NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43
Chapter 43 – Regeneration Salve
(TLN: This is a sponsored chapter. Thank you for the donation Kristian. Please turn of the adblockers if you are able to. Thank you and enjoy.)
Edit: Some have expressed concern about the title. This is a start to a 4 chapter story arc. Next couple chapter name is Regeneration Salve (2)->(3)->(4). It’s just how the author names his chapter. The first part doesn’t get labeled with a (1).
“Isn’t that a Return Portal Marble?”
“Return Portal Marble?”
Jung-minchan carefully looked over the item.
“I…I think you are right.”
“It’s a Return Portal Marble….”
Woojin looked at the finger-tip sized gem.
<Skia’s Tear>
The tear of the Adventurer’s god Skia opens a path to the starting point.
Use : Portal Formation
“I guess it’s used to escape a Dungeon.”
“C…correct.. It is an item that can’t be easily found. When I was at the Hammer guild, I only saw it two or three…”
“Is that so?”
Woojin looked around his Achievement Point Store. He found an item with a similar function.
<Heres’s Determination>
The god of Time Heres is determined to start his adventure anew. This item cannot be transferred to others.
Use : Portal Formation Price : 3000 Achievement Points.
He would have to kill 1000 Rakwis to fill the point requirements. However, each Naga in the 5 star Dungeon gave him 100 points. Therefore, the Achievement Point was equivalent to killing 30 Naga.
It wasn’t an insignificant amount of points, but it was a useful item to have in case of an emergency.
“So how much is it?”
“At the very least, it is worth 10 million dollars”
At his words, Woo-soonghoon and Sunggoo became wide-eyed.
“I…isn’t that too expensive? What function does it have?”
“It has a very rare function. It allows one to escape a Dungeon before it is cleared. This is the only way on could achieve such a feat.”
This wasn’t an item needed by the low rank Roused. However, the Return Portal Marble was more valuable than any other Artifacts to the high rank Roused. It was well worth the price.
One couldn’t return from the Dungeon without the Return Stone. The Return Stone acted as a key to opening the barrier. However, the Return Portal allowed one to escape the Dungeon by bypassing the barrier.
“This is an item one must have to attempt a 6 star Dungeon. The price is inevitably high since the supply is low.”
An incomplete Dungeon meant a certain death for the Roused. Even if all the teams were composed of Rank A Roused, the probability of clearing a 6 star Dungeon was very low. This was why the team was required to have a Return Portal when attempting a 6 star Dungeon. If one fails in clearing the Dungeon, the portal could be used to come back outside. If the Rank A Roused didn’t have this item, then they would have a hard time making up their minds as to whether they should dare to attempt the 6 star Dungeon or not.
“So what’s the actual price?”
“Guilds or nations wants to procure as many of these items as they are able to. In the beginning, it was sold for a price close to 50 million dollars. However, the price varies where you purchase it now, and it ranges from 10 to 20 million dollars.”
“Hul.”
Everyone was surprised. The finger tip sized gem in front of their eyes was worth 10 million dollars… Woojin was surprised by something else.
‘If I could transfer it, then I would have been able to make 10 million per 3000 points.’
The 3 thousand points weren’t a low figure, but the cash felt larger compared to the points.
“How much is this?”
Woojin took out a variety of items now. There were some minerals, and mushroom-looking food ingredients. He also had medicines in bottles. The items he took out was all over the place.
“These are Reinforcement Stones. Whether it is a mineral or not, they are called Reinforcement Stones. It is an item that can strengthen the Roused’s abilities.”
“You are well informed. So how much does each sell for?”
As a team leader of the Support division, Michan had distributed a lot of these items. This was why he had a good eye for judging the price of the items.
“It has to be measured. The price differs a lot based on how much energy is within the Reinforcement stone. The Reinforcement Stones sells for at least for 100 thousand dollars. The price sky-rockets as the measured energy increases..”
“One hundred thousand….”
If it costs 100 thousand dollars, then it was probably a drug that increases 1 Stat Point. If he tried to buy a drug that increases 1 Stat Point, then the lowest asking price in the Point Store was 2000 points.
‘That’s too bad.’
If only the Return Portal was trade-able, he could have sold his 3000 points for 10 million dollars. He could have used that money to gather Reinforcement stones. If he was going to save his points, then he couldn’t purchase the Reinforcement stones in large quantities. Still, he wasn’t too worried about it.
Even if it wasn’t a Return Portal, there were other ways to make a lot of money.
“Move aside.”
Woojin took out 7 magic scrolls, and 17 Artifacts.
“Whew. This is tremendous. You basically brought back everything that could be found in the 5 star Dungeon.”
Woojin grinned. Woojin hadn’t taken out the Artifacts he would use for himself. Moreover, the money he received from exchanging bloodstones were all put into his account.
“How much do these sell for?”
“First, I have to find out the Artifact’s ability and effect. Most decent guilds have a team for identifying items. We could also send the Artifacts to the Management Bureau to have them identified. ”
“Bring me a paper.”
