Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World
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A transparent crystal tinged with a subtle blue hue sparkled even under the dim lighting of the workshop.
The diamond-shaped earrings, each the size of a pinky fingernail and dangling elegantly, exuded an aura that was clearly extraordinary at first glance.
And my immediate thought was, This would look perfect on Han Ji-seong.
Honestly, with his looks, anything would suit him, but these earrings seemed like they were born to dangle from his ears.
"This is way more than I expected..."
And then I saw it.
Jeong Je-hwa's pitch-black eyes, sparkling with uncharacteristic eagerness as he gauged my reaction.
"It's insane. Seriously, no exaggeration—it's breathtaking. How can it be this beautiful?"
"...The materials were good. And I got a bit of luck on my side for once."
He tried to play it humble, but a smile danced at the corners of Jeong Je-hwa's eyes.
Praise for the finished product is the creator's lifeblood, after all.
"Is this the certificate?"
I unfolded the certificate placed next to the earrings.
I didn't even need to pull up the info window for this one.
It was an item crafted by Maestro Guild's master, after all.
"Wha—what is this...? Why 40%...?"
I was at a loss for words.
I swear, me being speechless isn't something that happens often.
That's how shocked I was.
"And it's A-rank—A-grade earrings! How is this even possible?"
"With good materials, it's entirely feasible."
Jeong Je-hwa answered as casually as if saying the secret to perfect ramen is just follow the instructions on the back of the package. But this was absolutely not something anyone could pull off.
It was nothing short of a miracle, possible only because it was Jeong Je-hwa.
"What I brought you wasn't even an A-rank condensate, though."
"Ah, right—you mentioned trying to commission it elsewhere before bringing it here."
He gave me a momentary How did you know that? look before nodding to himself as if he'd figured it out.
Whew, almost got my info window skill found out. Nice save, past me—you're good at lying.
I quickly played along with his guess.
"Yeah, but how did it jump from B-rank to A-rank all of a sudden...?"
"Like I said, I got lucky."
Luck is skill, and skill is luck.
Luck or skill—either way, I now had an A-rank item to give Han Ji-seong out of nowhere, and I couldn't have been happier.
Until Jeong Je-hwa attached one condition.
"I can guess who you're giving this item to, but you have to keep this workshop a secret."
"Of course, no problem."
Come to think of it, the certificate for the earrings listed the creator as just Sugar Workshop, not Jeong Je-hwa or Master.
Guess he has no plans to leave this little hole-in-the-wall workshop anytime soon.
And no intention of revealing his true identity to me, either.
Not that I cared.
I hadn't expected a few commissions to cure his slump and earn his full trust.
"Wow, boss, you're incredible. Even calling it luck—how do you make something like this? I can't look away."
Feeling generous, I showered him with even more lavish praise.
And then the world flipped upside down.
"...Makes it all worth making."
Ding~
...Has the boss lost his mind or something?
Jeong Je-hwa's rock-bottom favorability shot up by 3 in one go!
Riding the momentum, I pulled two items from my subspace.
"Your skills are so impressive, I have to ask—do you do item appraisals too?"
"I don't specialize in it, but I can."
Ah, perfect.
An S-rank crafting master can probably handle anything.
"First up, this came from a boss monster drop."
"This is..."
Whether using a skill or not, Jeong Je-hwa peered into the chalice for a moment before pulling out a blank appraisal certificate and scribbling away.
I'd noticed it with the earrings certificate too, but his handwriting was surprisingly neat.
And the paper he handed me matched exactly what I'd seen in my info window.
The only difference was the workshop's name at the bottom.
"Sometimes, there are items where I can't read all the info."
"Ah, I see."
"Probably knowledge not yet permitted to humanity."
Whoa, this guy's sharp.
In time, those question-marked broken letters would reveal their true nature.
And people would gradually uncover the truth.
"What about this one?"
"A machete. A knife used like a sickle in jungles, but..."
Jeong Je-hwa's eyes narrowed mid-sentence.
The reason was obvious.
"It already has an imprinted user."
"What exactly is imprinting?"
This one, I genuinely didn't know.
"This machete has chosen its own master."
Suddenly, scenes from Sejong Wall started clicking into place.
