“Manager, did you just say the president of Forward Engineer is stepping down?”

“Why? Did he cause some scandal?”

“What the hell is going on?”

The office buzzed with chatter.

Meanwhile, An Ji-yeong quickly typed Chen Kai into the search bar.

No major articles popped up. She switched the results to latest first, but there was still no mention of him resigning.

“Miyamoto, is that information even accurate?”

At last, Manager Jang lowered his voice, though the room was still restless.

“Yes. From what I’ve heard, the Forward Engineer is in chaos right now. Word spread days ago, and it seems President Chen won’t be changing his mind…”

“But why?”

“That, I don’t know…”

“Damn it. This isn’t exactly the best timing to dig into Nam Yein.”

“Agreed…”

Ji-yeong realized she was unconsciously craning her neck toward the two men.

“For now, I’ll keep looking into him separately,” Miyamoto said.

“Fine.”

As Miyamoto turned away, Ji-yeong ducked her head into her desk.

The next day, the official announcement dropped.

President Chen Kai resigns.

Ji-yeong sat at her desk, eyes glued to the headline.

He claims he ‘felt his own limits’ and wants to return to being a simple technician? What kind of nonsense is this…

Her first thought was that maybe Chen Kai was bloated with success and quitting before it all burst.

She dug deeper through related news—and stumbled across something unusual.

[Hunters reportedly fought inside the home of Forward Engineer President Chen Kai…]

She clicked immediately.

“Hm.”

Training drills in his own garden?

She frowned.

Well, well. Serves Miyamoto right. He swooped in to steal this assignment with that smug grin, and now it’s all blowing up in his face. Delicious.

“Deputy An.”

A voice behind her made her shoulders jump.

It was Miyamoto.

“Y-yes, Team Leader?” She forced her expression into something polite.

“When you saw Nam Yein yesterday, did anything seem… off?”

“Well… he seemed normal…” She was about to feign ignorance when yesterday’s memory flashed.

Those four students, walking past her with expressions like battle-hardened soldiers steeped in malice—it had frozen her to the core. They’d radiated something… dangerous.

“There was, wasn’t there?” Miyamoto said, reading her face.

“I’ve looked into him. Staying in the dorms over summer probably means he has no family. Other than being selected for HAUT, nothing else stands out.”

Her eyes widened. HAUT candidate…? That explains their aura. But even so… that wasn’t normal.

“And why tell me this?” she asked carefully.

“Because both of us want that mystery craftsman for Forward. The more we share, the better our chances.”

Hypocrite. Yesterday you stole the job and smirked in my face.

Still, she couldn’t openly dismiss him.

“Well… His attitude was unusual, yes. And there was something almost… frightening about him.”

“I see.” Miyamoto stroked his chin.

“Team Leader Miyamoto,” a staffer called.

“What is it?”

“Manager’s asking for you.”

“…Alright.” He scratched his head and left.

Ji-yeong turned back to her monitor. The article she hadn’t finished reading caught her eye.

“…No way.”

Nam Yein’s face flashed in her mind.

What if he had been one of them?

What if there really had been a battle?

What if Chen Kai’s sudden resignation was tied to that incident?

No. That’s baseless. No evidence. Just wild imagination.

She shook her head. How could a mere Hunter trainee influence the head of Forward Engineer?

And yet, no matter how she tried to dismiss it, Nam Yein’s face lingered in her mind.

“This… I didn’t expect.”

Lying on my bed, I muttered.

On my tablet screen: an article about Chen Kai’s resignation.

He actually stepped down as president…

In the game, there was a scenario where Chen lost his position—but only if the protagonist and Meiling exposed his corruption to the world.

I hadn’t done anything like that.

Was it because I told him it was pathetic to be jealous of his own daughter? Did realizing his true feelings fill him with such shame that he reevaluated his entire life?

In Latesai, once Chen was ousted, Meiling’s personal storyline ended. He never appeared again.

But this world isn’t the game. His resignation may have a completely different cause.

Either way, as long as he wasn’t a threat, it didn’t matter. Still, I wouldn’t mention it to Meiling yet. She needed time to process on her own.

I sat up. The clock read past two.

I’d woken about ten minutes ago—after finally catching up on my sleep.

Since today’s a rest day, no dungeon. Better use the materials we’ve gathered and craft gear instead. Tomorrow’s a Platinum Wings day. I need to finish the items Eleanor and I planned, and rack up some crafting experience while I’m at it.

I summoned my hammer—then paused.

“Why am I giving the others a day off, but not myself?”

Sigh.

No choice. This wasn’t just hard mode anymore—this was nightmare difficulty.

If I wanted to survive, even free time had to be spent wisely.

I pulled materials from my inventory and began hammering.

Next morning.

I headed alone to the Hunter Market.

Strangely, Meiling hadn’t called to pester me at dawn this time.

So why did she throw such a fit last week?

I stepped inside Platinum Wings—then froze.

“Welcome!”

