The Appraiser
Despite how often he gave Gong Won-goo grief, Mu Beob-sa was one of the crew who understood him best of all.
A single glance at his face was enough to tell whether things had gone smoothly or gone sideways.
And the expression Won-goo wore returning from his meeting with Baek Seol was not a good one. Anyone could see at a glance that something had fallen through.
"You said it was completely ruined, didn't you?"
"Not completely. Just unusable for now. So there's nothing for it — I have to go to the Appraisal Office."
A Gift for appraising items was rare. And because it was rare, plenty of survivors relied on the business housed in the Shelter.
What made it peculiar was that this outfit was a company-run franchise, operated by the Shelter itself.
"Didn't you swear you'd never go back because they gouge you too hard?"
"Then find me an appraiser we actually know. I'm only saying this because I can't."
Survivors knew all too well that an item whose true purpose went unrecognized could act as poison on its bearer.
In a world where even cursed items circulated freely, the value of an appraiser could only climb ever higher.
The very reason Poke had been able to grow into the largest gang in the area was his appraisal Gift, pure and simple.
Coins came in fast, which meant manpower came in fast, and with that came a swelling confidence.
Barely a stretch after going independent, he'd already surpassed Won-goo's crew in numbers — and within a year, he'd doubled them.
What Poke had failed to grasp was that in an apocalyptic world, headcount alone never guaranteed an advantage.
"Come to think of it... that's how you ended up getting him, too."
"The ones who are finished stay finished. Stop bringing them up. Everyone, move out."
The Shelter was laid out in a ring around its central district.
Most of the beastfolk lived in that central zone.
Survivors came here to strengthen their abilities or have their items appraised.
But as the apocalypse wore on, the number of survivors getting items appraised here had dwindled to almost nothing.
The reason had nothing to do with an item's actual worth — it was the extortionate pricing.
One gold coin per item.
Payment upfront, no exceptions.
And if an appraisal came back Gold grade or higher, five more gold coins were due on top of that.
There were no refunds even if the verdict came back worthless trash, so unless you were absolutely certain of your item, leaving it unevaluated here was simply the wiser play.
"Well, well... it's been a while, hasn't it? You've been quite the topic of conversation lately."
The moment Won-goo stepped into the Appraisal Office, a beastfolk greeted him with exaggerated familiarity.
A beastfolk with the face of a hawk.
His name was Rara.
"Any price changes while I've been gone?"
"For us? Fixed rates, as always."
Rara tilted his head toward the guideboard hanging at the back of the shop.
"It's a miracle you don't go under with a price list like that."
"Unlike unlicensed operations, we disclose everything in meticulous, exhaustive detail."
"Has anything ever actually turned out to be a jackpot here? Everything I've seen appraised was worth less than the fee itself..."
"Items don't bring themselves in. Good items produce good appraisals — that's just common sense you insist on making complicated."
Even now, whenever Won-goo thought back on the coins the Appraisal Office had fleeced from him over the years, an unpleasant taste rose in his mouth.
A whole gold coin, no less.
Now, with a fair stretch of time passed since the apocalypse began, it might not seem so steep.
But in the earliest days, that price had been downright villainous.
Back when most survivors barely understood what a Gift even was, a single gold coin was an outrageous rip-off — and Won-goo had lodged his complaints about it many, many times.
Not that complaining ever changed anything.
Because the Shelter's basic infrastructure was managed by the Jonggwanwi.
In other words, this was the standing policy: nothing changed unless the directive came down from above. Ever.
Thud!
Won-goo laid the Claw — the one he'd acquired from the squirrel beastfolk — on the counter. Skimming off a few good pieces for himself before the inventory went public was one of the privileges of the man who'd staged the whole affair.
"Payment's upfront, you know?"
Tap.
He set a gold coin down beside it. Rara snatched up the coin first, then bent over the Claw to examine it.
It was a weapon with three long blades, each roughly fifty centimeters, extending from its frame.
Rara picked up a magnifying loupe and studied it closely.
"Oh!"
"Something popped?"
"Well, I'll be..."
"Screw with me and you die. You've heard the rumors, right? I'm not in a great mood these days."
"No, it's real. Something really good just came up."
"Is that so?"
"Where on earth did you dig up an item like this?"
"What's the function?"
"The short version? Or the long one? How would you like it explained?"
"Short. Just the essentials."
"When worn and moved, this thing accumulates energy — and once enough builds up, it can be released. It's a genuinely good item."
"Grade?"
"Gold. Only because the output runs a little weak. There are quite a few people out there who use items of this type as their mainstay."
"Really?"
"It's versatile. Just swinging it like this charges it. Whoever carried this before — he wasn't the type to go flailing his arms around, was he?"
"Not that I saw."
"Then he didn't know how to use it properly. People who wield weapons with this kind of option are always rotating their hands, keeping them in constant motion. And they usually carry two."
"Two?"
"That's right. The charges build separately."
"So you could play a guessing game about which hand you scratched with."
"Exactly. And that's actually a fairly advanced technique."
"That's it? Nothing else?"
"Nope. But even without more, this is good. It doesn't draw on ambient power. It doesn't leech the wearer's life force, either."
"And yet it still extends blades that far? I saw it reach pretty damn far."
"Which is exactly why it's Gold grade."
"Hmm..."
"Struggling to picture it? This is a remarkably simple yet intricate piece of engineering."
"Simple yet intricate?"
"What would make it click fastest? A watch?"
"A watch?"
"Yes. A watch. You know those ones that run off motion — automatics?"
"Sure, I know them. So it's the same principle?"
