Chapter 67
Hunter Bank, Gangnam branch.
The loan department was in chaos.
“Team Leader Kim! I heard you hit the jackpot again this time? Wow, congratulations!”
“It’s amazing. How do all your contracts end up turning into massive successes like this?”
Now that it had become public knowledge that Dmir Workshop could craft S-rank weapons, the woman who had handled its loan contract—Kim Jina—had once again become the talk of the office.
“Haha, well, I guess I just got lucky.”
Jina smiled wryly as she exchanged greetings.
It was something to celebrate, sure, but her thoughts were tangled.
‘He could make an S-rank weapon?’
Honestly, she was still in shock.
‘Joo Donghoon…’
A man with B-rank strength who had lived as an E-rank for so long.
She already knew he wasn’t someone who liked showing off.
That was what she liked about him.
After all, truly exceptional people rarely flaunted their talents.
Like Pang Tong from the late Han dynasty or Zhuge Liang, whom Liu Bei famously visited three times in the story of the Three Kingdoms.
‘He…’
She had thought he was a daring climber unafraid to challenge the mountain that was Oseong Group.
A brave wolf willing to fight a regional leopard.
That alone had been admirable.
But—
‘He wasn’t just a wolf.’
His ambition wasn’t arrogance.
He truly had the potential to go toe-to-toe with Oseong Group.
Joo Donghoon was a tiger cub—a mountain king in the making, destined to become a true apex predator.
Now that she thought about it, it was clear.
His eyes had never once been fixed on Oseong Group.
Even during the interview with reporters, he hadn’t mentioned the roadblock incident that could’ve made him look like a victim.
He’d brushed it off as if it wasn’t worth his attention—like a tiger passing by a mantis waving its forelegs.
‘He’s so cool.’
Her mind began to move quickly.
Her natural insight drew up a plan in her head.
What would happen if she followed him?
How high could he climb if she decided to stand by his side?
Then she froze.
Had she ever… thought like this about anyone before?
She’d met countless people—from conglomerate heirs to famous entrepreneurs, even top-ranked Hunters.
And yet, not once had she ever thought this way.
She had never wanted to -serve- someone.
‘A hunch.’
That’s what this was.
Her intuition spoke—an instinct that had never been wrong.
Joo Donghoon.
There were no limits to that man’s potential.
If she ever had to devote herself to someone, there would be no one more worthy.
As for whether he’d accept her? She wasn’t too worried.
She’d observed him for weeks and could tell there was no one significant in his life yet.
And the fact that he was just getting started made it even better.
‘Growth stock over blue chip any day.’
She’d always preferred aggressive investments.
And this time, she was confident.
If she had to put a number on Dmir Workshop’s odds of success—99.99%.
A deal with no possible downside.
Hmm.
Mmm… yes.
‘Alright. Decision made.’
In that brief moment, she made up her mind to resign.
‘Even if it’s risky, I’m going all in.’
Even if it didn’t work out, she wouldn’t regret it. It was her choice.
“Wow, Team Leader Kim! I knew you’d pull through! The branch manager just called. Said your authority’s getting boosted and there’s talk of a big bonus too! Thanks to you, we’re ranked first in the region again!”
“Ah, Branch Manager!”
Jina stood as the branch manager approached her desk.
“Thank you, sir, but there’s something urgent I need to discuss.”
“Hm? What’s this about? Don’t tell me you’re unhappy with the bonus. Don’t worry—it’s a big one this time, straight from the top—”
“No, the bonus is fine.”
“Huh?”
The manager tilted his head.
“Team Leader Kim refusing money?”
Jina pulled out a document she had prepared long ago and handed it to him.
“What’s this…?”
His eyes widened as he read the header.
[Letter of Resignation]
“What?!”
“I’ve been preparing this for a while. Please don’t take it personally. I’ve done my best and made the bank plenty of money.”
“Kim Team Leader, this is so sudden…”
The manager sighed deeply.
Of course, he knew.
He’d always known that Kim Jina was far too talented to stay confined to a Hunter Bank branch forever.
“So… it’s finally time, huh?”
“Yes. I think life’s finally about to get interesting.”
She smiled brightly.
A radiant smile he’d never seen from her before.
Watching her, the manager could only shake his head, still unable to fully understand.
—
“Hmm.”
Clang!
Inside the workshop’s second floor, tucked in the corner, Dmir swung his hammer with all his might.
Though his body was made entirely of bones, the power behind each swing looked as if muscles were bursting beneath them.
Clang! Clang!
After countless strikes—
“Done.”
Boom!
“Now I’m starting to feel like a proper Dwarf again!”
Dmir slammed the hammer down and let out a hearty laugh.
“Good work.”
I encouraged him.
Because—
[Name: Dmir]
[Stamina: 200/200]
[Unique Ability: Great Skeleton]
[Class: Blacksmith]
[Rank: B]
[Strength: 42] [Agility: 41] [Endurance: 38] [Magic: 40] [Technique: 52]
[Skills]
– Advanced Forging (Lv.1)
– Intermediate Weaving (Lv.7)
– Advanced Item Crafting (Lv.1)
– Advanced Alchemy (Lv.1)
– Skeleton Summon (Lv.MAX)
Three of his skills had already reached advanced level.
