Black Tier at the Luxury Hall
RaSe Korean branch's luxury capsule showroom.
Marketing manager Shin Bonghyeon wasn't in the best mood today.
"Ugh. This is so damn annoying."
He was swamped.
The luxury hall didn't usually see a ton of customers, but for the past three days, they hadn't stopped coming.
The reason was obvious.
The new high-end capsule RaSe had just released.
A monster machine called Apollo, leagues ahead of the old models in performance.
'Why are all these randos lining up?'
True to its latest-gen status, Apollo came with a sky-high price tag. Something no average person could dream of affording.
But even those average folks could at least try it out for free.
RaSe was running a free test-drive event for the first seven days after launch—but only for visitors to headquarters.
Thanks to that, the luxury hall had been flooded with all sorts of casuals for the last three days, living up to its name in the worst way.
'A luxury hall should only welcome people of equal class.'
And in Bonghyeon's own estimation, he was the perfect fit for the job.
A handsome face that turned heads on the street. A tall frame and sharp styling to match.
Modeling offers had come his way plenty of times, naturally.
He'd turned them all down to work here because this spot matched his own prestige perfectly.
'So why are these beggars showing up?'
Listening to them make demands they wouldn't dare voice outside... the stress was boiling over. He couldn't take it anymore.
So when a guy in a shabby hoodie walked in, Bonghyeon's face soured on reflex.
He scanned the customer quick.
Hoodie tee, jeans, sneakers. Crossbody bag.
The clean vibe was decent enough, but that was it. From head to toe, not a speck of luxury anywhere.
'Another casual. What a pain.'
With that assessment, he strode over with a smile.
"Hello, sir. I'm Shin Bonghyeon from the luxury hall. The test-drive event ends at 5 p.m., so we're closed for it now."
"...Huh? Test-drive event?"
"Yes, sir. It's from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so if you'd like to try it, please come back tomorrow..."
"I don't care about any event. I'm here to buy a capsule."
"Pardon?"
Bonghyeon scanned the guy again, just to be sure.
Sure, there were occasional customers who dressed like that and still bought luxury capsules.
They usually fell into one of two camps.
People who wandered into the wrong floor.
Or ones who just wanted to flex on the staff.
The first type was fine. The second? A headache.
They'd demand to see this and that without any intention of buying. Total troublemakers.
But handling them was simple.
'Just bruise their ego a little.'
Overt insults like "The price might be a bit much for you" were amateur hour.
Sure, that's what he wanted to say deep down, but complaints were a hassle.
Better to do it subtly with attitude.
React slow to their words. Stay standoffish. Repeat yourself even if you heard them.
"Sir?"
"...Ah, sorry. Could you say that again?"
Like right now.
'This way, they'll either slink off on their own or get pissed and actually buy. Win-win.'
Either outcome was great for Bonghyeon.
Luxury hall sales were pure commission.
If they snapped and bought out of spite, even better. Classic "ego-scratch marketing."
But it wouldn't work on Apollo.
You couldn't buy Apollo with money alone.
So he sincerely hoped the guy would just leave.
The hooded man smirked at the attitude and spoke up.
"Wow, this actually happens in real life. Thought it was just morning drama stuff."
"Sir?"
"Nah. Anyway, I'm here to buy for real, so show me the models. Arte... no, Apollo."
"...Right this way, sir."
Bonghyeon barely kept his face from twisting as he plastered on a smile and led the way.
"Our pride and joy, the ultimate machine: Apollo."
The "ultimate" label wasn't hype. Even visually, Apollo was stunning.
And the price matched. The tag next to it was in the nine figures.
"Sir, Apollo isn't something you can buy just because you have the money."
What made Apollo special wasn't just performance. It was HQ's policy: Platinum tier members only.
"Only customers with Platinum tier or higher accounts can purchase Apollo..."
"Wasting time. This work for verification?"
The man pointed to the biometric fingerprint scanner on the side table.
"...Yes, it does."
Bonghyeon shot him a quick glare for interrupting, but the guy didn't care.
Instead, he slapped his hand on the scanner without hesitation.
'No way he's Platinum.'
Bonghyeon snorted inwardly.
Platinum tier was top 0.01% of RaSe players. Not something you got just from being good at the game.
Grade confirmation complete.
The registered fingerprint had verified the account grade.
Bonghyeon glanced sideways at the screen.
Naturally, no Platinum.
He smirked.
"Sir, as I mentioned, Apollo requires Platinum tier..."
But then he noticed something off.
The casual in front of him wasn't Platinum, sure.
