Chapter 14

Chapter 5

Huroi

"Kan, I heard you quit drinking. But... are you still a bit tipsy?"

Clang! Clang!

I was diligently honing my blacksmithing skills in the forge when an old man who seemed to be Kan's friend came in and immediately provoked me.

"Still a bit tipsy? What do you mean by that all of a sudden?"

"Well, if you were sober, would you be hanging around with such a useless and naive kid every day? Tsk, tsk. Just looking at him, he seems like someone who doesn't know a thing about the world. What kind of childish play are you doing by hanging around with him?"

The 'useless and naive kid' this damn old man is referring to is, of course, me.

How do I know?

Since the old man has been glaring at me as if he wants to eat me alive ever since he entered the forge.

"That gentleman was drinking during the day, wasn't he..."

The hand holding the hammer tightened.

The sudden surge of murderous intent!

Kan, noticing that the hammer in my hand was trembling, quickly tried to calm his friend down.

"Hey, be quiet. You're mistaken right now."

"Mistaken?"

"Yes, mistaken. Although this young man may look like a useless piece of trash, you shouldn't judge a person by their appearance. This young man is actually a great figure."

...A useless piece of trash?

Does Kan usually think of me like that?

A sense of betrayal rises.

Clang! Clang!

I channeled my surging anger into the hammering, making the steel even stronger.

Then, I suddenly reflected on my current appearance.

Although I leveled up recently, I'm still only at level 21.

Because I entrusted all my armor and weapons to the storage, I'm wearing the simple cloth clothes that a beginner player would wear.

NPCs judge players based on their level, equipment, reputation, and position.

Since I have a low level, no equipment, low reputation, and no position, it's understandable that NPCs see me as a useless piece of trash.

'Is it because the reputation points I gained from eliminating the gangsters haven't been applied yet?'

As I was feeling doubtful, I heard Kan and the old man talking.

"Can't believe it? Don't be fooled by this young man's appearance. Watch his skills carefully. He's not an ordinary blacksmith, right? And actually, this is a secret, but this young man single-handedly eliminated the Vale gang, you know?"

"Whoa! What nonsense is this friend talking about! Well, I can see with my own eyes that his blacksmithing skills are excellent, so I'll admit that. It seems this young man is quite remarkable despite his appearance. But eliminating the Vale gang? The top outlaws of Winston? That's nonsense! How could a blacksmith eliminate them alone?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. Have you seen any of the Vale gang on the streets lately? They've been missing for days. It's all because this young man eliminated them."

"Huh... This friend must still be a bit tipsy. If what you say is true, his reputation should have spread throughout the area by now, shouldn't it?"

Kan clicked his tongue.

"Think about it. If the rumor that this young man eliminated the Vale gang spreads, the Mero Guild will not let it go. Why would I spread the rumor? I was the only witness, so I didn't spread it. That's why this young man's reputation hasn't spread in the town yet."

"Hmm, so you were the only witness. Is this young man really that great? Huh, now that I look again, he doesn't seem like a kid anymore, but rather a brave young man?"

That's it. The reason my reputation points haven't been applied is because the rumor of me eliminating the Vale gang hasn't spread yet.

"Old Master Kan! Are you there?"

As I was understanding, a group of people suddenly entered the forge.

They each held a flyer in their hands.

A middle-aged man showed the flyer to Kan and asked.

"Is this true?"

Kan nodded after confirming the content of the flyer.

"Indeed."

The people murmured.

What's going on?

Curiosity piqued, I quietly approached the people and looked at the content of the flyer they were holding.

'Oh.'

[Our Mero Guild plans to challenge a competition in item crafting with Kan and the forge. The reason we, the Mero Guild, have challenged this competition is out of respect for Kan as a person and admiration for his blacksmithing skills. If we lose this competition to Kan, we will repay his debt to help him keep the forge. On the other hand, if we win and acquire the forge, we will entrust the management of the forge to Kan as we have done so far. Our ultimate goal is to coexist with the residents of Winston. We will announce the date of the competition soon, and we ask for your attention.]

This is the full content of the flyer the people are holding.

I can feel that the day of the competition is steadily approaching.

'Huh! I'm not nervous at all. No matter how skilled the blacksmiths hired by the Mero Guild are, there's no way I, the descendant of Pagma, will lose in an item crafting competition!'

The descendant of Pagma possesses the skill 'Legendary Blacksmith's Technique'.

Even if the Mero Guild hires a master blacksmith, the probability of me crafting a higher-grade item is higher.

But are master blacksmiths that common? Even high-level NPC blacksmiths with high reputation are mostly high-level blacksmiths.

The blacksmith I will actually compete against will most likely be a high-level blacksmith. There's no way I, the descendant of Pagma, will lose to a high-level blacksmith.

