I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

“Here, take this tea. I’ve also brought some snacks, so try one.”

“Wow, this has honey in it.”

“Hehe, you need this much to really say you’re having a snack, right? Come on, eat up.”

We sat side by side on the bench, enjoying a peaceful snack time.

The snacks served with tea had a taste of honey, perhaps because they were the main ingredients.

I never imagined a day would come when I’d eat snacks made of materials considered a luxury in this world.

Indeed, it’s said that one must be polite and well-mannered.

“So, I heard you came to get some equipment… But before we talk properly, how about introducing yourself first?”

“Ah, yes. I’m Woo Hyo-sung, affiliated with the Labor Union.”

It’s Hyo-sung, not Hyo, but since I’d introduced myself, it should be properly remembered, so I didn’t bother to correct it.

Even if they continued to call me Woo Hyo after being corrected, it was just teasing, so there was no need to worry.

“I am pleased to meet you, young man. I am Jang, spending my old age on this street of artisans. Those who know me call me Alley Chief Jang, as I guard this alley.”

“Ah, I see.”

It was a moment when I thought that name suited him well.

Alley Chief Jang, guarding the street where the blacksmiths resided…

“Are you a blacksmith by any chance?”

“Not a blacksmith, but ‘Chief Jang’.”

“Hmm, I see. Not a blacksmith, but Chief Jang… It’s a title that suits you perfectly.”

“Hehe! Every word you speak is to my liking, young man!”

The old man laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.

His thin hand looked like it struggled to even hold a cane, yet the patting felt rather heavy.

Well, it wasn’t strange to feel a bit intimidated, even if he wasn’t hostile, especially after seeing someone’s head get cracked open.

“Well, anyway, if you’ve come to get equipment, you’ve come to the right place. I know quite a bit about the artisans on this street. If you have specific equipment in mind, I can recommend a store based on your budget…”

“Ah, yes. So, my budget is about this much, and I’m mainly looking for light armor and weapons suitable for the front line.”

I told him about my plans and quickly glanced at his expression.

He nodded his head and finally rested his chin in his hand, deep in thought.

From the start of the consultation, it was clear that he was taking it very seriously.

“If your budget is set at this level, instead of focusing on cost-effectiveness, you might as well indulge in a bit of luxury.”

“Luxury, you say?”

“It might not look good for nobles in dire straits to indulge in luxury, but if you’re starting an adventure, why not pursue a bit of romance?”

Romance.

That was actually one of the biggest reasons I chose to become an adventurer instead of a foreign worker.

“Traversing continents, finding dungeons, and unearthing the forgotten tomb of a king to acquire treasures… It wouldn’t be very glamorous to be wearing shabby, unattractive gear during such monumental moments.”

“That’s true. A once-in-a-lifetime, monumental moment could lose its luster if met in a shabby state.”

“The young man knows something, indeed. If you embark on an adventure with great intentions, why settle for just efficiency? If you enter a dungeon only looking for profit, you’re no more than a miner in an adventurer’s guise.”

Indeed, as the old man said, the value of an activity was determined not by what you did, but by the attitude with which you approached it.

Even if it was the same task, if for one person it was a dream and for another, just a way to make money, what they gain and feel from it would inevitably differ.

Having the appropriate pretext for it would also help maintain such an attitude.

“With the budget you’ve mentioned, you might not be able to afford magical equipment like those scoundrels use, but investing in decorative armor might be good. Do you have any such equipment in mind? Like embedding a gem in a self-defense dagger or engraving a pattern on a sword hilt…”

“Hmm, decoration…”

But perhaps it was because I’d never lived a life of luxury…

Even after hearing the old man’s advice on romance, I couldn’t quite decide what would be good.

After all, the romance I had always imagined was more about hiding than showing off, just as the old man had said.

“Rather than decoration, I’m interested in something else. Like the cane you use, for example.”

“This cane?”

