Chapter 58

Chapter 58

* * *

Waking from a dream feels like the moment glass shatters.

“Master.”

But beyond my eyelids, which had been shrouded in pitch-black darkness, a thin sliver of sunlight tinged with red seeped in.

I felt the shattered remnants of the dream, scattered fragments lingering on the far edge of my consciousness, completely vanish as I slowly lifted my eyelids.

“Did you have a bad dream? Your complexion doesn’t look well.”

“…Is it… morning already?”

“Yes. It’s seven in the morning, as you requested I wake you.”

Subjectively, it felt like I’d only slept a couple of hours, but if Avan was telling the truth, I’d already been asleep for nearly eight hours.

Whether it was the aftermath of the dream or just fatigue clinging to me, I forced my heavy eyelids open and slowly sat up.

Normally, Mr. Yoon Juyeong would come to wake me at this hour, but he was away again, handling a dungeon raid requested by the government.

“If you’re feeling very unwell, perhaps—”

“No, that’s not necessary… Just had a rough dream.”

It was a dream I couldn’t really put into words.

Being born as an insect, then as an animal, then as a human, then as an insect again… It was like experiencing the reincarnation or rebirth you often hear about in Buddhism firsthand.

I shook my head to clear the hazy remnants of the dream still lingering in one corner of my mind, then fully sat up.

“I’ll be fine after I wash my face. More importantly, did anyone contact me?”

“Yes. A message came in while you were sleeping, asking you to check it when you woke up. Shall I connect you as soon as you’ve washed up?”

“Yeah. After I contact them, I’ll head straight to the guild.”

It was the day before yesterday that we’d finalized the specifics of how I’d operate as the guild’s Equipment Adjuster.

And yesterday, after discussing the details, Guild Master Kang Mujin said he’d arrange a trustworthy first client as a sort of test run and get back to me.

So, in this situation, any contact from the guild would likely be about connecting me with my “official” first client.

‘Though unofficially, there’s also Jeong Seojin and Louis.’

Those dealings with those two were private transactions made without the alias of Equipment Adjuster, so it was right not to include them in the scope of my work as an Equipment Adjuster.

I watched Avan leave the room, saying he’d go ahead and prepare things so I could make the call right away, then headed straight to the bathroom. As I’d said before, I planned to wash up quickly, clear my head, and make the call immediately.

“Ah, the water’s cold.”

Maybe it was because I’d turned it on without thinking. The water coming from the faucet was freezing.

Startled by the ice-cold temperature, I quickly turned the handle. Fortunately, unlike my old rented place—a run-down villa common in Seoul—the plumbing in Mr. Yoon Juyeong’s house adjusted the water temperature to what I wanted right away.

After feeling the touch at my fingertips turn relatively warm, I splashed the water onto my face. The sensation of the lukewarm water washing away the lingering drowsiness from the night before was quite pleasant.

“Hoo.”

After splashing my face several times, lathering soap, and rinsing again, I lifted my head and looked at the mirror.

A few droplets of water must have splashed during the wash, as the mirror’s smooth surface, dotted with beads of water, silently reflected me back.

“……”

The me beyond the mirror looked no different than usual. Black hair flowing straight and long, and silver-gray eyes that someone once said reminded them of a sword.

There was no lowly creature crawling through the dirt, no six-legged insect, not even a beast that quenched its thirst with blood and filled its belly with flesh.

I stared stubbornly at that image, then finally splashed the water left in the basin at the mirror for no reason before turning my back. Just then, Avan’s voice came from beyond the room, announcing that preparations were complete.

* * *

Guild Master Kang Mujin gave me a brief explanation over the phone about the person who had commissioned Equipment Adjuster Yoon Seohee this time.

A woman with red hair. At sixty years old, she still wields a massive battle axe and stands at the forefront of every battle. She is the S-Rank #2 hunter, following the S-Rank #1 Sword Emperor, Jeong Seojin, the nation’s strongest hunter.

Sacred Flame Kim Miju. A celebrity so famous that even non-awakened citizens of South Korea would know her.

“I heard that troublemaker from our guild was quite rude to you last time. I’d like to apologize on his behalf, Hunter Yoon Seohee.”

“Oh, no. It’s fine. I mean, I was a bit flustered when you first sent the request out of the blue… but when we actually met, you were very kind to me.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but if that brat ever gives you any trouble, Hunter Yoon Seohee, you be sure to tell me. I’ll personally plant my axe in his skull.”

