Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The First Transaction
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Genius of Music in a Virtual Reality
Chapter 34
Would you be willing to share that song with us?
The farmer's desperate plea echoed.
Yuhyeon looked at the man, his expression troubled.
In this world, sheet music was a consumable item; its effect would only activate once the crafted score was handed over.
They were the grateful people who helped me create the song, but...
He agreed with the fact that the farmers had given him great inspiration.
Regardless of what they thought, at least Yuhyeon himself believed so.
However.
Even so.
Giving away a song he had just created without a second thought was by no means an easy thing for him to do.
To Yuhyeon, this sheet music was no different from his own child.
Because he had poured his heart and soul into its creation, his affection for it was just as great.
Just then.
I apologize if I've made an unreasonable request. We've already received a tremendous blessing for our plains...
the farmer murmured, his expression tinged with disappointment.
On second thought, it was impolite to so readily ask for a song with such an incredible effect.
Especially before he had even properly thanked him for his help.
The thought that this blessing could be a continuous aid to us farmers made me greedy without realizing it. Please forgive my rudeness.
Not at all.
Yuhyeon said, quickly waving his hand.
He was the one who had played without permission and given the effect, so strictly speaking, he was the cause of it all.
He hadn't done it to receive thanks in the first place, so accepting an apology was even more out of the question.
Instead, he was more concerned with how he could help these desperate farmers.
Hmm, is there really no way?
As Yuhyeon pondered, his eyes narrowed for a moment.
Ah!
Yuhyeon quickly tapped the interface screen to open his skill window.
He was sure he remembered seeing a phrase that could be helpful in a situation like this.
T-ring!
Magical Sheet Music Creation
Grade: Mythical
Effect: Passive
Abilities:
- Can create sheet music for all existing instruments in Wonderland.
- Ignores Sheet Music Mastery skill.
- Grants special magic when sheet music is created directly without using the Sheet Music Creation skill.
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It was around here somewhere...
Yuhyeon's eyes widened as he looked down at the skill window.
Magical Sheet Music Creation
Special Abilities:
- Performance time is reduced by about 30 when playing from magical sheet music, with further reduction as the grade increases.
- Once created, sheet music can be duplicated at the same grade.
- The ability of this skill is enhanced upon gaining a certain amount of fame with sheet music.
That's right, duplication! There was a duplication feature.
It seemed he had found a way to help the farmer.
If duplication was possible, giving away the sheet music wasn't out of the question.
How do I do this?
Yuhyeon's hands moved quickly.
And before long, he found the answer.
Sheet Music: Work Song
Creator: Yuhyeon
Grade: A
Buff: The Joy of Labor
Stamina required for farming is reduced by 30, and stamina recovery rate is increased.
Labor efficiency is enhanced, reducing time spent on farming by 20.
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This sheet music can be duplicated.
Duplicate? (YN)
Yuhyeon said with a bright smile.
I think there's a way I can help.
R-Really?!
Yes, just a moment.
Yuhyeon's hands moved swiftly.
T-ring!
This A-grade sheet music can be duplicated 5 times. (Cooldown: 7 days)
Duplicate Sheet Music: Work Song?
Yes.
Duplication in progress...
Duplication complete.
Obtained Sheet Music: Work Song (5).
A cheerful notification sound chimed as a bright light emanated from the sheet music.
He checked his inventory and found that the sheet music had been duplicated into five copies.
It seemed he could duplicate five copies once a week.
It worked!
Holding one of the duplicates, Yuhyeon spoke to the farmer.
I can give you a copy of the sheet music that can be used about five hundred times.
Th-Thank you! To give me something so precious! Thank you so much!
But...
Yuhyeon looked around.
This was a plain filled only with farmers. Nowhere did he see a musician who could play the sheet music.
Is there a musician who can play it for you?
All he could do was provide the sheet music; he couldn't be the one to play it for them.
So he asked the farmer.
Huh? We have a phonograph, don't we?
A rather unexpected answer came back.
A phonograph?
Even without a musician, you can play sheet music by putting it in a phonograph.
Oh...
This was news to Yuhyeon, who was still unfamiliar with the game.
Anyway, the fact that sheet music could be played without a musician...
I was curious about that, actually.
There were quite a variety of buffs a Minstrel could handle.
From string instruments mainly for combat-related buffs, to woodwinds and brass for life skills, and keyboard instruments for performances.
Combat buffs are naturally popular because they benefit the Minstrel in the party, but...
he had wondered if there was any demand for life skill buffs, which weren't particularly necessary for a Minstrel.