The people murmured.

"The Mero Guild could easily take over Old Master Kan's forge if they wanted to. But they didn't forcibly take it and instead challenged a fair competition, giving Old Master Kan a chance. They truly respect Old Master Kan, as they claim."

"Right. Even if they win the competition, they plan to entrust the management of the forge to Old Master Kan. Maybe the rumor that the Mero Guild is planning a job creation project for the residents is true?"

"Looking at this, it seems to be true. The Mero Guild is not as bad as we thought. They are truly aiming for coexistence with us."

Listening to the people's conversation, it seems quite plausible.

'Mero Guild... I thought they were bad guys because they hired thugs to threaten the old man, but they seem to be quite decent. But why were those thugs so rude? Was there a flaw in the command structure?'

The vague hostility towards the Mero Guild disappeared.

'The Mero Guild gave me a quest to earn 600 gold. There's no need to view them negatively. Yeah, that's it.'

While most people and I developed a slight liking towards the Mero Guild, it wasn't the case with Kan.

"So this was it. You planned this competition to achieve this! Rabbit, you're not an ordinary person!"

Enraged, Kan tore the flyer to shreds and scolded the people.

"Are you forgetting the humiliation and suffering of the past just by looking at this piece of paper? The Mero Guild, knowing the development plan of Winston, monopolized the information and took away our land and workplaces! We were left in poverty and hunger! But what have they done for us all this time?"

Many people sympathized with Kan.

"Right! The Mero Guild is the enemy! Are you going to make the same mistake of falling for their sweet talk again? Don't show them any kindness! If you let your guard down, you'll be betrayed and fall into the abyss!"

It seems that the residents of Winston and the Mero Guild have a deep-seated enmity. Their grudge against the guild is quite deep.

"Excuse me."

In the midst of the commotion, someone raised their hand. Everyone's attention focused on him.

'He's a player.'

NPCs have green names above their heads, but the name of the man who raised his hand is white.

It means he is a regular player who has neither committed evil nor done good.

Kan asked him.

"You're not a resident of this town, are you?"

"My name is Huroi. I am a regular traveler visiting Winston for the first time this morning."

"Is that so? Well, Huroi, do you have any questions?"

"Yes. I might upset you, but... will you give me a chance to speak?"

"Go ahead."

To be treated so kindly by an NPC I just met?

This Huroi, despite his lousy ID, seems to be a high-level player or a traveler with high reputation across the continent.

"From the rumors I heard upon arriving in Winston... It seems that the Mero Guild approached you before you knew about the development plan of Winston and bought your land and businesses at low prices. After that, Winston developed significantly, and the Mero Guild gained substantial profits by controlling the land and businesses. Is that correct?"

"That's right."

"But when the Mero Guild bought your land and businesses, was there any coercion?"

"No."

"Then, isn't it unfair to treat the Mero Guild as inherently bad? When no one cared about the development of Winston, you, blinded by immediate money, voluntarily sold your land and businesses to the Mero Guild, didn't you? And you planned to move elsewhere with the money you earned, but when you learned about the development of Winston, you stayed and ended up in your current situation, didn't you? Ultimately, shouldn't you blame your own ignorance and selfishness rather than the Mero Guild?"

"That scoundrel, where is he getting off with such insults!"

"He's definitely a lackey of the Mero Guild!"

The atmosphere turned tense, but Huroi continued without flinching.

"Blacksmiths are groups formed to accumulate wealth! It's natural for them to monopolize information to gain profits. While it's true that they are annoying to you, there's no need to categorize them as enemies. Is there anything wrong with what I'm saying?"

"This guy is still spouting nonsense!"

"Can't you just shut your mouth?!"

His speech seemed to be defending the Mero Guild. Enraged people were ready to beat Huroi to death. But Huroi was unafraid and spoke confidently.

"I'm not taking the side of the Mero Guild! The reason I'm saying this is for your benefit! People! Instead of fighting the guild, choose to coexist with them according to their intentions! Isn't that a much wiser choice?"

The people who listened to Huroi's speech until the end stopped being angry and became quiet, indicating that they were convinced by him.

At that moment, Kan stepped forward.

"You're a meddlesome young man. What's the purpose of giving such advice?"

Kan didn't hide his suspicious gaze. He seemed to believe that Huroi was a spy sent by the Mero Guild.

'I see it too. Why would he step in when it's not his place? There must be a clear reason for him to speak up like that.'

Huroi must have received a quest from the Mero Guild. If the people are convinced, his quest will succeed.

'Most people are already convinced. This can't happen. I need to step in!'

Whether the people treat the Mero Guild as enemies or coexist with them, it's none of my business. But why do I need to step in? That's because...

'Other people's misfortune