Inscription Stone
Inscription Stone
"Installment?"
At my echoing question, Ma Chang-bae-ssi's face flushed red as he nodded.
"Yes... I'm shameless, but I was wondering if it might be possible."
I still hadn't told him the price.
I recalled the rough pricing guideline Hong Chae-yeon had set before I formed the guild.
'Call Epic-grade in the 1 billion range, Unique-grade in the 10 billion range. And if by any chance a Legendary-grade comes out, contact me immediately.'
I looked at Ma Chang-bae-ssi and called out the price calmly.
"You can think of it as roughly 10 billion."
"......10 billion?!"
Ma Chang-bae-ssi's eyes bulged as if they'd pop out.
The Blood-red Halberd he was holding almost fell to the floor.
His hands started trembling like aspen leaves in the wind.
He swallowed dryly, then immediately shouted with a grave expression.
"Th-then I'll buy it on a 72-month installment...!"
I readily nodded and had him sign the documents.
After the first customer left like that, a hellish schedule began.
With the door open, an endless stream of people came and went.
-Ding!
[Attempting 'Custom Production' on target 'Kim Se-ah'.]
[Reading target 'Kim Se-ah's' information.]
-Ding!
[Attempting 'Custom Production' on target 'Shin Jun-hyeok'.]
[Reading target 'Shin Jun-hyeok's' information.]
-Ding!
[Attempting 'Custom Production' on target 'Lee Ha-rin'.]
[Reading target 'Lee Ha-rin's' information.]
-Ding!
[Attempting 'Custom Production' on target 'Woo Do-yoon'.]
[Reading target 'Woo Do-yoon's' information.]
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.
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"Ah... at this rate, am I going to die doing nothing but making items?"
I was sprawled on the floor of the Primeval Workshop like the letter 'big', drenched in sweat as if it were raining.
A groan escaped my lips on its own.
I had been proud that my stamina had skyrocketed from leveling up and rewards up to now.
But continuously churning out various kinds of items tailored to different people's information without rest was a completely different problem.
There was the physical fatigue from hammering, but the mental drain was far too great.
Still, I tried to endure positively, thinking about the income coming in and my stat increases. But reality wasn't like that.
Except for the ajusshi Ma Chang-bae who came first, everyone only brought basic materials they picked up somewhere and basic recipes lying around.
Even if I squeezed my abilities to the limit, I could barely manage Epic-grade, and most ended up being just Rare-grade.
Naturally, there were no stat boost rewards from filling the compendium, either.
If it's going to be like this, wouldn't it be much better for those people, and a far superior method for me as well, to just mass-produce gear with Mithril or Orichalcum and sell them?
That thought crossed my mind dozens of times.
But I immediately shook my head. I never wanted to see the items I made fall into the hands of bastards like Cypher and be abused again.
The only solution to prevent that terrible situation was to bind the item's owner using the 'Custom Production' skill, fundamentally blocking trade with anyone else.
I stared blankly at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh.
"Ha... is there no way to instantly bind it when traded...?"
It was a complaint I muttered like a soliloquy.
But then, a dry voice echoed through the silent workshop air.
[There is.]
"What?! There is?"
I sprang up from the floor like a spring.
I opened my eyes wide and shouted toward the air.
[Yes. You can use an Engraving Stone.]
"Engraving Stone...?"
It was a material I had never heard of in my life.
I hurriedly opened the trading post window and typed the word 'Engraving Stone' into the search bar.
But the results were devastating. There wasn't even a trace of it on the trading post.
Without giving up, I opened my inventory and looked through the countless spoils I had swept from Aurelius's Secret Vault in the imperial palace.
All kinds of jewels and ore spilled out, but the Engraving Stone the Guide mentioned was nowhere to be seen.
"Seems like an item you can't get yet."
I clicked my tongue in disappointment. Since I couldn't use it right away, my fate was to keep up this brute-force manual Custom Production for the time being.
But a corner of my heart felt oddly lighter.
There wasn't absolutely no way.
Someday, while climbing the Tower, the day would come when I could obtain that Engraving Stone.
When that time comes, I could be liberated from this tiresome forced labor.
"Well, having hope is what matters."
I dusted off my clothes with a tap-tap and turned my stiff neck.
For now, the priority was to clear away the endless waiting line outside.
I resolved to think positively and moved my feet out of the workshop.
"Haaa......."
After sending off the last customer of the day, all the tension snapped and every muscle in my body screamed.
