“Phew.”
I emerged from the mine and scattered the ores I’d mined onto the floor. Over a hundred pieces of ore!
To be precise, it was noon. My sleep schedule wasn’t fixed, but I usually started feeling sleepy when the sun was high in the sky.
“Let’s get to work on these!”
The task ahead was clear: break down all these ores to extract their raw materials. I raised my hammer and began swinging it enthusiastically.
[Decomposition of ‘Iron Ore’ complete.]
[Obtained Iron Fragment.]
[Decomposition of ‘Bronze Ore’ complete.]
[Obtained Bronze Fragment.]
Each decomposition produced a clinking sound as ore fragments dropped. It was oddly satisfying. Still, breaking down over a hundred ores was too much for my stamina and mental energy, so I took a break and turned on the computer.
As an Awakened, I started researching information about other Awakened. Whenever I felt a burst of energy, I’d swing the hammer again. Before I knew it, the sun was rising.
“Man, that feels rewarding.”
Since moving into this cramped studio apartment, had I ever spent a day this fulfilling? Not when I studied all day with big ambitions. Not when I tried exercising to avoid laziness. Not even when I scrambled for odd jobs to make money. I’d never felt this kind of satisfaction from a day well spent.
After decomposing all those ores, I finally went to bed as the sun reached its peak.
***
The next day… or rather, not quite. I fell asleep at noon and woke up after sunset. Anyway, upon waking, I looked at the neatly arranged ores in the corner of my studio and gave a subtle smile.
The fruits of my labor. With this amount, I wouldn’t run out of materials for crafting today.
“Ramen for breakfast?”
Breakfast… or maybe dinner? Whatever.
I got up, boiled some water, and decided on the menu. The sword I listed yesterday should fetch a decent price, but I couldn’t splurge on expensive delivery food with money that hadn’t even come in yet.
A celebratory feast would have to wait until the cash was in hand. Still, on a day this good, plain ramen wouldn’t do.
Plop.
I cracked an egg into the simmering ramen.
Plop.
No, make that two eggs. The height of luxury!
As I blew on my extravagant two-egg ramen and dug in, a notification popped up.
[Your ‘Kitchen Long Sword’ listed on the auction house has been sold.]
“Ohh!”
Exactly 24 hours after listing the Kitchen Long Sword, the auction ended. Excited, I logged into the system. How much did it sell for? A million won?
No, I’d heard attribute attack weapons go for more—maybe 1.5 million? If so, what should I do? Forget two-egg ramen—should I order some jokbal?
[Auction House]
Curiosity got the better of me, and I accessed the auction house. The moment I clicked on the sales history for the Kitchen Long Sword…
“Huh?”
I stared at the system window, dumbfounded. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I’d misread, but the numbers didn’t change.
[7,500,000 won]
“Seven point five… million? Is this right?”
No mistake. It was really 7.5 million. I’d done my market research and expected maybe 1.5 million at most. But 7.5 million? It blew my expectations out of the water.
“Seven point five million?!”
I couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t even a weapon made from high-quality ores mined in the cave—it was crafted from materials scavenged from kitchen utensils. A B-class weapon, not even S-class, sold for 7.5 million!
As I sat there, stunned by the price, I noticed something else.
[Buyer’s Message]
Text appeared below the amount. Curious, I clicked the button, and a lengthy message unfurled.
-Greetings, creator of the ‘Kitchen Long Sword.’
-This is Saebom Lee, representative of the Mir Guild.
“Mir Guild?”
How could I not know them? Even I, clueless about Awakened affairs, had heard of the Mir Guild. While researching Awakened matters at dawn, their name was impossible to miss.
One of South Korea’s top five major guilds, led by Igaeul Lee, hailed as the country’s greatest mage.
I never imagined a guild—let alone the Mir Guild—would bid on my sword and send me a message. Still reeling, I continued reading.
-The ‘Kitchen Long Sword’ you crafted is an extraordinary weapon.
-Not only did you create a B-class weapon without rare materials, but you also imbued it with a fire attribute attack, a feat difficult to achieve through crafting.
-Our Mir Guild highly values your skill and purchased the ‘Kitchen Long Sword’ to contact you.
