I Became an SSS-Grade Time-Transcending Almighty Blacksmith - Chapter 61

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 61
Chapter 61
“E-eight hundred billion?”
“Going forward, we’ll provide an annual salary of eighty billion, plus performance bonuses based on item sales. We’ll also establish the Kang Cheol-mangchi brand and offer you a thirty percent stake…….”
With each word from Taeseong Corporation, the representative from Siren Guild seemed to shrink further into his chair.
Not that it was surprising—they’d confidently quoted a signing bonus of two billion, only to immediately follow it with talk of an eighty-billion annual salary.
Of course they looked stunned.
Moreover, Taeseong Corporation wasn’t just creating a brand exclusively for me and attempting globalization—they were handing me equity in the venture itself.
The moment Taeseong Corporation finished, the others seemed to take it as a challenge.
“This is Hangang Guild. As you know, we are one of the five major guilds of Korea. Precisely because of that, we promise to offer you not mere money, but the highest treatment befitting an Awakener.”
Hangang Guild stepped forward.
“First, we’ll assemble a dedicated party to assist with your leveling, and establish a protective team to completely prevent another attack like this. Furthermore…….”
No matter how massive a guild was, it couldn’t match Taeseong Corporation’s financial muscle.
So the major guilds, including Hangang, pivoted their strategy—attacking from a different angle.
What I needed most right now: growth and security.
A major guild would naturally possess many powerful Awakeners, and I had to admit, that inspired confidence.
And then there were the others.
“Daehan Heavy Industries will offer one percent of our company shares as a signing bonus. We’ll also provide incentives up to five billion per project through joint ventures…….”
“The Gate Research Institute cannot match large signing bonuses or salaries, but through collaborative research, we’ll maximize profit-sharing rates…….”
Each organization began highlighting their respective strengths without exception.
And every single offer was compelling enough to catch my attention.
‘If I go with Taeseong, I won’t have to worry about Mana Stones.’
I’d pocket eight hundred billion the moment I signed.
With that, I could massively reinforce the Forge of Time from day one.
Since Taeseong would handle my items’ global expansion personally, my sales outlets would expand dramatically as well.
‘If I join a major guild, I won’t have to worry about safety.’
Major guilds were filled with powerhouses befitting their names.
They were offering to protect me directly.
Even if my identity were exposed, joining a major guild would mean I’d never have to fear criminal attacks again.
But it wasn’t only them who’d come to recruit me.
“We’ve just confirmed with headquarters. We’ll wire eighty million dollars as a signing bonus immediately.”
Eighty million dollars.
For the first time, an offer exceeded Taeseong Corporation’s amount.
And that wasn’t all.
“Should you naturalize as a United States citizen, we’ll prepare a residence for you in America’s premier Safe Town, where the nation’s finest Awakeners gather. Additionally…….”
They’d furnish me with a safe house the moment I became a U.S. citizen, plus a host of other benefits.
Then came representatives from China, Japan, and elsewhere.
The foreigners began unleashing staggering terms.
Even the Korean representatives present looked stunned.
At that moment, the Taeseong representative who’d been on the phone earlier—
“We’ve received approval to raise the signing bonus to one hundred billion.”
—abruptly doubled down on the contract offer.
One hundred billion.
A few months ago, I couldn’t have even imagined such a figure.
Even now, crafting items to earn that kind of money would take considerable time.
Spurred by the challenge, the others began outbidding each other on signing bonuses and salaries.
However.
“These are all wonderful offers, but shouldn’t you explain the contractual obligations as well?”
They were only telling me what I wanted to hear.
The most crucial details—the actual obligations—remained unmentioned.
The instant I said this.
Those who’d been luring me with bigger money and greater benefits suddenly hesitated, then cautiously began laying out the terms.
“There’s an obligation to prioritize guild members’ equipment. You must manufacture and repair their gear first, and distribute any sellable items according to guild directives. That said, we won’t make unreasonable demands…….”
“You must prioritize projects undertaken by our research institute. The first project involves item manufacturing using mechanical equipment…….”
