Chapter 20: Master Craftsman

Irim had never imagined a cat that could understand human speech and communicate.

As he stared at the kitten, a message appeared.

[The kitten has been starving for days and is extremely weak. It seems like it needs something to eat, but first, its strength must be restored. Royal jelly might do the trick. Will you show kindness to the kitten?]

[Yes / No]

Royal jelly? Do cats even eat royal jelly? Hmm… Come to think of it, there were bees in the field. I should be able to find some.

Irim chose ‘Yes.’

With that, he acquired a quest.

[Profession Quest – Weakened Kitten]

Clear Condition: Feed the kitten royal jelly.

Reward: ???

The reward was unknown.

Regardless, since he accepted the quest, he needed to act.

He was already planning to hunt spotted pigs anyway.

Irim hurried along.

The fastest way out of the village was through the square.

The square was packed with people selling goods.

“Spotted pig tusks for sale!”

“Selling low-grade agility stones! Name your price!”

“Selling crafted items I made myself!”

“Get a delicious fried egg!”

“Delicious chicken skewers for only 5,000 Won!”

“Delicious lizard skewers for 10,000 Won!”

Irim paused at the mention of food for sale.

What? There are quite a few people cooking?

There were several vendors selling food—specifically, “delicious” food.

And their prices were higher than his.

But something about the vendors’ faces seemed familiar.

Upon closer inspection, they were all people who had bought food from him.

Irim’s keen eye rarely forgot a face.

So, they’re reselling my food?

He hadn’t expected this, and it amused him.

He wasn’t angry that they were reselling his food at a higher price.

Once it left his hands, it belonged to the buyer, who could do whatever they wanted with it.

After briefly observing the vendors, Irim continued walking, taking note of the other players.

Now that I’m here, everyone’s starting to show some individuality.

In the regional server, everyone wore the same outfits and wielded the same weapons.

But in Tirko Village, the integrated server, players had small but distinct touches of individuality.

Some, like Irim, wore crafted shoes, carried longswords instead of daggers, or used bows or spears. 

Others wore different clothes or accessories like earrings, necklaces, or bracelets to stand out.

Of course, these altered outfits, weapons, and accessories all had stat-boosting effects.

Should I buy something like that too?

Higher stats would make hunting for ingredients easier.

Irim scanned the square, roughly gauging the value of the items for sale.

Accessories were the most expensive, with the best ones priced at 500,000 Won each.

Nothing was pricier than that.

Since the game was still in its early stages, even crafted items couldn’t be that good, so prices were capped.

But even that was a burden for most players.

Killing a regular monster (not a boss) earned no more than 1,000 Won, and even that wasn’t guaranteed.

For those without combat skills, killing a single monster was a struggle.

So, saving up 500,000 Won was no easy feat.

But for Irim, it was a different story.

He had earned a fortune through his food sales.

He opened his inventory to check his funds.

Inventory

Items:

• Dagger [1]
• Torch [1]
• Blanket [1]
• Small Horn [100]
• Delicious Fried Egg [19]
• Delicious Chicken Skewer [7]
• Rosemary [10]
• Attack Buff Egg [5]
• Salt [50g]
• Predator’s Shoes [1]
• Coconut [4]
• Hollow Coconut [1]
• Top-Grade Claw Lizard Large Leather [1]
• Sugar [20g]
• Sesame Oil [20g] Funds: 1,860,000 Won

He had a whopping 1.86 million Won.

As Irim approached an accessory vendor to talk, a familiar voice called out from behind.

“Rice?”

Turning around, he saw Eater standing there, greeting him warmly.

“Rice, right?”

“Eater, good to see you again.”

“Haha, yeah.”

Eater’s gaze dropped downward.

“Those shiny shoes—who made them?”

“Thanks to you, I’m wearing them well.”

“So, what are you doing here? Shopping?”

“Yes.”

“No way, don’t bother. Everything here’s a rip-off. The stats on these items aren’t worth the price.”

“Really?”

Irim, inexperienced with such games, didn’t know the standards.

The accessory vendor, hoping for a sale, got annoyed.

