NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45
Chapter 45. Echoes of All-Nighter
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu, gathered in the guild office, were organizing their earnings using a computer.
Tap, tap!
Kim Si-hu was staring at the numbers popping up on the monitor.
Typically, money management in a guild is handled by the finance or accounting team.
However, in smaller guilds, it tends to be managed primarily by the Guild Master, just like now.
In the case of Sweet Fun, Kim Si-hu would share the entire financial status with Yoo Ji-han, who was akin to an executive in the company.
“The amount earned during the Giant Monster was about 30 million won, the money from disposing of the Giant Cat Monster sent by Snowflake was 3 million, and the amount obtained from the monster chicken auction is a little over 200 million…”
“Is it around 300 million in total?”
“Combining everything including the pending deposits, it should be that much.”
“Is the pending amount from the auction?”
“Yep. You mentioned that there’s an American among the bidders for the monster chicken, right? It seems difficult to receive some of that until the international shipping is completed.”
The total amount they had earned from their activities was roughly around 300 million.
Even after excluding various taxes, it didn’t fall below 300 million.
Additionally, it could be expected to rise a bit more once they disposed of the Giant Dandelion Monster and seeds currently stored at Mongdang.
‘Not bad.’
It was an exceptionally high figure for the earnings of a Rank 5 or Rank 4 party in a short period.
Their results would probably be better than those of a large guild’s Rank 4 party during the same period.
Especially since the profits from the mutation of the Giant Monster and the auction of the monster chicken played pivotal roles.
They made over 200 million in one go!
‘At this rate, we can afford to recruit other guild members.’
The amount earned was sufficient to pay the annual salary of a decent Rank 4 Hero.
And now, Yoo Ji-han was thinking of Min Yu-ri.
Considering her unique ability as a Tamer and her potential to earn by herself, comparing her salary to that of an ordinary Rank 4 Hero might be challenging.
However, excluding the shares of the guild, it could be thought that they now had room for salary negotiations with her using just cash.
“What about the seeds?”
“White Umbrella?”
“Yeah.”
The White Umbrella they gained thanks to Mongdang.
Searching for overseas references, it turned out to be something close to a special elixir with unique effects.
‘That’s definitely a jackpot.’
The effects obtained from consuming the White Umbrella were quite diverse.
It not only elevated a hero’s magic sensitivity, allowing them to feel magic more vividly but also enhanced the ability to condense magic into a smaller, more precise range.
There were various additional effects, but to summarize briefly, it was something you couldn’t buy with money anywhere.
“Of course, we should consume it ourselves.”
“Phew…”
“Do you want to sell it?”
“Absolutely not!”
Kim Si-hu shook his head vigorously.
He didn’t want to miss out on a growth opportunity just for the sake of money.
“There are differing opinions on how to consume it.”
There were a few papers and writings proving the effects of the White Umbrella, but the number of findings was still limited, so the ways to consume it were only known in a restricted manner.
Some people crushed the hard seeds into powder and mixed it with water, while others roasted them or chewed them raw.
Most experienced some effects, but no one knew which method was the best.
After pondering in silence, Kim Si-hu asked Yoo Ji-han.
“What should we do?”
“I have a few ideas.”
“What are they?”
“How about boiling it with Lucky Whisker?”
The method Yoo Ji-han was considering was boiling it with water.
Not just boiling it alone, but he wanted to boil Lucky Whisker, which he had stored at his home, together with the White Umbrella in one pot.
Kim Si-hu cocked his head.
“Is that supposed to be good?”
“Isn’t it?”
There was no prior documentation attempting such a combination.
It was only known that Lucky Whisker didn’t lose its flavor even after being boiled multiple times, so they hoped the White Umbrella would behave similarly.
‘Combining something healthy with something healthy should be better, right?’
It was like adding the zest or juice of sour fruits to fragrant herbal tea to make a blended tea!
Dissolving the mystical energy of the Giant Cat Monster’s whiskers and the Giant Dandelion Monster’s seeds in water for continuous consumption.
Yoo Ji-han could think of no better option than that.
“There are reports of people consuming them in bizarre ways, so it should be fine. Let’s go with your idea.”
Kim Si-hu agreed with the suggestion of brewing it as tea.