“You’re free to craft and sell items, but Taeseong’s logo must be engraved on each one. Moreover, your newly established brand requires global expansion, so our planning team will…….”
Of course.
They hadn’t thrown around one hundred billion carelessly.
Their demands differed, but one thing was clear: any affiliation would become a chain binding me.
‘It’s murky.’
The prospect of a hundred billion was tempting, I couldn’t deny it.
In the past, I would’ve chosen without a second thought.
But now I’m uncertain.
Even though it’s only been a few months since my Awakening, I’m already earning over ten million won a day.
As time passes and I grow stronger, what then?
Will a hundred billion won still feel like a fortune?
If a hundred billion becomes pocket change, won’t affiliation become nothing but a chain?
And more than that.
‘They’ll just order me around and decide what items I make anyway.’
If I contract with them, I won’t be able to craft freely according to my wishes.
If the Guild tells me to make longswords, I’ll make longswords.
If the Research Institute tells me to make armor, I’ll make armor.
That’s not the vision of a joyful blacksmith’s life I have in mind.
If I’d faced such restrictions even in the Final Gate, I would’ve lost interest long ago and quit.
As I was wrestling with these thoughts,
the Association Chairman, who had been listening silently, posed a question to me.
“Kang Cheol-mangchi. Or rather, Jang Gang-cheol.”
“Yes?”
“What conditions would you require?”
Until now, everyone had been rushing to pitch their own proposals.
The Chairman was the first to ask what I wanted.
And my conditions were already clear in my mind.
I do love money, but honestly, the more I swing my hammer, the more it flows in naturally anyway.
“A safe place, protection, money—of course I want all of it…….”
But what I truly wanted in this situation was
“freedom.”
Yes, freedom.
I want to craft when I feel like crafting, items of my own choosing.
I know it’s greedy.
They have hopes of me, so they’re entitled to set such conditions.
But if I’m going to demand freedom while only accepting their terms, that makes no sense.
In any case, after I mentioned this,
“Ah, we’ll revise the contract terms to accommodate you as much as possible. You’ll be free to craft whatever items you wish…….”
“How about a time-based arrangement? Our desired items in the morning, and the remaining hours you create whatever you please…….”
The people began hastily revising their contract offers.
Each was making concessions, desperately trying to recruit me.
And then,
“Let me speak plainly.”
The Association Chairman opened his mouth once more.
But this time, it wasn’t a question.
“The best condition the Awakeners Association can offer you is this.”
He too was making a proposal.
I wondered—what could the Awakeners Association possibly offer?
All eyes in the conference hall, including my own, turned toward him.
And the word that left his lips was,
“‘Freedom.'”
Exactly the same word I had spoken.
* * *
To put it simply,
I chose
“I look forward to working with you, Chairman.”
the Association Chairman.
Though, it wasn’t to say I was joining the Awakeners Association as a member.
What the Chairman had proposed was freedom in the truest sense.
It included no condition of affiliation with the Association.
……Of course, I still had to register as an Awakener with the Association,
which is something all Awakeners must do immediately upon Awakening, and operating in secret is technically a crime.
But considering my special circumstances, the Chairman let it slide appropriately.
However,
‘what matters is what comes next.’
I didn’t choose the Association Chairman without reason.
The Association Chairman said he couldn’t provide financial support, but he could at least guarantee me a safe place.
A guard would have been nice, but if the location itself was secure, protection wasn’t strictly necessary.
I could earn the money myself.
All I needed was a safe place.
So it was to this location that the Association Chairman brought me.
“Here it is.”
“Safe Town in Korea?”
“Not quite such a grand name. But you could say it’s the safest place in Korea.”
It was what people called Safe Town in Korea.
The reason was simple.
In this residential complex.
“A considerable number of Korea’s Rankers live here.”
Korea’s Rankers resided in this place.
The beginning of it all traced back to the Association Chairman himself.
This had originally been where the Association Chairman lived, but once he made his mark, his inaugural associates moved here to live with him.
