Chapter 13
Right after his offer was rejected for the absurd reason that the coal was too high-quality.
"The main use for mana coal is melting mana-infused metals."
Team Leader Myo took a sip of coffee, as if to explain why, then continued in her usual expressionless voice.
"If the metal contains one unit of mana, then the coal used to melt it also needs one unit. It's easiest to think of it as melting the metal by calculating the mana in the coal and the metal at a one-to-one ratio."
He knew that already.
Kang Yul had looked up all sorts of information about selling the coal.
Which only made him more certain.
He was certain that coal with enough mana to make the Worm rear up and acknowledge it would sell for a high price.
But reality was different.
"The price of every mineral discovered in a Gate is determined by the purity of the mana it contains. Coal is no exception."
Team Leader Myo explained as she gazed at the coal in her hand with her bright yellow eyes.
"If we assume that the coal with the highest mana level found in any mine so far has a level of nine, then this coal contains at least twenty. So it's difficult for the Association to handle."
In the end, Team Leader Myo had only one thing to say.
'This coal is so valuable that it's difficult to sell or use, so I'm not buying it.'
"…"
After listening to everything Team Leader Myo had to say, Kang Yul struggled to keep his expression under control.
He tried to think of something to say, but he'd just been thoroughly beaten over the head with facts, so he had nothing else to offer.
If he hadn't been acting as 'Kang Yul, a rude but capable Hunter who operates in the shadows,' he might have run straight into the Gate and hugged the Worm while crying.
But that feeling passed quickly.
"So I'd like to make you a proposal."
There's a saying in Korea.
'You have to listen to a Korean all the way to the end.'
"There's a blacksmith I know. She won't buy coal in bulk like the Association or a corporation, but she might be able to take a small amount. If you're interested…"
"I am! I'm interested!"
Kang Yul didn't even wait for Team Leader Myo to finish speaking. He jumped to his feet and answered enthusiastically.
He couldn't afford to keep up the act of a rude but capable Hunter who operated in the shadows when money was on the line.
For Kang Yul, finding a new buyer was worth giving up the act.
"…I see."
Team Leader Myo looked at Kang Yul with an inscrutable gaze, then said,
"Shall we go see her now?"
"Huh? Right now?"
"The blacksmith's workshop is nearby."
"In the middle of downtown?"
"That's right."
With that matter-of-fact reply, Team Leader Myo stood up and started walking somewhere.
Kang Yul quietly followed behind her.
They walked for about ten minutes in awkward silence, without exchanging a word of small talk.
Ripple—!
"?"
Kang Yul suddenly felt as if he'd 'crossed something.' When he looked around, he realized the scenery had changed without him noticing.
'Where is this? It feels a little different from a Gate…?'
Kang Yul slowly looked around.
A dirt path crunched beneath his feet, and old-fashioned hanok buildings lined the way.
A place this out of place in the middle of downtown…
Kang Yul felt a distinct sense of unease and glanced at Team Leader Myo, but…
"…"
She simply walked toward some destination with her usual expressionless face, as if nothing were amiss.
He wondered whether he should ask her about it…
Or whether he should act like 'Kang Yul, the rude but capable Hunter who operates in the shadows,' and stroll along as if he already knew where they were.
For a moment, two sides of him clashed in his head, arguing endlessly over what to do.
"We've arrived."
"?"
Team Leader Myo's words pulled Kang Yul out of his thoughts. He looked around.
Before he knew it, they were standing in front of a massive gate that looked four times taller than he was.
'It's huge….'
It was so enormous that its sheer size was intimidating, but…
As he looked up at it, wondering just how much a house like this would cost…
His eyes fell on the large sign hanging above the gate.
[Dokkaebi Workshop]
'Dokkaebi Workshop…?'
This seemed to be the blacksmith's workshop Team Leader Myo had mentioned was nearby.
Dokkaebi… So this place must be connected to dokkaebi…
"I'm going in."
'…Team Leader Myo. You're moving too fast. At least give me a moment to think.'
But rather than say something so pathetic out loud, he decided to quietly follow her.
To be honest, the blacksmith's identity wasn't all that important to Kang Yul.
As long as she bought his coal, it didn't really matter whether she was human or a dokkaebi.
Tap—tap—
Following Team Leader Myo through the gate, he found an interior just as spacious as the gate itself.
True to its name, the workshop's courtyard was full of piles of charcoal and tools whose purpose he couldn't figure out.
"This way."
He followed Team Leader Myo farther inside.
