The Tower of Gray Potion
“Whew—”
Kim Hwang-je barely made it through the doors of the district office. Only fifteen minutes remained before the civil servants went home for the day.
The office was quiet, with only the Hunter Management Bureau staff still on duty.
“I’m here to register as a hunter.”
“You’ve awakened? Congratulations. Has your status window appeared?”
The civil servant had been speaking in that practiced, professional tone until he turned to look at Kim Hwang-je. His eyes widened instantly.
“Gasp!”
“Why the shock?”
It was Kim Hwang-je who should have been the surprised one.
The man shot to his feet and blurted out, “Registration? You must be joking, Great Mage. Please, just give me an autograph.”
What kind of ridiculous development was this?
“...You want an autograph?”
Autographs were supposed to be for celebrities.
“No, listen. Your video has spread across the entire internet, Mr. Kim Hwang-je. And you’re here to register as a hunter? Don’t tell me this is the second awakening everyone only talks about!”
A while ago his face had been too blurry to make out clearly, but it seemed the footage had improved since then.
Because the man had shouted so loudly, the surrounding employees began to murmur and gather, openly staring at Kim Hwang-je.
Second awakening was a special event achieved by only a tiny fraction of hunters. A swordsman becoming a magic swordsman, that sort of thing.
But how was the job Emperor supposed to receive a second awakening?
“It’s not that. Whatever the case, I need the license. The Monster Security Agency—”
“So the rumor that the Security Agency scouted you is true after all!?”
“...”
Someone was deliberately leaking information. Was it that Jung Jin-woo fellow?
“I don’t have time. Just give me the hunter license.”
“Ah, understood.”
He needed an ID before even more people showed up. But as the civil servant typed on his computer, he spoke with clear hesitation.
“Job… Mage. Reissue, correct? …But why is there no data?”
“Of course there isn’t. I only awakened recently. Hurry up and let me take the test so I can get the license.”
“Hehe…”
The man operated the machine beside him.
A pure white light flashed, then the device spat out a puff of white smoke.
“Oh dear. It blew up.”
He pulled out a blank hunter ID card and stamped 3rd Class on it.
“This is the highest rank I can issue. Please don’t tell anyone. You’re supposed to take the proper test, but your mana capacity alone already registers as ‘Unmeasurable’ on our equipment. The machine burned out.”
The light fixture that had exploded on the desk seemed to hang its head in shame.
“Future rank adjustments will be made according to your demonstrated specialties…”
“Yes, thank you!”
Sensing the man was about to say more, Kim Hwang-je quickly headed outside.
The moment he obtained the license, there were many things to prepare.
The wave was coming.
Hunter Kim Hwang-je.
No matter how many times he heard it, the name still felt good.
License in hand, Kim Hwang-je immediately called Jung Da-yeon.
“Yes, this is Jung Da-yeon of the Lost Association… Mr. Kim Hwang-je?”
“Yes, hello. I’ve obtained my hunter license.”
Jung Da-yeon fell silent for a moment.
…So he’s ready to reveal his identity and operate openly in Korea? That means he wants an exclusive partnership. Hmm, playing hard to get, is he?
On the other end of the line, Jung Da-yeon took a sip of cold water.
“Congratulations. Is there anything I can assist you with?”
“I’d like to have some weapons delivered to my house. Now that I have the license, I can purchase firearms and bladed weapons, right?”
“Firearms will be difficult. Gun permits are almost never issued to hunters. We can supply as many bladed weapons as you need. What exactly do you require right away?”
Mana didn’t flow into guns.
That alone made them disadvantageous for hunting, and the higher-ups greatly disliked hunters using firearms or explosives.
They could simply use something better instead. Jung Da-yeon thought of her catalog.
The high-grade armaments Lost currently handles. Magical tools. If he asks for those, I’ll give a small discount. Since he’s a mage, he’ll probably want a staff or wand. What item would satisfy him?
It was a perfectly reasonable line of thought.
Unfortunately, the words that followed were so crude they brutally shattered her refined expectations.
“Fifteen thousand spears. Ten thousand usable suits of armor. One million arrows. Can you do it?”
“…Are you going to war? Is this the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?”
Jung Da-yeon asked exactly that.
Kim Hwang-je simply laughed.
Even if they were ordinary weapons useless against disaster-grade monsters, he needed as many disposable ones as possible for regular soldiers. When spears broke, they could just be thrown away.
Especially for monsters climbing the castle walls—spears were perfect for stabbing them.
The same went for armor.
“I’m not joking. I really need them.”
“Understood. I’ll demonstrate the capability of our association.”
Jung Da-yeon assumed the man was testing her again and let it slide.
“We’ll have to empty most of our beginner hunter stock. Arrows especially will be tricky, but manageable. Shall I deliver everything to your residence? I’ll process payment with the black card.”
“By the way, can I pay later?”
An intermediate-grade spear cost around fifty thousand won each. Buying everything outright would be difficult.
In the end, Kim Hwang-je decided to be shameless and play the big spender.