A man in his mid-twenties beamed.

Bronzed skin, muscular frame, dazzling teeth. A handsome guy, through and through.

“Looking for equipment?”

“Ah, I’m not here to buy—”

“Ricky, Mr. Nam Yein isn’t a customer. He’s a friend of the owner,” Lee Donghyuk said, emerging from the back.

“Ahh, I see!”

“Welcome, Yein.”

I gave a small nod.

“This is Ricky Peanut. He just started working here yesterday.”

Ricky Peanut? What a name.

“Hello! Nice to meet you!” Ricky greeted me in a booming voice.

"Hello."

I returned the greeting and looked over at Lee Donghyuk.

"Manager. Is Eleanor inside?"

"I'm right here."

The voice came from the stairs.

Eleanor was coming down, carrying a large box in her arms.

"Ah, boss!"

Ricky quickly rushed over to the staircase.

"Let me take that for you."

"Thank you, Ricky."

Eleanor handed the box over to him, then walked toward me.

"Welcome, Yein."

"Yeah."

"I'm heading to the workshop now. Come with me."

I nodded at Eleanor’s words.

Judging from what Donghyuk said earlier, it seemed she hadn’t told Ricky that I was supplying her with items. If I were to hand over rare equipment here, the new employee would definitely find it strange.

"Then I’ll be back this afternoon."

"Yes, miss."

"Understood, boss!" Ricky’s energetic voice echoed through the shop.

Really, he was overflowing with energy.

We stepped out of the store and began walking down the main road of the Hunter Market.

"Sorry. I should have told you to come straight to the workshop instead of making you go back and forth."

"You must’ve been busy."

"Yeah. Ever since I opened this new store, there’s just too much to take care of."

Eleanor let out a sigh.

"Back when the shop was in the Hunter Mall, I could leave everything to Uncle Donghyuk. But now, I barely have enough time to work on equipment."

"That’s why you hired an employee."

"That’s part of it. But mostly because I could see how much Uncle Donghyuk was struggling."

"Impressive."

"What is?"

"You."

I looked at her face as I spoke.

"You’re an aspiring Hunter just like me, yet you’re also running a workshop and managing a shop at the same time. Most people wouldn’t be able to pull that off."

"…"

Eleanor blinked at me, then gave a wry smile.

"There’s nothing impressive about it. Without my father’s support, I wouldn’t even have been able to start the workshop or the store."

"Even so, you’re the one keeping them running. That alone makes it impressive."

"Well… thank you for seeing it that way. Whew, it’s hot today."

Eleanor fanned herself with her hand.

"But why are you complimenting me so much all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you couldn’t finish the items for delivery?"

"If that were the case, I would have contacted you beforehand."

"True. You’re not the type to make mistakes like that. You do have the skill to produce a hundred rare items in a single week. Honestly, I still don’t understand how that’s even possible."

"…"

I felt my face stiffen.

"Don’t worry. I won’t ask."

Eleanor let out a small laugh.

‘No. Honestly, I just want to tell her everything and get it off my chest.’

Every time Eleanor looked at me like that, I felt pressured. Unlike her, who sweated over the furnace and hammered away at the anvil, I created items with my ability.

It was no different from having a goblin’s magic hammer.

If Eleanor were to learn the truth, she would be terribly disappointed in me.

‘Well, too late now. I set things up this way from the start.’

I pushed away the useless thoughts and followed behind her.

Later, at the workshop, I handed over the rare equipment and received the materials I had ordered.

As always, Eleanor asked me to watch her while she crafted, and I agreed.

About two hours passed.

A loud growl came from one of our stomachs.

"…"

"…"

Eleanor and I exchanged glances.

"Haha… I skipped breakfast and got straight to work, so I’m starving."

She put down her hammer and scratched her cheek.

"Let’s eat before continuing. Want to come with me?"

"Sure."

I had nothing urgent to do anyway, so I followed Eleanor out of the workshop.

Once again, she chose a fast-food place.

On the kiosk screen she operated, I watched her order a burger set, chicken nuggets, cheese sticks, and even dessert.

Just looking at it made me feel full.

A short while later, Eleanor returned with a tray piled high with food.

"Alright, let’s eat."

She smiled as she spoke, and I nodded back.

That was when—

"What a coincidence."

A sudden voice made us both turn our heads.

"Huh?"

I froze in surprise.

"Meiling? And… Lumina, Senior Seo Yui too?"

My squadmates stood there, each holding a tray of food.

Lumina wore a wry smile, while Seo Yui stared blankly at me.

"I came out to hang with these two, and we happened to see you and Eleanor. Mind if we join?"

Meiling looked down at Eleanor as she asked.

"Of course. Go ahead and sit."

Eleanor spoke warmly, then slid her tray closer to me. She moved to sit down right at my side.

"…Hmm."

I noticed Meiling’s eyes twitch slightly. The looks from the other two shifted as well.

What was this atmosphere?

(End of Chapter)

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