Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Scorpion Range
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After executing the electronic servant.
Razix began sweeping and cleaning the spacious house like a fish in water.
With an attitude that wouldn't tolerate a single speck of dust.
The penthouse on the top floor of the apartment even had a small garden using the rooftop.
Before I knew it, he had gone out to the garden and was neatly trimming branches with pruning shears she took from her backpack.
Gyeon Dal-rae watched the sight with a pleased expression.
"It seems his status had risen, so he is happy."
"...Huh? Status rise?"
"He has become a servant of a wealthy household. Among all servants, it would be a dream, would it not? This maiden is also pleased."
Ah, that's what she meant.
Well, compared to an officetel, a penthouse was indeed a wealthy household.
Even I, in the past, wanted so badly to become a servant of a large corporation... no, a wealthy household.
"I thought you meant her grade went up. From R to SR."
"Such trivial grades cannot judge a servant. Look at that SSR, Kosak, and Gobang,"
Turning my gaze,
Gobang was in the kitchen.
Fascinated by the faucet that produced water automatically when hands were placed near it, he kept putting his hand in and pulling it out.
Kosak was lounging sideways on the spacious, high-end sofa, resting his arm.
He was yawning and flipping through TV channels from 0 to 999 with the remote.
Then, his eyes met Joo-hyuk's.
"No company dinner today?"
"Look at that..., tsk tsk tsk. Do you see, Young Master? What use is an SSR? He doesn't even know a servant's basic duty."
Kosak seemed to have adapted quickly to the new house.
"Of course we should have a company dinner."
"Hehehehe, as expected of Summoner Bong. Shall I order delivery?"
"Hey, on a day like this, ordering delivery? We should go for room service."
I already had something in mind.
The concierge service exclusive to high-end apartments.
The basic management fee alone was 3 million won.
A place like this had its own restaurant system and even provided breakfast service in the morning.
Of course, room service was also available.
"From now on, company dinners are strictly room service."
"Yahoo! Summoner Bong is the best!"
Joo-hyuk opened the service guide placed on the living room table.
Looking at the room service menu items,
He was speechless.
It couldn't be helped.
'What kind of menu is this...'
Outrageous prices.
One plate of organic vegetable salad for 30,000 won, one plate of pasta for 60,000 won, one plate of tenderloin steak for 150,000 won,
Even a single boiled egg for 15,000 won.
'Seriously, is it an egg laid by a phoenix?'
Gobang alone would eat 300 eggs.
He could easily handle 100 plates of steak too.
"What's the matter?"
"N-nothing, just... nothing on the menu catches my eye. The food doesn't even look tasty."
Thump!
Joo-hyuk closed the service guide.
"Oooh, then we should order out. Food is quite important, you know. They say even the Black Tower is best conquered on a full stomach."
"This time, Sir Kosak speaks true. Servants work better when they are well-fed."
"I'll eat anything. Cheap and plentiful."
Joo-hyuk also nodded.
"Let's order delivery. That'll be much tastier."
"Yes!"
Anyway, the house had everything we need.
We could move in right away.
The price of this apartment was roughly 15 billion won.
Including acquisition tax and one year of management fees.
When I asked why it was so cheap,
Upon asking, they said it was not the actual transaction price but the publicly announced land price.
Since the publicly announced price was set by the state, they had to sell it at that price, they said.
We all knew it was an excuse, but well, I could accept this much.
Anyway, no need to drag it out.
I'd vacate the officetel room tomorrow.
Also, I'd been diligently skinning the Basilisk hides.
I didn't know how much the hide would sell for, but I needed to secure inventory so I could hand it over immediately when needed.
And starting the day after moving in,
Joo-hyuk and the summoned beings began repeatedly conquering the 45th floor.
Go Yeon-ha of HG Fashion visited the Awakening Management Bureau.
It had been three days since she received the Basilisk hide supply proposal.
"Excuse me. Vice Director."
"Welcome, CEO Go Yeon-ha."
After exchanging greetings,
"So? Have you reached a conclusion regarding the hide's value assessment?"
For the assessment, Go Yeon-ha had taken hide samples and even photos of the Basilisk three days prior.
However,
"To be honest, we couldn't find an answer either."
"Hmm, seems valuing it is difficult."
"But we have a proposal, and I need to explain first...."
"Yes, I'm listening."
What kind of proposal?
"Taking crocodile leather as an example, making one high-end bag usually requires the hides of about three crocodiles."
"Just for one bag?"
"Yes. When processing crocodile leather, the parts that can't be used as products are all cut away. There are differences in quality, and above all, the pattern and markings are important."
"Ah! I understand what you mean."
"Of course, a Basilisk is several times larger than a crocodile, and its entire body is alive with patterns and markings, so there shouldn't be many parts that need to be cut away."
Naturally.
How can a crocodile even be compared to a Basilisk?
"We plan to create products in three lines using this hide."
"Three lines, meaning..."