“Fine. I’ll deduct it from the auction proceeds.”
Jung Da-yeon was willing to extend that courtesy.
“Ah, there’s one more thing I need.”
What now?
Jung Da-yeon tilted her head.
“Do you sell cement?”
“We do not.”
This time Jung Da-yeon refused firmly.
She genuinely did not handle cement.
“Got it.”
Under the weight of her stern tone, Kim Hwang-je headed for a construction materials supplier.
Even in the evening, only one company in the hunter market sold emergency cement.
As foreman Park Jo-woon had told him, hunters frequently used this emergency cement inside cracks.
“Cement? We have stock, of course. May I ask where you’re from?”
The employee eyed Kim Hwang-je, who had arrived in the evening. Instead of answering, Kim Hwang-je presented the black card.
“Lost… We have a very important guest.”
He recognized the card.
Kim Hwang-je began spinning a story as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I need to repair my house. They say your products are the best.”
“Your… house?”
“Everyone installs air-raid shelters in their homes these days, right?”
The trend of rich people building concrete bunkers had gone out of fashion long ago.
These days it was smarter to contract with high-ranking knight orders or elite hunter teams and hide in a panic room.
Still, from a cement salesman’s perspective, the customer was king.
“Y-yes, of course. At least the building itself isn’t destroyed. How much do you need? For home use, I assume?”
Occasionally there were people who turned their entire house into a panic room.
“Sir, if this is for residential use, that catalog isn’t appropriate.”
But Kim Hwang-je had picked up the “large-capacity” catalog from the display by the entrance. The headquarters-produced booklet featured a picture of the Hoover Dam.
And Kim Hwang-je had fallen in love with the dam’s simple, brutally sturdy design.
“They say this dam would survive even if humanity went extinct, right?”
“Ah, yes. According to the documentary, it would.”
This place only sold small quantities of cement for hunters to use inside cracks. The employee looked visibly uncomfortable.
“And the Hoover Dam even withstood monster attacks.”
“It did. The U.S. government couldn’t exactly drop nukes on their own water supply, so even after they carpet-bombed it with an absurd amount of explosives, it never collapsed. These days the Hoover Dam is a greater symbol of America than the Statue of Liberty.”
Kim Hwang-je stared at the long wall visible through World Observation.
Right now it was incomparably smaller than the Hoover Dam.
But inside Kim Hwang-je’s mind, he could already see the future where this shabby wall grew as massive as that dam.
Even though it was currently Military 17/100…!
Someday!
If the wall grew thicker like the skill described, Kim Hwang-je’s own body would become stronger too.
“Would you like assistance from our staff? We can perform on-site measurements.”
The employee spoke to the silent Kim Hwang-je. He shook his head.
“No. For now, how much for everything in this branch?”
“Pardon?”
He quickly realized Kim Hwang-je was not joking.
The employee brought over documents and a calculator and began tapping away.
“Excluding the branch’s required reserve, we can sell approximately 20,000 cubic meters—that comes to about 44,000 tons.”
He looked up at Kim Hwang-je.
“But you can’t possibly need that much, right? As you know, a single 30-pyeong apartment requires about 30 tons. Unless you’re planning to build a 40,000-pyeong structure…”
He gave a small laugh.
“You do know the Forbidden City is 220,000 pyeong, yes?”
But Kim Hwang-je was in no mood for jokes.
While others drank red potions, his heart swelled at the thought of purchasing “gray potions.”
“So there are 44,000 tons available. It was 80,000 won per ton until recently. Still the same price?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s see… all of it would be—”
He pulled out the calculator on his phone and tapped the numbers.
“About 3.5 billion won.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The employee seemed proud.
After all, Korea’s largest cement factory produced just over 400,000 tons per month.
The fact that this small hunter-market branch had 44,000 tons in reserve was indeed impressive.
“I’d love to buy it all, but I don’t have the money right now. Just a moment. I’ll get some funds.”
He had sold every jewel and gold coin but still couldn’t reach 3.5 billion.
The jewels had been far more expensive yet hadn’t even crossed 2 billion.
Kim Hwang-je genuinely felt pain in his chest at not being able to buy every last bag of cement.
Since the wave would begin in a few hours, he had to secure as much cement as possible immediately.
“Swipe 2 billion won for now. Lump sum.”
“…Understood.”
The employee stood up, looking puzzled.
Was Lost planning to build an advance base inside a crack? Had they found a good location?
While the employee was thinking all sorts of things on his way out, Kim Hwang-je finally connected with Jung Da-yeon.
“Ms. Jung Da-yeon?”
“Haha. You’ve called several times today.”
Her voice was strangely cold.
But right now he had no mental energy to analyze every nuance of her tone.
He was in the middle of dumping money into gray potions!
“Ahem.”
Kim Hwang-je cleared his throat.
He had to handle this well. He needed to ask for the money with confidence.
“So, about the auction item I requested today…”
At those words, Jung Da-yeon instantly switched into flawless professional mode.
