Chapter 68: Don’t Run Away

An SS-rank hunter living with chronic insomnia for years. No wonder Kang Ian always seemed irritable and gloomy, as if the whole world owed him a good night’s sleep.

Kei silently pondered.

If it were just about creating an item to help one sleep well, that wouldn’t be difficult. But Kang Ian’s body contained an extremely powerful source of energy. An ordinary item would probably be crushed the moment it entered the range of his ability.

He needed to craft something more special.

An item that could temporarily let Kang Ian’s consciousness sink, but without affecting his ability to control his power.

"Alright." Kei set down his coffee cup. "I’ll try to craft something for you."

Kang Ian stared at him.

"How long until I have it?"

"Not sure. Could be a few days, could be a few years. After all, my crafting ability is still very limited right now. I’m just a novice Craftsman."

"I’ll wait, as long as you don’t go and disappear on me."

Kang Ian’s reply was so fast that Kei couldn’t help but be surprised.

Moon So Yeon let out a sigh, but her expression seemed a bit more relieved. She looked at Kei and said softly:

"I’m sorry for troubling you. But with just these contributions of yours to Kang Ian, our Guild Crying Ghost will definitely protect Kei-ssi at all costs!"

She didn’t finish the sentence, only looking at Kang Ian with a complex gaze, like she was looking at a troublesome older brother who wasn’t very reliable.

Kei suddenly understood that it wasn’t just Kang Ian who wanted this item.

The entire Guild Crying Ghost was probably waiting for someone who could make their guild leader sleep well.

Kang Ian stood up, but before leaving, he bent down to look at Kei.

"Don’t run away, my Craftsman."

Kei raised an eyebrow.

"Where would I even run to?"

"I don’t know." Kang Ian replied very casually. "But you seem quite good at running away. You probably don’t know, but the teleportation gates of Thunder’s shop were crafted by hunters from Crying Ghost guild."

Kei gritted his teeth.

"You really are insufferable."

Kang Ian smirked.

"Thanks."

Kei genuinely felt like he was being teased by Kang Ian.

"That wasn’t a compliment either."

"I know, it’s not like I’m threatening Kei-ssi, just idle talk."

Kang Ian turned and left the coffee shop. Moon So Yeon bowed to Kei and hurriedly followed, glancing back at him with an apologetic look before she left.

Kei sat alone at the table, watching their backs disappear behind the glass door.

He had originally just planned to sell items to make money and live peacefully.

Little did he expect that after saving an entire Guild, he’d be given a bizarre task by the leader of Korea’s strongest Guild.

Crafting an item to help Kang Ian sleep well.

Kei rubbed his forehead.

"What a troublesome guy!"

Kei returned to the shop as the sky was gradually darkening.

Fortunately, the city of Dong-San wasn’t affected at all by Guild Black Rose’s failed Dungeon challenge. Guild Crying Ghost had handled everything very well, preventing a Dungeon breakout that could have killed countless civilians.

Kei pushed the door and walked into the shop.

"Kei!"

Sora, who was sitting behind the counter, immediately jumped to her feet. The moment she saw him, she let out a sigh of relief, then hurried over and grabbed Kei’s hand.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Sora spun Kei around, her worried eyes scanning him from head to toe. She even carefully rolled up Kei’s sleeves to check, only letting go after confirming there were no wounds on his body.

"I’m fine." Kei said helplessly. "I just went to watch the hunters outside the Dungeon."

"What’s there to gawk at, do you think I’m an idiot? Everyone in the city already knows about Guild Black Rose coming back injured!"

Sora immediately planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks at him.

Kei guiltily turned his face away.

"About that... but in the end, nothing happened anyway."

He pulled out a chair and sat down, then recounted to Sora everything that had happened. From Guild Black Rose’s failed challenge, the Boss inside the Dungeon intended to cause an explosion,all the way to the matter of the space rings that brought the surviving hunters outside.

Sora was astonished with every detail she heard.

"Is it really that dangerous?"

"Yeah. Without those rings, many people might have died inside the Dungeon."

Sora’s expression gradually turned uneasy.

"What about the Black Rose Guild?"

Kei was silent for a moment.

"They suffered quite heavy losses. After this incident, the Black Rose Guild will likely have to make a major decision to abandon Dong-San City."

Sora lowered her head, her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her clothes.

"Most of the hunters in Dong-San City belong to the Black Rose Guild. If they leave this city..."

She didn’t finish her sentence, but Kei understood exactly what she was worried about.

If the Black Rose Guild left, most of the regular customers of the shop would also leave. Dong-San didn’t have many major guilds to begin with. Once the strongest guild withdrew from the city, there would hardly be any hunters left capable of buying items from the shop.

"That’s not certain yet." Kei spoke up to comfort her. "Maybe they’ll stay."

"But what if they don’t?"

Kei didn’t know how to answer.

He knew very well that what happened to the Black Rose Guild largely stemmed from his appearance in this world. Yet the ones who had to bear the losses directly were the hunters of Dong-San.

Thinking about that, Kei felt a bitter taste in his heart.

"Don’t overthink it." Kei gently patted Sora’s shoulder. "Too much has happened today. Go back to your room and rest."

"What about you?"

"I’ll close up the shop."

Kei looked outside. The streets that were usually bustling were now noticeably quieter. After the Dungeon incident, no hunters were likely in the mood to come to the shop to buy items.