Chapter 6: Party A and Party B
The smartphone in my pocket, linked to the community, was vibrating like mad.
Filling the screen were desperate pleas from none other than the Royal Alchemist, that old coot.
Royal Alchemist
Hey there, Repairman sir! I know you're reading my messages! Please reply!
Royal Alchemist
I was wrong! I shouldn't have even mentioned clinical trials! My mouth ran away with me! So please, just sell me one more flask! Yeah?!
Royal Alchemist
What do you want? Points? Mana stones? Or another artifact? Just say the word! I'll make it happen!
Just moments ago, this guy had treated me like a lab rat, spouting nonsense like "Lucky you didn't die." Now he was sweating bullets.
I snorted and switched the notifications to silent.
"Hmph, not this time. Maybe later, but not to you."
That he was begging this hard proved my worthless glass flask was an irreplaceable treasure over there. Hadn't the last auction confirmed it? Five B-rank mana stones and the Dragon Heart Mana Circuit Activator. In Earth terms, hundreds of millions of won—priceless serendipity.
And sell it to the same guy again? I'm a businessman too. My pride wouldn't allow it. Plus, now I was pissed at him. No way was I dealing with this old man again.
"Time to scale up the game."
I leaned back in my workbench chair and opened the Multidimensional Secondhand Market's sales menu.
I could do a live chat auction like last time, but for max points, I chose something surer.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Auction Method Selected: Blind Bid
No peeking at rivals' bids—just pure blind auction. No timid one-point increments. Desperate buyers had to go all-in from the start to crush competition.
I grabbed a dusty flask from a box in the corner, snapped a photo, and uploaded it.
⚙ AUCTION SETUP ⚙
Item: Heat/Acid-Resistant Transparent Flask
Method: Blind Bid
Starting Bid: 1,000,000 Points
Duration: 24 Hours
Confirm Registration?
I hit confirm, and the system popped up.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Auction has started. Highest bidder wins automatically after 24 hours.
"Perfect. This'll be fun."
Imagining that old coot and fantasy bigshots in a bloodless bidding war already had me grinning. But I couldn't just sit idle.
Hmm... gotta hit a gate and test this overwhelming body from the Dragon Heart.
My eyes drifted to a dusty relic on the workbench corner. Ages ago, Kim Taesoo had stumbled in drunk, begging me to fix it while bawling.
I brushed off the filthy cloth. Beneath it: a longsword with a grotesquely twisted hilt and a snapped blade midway.
📋 ITEM APPRAISAL 📋
Broken Mercenary Sword
Grade: E | Status: Blade shattered by heavy impact, mana conduction circuit severed
Repairable: Yes (Upgrade Repair Possible)
Basic Repair: 2 E-rank Mana Stones, 5g Low-Grade Mana Gold, 20 MP
Upgrade Repair: 2 D-rank Mana Stones, 10g Low-Grade Mana Gold, 40 MP
"What the—upgrade repair? Since when?"
Curiosity piqued, I yanked open the market's [Point Shop] tab.
🪙 POINT SHOP 🪙
Low-Grade Mana Gold
🪙 500 P / 10g
D-rank Mana Stone
🪙 10,000 P each
Your Points: 0
Materials everywhere, but zero points in my wallet. Last deal was mana stones and potion only. Wait 24 hours sucking my thumb?
Nah.
I tapped the tiny [System Instant Buyout] button at the bottom. Not user trades—community buying scrap for point shop stock. Value based on rarity across dimensions.
"Rarity-based, huh."
I headed to the yard, rummaging scrap mountains. Grabbed a rusted bike that wouldn't roll, a busted microwave with severed cord, and a tangle of mystery wires. Pure trash—no pawn shop would touch it.
But over there? Rare?
Back at the bench, I scanned.
⚙ APPRAISAL RESULT ⚙
Non-Mana Conductor & Composite Metals
Buyout Price: 150,000 Points Total
Proceed with Sale?
"...???"