“Ah, yes. Do you know about sword canes? They look like ordinary canes, but with a mechanism, a sword can spring out…”

“Hehe, a weapon disguised as an item. You have a unique imagination.”

Of course.

One of my dreams was to buy a mithril cane and pretend to be weak if I ever made a lot of money.

Pretending to be a hero only increased the risk of death, but hiding just one powerful weapon could be enough to smash the heads of those who picked fights with me, like this old man.

“So, I’m asking because when you swung your cane before, I didn’t see any signs of you using mana or anything like that.”

“Hehe, that’s right. I may have been something in my younger days, but what power would an old man like me have to respond openly to magical weapons? It’s all because of the cane’s material.”

So, the secret of that power was the cane.

Feeling my interest piqued, I ventured to ask him a hopeful question.

“If the material is good… maybe a mithril-made cane?”

“Fuahaha! You really make amusing jokes! Do you think it’s reasonable to make an old man’s cane from a material used for heroes’ weapons?”

The old man, treating my hopeful question as gossip, laughed heartily and patted me on the back.

The impact hurt my shoulder, but more than that, it felt as if a stake had been driven into my heart with sadness.

I had expected some sort of affirmation, but being dismissed as a joke immediately was really too much.

“Well, it’s not mithril, but it’s an alloy processed by a craftsman I know well. It’s perfect for holding and swinging around, being very sturdy and lightweight.”

“Oh, is that so?”

However, his current words were not easy to dismiss.

Even if it wasn’t mithril, if it was sturdy and lightweight, wasn’t it exactly the material I had been searching for?

“Uh, sir? If it’s okay, could you introduce me to that craftsman?”

“Eh? My friend?”

“Yes. As I mentioned earlier, I’m in the market for light armor, and if it’s a light yet sturdy material, it would perfectly meet my needs.”

Of course, a material crafted by a renowned craftsman might be expensive, but since the equipment was meant to last a long time, it was better to invest in something relatively sturdy from the start.

With this in mind, I ventured to make the suggestion, and he began to groan, resting his chin on his hand.

“Well, introducing you is fine, but… meeting him can be a headache. He’s quite the peculiar one, making it hard to deal with him as a person.”

“He’s peculiar?”

“You’d better meet him in person to understand what I mean…”

Swoosh.

The old man looked at me with half-closed eyes.

After a while, his stern face started to soften.

“Well, you should be fine. I’ll write you a letter of recommendation, so go and see him for a consultation.”

“Really?”

“Hehe, in this barren world, shouldn’t I at least repay you for being an old man’s conversation partner?”

The old man stroked his beard and chuckled good-naturedly.

I could tell the conversation was progressing well from his demeanor, but soon, I noticed a serious look in his eyes.

“Even though I’m introducing you to an acquaintance, let me give you a piece of advice, just to be safe.”

He leaned forward, his words heavy with caution.

“That friend is quite sensitive about promises, so if you have to make one, do it cautiously.”

“…Promises?”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Can you uphold them?”

Despite the weight of his words, I felt no particular tension.

After all, I had never broken a promise before.

“Yes, well. I can manage that.”

A promise was meant to be kept; breaking it was out of the question.

If something happened later, I would have no excuse, so I had to be careful, right?

After concluding the conversation and receiving a letter of recommendation, I headed to the deepest part of the craftsman’s street.

Contrary to his bold claims of using good materials, the place I arrived at was closer to a back alley than a bustling area.

Perhaps it was a secret hideout, deeply hidden, where others wouldn’t notice…

Well, yes. A craftsman who makes superalloy canes might indeed prefer such a place.

Regardless, I decided to get a consultation first, so I stepped inside, ready to call for someone.

“Excuse me. Is anyone here…?”

“Hoo.”

At that moment, I heard the sound of breathing, along with a presence from the side.

I stopped talking and looked over, seeing someone smoking a cigarette nearby.

“What’s up with you? Are you here for some business?”

An older woman.

