NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Weapon Exchange (2)
What he proposed to Yoo Ji-han was simple.
In exchange for giving the sword for free, he asked Yoo Ji-han to briefly promote his workshop during a future media interview.
It was similar to giving products to celebrities or famous influencers for promotion.
‘Is he serious?’
Just by the quality, it was a weapon worth over 50 million won.
Yoo Ji-han was a bit puzzled by the offer.
“Thank you for the generous offer, but… we’re just a guild that’s been established for less than a year, with only two members. The promotional effect probably won’t be as significant as you think.”
Promotions usually work better with more established parties; it’s not easy for a smaller scale to have an impact.
In reality, it’s rare to see the benefits return in proportion to the investment made.
Moreover, that man knew nothing about Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu.
“It’s fine. I’m in a similar situation running this small workshop all by myself.”
But the owner of the workshop insisted it was okay.
As he spoke, he glanced down at the sword Yoo Ji-han had previously used.
His eyes held a glimmer of joy.
“Even if it’s not for promotion, please consider it a token of gratitude for taking care of the weapon I made.”
He was expressing his gratitude to Yoo Ji-han for cherishing the weapon he had crafted.
Yoo Ji-han pressed his lips together as he gazed down at the sword.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
“If it’s possible, I’d like to pay in installments…”
“I won’t accept that.”
“At least let me pay for half the price of the sword.”
“No! Just take it.”
The man, who insisted he needed no money in the end, was sincere without a trace of deceit.
The sword he had shown Yoo Ji-han was made about eight months ago.
Yet, this was the first time it was brought out not for maintenance but for a customer’s visit.
People didn’t even know there was a decent workshop in this alley.
He thought that even a well-crafted sword had no value without an owner.
And then he said,
“Anyway, I might close down my business soon.”
“Excuse me? Why?”
“Well… initially, making equipment was just a hobby alongside my main profession. But as I started to gain ambition, I ended up investing most of what I had, and it’s been about 4 to 5 years since I set up here.”
The man looked at his creations with a wistful gaze.
His name was Nam Ho-yeol, the owner of this small workshop.
He had worked as a designer for a large gaming company until a few years ago.
His position there was that of a team leader in charge of the design for newly developed games.
He gave that up to become a blacksmith, but his results so far were far from satisfactory.
“I even designed the sign here myself. You saw it when you entered, right? The sword and shield.”
“I did.”
“I had my own skills in design, and I’m truly grateful for the companions who have found me despite everything. So if things don’t go well in the next year or two, I plan to quit blacksmithing and return to that field.”
Kim Si-hu looked sad.
“That’s… too unfortunate.”
“It can’t be helped; my wife recently became pregnant…”
His wife, who had been earning a living alongside him, was now going to take maternity leave.
Though she had supported her husband’s dreams and worked hard behind the scenes, their household income would significantly decrease.
Raising a child would require a substantial amount of money, along with the costs of materials, making it difficult to maintain a workshop that was just gathering dust.
“So, I’m willing to try anything that might help the workshop. Even if I fail, at least I want to give it a final push.”
Nam Ho-yeol returned the sword to Yoo Ji-han.
And he handed it back to him, sheathed.
“Um…”
Accepting it without paying a single won, Yoo Ji-han felt a heavy sense of responsibility.
It wasn’t just about acquiring a usable weapon; it felt like sharing the heavy burden that Nam Ho-yeol carried.
“…Understood.”
Yoo Ji-han ultimately decided to accept his goodwill.
Nam Ho-yeol smiled brightly.
While Yoo Ji-han fiddled with the new sword, he said,
“I’ll make sure this decision won’t lead to regret.”
“Haha, that would be wonderful. I still have dreams I’d like to achieve as a blacksmith.”
“What are those?”
“Making artifacts.”
Artifacts.
They were items that looked no different from regular equipment but had magic or special effects, distinguishing them from the average gear.
Yoo Ji-han glanced at Kim Si-hu, who had a staff artifact.
