Chapter 145

As soon as BunnyRabbit, the adventurer who brought Redrix's recommendation letter, appeared, Master Craftsman Ferguson declared, "You pass."

"…Eh?" BunnyRabbit responded with a dumbfounded voice.

She had come mentally prepared for a challenge. But to be told she had passed just by showing up?

"I said you pass. Are your ears that bad already, young one?"

"…No, not at all! Thank you!" she shouted in response, clearly tense.

She passed!

As though to confirm, she was greeted with the long-awaited message.

Class Change Quest Complete

Class changed to Hidden Class: Successor of the Master Craftsman.

Master Craftsman Ferguson recognizes your potential. Learn from him to grow. With a single hammer, there is nothing you can't create.

"Wow…"

Another dazed exclamation slipped out. She couldn't hide her thrill. From this moment onward, she was an apprentice of a master craftsman. And she had become a hidden class blacksmith, known for raking in money just by being.

"I-I'll work hard!"

"Go inside. There's a fellow named Trail. He'll teach you the basics, make sure you grasp everything by today."

"Yes, sir!"

"Remember, I won't tolerate any foolish behavior in my workshop."

"I'll bear that in mind!"

"Now go on."

"Yes!"

With a fleeting glance at Seojin, filled with various emotions, BunnyRabbit dashed into the workshop.

Ferguson turned to Seojin, who was standing beside him. "What's with that look? You think I accepted her just because of you?"

"Of course not. It's your decision. I wouldn't be so rude to assume."

"Then what's that look for?"

"I was just a bit worried. You are kind to me, but I thought she might go through a rigorous training process…"

Unable to deny it, Ferguson chuckled at Seojin's laughter.

"I don't take just anyone on as my apprentice."

"Is her potential that great?"

"It's tremendous."

His astonishing answer came without hesitation.

"I wonder how Redrix trained her, or maybe she was like this from birth."

"I never even considered that."

"If you had that kind of insight, the gods would have been too unfair. So in that respect, I think it's fortunate."

"You flatter me. But for you of all people to say that, she must be…"

His surprise was not an act. In truth, Seojin mentioning BunnyRabbit to Ferguson was partly a gesture of goodwill, hoping he would look favorably upon her. That was how it usually went with Hidden Classes. The quests were hard to get, even harder to do, and even more so to complete.

But if Ferguson's reaction was anything to go by,

'Could the Class Change Quest have occurred just by them meeting?'

This was what surprised Seojin even more.

"If Trail is a diamond in the rough, your friend is almost polished, just about to show her true colors."

"Is that so?"

"If trained well, she might soon surpass even my fame."

"You must be exaggerating… or not. Oh my word."

"I have more to be thankful for. Thanks to you, I don't need to go through the trouble of finding an apprentice. Just training her will be enough for me to have no regrets."

For a moment, Ferguson's usually fierce eyes softened, reminiscent of an elder coming to terms with life.

"There's nothing troubling you, is there?"

"Don't overstep. I'm just relieved to have fulfilled a lifelong ambition of mine. It will take a long time for her to learn all my techniques."

"Ah."

That was good.

Seojin could tell, Ferguson was indeed wrapping things up. just that there was still plenty of time before he could do so.

"You must be busy. Go now, and stop by whenever you have some free time. You've given me a valuable gift, so I'll prepare something worthwhile for you."

"Looks like you can ask my colleague to handle that."

"It'll be a while before she reaches that level. Like I said before, if I give you something, just accept it."

"Thank you."

Bowing, Seojin added, "May I have a word with my colleague before I go?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"She's now your apprentice."

Ferguson shook his head.

"Maybe for other adventurers, but not for her. You have priority in this case. Do as you please."

* * *

"So, what did the general manager say?"

"He said he'd do his best. But he also mentioned he wasn't so confident…"

Seojin acknowledged it with a nod. BunnyRabbit's point was valid. Information about the developer of Midgard shouldn't be easily accessible to a mere general manager.

"Well it's better than an outsider doing it, right?"

"Definitely!"

"That's good enough. Tell him to get whatever he can, as best as he can."

"He seemed quite happy, actually. Excited to finally have something to do."

"Something to do?"

"Well, I shouldn't be saying this, but since it's you, Seojin…" BunnyRabbit grinned sheepishly. "With the nature of the Strategic Planning Department, there's not much for the head to handle. Especially since Midgard started operating, things have changed even more."

"Because it sells well without needing much effort?"

"Exactly. Nowadays, it's harder to find someone playing a game other than Midgard."

Midgard, a game boasting over 100 million players, had caught Seojin's eye in an advertisement just months ago. Yet now, reports indicated that its user base was nearing an astounding 200 million.

"The Korean branch only really handles Valaran, right?"

