NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
Chapter 14. Weapon Exchange
“Let’s go check out the Open Market.”
Open Market
Unlike the online hero marketplace where you just upload images, this place displays and sells equipment in a real market-like setting.
It’s a place where several workshops are clustered together, with blacksmiths living nearby, managing both production and sales.
“Don’t guilds prefer online shopping these days? There are plenty of discount coupons for small guilds online, right?”
Kim Si-hu fiddled with his mobile phone, showing off a discount coupon for equipment he received at some point.
These were distributed as part of a policy by the Hero Department to support small to medium-sized guilds by asking workshops for cooperation.
They could be used even at reputable workshops, with discounts as high as 20% or 30% without any monetary limits.
To put it in perspective, a 30% discount means you’d get almost 30 million won off a weapon worth 100 million won.
However, Yoo Ji-han shook his head.
“Discount coupons only apply to equipment that doesn’t sell well. I want to see and buy the equipment I use in person.”
The items that remained in stock due to low popularity.
Discount coupons generally apply to those kinds of items.
On the flip side, popular equipment completely forbids using coupons.
Workshops are not that easygoing.
“Is the location in Seoul?”
“No, it’s Incheon.”
The Open Market in Korea exists across seven administrative districts, including Seoul, the special city, and the metropolitan cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan.
Yoo Ji-han planned to visit the Open Market in Incheon, where his office was located.
Kim Si-hu curiously asked, “Isn’t the Seoul branch better?”
“Usually, yes.”
Seoul is where the most famous artisans gather.
Naturally, it’s also the location with the most visitors.
But it’s crowded, land prices are high, and the equipment is expensive.
For a small guild to seek equipment in such a place is reckless.
“I’ve been there before, but other regions aren’t that bad.”
Yoo Ji-han had personally visited the Open Markets in the other four regions, excluding Gwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan.
And he managed to find relatively useful equipment there.
The equipment he currently wore wasn’t something he bought all at once, but rather pieced together by visiting various places and selecting his favorite parts.
Each workshop had different designs, and while some parts didn’t aesthetically match, considering the quality and efficiency of the equipment, it wasn’t too bad.
*
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu moved towards the Open Market in Incheon.
As with MA, there was an identity verification for heroes at the entrance.
Regular individuals cannot purchase special equipment without being a hero.
“Long time, no see.”
Yoo Ji-han looked around the Open Market.
A straight road stretched along with small and large buildings lined up side by side with the pedestrian walk.
A workshop where craftsmen trained in Japan gathered.
A workshop boasting to be the number one in satisfaction among Korean heroes.
A workshop that exclusively makes equipment for mages.
Various workshops and stores for heroes’ supplies were ready.
“I’ve never been to the Incheon side before.”
“It’s smaller than Seoul.”
“Still, I see all the famous businesses here.”
In front of the main entrance of the Open Market.
Names Kim Si-hu had heard of lined up in the most accessible spots.
But that’s not what Yoo Ji-han was looking for.
“Let’s walk a bit.”
They walked straight ahead, scanning the Open Market.
They passed by several people who had visited earlier.
Most were individuals who had purchased new equipment here.
Kim Si-hu looked at someone joyfully holding a new weapon and said, “Shouldn’t we buy one here too?”
“It’s too expensive.”
“If that’s the case, what about a guild-exclusive loan…”
Guilds have a dedicated loan service.
Banks know that guilds can earn a large sum of money in a short time, so they often lend even small guilds money in the hundreds of millions.
It’s not uncommon for a new guild short on funds to end up in debt due to equipment purchases.
“Don’t speak carelessly about loans.”
“But we can pay it back quickly.”
While loans aren’t inherently bad, they’re only to be used when absolutely necessary.
Responding that way, Yoo Ji-han turned down a narrow alley.
Unlike the clean streets outside, litter rolled around here and a faint smell of cigarettes lingered in the alleyway.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As they ventured deeper into the alley, the sound of hammers from an uninsulated workshop grew louder.
As the stale smell of iron and the heavy scent of cigarettes intensified, Kim Si-hu waved his hand in front of his nose.
“Cough! What’s in here?”
“Sometimes, hidden gems can be found in places like this.”
“Is this where you bought your equipment before?”
“That place… I wonder if it’s still around.”
“Really?”
“It changes often.”
Yoo Ji-han recalled visiting Open Markets in the past.
At that time, he mainly looked for equipment that was sold cheaply by small workshops trying to make a name for themselves.
Unfortunately, such places often disappeared after a revisit as they couldn’t hold out in the Open Market.
Survival in this market was quite challenging.
“Maybe it was around here…”
The alley had not significantly changed from the past.
Yoo Ji-han glanced around the point he vaguely remembered.
There had definitely been a workshop nearby where he found good value armor.
‘It’s hard to find online.’
It wasn’t the sort of place readily searchable online, so he had no choice but to walk around and find it.
He entered a nearby miscellaneous goods store to ask for directions.
“That place? It went out of business long ago.”
“Oh…”
The response he received was that it had shut down.
Exiting the store, Kim Si-hu muttered seriously.
“Looks like I should’ve taken a loan…”
“There are a few more places.”
