Had I Been Too Selfless?
"What did you say? You're telling me the credit Principal Im left has already run out?"
At Manseung-ru, Ryu Gye-hae asked in a voice thick with shock as he tried to settle the bill.
"Sir, you seem to be on good terms with Principal Im, so we were hoping you could settle the outstanding balance. It comes to a total of 1,456 gold coins and 32 silver coins. We're willing to waive the 32 silver coins," the cashier at Manseung-ru said, his gaze far from friendly.
"But..."
Ryu Gye-hae was utterly flustered. 'Principal! If you didn't have the money, you shouldn't have told us to just put it on your tab! Why are you putting me through this?'
Bukjin and the other students, who had even ordered several dishes to-go, were equally taken aback.
'What does that mean?'
'Did we just get scammed?'
'Is the principal really sticking his students with the bill?!'
Before they knew it, the staff of Manseung-ru had begun to surround the group from the 3rd Academy.
"Oh, honestly! Enough! I'll just pay for it. It's not even that much... Why are you making such a fuss over a pittance?"
Baek Geum-un, who was slightly tipsy from the wine, reached into her robes and pulled out a flat, rectangular piece of black Mystic Energy crystal.
"There's no password. It's a VIP-grade crystal from the Heavenly Sword Bank. Just swipe it already."
The cashier's eyes lit up at her words. There were only a handful of people in Unmong City who possessed a VIP-grade payment crystal from the Heavenly Sword Bank. After verifying the crystal's authenticity, the cashier processed the payment with lightning speed.
◈ Payment Amount: 1,456 Gold Coins
◈ Remaining Balance: [HIDDEN]
Only then did Bukjin remember that Baek Geum-un was a wealthy young lady who received thousands, if not tens of thousands, of gold coins as a mere allowance.
'Ah, I almost forgot something very important.'
Bukjin felt that he had been a bit too harsh toward Baek Geum-un lately.
'A real man must always be able to reflect on his actions. This has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Baek Geum-un is filthy rich. Of course not! From now on, I shall be a man who respects women!'
With the bill settled smoothly, the way the teachers looked at Baek Geum-un underwent a drastic transformation.
After leaving Manseung-ru, the people from the 3rd Academy headed to their respective homes. In Bukjin's case, he had already made plans with Cho Heun during dinner to visit the Iron Hammer Weapon Shop to have a few weapons custom-made for his hands.
It was said that to do a job right, one must first prepare the proper tools. With the upcoming Martial Arts Competition and the team battles ahead, Bukjin intended to arm himself with the best equipment possible.
The two of them walked through the streets and arrived at Yang Chim-ju's shop. When Bukjin explained the purpose of his visit, Yang Chim-ju looked at him with a suspicious glint in his eyes.
"You... you didn't come here because you need a device to spray aphrodisiacs using Mystic Energy, did you?"
Bukjin's face crumpled. 'He must have seen the broadcast...'
Cho Heun burst into a boisterous laugh.
"I need two spare swords to use during the exams. And I also need a bow. Oh, while we're at it, I'll need twenty heavy arrows... no, make it forty. I don't care about the weight, so please make the shafts out of solid steel. I don't need any Mystic Inscriptions, but they must be incredibly durable!" Bukjin said.
Bukjin had practiced the Moon-Eating Dragon War technique, but he had never been able to actually use it. This was because he lacked a bow that could withstand his strength. He decided to take this opportunity to have one custom-built.
"I saw you competing in the Strength Trial. For someone with the strength of ten thousand jin, a heavy bow and steel arrows are certainly appropriate. However, I don't have any bows in stock right now that you could actually use. Wait a moment. I'll have Yeong-juk bring some blueprints."
Yang Chim-ju was a true expert in his field. While he and his partner, Yeong-juk, selected and modified a bow design suitable for Bukjin, Bukjin began browsing the swords.
Through his training with the smartphone, Bukjin had mastered the use of swords in both hands. Using dual swords would effectively double his combat power. Therefore, in addition to his Virtue Sword, he needed two more longswords. If he encountered a powerful opponent in the competition, he could switch to a dual-wielding style.
A short while later, Bukjin picked out two greatswords made of well-refined steel. They were hundred-pound greatswords that an ordinary person would need two hands to lift, but for Bukjin, they were light enough to wield with one hand. Furthermore, since they were the heaviest swords currently in the shop, he didn't have much of a choice.
"By the way, old man, you still seem a long way off from being called a master bladesmith! Looking at these two swords, there's a clear gap between your work and Master Beom's. Look! The surface is so dark it looks like it was scorched by fire. Do you really think you can sell merchandise like this? You need to put a bit more care into your crafting."
Bukjin was being intentionally difficult. Hearing this, Yang Chim-ju felt his temper flare instantly.
"Chim-ju's casting technique is second to none, even compared to Master Beom's second disciple, Cheong-yeong. The only thing we lack is an Inscriptionist to carve Mystic Formations onto the weapons. If we had a proper Inscriptionist, our Iron Hammer Weapon Shop would have easily overwhelmed Master Beom's Unmong branch!" Yeong-juk interjected.
