Chapter 35: Negotiation with Tak Woo-Hyun.

• Huuung!

Lee Hyun-seung emerged from the virtual environment. As soon as he appeared, people swarmed around him.

“Are you Lee Hyun-seung? Can we have a conversation?”

“Are you a simultaneous awakener? How on earth did you pierce through that fireball? It seems impossible with a

regular handgun…”

“Lee Hyun-seung, our guild wants you…”

I can confidently say that Lee Hyun-seung is the first to attract such explosive popularity in the F-class

representative selection. Even now, not only has Gu Da-yun’s hidden ability been showcased, but Jeong Eun-seo, the

daughter of Guild Master Teor, is also here, yet everyone is so overwhelmingly focused on Lee Hyun-seung. It was

astonishing.

Lee Hyun-seung looked around at the people surrounding him. They were all just a bunch of nobodies.

‘It’s only natural since all the competent ones have attached themselves to Yoo Hee-yeon… No, there must still be

some useful ones left who haven’t joined her side.’

Just then,

“Cough-!”

Tak Woo-hyun began to push his way through the crowd, brushing his beard aside as he approached Lee Hyun-seung.

“You, my friend, seem to have a natural talent as a blacksmith. I’d like to have a chat if you have a moment.”

Lee Hyun-seung looked at Tak Woo-hyun and smiled.

‘Jackpot. Tak Woo-hyun is practically in charge of all the blacksmiths at this point, and his skills as a blacksmith are

top-notch. This could be a good opportunity. I initially intended to level up my blacksmith skills anyway.’

Through this battle, Lee Hyun-seung realized once again the efficiency and excellence of his blacksmithing job. In

combat, the situation can change at any moment. No matter how many resources one brings, they could lose or

exhaust everything, or the opponent might possess superior weapons.

If one can quickly and efficiently create weapons in any situation, it allows for flexible responses to the environment.

This will be an immense advantage during future dungeon explorations.

‘Although my blacksmithing job rank is higher, Tak Woo-hyun has more connections, so his value is more than enough.’

Not only does he possess various know-how, but Tak Woo-hyun also controls the entire supply chain for

blacksmiths’ goods. When Lee Hyun-seung eventually wants to earn money on the side as a blacksmith, building

connections with Tak Woo-hyun will be tremendously helpful.

Ignoring the others, Lee Hyun-seung reached out his hand to Tak Woo-hyun and spoke.

“If you wish to talk, I’m more than willing. Where should we have our conversation?”

• Swish

Tak Woo-hyun looked at the hand extended toward him and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha!”

The first reason was that Lee Hyun-seung completely ignored everyone else around him. He acted as if he knew who

among these people was the most competent. The second reason was that he showed no fear or intimidation in the

presence of Tak Woo-hyun’s enormous stature.

‘It’s been a while since I met a kid who wasn’t scared by my size.’

Despite being in his 40s, Tak Woo-hyun had an incredibly large build. His entire body was covered in muscles, and

the bushy beard enveloping his face reminded one of a wild warrior. If one were to ask an outsider, they might

question if Tak Woo-hyun was a blacksmith or a barbarian.

Seeing him like that, Lee Hyun-seung, who confidently extended his hand with no hesitation, greatly pleased Tak Woo-hyun.

“There’s a building nearby that the association uses; let’s go there.”

Since they had held the F-class representative selection instead of a class, strictly speaking, this was now free time.

Therefore, it didn’t matter where they went. Lee Hyun-seung accepted the suggestion.

“Understood. Let’s move.”

The others nearby felt disappointed at losing Lee Hyun-seung but couldn’t say anything, simply licking their lips at

the fact that it was Tak Woo-hyun who had scouted him. They quickly began searching for other promising

candidates.

• Murmuring

The sounds of chatter started to fill the air, growing louder as they approached Lee Hyun-seung.

A woman’s irritated voice was heard.

“Ugh, can you move aside already?! I have nothing to say to you!”

As Lee Hyun-seung looked over, he saw Jeong Eun-seo surrounded by a large crowd. The people who had flocked to him had all moved over to her.

Jeong Eun-seo waved her hand dismissively and spoke to the crowd.

“I’m not looking to join any guild or need help, so if you want to scout someone, don’t waste your time and go look

for someone else.”

Hearing Jeong Eun-seo’s firm words made Lee Hyun-seung smirk.

‘This is the Jeong Eun-seo I remember from the game.’

Recently, she had shown a flustered and awkward side, but her original personality was like this. She was cold,

confident, and spoke her mind without worrying about what others thought. Yet, she was a person with strong

convictions.

When Jeong Eun-seo noticed Lee Hyun-seung’s faint smile, she questioned him.

“Why are you laughing when I’m in trouble? Hurry up and help!”

She extended her arm as if asking him to hold her hand.

Lee Hyun-seung thought as he watched her.

‘She could easily get out of this crowd on her own without my help.’

One fact not to forget: Jeong Eun-seo was an Epic-grade magician. It was only natural for her to effortlessly escape the crowd surrounding her.

‘There’s no need to help, but well, it’s not difficult either.’

• Tug

Lee Hyun-seung grabbed Jeong Eun-seo’s arm and pulled her toward him.

Whoosh!

