Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: How Much Did You Find Out?
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- How much are you planning to sell this for?
Yuna's question was etched into my mind and wouldn't leave.
I lay blankly on the mat, thoroughly reading through the Hunter Gallery for a while.
"......"
They were all clamoring solely about ways to get their hands on the potion. With this level of hype, maybe even an outrageous price would sell out. My head was a mess.
Beep—
At that moment, the intercom on the wall rang. I staggered to my feet and unlocked it.
"Were you sleeping?"
Too drained to reply, I silently showed her the Hunter Gallery screen on my smartphone. Then, like a sluggish larva, I crawled back onto the mat.
"Making potions all day again, huh."
Yuna clicked her tongue and plopped down in front of me.
"...G-Gotta make s-something every day... S-Skills don't grow on their own..."
"Same as always. Once you get hooked on something, you go all the way..."
Her eyes brimmed with concern as she set down the convenience store bag she'd brought.
"Eat something first. You'll really collapse at this rate."
Inside were red bean buns and an ion drink.
Gurgle.
Right on cue, my stomach let out an honest rumble. Blushing, I awkwardly tore open a red bean bun wrapper.
Yuna watched me for a moment before getting to the point. Her expression turned calm.
"Did you check that thing out?"
I nodded while chewing.
"Y-Yeah... B-But... isn't it too s-sudden...?"
"The verification post?"
As if she'd expected my reaction, Yuna unwrapped her own red bean bun and continued.
"No choice. I didn't expect eyewitness reports to pop up right after the joint raid ended. I figured it'd spread slowly through word of mouth, but it caught fire all at once."
"......"
"I've been monitoring it nonstop, and I saw some people trying to muddy the waters, calling it a 'scam' or 'unverified drug.' Just responded fast before the negative image could set in."
My head got it. But I couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling.
"...J-Judgment seems g-good... B-But next time, tell me f-first... I s-should know too..."
At my words, Yuna's expression shifted subtly for a moment. A flicker of puzzlement crossed her face.
"Huh... I did tell you..."
"Huh?"
A dumb sound slipped out.
"...Last night on the phone. Said rumors were inevitable since guild members used the potions."
"Oh..."
"Told you we'd respond based on the situation and laid out the full plan. Don't remember?"
Had she? I didn't remember at all.
I'd been making potions, ran out of mana, lay blankly on the mat... then the phone...
...The phone.
"Ah."
Shit.
Seeing my blank look, an awkward smile crept onto Yuna's face.
"Mana depletion can do that. From now on, I'll leave messages for important stuff."
"...Y-Yeah..."
I couldn't lift my head. Decided to stuff the rest of the bun in my mouth instead.
"Alright, now for the real talk."
Yuna quickly changed the subject.
"Standard recovery potion. Gotta set the price."
She pulled a tablet PC from her bag and turned the screen toward me. It was packed with data and graphs.
"Fits all your conditions, so I compiled market research to make it easy to judge."
"E-Explain... s-simply..."
"Hmm. That guild member who nearly lost a leg? An A-rank healer offered 500 million for it. Not the usual price—they slapped on a premium since he was desperate."
I nodded. That made sense.
"...W-What're you th-thinking...?"
"Around 300 million? Honestly, even that would flip the market. Even factoring in its weakness against mana wounds. Calculations show max profit at 300 million."
Yuna's proposal was reasonable. But something—a subtle sense of wrongness—lingered in my mind.
I closed my eyes for a moment. Maybe from the sugar rush, my overworked brain cleared up just a bit.
Suddenly, posts from the Hunter Gallery came to mind.
The hordes of hunters raging against healer arrogance. The sight felt oddly familiar.
'Ah.'
Communities for failed games.
Users who grumbled endlessly but couldn't quit. They stuck around reluctantly, hearts already gone.
Then a replacement game appears—they unleash fiery rage at the old devs and turn away without regret. I'd seen it a million times.
"......"
Wasn't it the same for hunters now?
Pent-up resentment toward healers. On the verge of exploding.
What they needed wasn't an excuse to leave—it was a viable alternative.
I slowly opened my eyes and scanned Yuna's research.
[B-rank healers in highest demand.]
[Request fees usually 80 million to 200 million won.]
I reached a conclusion.
"...200 million. 200 m-million..."
"Pardon?"
"...T-Take the B-rank h-healer demand too..."
Yuna mulled it over, then her face lit up with realization. I kept going.
"D-Diluted one-for-one potion... 100 million... C-Can treat moderate to s-severe wounds... W-Would hunters... seek B-rank h-healers...?"
"......"
"P-Plus, material costs... basically zero... Ch-Cheaper price means... m-more demand..."
Disbelief crossed Yuna's face.
"Hold on. You can't make that many a day. Can you handle it?"
"Mass p-production... w-way exists... St-Studying it..."
"Whoa."
She was speechless at my last words.
Unable to hide her excitement, she started drafting on the tablet.
"Fine. We'll go with that. Healers will grit their teeth and swarm, but let's do it."
Our flagship product's price was set.
"Ugh..."
Tension released, my body went limp again. I flopped onto the mat.
Yuna chuckled at me, then casually added as if remembering.
"Oh, right. Check the basic antidote settlement."
Daylight was already gone? I grabbed my phone and opened the bank app.
"...Huh?"
Balance: 289,034,340 KRW
My mind went blank the instant I saw the balance.
Did I misread? I rubbed my eyes and checked again.
The number didn't change. Roughly 290 million won.
"W-Why's it so much...?"
"Settled per the contract."
She counted on her fingers, breaking it down.
"15 bottles of basic antidote delivered last time, 30 million each. You didn't forget that too, did you?"
I flinched and said nothing. Yuna shook her head and continued.
"Total sales 450 million won. Our contract's simple: deduct taxes from sales, you take 90% of the rest."
"W-Wait."
I cut her off. My head was spinning.
"...A-After deducting m-material costs and stuff... 90% of the p-profit... right?"
Yuna blinked wide-eyed at me, then burst out laughing. "Pfft."
"I tested the antidote myself—if it was profit-based, it'd be highway robbery."
Still chuckling, she explained.
"You meant net profit. We agreed on gross sales. Deduct taxes from total sales, 90% of what's left is yours."
"Oh..."
"Guild's 10% covers all your support costs. Guild member allowances for gate material runs, future distribution and marketing too."
"......"
"Told you it was an all-in bet."
She tapped my phone screen again.
"Anyway, subtracted the 50 million advance from contract signing—net 270 million deposited this time. Got it?"
I gaped, speechless.
I remembered when 50 million first hit my account.
Back then, the 5 billion goal felt impossibly distant. Best I could do was a faint 'maybe?' hope.
But now? Different.
5 billion.
The once-distant goal now felt within reach.
"Why so shocked? It's just the start."
She patted my shoulder.
"Once recovery potion sales kick off, you'll make this in minutes. Get used to it."
No sense of reality at all.
A few days passed.
The domestic Hunter Gallery was enjoying its own slice of peaceful daily life.
That's how internet community fires worked.
They blaze fiercely, seeming to swallow everything, but without fresh bait, they fizzle out in an instant. The mystery potion buzz from a few days ago was no exception.
'Peaceful.'
The Hunter Gallery admin was savoring the rare calm too.
Browsing memes, blocking images, swiftly saving any spicy pics before deleting posts—leisurely gallery surfing.
"Hm?"
Then, a new post registered.
"...Ah."
Padak's brief vacation ended just like that.