Chapter 8: Chapter 8

With the rise of the Great Hunter Era came the concept of “guilds.” Like the adventurer guilds in fantasy stories, these organizations were formed by awakened individuals working together for mutual benefit.

Guilds ranged from small ones with fewer than ten members to large organizations as influential as major corporations.

One such guild was "Wings." Though it had fewer than ten members, they were tightly bonded.

This guild was founded by its master, Moon Da-young, who had fled exploitation in a larger guild. Half of the current members had left alongside her.

In contrast to combat guilds, crafting guilds had separate grading systems. Among these, Da-young was a B-rank crafting hunter.

Since this profession was rare, she received considerable benefits from the government. Of course, those benefits came with obligations.

“Master, when are you making me that new sword?”

“If you want new gear, go run more dungeons.”

“Even going once a day tires me out.”

“That just means you need more effort. Didn’t you go three times in one day recently?”

“That was a fluke...”

Han-gyeol, slouched over his desk, sighed. Da-young chuckled at his expression.

Despite his complaints, he would soon be back to work. He was a hardworking, dependable young man.

“I’ll run two dungeons today... Gotta work off my debts.”

“Good for you.”

“By the way, how’s that guy doing?”

“Who? Ji-han?”

“Who else?”

Han-gyeol straightened up, stretching as he prepared to leave.

Da-young answered with a somewhat ambiguous expression.

“He’s working hard, but I’m a bit worried.”

“Still the same?”

“Yeah, he only listens for a moment.”

“One of these days, it’ll come back to bite him.”

“Haa…”

Seo Ji-han, an original member of Wings, had left the larger guild alongside them. Although younger than Han-gyeol, he was his senior in terms of awakening.

Currently, he was Wings’ only C-rank combat hunter, with sights on reaching B-rank.

In other words, the guild was fully backing him, and he knew he was their ace, which had inflated his ego—perhaps a bit too much.

“Han-gyeol, you should aim for C-rank soon, too.”

“I’m trying...”

Han-gyeol exhaled deeply. His training at the academy had helped him reach D-rank quickly, but C-rank felt like hitting a wall.

Just then, the office phone rang. Han-gyeol waved goodbye and left, while Da-young answered with a gesture, picking up the receiver.

“Hello, Wings Guild.”

- ...Hi, I was referred by Han-gyeol. My name is Jeong Si-hyeon.

“Oh! I’ve heard about you. How can I help?”

- I’d like to visit for a consultation if that’s alright.

“Of course! When are you planning to come?”

Si-hyeon and Da-young coordinated their schedules, and once the call ended, Da-young leaned on her desk, lost in thought.

Her voice was... enchanting. It was like the sound of pearls rolling on a silver tray.

She hadn’t even seen her yet, but she suddenly understood why Han-gyeol had been so excited.

---

Having arranged her visit to the Wings Guild, Si-hyeon decided to clear the closest dungeon along her route.

Quickly, she ran through two E-rank dungeons solo, then headed to a jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) restaurant she’d researched online.

Since it wasn’t peak dining time, the restaurant was quiet.

“Welcome! Are you dining alone?”

“Yes.”

“Right this way.”

After taking a seat, the waitress gave her a concerned look.

“This might be too spicy for a foreigner. Are you okay with that?”

“...Yes, I’ll give it a try.”

“Wow, your Korean’s good! Good luck!”

The waitress cheered her on, catching Si-hyeon off guard. Did everyone really think she was a foreigner? Perhaps... It felt a bit strange.

Lost in thought, she soon found herself staring at the steaming bowl that had arrived.

“Alright, time to eat.”

You’ve got this, Jeong Si-hyeon!

*Slurp—*

Tensed up, she took a bite of the noodles, and—

*Cough, cough...*

This was no joke. But she couldn’t give up just yet.

One more bite, then another.

“Huff, huff...”

It was definitely tough. Unable to hold back, she gulped down her water.

Her suspicions from the spicy chicken on her first day had grown as she ate various foods with Si-yun.

Today confirmed it: she had low spice tolerance.

The other world had almost no spicy food, and she’d returned to Earth in a pure, other-worldly body.

Her tongue felt like it was on fire, and her eyes teared up, like a foreigner struggling with Korean food.

She felt a dissonance between her mind and her body... Cognitive dissonance.

Looking at her bowl, she realized she’d only managed to eat two-thirds.

This was too much. Really too much. But she hated wasting food.

Swallowing her pride, she decided to take a break, recover, and maybe enhance her resilience before trying again. Compromise is key sometimes.

---

After finishing her self-assigned dungeon runs, Si-hyeon arrived at the Wings Guild. Upon being led to the master’s office, the first words she heard were—

“Wow, you’re even prettier than I expected.”

“...Hello.”

“Come, have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

Da-young smiled brightly as she welcomed her.

Beautiful things tend to taste good, as the saying goes. Seeing such unreal beauty, Da-young had a feeling the inner person would be just as lovely.

Her beauty was captivating, even to another woman.

“...Excuse me?”

“Hm? Yes?”

“...Your gaze.”

“Hehe.”

Da-young had been openly admiring her chest before she looked up.

She couldn’t help but find it intriguing to think of such a busty woman as a melee hunter.

