I Transferred to the SSS-rank Crafting Field - Chapter 16 - The Sword that Cleaves Heaven and Earth (3)

Chapter 16

04 – The Sword that Cleaves Heaven and Earth (3)

The 33rd Floor, The Sword that Cleaves Heaven and Earth.

The scenario here seemed like a fairytale, full of dreams and hopes…But, it was notorious among hunters for its extreme difficulty.

A dark shadow approaching the kingdom–the scenario required the Hunters to find a boy destined to become a warrior and a sword that slept in a pond, Caliban.

Caliban, the sword, was a legendary SS-rank sword with an epithet: the Sword that Cleaves Heaven and Earth. Choi Kwon-young noted the additional description provided for the sword.

‘After years of weathering the wind and waves, it has become worn out and lost its original power.’

Then, wasn’t the sword originally an L-rank or something equivalent?

At first, he had intended to repair the sword but, unfortunately, Caliban was destroyed after defeating the darkness within the kingdom. However, Choi Kwon-young didn’t give up. He was certain there was a clue on this floor.

Afterwards, he dug around for information about the blacksmith who created the sword.

“That house isn’t even a proper blacksmith’s forge, and yet there’s hammering sounds coming from it every day.”

“His name was… Carlos, I think?”

“I was sure there was someone searching for a blacksmith not too long ago.”

After persistent inquiry, Choi Kwon-young found Carlos, the strange blacksmith from Roma. When Choi Kwon-young heard that someone else had found the blacksmith, besides him, he hurriedly headed to that man’s house.

***

“Master!” I shouted.

“Agh–my ears are going to fall off.”

“Why would you just open the door to anyone! He’s one of the bester Hunters in the country–what if he had bad intentions?!”

“Seriously… I just kicked you out of the house when this guy came. I opened the door because I thought it was you. Hoo~ Furthermore, there’s nothing on this floor that can threaten me, so don’t worry your head about useless things.” Carlos shook his head.

By the way, it really looked as if I was going to get swept up in some major affair. What did Choi Kwon-young mean by the ’76th floor?’ When he mentioned the ‘raid team,’ I couldn’t help but imagine those people in high places–far out of reach. I broke out in a cold sweat.

Choi Kwon-young smiled at me–his face straight out of a pictorial. That smile jolted me back into my right mind–I couldn’t be swayed like this. “Thank you for your hard work.” I said.

“I’m relieved–thanks to Hunter Yoon Gaho.”

“Well. I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

‘Yoon Gaho, you must be crazy!’ I thought. I couldn’t believe I was talking to Choi Kwon-young like this. But, I had to make my point and keep going.

I continued to moisten my dry lips with my tongue, “I’m a Hunter as well. I won’t move for empty words.”

Choi Kwon-young raised his chin as if to urge me to continue.

“I’ll be straightforward. Hunter Choi Kwon-young, what can you provide me?”

The smile around Choi Kwon-young’s mouth became deeper; the dimples became even more pronounced. Seeing that, I felt somehow nervous and wrung my hands.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been called that,” he said. ¹ he is, I believe, talking about his moniker as a Hunter vs Guild Leader.

“My answer will change depending on Hunter Choi Kwon-young’s answer.”

“What I can give you, hm. It seems you’ve forgotten, but it’s a guild member’s obligation to participate in the raid team.”

“That’s not all. It’s time for salary negotiations, among other things.”

Choi Kwon-young raised his eyebrows. It seemed that he had a rough idea of what was going on and glanced at Carlos.

Yes. That was it. I explained to Choi Kwon-young about the special trait and skills I had gained. When I mentioned my S-class crafting skill, his sharp gaze looked greedy. He was definitely smiling, but I felt somehow nervous.

However, unlike before, I couldn’t continue to be a fool who couldn’t secure her own share. “If I participate in the raid team, I can’t continue with my current salary–that is, the salary given to a C-class Hunter.”

“Keep talking.”

“S-rank crafting: my help is indispensable to the 76th floor raid. Please offer me fair compensation.”

“What if I say I won’t?”

“Is there anything left to discuss then? I’ll seriously consider transferring to another guild. I don’t know if you realize, but there’s not much time left on my contract.” I spoke slower than usual in order to not stutter. Choi Kwon-young sat in a relaxed position as he stared at me.

I couldn’t retreat here; I tried to look relaxed, now better than never, and forcibly upturned the corners of my lips. “The renewal is about three months away. It’s an honor to be under your and Kim Jihwa-nim’s shadow, but, as you know, Hunters move not for glory but for profit.”

The same goes for me as well.

Choi Kwon-young smiled at my words, his sharp, piercing gaze made my mouth dry. ² 서슬 퍼런 can be literally translated into sharp purple/blue. Idiomatically, it just means piercing (gaze) I pretended to be calm, crossing my legs and burrowing my back into the back of my seat.

“That sounds reasonable, at a surface glance, but you haven’t considered something.”

“What haven’t I considered?”

“Your skill is the key to attacking the 76th floor–this, so far, is undeniable. It’s true that your help will solve all sorts of complicated issues. However, does Hunter Yoon Gaho have any considerable benefit by making Wastelands her enemy?”

Choi Kwon-young hit the nail on the head. I hadn’t mentioned it, but, as expected, he didn’t let it slide.

There were 5 guilds that operated raid teams and would therefore find me valuable: Wastelands, Midnight Sun, KOD, Semi-given, and Charity.

To sell equipment, one requires a solid connection with senior Hunters. Charity, who tended to be insular, was out. KOD, whose motto was the survival of the fittest, wouldn’t protect me. So that one is out as well. Semi-given, famous for offering less than what people were worth, was pending.