"Similar principle. Except this Claw incorporates technology several tiers above that."
"Scored something good, then."
"Planning to sell it, Director Gong?"
"Not selling."
"Then get a second one."
"If I can find one."
"If you can't, at least bring back something that looks similar."
"So it's a con, is what you're saying?"
"It works surprisingly well — right up until they figure out which hand the real one is on. This thing packs a serious punch. Look here — effective range of three meters."
"Three meters? It never reached anywhere near that. And wouldn't three meters make it an absurdly overpowered item?"
At that, Rara's expression stiffened. He stroked his sharp beak once, then bent back over the Claw.
"Huh. Now that you mention it... it does say three meters here. At three meters, it ought to rate Platinum."
"You sure about the three meters?"
"Hold on."
Rara picked the loupe back up and began prodding the Claw here and there.
Click, click!
After murmuring an incantation and touching several points, light began to seep out from the weapon.
"What happened?"
"Someone set a limiter on it. Probably meant for training use. Either way — it reaches three meters now."
"Seriously?"
"I'm serious. And the grade's revised too. It's Platinum."
"Platinum..."
"One hell of a jackpot, I'd say."
Won-goo lunged for the Claw. Rara snatched it away in a flash.
"Five coins. Pay up."
"Fucking... this isn't another rip-off, is it?"
"Then go waste money somewhere else and get it appraised again. You'll hear the exact same thing. Shall I write you a certificate?"
"Fine."
"And I've more than earned my fee here. I turned your Gold into a Platinum — that settles it. Five coins. Don't have them? Then come back later."
Won-goo handed over five gold coins with a bitter face.
Thanks to the string of recent incidents, they'd managed to accumulate a decent pile.
Judging purely by coin revenue, Won-goo's Labor Services was hardly a small-time operation anymore.
And yet the reason Won-goo couldn't quickly unlock his third Milestone Trait was precisely because so much flowed back out.
More than that — once the third Trait was unlocked, his Trailer would become considerably more powerful.
Which also meant that if the Trailer were ever damaged, the cost of restoring it would climb just as steeply.
Won-goo already knew that once the third Trait was granted, the Trailer's repair costs would balloon to eye-popping levels.
So he was saving his gold coins with that expense factored in.
"Your face looks rather pleased, if I'm not mistaken?"
Mu Beob-sa asked the moment Won-goo walked out of the Appraisal Office.
"Let's head to Sanghae's place first. We'll talk there."
"I have an announcement. Let me start with what I settled with the Shelter Director. The partner-business registration turned out to be more complicated than expected — and it's a sensitive time, besides. In exchange, I secured market access privileges."
"The, the market?"
"There's a market only Shelter-affiliated businesses can enter, Suwon. The goods there are dirt cheap."
"Right — incredibly cheap. Which means we can slash our fixed living costs dramatically."
"How cheap are we talking?"
Jeon Hye-ji asked.
"A lot. Alot. The prices will probably shock you — enough to make the merchants here look like absolute sons of bitches by comparison. But you can't help understanding them. Residency here comes with a daily fee that has to be paid, and since they have to earn that much every single day, they have no choice but to charge through the nose."
"Then couldn't we just ask Broker Sanghae to—"
"That would be nice, but there's a cap on how much any single business can purchase. No matter how close we are with Sanghae, it won't work. He has to stock his own shelves first. Everyone following? Losing the partner registration is a shame, but market access isn't a bad consolation prize."
Everyone nodded along in agreement.
"Next — the Claw we got from the squirrel. This thing is a jackpot."
Won-goo explained the Claw's properties to the crew.
Surprised looks spread across their faces.
This was the first time any of them had laid eyes on a Platinum-grade item.
Even the Named items bearing powerful curses mostly rated as Gold when graded.
But the Claw ranked above even those. That was the most staggering part of all.
"They say good news and bad travel together... and you bagged a jackpot. But Director Gong — what's it called?"
"Doesn't seem to have a name. Can't I just call it the Rat Bastard's Claw?"
"Rat? Because it came from a squirrel, you mean?"
"Better to let whoever's going to wield it name it."
With that, Won-goo held the Claw out to Suwon.
"This item goes to Suwon. Hyun-sung holds the next-forward position, so it fits. Any objections?"
No one had any. When it came to item distribution, Director Gong's judgment had always proven sound.
Jo Mu-sa's position kept drifting further toward the rear, and the ones who needed to fight more aggressively were Geum Chul-soo or Jeon Hye-ji — and both of them had received new gear recently.
Geum Chul-soo got the Dulla capsule.
Jeon Hye-ji got Won-goo's rifle.
There was no grounds for complaint anywhere in the lineup.
"Suwon, you've got a lot of work ahead. When Hyun-sung takes point as our shield, you move in hard behind him. I'm giving you this so you can play that role. Understood?"
"Th-thank you."
"Let's work hard."
"So — back to resting now, is that the plan? Aren't we supposed to stay put until the market opens?"
"Two days left — who said anything about resting? We've rested plenty. We've got a long road ahead, and hard work to do."
"Did another commission come in?"
"No. But there's work that needs doing all the same."
"...?"
"Dr. Woo."
"Wasn't he already on the job? Didn't we hire Il-chul for that?"
"That's separate... Consider this a little lesson. My gift to you."
Won-goo was smiling wickedly. An uneasy chill crept over the crew at the sight of that smile.
Somehow, it felt like he was about to kick off something enormous.
"A lesson?"
"Never leave your house sitting empty. Always mind yourself against burglars. I happen to know exactly where Dr. Woo's place is."
Chuckling under his breath, Won-goo lit a cigarette.