Chapter 6
Kang-cheol remembered what the system window had told him during the tutorial.
Viewing any piece of information once cost 1 Coin.
Since most people would probably use it about five times a day, unlimited use of one type of information for a day costs 5 coins.
According to the system, after using it about five times, you’d get your money’s worth.
A month had roughly twenty working days, so that came to 100 coins.
A year would normally cost about 500 Coins, but since using it for a year was basically the same as having it forever, they simply made 500 Coins the permanent unlock price.
“Isn’t that an insanely huge discount?”
Kang-cheol asked.
His tone sounded casual, but there was obvious suspicion in it.
“I told you already. I benefit too if you level up quickly.”
“That just makes it even more suspicious. The discount is practically like one of those gym memberships.”
“Isn’t cheaper better? A one-year gym membership is a better deal too, right?”
“Yeah, but some gyms take everyone’s money for yearly memberships and then disappear.”
“What would I gain from scamming you? It’s not like I can run away.”
“…Fair point. Then thanks.”
Now that he was convinced it was a real bargain, Kang-cheol smiled brightly.
The original price was already good.
Now it was 50% off.
That meant 250 coins.
Exactly the amount he had just earned.
He could permanently unlock one category of information.
Then the first thing he should unlock was…
“Shaping.”
“Oh? That’s unexpected. I thought you’d learned something this time.”
“It’s not like any of them aren’t important.”
Until recently, Kang-cheol believed some parts of blacksmithing were more important than others.
For example, instead of focusing only on using the best steel, he believed creating the right design for the material and giving it the proper heat treatment mattered even more.
It wasn’t exactly a wrong way of thinking.
Many craftsmen and users thought the same way.
“Even so, you chose pretty quickly.”
The system was right.
Something like this probably wouldn’t happen again.
But there was no guarantee it wouldn’t.
If someone had told Kang-cheol a week ago that Hunters would fight inside his workshop and destroy it, he would have kicked them out for talking nonsense.
But once something unbelievable actually happened, you couldn’t help preparing for impossible situations too.
First came gathering materials.
Then smelting, melting iron ore, and adding different elements to create high-quality steel.
Then design, creating something suited for its purpose.
Then shaping, cutting, grinding, drilling, and bending the steel into the planned form.
Finally came heat treatment, heating and cooling it so it would perform as intended.
The problem this time had started at the materials stage.
Gathering and smelting.
And Kang-cheol hadn’t overlooked that step.
Even so, he made his decision quickly.
“I already made one mistake. It’s over now. I can’t waste time dwelling on it. Besides, it’s not like my shaping skills are perfect.”
Then he looked around his workshop.
Everything was a disaster.
The grinder.
The electric saw.
The power hammer.
The anvil.
Even the wooden stump he used for various jobs.
Everything had been crushed, bent, or ruined by the scammer’s ability.
None of it could be used anymore.
“A family man still has to earn money, even after ending up like this.”
“So choosing Shaping means you already have a way to make money?”
Kang-cheol nodded.
“Very well. Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll spend 250 coins to permanently unlock the Eye of Shaping.”
A warm sensation spread through Kang-cheol’s body.
Then…
250 coins have been spent.
The Eye of Shaping has been permanently unlocked.
You can now view shaping-related information anytime without spending additional Coins.
That done, Kang-cheol left the workshop.
The walls had cracked so badly that even after closing the door, he couldn’t lock it.
Normally he would have tried to fix it somehow.
But today he simply leaned the door shut as best he could and went home.
“I’m home.”
“Kang-cheol? Oh my… why are you covered in dust?”
His mother stared at him with wide eyes, clearly expecting an explanation.
But Kang-cheol only weakly waved his hand.
“I look pretty bad, don’t I?”
“For a second, I thought you were a homeless man from the street. At least dust yourself off outside.”
He obediently let his mother brush the dust off him.
“Is the bathroom free?”
“No. Ah-yeon just got back from the academy. You’re not planning to go into your room without washing, are you? Looking like that?”
His mother warned him she wouldn’t clean his room if he made a mess.
But Kang-cheol barely heard her.
Thud.
He collapsed onto his bed.
Metal dust and bits of concrete scattered across the blanket.
I’ll sleep first… then I’ll think…
It had been a long and exhausting day.
The immediate crisis was over.
But now he had even more problems.
He had to repair the workshop.
Collect compensation.
And somehow earn money again tomorrow.
In many ways, it was the most stressful day he’d had in a long time.
Yet strangely…
He didn’t feel anxious at all.
As he drifted off to sleep, one sentence echoed in his mind.
“I think I’ve finally met a real blacksmith.”
A real blacksmith.
Since becoming the owner of Kang-cheol Workshop, it was the first sincere compliment he had ever received.
“Honestly… he was right.”
Even as sleep overtook him, the corners of his mouth slowly lifted into a satisfied smile.
* * *
Meanwhile…
Park Young-jun hummed happily while driving.
“I’m finally getting off work… finally getting off work…”
The song was actually about quitting a job, and he still had several hours left in his shift.
But he didn’t care.
Today had been a success.
“I really got lucky! Hahaha!”
He had prevented a complaint from a civilian.
He had also captured an awakened criminal.
A solid achievement without even entering a dungeon.
Dungeon raids paid more, but good deeds like this were excellent for his reputation.
“Man… was I blessed today or what? Good thing I even brought my armor.”
…Wait.
His face suddenly turned pale.
Right.