"A mid-to-low priced line that's easy for people to approach, a high-quality line that requires a big decision to open one's wallet, and a high-end luxury line that not just anyone can buy."
"The quality of hide used for each would differ, I suppose."
"Yes, the high-end luxury line will incorporate Rainbow Basilisk hide."
Go Yeon-ha took the teacup in front of her, sipped, and continued.
"So, here's what we thought. Rather than us paying money for the materials, how about we share the final product sales revenue at an appropriate ratio?"
"Ah!"
A good idea.
Since valuing the hide is difficult anyway.
Sharing the final profit might be the easiest and most reasonable approach.
Go Yeon-ha briefed Jeon Gwang-il on her proposal.
Accept what should be accepted, correct what should be corrected.
And the conclusion was reached.
First, create a new corporation and brand.
Brand name: Deulkot & Basil,
So, from the total sales of Deulkot & Basil products, deduct all costs: hide processing costs, costs to make products from the hide, labor costs, distribution costs, facility costs, marketing costs.... Everything.
And the production cost settlement will be audited by the Bureau.
What remains is the net profit after taxes.
"The Bureau takes 80% of the final net profit. How does that sound?"
80%? So HG Fashion would take 20%...
"Let's make it 95%. It's a net profit share, not revenue, right?"
"5% is too..."
"You'll be selling other things too. The brand value of 'Deulkot' will also rise."
"We also need something left to invest in facilities..."
Jeon Gwang-il nonchalantly threw out a remark.
"Deulkot & Wy."
"...Huh?"
What is he talking about?
Deulkot & Wy?
"What is 'Wy' an abbreviation for?"
"Ah!"
"It might not be Deulkot & Wy, but Ilseong & Wy, or Daehyeon & Wy..."
Crazy!
"W-wyvern hide is also possible?"
"Absolutely possible. If wyvern hide comes in later, we can renegotiate the net profit distribution ratio for Deulkot & Basil."
Go Yeon-ha answered quickly.
"Yes, we'll take 5%."
Only a fool would hesitate over this.
Moreover, Ilseong & Wy, Daehyeon & Wy.
Just imagining it was terrifying.
Jeon Gwang-il was also satisfied.
If the net profit was 1 million won, then the Bureau—no, Player Bong—got 950,000 won as the hide price, and HG Fashion got 50,000 won.
HG Fashion shouldn't have major complaints either.
It's a net profit share, after all.
They'd probably develop and sell items together too.
For example, selling clothes that match Basilisk leather bags as a set.
They'd also strive to maximize profits.
Plus, I've thrown them the Deulkot & Wy bait.
"Is there anything else I can help with?"
"There's one thing."
"Please tell me."
"We tried processing the hide sample you gave us through chemical treatment. It took some time, but it was sufficient to use as material for products."
"That's good."
"But cutting and crafting it is too difficult. Even a piece the size of an A4 paper doesn't cut well with ordinary tools. So we need tools mixed with Tower metal. A lot of them."
Tower metal.
It's as rare as the hide.
Perhaps even rarer.
Players receive it sporadically in ingot form as tower reward conquests, but honestly, it's not even enough for weapon making.
"Understood. I'll go to the workshop and inquire. And regarding the contract, let's draft it after getting final approval from the Director."
"Yes."
Now all that was left is to make and sell the goods.
The disappointing part was that money wouldn't come in immediately.
I needed to get permission.
I told Go Yeon-ha it was the Director's approval, but in reality, it's from someone else.
For four days, we only conquered the 45th floor.
Two tower entries per day.
It might have seemed tough and time-consuming, but it wasn't at all.
First, we don't need to worry about the S++ grade conquest.
We'd already done it and are just repeating the conquest.
The amount of hide we could bring per run was 6 normal, 1 boss, totaling 7 sheets.
Twice a day, so 14 sheets total.
Once every two days, Section Chief Lee Min-ah came to collect 28 sheets via inventory, and that was it—nothing difficult at all.
The hardest part of this process was meeting Section Chief Lee Min-ah; she talked so much I almost died trying to answer.
Anyway, after finishing the conquest and resting at home, a call came from Jeon Gwang-il.
The content was about the hide supply contract.
"Uh, I get 95%? Aren't they going to call me a thief?"
- They readily accepted it too.
Is the HG Fashion CEO a pushover or something?
"Well, I have no complaints. I'm actually grateful. I just have to supply the hide."
Selling hide products and sharing the profit.
95% of net profit.
It's money earned while relaxing.
- Understood. Then I'll proceed with drafting the contract with HG Fashion. Just in case, let me mention that Player Bong Joo-hyuk's name won't appear. On the surface, it's a contract between the Management Bureau and HG Fashion.
"That's perfect. And don't forget to take one hide as the Bureau's share each time you collect."
- Thank you very much. Oh! And there's something else to tell you.... I'd like you to stop hide collection for the time being.
"Huh?"
He's telling me not to skin them.
"Why?"
- Let me explain. First...
Jeon Gwang-il had two reasons for asking to stop hide collection.
First.
The hide processing facilities aren't fully ready yet.
