Chapter 5: Let’s see magic stones(2)

I’ve got the Blacksmith skill maxed out too, but I haven’t tried it yet, so I’m not sure how it works.
If a stone buyer who’s also a blacksmith is reacting like this, these stones must be pretty darn good.
Should I push for a higher price?
You’ve got to seize opportunities like this when they come.

“Then how about a bit more?”
“Look, that’s my max. Come on, miss, don’t push it. Even though these are top-notch, raising the price too much will wreck the stone market. The market’s still unstable since the Great Calamity.”
“Tch.”

So I can’t manipulate the stone market with prices. Still, 23 million for one haul is a solid win. No need to get greedier.

“Can you bring more like this, miss?”
“Yeah, it’s not impossible.”
“Same quality?”
“Yup, I can bring stones of this quality.”
“Alright, fine. If you sign an exclusive contract, I’ll go up to 25 million.”

25 million for an exclusive deal? That’s worth thinking about. But I could make a lot by selling at the auction house too.

“Hmm, that’s a bit much. I mean, it’s easier to sell to you than shop around, but you never know with life. Don’t get me wrong—I’m just saying I’m not sure if I’ll keep mining stones.”

I’ll probably keep mining, but I might want to start my own business with these stones. An exclusive contract feels risky.

“You mine these yourself?”
“Yup, I mine and sell them solo.”

The dwarf’s face twisted strangely at my words.
Honestly, even I’d doubt a woman like me could mine stones if I saw myself.
I wasn’t sure either until I swung the rainbow pickaxe.

“Skills, huh?”

Sharp guy. Or maybe it’s obvious? Skills are a given these days.
Technically, finding veins is a skill, but the mining itself is thanks to the pickaxe—item power, basically.

“Not exactly skills. I’m not combat-oriented. I’ve mastered pretty much every lifestyle skill, though.”

While combat types are eating bland instant meals in dungeons, I can whip up a five-star hotel dish with weeds. That’s the vibe.

“Ho, you’d make a fine bride. My grandson—”

I thrust my hand out, covering the dwarf’s mouth, and shook my head.

“Cut the nonsense. Say that again, and I’m never coming back.”
“Ahem, sorry. Just a bad joke.”

After my firm warning, the dwarf backed off.
As an apology, he transferred 23 million to my account via online banking right then and there.
There’s usually a process, but he called it a “cool deal.”
Just days ago, my bank account was in the red, and now it’s bursting with 23 million.

“You really love money, don’t you? Your nickname’s Warehouse, but that’s something else.”

Looks like this guy thinks my name’s weird too.

“Who doesn’t love money? Anyway, thanks for the cool deal. I’ll see you again.”

On my way home, I grinned at the 23 million in my online account.
With this kind of money, I could treat myself to some top-grade Hanwoo beef, right?

No, no. I should save it. Honestly, Aussie grass-fed beef is tasty and cost-effective.
I’m craving beef seaweed soup with rice.
Maybe I’ll make some for the first time in a while.

I stopped by the mart and stocked up on cooking ingredients.
The Cooking skill, a cornerstone of lifestyle skills, comes in handy at times like this.
Surprisingly, even combat players pick up Cooking. It lets you make food in dungeons, which is useful when potions are scarce.

[Cooking M: As the skill level increases, you can cook delicious meals faster.]

With the right recipe, even basic ingredients turn into gourmet dishes—a god-tier skill for anyone living alone.
Just toss in some beef and seaweed, simmer, and in no time, it’s delicious.

“Mmm, smells amazing.”

Mix it with rice, add some kimchi, and it’s perfection.
I thought about watching TV while eating but ended up turning on the computer to browse the awakener community.
Now that I’m an awakener, I figured I might find some useful info.

—

[Post: Anyone know GM Warehouse Keeper?]

Super pretty lady. She found a magic stone vein for our Black Mountain Guild and then vanished. 😢
I want to thank her. Anyone know her? Red hair, gray eyes.

[Comments]
AxeMurderer: ? The sucker was a woman?
KimchiFor30Years: Scamming a lady and now looking for her ‘cause she’s pretty? Lmao.
LowlyDRank: Haven’t seen her.
PackMuleIsLife: GM? Like, Game Master?

—

Something annoying caught my eye. A post straight-up targeting my nickname.

“What are these guys doing?”