"Then the solution is simple. Just hire one," Bukjin said.
"It's not that simple. First of all, Inscriptionists are extremely rare, and even fewer are willing to work full-time at a shop like ours. Even if someone wanted to come, we couldn't afford their salary," Yeong-juk said with a sigh.
Bukjin was about to say more, but Yang Chim-ju cut him off.
"Enough. I've finished the design for your bow. It's based on the Steel Wall Bow used by the Imperial Army. It's durable enough to withstand even your ten-thousand-jin strength. And the arrows are Four Dragon Arrows, also used by the military. Take a look. If there are no issues, pay the deposit. I'll start production tonight. We have plenty of materials, so you can pick them up tomorrow afternoon."
Yang Chim-ju handed Bukjin the blueprint. Since Bukjin had zero knowledge of weapon design, he couldn't really understand what he was looking at. Even though bows existed on Earth, he didn't know the technical details. However, glancing at the drawing, he could tell the shape was quite impressive. The steel body of the bow looked thick and formidable. The arrows were so thick they could be mistaken for small spears. In a way, it looked almost brutish.
Bukjin intentionally nitpicked as he spoke.
"Hmm, it's a bit crude, but I suppose it'll do. Fine. I'll take this bow."
Yang Chim-ju held out his hand, clearly wanting to avoid any further pointless debate. "That will be 50 gold coins."
"Huh?" Bukjin said, startled. "It's that expensive?"
Yang Chim-ju replied, "I've already given you a twenty percent discount because we're acquaintances. The deadline is tight and the materials are costly—do you think this is easy to make?"
At the same time, Yang Chim-ju thought to himself, 'They say a kind word can pay off a debt of a thousand gold, but for a cheeky brat like you who can't keep his mouth shut, I'm going to overcharge you properly.'
"That's way too expensive. I'm not buying it then."
After doing the math, Bukjin concluded it wasn't a good deal. 'They say you should always compare prices at different shops. I'll check out some other places later.'
Yang Chim-ju was speechless. 'I went through the trouble of designing it and presenting the blueprint, and he just looks at it once and says he won't buy it?!'
Watching the situation unfold, Yeong-juk quickly tried to soothe Bukjin. "Bukjin, actually, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. I'm sure you'll find it interesting."
But Bukjin remained firm. "If it's something that costs money, I'm not interested."
The more he looked at it, the more Bukjin felt that Yang Chim-ju's shop was trying to rip off a friend.
Cho Heun, who had been watching from the sidelines, was laughing heartily. He was sipping wine and munching on peanuts as if he were watching a play.
Yeong-juk said with a smile, "It's about the Heavenly Horse Meteor Arm. The four blueprints you gave us are incredibly profound. Their value is beyond your imagination. That's why we'd like to become the exclusive agency with production rights for the Heavenly Horse Meteor Arm... Would that be alright?"
"Exclusive agency?"
Bukjin was slightly taken aback. The laughter vanished from Cho Heun's face. He set down his wine glass and spoke sternly.
"You brat! What's with that look? Don't tell me you haven't given this a single thought?"
Bukjin answered nonchalantly, "I gave it to you as a gift, Teacher! Naturally, you should do whatever you want with it."
Seeing his reaction, everyone realized that Bukjin truly hadn't considered the business implications at all. Yang Chim-ju looked dazed, and Yeong-juk appeared equally baffled.
The fact that he had just handed over the design for an extremely rare alchemical artifact like the Heavenly Horse Meteor Arm and told them to do as they pleased made them wonder if Bukjin was even sane. Yang Chim-ju and Yeong-juk suddenly felt that they had misjudged Bukjin's vast magnanimity with their own narrow-minded merchant's perspective. Or perhaps, Bukjin was simply a person who lacked greed entirely.
Cho Heun shook his head. "How can you just toss the production method for a divine artifact like the Heavenly Horse Meteor Arm to someone else? Yang Chim-ju and his wife aren't the type of people to just take advantage of you like that. So, make sure you discuss the agency rights properly."
Yang Chim-ju spoke with a serious expression. "Brother Cho Heun is right. I may be a merchant running a shop, and I might be the type to haggle over small things, but I cannot handle a matter of this magnitude carelessly. Yeong-juk and I have a keen eye for money. It would be wonderful if we could have exclusive rights within the Coastal District of Pungeo Province. Even better if we could distribute the Heavenly Horse Meteor Arm nationwide. Bukjin, name your price."
As the conversation reached this point, Bukjin's brain finally began to function. Until now, he had only viewed the Heavenly Horse Meteor Arm as a tool to allow Cho Heun to live with two arms again. He hadn't thought beyond that.
But hearing Yang Chim-ju's words, Bukjin realized that the blueprints for the Heavenly Horse Meteor Arm were essentially a goose that laid golden eggs.
'Had I been too selfless?'
Bukjin felt the gears in his head spinning at high speed.