Seeing as someone had roasted it directly over fire, the good components wouldn’t be destroyed just because of high heat.
“I’ll boil it and bring it back in a thermos.”
“Okay.”
“And…”
Yoo Ji-han looked at the equipment he had laid out in one corner of the office.
“I think it’s time for both of us to change our gear.”
Kim Si-hu nodded in agreement, glancing at his own equipment.
The gear he wore previously was severely torn in several places.
All because of the seeds fired by the Giant Dandelion Monster.
Especially Yoo Ji-han’s armor was in such a serious state that it could just as easily be called a pretty rag draped over him.
“Do you have the beak from the monster chicken we got from Mongdang?”
“It’s in my carrier.”
“Let’s take that and go see Nam Ho-yeol.”
*
In a remote alley of the Open Market in Incheon.
Cigarette butts, burned down to just the filters, rolled around on the ground, and the familiar noise of a workshop filled the area.
Nam Ho-yeol sat inside his store, stroking his chin with one hand at the workbench.
——I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to raise the rent starting next month.
He had spoken on the phone a few hours prior with the landlord who owned the workshop building.
What started as a friendly greeting ended with the gloomy news that future rent would be raised.
While he hadn’t received the exact amount yet, he expected it to rise somewhere between 500,000 and 700,000 won.
He had heard as much from others in similar situations around him.
‘Did the sales last month cover this month’s rent?’
A few days ago, he was lucky to sell one helmet for 14 million won.
After deducting material costs, what remained was about 800,000 won.
‘Did I sell it too cheaply….’
Indeed, the profit margin was dismal.
Even when goods sold, there wasn’t much left over.
His greed to only produce high-quality equipment had led him to set high material costs, while he set the selling price low to try and sell anything.
Fortunately, he could combine recent sales to cover the rent at least.
“How much longer can I hold on?”
Nam Ho-yeol recalled his bank account balance.
Though he wasn’t on the brink of collapse, the financial situation was gradually becoming risky.
As a blacksmith, he needed to purchase materials to create new equipment.
However, currently, the budget for those materials was insufficient, and he doubted whether he could even afford the rent in a few months.
Continuously faced with money issues, he was left deeply troubled.
Knock knock!
“Coming!”
Someone knocked on the workshop door.
He quickly got up from working on a shield that wasn’t selling well and headed for the entrance.
“Ho-yeol!”
“We’re here!”
“Oh, hello!”
Entering through the door were Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu from Sweet Fun.
Nam Ho-yeol welcomed the two with a big smile.
Aside from the weapons he had given for free, he hadn’t had a proper transaction with Sweet Fun yet, but they could potentially be his biggest clients.
“Though a bit late, congratulations on leveling up to Rank 4.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you look it up?”
“I searched for it online.”
“Kind of embarrassing, isn’t it?”
Kim Si-hu grinned widely.
Nam Ho-yeol followed suit with a smile.
‘My eyes weren’t deceived.’
Ever since handing over the weapons like an investment, he’d been frequently searching the internet for information about them.
One day, he noticed they had made it onto the list of parties that had recently leveled up to Rank 4.
To his surprise, he realized that the two had risen to Rank 4 quite quickly.
Seeing them return like this, he felt that giving away those weapons was indeed the right decision.
“Today, we’ve come to properly get our gear fitted.”
“What do you need?”
“Top and bottom. If possible, some other accessories too…”
“You’re going to change all of it?”
“Yeah. The stuff we were wearing ended up like this.”
Zzzzt!
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu opened the zippers of the carriers they had brought.
“Oh, my goodness…”
Nam Ho-yeol gasped.
The condition of the equipment was terrible.
Kim Si-hu’s mage robe made from specially treated fabric and the armor he wore underneath could be restored with some patching up.
But Yoo Ji-han’s leather armor was just a shape left behind, with the leather severely torn and shredded.
“What on earth have you been doing?”
“A few days ago, at the golf course…”
“W-wait, were you there where that Giant Dandelion Monster appeared?!”
“Looks like it.”
“Wow! It makes sense how it got so wrecked. Thankfully, you don’t seem to have any serious injuries.”
The incident at the golf course had been reported extensively, even to the general public.
Nam Ho-yeol was one of those who saw the news.