“What?”
Haemin was quick to pick up on Woojin’s intention, so he brought Woojin a piece of paper. Woojin wrote the abilities held within the magic scrolls, and he wrote all the Artifact’s effects.
“Now how much can we get for these?”
“Y…you also have the ability to identify items?”
If a Roused possessed an ability that could read the Artifact’s information, even a Rank F Roused with that ability would be treated well in the guild. The Identifiers were essential in circulating the Artifacts.
“What? Is it strange?”
“How many ability do you have?”
Mmmm. How many skill did he have? He had learned a lot minor skills along the way.
“Mmmm. Several. Why? Is it important?”
“Ah. If you are reluctant to talk about it, then you don’t have to. The number of abilities could also influence the determination of one’s Roused rank.”
“So how much would all of them sell for?”
“Unlike the bloodstones, there aren’t a fixed price on the Artifacts. We’ll know the exact figure only after we sell it. If I had to guess on an approximate value, I think we could receive around 15 million dollars. ”
“If we also sell the Return Portal then we would bring in around 25 million?”
“That is the floor. If you aren’t in a hurry, we could sell it slowly. Then we could probably double the profit.”
Woojin nodded his head.
“All right. You take care of selling everything here. Also, if there are any Reinforcement Stones selling for a fair price, then purchase all of them.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
Woo-soonghoon was listening to their conversation, and he secretly swallowed his saliva.
‘Ah. This isn’t a joke. They are playing in a different league. ’
Yesterday, he searched for articles on Kang-Woojin. He knew Kang-Woojin was hot, but he never knew he was this capable. Soonghoon had just stepped into the world of the Roused, and it made his whole body shake.
‘I have to stick here at any cost. No matter what the it takes.’
He knew how hard it was to enter into a guild. Moreover, it was a guild with a Rank A Roused… The guild was still in its infancy, but he knew this guild would grow into a large guild.
This job would allow him to earn money and fame, and it couldn’t even be compared to working as a hand phone dealer.
Jung-minchan started counting the items for the inventory list, so Woojin didn’t feel the need to stay in the storage room any more.
He took all the Reinforcement stones, then he relocated to another location.
“Where is my seat?”
“Over here.”
Woojin followed Haemin, and he was guided into the president’s room. The room was twice the size of Jaemin’s one room. Woojin sat on the sofa, and he pointed towards the opposite wall.
“Let’s put a tv over there.”
“Yes. I ordered one. It’s supposed to arrive in the evening, so it’ll be here soon.”
Woojin had hinted at what he wanted in the morning, but Haemin had already taken care of it.
“After they finish taking inventory, tell everyone to come in here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Woojin sank his body into the sofa, then he became lost in his thoughts. This was a small organization with only 5 members, but it still needed a hierarchy. Woojin had ruled over a lot of followers on Alphen, and he was comfortable with dealing with such issues.
Soon, the four people entered Woojin’s office. Woojin told them to sit.
“Team leader Jung.”
“Yes, president.”
“What position should I give you?”
“What?”
“Don’t we need ranks to decide what we should all do? Everyone tell me what you guys want.”
Everyone became nervous when they heard Woojin’s words. They had to speak carefully right now. Woojin seemed indifferent, and indulgent regarding this matter. However, no one was willing to speak first in this atmosphere.
“Team leader Jung. How are the normal guilds structured?”
“The guild is divided into two categories. The Roused position range from deputy to director. The Roused could be given the title of vice-president, but the titles aren’t that important. The treatment of the Roused is determined by the percentage of the profit the roused would receive for clearing a Dungeon, and the basic adjustment rate. Everything is written in detail in the Roused’s contract.”
There was only one other Roused here.
“What do you want to do, Sunggoo?”
“What? I have to be hyung-nim’s manager for a year…”
“Ah, it’s fine. Then Suggoo will be a director.”
“A d…director?”
Sunggoo was deeply moved. Woojin grinned.
“Director in charge of picking up the loots.”
“…….”
Did such a title for a director exist anywhere else? It would have been better if he was called the director of packaging services.
“How is the Support Division structured?”
“It is divided into executive branch, sales branch, accounting branch, general affairs branch and the support branch.”
“The 3 of you are going to be responsible for all of that?”
“…….”
“Team leader Jung.”
“Yes.”
“You are the general director.”
“I’ll do my best.”
It was the highest position one could reach inside a guild if one wasn’t a Roused. Jung-minchan felt a feeling surge up from inside his chest, and it moved him.
He was so moved that Minchan didn’t even realize that Woojin had spoken to him in an informal manner.
“What do you want to do, Haemin?”
“Please assign me as the department head of the Support division.”
“All right.”
They weren’t playing house, where they were deciding if one was choosing to play the role of mother or father. So how couldn’t Woojin be so cool in this situation?
“Heh heh. I’ll be loyal.”
Woojin looked at the remaining person, Woo-soonghoon. His face was flushed, and his face was filled with anticipation.
