Chapter 17
Chapter 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Heroine Saves the World
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jeong Je-hwa showed no interest in the customer at all.
There was no bob of the head in greeting, no sidelong glance to check them out.
Nor was he immersed in his work.
His face, as gloomy as the dim shop lighting, openly displayed the boredom of repeating tedious tasks.
From memory, he was one of the tallest characters in [Sejong Curtain], easily in the top ranks.
But in his current hunched posture, all that was visible was his impressively broad back.
"I'll just take a look around."
Saying that, I pulled up Jeong Je-hwa's status window.
Wow, look at those skills.
The comments calling Jeong Je-hwa the true top-tier character weren't wrong.
My mouth fell open at the dazzling array of text showcasing the perfect S-rank status window.
The necklace wasn't visible, so he must be wearing it under his clothes.
And those black horn-rimmed glasses he was wearing had to be the Magnifying Glass.
'Master' was the name Jeong Je-hwa used when crafting items.
If those three letters appeared on an item's info window, its price was at least triple that of comparable items.
The name itself served as a quality guarantee.
At that moment, Jeong Je-hwa's gaze, which had been fixed downward, suddenly flicked toward me.
He'd sensed my scrutinizing stare thanks to his 'Intuition' skill.
"Ahem."
I picked up a random item from the counter, trying not to look too awkward.
It was a rabbit figurine about two fingers long.
No 'Master' mark, for starters.
And the rank was a question mark.
Still, I bet it wasn't a dud. I'd stake my wrist on it.
Jeong Je-hwa was an artisan who would sooner break his own hands than produce shoddy work.
To the outside world, the Maestro Guild master hadn't crafted items in five years. This workshop was his hideaway.
No one knew who he was here, and buyers snapped up his creations without questions.
In short, he'd holed up in a cave.
So he didn't stamp his 'Master' seal on things made here.
"Hic."
I let out a weird noise without realizing it, drawing Jeong Je-hwa's gaze once more.
But still.
"Th-the price is great, boss."
The rabbit figurine I'd picked up was only 100,000 won.
100,000 won for something made by Jeong Je-hwa?
It was a bit pricey for a small statue, sure, but the creator was Jeong Je-hwa.
Yet only 100,000 won?
I had to buy this. No, I wanted to buy the whole shop!
"Oh man, these are so cute. Gotta get this one, that one, and that one too."
But I settled for picking up a few more small rabbit-themed items to curb my urges.
I hadn't come all this way just to snag some cheap Jeong Je-hwa items.
I headed to the counter with six rabbit series figurines, each with different effects.
Only then did Jeong Je-hwa set down what he was working on and stand up.
Is he a person or a doorframe?
At least 190cm tall with shoulders to match, he suddenly made the tiny workshop feel suffocatingly small.
"……600,000 won."
A deep, cavernous voice like a bear's rumble suited his image perfectly.
Now was the time. My instincts screamed it.
Time to launch Operation Woozy-Woozy.
"These figurines are so cute and adorable, boss."
I handed over my debit card linked to my lottery winnings account and unleashed a torrent of praise.
"I was just looking for gifts to share with my friends. How can every single rabbit be this pretty? Different poses for each, and you even captured the fluffy fur perfectly. Boss, your craftsmanship is amazing."
"……Thank you."
His response to my lengthy flattery was just one word, but he didn't seem displeased.
Good sign.
Right on cue, my phone buzzed with a disaster alert.
"Alert five minutes before? These things seem more frequent lately, right?"
This time, there was a clear reaction.
Jeong Je-hwa checked his own phone for the alert, and his brow furrowed ever so slightly.
Because he was the one who'd built the prediction system the Gate Prediction Management Headquarters currently used.
But that flicker of intensity faded quickly, and his gloomy expression returned as he silently tapped the card payment button.
Hmm, not enough, huh?
But piling on more praise now might backfire.
Time to gamble.
I made up my mind and spoke up.
"Um, boss."
"Card's back. Receipt?"
"Trash it. Seeing your work today, your skills are top-notch. I'd like to commission an item."