“Yes, customer. The auction venue was decided this afternoon. The location is the 136th floor of Gaya Hotel. Hunters and prominent figures from various fields will gather to bid on the ‘Scarab Champion Contaminant.’ An attendance ticket has been sent to your address.”
Gaya Hotel!
Korea’s most expensive hotel. A suite cost 40 million won per night and 1.2 billion won per month.
They said the entry fee to the high-class lounge alone exceeded one million won. And they were holding the auction on the 136th floor?
Thinking about it eased his mind a little.
After all, the money he was about to request was only three months’ worth of lodging at that hotel.
“Um.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“Can you advance me some funds? An urgent purchase came up.”
An urgent purchase.
He had refused an evening appointment, stopped by the district office, and spent the rest of the night shopping.
Jung Da-yeon pressed her temple hard with the pen in her hand.
Ghost was watching with an interested expression; showing too much curiosity would be unwise. She didn’t want to reveal any weakness.
Besides, it was common for hunters to splurge on suddenly discovered treasures.
Jung Da-yeon set the pen down.
“I see. Approximately how much do you need?”
“Around 4 billion won.”
Kim Hwang-je had inflated the number slightly.
This man was truly impossible to predict.
***
When the employee returned, Kim Hwang-je was smiling brightly.
“Please swipe the rest as well.”
“Pardon?”
“The full amount, lump sum please~”
Sensing Kim Hwang-je’s good mood, Poyu rubbed its cheeks against the top of his head.
Thanks to that, the employee went back out the moment he returned to process the remaining balance.
But how exactly does this man plan to transport everything? I need to get that sorted.
A moment later, Kim Hwang-je made an unexpected request.
“Where is the cement stored?”
He wanted to be taken to the location of the cement.
Only then did everything click, and the employee clapped his hands.
“I see, you’re a mage. From the Magic Tower? You’re planning to use spatial movement magic. It would have been easier if you had verified the trading partner first.”
“Similar, but not the Magic Tower. I will be moving it with magic, though. Could you make sure no one learns about this transaction? I’m rebuilding my house in secret.”
“Of course, absolutely.”
Pouring out 44,000 tons and calling it ‘secret’ seems like a stretch.
Whatever his inner thoughts, the employee nodded.
Cement wasn’t a bomb or weapon—just stones for building houses. As long as the deal went smoothly, it didn’t matter who bought it.
Besides, a customer paying 3.5 billion in a lump sum deserved the highest level of service.
This kind of bulk purchase could easily win employee of the month—maybe even employee of the year.
Soon they arrived at the enormous cement storage tower. Kim Hwang-je activated the Tribute Trade skill.
It was called trade, yet he used the method of placing items onto the status window far more often.
Still, having an infinite inventory was an incredible advantage.
“Actually, I think I’ll have to buy this storage facility too.”
“The entire tower?”
“Is that a problem?”
The employee looked around. After fulfilling the required supply contract, all remaining cement had been gathered into a single tower. Handing over one tower seemed feasible.
Kim Hwang-je handed over the card.
“Charge it at a fair price.”
“Understood. We’ll do that.”
After another payment, Kim Hwang-je used Tribute Trade. The warehouse itself was added to the trade window as if it had never contained anything to begin with.
“Wow… No matter how many times I see it, magic is truly amazing.”
The employee’s mouth hung open.
It really was astonishing. Almost no one in the world could do something like this.
As expected, the trade window immediately creaked and screamed in protest.
There is no more space to place items in the trade window. Immediate trade is recommended.
* Maintaining the trade window incurs a fee of 50 million won every 10 minutes.
Seeing the number, Kim Hwang-je grew urgent.
“I’ll see you next time. It was a good deal.”
“Of course. Please visit us again.”
Kim Hwang-je hurriedly left the cement company and walked briskly.
Then he firmly pressed down on the head of the king, who was working hard under World Observation.
The king immediately looked up at the sky.
He had been working without rest until late at night and should have been exhausted, yet unlike before, his eyes sparkled with clear expectation.
Kim Hwang-je easily recognized that look as hope.
Hehe, he’ll be even happier when I give him this, right?
When he used the Tribute Trade skill, the trade window opened and a message field appeared.
Kim Hwang-je wrote:
[This is the plaster I gave you last time. I’m sending the entire warehouse behind the castle wall. For now I’ll give you the goods first, then select and take items during the next wave. (67/70)]
[What would you like from the royal treasury?]
He pressed nothing.
The king nodded and accepted.
Flash!
Kuuuuuuuuuuu—
Right behind the castle wall, in the completely empty lot, a giant tower carrying 44,000 tons of cement rose into the air.
Kim Hwang-je pressed it firmly and named it the Tower of Gray Potion.
At that moment the king and the archmage came running.
The archmage hugged the tower, while the king beat his chest and raised a finger to the sky like a soccer player celebrating a goal.
“Gemini looks happy~”
Poyu, watching from atop his head, rubbed its face against the crown of Kim Hwang-je’s head.
Loyalty has skyrocketed!
Tribute Trade has leveled up to Lv. 2!
You can now use ‘Manpower Input’ in Tribute Trade!