Her apron and the tools at her waist indicated she was a blacksmith working in this craft district.

“Are you the craftsman?”

“I’m the owner here.”

The woman took a puff of the cigarette between her fingers and exhaled smoke with a chuckle.

Her eyes, as cloudy as the smoke, soon shifted indifferently towards me.

“Are you a thief?”

“No, I came here on the recommendation of someone named Chief Jang.”

“Recommended by another blacksmith?”

“No, an elderly person named Jang… Here’s the recommendation letter.”

Nervously, I handed her the letter I had kept on me.

The woman skimmed through the contents and frowned.

“…So it was that greenhorn.”

“Greenhorn?”

“Well, since there’s a promise, if that guy sent you, I guess I should deal with you.”

Hoo.

The woman, exhaling smoke, entered the building.

Staring blankly at her, I stopped and turned to look at her.

“What are you doing there? Aren’t you coming in?”

“Yes?”

“You came to get equipment, right? I’ll entertain you, so follow me.”

“Ah, yes, I’ll come right away.”

I responded in a monotone voice and immediately followed her into the forge.

A document soon greeted me on the table.

“What’s your name?”

The woman, pointing her finger at a blank space on the document that appeared to be an order form, held a pen in her other hand and asked me quietly.

“…My name?”

“We need it for the contract.”

Tap, tap, tap.

The woman tapped the document with her finger, waiting for me to speak.

Feeling rushed by her actions, I tensed my throat unconsciously and answered with effort.

“Uh, my name is Woo Hyo-sung.”

“…An outsider?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right.”

“Not a hero, perhaps a foreign worker?”

“…Yes, you’re correct.”

“Of course. It’s that kind of world.”

She swiftly wrote down the information I provided in the name and classification sections of the order form.

After taking a puff of her cigarette and exhaling, she faced me again and said,

“Tacchia Philoi.”

“…Sorry?”

“My name. Whether you use honorifics or casual speech, that’s up to you.”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you, Ms. Tacchia…”

“You said you came to get equipment. What’s your budget?”

Tacchia swiftly changed the topic right after the greeting.

Even though small talk now seemed possible, as we were conversing, she appeared uninterested and moved straight to business.

The pace was so fast that it was difficult to adapt, regardless of the distance…

Well, I didn’t come for a leisurely chat, so perhaps this was appropriate.

Deciding not to dwell on it, I handed her my pouch of gold coins.

“Is this much for the armor and weapon… insufficient?”

“What’s lacking? We’ll adjust to your budget and requirements. If it’s too much, we’ll filter it out, and if it’s not enough, but you still want it made, we can mix in some lower-quality materials.”

Tacchia quickly inspected the contents of the money pouch.

Based on its contents, she handed back the pouch and stood up from the table.

“We can just buy any weapon that fits your hand and process it, so let’s skip that. For custom-made armor, we need to measure your size first. Did you bring something like a body measurement chart?”

“No, I haven’t been measured since I arrived in this world.”

“Then I’ll measure you here. Take off your clothes and stand there.”

“Ah, yes. My clothes… Excuse me?”

What did she just say?

Did she say, ‘I don’t have it’? Did she mistakenly say ‘don’t have’ as ‘take off’?

“You need to undress for the measurement. Don’t you understand?”

No, I heard it clearly.

She, a woman, had boldly told me, a man, to undress and stand.

“No, I understand. But…”

“But what?”

Tacchia demanded an answer from my hesitating self.

Pondering what to say to calm the mood, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Do I need to take off my underwear, too?”

A question that could be taken sensitively, depending on how it’s heard.

“Do you want to take it off?”

“No, no.”

“Then keep your underwear on. I’ll get ready and come back, so don’t go anywhere.”

“Ah, okay…”

As Tacchia nonchalantly answered and went inside the room, I stood there, dazed, recalling our conversation.

What exactly was she thinking?

Her words were blunt, yet she seemed to do everything needed… Was that her way of being kind?