Wind Silk Robe (2)

“Whoa, holy crap!”

Yoo Seon-ah was still out of her mind, giddy and dazed, running her hands over the robe again and again as if she couldn't believe it was real.

“You made this? And you can keep making more?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. And it's not even armor — a robe this good? Guilds are going to tear each other apart trying to get one. The skills are broadly useful, too. How much do you think this would go for?”

“I'm not sure myself. How much does a Unique item usually fetch?”

“Last I heard, a billion won minimum.”

Hoo-ah.

A billion won!

So with just these two hands and some simple materials, more than a billion won would keep multiplying forever?

Now this — this was actually worth something.

At this rate, I could build that private library I've been dreaming about.

“Anyway. Let's step out for a bit today.”

“Huh?”

“Yes. I'm going to leave a sample with Park Juhee and have her put up a bulk auction for nineteen robes. If a major guild bites, we'll get a premium on top — we can even offer full customization, whatever color or pattern they want.”

This was exactly why it worked.

He understood the principle and could craft it himself, so things like this became possible.

“Nineteen—nineteen of them?”

Yoo Seon-ah looked like she was about to faint.

How much was nineteen robes worth? Even at a bare minimum of a billion per robe, that was twenty billion won.

And that was the minimum.

The minimum!

“Hey.”

Her voice was trembling.

“I've been thinking it over, and I don't really do anything, you know. Is taking ten percent even right? Maybe I should drop it to five. Or honestly, one percent would be fine too.”

It was getting too much for her now. She was scared that if she kept sucking profit out of Seo Hwarang's back like a straw, sooner or later she'd get cut loose.

And if that happened?

She'd never get to set foot on the Etherion Continent again!

“Don't worry about it.”

Seo Hwarang shook his head.

There was so much work ahead of her she couldn't even imagine. Once Seona Couture started growing in earnest, she'd be run ragged from both directions.

Training in Etherion. And in the real world, buried under mountains of paperwork doing CEO duties.

Ten percent wasn't bad at all.

“If it feels like too much, just work that much harder. First, raise your circle as fast as you can. You've got books to read, and we'll need to run some dungeons out there too.”

“Really? Thanks, you brat. No matter what happens, I'm hitting 9th Circle if it kills me.”

9th Circle was a bit of a stretch, though...

Well, the bigger the dream, the better.

As they ate and chattered away, Bella seemed to have resigned herself to it. She'd tried to understand at first, but no matter how much she listened, it all sounded like talk from another planet — so she'd decided it must be stories from their homeland.

When the meal was finished, they returned to their room.

And to get back to Earth?

He had to finish one of the two skill books.

Hmm.

Which one to devour?

Seo Hwarang's eyes sparkled like a golden retriever exploring the deep sea.

Rock Shield overlapped too much with Magic Shield.

Right.

Ice Needle it was.

“Heh heh.”

Lighting the lamp, he turned the cover of the book with a fluttering heart.

He sank into the world of the book almost immediately.

About three hours must have passed.

Another broken skill had made its way in.

Flash!

The place they appeared, bathed in light, was the park once again.

“Whoa. You finished it already?”

“Yes. Here.”

Seo Hwarang handed the skill book to Yoo Seon-ah.

Now she could learn Ice Needle.

It would go like this from now on. If she obtained a skill book?

She'd hand it to Seo Hwarang first, and he'd read it before anyone else.

“Thanks.”

“You should head in and get some rest, Noona. You haven't slept, have you?”

“And you?”

“I've got to go see Park Juhee.”

Even after becoming co-founder of Seona Couture, Park Juhee's daily life hadn't changed.

Near Gaemi Village, running the Awakening Wholesale Shop.

Small in scale, but it kept her fairly busy — lots of small-time customers coming and going.

But now, the time had come to settle that routine for good.

“Wh-what—what—what is this...”

Park Juhee was so flustered the words wouldn't come out. She was staring at the robe Seo Hwarang had brought.

“I've never... seen an item like this!”

The man before her was an absolute marvel. He'd pop off somewhere for a veeery short while and come back with high-performance items, one after another.

That was why she'd judged this venture to have real potential. Even if all he brought back was Rare-grade gear, building the brand into a luxury label wouldn't be hard.

But this—

“This is a Unique!”

Good heavens.

A Unique.

“Yes. A Unique I made myself.”

“Whaaat...!”

