Chapter 6
Chapter 6
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Delivery Fees Have Increased 10,000-Fold
-----------------------------------------------------------------
지잉-
The smartphone in my pocket buzzed briefly.
I picked up the phone while still sprawled on the bed, checking the screen without changing position.
"......"
I rubbed my eyes and looked at the screen again.
The number of zeros was throwing me off, so I counted them one by one with my finger.
One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand...... hundred million.
Five hundred million.
Real deal, 500 million won.
It hadn't even been 24 hours since I'd shaken hands with the Hunter Association president and stamped the contract.
And yet, here was the deposit already.
Did salaries usually get paid from the first day on the job?
Or was this special treatment because I'm S-Rank?
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter.
What counted was that the price of an apartment on Seoul's outskirts had just landed in my account.
"Whoa......"
My mouth was grinning so wide it hurt my ears.
All I'd done was casually ask how much I'd get after taxes, and they wired the full 500 million without deductions.
President, sir. Loyalty forever!
"Pfft. Pffft. Hahaha!"
I couldn't stop laughing.
I shot up and started throwing punches at the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh!
The only downside was that I had to pull my punches carefully, lest I accidentally trigger a sonic boom because I'm too damn fast.
"So this is what financial therapy feels like."
Truth be told, even though I'd acted tough in front of Yoo Na-yeon, I hated the delivery gig too.
No, honestly, most people probably hate their jobs.
They just push through day by day, covering it up with money therapy.
I walked to the fridge and cracked open some cheap coffee I'd bulk-bought during a Cube Bread sale.
Tsss-
The cheap coffee sliding down my throat tasted sweeter than Luwak today.
Not that I know if Luwak's actually sweet.
Anyway, it was delicious.
"What the hell is 500 million even worth?"
I sat at the kitchen table and seriously tapped away at my calculator.
Delivery fee per package: average 1,000 won.
To earn 500 million, I'd need to deliver 500,000 packages.
At 200 a day, six days a week, non-stop...... it'd take over seven years.
Seven years of climbing stairs until my bones ache, eating shit from asshole customers, wasting time driving the van on the roads—just to touch that cash.
But now?
Job: Honorary Hunter affiliated with the Association.
Duties: Breathe. Occasionally pick up the president's calls. Done.
Investment: 10 seconds.
"Insane."
Pure efficiency.
Quibbling over cost-performance at this point would be a crime.
One long-held principle in my head got an update.
I immediately texted Logistics Center Manager Kim.
'Sending such an inefficient, rude text...... me?'
I could hardly believe it myself.
Probably the first and last time I'd blow money like this.
지잉-
The message was so wild, the reply came instantly.
I chuckled.
Manager Kim probably wasn't sweating my empty spot—he was grinning ear-to-ear over the free truck.
"Lottery? I hit something way better."
Pension lottery first prize? Child's play.
Nothing beats a super ultra premium pension lottery that drops 500 million into your account every month.
지이이잉-
"What now."
I gave him the truck to stop the nagging, so if it's another text, I'm taking it back.
"It's the manager."
"Big corporations sure get shit done right."
I didn't have anyone like this before, but signing with the Association got me a manager on speed dial.
An hour later.
I was sunk into the living room sofa of the top-tier Gangnam residential complex apartment provided by the Association.
"This is my place now?"
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Seoul skyline sprawled out below.
The Han River looked like a stream, and the cars on the roads were too tiny to make out.
The move took three minutes flat.
No need for movers.
I just used Swiftness to carry my stuff from the old place, boxes and all.
Anyone watching would've thought my junk vanished into thin air.
"Perfect."
I rubbed my cheek against the plush leather sofa and powered up the tablet PC from the Association.
What now?
Money in the bank, time to burn.
Normally I'd be hauling ass with sweat pouring from my feet, but no more.
"Should've joined a real guild after all."
Boredom was making me think crazy shit like that.
I shook my head.
No need to risk my neck just to kill time.
Then a notification popped up on the tablet.
The manager again.
The dedicated manager the president assigned me.
Fast, sharp—solid pick.
"Ah, thanks for the hard work. Really."
I waved at the sharply dressed woman emerging from my room.