“Hmm.”
After calming his startled heart, Nam Ho-yeol narrowed his eyes and scanned Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu’s physiques.
Kim Si-hu, surprisingly muscular for a mage.
And Yoo Ji-han, whose body was visibly strong from just a glance.
“There might be some equipment I’ve made that could fit your bodies after alterations. Want me to show you?”
“Are custom orders possible instead of ready-made ones? We’ve prepared about 24 million for two people. We could arrange more if it’s not enough.”
“That’ll be more than enough!”
Nam Ho-yeol grinned widely, revealing his white teeth.
With that amount, he could make something suitable for Rank 4 Heroes, at least by compromising on material quality.
“I’ll measure your sizes right away.”
Nam Ho-yeol pulled out a long measuring tape from somewhere.
He carefully measured Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu’s shoulder widths, chest circumferences, and noted it all down on paper.
“Now, you have to choose the materials for the equipment. If you look at the catalog I’ve prepared…”
“Ah, we have something to show you first.”
Kim Si-hu pulled out the beak of the monster chicken from the carrier.
It was a piece separated from the chicken’s face.
“What is that?”
“Do you happen to know about the mutation of the Giant Monster we caught?”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“We caught that.”
“N-no way?!”
“And this is its beak.”
They caught that monster? Sweet Fun did?
Nam Ho-yeol, feeling a mix of surprise and curiosity, unconsciously reached out to examine the previously unseen material.
Knock knock!
Touching it, feeling it, tapping on it.
He could tell it was quite a decent material.
“It’s a suitable weight and fairly strong. We’ll need to check its heat resistance and tolerance to various poisons, though.”
“Could you see if we can use it for our armor?”
“Wow… I can’t believe I’m getting to handle something like this.”
Dealing with a previously unseen material!
It was a thrilling moment for him as a blacksmith.
Even while receiving money, it felt almost guilty to have such an opportunity.
“We’ll leave the decision on materials to you, Ho-yeol.”
“Y-you’re leaving it all to me? Is that really okay?”
“Trust the expert and let them handle it. But please use monster leather for light armor and something light enough for a mage.”
“The fabric should feel soft against the skin! If it’s too rough, it gets in the way when handling magic.”
“And referencing the materials I presented about MU-1302 at the Hero Department last time will also help.”
The person with the deepest knowledge about hero equipment and artifacts isn’t the hero using them, but the blacksmith crafting them.
Utilizing the beak of the monster chicken for equipment would require some research of its own.
Nam Ho-yeol, skilled but as yet unnamed, was ready to manage it all seamlessly.
Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu planned to entrust everything to him.
*
Late at night, in darkness. Nam Ho-yeol’s workshop.
It would normally be time to clock out, yet Nam Ho-yeol still hadn’t left the workbench.
He had received a production order for the first time in a long while.
‘I’m worried…’
He had received a deposit of 14 million won from Sweet Fun.
Originally, it was standard to receive about 30% of the full amount as a deposit right at the time of the order, but considering material purchase costs, he had requested an advance.
Fortunately, they had graciously accepted.
‘I still have some leather from the Angry Yak.’
In his workshop, he had leather left from making the sword he gifted to Yoo Ji-han.
Having the chance to choose materials freely, Nam Ho-yeol wanted desperately to use it as the main material for this production.
However, the cost of laying hands on such high-quality leather was significant, and the custom order cost for Sweet Fun was set for two people, Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu.
When it came down to the numbers, it was tough to use the Angry Yak leather for this project.
“Sigh.”
As a blacksmith, he had the desire to provide excellent equipment for promising heroes.
Yet, as the representative of the workshop, he had to consider the reality of profits.
Those two thoughts clashed intensely in Nam Ho-yeol’s mind.
“……”
After pondering for a long while, he picked up his mobile phone placed on the workbench and called his wife.
His wife answered in what seemed like she had been waiting for him, picking up within two seconds.
Before the ringtone could even ring twice.
“I’m sorry. I think I’ll be quite late today. Don’t wait up and go to bed first.”
He expressed his apologies to his pregnant wife and then set the phone down.
Tightening the strings of his work apron.
‘……I’m a blacksmith.’
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The scissor snips and hammering that began late at night didn’t stop until dawn.