The result of relentless hammering ever since his awakening.
“Now I can work on A-rank blueprints and handle higher-grade ores like Adamantium and Mithril! Hahaha! What do you think, Master? Can you see my effort?”
Dmir grinned with pride.
“We all worked hard too, Dmir.”
From the third floor came Eldrin, bow in hand. Judging from her state, she had just finished training.
“I’ve strengthened my summoning ritual and improved my archery enough not to disgrace the Forestfolk name.”
“Still, you can’t deny the master favors Dmir.”
Sunny descended the stairs holding his spear.
The three awakened skeletons had become close enough to speak freely now.
After all, as my subordinates, they had agreed to treat each other as equals—comrades in arms.
“Well now, Sunny. Saying I favor Dmir—that’s a little harsh, isn’t it?”
Even as I said it, my mouth felt dry.
Because honestly, I -had- been focusing on Dmir lately.
Eldrin smiled gently at that.
“That’s not true, Master. It’s simply a matter of priorities. Right now, Dmir’s progress benefits your future the most.”
“Right?”
As expected. Eldrin always understood me.
Clap clap.
“Anyway.”
I clapped my hands.
“It’s time to make the weapon. This is an important moment. While the media’s eyes are on us, we need to strike while it’s hot.”
“Alright, Master. Are we working together again?”
“Of course.”
“Kuhehe, another collaboration between us! Exciting! So, what kind of weapon this time?”
“That depends on the client. Let’s find out who won the bid first.”
I scattered the bid papers across the floor.
Papers submitted by various people over the past two days.
‘Honestly, I doubt any high-ranking Hunters placed a bid.’
I wasn’t expecting much.
After all, this wasn’t the only place in the world that could produce S-rank gear.
Most rankers probably had weapons they’d earned in dungeons themselves.
And the only weapon I’d revealed so far was a single dagger.
‘Even if it was a good one…’
There was no guarantee I’d make another of the same caliber. It’d be strange for anyone to risk huge sums of money.
“Master, here’s one for a hundred billion. Says it’s from Jinju Group.”
“Lord, this one’s from the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect elder—one hundred twenty billion.”
“Ahem, Master, this one’s one hundred thirty billion. Is that a lot?”
What…?
My jaw dropped.
Jinju Group was one of the nation’s top ten conglomerates, alongside Oseong.
And the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect was the number-one ranked guild in Korea!
All offering sums in the hundreds of billions?
“Are you serious?”
I frantically sifted through the pile of bids.
Most fell between ten and a hundred billion, but there were definitely several that soared past that.
“It’s true?”
If so… this could pay off the entire Hunter Bank loan in one go.
Were there really this many rich people in the world? Or was my fame just that overwhelming now?
I couldn’t tell.
At that moment—
“Here. This seems to be the highest one—three hundred billion.”
Eldrin handed me a paper.
“What? Three hundred billion?”
I took it with a blank expression and read.
[Bid: 300,000,000,000]
[Hahaha, long time no see, kid. If I’d known you could make S-rank weapons, you should’ve told your big bro sooner. I’m disappointed. Anyway, since my little brother’s running a business, I’ll go big. If this is the highest bid, make me one! But if it’s a piece of junk, you’d better be ready for the consequences. Hahaha.]
[Berserker, Jang Daewoong]
“Unbelievable.”
That lunatic still called himself my “big brother.”
But writing out “hahaha” in cursive?
As expected, the title -Berserker- wasn’t just for show.
‘And on top of that…’
“Be ready for the consequences if it’s garbage?”
Berserker wasn’t just anyone—he was ranked twentieth in the world.
A walking catastrophe.
“Damn it.”
Now I’d have to craft something incredible, not for Dmir’s brand value—but for my own survival.
—
“Damn it!”
Crash! Bang!
Shin Jongoh roared in fury.
“D-Deputy Director, please calm down!”
“Calm down? You think I can calm down? What the hell is everyone doing?!”
He was fuming.
“No matter how much money I throw, it’s useless! Even blocking the road didn’t work! And now what—he can make S-rank weapons?!”
It was absurd.
It felt like the whole world was conspiring against him.
How could the man he’d picked as his prey turn out to be a genius blacksmith?
What kind of twisted miracle was this?
‘And to give something that valuable to Ki Soyul for free?!’
Of course. Ki Soyul.
That arrogant woman wouldn’t have followed him for nothing.
There had to be a reason.
He knew her—she was the type to do anything to get stronger.
‘Still…’
His eyes turned cold.
‘Joo Donghoon. You’ve insulted my pride.’
Crash!
He kicked over his desk and glared at his secretary.
“If that’s how it is, we’ve got no choice. Bring me the contact list of our company’s rankers.”
“S-Sir, you don’t mean—?”
“What do you think? The war’s already begun.”
“B-But sir, even if you’re a director, rankers won’t move so easily!”
True.
Even if Oseong hired them, rankers were still rankers.
No way would they obey someone like him outright.
“That’s why we’ll negotiate.”
“N-Negotiate, sir?”
“Just get me the list.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
The secretary hurried out of the room as Shin Jongoh clenched his fists, fury burning behind his eyes.