“To start, we're only selling nineteen as a taste. Tell buyers we'll engrave whatever pattern or color they want. Let's aim to sell to whoever bids highest. Oh, and list the maker as CEO Yoo Seon-ah. We should stitch 'Seona 1' right into the robe, too.”

Seona 1.

It meant this was Seona Couture's first official item.

“Y-yes, understood.”

Park Juhee did her best to calm her trembling heart.

Jackpot.

This man was an even bigger jackpot than she'd thought.

From this point on, she needed to shut the wholesale shop for good. Pour everything into running Seona Couture alone.

That was the profitable move.

“I'll sell them to the very best of my ability. Boss— ah, no, um, Employee-nim!”

“Yup. Keep up the good work.”

Seo Hwarang turned his back and gave a little wave with just his right hand.

First things first.

There was no reason to rush over to Etherion. He needed to hear who the robes sold to, and find out what colors and patterns the buyers wanted.

Only then could he cross over and start mass-producing.

So in the meantime?

Time to grind coins.

For starters — let's strip every E and F-rank dungeon in all of South Korea.

Seo Hwarang returned home first, ate dinner with his parents, and slept.

His mother set the table without a word of complaint.

Just wait a little longer.

He'd make a fortune and buy them a proper, beautiful house of their own.

The next day.

Seo Hwarang contacted Yoo Seon-ah right away.

This worked out well for her, too. Running dungeons meant raising her proficiency, after all.

Meeting up again in Gaemi Village, we opened the Awakener Net.

Countless dots appeared on the map — newly reported E and F-rank dungeons.

“Let's call a taxi first.”

After a short wait, the cab arrived.

“Ah, hello there!”

Thankfully, the driver looked like a cheerful sort. Not bad. We'd be stuck with him for about a week, and it would've been a drag if he were gloomy.

“Sir, could you drive for us for a week?”

“I'm sorry — what did you just say?”

Wariness crept into the man's expression. It was the look of what kind of troublemaker is this?

“Exactly what I said. Twenty-four hours a day, 168 hours a week, traveling with us. We'll cover lodging when you sleep, and meals go without saying.”

“Hey, pal! What kind of insane nonsense is that? Hah, grabbing a busy man like this, unbelievable—”

“Weekly pay: ten million won.”

Swooosh.

The moment he pulled out two bundles of cash he'd set aside earlier, the man's mouth slowly fell open. Then—

“Yes, sir, my valued customer!”

A Wooldir-class change of stance!

“Hop right in! We'll serve you in total comfort!”

“Weren't you saying I was crazy just now?”

“What? The crazy one was my own mouth, sir! Yo-yeah! Yo-yeah!”

Clap clap!

The way he smacked his own lips was honestly adorable.

Really.

Who said capitalism was cold?

With enough money, the world was this warm.

“......”

Ignoring Yoo Seon-ah, who had climbed in beside him and was staring at him like he'd lost his mind—

“Take us to the entrance of Mount Baengnyeon first. In front of Myongji University.”

“Yes sir, on it!”

Vroom!

The taxi shot off.

Let's strip those dungeons over there, one after another!

“Whew.”

Park Juhee rubbed her hands together.

She still couldn't believe it. That this incredible item was in her grasp.

Then, suddenly, it frightened her a little. What if a robber showed up and swiped it in one clean stroke?

First—

She went to the Association's appraisal department and got the certificate of authenticity. Since the vast majority of items were introduced through the network these days, there needed to be firm verification, and the Association handled that for a modest fee.

Next.

She logged into the country's largest community. To raise Seona Couture's brand value, she couldn't sell through the black market. To emerge into the mainstream, taxes had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be paid properly and aboveboard.

Park Juhee uploaded both the robe's photos and its certified specs to the auction at once, and drafted the listing with great care.

She didn't expect a long auction to bring in all that much more money. Rather, she planned to keep it short and whip up competitive fervor.

A billion won for specs like these?

Dirt cheap.

Tap, tap!

After posting the listing, she picked up her phone and opened the Seona Couture group chat.

Nice!

Park Juhee clenched her fist. What a relief — Seo Hwarang's thinking matched her own. When a business case is this certain, sometimes you just have to plop down ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the money without hesitation.

Once she stepped outside, Park Juhee headed straight for Gangnam District.

If you're setting up a luxury flagship, you go where the high-end market is.

She had five places in mind: Cheongdam-dong, Apgujeong, Myeongdong, Sinsa-dong, and Jamsil.

She planned to tour the real estate offices and start looking at whatever listings came up.