novelraw Chapter 184 : When Coincidence Happens Three Times (1)
Chapter 184 : When Coincidence Happens Three Times (1)
“…You’ve brought the three of them again today.”
Eleanor stood at the workshop entrance, looking at us. For some reason, her expression didn’t look good—was she feeling unwell?
“We just came straight here after the preliminary Demons Class meeting. We’d been at the Hunter Market together, dropping off the new dungeon loot for appraisal.”
“Huh?” Eleanor’s face showed puzzlement.
“What is it?”
“It’s just… I thought my sister had stopped by, but she didn’t.”
“Oh.”
Now that was odd. Knowing how obsessed Iris was with her sister, it would have been natural for her to drop by the workshop if she’d been in the area.
“Could she have gone to Platinum Wings instead?” I asked.
Eleanor shook her head.
“No. She knows I’m here. Sometimes she even remembers my schedule better than I do.”
I couldn’t help but give a wry smile. Eleanor mirrored it with one of her own.
After letting us in, she asked, “So, what’s this about?”
“I came to talk business.”
“Business? What kind?” Her expression grew a little more serious.
“Recently, All Around contacted me. They want to hire the Mysterious Craftsman as their exclusive smith.”
“…And?” Eleanor looked a touch tense.
“I told them I’d discuss it with the Craftsman first.”
“Oh… I see…”
“So here’s what I’m proposing. I’d like Platinum Wings to be the one signing the contract with All Around.”
“What?”
Her eyes widened to the size of fists.
“Right now, none of the items I supply through Platinum Wings are custom orders, right?”
“Right.”
“But for All Around, I’d allow custom orders—but only through Platinum Wings. Your shop would take a broker’s fee.”
Eleanor blinked, still looking confused.
“Why that kind of arrangement? You could easily accept custom orders directly. Why go through us?”
“Because that was the deal from the start. Everything I craft is sold only through Platinum Wings. Do I look like someone who’d break a promise to a business partner?”
“That’s not what I mean. It’s just… wouldn’t cutting us out be more profitable for you?”
“Not really. This way, I can keep my identity hidden, and your shop builds prestige by handling All Around’s orders. More people will come seeking my gear, and everyone wins. Besides…” I smiled faintly. “I owe you. This is partly an apology.”
“An apology?”
“I leaned on All Around’s power to escape Forward. In return, I crafted them gear without asking your input. This is to make up for that.”
“That’s… too much for an apology. Honestly, it feels like I should be paying you back.”
“You already did. That necklace you gave me last time—that was more than enough.”
“….”
Eleanor’s lips parted slightly. She stared at me in silence.
“…Alright. We’ll do it that way.”
“Good.”
We shared a smile.
“Hey! Nam Yein!”
Meiling’s sudden shout made both Eleanor and me flinch.
“Ah, damn—you scared me. What is it now?”
“When are you two going to finish talking? I’m starving.”
“You invited yourself here, and now you’re complaining…”
“Ye-Yein.” Lumina called to me in a stiff little voice.
“I think… I’m a bit hungry too.”
“Oh? Really? Hm… fine.”
Maybe it was because of the dungeon fight earlier, but I figured it was time to wrap things up. If Lumina said she was hungry, I couldn’t drag things out.
“Eleanor. Here.”
I handed her an inventory box.
“This week’s delivery.”
She checked it with a touch of her fingers and nodded.
“Got it. Then I’ll give you the materials for next week.”
After she fetched another inventory box from storage, I took it, and we headed for the door.
“Oh, and—if All Around refuses, we’ll drop the whole idea. But I doubt they will. Since the Craftsman has never accepted custom orders before, they’ll want this badly—even if it means going through your shop.”
“Right.” Eleanor nodded.
“If the talks go well, you’ll meet their guild master. Be prepared.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already been running through the scenario in my head.”
“As expected of a shop owner.”
“Humph.” Eleanor crossed her arms and smirked. I let out a small laugh.
“Hey! Nam Yein! I said I’m hungry!”
Meiling was already outside, hollering again.
Throwing a tantrum like that just because she’s hungry… childlike.
…Well, she is a kid.
“Then we’ll get going.”
“See you next time.”
I gave a nod and stepped out of the workshop.
“So, what do you want for dinner?” I asked, glancing at Meiling’s sulky face.
“Anything but blood sausage soup.”
I added the condition, and her eyebrows shot up.
“Yein, how about chicken?” Seo Yui suggested. “After all that fighting, everyone’s earned it.”
Oh. It was rare for her to suggest food.
“Then chicken it is.”
I led the three of them to a chicken fast-food place. Each of them devoured an entire chicken on their own, then went on to clear a whole basket of jam-covered biscuits. I nearly gasped.
Awakened did tend to have bigger appetites than normal people, but still…
Just watching them made me feel full.
Still, it was good to see them eat well. I felt oddly pleased, so I picked up the check.
The next morning.
Monday.
A call came in from an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?”
[Is this student Nam Yein?]
A young woman’s voice. One I’d never heard before.
“Yes. Who’s calling?”
[Ah. This is Gwangcheon Academy.]
Wow.
What a mouthful—Gwangcheon Academy.
Enough with the pointless thoughts…
I cleared my throat.
“What business does Gwangcheon have with me?”
[It’s regarding the withdrawal requests submitted by you and the other three students.]
“What about them?”