After all, there was no reason to invest in instrument mastery and create sheet music for buffs they didn't need themselves.
But if there's a phonograph, that changes everything.
However, if a device existed that could read sheet music in place of a Minstrel, the situation was completely different.
It meant that he could simply create sheet music for any type of buff as long as there was a demand for it.
I've learned something useful.
He had obtained some unexpectedly good information.
At that thought, Yuhyeon broke into a bright smile.
T-ring!
Give 'Sheet Music: Work Song' to the Lutetian Farmer?
Upon trading, this sheet music will be permanently bound to the other party.
Thanks to you, I learned something useful as well. Thank you.
Th-Thank you!
The farmer's eyes, as he received the sheet music, were filled with emotion.
This sheet music would undoubtedly be a tremendous help in his future farming.
To receive something like this for free was a moment bordering on a miracle.
I-I'll use it sparingly and well. Thank you!
T-ring!
Sub Quest: Passing on the Work Song (Complete)
Reward: 'Skill Point Potion' has been granted.
The farmer bowed repeatedly.
His eyes were filled with immense gratitude.
Just then.
T-ring!
Title 'Benefactor of the Rye Fields' acquired.
Description: You have passed on a work song for the farmers of Lutetia. The likelihood of receiving help from Lutetian farmers in agriculture-related matters has greatly increased.
Achievement Reward: All stats except Divinity and Charm have increased by 1.
A series of notification windows popped up before his eyes.
Oh!
A smile bloomed on Yuhyeon's lips.
Creating the sheet music had been nothing more than a part of the leveling process.
But from getting inspiration for the composition from the farmer to receiving a title and a Skill Point Potion as rewards...
They said a Skill Point Potion was the best reward, right?
He felt as if he had received an unexpectedly great gift from the farmers.
Yuhyeon said with a smile.
I'm grateful as well. Well then, I hope you have a good rest of your day!
Yes, take care!
Now, all that remained was the reward's intriguing hint that something special might happen.
Just what kind of special thing was waiting for him?
I'm looking forward to it.
With a light step, Yuhyeon walked toward the holy city of Lutetia.
Back in the holy city, Yuhyeon sat on a bench in the plaza and opened his status window.
Nickname: Yuhyeon
Level: 16
Class: Conductor of Melody
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Whoa, this is incredible.
He had leveled up once just by creating a single piece of sheet music.
About two hours? It hasn't even been that long.
Considering he had spent seven hours hunting Silver Wolves to gain five levels, this was an enormous amount of experience.
They said creating sheet music usually takes much longer.
On the community forums, people said it took about a week to level up from 11 to 20 through composing alone.
Is it because I made an A-grade piece of sheet music?
The highest grade one could create with an F-rank Sheet Music Creation skill was E-grade.
Yuhyeon had created an A-grade score, a full six grades higher.
Perhaps this was the reason he was able to level up in an instant.
It's definitely possible.
Wonderland was a world that gave commensurate rewards whenever one overcame a barrier.
Recalling how he had gained several levels at once after defeating the Skeleton Knight, the possibility was certainly there.
What a great world this is.
And this process thrilled Yuhyeon.
A world that rewarded you in proportion to your effortswhat a wonderful world was that?
Perhaps this was the joy that got everyone hooked on games.
At this rate, I'll hit the next four levels in no time.
Only four levels remained until he could take on the quest to defeat Treants and repair his bow.
Now that he had confirmed both hunting and sheet music creation were helpful for leveling up, all he had to do was choose according to the situation.
But there's one thing I need to check first.
Of course, there was something he needed to confirm before deciding.
And that was selling the sheet music.
The idea had come to him a little while ago when he was looking at his skills to duplicate the sheet music.
Magical Sheet Music Creation
Special Abilities:
- The ability of this skill is enhanced upon gaining a certain amount of fame with sheet music.
That's rightthe skill would be enhanced by gaining fame.
For a Minstrel, what was the easiest way to gain fame?
Spreading it far and wide.
One way to raise fame was by performing, but another was to release the sheet music he created to the world.
This was a hint he'd gotten from seeing the 'duplication' feature in the skill.
If it was better to keep it hidden, they wouldn't have bothered adding a duplication feature.
And hadn't they said there was an item called a 'phonograph' that allowed people to listen to the music even without a Minstrel?
This meant that sheet music providing buffs tailored to consumers would have enough value to be sold.
He had already confirmed that it had value.