Black Mountain Guild? The ones from earlier?
Why are they looking for me? I don’t need thanks.
Beyond that, it’s a matter of conscience. I went in knowing I’d mine stones and let them scam me.

I already made over ten times their price. Thanks? That’s just a hassle.
From their perspective, I’m probably a savior, but do I really need their gratitude?
It’s too much trouble.
So, I decided to ignore it. Mystique vibes work better in these situations.

‘Should I change my appearance?’

It’d be a pain if they keep bothering me.
For now, making money is the priority.
23 million is a fortune, but the more I earn, the more I should keep earning.
Since the Great Calamity, stone and item prices haven’t stabilized, so now’s the time to cash in.
Should I keep renting dungeons?
Or maybe just enter one? As an awakener, I can access some dungeons.
Public dungeons might be a good start.
I scrolled through more posts and found something interesting.

—

[Posted by: WhiteTigerBoss]
[Title: Looking for dungeon explorers! Need a pack mule/Guild credit guaranteed]

We’re White Tiger Guild. Found a new dungeon, but we’ve been too busy clearing others to manage our guild storage or inventory boxes. Anyone willing to be a pack mule, we’ll exchange contact info and can submit a contract directly to the agency.
Urgent, please!  Not looking for combat types, just a pack mule. You’ll get the same loot split as guild members.

[Comments]
RottenSweetPotato: Lmao, White Tiger Guild. Knew this was coming when you guys were poking around every dungeon. Karma, huh?
└WhiteTigerBoss: Fck off…
WannaEatRamen: Lol, think finding a pack mule is easy? Middle-tier guilds should chill.
└WhiteTigerBoss: I’d lick their boots if someone shows up.
AxeMurderer: Lmao, pack mules used to get no respect in the game, now they’re thriving.
└WhiteTigerBoss: Reality’s way different from the game. They’re gonna keep rising.
└AxeMurderer: True, my guild’s got some chatter about it too.
SlimeHunter20Years: Hahahahaha.

—

“Pack mules are thriving?”

Pack mules. Exactly what it sounds like—carrying stuff in dungeons.
Usually, it’s for people getting carried or hired by raid teams.
Pack mules typically have inventory-related skills or items and handle the team’s storage needs.
Most pack mules are players who misallocated their skills, so raid teams benefit from their help, and mules get to join high-level raids for EXP and rewards—a win-win.
This looks promising.

White Tiger Guild is mid-tier with a solid credit score. Seems trustworthy.

Looks like they’re desperate for people. Should I apply?
I’m not exactly in a position to be picky.

—

WarehouseCharacter: Can I apply now? Got full inventory skills from achievement rewards. But I really can’t fight at all.
└WhiteTigerBoss: For real?
└WarehouseCharacter: Totally living up to my nickname.
└WhiteTigerBoss: Can we meet to discuss?
└WarehouseCharacter: Sure. You really gonna lick boots?
└WhiteTigerBoss: Uh, if you want?

—

‘That should do it.’

They’ll probably need ID, but I don’t have to show my old citizen ID. The first digit might shock them.

“Now that I think about it, IDs are weird.”

The Awakened Management Agency treats awakeners as separate from regular citizens.
Awakener registration is considered equivalent to a citizen ID.
After the Great Calamity, with awakenings and incidents, everyone had to re-register their identities.
The government was so rushed that IDs got mixed up. Some used driver’s licenses as temporary IDs or got provisional ones.
I didn’t have one.

Back then, IDs didn’t mean much, and I was too busy to bother.
Basically, my old ID—gender and all—is useless now. Since I’ve awakened and registered anew with the agency, I’m just GM. Nothing more, nothing less.
Family registries or property records don’t mean much to me anymore either.

Most of my friends are gone, and I barely kept in touch with anyone from school.
No close family, and my relatives are a mess, so I rarely saw them.
Rebuilding this much after the Great Calamity is already a miracle.

‘So I’m basically reborn, huh?’

I kept putting it off, but awakening feels like a fresh start, so it doesn’t matter.
Perfect for leaning into the GM vibe, right?

No, I can’t insult the gods like that. I’d just be some idiot pretending to be a god in place of the game’s developers.
Anyway, this time, I’ll prepare for more than just stones.

Mining stones is one thing, but I want to explore the dungeon this time.
White Tiger Guild and a dungeon—sounds exciting.