Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World
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'Ah, this is a bit tricky.'
I had no idea why the vice guild master himself had come all this way just to deal with someone like me.
But I knew it wasn't a great situation for me, who was aiming to get the highest price possible.
I shook hands with Geum Eun-dong, who had extended his right hand, while greeting him.
"Yes, I'm Nayeo-ju from the Justice Guild."
"Oh, I know! You're super famous these days, Nayeo-ju-ssi!"
No matter how famous I got, could I compare to him?
Don't let his small build and youthful face fool you into thinking he's an easy mark, or you'll regret it.
Geum Eun-dong wasn't the vice guild master of Maestro for nothing, standing in for Jeong Je-hwa.
Jeong Je-hwa, who was indifferent to worldly affairs beyond item crafting, showed little interest even in the guild he'd built.
And it was Geum Eun-dong who handled all the practical operations of Maestro in his stead.
Pretending to sit back down, I pulled up Geum Eun-dong's status window.
Geum Eun-dong's skill list was as impressive as expected.
And true to Maestro Guild, which rarely ventured near gates, his Dark Addiction rate was negligible.
The items he wore were dazzling too.
Of course, they paled a bit compared to the master's, Jeong Je-hwa's.
But given his pre-awakening life as a bedridden paraplegic with poor eyesight, those choices were inevitable.
I threw a fastball straight at Geum Eun-dong, who avoided my gaze and stared at the desk instead.
"Why did the vice guild master come in person to deal with the Justice Guild?"
"P-Pardon? D-Deal...? W-Why put it like that?"
He fidgeted at my single remark.
Making me look like the bad guy here.
But I couldn't fall for that act.
This was Geum Eun-dong, dubbed the 'Fox' by original readers.
"I-I'm a huge Justice Guild fan. R-Really. So I rushed over."
Yeah, right. Not buying it.
I'd bet a million won that was a blatant lie.
Just look at the affection meter floating over his head.
"Oh, I see. Thank you."
Did Jeong Je-hwa drop a hint or something?
The thought flashed by but faded quickly.
Jeong Je-hwa wasn't the type.
The guy who barely voiced one out of a hundred thoughts wouldn't chat much on a given day.
Besides, his affection for me wasn't that high yet.
So the only guess left was that Geum Eun-dong had noticed something on his own and come running.
In that case, there was only one way to play this.
I beamed at him.
"A fan of ours? I'm looking forward to it then."
"L-Looking forward to wh-what...?"
"Someone who likes Justice Guild enough to come down in person must be willing to pay generously, right?"
"Th-That's..."
You fight a fox with fox tactics.
"Sh-Should we look at the items you brought first and talk then?"
"Sure, of course."
I pulled two net bags from my sub-space.
From the first one I'd pre-sorted, out came the claws of Variant Vampire Wingbats.
"V-Variant W-Wingbat claws."
As soon as I laid out the items, Geum Eun-dong's face switched to vice guild master mode, pushing up his glasses as he spoke.
"With this quantity, the appraisal would be..."
"Please check the second item too and quote at once."
I opened the second net bag.
Geum Eun-dong's eyes widened at the avalanche of items spilling out.
"G-Goblin fingers... this m-many?"
Goblin Fingers were E-grade items, but their drop rate was notoriously low.
Plus, word had spread about their use as aphrodisiacs, driving up demand.
"Y-You hunted Goblin packs, sure, but th-this many..."
"This is just between you and me, Vice Guild Master Geum Eun-dong."
I cupped a hand to my mouth like whispering a secret.
"My skills are... a bit special."
"O-Oh!"
"So, what's the appraisal?"
Geum Eun-dong got busy at my question.
Flicking his fingers in calculations now and then, he finally said,
"I think we can offer 120 million won."
This guy?
A fan, huh?
No acting even for money?
120 million was big bucks, but for B-grade Variant Wingbat claws and rare Goblin Fingers, it was exactly market price.
Pretending ignorance of his game, I smiled brightly again.
"And?"
"P-Pardon?"
"You said you're a Justice Guild fan. Weren't you about to offer a special fan price?"
"Uh, w-well..."
His fingers flicked again.
"Then 130 million..."
"You said you were a huge fan."
"135 million..."
"That's too much."
"140 million. N-No more."
"Hmm."
I could squeeze more out of him here.
Crossing my arms, I said,
"You know we have an S-grade crafter too, right?"
"B-But these are raw materials."
In other words, untouched by Im Cheong-su's hands.
"Want to check the item info window?"
Among Geum Eun-dong's skills, 'Essence Grasp' revealed basic item info and potential.
"Take a good, close look."
He'd be shocked.
I sure was.
"Th-This!"
Geum Eun-dong snatched up a Goblin Finger he'd only eyed before.
"H-How does it have a '+'!?"
"Thanks to this net bag. Our S-grade crafter stitched it himself, every stitch."
"Every... stitch..."
Geum Eun-dong's hand reached mesmerized for the net bag on the table.
Hey, no touching!
Slap!
I blocked his hand.
Stroking the unexpectedly callused palm, I said,
"First time seeing Goblin Fingers with a '+'?"
"Y-Yes."
"You wouldn't just grind these up into aphrodisiacs and sell them, would you, Vice Guild Master?"
I wasn't entirely sure.
Just a shot in the dark.
But it hit true, as he nodded eagerly.
"I'm dying to know what effects you'd get using '+' Goblin Fingers as materials. Aren't you?"
"P-Probably..."
His dazed, slack eyes drifted back to the Goblin Fingers.
Ah, the tragic fate of crafters.
Curiosity.
His fingers twitched again under mine, lost in thought.
"160 million! N-No more, really!"
Geum Eun-dong squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
"Hmm."
Nothing's impossible in this world.
Sighing as if helpless, I released his hand.
"No choice then."
"Th-Then..."
"200 million."
"E-Even for you, Nayeo-ju-ssi! 200 million is...!"
"But."
"B-But?"
"In Maestro-exclusive vouchers. No loss for you, right?"
Room 15 echoed only with Geum Eun-dong's ragged breaths.
Couldn't give him time to think here.
Smart as he was, who knew what he'd say next.
"If not, other crafting guilds..."
"D-Deal!"
Jackpot.
I'd buy Im Cheong-su's pot from upstairs anyway.
After wrangling four 50-million-won vouchers from Geum Eun-dong, I headed straight to the 9th floor.
Floors 8 and up in the Maestro department store were the luxury zone.
Who'd have thought I'd be shopping luxury with 200 million one day?
If only Geum Eun-dong wasn't tailing me like a remora.
"Vice Guild Master, aren't you busy?"
"N-Not busy!"
Right.
As if the guy running the guild in Jeong Je-hwa's place had free time.
Those sparkling eyes? Clearly curious what I'd buy, that's why he's following.
Crafters' curiosity is a pitiful curse, really.
Whatever, didn't bother me much beyond the annoyance.
Felt like a chaebol shopping with the store manager in tow.
"Ah, there it is."
My steps led to the item crafting tools section.
The one spot in the flashy luxury hall that felt oddly drab.
Luckily, potion cauldrons weren't hard to spot.
Round, huge, and pitch black.
But the issue was elsewhere.
I stared at the price tag under the cauldron and said,
"Vice Guild Master."
"Y-Yes?"
"No fan discount?"
Cut me a deal.