Chapter 21: The Guild’s Strange Welcome

“Who are these people?”

“Ugh, I told you this morning!”

Gam Joo-an struggled and barely managed to escape from the guildmaster’s grip. The size difference between them was huge—not only was Gam Joo-an small, but the guildmaster was far too big. From a distance, it was hard to tell if he was a person or a bear.

After releasing Gam Joo-an, the guildmaster greeted the two interns with a bright smile.

“Oh! My little rookies are here!”

Little rookies.

Gam Joo-an already felt uneasy when the guildmaster called him “rookie,” but he never imagined he’d attach a bizarre title like “little rookies” to the interns as well. Sung Ji-woo and Goo Min-ah forced awkward smiles, like people whose facial muscles had broken down.

“The little rookies look great! How did you know we only hire good-looking folks here? Good choice applying!”

The guildmaster laughed heartily, his booming voice louder than a train horn. Standing right beside him, Gam Joo-an winced and quickly covered his ears. Goo Min-ah cautiously raised her hand.

“Guildmaster… I thought you were a woman. Did you… change?”

“Huh?”

The guildmaster looked genuinely confused, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“Ahahaha! Well, I’m not exactly famous. But yeah, it’s me—Guildmaster Park Su-jin.”

“Oh, because of your name…! I’m sorry, I assumed you were a woman.”

“Everyone says that. It’s okay. I like my name. It’s pretty.”

The guildmaster seemed to be a very positive, hearty person.

“Anyway! Little rookies, what were you two doing? If it’s your first day, we need to start with an initiation!”

At the word initiation, both Sung Ji-woo and Goo Min-ah flinched. Among hunters, “initiation” often meant weird orders or old-fashioned hazing.

Were they planning to pull something like that on them?

Both their faces turned pale. They were ready to bolt if they had to.

But instead, the guildmaster took them to a samgyeopsal restaurant.

“An initiation means samgyeopsal!”

The restaurant wasn’t far. It looked old from the outside, but inside it was as clean as a new building. Every table was full.

“Huh, come on in, come on!”

The restaurant owner warmly greeted the guild members and led them to a reserved table. When a dozen burly men flooded in, the store instantly felt cramped. Seeing Goo Min-ah and Sung Ji-woo, the owner greeted them kindly: “New ones? First day?”

“So… what exactly is the initiation?”

Goo Min-ah asked quietly. The guildmaster looked confused.

“Huh? I said we were doing the initiation.”

“Yes…”

“We’re doing it now.”

Gam Joo-an suddenly wedged himself between the three of them.

“Guildmaster, this isn’t an initiation. It’s called a welcome party. Stop confusing them.”

“Oh, right! Welcome party, welcome party. Sometimes I mix up my words. Anyway—good things are good things! Let’s all have a drink!”

Only then did their tense bodies relax. They were so dumbfounded that they felt empty. How could someone mix up initiation and welcome party?

Oblivious to the interns’ frustration, the guildmaster happily filled their glasses with soda.

“Alright! A toast to commemorate the moment?”

As the huge man stood up, nearby tables let out gasps. Ordinary civilians, shocked by the sight of such a massive figure, stared wide-eyed. Some even looked scared. Gam Joo-an frantically tried to pull him down. Given how strong the guildmaster was, Gam Joo-an was practically hanging off him.

“No! Please sit down! This place isn’t ours alone!”

The guildmaster just blinked sadly down at the lightweight hanging from his arm.

“Sit!”

He slumped down pitifully. Sung Ji-woo thought: Thank god Gam Joo-an is here.

‘So Gam Joo-an is the real authority in this guild.’

Thanks to Gam Joo-an’s efforts controlling the guildmaster, the gathering ended peacefully without major incidents.

The next day, the guildmaster dropped a heavy-looking sack onto the table.

“Collected these minerals from the gate yesterday.”

Inside was a bunch of rocks and dirt.

What the heck did he bring?

It looked like he scooped up random dirt from the roadside. But Gam Joo-an’s eyes seemed to see something special. He rummaged through the stones and pulled something out, eyes shining.

“Wow! This one is top-tier! How did you get this? You can’t even find these on the market anymore! It’s a shame it was mixed with all this other stuff, though.”

“Sorry. I couldn’t go with an appraiser yesterday, so I just grabbed whatever.”

“You did great! Better to bring trash than leave something valuable behind!”

Sung Ji-woo wasn’t sure that counted as praise, but the guildmaster took it that way and puffed up proudly.

Gam Joo-an had found a monster core, not a normal ore. Cores could be processed into “ability stones,” whose value could jump tenfold to a thousandfold depending on the technique.

With excitement, Gam Joo-an asked:

“We’re making a pendant from this. Want to watch?”

“What? Can I?”

