IGCH 13

Hunter Who Became a Genius Blacksmith (13)

“First, I’ll call all the team leaders together.”

Soon after, five more people entered, including Park Youngjun, who was already familiar to Gangcheol.

“I’m here—! Team Leader Park, is today the day I get punished?”
“Bbangbing… you came at a good time…”
Some clearly looked like people obsessed with training.
“Oh, Mr. Gold, you’re here?”
“Secretary Choi Sangwon, you always tell me at home to do my job properly so the team leader meeting won’t happen, right?”

Others were familiar faces or people whose identities could be guessed.

“…”
“Ahh, you startled me!”

And lastly, there was even a strange man who suddenly appeared right next to Gangcheol and stared at him silently.

After confirming everyone had taken their seats, Kwon Semi spoke.

“I’m sorry for calling you all when you’re busy. All five team leaders are here, and Secretary Choi Sangwon is present, so I’ll keep this brief. There are two agenda items. I aim to finish in five minutes.”

Kwon Semi held up one finger.

“First, Team Leader Park Youngjun’s disciplinary case. As you know, he was late without notice for yesterday’s dungeon raid. To inform the CEO, Team Leader Park is currently suspended from his duties, and the disciplinary action is also being held in abeyance.”

Gangcheol looked at Park Youngjun in shock.

He had thought he was a sloppy guy, but to completely forget his actual job and still roam around so freely…

—Wait. Then what about the expenses he guaranteed?

‘Huh? Wait. What? Huh?’

Noticing Gangcheol’s confusion, Kwon Semi continued.

“According to Team Leader Park, he caused damage to civilian property while subduing a criminal Awakened. Therefore, that portion will be deducted entirely from his salary. Any objections?”

“No sir—!”
“No objections…”
“No way!”
“I knew this would happen, Park…”

“….”

After hearing four responses and one gesture, Kwon Semi raised another finger.

“Good. Next is our sponsorship issue.”

Her gaze landed on the four swords on the table.

“I believe everyone knows that the swords we’ve been provided are low quality. Yesterday, Team Leader Park mentioned the blacksmith who made these, and today Secretary Choi came to find that blacksmith.”

“I confirmed his skill myself. There’s no room for doubt. It’s exceptional.”

Kwon Semi pushed the swords forward.

Secretary Choi added in support.

“Oh, they’re quite sharp. Ouch.”

“It does seem different from what we used… definitely… better…”

The 1st team leader poked the blade with a finger and immediately got a hole in it, then hurriedly put it down.

The 2nd team leader took the sword, examined it, then put it back down.

Some were skeptical.

The 4th team leader glanced at it briefly and asked Kwon Semi:

“Master, the craftsmanship is clearly good, but is this something that can be solved just with skill?”

“That’s exactly what we’re here to discuss. And that one is mine, so don’t get greedy, Team Leader Five.”

“….”

Even the 5th team leader who was silently trying to claim the sword stopped moving.

“It seems everyone agrees this isn’t just a fraud with a loud mouth. When we tested it, it was extremely sharp and durable…”

“Master.”

“…Ah, sorry.”

Regaining her composure under Secretary Choi’s sharp glance, Kwon Semi continued.

“I want to cancel our sponsorship. For that, I intend to request this person here—CEO of Gangcheol Workshop—to inspect our equipment and handle negotiations with the sponsor.”

Secretary Choi looked around and said,

“If anyone has objections, speak now.”

The first to raise a hand was the 4th team leader.

He had a strict face, like someone who would haggle even over items labeled with fixed prices.

“You mean you’re willing to accept penalties or losses?”

“As much as possible, I intend to reduce them.”

“I just think better blades are good—!” the 1st team leader suddenly jumped in.

The 4th team leader glared at him and continued.

“This is a legally binding contract between companies. There’s risk involved. The contract period is long, and it’s hard to prove that they produced defective goods.”

The slow-speaking 2nd team leader followed up.

“Benefit… and risk… balance…”

Even though he spoke slowly, everyone understood.

“So you mean if Gangcheol Workshop is skilled enough to resolve the risk, it’s acceptable?”

“….”

The 5th team leader nodded silently.

The others also seemed generally in agreement.

“Then it’s decided, CEO. As the final decision-maker of the Yeonhwa Guild, I will request an official assignment to Gangcheol Workshop. However…”

At Kwon Semi’s gesture, Secretary Choi quickly brought papers, a pen, and an ink stamp.

“You may also undergo verification in whatever method the team leaders prefer.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Scope of work: quality inspection of all supplied bladed and non-bladed weapons, and negotiation with the sponsor. Can you handle it?”

“Yes. I can.”

Gangcheol’s confident answer pleased Kwon Semi, who smiled slightly.

