Episode 37
037. You Trust Me?
Her gaze was fixed on the screen, which displayed a shabby forge in Kratum.
And at its center was the specially managed target, ‘Golden Hand’.
“A spear… he made a spear. The requester is ‘Yeom Tae-hoon’. A seemingly ordinary player who hasn’t shown any particular distinction so far.”
Even at her subordinate’s report, Cha Yoo-kyung remained silent, focused solely on the screen.
Her eyes narrowed.
As if determined not to miss a single movement of Golden Hand’s hands, her pupils shifted minutely.
On screen, Golden Hand was using only steel ingots and a small amount of mithril powder.
No expensive special alloys, no rare magical catalysts used.
Just the most ordinary materials commonly found even at Kratum’s stalls.
But the spear being forged in his hands was not ordinary.
Thud-!
Clang-!
Thud!
With each hammer strike from Golden Hand, the metal quickly took shape.
Like a skilled surgeon performing an operation, every movement of his was without a hint of waste.
“Any notable points? File a report.”
At Cha Yoo-kyung’s icy voice, the subordinate nervously manipulated a tablet PC.
“Yes, Team Leader. Based on the analysis so far… the maker, Golden Hand, is showing a miraculous talent for extracting maximum efficiency from minimal resources. The total value of materials used is estimated to be less than 3,000 gold, but…”
“The result?”
“……It is predicted to be at least Unique grade or above.”
Silence fell over the meeting room.
3,000 gold.
Using materials worth a mere 300,000 won to create an item of Unique grade valued at millions, perhaps tens of millions of won.
This was beyond the realm of mere ‘skill’ or ‘know-how.’
Countless numbers crisscrossed in Cha Yoo-kyung’s mind.
‘Minimum cost, maximum efficiency. Risk management, perfect process control…’
This was the most ideal production model every corporation dreamed of.
Golden Hand was instinctively, or under perfect calculation, realizing it within the game.
To her, Golden Hand was no longer just a ‘player’ who created special items.
He was a walking corporation, the ultimate ‘human asset’ that Mirae Group absolutely had to acquire.
[Successfully crafted ‘Spear of Blue Flare (Unique)’.]
Seeing the system message appear on the screen, the corner of Cha Yoo-kyung’s lips curved faintly upward.
But that smile soon froze coldly.
“But when did I tell you to make contact with Golden Hand? Why is there still no contact at all?”
An icy chill laced her voice.
The subordinate’s back grew damp with cold sweat.
“Th-That’s… the target’s movements are highly unpredictable, and currently, he is believed to be moving somewhere west of Kratum…”
“Excuses are a sin. Why do you think I pay you all a salary?”
“It’s not that… he simply doesn’t hunt! Doesn’t hunt at all! And in Kratum, because he was with a noble…”
Cha Yoo-kyung didn’t listen to the excuses.
She slowly turned her body and shot a look at the subordinate.
“Bring me results. By any means necessary, get him to our negotiating table. I’ll give you a week. If you can’t solve it within that time, all of you, prepare to have your desks removed.”
At her declaration, the air in the meeting room froze.
It was the moment Mirae Group’s ‘Project: Gold Hunting’ officially commenced.
“Why stick with something as rough as blacksmithing? You should learn alchemy from me instead!”
“Ah, well… that is…”
Golden Hand hesitated, caught off guard by the suddenness.
To such a Golden Hand, Parakel spoke.
“I understand you might be taken aback. If you don’t trust me…”
“No. I trust you.”
“Huh? Wha… really? You trust me?”
This time, it seemed Parakel was the flustered one.
In truth, though he had asked Golden Hand to become his disciple, he hadn’t yet shown him anything as an alchemist.
So he had been prepared for refusal.
But at Golden Hand’s response of outright trust, Parakel seemed taken aback instead.
Moreover, sincerity was clearly felt in Golden Hand’s voice and gaze.
Nevertheless, a test was unavoidable.
“Alright, if you trust me… then try fetching some ‘Dragonblood Grass’ for me. If you do, I’ll help you formally walk the path of an alchemist.”
Simultaneously, a message appeared.
It was the quest message Golden Hand had been waiting for.
[Unexpected Profession Quest: Master’s First Task]
Objective: Parakel, who wishes to become your master, desperately desires ‘Dragonblood Grass’.
Find and harvest the Dragonblood Grass located in the deepest part of the mines and bring it to him.Success Condition: Harvest Dragonblood Grass (0/1)
Adhere to the time limit.