Sung Ji-woo had only ever used artifacts, never seen them being made.

“I’d love to watch!”

“Me too.”

Goo Min-ah raised her hand, also curious. The three entered the workshop.

Finally, I get to meet the producer…

This guild’s most mysterious person—the genius who would one day receive offers from across the world—had never appeared publicly. Sung Ji-woo had hoped to meet him here.

But the workshop was empty.

“So… the producer won’t be coming today?”

Sung Ji-woo asked in a disappointed tone. Gam Joo-an tilted his head.

“I’m the producer. Oh—you didn’t know? Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself!”

“What? You’re the producer?”

“I assumed you’d know. I don’t look like a hunter. I look flimsy.”

Sung Ji-woo was thrown into confusion.

He… is the producer?

Goo Min-ah dragged some chairs over for them. Sung Ji-woo asked again just to be sure:

“So… the main producer isn’t coming today?”

He meant: Isn’t there the genius producer besides him?

Gam Joo-an scratched his cheek.

“No, our guild is short-staffed. I’m the only producer. So there’s no ‘main’ or anything…”

“What?”

So he really is that genius?

Now Sung Ji-woo understood why everyone treated him like a hidden powerhouse.

“Our workshop is small, right? We’re recruiting, but no applicants…”

Misunderstanding Sung Ji-woo’s shock, Gam Joo-an became embarrassed.

Sung Ji-woo wanted to laugh. This tiny workshop was destined to house a world-class talent.

Goo Min-ah bluntly added:

“It’s small, yeah. But makes sense. There’s barely any demand these days.”

It was harsh but true. Gam Joo-an wasn’t hurt. He had no other options either.

Gam Joo-an distributed safety goggles and masks.

“When processing cores, it’s better to stay quiet. If you want to leave, knock twice on the table.”

At that moment, Sung Ji-woo had zero intention of leaving. Watching a master create something—who would pass up that opportunity?

Three hours later…

‘…He seriously does this all day?’

Gam Joo-an hadn’t moved a millimeter. Three hours straight—absolute focus. Sung Ji-woo only watched, yet his eyes felt like they’d fall out. His back hurt. His legs hurt.

‘Should I… keep going? …Screw it.’

He fled the workshop. Goo Min-ah followed instantly.

“Oh, you lasted longer than I expected.”

The guildmaster, watching TV outside, greeted them casually.

“I can’t stay in there more than 30 minutes. My skin crawls. Too bright.”

“Does he always work like that?”

Sung Ji-woo asked in disbelief. The guildmaster nodded.

“Yup. Sometimes he works for days without sleeping. Then binges on food and sleeps three days straight. Says that’s most comfortable for him.”

Comfortable?

Sung Ji-woo felt faint. He thought Lee Hye-rin was the worst workaholic in existence, but apparently there was someone worse.

The guildmaster offered chocolates.

“You don’t have to do all that to make artifacts.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. These days specialists process most things. You don’t need to do it yourself.”

“Then why does Gam Joo-an…?”

The guildmaster shrugged.

“He insists on doing everything by hand.”

So he was just… weird.

Realizing he himself would never need to work like that, Sung Ji-woo sighed in relief.

The guildmaster smirked.

“What? Did the life of a producer scare you?”

“…Yes. Honestly, I just decided I should probably become a hunter instead.”

“Why aren’t you a hunter already? I heard you got first place this time.”

The guildmaster straightened up, motioning for them to sit. Once seated, Sung Ji-woo tried to downplay it.

“I was just lucky.”

“He’s always been first. This time he swept theory, practical, and overall. The school went crazy.”

Goo Min-ah exposed everything.

“What?”

The guildmaster clapped dramatically.

“Huh? You’re that amazing?”

“…It’s because there aren’t many supporters. With fewer rivals—”

Before he could finish explaining, the guildmaster exploded again.

“What are you talking about! A supporter beating all the dealers?! That’s insane!”

“…Not insane…”

“Amazing kid! I like you. Join our guild later. I’ll write your recommendation!”

Though he was the one who hired people, he confidently offered a recommendation letter. Sung Ji-woo politely sidestepped.

“I’ll think about it.”

The guildmaster quickly shifted to Goo Min-ah.

“Oh, right. Joo-an said you wanted to be a researcher?”

“Yes. I came because I heard you used to be one.”

“Ah. Sorry to disappoint. I’m probably nothing like what you imagined.”

“Honestly? Yes. Very different.”

The guildmaster laughed at the blunt answer.

“Yeah, I heard that a lot back in the lab. But guess what? I was the youngest chief researcher.”

“I know. That’s why it’s even stranger.”

The guildmaster laughed bitterly.

“Yeah. People in labs are all weird.”

He leaned back and muttered again.

“Really, all of them.”