“Good. Then about compensation… do you have an expected amount?”

Gangcheol shook his head.

“I didn’t really come here thinking about money. I was just angry seeing how recklessly things were handled.”

He hadn’t planned a big picture from the beginning.

He was just angry that someone treated something they loved so carelessly.

Besides…

“If I work hard, I’ll earn enough to live. Just pay me accordingly.”

Gangcheol meant it in terms of game coins and job rewards, but the others didn’t interpret it that way.

“Wow, that’s f*cking cool—!”
“Hey, don’t say it like that, it sounds sarcastic. Don’t take it the wrong way, boss.”
“Huh? No, I’m not being sarcastic! Sorry!”
“This is… artisan spirit…”

And the silent thumbs-up from the 5th team leader, moving like a machine gun up and down.

“…”
“Um… thank you?”

Kwon Semi laughed.

“That’s an impressive answer. But we can’t treat this lightly, so please tell us what you’re comfortable with.”

“No, I’m serious…”

From their reaction, it seemed like they thought he was trying to sound cool.

‘That’s not it at all…’

So Gangcheol decided to rephrase.

Come to think of it, how many chances does someone get in life to openly criticize a rival company in front of them, legally?

It was like extreme end-game content.

World-famous chefs go on cooking shows and brutally criticize others.

And it’s fun.

But if that kind of show keeps going again and again?

Even something fun gets tiring.

If it keeps running as a series…

‘That means the chef keeps asking to come back.’

—Kid, you’re persuasive as hell. Don’t start a cult.

So Gangcheol said:

“No, I just got excited thinking I could get paid for trashing someone else. I’m actually pretty into it.”

“…What?”

“I think I’d even do it if I had to pay for it myself. Let’s finish the inspection thing quickly and go beat up those bad guys.”

And he gave a thumbs-up like a sitcom scene.

Amid the confused reactions, only Kwon Semi spoke.

“Team Leader Park Youngjun.”

“Yes?”

“The disciplinary action will be canceled.”

She seemed quite satisfied, not taking her eyes off Gangcheol.

“Team leaders will each prepare verification methods and reconvene.”

An hour later.

“Everyone came back empty-handed.”

Kwon Semi sighed deeply.

‘Well, not unexpected.’

If they were truly experts in blades, they wouldn’t have been receiving poor-quality weapons in the first place.

Even someone like Secretary Choi wouldn’t have been unsure about what he experienced.

“Um, Master…”

“Could you maybe exempt us from this?”

Secretary Choi and Team Leader Park Youngjun raised their hands hesitantly.

Kwon Semi nodded readily.

Regardless of intent, Park Youngjun had introduced Gangcheol to the guild.

And Choi Sangwon had personally gone to the marketplace, witnessed him working, and brought him in.

They had already contributed.

She turned to the 1st team leader.

“Then, Team Leader 1. Your thoughts?”

“Nothing—! Sorry—!”

A response came without any thought.

“…Team Leader 2?”

“3… measurements…”

“Do blacksmiths need to exercise?”

“…while doing it, the blade got damaged.”

“….”

“Need solution…”

Squats, bench press, deadlift—none of it had anything to do with swordmaking.

Gangcheol felt dizzy.

“Um… your muscles are impressive. Very strong, I’m sure.”

Trying to ignore the 2nd team leader posing energetically, Gangcheol continued speaking.

“When making swords, it sometimes feels like a game. The overall design is one part, but during heat treatment, it becomes a balancing game of material properties. You can make it less likely to break, or you can make the edge last longer.”

“So performance improvement is possible?”

“Yes. You can’t make a perfect product, but you can tune it to suit its purpose.”

Kwon Semi nodded in satisfaction.

“Team Leader 2 is satisfied?”

“Yes. Especially…”

The 2nd team leader kept posing, but no one paid attention.

“Team Leader 3 is Team Leader Park, so we’ll skip. Team Leader 4?”

All eyes turned to the 4th team leader.

He smiled mischievously.

“The only person who has actually used the CEO’s sword is the Master, so maybe she’s the best judge.”

“Fair point.”

“So I thought of a good test method. Um… CEO?”

The conversation shifted to Gangcheol.

“Yes?”

“You’ve already delivered the swords. Could you make them better?”

“…Right here?”

The 4th team leader nodded.

“Is it possible?”

Kwon Semi asked.

The sword that had impressed her from the very beginning.

It wasn’t just about improving it—she was wondering if it could even be made better.

Gangcheol extended his hand.

But it wasn’t a request for something.

“What do you mean?”

“Could you shake my hand?”

“A handshake?”

Though confused, Kwon Semi took his hand.

Gangcheol held her hand, thinking deeply for a moment…

Then answered.

“Yes. I’ll do it.”