Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: A and B, Propelling Each Other
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A and B, using each other as momentum
“Wow….”
It was truly a massive box. As tall as me, perched atop the giant slime.
Shwaaa!
Even amid a downpour like one you might see once a year, there wasn’t a drop of water on the box. They must have used some expensive special coating.
The packaging already brimmed with sincerity.
No way there’s a bomb inside or something…
‘No way that’s the case.’
[Delivery Complete (Delivered by: White Night)]
White Night was a guild I could trust, at least. They had the highest favorability rating among the top five guilds, after all.
They weren’t the type to pull anything shady on me.
‘But what the heck is it? Doesn’t feel like mana stones…’
There was no mana reaction from inside the box. And I’d just received an extra 10kg of D-rank mana stones yesterday.
Curiosity bubbled up fiercely.
It felt just like a Christmas morning stocking from Santa—stuffed with overnight gifts.
Of course, I’d never gotten one myself.
That’s probably why the anticipation was even greater.
Ziiip!
I tore into the box right away. Not with a cutter knife, but my fingernails.
The tape had a special coating too, but no problem there.
It was common knowledge that nails infused with mana were just a tad sharper than a cutter.
Of course, only for those who could wield mana with that level of finesse.
“What surprise is inside… Huh?”
Inside the box were more boxes. Four of them, all the exact same size.
No way opening those reveals even more boxes.
If this was some Matryoshka doll prank, they’d deserve severe punishment.
Summoning a dragon on top of White Night’s headquarters building would hit the spot.
Of course, just a thought. I couldn’t waste mana meant for slimes on a dragon.
Craaack!
I opened the nearest box. The tape peeled off so easily, I didn’t even need my nails.
“…Oh?”
Inside was yet another box. But I wasn’t annoyed or anything.
It wasn’t some dingy delivery box.
“Pretty nice.”
It looked like premium cosmetics packaging.
The glossy, sleek surface screamed high-end.
And even better than the material was this.
[Molrangtori (Modular)]
The product name, written in stern, serious script. It gave off major luxury vibes just like that.
Plus, the cute, fluffy Molrangmol logo plastered on the front and back—the one I’d made from a Molrang photo—was killer.
“They’re prepared…”
The design was great, but pre-printing the usage instructions and HC mark was super thoughtful.
Did they send it figuring I’d need it? The timing was impeccable.
Pop!
Inside was a transparent plastic case.
Probably meant to hold the Molrangtori perfectly.
“Wow……”
The other boxes were the same. Standard type, combiner type, and even spares for potential new designs. Three hundred each.
Truly the realm of ‘We didn’t know what you’d like, so we prepared everything!’
Okay.
I got White Night’s message loud and clear.
They wanted in on the packaging game.
Sending this quantity meant they’d already finished setting up production lines.
The preparation was impressive, and so was their attitude.
White Night was a big enough corporation to slap their own logo on the boxes.
‘But they kept it clean, just Molrangtori info.’
After this much effort, the least I could do was hear them out.
Three visits and three refusals? That’s no way to treat people.
Ding!
[White Night: Did you receive the items?]
[WantToRaiseDragon: Yeah, just got them.]
[WantToRaiseDragon: So… why’d you send these?]
[White Night: Figured you might need them, so we put some heart into it.]
Heart… Nice words, but not the answer I wanted.
We both knew the score already.
Negotiations were about the desperate side laying all their cards on the table.
As the one in the dominant position, I had no reason to drag this out with sweet talk.
Whiiiir!
The promised hour was almost up, and I was set to resume work with the others soon.
Unless there was a killer offer, I was walking from the table.
Tap tap tap!
[WantToRaiseDragon: What’s the real deal? I like honest folks.]
Straight to the point, and the chat went quiet for a bit.
Tough spot for them.
‘They don’t know much about me, so they’ve gotta think hard.’
After ten minutes, a long message arrived.
[White Night: Here’s our proposal…]
It was quite detailed.
White Night laid out five options, telling me to pick the one I liked best.
“…This one’s pretty good.”
[Provided by White Night]
*Initial 100,000 units, free packaging.
*Full incorporation of your packaging ideas.
*Regular supply of mana stones and materials for development/production.
*Maximum support for HC mark and related certifications (using guild staff).
*Support in relevant fields via White Night’s dedicated legal and insurance teams.
[Provided by Developer]
*Royalty contract on Molrangtori sales revenue.
*Exclusive packaging rights to White Night for Molrangtori.
In short: Give up a few percent royalty, get all White Night’s services.
An offer that tugged at me.
As a newbie entrepreneur, I didn’t know the nitty-gritty like legal stuff.
Having a megacorp handle it was as convenient as it got.
Essentially, White Night was saying:
‘We’ll handle all the hassle; just share some sales revenue.’
Ceding some sales revenue wasn’t a big deal.
Molrangtori’s margin was already pushing 50%.
Even at 5-10%, it’d still be insanely profitable.
‘But will this really help White Night?’
They could surpass current Molrangtori earnings just by clearing a few gates.
That’s how badly they wanted this—low posture in negotiations meant desperation.
One step back for three steps forward.
Swallow short-term losses to use me and Molrangtori as a growth springboard.
Aggressive mindset. I loved it.
Then I should squeeze White Night for all they’re worth to fuel my own growth.
Tap tap.
I sent a new proposal to White Night’s guild master.
**
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap.
White Night’s guild master, Joo Ha-neul, drummed his fingers on the desk nonstop.
His leg bounced so hard the chair creaked endlessly.
It was that critical a moment.
Was this how Caesar felt before the Rubicon?
The die had been cast, as they say.
White Night made their pitch to the Molrangtori creator; now it was just waiting on the response.
Ding!
And the verdict came down.
“Phew……”
Just one message, yet opening it felt terrifying.
Maybe because White Night’s fate hung in the balance.
They had zero growth engines worth the name.
Gates, their main revenue, were barely holding steady at best.
Fine now, but stagnation always turns to poison.
Stagnant guilds lost competitiveness and plummeted.
White Night was already in negative growth territory—closer than it seemed.
That’s why Molrangtori mattered.
‘The ultimate product made from monsters…’
Not just the revenue, but the image boost.
Being the business partner of the genius developer behind the top item—White Night.
From there, expand beyond packaging into other fields.
Late start compared to rivals, but overtake them with overwhelming momentum.
“……”
Ha-neul snapped out of his rosy visions to check the reply fast.
Any delay might annoy him.
[WantToRaiseDragon: I like option 3.]
[WantToRaiseDragon: What royalty rate are you after?]
[White Night: Try 10,000 units first, then we’ll go with whatever you propose.]
He’d planned to suggest percentages based on sales volume, but…
Contract first.
Better not risk nitpicking.
Ding!
[WantToRaiseDragon: Sounds good. Let’s do that.]
A successful OK.
“…We did it.”
Thud!
Ha-neul slammed his head on the desk. Surprising even himself.
He’d expected to leap for joy, ditching guild master dignity to bounce around.
Or yell loud enough to shake the office.
“Heh heh heh……”
Reality: All strength drained, just giggling weakly.
But he couldn’t collapse yet.
A contract wasn’t done till both stamped it.
Smack!
Ha-neul slapped his cheeks hard, infusing mana to snap alert.
Then he grabbed his smartphone again.
[White Night: Shall we draw up the contract?]
[WantToRaiseDragon: Sure. But first, I have a proposal.]
A proposal?
Something to add to the terms, maybe.
As long as it wasn’t too outrageous, all welcome.
[White Night: Yes, go ahead.]
Ding!
[WantToRaiseDragon: White Night has a department store, right? I’d like to use it.]