Though she herself was confident in her looks, Si-hyeon’s figure was fresh and... striking.

Smiling slyly, Da-young smoothly changed the subject.

“So, you said you came to make a transaction! Could you show me what you’ve brought?”

“Here it is.”

Si-hyeon pulled a fist-sized mana stone from her magic bracelet, using movements similar to those hunters made when accessing their status windows.

Her experience observing other hunters during their recent party had helped her mimic the gestures.

“So, this is what Han-gyeol mentioned. May I take a closer look?”

“Yes.”

With Si-hyeon’s permission, Da-young quickly took the mana stone. Her status window provided her with a “simple” analysis, showing the stone’s name, grade, and quality.

“Oh, this would go for at least two million won. Did you check with an exchange?”

“...Two million?”

“Yes! It may be low-grade, but the quality’s high. The rest depends on the crafter’s skill. If you’re not looking to haggle, I’ll buy it for two million.”

“...”

Si-hyeon fell silent, deep in thought.

When she’d exchanged a bunch of mana stones before, she’d checked the price at the mana stone exchange.

Their offer had been 1.5 million won. Of course, she understood they probably took a hefty cut for convenience.

But she hadn’t expected such a significant price difference here.

“I’m guessing the exchange offered... hmm, 1.5 million?”

“...Exactly right.”

“Hehe, it’s my profession. Plus, with Han-gyeol’s recommendation, I’m giving you an honest rate.”

A guild member’s recommendation. Perhaps she’d been given a bit of a premium for that or maybe due to tax reasons.

Thinking things through, Si-hyeon spoke up slowly.

“You’re a crafting hunter, right?”

“Yes! That’s right. I’m a B-rank.”

“Then, could I take a look at some of the items you have?”

“Of course.”

Da-young led her to the storage room. Although not huge, given the building’s size, it housed a variety of items.

As she browsed, Si-hyeon realized an important fact: every item here emitted a mana presence, meaning they were crafted with mana stones.

However, she couldn’t tell their functions just by looking.

Since she wasn’t an awakened hunter, she had no status window.

To understand their properties, she’d need to examine each item closely.

“...Darn.”

“Is there a problem?”

Si-hyeon pondered her options. While there was no reason to hide that she was a returnee, she felt reluctant to reveal she wasn’t an awakened hunter.

Standing out in such a way could attract attention.

One day, the truth might come out, but for now, it was best to dodge the topic.

“There are just so many items... Do you have anything for personal safety?”

“Like armor?”

“Not quite. Something portable. I’d like to give it to my sister, who’s a civilian.”

“...Wow.”

Da-young’s eyes widened in surprise.

An E-rank hunter trading a mana stone worth two million won. Naturally, she’d expected Si-hyeon to ask for gear for herself.

Yet she wanted something for her civilian family’s safety?

It was clear that this woman was as kind-hearted as she was beautiful.

Da-young felt an urge to test her a bit further.

“What’s your price range?”

“The maximum. I’m fine with it costing more than two million.”

She@@novelbin@@

answered without hesitation.

At that moment, Da-young’s assessment of Si-hyeon shot up. People like her were rare these days.

Especially hunters, who usually invest everything in making themselves stronger.

Family came first for her. It aligned perfectly with the motto of the Wings Guild.

She liked her. A lot.

“Si-hyeon.”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to collaborate on making something together?”

“...?”

Si-hyeon tilted her head, confused.

‘Adorable... No, focus!’

Da-young corrected her train of thought.

“Portable accessories require high-quality mana stones and materials.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t have anything here that would meet your standards. Why don’t we work together to make one?”

Collaboration. That one word snagged Si-hyeon’s thoughts.

It wasn’t a bad idea. Coming from a B-rank hunter, it seemed wise to accept.

But her deep-rooted mistrust of people made her hesitant to agree quickly.

“Oh, of course! This would be a trade. You’ll get a high-quality item, and I’ll keep any leftover materials. In exchange, you’d be providing labor.”

Da-young looked at her earnestly. She wouldn’t have proposed this to just any E-rank hunter.

In fact, it was more loss than gain for her.

But Han-gyeol had stressed repeatedly that this beautiful woman couldn’t be judged by her appearance alone.

He’d said she could handle D-rank dungeons solo and might even rival C-rank hunters.

Trusting her guild member’s judgment, Da-young decided to invest her time and resources boldly.

“...Alright, it’s a deal.”

Looking at Da-young’s expression, Si-hyeon sensed her sincerity. She figured it might be worth trusting her.

If any issues came up during the collaboration, she was confident she could handle them.

“Nice choice,” Da-young said with a grin.

They shook hands, sealing their agreement.

---

“What... What the heck?”

Da-young stared ahead, her face filled with astonishment.

Though she was a B-rank crafting hunter, she held a D-rank combat certification as well.

That’s how she was able to enter a D-rank dungeon with Si-hyeon. They’d agreed to flee if things got dangerous.

“Shall we go?”

“O-okay… Sure!”

It wasn’t the people who should be feeling threatened—it was the monsters.

With each step Si-hyeon took, monsters flew apart and tumbled across the dungeon floor.

How could she possibly be an E-rank hunter?

At this point, Da-young’s assessment of Si-hyeon had skyrocketed beyond imaginable levels.

Her evaluation: *off the charts*.