Trash for 150k points? Earth's junk as their resources. Alchemy from nothing.
"Sell! Sell now!"
No hesitation. Hit sell—the scrap glowed blue, disintegrated into the air. Points jumped: 0 → 150,000.
"Jackpot!! Huge!!"
Trash to treasure. 150k points! Fifteen D-rank stones! 15 million won!!
I swept the shop clean.
⚙ PURCHASE COMPLETE ⚙
Low-Grade Mana Conductor (Mana Gold) 20g (-1,000 P)
E-rank Mana Stones x4 (-12,000 P)
Extra for safety—and to test upgrade repair.
Blue particles coalesced: fine mana gold powder in a vial, four fist-sized E-rank stones plopping down.
"Whoa... unreal."
Goggles on, gloves tight. Heart pounding. Three years, thousands of F-rank fixes—but this? Real awakener repair with proper mana and mats.
Aligned the broken edges. Weighed exactly 10g mana gold, dusted into the seam. Placed two D-rank stones atop the blade.
Go big—upgrade it.
Kim Taesoo annoyed me sometimes, but loyal customer. Monthly fixes, gate junk, even decent appliances. That bike and microwave? His gifts.
⚡ REPAIR READY ⚡
Materials sufficient. Proceed with Upgrade Repair?
"Yes!"
Skill trigger—Dragon Heart pumped vast mana through my veins. Not my old trickle: thick, scorching power surged to my fingertips.
"Huh?"
Tsss—! Blue mana flames from my hands hit the powder. It melted to liquid, glowing fiercely, seeping like living ink into the break.
I maxed focus. Damn, not auto! Normal fixes were hands-off; this? Neurosurgeon precision, reconnecting intricate mana circuits.
⚙ SYSTEM WARNING ⚙
Deviate from suggested procedure and repair will fail.
That amped my tension. No way! These mats cost a fortune!!
Sweat beaded. Dragon Heart mana was potent but tricky. I fine-tuned output, painting circuits with liquid mana gold like a brush.
Vmmm—vrrrm— Sword hummed. Energy from hilt stones pulsed blue through new circuits, straightening the hilt, fusing the blade seamlessly. Final cracks smoothed.
Flash—! Blinding light flooded the workshop.
Ding—ding—!
✨ UPGRADE REPAIR COMPLETE! ✨
E → D
Perfect mana circuit restoration + high-purity materials unlocked item potential.
Weapon grade upgraded!
"...Whoa."
Light faded: no rusty E-grade junk. A sleek D-grade sharp sword, pulsing faint blue.
Not just fixed—upgraded.
"For real...?"
Earth smiths max at original grade. But raise the grade itself?
"Kim Taesoo, you hit the jackpot today."
Grinning, I grabbed my phone, dialed "Trouble Kim."
Rang twice—he snatched it up.
📞 Trouble Kim
"Yo, Daesung! What's up? Drinks?"
Probably midday whining, booze on his mind.
"Uncle, ditch the booze and haul ass here now."
📞 Trouble Kim
"Huh? Why sudden? I'm in the middle of something important..."
Auntie chewing him out, sounded like.
"Sword's fixed. Ten minutes or I snap it again and scrap it."
📞 Trouble Kim
"...What?! You fixed my sword?!"
"Yeah. So hustle. Hanging up."
📞 Trouble Kim (fading)
"Honey! Daesung fixed my sword! I'm heading to—" [Click]
"No way! Bullshit!! Don't use that excuse to drink with Daesung again!"
Tiger-like auntie's roar echoed. Marriage... later.
***
Minutes later, before my cig was half-gone, pounding feet outside—door slammed open.
Bang—!
"Huff, huff! Kwon Daesung! For real? You actually fixed it?!"
Kim Taesoo barreled in, face sweat-drenched. Eyes bloodshot with disbelief and hope.
I jerked my chin at the bench. "See for yourself."
His gaze locked on the sword. Smooth blade shimmering blue. His lost partner, reborn perfect.
"Th-this... really my sword...?"