Manager Park bowed politely.
"Door lock password changed to your fingerprint. And......"
Manager Park held out a tablet with a troubled look.
"What's this?"
"Sanctuary Guild's Vice Guild Master Han Yoo-jung has submitted a personal request."
Ah, personal request.
They said I could decline, but out of courtesy, I'd said I'd at least read them all.
"What does Han Yoo-jung want with me this time."
As long as it's not dangerous, I could take one for kicks.
Joined the Association, might as well do a few jobs.
[Client: Han Yoo-jung (Sanctuary Guild)]
[Content: Deliver important item (Hand directly to recipient; must get personal receipt stamp)]
[Delivery Location: Cheongdam-dong Restaurant Artemis VIP Room]
[Compensation: 10,000,000 won (Ten million won)]
"......"
I scrubbed my eyes and looked again.
Ten million won?
For one delivery?
That changes things.
But delivering her own stuff to herself? What the hell?
"Manager Park, this says ten million, right?"
"Yes. Vice Guild Master Han Yoo-jung said, 'To call my knight, this is just cab fare.'"
Cab fare level.
What's wrong with S-Ranks' sense of money?
My brain's efficiency calculator started spinning wildly.
Regular delivery: 1,000 won per.
Han Yoo-jung's request: 10,000,000 won per.
That's a 10,000x difference straight up.
Even if I'd written off regular deliveries as inefficient, 10,000 times changes the game.
Plus, delivery spot's 4km in a straight line from here.
At my speed, round trip's under 2 seconds.
Ten million for 2 seconds.
Hourly rate? No need to calculate. This is nuts.
"Gotta do it."
I jumped up.
"Accept the request?"
"Obviously. Rejecting this honey...... er, this efficient gig goes against my principles."
This wasn't work.
It was picking money off the ground.
"Where's the item?"
"Right here."
Manager Park pulled a fancy red envelope from her pocket.
A letter wafting subtle perfume.
'Just delivering a letter?'
I took the envelope carefully and threw on my jacket.
"Be back before dinner."
"Shall I prep a car? Association limo is on standby......"
"No need. I'm faster."
Flash-
Before she finished, I'd already blasted through the front door.
Cheongdam-dong's private restaurant, Artemis.
Book now, and your table's six months out. Celebrity hotspot supreme.
Why so famous?
Han Yoo-jung raved about it on her stream.
Food's legit good too, sure.
I stood at the entrance, envelope in hand.
"Uh, here to deliver a letter."
"This way, please."
The middle-aged manager bowed with refined poise.
First time getting treatment like this.
"Right this way."
The VIP "room" was apartment-living-room sized.
Under a dazzling chandelier, a woman in white dress sat.
Han Yoo-jung.
She was sipping wine, gazing out the window, then flashed a bright smile at me.
"Accepted the request and got here in a flash. As expected of my knight! Fast as ever, just like when you saved me!"
"Delivery here. Han Yoo-jung?"
I walked over and set the envelope on the table.
Then stuck out my hand matter-of-factly.
"Receipt stamp, please. And payment's immediate, right?"
Han Yoo-jung's eyes went wide.
Why the surprise?
You called for a delivery, didn't you?
"Normally, wouldn't you chat with a beauty in a dress like this?"
Maybe for normals.
But I'm an efficiency pro.
"You're really going...?"
Han Yoo-jung giggled behind her hand.
"You're so fun, knight. Most guys would say 'let's eat first' or compliment my outfit."
"Dinner's at home. Outfit...... looks pricey. If I were a woman, no way I'd wear it."
I meant it. White like that? One kimchi splash and it's over.
Han Yoo-jung's eyes sparkled, like she loved the reaction.
"Sit. I'll settle up right away. One condition, though."
"Condition?"
"I'll confirm delivery after dinner. Gotta eat, right? Ten million delivery deserves better service than that."
Can't argue.
Efficiency matters, but so does customer satisfaction.
I'm a pro.
Ten mil for a meal? Fine.
I slid into the opposite chair.
"I eat at my pace, cool?"
"Long as you don't break the sound barrier chewing."
Han Yoo-jung beckoned, and waiters started bringing the course dishes.