[The foundation of Gwangcheon Academy has changed hands, from Forward to Homar.]
Homar?
At that word, I immediately remembered what Riyu had said:
"Don’t worry. By next week, you’ll be able to return to the dorms. Enjoy your fall break until then."
I hadn’t understood at the time how Riyu already knew. So this was it.
Homar was not only Riyu’s surname—it was also the name of the foundation he owned.
[So, with your permission, we’d like to annul your withdrawal and reinstate you all as Gwangcheon Academy students.]
Exactly what I’d been hoping for.
“Does that mean the Academy is operating normally again?”
[Not yet. The scheduled reopening is this Thursday.]
“I see. Returning to Gwangcheon is exactly what we want. Please proceed as you’ve said.”
[Thank you. Have a good day.]
The call ended.
I immediately summoned the others to my room to share the news.
A short while later:
“So, that old man took over Gwangcheon…? What’s in it for him?” Meiling asked.
“Probably nothing to do with profit. Just a guess,” I replied.
“…Hmm.”
Meiling folded her arms, falling silent in thought.
“Thank goodness… We can go back to the Academy,” Lumina murmured with a relieved smile.
“My mom and dad were so worried.”
Of course. They must’ve seen the broadcast back in London.
Their daughter, a student in Seoul—and fresh off winning HAUT—suddenly withdrawing and getting threatened by Forward? Parents with soft hearts might have fainted on the spot.
“So that means our fall break ends Wednesday,” Seo Yui said.
“Counting today, that leaves us three days. What should we do with them?”
“I’ll be working on equipment today. Tomorrow, I have someone to meet,” I answered.
“What the—why are you always so busy?” Meiling glared, pouting.
Because life is a struggle, that’s why.
It wasn’t like I wanted to live this way. But in Latessai, a world where death could strike at any moment, staying alive meant always having work to do.
If only the difficulty were lower, then even at Gwangcheon I could’ve lived like a normal student and cleared the game.
“If it were just on Hard mode…” I muttered.
“Huh? Hard? What’s that supposed to mean?” Meiling tilted her head. Lumina and Seo Yui looked puzzled too.
“Nothing. Anyway, I’ll have free time here and there. If there’s something you want to do, just tell me.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah…” Seo Yui and Lumina nodded.
Meiling just turned her head away with her lips stuck out.
Later, back alone in my hotel room, I resumed crafting gear.
After two hours of focused work, my Craftsman level rose again—now level 11.
The new ability was Material Synthesis: combining low-grade materials into higher-grade ones.
Finally.
That skill had existed in the game too. With it, I could hoard materials and put them to use later.
The exchange rate was 5:1 per tier, meaning I’d need 25 Common materials to make a single Rare.
Even so, not having to rely on luck and simply gathering materials to forge Rares was incredibly useful. Now then…
I pulled a gem from my inventory—a fist-sized, faceted jewel that glittered in the light. A faint violet glow radiated from it.
Not blue, not crimson—violet.
Proof it was Legendary grade.
Ever since Phase 2 dungeons, Legendary items like this have started appearing. I was hoping for one yesterday in the Fortress dungeon, but…
Not a single violet aura had dropped there. I hadn’t expected artifacts, but at least a material or two. Nothing.
I stared at the Legendary gem in my hand.
[Craftsman ability activates.]
[Item analysis failed.]
[Craftsman level is too low.]
“Still no good, huh.”
Even after gaining three more levels since last time, I still couldn’t analyze a Legendary.
“When will I be able to?” I muttered in frustration.
Just then—
Bzzzzzzt.
My phone vibrated hard.
“…Ugh.”
I groaned when I saw the number. It was Lee Hanye.
Had she already heard about Gwangcheon’s news?
Hopefully it wasn’t Choi Yuri using her phone to reach me.
Please, no.
I cautiously answered.
“Hello?”
[Brother. It’s me.]
Relief washed over me. It really was Lee Hanye.
But her voice… it was tense. Strained.
“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately.
[Do you have time today?]
“Time? Why? Did Choi Yuri mess something up?”
[No, it’s not that.]
“Then is it about Gwangcheon?”
[I was going to talk about that too, but there’s something more important. Do you have time?]
“…Alright. I’ll come now. Where should we meet?”
[At my place. The Security Unit guards are gone now.]
“Got it.”
[I’ll be waiting.]
After hanging up, I stowed all my gear and materials in my inventory and left the hotel.
On the bus, I sent Seo Yui a quick message: I’m going to meet the principal. I’ll be back later.
Her reply came quickly:
[Alright. Be safe. Let me know if you’ll be late.]
I pocketed my phone, frowning.
What could be so urgent?
Hanye’s grim voice echoed in my ears.
Thirty minutes later, I stood at the door of Im Seongyeon’s house.
When the door opened, there was Lee Hanye, wearing Im Seongyeon’s face.
“Come in, brother.”
I nodded and stepped inside.
“You’re here?”
Turning at the voice, I saw Choi Yuri sitting on the living room sofa.
Hmm.
Neither Hanye nor Yuri had even a trace of a smile.
“What happened? What’s this about?” I went straight to the point.
Hanye spoke.
“Brother.”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever driven someone to their death… in real life?”
“…….”
Their eyes locked on me.
Neither of them moved.
What… how could they possibly know something like that?
A chill spread through my veins.
(End of Chapter)