Advance Reward:
[Harvesting] Skill
Acid Neutralizer (Highest-Grade)
Reward:
Acquire Alchemist Profession
Parakel’s Special Skill: Insight of the Veins
The moment he read the message, he knew.
The special skill in the reward.
This was a set skill paired with ‘Willful Insight’.
‘Insight of the Veins…!’
Though there was no exact skill description, the name alone was enough.
This was unmistakably a skill that formed a pair with ‘Willful Insight’.
‘Just what kind of skill is it?’
Golden Hand didn’t know about this either.
In his past life, he had never heard of anyone being Parakel’s disciple.
So naturally, nothing was known about ‘Insight of the Veins’.
‘If it’s similar to Willful Insight… it’ll be a huge help in the future.’
So far, he had gained many advantages from ‘Willful Insight’ alone.
A skill active in all areas, from mining and crafting to combat.
It was the absolute core that drove Golden Hand’s growth.
Therefore, he couldn’t help but anticipate the ‘Insight of the Veins’ skill.
What if he got both of these skills in hand?
The synergy that could emerge was hard to predict easily.
And on top of that, the Alchemist profession?
This was a quest he had no reason to refuse.
“I accept. I will definitely obtain the Dragonblood Grass!”
“Oho, quite the spirit! I like it!”
Parakel laughed heartily, patting Golden Hand’s shoulder.
Then, as if remembering something, he slapped his forehead.
“Ah, but time is rather short, you see. A wandering alchemist like me doesn’t stay in one place for long. Three days! I’ll give you exactly three days. You must bring the Dragonblood Grass within that time.”
“Huh? Three days?”
“It’s tight, but… what can you do? Prices are soaring these days! If I hole up in one place, my pockets go dry in no time!”
Parakel set a time limit with an absurd reason.
He seemed like a busy person, one way or another.
Simultaneously, a specific message began to appear.
[Time Limit: 72 hours confirmed.]
The message appeared as if urging him on.
But it didn’t matter.
On the contrary, thinking about obtaining ‘Insight of the Veins’ only made him more eager.
“Where is the Dragonblood Grass located?”
“Only grows near the ‘Heart’, where lava boils, in the deepest part of the Kratum mines—a very precious herb. It’s such a hot place that ordinary people can’t even approach it. Moreover, harvesting it requires technique… try using this!”
Parakel pulled out an old skill book from his pouch and handed it to Golden Hand.
[Acquired the [Harvesting] Skill.]
The skill listed as an advance reward in the profession quest.
He examined its contents.
[Harvesting Lv.1]
[Passive Skill]
Description: A technique to understand the essence of natural objects like plants and minerals and harvest them with minimal damage.
Effect: When harvesting, the amount of materials obtained and the chance of obtaining higher-grade materials increases by 20%.
It was a fairly useful skill.
Parakel, who just casually provided such a skill as an advance reward.
It made sense why he struggled financially.
Then, Parakel lowered his voice, glancing around, and spoke.
“But, you see. There’s a very troublesome creature there.”
“A troublesome creature?”
“Yes. And while searching for Dragonblood Grass is fine, you need to be careful of a peculiar little worm.”
The phrase ‘peculiar worm’ struck a chord, but Golden Hand listened quietly.
It might be something else, so he wanted to confirm.
“It roams underground as it pleases, dropping rotten dung all over the place…”
“Dr-Dropping dung?”
“Ahem! Anyway, I’ve been thwarted by that thing several times myself. Whenever I try to harvest Dragonblood Grass, it keeps appearing and causing trouble. Tsk, just the material costs I’ve wasted because of that thing…”
At his words, Dusar’s worried face flashed through Golden Hand’s mind.
It seemed certain that the ‘peculiar worm’ was someone Golden Hand knew as well.
‘The Corrupted Earthworm… It’s definitely that thing.’
Then, Parakel pulled out a small glass vial from his pouch and handed it over.
Inside was a clear, transparent liquid.
“So, if that thing appears and bothers you, use this.”
[Acquired Acid Neutralizer (Highest-Grade).]
“If you spray this on that worm thing, its movements will slow down temporarily. Use that gap to run away. Understood?”
Golden Hand knew well what this was.
This was exactly the item he had planned to make by gathering moonlight moss.
‘A Highest-Grade Acid Neutralizer… And he tells me to use it just to drive it away?’
This wasn’t just an ordinary-grade item, but a highest-grade one.
With something of this level, it might not just neutralize the Corrupted Earthworm’s acidic mucus, but could possibly temporarily harden its body.