"Yes, essentially. It's the same with the information trading site. There's some international traffic, but the main clientele are players in Valaran."

"And the information they deal with?"

"The information… most of what gets posted is related to Valaran."

"Mostly, meaning there's some that isn't?"

"Yes. Well, you know how information loses its value once it spreads?"

"Yes."

"If our site gets a piece of information… Oh, like the one you gave, for example."

BunnyRabbit suddenly became enthusiastic in her explanation.

Suppose information related to the last Unofficial World Quest gets posted on the site. They quickly verify the information and then sell it to information sites in other countries.

Meaning, for genuinely valuable information, borders don't mean much.

"We call them peddlers. Their job is dealing with information, so they're really good at discerning its value."

"Like what?"

"Like what's worth money and what's just a rumor."

"Do you know anyone who does that?"

"No, I haven't been at the company long… Oh, I know their ID! I meant I don't know them in person."

To purchase information, one ultimately has to log in.

While personal details were inaccessible due to the system's design, there were still a way to contact them.

"Can you compile that information and pass it to me later?"

"O-of course!"

"Thanks. And I, um, I'm heading to the palace."

"…The palace?"

"I'm waiting for the king to summon me. Keep this under wraps for now, but if things go well, I might be onto something big."

BunnyRabbit's mouth dropped open. From anyone else, such a statement would be questionable, but something big coming from Seojin had to be something really big.

'Just how big is what he's planning going to be?!'

She couldn't even begin to imagine.

"May I ask what kind of…? Just personal curiosity!"

"I don't know yet."

"…Pardon?"

"The other party is the king. Given his interest in me, and the trouble with that group of adventurers, things are bound to escalate."

"…Aha!"

It was just a logical deduction. BunnyRabbit just nodded incessantly.

"I'll wait patiently!"

"I'll let you know as soon as things are sorted. Anyway, congratulations on becoming a Hidden Class."

"…Thank you. It's all thanks to you, Seojin. Honestly…"

She started to say something, then stopped. Perhaps it wasn't necessary to say it. But she wanted to. If not now, she might never get the chance.

"Honestly, at first, I had… many misunderstandings. I saw Midgard as just a game, even though I worked for the developer."

It felt like a confession. Seojin simply listened.

"Even when I first met you…"

"You thought I was strange, right?"

"…Honestly, yes. Oh, but not anymore!"

"That's normal. A madman who plays games day and night. Anyone would think that at first glance, not just you."

"Th-that's true. Honestly."

At this point, she couldn't remember how many time she said the word "honestly" in the conversation. Despite her embarrassment, BunnyRabbit pressed on.

"When you said 'colleague,' I thought it was a joke. But now I see, you've really accepted me as your colleague, and now…"

Her gaze fell.

"I feel like you knew my motives all along."

"I did."

How could he be unaware? In the fast-paced gaming world, where things evolve quicker than in real life, those who fail to keep up inevitably fall behind.

However,

"It didn't matter. First impressions can be like that. If you hadn't seemed okay at first, I would've ended things there."

Seojin chuckled. "Luckily, I wasn't wrong."

Her mouth fell open at his simple affirmation.

"So, don't worry about it. We're colleagues, then and now. Thanks for telling me."

"…Thank you."

"I'll go now. Just level up quickly and start crafting gear. That's beneficial for both of us, right?"

Finally, BunnyRabbit could smile brightly.

"Yes! I'll do my best!"

* * *

'Who would have thought it'd come to this.'

Seojin couldn't hide his smile. He was genuinely grateful. Despite the past, now, BunnyRabbit sincerely felt gratitude towards him.

'But this is encouraging. Although having her bound by a contract does prick my conscience a bit…'

He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

'No, it's necessary to have insurance.'

Human emotions could truly be capricious after all. At the moment, everything seemed stable, yet even a small hiccup had the potential to unsettle their relationship.

'Well, a good outcome is still a good outcome.'

Ideally, he wouldn't need to resort to such measures.

'Anyway, it's about time for that.'

Just before.

He had received a message from Flappy, who had followed the knight, Rachel.

-I can't get into the council. They've put up too many barriers. He's the king for you.

-Did Rachel go in alone?

-She went alone… Wait… Oh, I hear something. He's summoning you. But unofficially. Seems they don't want it known you're here.

-That's better for me too.

Just in case, Flappy remained at the palace.

Seojin had finished preparing to receive his guest in a quiet square, and from a distance…

'There she is.'

He was met with a familiar face.

Dressed too simply to be imagined as a royal, yet her face exuded a razor-sharp aura.

"His Majesty has granted you entry."

"Let's go, then."

Following Knight Rachel, Seojin finally made his way to the Valaran palace.