He only wore armor on days he entered a gate.
Then he noticed the phone sitting in its holder.
The notification light had been blinking nonstop.
He picked it up.
Missed Calls: 00
CoconutTalk: +300
Unread Messages: 86
A terrible feeling washed over him.
The messages made one thing painfully clear.
He was in serious trouble.
Team leader, we’re holding everyone back. Entry begins in 30 minutes.
Team leader, where are you? Please answer your phone.
You didn’t forget today’s dungeon raid, did you? Just in case, here’s the schedule and location.
Please answer. The Master wants to speak with you.
The moment he saw the word “Master,” his breathing stopped.
Screeeech!
He slammed on the brakes.
Then he made a sharp U-turn and floored the accelerator.
The unconscious scammer in the passenger seat slowly woke up.
“My… my face… what…”
“Shut up! Go back to sleep!”
Thud!
One solid punch from a loving father who raised a daughter.
The scammer’s head snapped sideways.
He immediately lost consciousness again.
If Kang-cheol had seen it, he would have been convinced the man had finally been killed.
But Park Young-jun didn’t have time to worry about holding back.
After driving for a while, he arrived outside the gate.
A temporary camp marked with the Yeonhwa Guild emblem had been set up nearby.
Unfortunately…
Except for a few guards, the camp was completely empty.
Park Young-jun got out carrying both the unconscious scammer and the box Kang-cheol had given him.
This is my lifeline.
A gift.
And an achievement.
No boss disliked those two things.
Receiving both at once should be even better.
One of the guards recognized him and hurried over.
“Team leader! Where have you been? Today of all days!”
“I was catching an awakened criminal! Did everyone enter already?”
“They did. We even waited thirty extra minutes.”
Then came the devastating news.
“You’re in big trouble. The Master entered instead of you.”
Park Young-jun’s face instantly turned white.
The Master was someone no one dared disrespect.
For the simplest reason…
She was the founder and owner of the guild.
But more importantly…
She personally managed guild affairs.
Especially personnel management.
And the person responsible for all that…
Was also far stronger than almost everyone else in the guild.
She was someone even Park Young-jun feared.
The Master of the Yeonhwa Guild.
The No. 2 S-Rank Warrior in South Korea.
Kwon Se-mi.
“…Will this guy help?”
He dropped the unconscious scammer from his shoulder hopefully.
The guard looked uncertain.
“I don’t know. Bringing in an awakened criminal is an achievement… but you’d better hurry inside.”
“Right! See you later!”
At least the guard hadn’t said it was hopeless.
There was still a chance.
Park Young-jun sprinted into the gate.
A strange sensation passed over him.
Then he entered the dungeon.
He followed the trail of dead monsters.
Especially the humanoid ones.
Eventually…
“I found her.”
The monsters became larger and stronger.
Some were powerful enough that even Park Young-jun would have needed time to defeat them.
Yet every single one had clean holes through both the head and heart.
No other injuries.
They had all died before they could even fight back.
“She can’t be in too bad a mood. Better hurry.”
Finally…
The boss room came into view.
“I’m sorry. I brought a gift and an achievement. Sorry. Gift. Achievement. Sorry. Gift. Achievement…”
He quickly rehearsed what he would say.
Then took one deep breath.
“Here goes!”
He pushed open the boss room door.
“Huh?! Why is the door opening?!”
“Gah!”
Startled voices filled the room.
At that exact moment…
Something flew straight toward him.
“Huh?!”
His Hunter instincts screamed at him to attack.
So he did.
The result…
Dungeon: “Beast’s Den” Boss defeated for the first time.
Final Blow: Park Young-jun.
Highest Contribution: Kwon Se-mi.
…
The system window appeared.
He had just stolen the final hit…
From the Guild Master who loved fighting more than anyone.
Every instinct he had developed through years of battle screamed in warning.
“Uh… wait! I didn’t mean to—”
He hurriedly tried to explain.
But fate wasn’t on his side.
The boss’s corpse slid off his fist.
And standing behind it…
Was Kwon Se-mi.
The relaxed expression left over from battle slowly transformed into one that looked capable of destroying the world itself.
Park Young-jun suddenly felt his life flash before his eyes.
Click. Click.
Kwon Se-mi slowly walked toward him.
Just as he started kneeling—
She spoke.
“Were you planning to bark like a dog again, just like your first mistake? Do you really have no sense of shame? Don’t bother. Looking back, it was completely pathetic.”
“I… I’m sorry.”
As he prepared to kneel completely, she continued.
“So you don’t even have the decency to offer a proper apology. It seems I’ve been far too lenient with Team Leader Park Young-jun. Stealing my achievement is one thing. Neglecting your actual duties is another.”
“No! I’m truly sorry! The reason I was late was—”
“I already know you came up with some excuse. For being late. And for attacking the boss I was about to finish.”
She never even gave him a chance to answer.
Honestly…
That might have been better.
If she decided to punish him with a sparring match because the boss hadn’t satisfied her…
He might actually die.
After what felt like endless scolding…
Kwon Se-mi finally noticed what he had been carrying.
“You even brought that useless burden into the dungeon. I’ll have to think carefully about how to punish—”
Park Young-jun immediately opened the box.
Inside were two elegant knives.
“…you.”
Kwon Se-mi stopped speaking.
The graceful curves showed careful craftsmanship at a glance.
The moment she saw them…
Desire filled her eyes.
Her expression softened again…
Just as it had during the height of battle.