The message was beyond my wildest expectations. The Mir Guild didn’t spend 7.5 million for the sword itself—they spent it to recognize my talent and reach out to me. Being praised by a major guild like Mir felt incredible.
-It may sound self-aggrandizing, but our Mir Guild is currently considered one of South Korea’s top five major guilds.
-However, we are not content with this and strive to become the best guild in the country.
-To achieve that, we need exceptional production-class Awakened like you.
-With that in mind, we have a proposal.
-Would you consider joining the Mir Guild?
-I’ve included my contact information below. Please reach out at your convenience.
-We at the Mir Guild wish for your continued success.
-010-xxxx-XXXX
“Join them? You mean, a scout offer? From the Mir Guild?”
My face was painted with shock. I’d hoped for something like this when I first saw the message, but it was real—a scout offer from one of South Korea’s top guilds!
The Mir Guild, known for its rigorous standards, only recruited Awakened, with even administrative staff being at least B-class. Most of their members were A-class Awakened.
A scout offer from that Mir Guild! It was like a shut-in like me suddenly getting a recruitment email from Samsung.
“How could I resist?!”
This wasn’t just any guild—it was the Mir Guild. For someone who’d been holed up in their room for years after military service, this was an unbelievable opportunity. Overcome with excitement, I grabbed my phone to call—when I stopped myself just in time.
“Wait!”
Questions flooded my mind. Why was the Mir Guild scouting me? How much would the contract be worth if I joined? Would they try to scam a clueless newbie like me with a bad deal?
I’d heard some guilds exploit new Awakened with shady contracts. Even if it was the Mir Guild, I couldn’t be too careful.
Calming down, I sat at my desk and powered on the computer. I searched: [Mir Guild Scout Offer].
The search returned plenty of articles. One about an S-class Awakened fresh out of high school scouted by the Mir Guild.
Another about the guild outbidding others with a massive contract. The rumored contract amounts were on a scale I couldn’t even fathom.
“Joining the Mir Guild right after becoming an adult and earning that salary? Insane.”
I dug deeper. As someone who’d spent years rotting in their room, sniffing out trivial information was my specialty. Initially, the Mir Guild seemed flawless, but closer inspection revealed flaws.
Their elite focus meant fewer members, limiting the number of gates they could handle.
Then, a few articles caught my eye.
[Mir Guild Loses A-Class Blacksmith Responsible for Equipment Crafting and Repairs]
Today, the Mir Guild’s A-class blacksmith, Mr. Kim, transferred to the Blue Guild, one of the top five major guilds. The reason remains undisclosed, but this has impacted the Mir Guild’s strength…
[Mir Guild’s Tarnished Armor: A Sign of Their Future?]
On the 15th, photos from the Mir Guild’s raid showed their usually pristine equipment looking worn and unrepaired.
This is likely due to the absence of a skilled blacksmith to maintain high-level gear. Netizens commented, “Are they going to end up fighting naked?” pointing to the guild’s weakening state.
Both articles were recent. The Mir Guild lacked a proper blacksmith. That explained it—they found me after losing their only A-class blacksmith and paid a premium to contact me.
Sure, I could only craft level 1 gear for now, but a guild like Mir could easily level me up by taking me to gates.
The more I researched, the rarer production-class Awakened like blacksmiths seemed. Digging further confirmed it.
“Wow, blacksmiths are super rare.”
In the Awakened world, production-class Awakened were top-tier. Rather than joining a guild to craft equipment, most made more money by producing and selling gear independently.
Many blacksmiths opened personal pages on the auction house, taking custom orders like running a shop.
Those who joined guilds did so for two reasons: to protect their identity if exposed, or because their skills were too low to compete independently.
“Then… do I even need to join a guild?”
The more I learned, the more it seemed staying independent was more profitable. Joining a guild was usually for safety, but my identity wasn’t exposed yet, so I didn’t need that protection.
Plus, some news suggested rival guilds targeted vulnerable production-class Awakened to weaken competitors. Even the Mir Guild, though trustworthy, wasn’t foolproof.
With that, I made my decision.
“I’ll make my own page.”
Like other blacksmiths, I’d create my own page on the auction house.