In front of a massive furnace that belched out a wave of heat stood a woman, seen from behind, apparently absorbed in her work.
Kang Yul cautiously asked Team Leader Myo,
"She seems to be in the middle of working."
"It's fine. She doesn't like outsiders coming in while she's working, so she'll put down her hammer and come over in a moment."
"?"
Kang Yul wondered if he'd really heard what she just said.
An 'outsider' while she was working?
If that was true, then they hadn't contacted her ahead of time. They'd basically just barged in without permission…
"Stray cat. How many times have I told you not to come in while I'm working?"
…Then wouldn't it be only natural for the owner to glare so murderously at an unwelcome guest?
"I know. But it's an emergency, so I had no choice."
"Sigh… How many times have you come here saying that, only for it to actually be an emergency?"
"I've come by a total of seventeen times, and only three of those were recognized as emergencies."
What's more, Team Leader Myo was a repeat offender. This wasn't even her first time.
He hadn't even started trading coal with her, and he already seemed to have gotten on her bad side. Would this be all right?
Kang Yul had a strong feeling this deal wasn't going to go smoothly.
A little while later…
Clang—!
"Tsk, so what is it?"
The blacksmith irritably set down the lump of iron she'd been working on and turned toward them.
Then, at that very moment…
"?"
"Uh… hello?"
Kang Yul's eyes met hers, and he awkwardly greeted her.
The blacksmith paused for about three seconds when she saw him, then frowned and turned to Team Leader Myo as if to demand an explanation.
Or, to be precise, she tried to demand one.
"Stray cat. Who's this man you've brought into my workshop without asking… Hm?"
The blacksmith had been glaring at him with irritation, but suddenly stopped moving.
Then she strode right up to Kang Yul and began looking him over as if inspecting something she'd never seen before.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Soon, she began feeling him all over, searching for something.
"W-what are you doing?! Where are you touching me all of a sudden…!"
"It'll be over soon, so just hold still, would you? If you're that bothered, you can touch me afterward too. Fair's fair."
"What kind of ridiculous reasoning is that?!"
Kang Yul resisted with all his might.
He wasn't the sort of person who'd enjoy having his body forcibly touched by a woman he'd never met before.
But Kang Yul's struggles were utterly futile.
'Is it because she's a blacksmith? How is she this strong…!'
A mage whose hobby was mining couldn't match a blacksmith's strength.
In the end, he had to endure the humiliating experience of being touched all over for a while.
How long had she been feeling him up?
"Oh-ho…?"
The blacksmith looked at the gemstone embedded in his palm and quietly murmured, "Just as I thought…" Then she asked Team Leader Myo,
"Stray cat. Where on earth did you bring such an esteemed person from?"
"?"
But when she saw Team Leader Myo's reaction, she muttered, "What, you brought him here without knowing who he was…?"
Soon, she began talking to herself as if she were lost in her own world.
"Since you've chosen to take human form, you must be interested in humans, but your reaction is far too… Ah, could you have erased your memories too? But my master said earth dragons aren't interested in anything but soil…"
Watching her, Kang Yul took a step back, almost hiding behind Team Leader Myo, and whispered,
"Is that blacksmith all right?"
"She gets like that sometimes when she's focused. You don't need to worry about it."
"No, I mean, about her touching my body like that."
"I don't know. This is the first time I've seen her do that. Maybe you're her type, Hunter Kang Yul?"
"What does that…"
…Kang Yul couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
It wasn't likely, but what if Team Leader Myo was right?
As Kang Yul looked at the blacksmith anxiously, wondering, 'Should I run away right now?'…
"Excuse me, esteemed one."
Having finished her musings, the blacksmith addressed Kang Yul as an 'esteemed one' and began treating him with deference.
Kang Yul was confused about why she was acting this way toward him, but only for a moment.
At the blacksmith's next words, he couldn't help but feel genuinely flustered, forgetting even his persona.
That was because…
"Would you consider living with me? I'll do anything I can for you."
"Huh?"
"Oh, does that mean yes? Then, starting today…"
"Huh? No, absolutely not! Why would I?!"
"…Oh, is that so? Tsk, what a shame. I wanted to bask in your aura."
Then she awkwardly rubbed her neck and began muttering, "What a shame… No, wait, you're in human form. Should I just devour you…? You seemed pretty weak earlier…"
Looking at the blacksmith, Kang Yul thought,
'She asks me to live with her when we just met, and when that doesn't work, she says she'll eat me…? Sh-she's a total pervert!?'
Kang Yul, age 23.
It was the first time in his life he'd felt his chastity threatened.