So they haven't been able to process any of the incoming volume.
Second.
Because of scarcity.
If too much hide is stockpiled, the value will inevitably drop.
It was better to supply slightly less than demand.
Joo-hyuk also agreed.
If we couldn't process or cash it in immediately, continuing to collect would only lower the item's value.
After gathering the summoned beings and explaining the call with Jeon Gwang-il,
"This humble one knew it would be so. Thanks to that, only we laborers, Razix , have suffered. How frustrated must the Young Master be? This maiden is nothing but sorrowful."
Saying this, Gyeon Dal-rae glared at Kosak.
"Money should be pouring into the account, right? I desperately wish for that too. But the money is tied up. There's no telling when it will be cashed."
"Huh?"
"How will you take responsibility? The time spent is a waste. I should have just mined Magic Stones and sold them."
"Huh?"
"You were so confident during the briefing, but you don't even know how production, distribution, and sales work."
"Huh?"
Kosak's face turned bright red.
He glanced at Joo-hyuk repeatedly, asking for help.
Because he was the one who approved the briefing.
He didn't really make a huge mistake.
It just means the money will come in late.
If we wait, it'll come in someday.
It's just that Gyeon Dal-rae, who had been looking for Kosak's faults at every turn, seized this opportunity to tear into him.
Still, seeing Kosak's desperate gaze as he looked at me, cornered as he was,
How could I ignore it?
"Alright, alright, it's over, so let's not talk about it anymore. How about we aim for the 50th floor now? Starting tomorrow, we begin conquering the 46th floor."
"Y-yes! I agree."
Kosak responded as if he had been waiting.
"Don't worry. This SSR, Summoner Bong's right-hand man, loyal servant Kosak, will finish it with an S++ grade."
"Good. That's reassuring. Let's start the 46th-floor conquest tomorrow. But! The 50th-floor conquest will wait until the Random Summon cooldown is back."
As if remembering something, Kosak raised his hand and asked.
"...Um, b-briefing?"
"No. Don't."
"Yes!"
Gyeon Dal-rae and Gobang also agreed.
"As expected, the wise Young Master. This maiden also agrees."
"Warrior same. If told, just do."
Then,
"Huh?"
Razix also raised his hand high.
"Speak. worker Razix ."
"Scorpion exoskeleton, peel?"
Hmm, what to do?
The exoskeleton also needs processing, same as the hide.
But let's just bring a few as samples.
"Peel just one or two. We don't need many."
"Huh, yes."
Thus, the un-conquered upper-floor climb was officially decided.
Floors 46 to 50 were the giant scorpion, i.e., the scorpion section.
Each floor divided the scorpion's attributes.
The environment was all the same.
Bald mountains with not a single blade of grass were scattered about, the flatlands were all desert, and there were house-sized rocks here and there.
What kind of scorpions would appear?
Poison was standard equipment, and the attribute was determined by what kind of poison it was.
Neurotoxin, hemorrhagic toxin, hallucinogenic toxin, acid toxin, and the King that has all these toxins.
The section where Healing Potions are consumed the most.
Success or failure of the conquest depends on how many potions you have secured.
46th Floor Mission: Defeat 15 Paralysis Scorpions.
⏰ Time Limit: Within 13 hours.
❌ Failure Conditions: Death or mission abandonment.
There was poison in the tail, and also in the pincers.
They even spit poison-mixed saliva from their mouths.
"Scorpion bastards, spit spit spit poison. If hit, paralysis. If paralyzed, cannot move body. So...."
"I should stay out of it?"
"As expected, brilliant. Summoner Bong is like a genius."
"I can't do that, can I? And what about Mr. Gobang and Mr. Kosak? They'll get paralyzed just the same, right?"
"Gobang, paralysis poison no work. Look at that ignorantly thick skin. And I am expert on poison too. Even if hit, easily drive out."
Gyeon Dal-rae also nodded.
Razix also nodded... then tumbled.
Poor Razix , with no neck.
"..."
Let's wait and see.
Whether I move or not.
Conquest began.
Click-clack, clatter,
A giant blue Paralysis Scorpion appeared, raising its pincers and tail high.
Gobang was truly unaffected by the poison.
Even though his whole body was drenched in the saliva the scorpion spat from its mouth, he wasn't paralyzed; he moved even faster.
Gobang tore off the scorpion's pincers and used them to smash its head.
Whack!
Kosak, cunningly hiding above Gobang to avoid the poison, would finish it off with a final strike when the opportunity arose.
Gyeon Dal-rae's buffs were still active.
But...
"Huh?"
Razix , he's disappeared again.
What if he gets poisoned,
Right then!
Turning my gaze, I saw
Razix , pickaxe in hand, was already in front of a large rock, moving his short arms diligently, breaking the stone.
And he picked up a lump the size of two adult fists from between the rocks and put it in his backpack.
I think I knew what it was.
"Ore, huh?"
The scorpion section.
Besides the exoskeleton shell, there was something else to gather.