I was half-dying, slumped limply in the chair in front of my desk.
Only the dry breath escaping my mouth lingered in the empty room.
That's when it happened.
Something ice-cold lightly touched my right cheek.
"Goodness!"
I flinched in surprise and whipped my head around.
What came into my sight was a glass of iced americano with droplets of condensation beading up, and Hong Chae-yeon holding it.
"Ah... you're here?"
I greeted her, parting my lips with difficulty.
Hong Chae-yeon looked at my half-dead face and furrowed her brow, asking in a worried voice.
"Si-woo, you... are you really okay...?"
Her amber eyes were filled with pity.
I took the coffee she handed over and gulped it down in one go.
As the cold caffeine slid down my esophagus, I felt my mind clear a little.
"Well... I was prepared for it, but it's a bit harder than I thought...?"
I answered with a sheepish smile.
At that moment, the information I had heard from the Guide earlier flashed through my mind.
I put the coffee down on the desk and looked at Hong Chae-yeon with my eyes sparkling.
"Ah! Chae-yeon-a, do you happen to know about an item called the Engraving Stone?"
"Engraving Stone?"
Hong Chae-yeon tilted her head and echoed back.
"Huh? First time I've heard of it. Why do you ask?"
I pulled my chair forward and sat back down, giving her a brief explanation about the Engraving Stone.
"Binding equipment one by one with Custom Production is way too hard, so I looked into whether there was a way to instantly bind the owner even if it's traded. They said you can use an Engraving Stone. But even after searching the trading post, I can't see a single listing."
Hong Chae-yeon's eyes sparkled as she nodded after hearing my explanation.
"Ah~ so there was an item like that. Got it. I'll mobilize my information network on my end and search for it as much as possible."
As expected, she was reliable. With a large guild's information network, it would be much faster and more certain than me searching the trading post alone.
After listening to my answer, Hong Chae-yeon briefly glanced at my expression, then cautiously opened her mouth.
"So... are you going home now?"
At her question, I stroked my chin and worried inwardly.
'Ha... according to the original plan, I should be going to climb the Tower now....'
Memories of the old Fox Beast-kin and her tail I encountered on the 22nd floor flashed through my mind.
The pressure to get stronger quickly pushed at my back, but today I simply couldn't see a way to recover the stamina I'd poured into hammering.
I didn't have the strength left to lift a single finger.
I let out a short sigh and nodded.
"Yeah. I just can't muster any strength today. I'll go home and rest."
As soon as my answer fell, a welcoming smile bloomed instantly on Hong Chae-yeon's face.
She narrowed her eyes like crescent moons and asked.
"Then, want to grab a meal with me on the way?"
At her suggestion, I remembered the time when I moved in last time, when I was going to treat her to a meal but it got postponed because of an uninvited guest's provocation.
"Ah, then let me treat you to that meal we missed last time. Let's go to my place."
At my words, Hong Chae-yeon looked happy but, at the same time, seeing my haggard face, asked back with concern.
"Are you really okay...? You look really tired right now. We could just eat out."
I chuckled and got up from my seat.
"Eh, how hard can it be to cook a little? Anything you like?"
At my answer mixed with bravado, Hong Chae-yeon smiled in relief and answered.
"I can eat anything. My favorite is... meat...?"
"Oh."
I slapped my knee and brightened up.
"Actually, when I moved and did the grocery shopping last time, I bought some really great meat. The timing is perfect. Let's go."
And so, we set off side by side toward the penthouse.
Living on the same floor right next door was really convenient at times like this.
As soon as we got home, I rolled up my sleeves and went straight to the kitchen.
I took out the highest-grade Korean beef sirloin from the fridge.
I heated a pan until it was hot, swirled in olive oil, and placed the meat in so it sizzled.
The Maillard reaction occurred perfectly, searing the outside crispy and leaving the inside full of juices.
Adding butter and rosemary, the movement of my hands as I aromatized the meat was so smooth and precise it could rival a professional chef, maybe thanks to my Dexterity stat.
"Here, all done."
I placed the appetizingly grilled steak on a plate and set it on the table.
As if bewitched by the smell of grilling meat, Hong Chae-yeon, who was sitting at the table, picked up a fork and knife.
She carefully cut a piece of meat and popped it into her mouth.
That moment.
"......!"
Hong Chae-yeon's eyes widened as if they would pop out.
With her chewing motion halted, she stared at me with a blank expression.