Jeong Je-hwa.