“At first, I thought it would be good just to do something I love while making enough to get by, but now I can’t give up because that’s my current goal and a lingering hope.”
Many existing artifacts come from this world or were created by someone in Earth.
However, one couldn’t just create an artifact simply by wanting to; it required good materials, exceptional craftsmanship, and the help of heroes classified as mages.
Currently, it was known that there were less than 300 workshops worldwide capable of creating artifacts, including those of large guilds.
“You will definitely be able to do it.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t give up too soon. Maybe we will have good news to share soon.”
As Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu left his workshop, they were waved goodbye by Nam Ho-yeol.
Once they returned to the main street, Kim Si-hu said,
“Looks like we saved some money.”
“Indeed.”
Who would have thought they’d get a weapon for free like this?
To be fair, it wasn’t entirely free since it was for promotional purposes.
‘Let’s check it out.’
Yoo Ji-han used his sampling ability.
<—The likelihood of blacksmith Nam Ho-yeol successfully creating an artifact.>
Could Nam Ho-yeol achieve his goal?
The sampling didn’t provide an answer.
But Yoo Ji-han thought it might actually be a good thing.
He could believe that there were endless possibilities for him.
“Both Mongdang and this workshop—we need to work really hard from now on.”
“If we do well, the people around us will do well too.”
Whether it be a monster disposal company or a workshop crafting equipment for heroes, all these arose from the activities of heroes.
If the connected guilds grew, those businesses would inevitably prosper alongside them.
Just like many guilds in the past.
“I’ll visit here again later… for now, shall we head back?”
“Yeah. Let’s go to an MA or maybe the training center.”
Thanks to the conversation with Nam Ho-yeol, Kim Si-hu was even more fired up.
They walked in the same direction they had come from toward the Open Market.
‘Maybe I should look for a decent used car.’
Just as Yoo Ji-han thought about hailing a taxi in front of the Open Market—
Vroom!
“…What is that?”
Sensing something in the vicinity, he quickly turned around.
All he saw were just people walking by.
Kim Si-hu, walking beside him, asked, puzzled by his sudden action.
“What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t you feel anything just now?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I sensed a force similar to magic…”
“Not really.”
Yoo Ji-han scratched his head at Kim Si-hu’s response.
He was certain something had been felt, yet Kim Si-hu, more accustomed to magic than him, didn’t sense anything.
“Isn’t it just the magic of passing heroes?”
“Maybe?”
“There are times when I’m sensitive to the magic of other heroes too.”
Kim Si-hu speculated that it was due to Yoo Ji-han’s recent contract with a spirit and his training in becoming accustomed to magic.
Yoo Ji-han nodded in agreement and turned back around.
Vroom!
But that mysterious energy was felt again!
Moreover, its intensity was stronger than before.
It was certainly not an illusion but a power closely resembling magic.
‘There’s something.’
What he sensed had a similar feel to ordinary human magic but was different.
It felt like the spirit magic he sensed from the Sylph.
However, it didn’t seem like another spirit had revealed itself…
“Come, follow me for a moment.”
Yoo Ji-han turned and walked toward the direction he had sensed something.
As the energy approached, the sounds of people conversing grew louder.
“Homemade jerky made from various monsters, get it while it’s hot!”
“Check out used equipment about two years old!”
“I’ll share the know-how of surviving without a scratch in a Rank 3 MA! Online courses are available too!”
They arrived at a section of the Open Market where private transactions could occur.
From previous experience, Yoo Ji-han had avoided visiting this area since many items had unverified quality.
However, he sensed something from somewhere in this area.
‘Over there.’
The source of the emerging magic was the place where a large gray cloth was spread out on the ground and items were placed on it.
It was one of the street vendor’s goods.
“I specialize in used equipment sales! What can I get for you?”
“What about that dagger?”
Yoo Ji-han pointed to a dagger on the cloth.
The vendor’s eyes lit up as he replied,
“Wow, you have a good eye! This dagger was used by one of my past companions! It’s a bit worn, but still a usable item!”