"No commissions."
Yeah, figured as much.
But I wasn't backing down.
"Oh, right. What to do. I stopped by other workshops too, and they all turned me down."
I pulled out my prepared item from my sub-space, feigning distress.
"They all said they'd never seen a crystal like this."
It was the ice condensate I'd mined from Obong Mountain recently.
As expected. Jeong Je-hwa's eyes changed when he saw the transparent crystal on the counter.
"This."
"Got it by chance in a glacier dungeon recently. Seemed useful for an ice hunter, but I can't afford a high-end appraiser... So I figured I'd have it made into a necklace or something."
Of course, total lie.
I had zero interest in other workshops and hadn't visited any.
And I already knew this mana crystal's effect.
Unlike typical ice mana stones with cooling effects, this one boosted stamina—a reinforcement bonus.
Most crafters wouldn't see through it or know how to process it, so my lie wasn't entirely off-base.
Hey, I'm good at lying too.
Jeong Je-hwa rolled the crystal in his palm, examining it from all angles.
He was probably deploying all his skills and the Magnifying Glass right now.
Enough sightseeing.
Pretending to take it back, I said regretfully,
"Guess I'll just keep it then……."
"I'll take the commission."
"Huh? But you just said no commissions."
"……Got some free time and capacity."
Lots of time, probably, these past five years.
"Oh, so it's booked solid. Makes sense."
I bit back a laugh, nodded tightly.
"If you're doing it, I trust you!"
I kept playing dumb about the crystal's true value.
"So, when can I pick it up?"
"About two weeks."
Huh?
He was really committing to it.
"Processing fee……."
"What's the going rate for underground mall labor these days? A million won okay?"
Jeong Je-hwa went silent for a moment.
But I stood firm.
Why? So what?
Was I commissioning the Maestro Guild master?
Nope, just the guy from the B4 workshop.
A million was overpaying like a sucker, honestly.
"……500,000 won."
As expected, he quoted the standard labor fee straight.
"Then 200,000 now, rest 300,000 on pickup. Oh, make the necklace stylish for a guy—clean, neat, but flashy. You know?"
I swear I heard a tiny sigh from him.
Anyway, I paid the extra 200,000 and got the commission receipt.
With my other hand, I firmly placed a bag of candies from Candyland into his palm and smiled.
"Take good care of the necklace, boss."
A speech bubble popped up over Jeong Je-hwa's head—the guy who named his hideaway workshop 'Sugar' because he loved sweets.
Sugar for the shop name, and favorability up by one squeeze.
But favorability was secondary.
I could raise it later if needed.
The key was judging from this necklace commission.
Whether Jeong Je-hwa could keep pace with me going forward.
Leaving the workshop, I headed to the five-story building connected to the Maestro Building.
"Hello. Here to sell mana stones?"
This place, where the staff greeted kindly, was a mana stone exchange like a gold dealer—specializing in buying and selling mana stones.
I checked the day's rates posted largely on the wall and nodded.
"Yes, ice mana stones."
"Understood. This way, please."
The room we entered had a four-person table, chairs, and a large cart for mana stones.
"Could you show me the mana stones, sir?"
"Sure, this many C-ranks."
Roll roll.
"This many D-ranks."
Clatter.
"And this many E-ranks."
Rumble.
"……Quite a quantity, sir."
"Yeah, accumulated since I'm dumping them all at once."
No good if word got out this haul came from one Obong Mountain dungeon.
"Rough sale price?"
The staffer looked away from the stones and calculated swiftly.
Minutes later, an estimated amount printed out.
"Today's rates give a total estimated sale of 157,504,350 won."
"Bulk sale price?"
Mana stone sales had two main methods.
Selling at market rates in bulk, or using the exchange as an agent for auction.
"Yes, but usually for B-rank and below, bulk is standard."
"I'd like auction."
"Ah, auction……."
The staffer's words trailed off.
I could practically see the 'Why bother?' over his head.
"Auctions carry risk, as you know. Could sell for less than bulk, and agent fees are higher."
"I know. Still, auction please. Insist."