Kang Han, Sama Young, and many hunters had episodes where they acquired imprinted weapons.
So that's what it meant.
"Imprinting isn't common, right?"
"Good items sometimes do this. They test their wielder and imprint if they're worthy."
"But this wasn't an item at first—it was just a sword lying on the dungeon floor."
"It wasn't an item from the start?"
"One of our guildmates picked it up in the dungeon and used it, and when we got out, it had become an item."
"An object from inside a dungeon turned into an item..."
Jeong Je-hwa paused in thought before continuing.
"That's a first for me. Impressive."
He didn't sound impressed at all, though.
But it seemed genuine—he spent quite a while examining Lee Yu-eul's jungle machete before writing up the certificate.
"So, the remaining 300,000 won for the earring commission fee, and how much for the two appraisal certificates?"
"I'm not a professional appraiser, so no charge."
"...Boss, if you keep this up, my conscience is gonna hurt."
Top appraisers charge hundreds of thousands per certificate at minimum.
And he's refusing payment entirely!
Not that I'm complaining!
"In exchange, if you get more intriguing materials like that crystal, commission me next time."
Let's keep doing business.
I happily grabbed his right hand—by force if needed—and shook it, then got to the real point of my visit.
"Speaking of commissions, check this out."
What I pulled from my subspace was a large scrap of fabric stained with grimy crimson bloodstains.
One of the items from taking down the crocodile early in the guerrilla gate raid.
Question marks everywhere, but I had a hunch.
Priest-related items usually boosted mental power—that was practically a rule.
And right now, the only person on Earth who could craft an item from this question-mark mess was Jeong Je-hwa.
Sure enough.
His eyes changed as he looked at the fabric scrap I'd spread on the workbench.
"Nayeo-ju-ssi, you always bring the most intriguing things."
And, just in case, I'd been watching his status window too—and it had changed.
The Mannerism under abnormal status was completely gone.
Now, the genius known as Maestro Guild's master would no longer be mired in boredom and inertia.
A chill ran down my spine.
Beyond the status window, an eerie gleam shone in Jeong Je-hwa's black eyes.
Ding~
Depression was still there, but one thing I was sure of:
Jeong Je-hwa, freed from mannerism, would be entirely different from the gloomy man I'd known.
After entrusting Jeong Je-hwa with a new commission, I headed to the National Awakener Hospital.
I had an outpatient appointment with Seo Yu-baek.
I even bought a fruit basket with good intentions.
But the moment I stepped into the exam room, I regretted it.
Should've just canceled.
"Got it, Nayeo-ju-ssi? Always put your health first."
"Y-yes."
Was this guy such a nagger?
My ears were ringing.
So I unintentionally shot back a bit sullenly.
"Remember those words for yourself too, Doctor."
In the future, during the 6th Dungeon Break, Seo Yu-baek—the S-rank healer—would collapse from exhaustion healing civilian casualties and die.
Of course, now that I'd possessed this body, I wouldn't let that happen.
"Worried about me?"
"Why so surprised? Like you've never been cared for before."
"...Not that, but it's a novel feeling."
"And here—take your vitamins and stay healthy."
I placed the prepared fruit basket on Seo Yu-baek's desk.
Elderly sir, take care of your health.
He stared at the colorful pile for a moment, then leaned back in his chair with a smile.
"Didn't you say you only cared about Justice Guild?"
"That's that, and I want to get close to you."
The more S-ranks I befriend, the better!
Except for ones like Yu Myeong-hwa, who seemed a bit broken, or Sama Young, who was villain incarnate and would reawaken as an S-rank.
"You want to get close to me."
"Yes."
Seo Yu-baek peered at me through his glasses.
"What exactly do you want to do if we get close?"
Such a specific question?
I racked my brain as I noted the faint fading of his smile.
"Well, grab coffee, go to nice places."
Like dungeons, for example?
"And eat delicious food."
Too bad about the gender difference—no shared saunas.
But if we got close, later when my guildmates got hurt, I could proudly say:
Me and the hospital director here? We eat together!
"Hmm."
Seo Yu-baek stroked his lips, now curved in a subtle smile, with pale fingers.
"That's a problem."
"Why?!"
"You're too young, Nayeo-ju-ssi."
Seo Yu-baek grinned.