Naturally, Korea’s strongest began moving in as if by unspoken agreement, settling down in this place.
Of course, property values climbed, and many who weren’t particularly powerful Awakeners tried to move in.
‘The Awakeners Association blocked them all, he said?’
Only Awakeners certified by the Awakeners Association could reside here.
With such a requirement in place, even the President himself couldn’t live here—a dwelling place for the strong.
And this was exactly that.
And the Association Chairman.
“This one.”
He designated my house for me.
I hadn’t had high expectations even so.
“Wow…….”
I was wrong.
To begin with, the house was even larger and more beautiful than the luxurious detached dwelling I’d been renting before.
Of course, security systems were installed thoroughly throughout.
“Even if some bold criminal with guts decides to show up, they won’t be foolish enough to cause trouble here. The Association will also heighten their vigilance for some time.”
Was there anywhere safer than this?
As the Association Chairman said, even criminals confident in their abilities would think twice about a place where Awakener Rankers lived.
The thought of them finding their way all the way to our house, nestled in the deepest part of this district, and causing trouble seemed unlikely.
The name “Safe Town of Korea” fit this place perfectly.
In fact, America’s Safe Town had similarly formed naturally as a place where America’s strongest lived, so the concept was much the same.
The interior of the house was no different.
A fully-equipped living space with every conceivable appliance, and a spacious, airy living room.
Everything was perfect.
So it was that I entered the living room.
“Time Smithy.”
Rumble.
I stepped into the smithy.
Inside the smithy I’d entered.
[ Big Slime’s Embrace ]
[ Cool Leather Bed ]
[ Solid Stone Bed ]
[ Wild Leaf Bed ]
…….
Not only beds for me and my helpers, but furniture I’d made at my previous house was packed in full.
This was the true advantage of the “Time Smithy.”
Put everything I wanted to take from my old house into the smithy, then open the smithy at my new place!
“Let’s get started!”
“Yes, Master.”
“Wahaha! What a much nicer place!”
“Squeak!”
I could transfer the items right away.
As long as myself or my helpers had our hands on an item while in the smithy, we could move back and forth through the smithy together with it.
Using that method, the furniture I’d prepared in my new sweet home was quickly arranged in place.
“Now that we’ve moved in, should we order jjajangmyeon for dinner?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Good, good!”
“Delicious! Sweet and sour pork is excellent! Kung Pao chicken is excellent! Braised pork belly is excellent!”
Though I’d only moved into my own place a short while ago, if I’m being honest.
But the thought that I could really stay here for a long time made me order black bean noodles first.
Then, on impulse, I asked:
“Would you like to eat with me, Association Chairman?”
I posed the question to the Association Chairman.
“…All right, then.”
Surprisingly, the Association Chairman accepted my offer.
What he ordered was a platter of black bean noodles.
A three-portion platter, but because of his bulk, it looked like he was eating an ordinary bowl of noodles.
As we continued eating,
“But why did you give me such favorable terms?”
I asked the Association Chairman.
I wasn’t even joining the Awakeners Association, and yet he’d arranged a house for me in Safe Town with nothing asked in return.
It was far too good an offer for me.
To that question, the Association Chairman, having finished his platter of noodles cleanly, answered:
“I simply hope that you will display your strength here in Korea.”
Those words stung a little.
In truth, the best offers at the conference table had come from places like the United States and China.
If I’d had to choose one unconditionally, I likely would have gone with another country, given how much better their terms were.
“That said, I’m not asking you to dedicate yourself or sacrifice for Korea’s sake.”
The Association Chairman.
I’d heard he was a professional soldier before his Awakening.
“I simply wish that you will grow together with us without losing your homeland.”
He turned out to be a patriot far more devoted than I’d imagined.
For someone like that,
“By the way, do you have any plans this evening, Association Chairman?”
“I have no plans, but…”
“After we finish eating, would you like to visit my smithy? Since you’re my first guest in this new house, I’d like to make you a gift.”
I decided I would make him a gift.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————