Relying on his memory, Yoo Ji-han wandered around the Incheon Open Market he had visited before.
Yet, the news was the same everywhere: they had closed down.
Though the streets remained the same, the rent of workshops had increased, and most were unable to survive.
‘That’s a bit bittersweet.’
Even a Rank 5 Hero wears equipment made by renowned workshops; it’s no wonder small businesses struggle to survive.
But at the very least, he needed to find a weapon today.
‘Is there no choice?’
Ultimately, it was a moment when even Yoo Ji-han was considering taking a loan.
“…?”
Suddenly lifting his gaze, he spotted a small sign.
It featured crossed swords and shields instead of text.
It looked extremely familiar.
“Ah!”
He remembered buying the sword he was currently holding from that place.
At least one place was still alive!
Thinking that, he opened the old door.
Inside, someone polishing a silver armor looked up at him.
“Hello.”
“…Are you a customer?”
“Yes.”
“Welcome!!”
The middle-aged man with a long beard brightened up at the mention of a customer.
How few visitors must there have been for him to have to ask if the person entering was a customer?
Once inside, Yoo Ji-han browsed the displayed equipment.
‘Hasn’t changed much.’
The equipment here was generally priced lower than shops on main street.
A small dagger was even seen for sale at 300,000 won.
Considering that they all contained monster materials, those were very low prices.
‘Oh, right.’
Yoo Ji-han approached the man holding the sword he brought.
“You’re the owner here, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Do you also do equipment repairs?”
“I do, but…I have to check the condition first.”
“Please take a look at this.”
Yoo Ji-han handed him the sword in its scabbard.
The man cautiously unsheathed the sword and laid it on a large desk.
Then he took out a magnifying glass from somewhere and examined the sword…
“Hmm?”
The man’s eyes widened considerably as he inspected the bottom of the sword handle.
“This familiar finish, did you purchase this from our shop?”
“That’s right.”
“Oh, truly…!”
A bright smile appeared on his face.
He was quite pleased to see one of his past creations.
“Embarrassingly, this is likely one of the swords I made around three or four years ago.”
“I bought it exactly then.”
“I never thought I’d meet someone still using this! It seems you’ve taken good care of it…”
He gently ran one finger along the spine of the sword.
Then he paused his finger at a slight crack in the middle of the spine.
“Unfortunately, it seems the sword has reached the end of its lifespan.”
“Is repair difficult?”
“I can only save the handle. If repaired, it would have to be newly made, so it would essentially be a completely different item.”
As Yoo Ji-han expected, the sword was beyond repair.
It wasn’t even expensive enough to warrant wanting a repair in the first place.
“We happen to have a sword very similar to this one; would you like to see it?”
“Please show me.”
The man went into the back of the shop and brought out a sword wrapped in a purple cloth.
Unwrapping it revealed a sword similar in shape to the one Yoo Ji-han had been using.
Yoo Ji-han picked it up.
‘Nice!’
Though he didn’t know the material, it was slightly lighter than the sword he previously used and had a familiar grip.
Being new, the blade felt distinctly sharp, and it looked quite usable.
It raised doubts as to whether he could even buy it within his budget.
“This one is made using the sturdy horns of the Angry Yak monster from Mongolia. The handle decorations are made from its leather, and although thin, there’s also a magic coating on the blade.”
“That… looks quite expensive.”
“Since the amount of horn used only slightly enhances durability, the price isn’t that high.”
“How much is it?”
“If you buy it now, I’ll let it go for 50 million won.”
50 million won.
That was a pretty low price for the quality of the item.
<—The probability of purchasing a sword similar to or better than the one in front of me for 50 million won today in the Open Market>
[Less than 2%]
The result I checked through sampling showed that the probability of obtaining a similar weapon at that price from another workshop was extremely low.
It was undoubtedly a good deal.
After a moment of contemplation, Yoo Ji-han turned to Kim Si-hu and said, “I’ll just buy this with my personal money.”
“Huh?”
“I liked it.”
Yoo Ji-han had been steadily saving the salary he received from Keroes.
Currently, he had about 200 million left in his account.
He wasn’t one to splurge, so aside from buying a house, he hadn’t spent large sums of money.
Typically, the basic equipment necessary for hero activities was provided by the guild.
But he could personally afford to invest in a weapon.
However…
“I refuse.”
Kim Si-hu shook his head firmly.
“Hyung! If you do that, I’ll look like an incompetent leader who can’t even buy equipment for the people I hired.”
“No, I can make money somehow…”
“Anyway, I refuse. You can either buy it with your own money, or I’ll immediately apply for a guild loan, so just wait a moment.”
Kim Si-hu pulled out his mobile phone to apply for a loan.
And just as Yoo Ji-han was about to stop him…
The owner of the workshop, who had been observing the two closely, spoke up.
“Are you two in the same party?”
“Uh, yes.”
“Then…I have a proposal I’d like to offer.”
“Pardon?”
The man hesitated, twisting his fingers in his beard.
After a few seconds, as if he made up his mind, he said.
“I’ll give you this sword for free, but could you mention our brand during a party someday?”
“……!!”
He’s offering a sword worth 50 million won for free?