“Hey, what’s that? Calling my stuff a rip-off in front of me—what kind of manners are those?”

Eater smirked, his grin dripping with smugness.

“Then is it good manners to sell trash items for 500,000 just because they’re slightly better than other trash?”

“Are you picking a fight?”

“Yup. Want to PVP?”

Eater’s confidence made the vendor back down.

Muttering, “Talk about bad luck,” the vendor moved elsewhere.

Eater flipped him off as he left.

Eater was kind to those he considered allies but had little patience for others.

“People like that ruin the market economy. Anyway, Rice, you’re looking to gear up, right?”

“Yes.”

Eater gave Irim a sly look.

“Then don’t buy here. I can make you something way better. Got any good crafting materials lately?”

Irim scratched his head.

“Well… I have leather from the Claw Lizard Princess.”

“…What? You killed what? The Claw Lizard Princess?”

“Yes.”

“Haha.”

Eater let out a dry laugh.

He knew Irim wasn’t one to boast, but this was hard to believe.

“Was it a party hunt?”

“No.”

“So… you soloed it?”

“Yes, it just happened.”

“Can I see the leather?”

Irim pulled the Top-Grade Claw Lizard Large Leather from his inventory and showed it.

[Top-Grade Claw Lizard Large Leather]

Leather obtained from the Claw Lizard Princess. A skilled craftsman could make something with it.

“…It’s real.”

Eater’s jaw dropped.

Soloing that ferocious boss?

“Looks like the most OP class in this game is Chef. Let’s see.”

Eater activated his crafter’s passive skill, ‘Blueprint.’

Additional text appeared under the item’s description.

[Top-Grade Claw Lizard Large Leather]

Leather obtained from the Claw Lizard Princess. A skilled craftsman could make something with it.

Can craft ‘Clothing’ with 10 Top-Grade Wool and 30 Top-Grade Spider Silk. 100% crafting success rate with the Claw Lizard Princess’s blessing.

“Rice, with this, you might get some pretty decent armor.”

“Really?”

“Just get me 10 Top-Grade Wool and 30 Top-Grade Spider Silk. I’ll make you something awesome.”

Irim didn’t ask where to find them.

The village square was full of players selling all sorts of items.

Surely, someone would have what Eater needed.

Of course, items labeled ‘Top-Grade’ weren’t common.

But from his few days in this world, Irim knew players could choose various professions based on their efforts, each with specialized skills.

Wool and spider silk were related to clothing crafting.

Someone with the Tailor profession must have obtained Top-Grade Wool and Spider Silk.

Irim roamed the square and, within 20 minutes, gathered all the materials for just 100,000 Won.

He handed them to Eater.

Having been helped by him before, Irim wasn’t worried about being scammed.

Eater grinned, his teeth gleaming as he received the materials.

He was thrilled just touching quality materials.

Eater wasn’t limited to clothing.

His profession wasn’t Tailor but Crafter—a broader role that could create various items.

However, since Crafters worked across multiple fields, they couldn’t make clothing as well as specialized Tailors.

Each profession had its trade-offs.

“It’s crowded here. Shall we move somewhere quieter?”

Irim nodded at Eater’s suggestion.

“Sure.”

Eater’s expression was one of pure joy as he worked with the new materials.

Following the blueprint in front of him, he cut and shaped the leather and wool, stitching them together with a needle threaded with spider silk, one careful stitch at a time.

After about thirty minutes—

“Done!”

A splendid outfit was born from his hands.

At the same time, a system message appeared.

[Achievement Unlocked!]

Achievement: Master Craftsman

Condition: Complete an item using a boss monster’s loot.

Reward: Dexterity +10

“Nice!”

Eater clenched his fist, checking the achievement.

As a Crafter, he had a Dexterity stat.

The higher it was, the better the options on the items he could create.

“Rice, I just got an achievement!”

“Congratulations!”

“All thanks to you. This is my thank-you gift.”

Eater handed the completed outfit to Irim.

Irim’s eyes widened as he held it in both hands and checked the item’s details.