Perhaps due to his lack of control, Jeong Eun-seo was pulled right into his arms.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Jeong Eun-seo shouted, her face turning red as she looked at Lee Hyun-seung.

“Ah, I’m sorry; I misjudged my strength.”

“P-Please be careful next time.”

Eventually, Jeong Eun-seo stood a little away from Lee Hyun-seung and asked,

“Are you going with him?”

Her gaze was directed toward Tak Woo-hyun.

Lee Hyun-seung nodded.

“Yeah. He said he wanted to have a quick conversation.”

“Hmm….”

After a moment of contemplation, she spoke to Tak Woo-hyun.

“Can I join as well?”

Tak Woo-hyun looked at Lee Hyun-seung and asked,

“Do you want her to come along?”

Although Jeong Eun-seo asked the question, Tak Woo-hyun was looking for Lee Hyun-seung’s input. This moment

highlighted Tak Woo-hyun’s personality. Though he appeared rough and rugged, he was considerate of the person he

was talking to.

Lee Hyun-seung nodded.

“Yes, she’s my friend. I don’t think there’s anything she shouldn’t hear, so if you allow it, I’d like her to come along.”

Tak Woo-hyun nodded and spoke to his secretary nearby.

“Bring the parked car. As soon as possible.”

“Yes, understood.”

The man quickly responded, and before long, a huge limousine arrived.

• Click!

“Please get in.”

At first glance, it was a luxurious car that seemed entirely mismatched with the rough man.

Not long after, they arrived at a building adorned with magnificent gold decorations everywhere.

‘Despite appearances, this guy surprisingly values certain aspects more than you’d think.’

Even though he looked like a barbarian who had drifted on a deserted island for days, there was a hint of exceptional

artistic sense in him.

‘Well, if you want to make a living as a blacksmith, both the performance of the weapon and its design matter, right?

That seems obvious.’

It goes without saying, but people tend to consider both the performance and design of a weapon important.

Although weapons can be crafted simply with production skills, specific shapes and designs can always be

customized by the blacksmith to enhance the finished product. These additional skills were what Lee Hyun-seung

wanted to learn.

‘Even with the same performance, if the design is superior, the price changes significantly.’

The same applies to food, clothing, and bags. Even if the same materials are used, the more beautiful an item is, the

more expensive it becomes. Whether for personal use or resale, processing and design are essential aspects to learn.

‘This can’t be replaced by the system.’

Weapons can pop out through the [Sphere of Creation], so the actual crafting isn’t difficult. However, he still had no

idea how to process them. Tak Woo-hyun would be a big help in this regard.

• Swoosh

Tak Woo-hyun extended his hand to Lee Hyun-seung as he sat at a large table.

“Take a seat. Let’s have a calm conversation for now.”

As Lee Hyun-seung sat down, he looked at Tak Woo-hyun and thought,

‘He’s been using informal language since earlier. He probably subconsciously thinks he’s in a superior position.’

To negotiate effectively, it’s necessary to establish a superior position over the other party. Tak Woo-hyun held

authority and power as the president of the Blacksmiths’ Association. However, all Lee Hyun-seung had was an

unrefined Legendary-class job. Yet, that didn’t mean he had to enter the negotiation at a disadvantage. Lee Hyun-

seung found a way to turn the tables.

He would find a way to leverage his superior position in the negotiation while involving the Blacksmiths’ Association

in his conflict with Yoo Hee-yeon.

‘Cut down on unnecessary words and get to the point. I can’t let myself be led off track.’

“I’ll be straightforward. Are you curious about my blacksmithing skills?”

Startled,

Tak Woo-hyun was primarily interested in blacksmithing and had little interest in anything else. So, it was natural

that he wouldn’t pay much attention to Lee Hyun-seung’s job as a Gunner. What had caught Tak Woo-hyun’s

interest was the incredibly fast crafting speed Lee Hyun-seung had demonstrated in the virtual environment. He

could easily deduce that Lee Hyun-seung had two crafting slots.

“Cough…”

Tak Woo-hyun cleared his throat, as if he felt caught off guard, and Lee Hyun-seung continued.

“If you’re curious about my abilities, I can share them. However, you need to provide me with sufficient

compensation first. As a blacksmith, you know that a reward should be guaranteed when making a deal. I want an

alliance with you as compensation. Instead of being part of the Blacksmiths’ Association, I’d like you to serve as a

protective shield for me. Of course, it would be great if you could also share some of your miscellaneous skills.”

“Hmm… It’s true that I’m curious about your abilities, but I’m not particularly fond of forming alliances with anyone.”

“Well then, I’ll consider the negotiation off. I don’t really need anything else, so may I leave now?”

With Lee Hyun-seung’s direct and straightforward manner, the secretary beside him scowled and shouted,

“Who do you think you are?! Do you even know who you’re speaking to?! There’s a limit to being rude! Show some respect!”

In that moment,

• Boom!

A tremendous vibration echoed as Tak Woo-hyun shot a cold glare at the secretary.

“W-Why are you suddenly like this, President…?”

The secretary stared at Tak Woo-hyun with a blank expression, and a silence fell over the room.

Finally, Tak Woo-hyun’s chilling voice broke the quiet.

“Shut your mouth, and don’t act so presumptuously.”