“You’re selling it, right?”
“Of course!”
“…How much?”
“Just tell me the price you want! I’ll try my best to accommodate it. By the way, this dagger is sharp enough to cut through the tough leather of a Werewolf…”
At the mention of ‘Werewolf,’ Kim Si-hu was startled.
“Werewolf?! I thought they hadn’t been discovered in Korea yet?”
“That’s right! This one was brought from abroad.”
“You’re an overseas seller then.”
“I was in Europe until a short while ago. Anyway, to continue with my explanation…”
He elaborated on how great this dagger was, especially emphasizing the Werewolf part.
Yet, Yoo Ji-han continued to focus on the magic emanating from the dagger rather than getting interested in his explanations.
“All I need to do is name the price, right?”
“Yes!”
“Then I’ll offer 3 million won.”
3 million won.
That was quite a high price to pay for equipment of unverified origin.
“3 million won is a little low. It should sell for at least 4…”
The vendor seemed slightly dissatisfied with the price.
So, Yoo Ji-han, still looking at the dagger, crossed his arms and said,
“Last used, I don’t know when, but the blade is quite damaged.”
“True, you have a point there. How about 3.8 million…?”
“Hey, look. It seems like there’s a bit of rust too, doesn’t it? If I’m going to use it properly, repair costs won’t be low. In the workshop right up ahead, the basic repair fee starts from 400,000 won.”
“…370.”
“Also, you mentioned it can cut through Werewolf leather? I can source Werewolf leather of a palm-sized size from abroad with a bit of effort. If tested, what do you think the results would be?”
“340! I’ll offer 340 million won!”
With every sentence, the vendor desperately lowered his price.
As Yoo Ji-han predicted, the mention of the Werewolf was closer to a fabrication to sell the weapon at a higher price.
If it were such an amazing weapon, he wouldn’t be selling it in this place.
In fact, it was doubtful if he was even an overseas hero.
“Ugh! 340 million won! I can’t go lower than that!”
“Why don’t you sell it for 330? I know you’d still make a good profit at this price.”
“…Alright!”
Resigning himself, the vendor nodded vigorously.
The dagger’s price was finalized at 3.3 million won.
*
Bang!
A man stuffed a large bundle into the trunk of his car and sat in the driver’s seat.
He then pulled out a large amount of cash from his wallet.
A bright smile spread across his lips as he counted the money.
“Hehehe! What a bunch of suckers!”
He was the vendor who had sold used equipment to Yoo Ji-han and other heroes.
The equipment he sold today consisted of items he had picked up while wandering around abroad.
Naturally, the claims about Werewolves were a concoction built from rumors.
The only truthful part was that he had been traveling abroad.
“There’s no need for heroes to risk their lives at work. This is much easier!”
He gathered discarded equipment and monster remains from various sites, including MA, and secretly sold them off.
He was essentially the hyena of the hero community.
Rather than fighting enemies at risk, his motto was to enjoy life with a reasonable amount of money.
It was hard to get caught by selecting goods of dubious origin.
“Was the flight reservation for 8 PM? Anyway, I need to get out of here fast.”
He only accepted cash to prepare against refund requests.
Should he ever be reported for fraud to the police or Hero Department, it would be futile.
Not only would they be unable to find him, but he’d be in another country by tomorrow.
Moreover, the country was always short on personnel, making such small scams easily forgotten.
“At the end, that kid seemed like he knew something….”
He recalled Yoo Ji-han from their last transaction today.
That brat had attempted to negotiate, which was annoying.
However, since he had sold something he picked up for free at a high price, he could only refer to him as a precious customer!
“I really love Korea! I’ll come back again later!”
Vroom!
The man’s car, with a changed license plate from when he entered the Open Market, sped off.
He was off in search of another site and another sucker.
*
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu arrived at the office with their new gear.
“Whoa?!”
“Wow, what the heck is that?!”
As they examined the dagger, they were taken aback.