“Well. I’ll leave the rest to Director Jung.”
Director Jung. Director Jung! The word circled around Jung-minchan’s ears, then he felt his heart beat faster. He suddenly felt he made the right choice in changing his occupation. It felt like he had become one of the nucleus of this guild. It was more than a feeling now. He had become a core member.
“Yes, president. So how should we go about hiring new employees…”
Woojin thought about the empty desks within the office when he heard Minchan’s words.
“We have to hire more people?”
“Yes. If we want to run a smooth operation, we would need….”
“Why do you need to hire more people?”
“…well? We have to grow our guild. As the number of Roused increases, we would need some employees….”
Woojin took out an envelope from his pocket, then he tossed it on to the table. Minchan was surprised when he saw the contents.
[Draft Notice]
“T…this is….”
Woojin grinned.. He had only 4 people under him, but now that he had underlings, he felt freed from dealing with annoying businesses.
Moreover, Minchan and Haemin were elites in this field.
“I want to be exempt from joining the military, and I want to clear the Dungeons in peace.”
“…….”
“Do I need more employees for that to happen?”
“…….”
So this was it. This was the reason why he made the guild.
Minchan felt dizzy.
If he wanted to avoid joining the military, then he could have just entered the Hammer guild. Minchan would have been given the title of general director of the Support division for his meritorious deed if Woojin had done so.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Still, we need to bring in couple more people….”
“All right. Then I’ll leave it to your discretion. General director is in charge of any work related to the Support Division. All right?”
“…Yes.”
Did Woojin trust him this much or was Woojin trying to push all the annoying work to him? Ah. Why did he feel so uneasy?
“Then you take care of it. I’m going to clear the Dungeon one more time.”
It took a little more than 4 hours to clear it, but 16 hours passed inside the Dungeon. Woojin’s hunting speed was so fast that Sunggoo was being worked to death. Woojin wanted to go to the Dungeon again with only this much rest…
Sunggoo’s face darkened, and Minchan spoke to Woojin.
“Before you do that, you have to visit the Management Bureau.”
“Why do I have to go there?”
“You have to be measured for your true Roused rank before the guild evaluation could proceed.”
“I guess I’ll go there first then.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Woojin, Sunggoo and Minchan headed towards the Management Bureau. Haemin, and Soonghoon stayed behind in the office to sort out the rest of the loot.
*
“Fascinating.”
Woojin stood in front of a machine that looked like the Dungeon Energy measuring instrument. Every time the machine was used, a pile of bloodstones was used, so it wasn’t used that often. Still this was the most accurate method in measuring a Roused’s Rank.
The public employee finished setting it up. He spoke as he pointed towards the thick wall of the measuring room.
“Could you please direct your most powerful ability towards that direction?”
When a Roused used their abilities, energy was emitted. The measuring instrument measured that energy.
Woojin summoned his Bone Spear as if it was a trivial matter.
Ddi-ri-ri-ri-reek.
Several numbers appeared, and in the end, the Rank showed up.
“Uh? It says Rank C?”
“What? Did something go wrong?”
The two public employee saw the monitor, then they started having a serious conversation with each other. The media spoke as if Woojin being a Rank A Roused was a foregone conclusion.
No. One just had to look at his accomplishments. He was able to clear a 5 star Dungeon by himself.
Without a hint of doubt, everyone believed Woojin was a Rank A Roused. Today’s Rank measurement was a formality. It was done, so there would be a record of his Rank measurement.
“Well, do you need something more from me?”
“Ah. Do you have a more powerful technique?”
“Well, if it isn’t enough, then I could give you more.”
At Woojin’s word, the public employees prepared the bloodstone again, then they activated the measuring equipment.
“I’ll just emit magical energy until the Rank A shows up. Turn the monitor towards me.”
“What? Yes.”
The public employee turned the monitor, so Woojin would be able to see it. Woojin summoned 10 Bone Spears at once. The measuring instrument’s number quickly rose, but a ‘B’ showed up on the side.
It seemed the Bone Spears wasn’t enough. He quickly summoned the Wall of Bones, which consumed a lot of magic. He sent it towards the measurement room’s wall. Then he consumed his vitality in preparation to use Earth Strike without a weapon. The letter ‘A’ appeared on the screen.
When Woojin saw this, he retracted all of his magical energy.
“All right. Is that it?”
“…yes. That’ll be all.”
“Then have a nice day.”
After Woojin exited, the two public employees looked at each other.
As if they had seen an illusion, the public employees looked toward the measurement room where Woojin had exited.
“H…his control over magic isn’t something to scoff at.”
“He really might be comparable to Kim-gahngchul. Whew.”
An A Ranked Roused card was issued with Woojin’s name on it. Articles about Woojin was published soon after, and after several hours, his name was the number 1 searched word on the internet.
When Woojin entered the Dungeon, Do-jiwon had finished her work, and she opened her handphone after coming back to the dormitory.