But it wasn't Bronze, Silver, or Gold either...
"O-One moment, sir."
He checked the screen again.
"...Gasp!"
His face drained of color from the shock.
Carpe, the hooded man, chuckled at the sight.
"Looks like no issues with the purchase to me. What do you think?"
"...Of course, sir. Shall I proceed right away?"
Bonghyeon flipped his attitude in an instant, like it was nothing.
He played it cool on the surface, but his heart was pounding.
'Black tier! Jackpot!'
Selling an Apollo was huge commission already.
But to a super-VIP Black tier? That'd shine in his next review for sure...
"One thing, though. Could you get me a different rep first?"
"Pardon?"
"You look beat. You've been slow to respond since I got here."
"Th-That's..."
Bonghyeon broke into a cold sweat.
He never dreamed his deliberate delays would backfire like this.
"NPC service feels better than real people sometimes."
The auction house NPCs had been flawless.
"I'm in a rush, so hurry it up, please."
"...Yes, sir."
Unable to refuse a Black tier, Bonghyeon's face turned ashen. * * *
The rep who'd been with Carpe was swapped out in seconds for a new one.
The newcomer was a poised beauty with long straight hair that suited her intellectual vibe.
"Hello, sir. I'm Lee Hee-ae, head of marketing. I hear there was some inconvenience with our service?"
"Not inconvenient, exactly. Just couldn't get through to the last salesman."
"I see. My apologies on his behalf. We will address your concerns, and I'll handle things personally from here."
After that, it was smooth sailing.
Her title wasn't for show—she hit all of Carpe's key points efficiently.
"Apollo is the top machine on the market, but there's actually one more... exclusive to Black tier customers."
"Oh? What's that?"
Carpe already knew from Cheonma Jijon, but he played along.
"Right this way, sir."
She led him to the deepest part of the luxury hall, a spot accessible only with manager-level ID.
There it was.
"Artemis. Apollo's sibling machine—the rarest model in existence."
"Looks identical to Apollo."
"Not just looks. Blueprints, parts, performance—perfectly identical."
Essentially the same product, just branded as siblings.
One difference.
"Artemis is 100% handmade by RaSe's developers—the chairman himself. Only three in Korea."
Same process and parts, different maker.
That was Artemis's sole edge over Apollo.
"Hmm."
Carpe didn't care who made it as long as performance matched, but Cheonma had insisted on Artemis, so he went for it.
"Can I buy now? Price?"
"Black tier customers get all our products at cost."
She quoted 83,000 dollars—about 100 million won.
Easily covered by the cash in his crossbody.
"Buying now. How long for delivery and setup?"
"If you're in Seoul, about an hour max."
"Whoa."
Black tier perks were no joke. Faster than expected.
"Proceed immediately, then."
"Thank you. Anything else we can assist with?"
"Nah, just the capsule today."
He was tempted to browse, but the game called louder.
"Understood. It was an honor serving you. Call anytime."
Lee Hee-ae handed him her card with those words.
With her send-off, the purchase wrapped up. * * *
True to her word, delivery and setup took under an hour. Jeonghun's place wasn't far from the branch anyway.
Carpe logged back in the moment Artemis was ready.
Cheonma greeted him.
"None. Oh, the rep freaked when I paid cash lump sum. Nearly slipped my mind."
In hindsight, walking around with that much cash screamed suspicious.
Could've raised questions about the source, but the rep just blinked and processed it.
"Dodged a bullet there."
"I'm no chaebol."
"Ah..."
That's why he'd registered the grade. Carpe marveled at Cheonma's foresight again.
"Anything happen while I was out?"
"Huh? That was just small talk, but something did?"
Right then.
"Kyuuu!"
Mukhyang burst from Carpe's shadow with a pop, scampering up to his shoulder.
"Kyuu! Kyuu!"
"Aww, hey there, Hyang. Miss me?"
"Kyuu! Kyuuu! Kyuu!"
"...What's with her?"
She'd always been affectionate, but this was next level.
Overkill for a few hours apart.
"What?"
"Your Room?"
Why would she go there?
Carpe eyed him questioningly, but Cheonma just shrugged.
"Fair enough."
Weird, sure, but as long as they were okay, Carpe didn't mind.
Like Cheonma said—big deal if it was, no big deal if not.
"Alright, quest time. Full throttle from here."
His mind had been on the Magic King's relic non-stop during the buy and setup.
He'd snag it today, no matter what.
With that resolve, Carpe headed back out to hunt.
The 10-Star Player's Lucky Draw