Then, all that remained was Midnight Sun. However, there…

Choi Kwon-young said, “If you want to transfer, then all that’s available is Midnight Sun, I suppose. However, I doubt whether Guildleader Gyun would steal away someone who was under his respected Hunter Kim Jihwa.”

“Well, it’s not limited to Midnight Sun. I have plenty of options.”

Choi Kwon-young stared at me bluntly, as if he were questioning if I really thought that way.

Yeah, I knew well that staying with Wastelands would be good in many ways.

Kim Jihwa had traveled far and wide, and her footprint was gargantuan; as a small guild, the level of welfare given to each guild member was high. Not to mention the salary.

Above all, the guild belonged to Kim Jihwa and Choi Kwon-young. That alone was enough to deter any weaklings or possible enemies.

‘There’s a reason why our guild is called the ‘Dream Guild.”

Choi Kwon-young smiled at my clumsy bluffing attempt. His demeanor belied his immense pride in his guild. His stance seemed to indicate that the answer was already set, and he was waiting for me to obediently follow.

I felt a sudden urge to rebel against Choi Kwon-young’s attitude; I wanted to distort that arrogance that said that I would have no choice but to choose Wastelands.

“What if I said I had a hidden card to persuade Guild Leader Gyun Jiwoon?” Impulsively, I took the chimera egg out of my inventory.

I was acting on a mere hypothesis, but I figured it should be valuable anyway.

Kyun Jiwoon was strangely knowledgeable about chimeras; furthermore, he said he was searching for something on the 19th floor. Maybe this was what he was searching for?

When I saw the chimera egg’s diet of mana, I was certain that this item wasn’t one that would drop more than a few times. What if this egg I had was the first and last to be dropped? And, if Gyun Jiwoon were to know about this…

I could just imagine what his reaction would be.

“A chimera egg from the Necromancer’s garden. Wouldn’t he welcome me with open arms at this rate?” I said.

Choi Kwon-young’s expression cracked for the first time since our conversation began.

Judging from his reaction, my hypothesis must be correct. I had no idea why Gyun Jiwoon was looking for this item, but the egg seemed to be a pretty valuable card in my hand.

I placed the chimera egg back into the inventory and waited for Choi Kwon-young’s answer. He looked at me, head slightly tilted, before standing up from his seat and approaching me.

What the–why is he suddenly moving like that?

“Certainly, that condition would make Guild Leader Gyun hesitate. Though, I don’t know where you received that information.” Choi Kwon-young stood right before me. Because of his considerable height, I had to crane my neck backwards in order to see his face. Because he was backlit, the thick lines of his face were shaded by stark shadows.

And, in an instant, Choi Kwon-young’s bored aura changed.

An intimidating aura, something he must have been suppressing, flowed from Choi Kwon-young’s body.

I felt suffocated–I was like a mouse in front of a snake. My eyes automatically lowered under the weight of that impalpable power.

I was told that S-class people–those who have power beyond the standard Hunters–always rein themselves in, but I didn’t imagine it would be to this extent. I couldn’t even move a single facial muscle.

“Hunter Yoon Gaho is very fearless. Very well, I’ve heard your opinion.”

“…Are you going to exert your power over me?”

“That’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Just try it. You can’t do anything without my cooperation anyway.” My skin stung from the terrifying aura he exuded, but I tried to raise my chin and exert my own strength. I couldn’t help but grind my teeth when he looked down at me like I was an ant.

My fingertips shook from nervousness, but I didn’t want to lose; I stared at Choi Kwon-young straight in the eyes.

After a moment of silence, he collected his aura and burst into laughter. “I have some amazing guild members, don’t I?”

His words were incomprehensible, so I waited and caught my breath.

Is being selfish and willful a common characteristic for S-class folks? Is this amusing to him? Why are you laughing after you’ve threatened someone?

He continued, “It’s a problem if an S-class Hunter from Wastelands doesn’t have this much tenacity.”

“What?”

“We’ll offer you the same salary as any other S-rank hunters. Of course, equivalent welfare and benefits will also be provided,” he said.

I couldn’t understand Choi Kwon-young’s calm and almost nonchalant attitude.

“Oh, and we’ll provide a separate incentive for the 76th-floor building–it won’t be disappointing. If you need anything else, please let us know. You’re a necessary talent for the Wasteland, so we’ll do our best to accommodate your needs.”

My mouth dropped open at the conditions he laid out.

I know I’m a semi-S-class, but I didn’t expect to be able to participate in battle directly… The conditions were honestly so good that it made me suspicious. There was no way things would be so one-sided in my favor.

“Is that all?” I asked.

“Of course not. In exchange for the conditions I just mentioned, Wasteland will receive priority when you reinforce equipment; furthermore, there will be a small brokerage fee.”

Well, that’s reasonable–that’s the only way they would recompense for the money provided upfront.

We would need to discuss the exact amount of the brokerage fee, but it was not a bad condition. At that point, I added my own conditions. “I need a workshop inside the guild building. It would be great if you could provide practice materials as well. Also…if possible, I would like to be introduced to other crafting Hunters through the guild’s connections.”

“Very well. We’ll fine-tune the details back at the guild.” Choi Kwon-young suddenly reached out his hand.

‘He suddenly wants to shake hands now?’

I didn’t feel like it, but he caught my hand as I hesitated. His warmth passed between our clasped hands. After the handshake ended, I wiped my hand on my pants.

TL: Yes, Gaho, get that bag!!!!

Also, what an interesting character, this Choi Kwon-young…