“…Ahaha.”

Hearing her say that was reassuring, but it actually made it harder to speak up. Honestly, I didn’t want to be the reason someone got an axe lodged in their head just for being a little rude to me.

“I’d appreciate it if you could have a word with the Dragon King. As it happens, I was in the middle of making arrangements to ensure Hunter Yoon Seohee’s safety back then.”

“Right, right. As Hunter Kang Mujin says, once I get back to the guild, I’ll definitely sink an axe into that punk’s head. Speaking of which… it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the face of our elusive S-Rank #1.”

“Don’t mind me, just go about your business. I’ll be standing here like a statue anyway, guarding our precious Equipment Adjuster.”

“Seojin. Is that any way to speak to your elder?”

“Haha, it’s fine, it’s fine, Hunter Kang Mujin. Our Sword Emperor is young enough to be my grandson, so it’s only natural for a grandchild to act that way.”

“I have no blood relation to you whatsoever.”

—Master. I must reiterate… if you employ someone who can’t even show basic respect to their elders as a slave, wouldn’t that tarnish your reputation as well? Surely, strict discipline…!

Since this was the first commission I’d received as an Equipment Adjuster, Guild Master Kang Mujin and Jeong Seojin had both joined us at the same table this time.

For the record, Avan was also with me this time. Though, of course, in the form of light, not a human shape.

I glanced at the ball of light floating lazily above my shoulder, then looked at the massive axe Hunter Kim Miju had placed on the table.

“Oh my, here I am, keeping a distinguished guest waiting with idle chatter. Right, should I start by explaining my equipment?”

Had she noticed the path my gaze had taken? Hunter Kim Miju cut off her small talk in an instant and met my eyes. I reflexively lifted my head to look back at her.

“Ah, w-well, um… yes, if you could, I think I’d be able to work a bit faster… ma’am.”

“Speak comfortably. Just think of me as an ordinary old lady you’d find at a senior center.”

“Yes, y-yes ma’am….”

I had no idea what world had an ordinary old lady swinging around a battle axe the size of a person, but I nodded anyway. After all, the person sitting in front of me was none other than ‘that’ Hunter Kim Miju.

‘She’s really right in front of me… Hunter Kim Miju.’

I’d never once not been amazed when meeting S-Rank hunters, but even so, having Hunter Kim Miju in front of me was the most astonishing experience yet.

And that was because it was Hunter Kim Miju, wasn’t it? The S-Rank hunter widely known as the most upstanding person among them all.

Moreover, in reality, she was ‘that’ Hunter Kim Miju, who never hesitated to throw herself into every major and minor affair of the nation, and who had established a welfare foundation to provide practical help to those in need.

‘I don’t know if I should be happy that my first client is none other than Hunter Kim Miju, or sad that it adds another reason for me to be overly nervous.’

Meeting someone I personally admired was truly a joy. But the fact that it added another factor making me nervous, on top of the already nerve-wracking first start, was a bit disconcerting.

I hid my trembling hands behind my back so they wouldn’t be noticed, and faced Hunter Kim Miju.

“Now then, my axe is called Crimson Flame King’s Battle Axe. As you can probably tell from the name alone, it has a fire-attribute mana compensation bonus.”

“I-I see.”

As Hunter Kim Miju said, I could feel a scorching heat radiating from the tips of my fingers touching the ‘Crimson Flame King’s Battle Axe.’ It was the heat that proved this was a piece of equipment with a high-grade fire-attribute mana compensation bonus.

“And, as is common with this type of weapon, it has a physical ability compensation bonus and a durability compensation bonus, rated A-Rank and B-Rank respectively. The overall total rank is S.”

“Oh….”

I wasn’t particularly good at appraising equipment, but even to me, this weapon inspired the thought, ‘So this is the level of a weapon used by the S-Rank #2.’

Even if it’s limited to the fire attribute, it’s still a high-grade piece of equipment with mana compensation bonuses, plus physical ability increase and durability increase stats that are always applied…

‘Setting aside the fact that equipment with permanent stat-boosting options is rare… cases where it’s B-Rank or higher must be few enough to count on one hand.’

Of course, beyond all that, there was no way equipment with an overall S-Rank rating was common.

Knowing full well nothing would happen, I still ran my fingertips over the surface of the battle axe with a cautious touch, as if afraid of leaving even a scratch, and met Hunter Kim Miju’s red eyes as I asked.

“How would you like me to ‘adjust’ this equipment, Hunter Kim Miju?”