Sheet Music: The Ants Go Marching
Creator: MinstrelBoomIsComing
Grade: C
Buff: The Ants Go Marching
11 chance to acquire 2 wheat when harvesting
3 chance of Lucky Strike when harvesting (up to 4x random drop)
7 chance to reduce skill cooldown when using farming skills (-5 sec)
Buff Duration: 2 hours
Remaining Uses: 100
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Description: The masterpiece of my life! I guarantee there's no better farming buff than this. I'll post similar sheet music as soon as I make it. Much interest pls
Starting Bid: 10G
Remaining Quantity: 11
Active trading of buff sheet music was taking place in the auction house.
This meant there would also be a demand for the farming buff sheet music Yuhyeon had created.
Now that the value was confirmed, it was time for the next step.
A buff like this costs 10 gold...
Next, checking the market price.
What would be a good price to set?
Putting a price on something you've worked hard to create ultimately depended on your own ability.
Whether it sold for a pittance or for the maximum price all depended on one's own capabilities.
For Yuhyeon, who had spent years promoting himself as a freelancer, this was a matter of course.
His livelihood had depended on it, after all.
If there were more related sheet music, it would be easier to gauge the market price.
However, at present, there wasn't much basis for judging the value of sheet music.
It was difficult to make comparisons because there were so few pieces of sheet music listed in the auction house.
Should he just set a price that seemed reasonably decent for now?
In times like these, an expert's help is best.
Yuhyeon cheerfully sent a whisper.
The recipient was none other than Sangcheol.
Yuhyeon: Hey, you busy?
Jijon Sangcheol: Whoa, you messaging me first? What's up?
Yuhyeon: I'm trying to sell an item, but I don't know how to price it.
Jijon Sangcheol: What item??
Yuhyeon briefly explained to Sangcheol what had happened.
Jijon Sangcheol: Hey! Don't do that, just use the brokerage exchange.
Yuhyeon: What exchange?
Jijon Sangcheol: There's a Brokerage Exchange in town. It's a system that appraises your item's value and handles the transaction for you. They're way more accurate and thorough than most players.
Jijon Sangcheol: The commission is a bit steep, that's the only downside. But I always sell through them, even with the fee. It's super convenient lol
He's recommending it that strongly?
Yuhyeon tilted his head in confusion.
The Sangcheol he knew was more suspicious and meticulous than anyone.
At least, when it came to money.
Yuhyeon: No risk of getting scammed?
Jijon Sangcheol: No reason for them to scam you. The brokers make more commission the higher the price, so they try their best to sell it for as much as possible. They have something called a Merchant's Oath, so they can't lie to players either.
He had a point.
There were people who scammed you while taking your money, but never people who scammed you while giving you money.
Since the broker took their commission after the transaction was complete, they fell into the latter category.
Yuhyeon: Okay! Got it.
Jijon Sangcheol: So, is it a good item?
Hmm...
Yuhyeon's hands froze at Sangcheol's reply.
Tap, tap, tap. After typing and deleting his message several times, Yuhyeon finally sent a reply after some thought.
Yuhyeon: It's so-so. Just thought I'd try using the auction house while I'm at it.
Jijon Sangcheol: Oooh Look at you, a real gamer now Well, I'm heading back to hunt!
It's better to say it like this, right?
There's that old saying about feeling jealous when a cousin gets rich.
Of course, Sangcheol wouldn't be genuinely jealous, but there was no need to stir up trouble.
It would be better to just quietly treat him to a meal later.
Alright, that's more or less settled.
He knew the sheet music had value, and he'd confirmed there was someone who could set the price for him.
I hope this gets resolved in one go.
The only thing left was to confirm whether his fame would rise when the sheet music sold.
However, with no information available, the fastest way was to test it himself.
It wouldn't be too late to think about it after selling one; at the very least, he'd make some money.
Just then.
T-ring!
Lutetian Farmer Martin has used 'Sheet Music: Work Song'.
Lutetian Farmer Jess has used 'Sheet Music: Work Song'.
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T-ring!
Fame has increased by 1.
Fame has increased by 1.
Fame has increased by 1.
Familiar notification windows appeared before Yuhyeon's eyes.
Countless messages notifying him of the work song's use and his rising fame.
A smile played on Yuhyeon's lips as he watched them.
Was this what it meant by 'something special' might happen?
Perhaps the quest reward that hinted 'something special might happen' was referring to this.
And it made sense, because...
Everything has been confirmed.
His speculation and worry about whether his fame would rise from selling the sheet music.
The recent notifications had completely resolved that concern.
With that, all his reasons for hesitation vanished.
Well then, shall we go?
Yuhyeon strode confidently toward the exchange.
To sell the first piece of sheet music he had ever created to other players.