MLCAI 09

Chapter 9

“Wow, that’s too much… I’ve been trying to seduce you for hours, and your first answer is ‘Hwangtaesan’? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten. But more importantly, can you drop that ridiculous expression?”

Saebyeok shrugged as if to say, What can you do?, then frowned when she noticed him feigning a wounded look.

“To be honest, you don’t really care whether I join the Glory Guild or not. Actually, aren’t you hoping I don’t join?”

“Why do you think that?”

“If I go to Glory and soak up all your popularity, it would be troublesome for you.”

“……”

“You’re probably thinking about how to announce the newly born S-rank hunter in Korea in a way that will draw the most attention to yourself. You’re not actually trying to recruit me, right?”

If she joined Glory Guild, it would be good for the guild, but it could backfire on his personal popularity.

What he prioritized was always his own fame and the buzz he could generate—probably even more than the guild’s reputation or management.

So right now, he was thinking less about recruiting her and more about how he could use her to boost his own popularity.

As part of that, he was calculating what recruitment conditions to offer her so that the public would go, “Wow.” Whether she would accept them or not was irrelevant.

Saebyeok saw right through his intentions.

“So stop with the meaningless talk about ‘temptation’ or ‘benefits’ and just honestly tell me what you want. Isn’t the beginning of a deal about being upfront with your demands?”

“Hmmm…”

Kim Ihan let out a groan, a smile tugging at his lips, though his eyes weren’t smiling.

“It’s been a while since someone has read me this well…”

He had an expression that was hard to read—whether he felt pleased or offended.

Of course, Saebyeok didn’t care at all. She knew well that Kim Ihan valued beneficial outcomes over trivial emotions.

“Are you really not going to tell me your title?”

With a calculating glance, Kim Ihan leaned against the display and peered at her again.

“I’ll measure and register it at the association next week, so you’ll find out then.”

“Since we met like this, can’t you at least give me a hint? What if I leak it to the media in advance?”

“You wouldn’t gain anything from that anyway.”

Saebyeok chuckled softly.

She couldn’t help it; having faced him daily for years as an opponent of the association had toughened her.

“Even if I leak information, you’d need more details about me to keep attention focused on yourself. Like a title explanation, for example. Isn’t that right?”

“Hmm… If I knew that, wouldn’t you look at me a little more favorably?”

Kim Ihan smiled, eyes narrowed like a playful fox.

!! Notification !!

An abnormal status has been detected.

<Passive: Heaven’s Care (S)> – not affected.

It was probably a habit, but Saebyeok laughed quietly at the skill-use notification and turned away, continuing her shopping.

<Item: White Flame Whip Spear (A)>

A spear crafted by a skilled blacksmith infused with excessive passion and white flame. Its beauty shines with white flame every time it’s swung.

<Passive: White Flame> – Increases the power of fire-based skills by 33%.
<Skill: Flame Distortion> – Has a 16% chance to reflect fire-based attacks.
<Skill: Fire Whip> – Transforms the spear into a fire whip. Hits leave <Debuff: Unextinguishable Brand>.

└ <Unextinguishable Brand>: A curse of pain that never fades.

It was an incredibly appealing spear, especially synergistic with her <Skill: Ignite>. But…

‘How much is this? Hundreds of millions, billions… 21.7 billion?’

Seeing the price, she instinctively withdrew her hand.

She had been proud of earning 4 billion in three hours, but now it seemed trivial.

‘I forgot how insanely expensive hunter equipment is, having lived so long in a place without civilization.’

The spear was on the lower end of popularity, priced around 20 billion. Swords easily surpassed 30 billion.

‘Pass on this…’

She shifted her gaze to something more reasonable, and Kim Ihan spoke again.

“Do you like this spear?”

He casually slid the spear she had been inspecting toward her.

“If you make a contract with us, we could give you something like this as a gift.”

The intention to tempt was obvious.

But Saebyeok wasn’t swayed.

“Trying to bribe an S-rank hunter with just an A-rank item? I didn’t think the Glory Guildmaster would be so stingy.”

She teased him, and Kim Ihan let out a soft ‘ah’, but didn’t seem offended. He was just probing to find a way to persuade her.

Then a spear with an enchanting mix of red and black caught her eye.

<Item: Separation Anxiety Spear (B)>

This spear longed for affection because the blacksmith often left the crafting area. It possesses strong attachment and homing instincts toward its owner.

Non-tradable bound item.
└ Owner: –

<Passive: Evolve> – Increases the user’s skill power by 1% every 10 minutes of combat. Resets after battle.
<Passive: Attachment Skill> – Forms attachment to one of the owner’s skills, occasionally repeating it without mana cost. Attachment is randomly assigned and can reset every 5 days.
└ Designated Skill: –

<Skill: Return> – Responds to its owner’s call with no range limit inside dungeons; up to 30 km outside.

‘2.1 billion? Why is this so cheap?’

It was funny to call a 2.1 billion item “cheap,” but considering that B-rank weapons usually cost 4–5 billion, it made sense.

Reading the first line again clarified it:

‘Ah, it’s bound to the owner.’

Even if a hunter earned well, few could afford the best gear outright. Usually, they’d sell older gear to fund better equipment.

Bound items couldn’t be resold, so buying them for anything less than lifelong use seemed wasteful. That reduced demand and made the price relatively low.

For Saebyeok, this low price was appealing.

‘I’ll just craft the one that fits my hands anyway…’

She intended to recreate her spear from her previous life. The blacksmith knew her location and the materials needed, making crafting easier than before.

She only needed a temporary spear. Nothing fancy, just sturdier and more functional than the construction pipe she currently carried.

‘Once the new spear’s ready, this one goes into the inventory as a backup.’

She also had the advantage of an inventory system unlike others burdened with carrying multiple weapons.

As she picked up the spear, the clerk returned.

“The Magic Core can be purchased for 3.928 billion. Shall I proceed?”

“Yes. Deduct that from this spear’s price.”

“Oh, you’re buying the spear too? Understood.”

The clerk input the data and used a calculator.

“For the <Stone Hammer>, the current market price is 36 million.”

B-rank weapons averaged 5 billion, while D-rank barely reached 30 million. The gap in grade was massive, not just for titles but for items too.

“We can buy it directly or list it in the auction for a higher offer. What would you like to do?”

“Just at market price…”

Just as she was about to say she’d sell immediately, Kim Ihan, who had been quiet, interjected.

“How about a direct deal? I’ll buy it.”

“The D-rank hammer?”

Everyone knew he was a buff-type hunter. Saebyeok immediately realized his true intent.

“I’d like to offer 2.1 billion.”

That happened to be the price of the spear she wanted to buy. She couldn’t miss it.

“I don’t like being forced into debt like this.”

“Think of it as an investment.”

“The Glory Guildmaster has no sense for investment, apparently.”

She implied he should already know she had no intention of joining Glory Guild. Kim Ihan only smiled.

“Anyway, we both know guild recruitment is off the table. But being near you, Han Saebyeok, feels like interesting things are going to happen.”

He flirted with a smooth, almost buttery voice.

“If every time you fight, you think of me when looking at the spear, 2.1 billion is cheap.”

Saebyeok chuckled dryly.

“Then…”

At that moment, her phone buzzed.

Vrrrr…

「Firetruck: Hey, Han Saebyeok.」

It was a text from Park Woojun.

「Firetruck: I think we need to cancel our samgyeopsal plan for tomorrow.」
「Firetruck: (article link)」
「Firetruck: The guy who acted like he’d be stuck in Busan forever is suddenly… what’s gotten into him…」

Saebyeok’s eyes narrowed as she checked the article link he sent.