Chapter 110
Chapter 110
Chapter 110: Crafting Golems (4)
Translation: godtl
A liquid with a foreboding crimson hue.
Yet even contained within the glass vial.
The aura emanating from that dark red liquid was anything but ordinary.
"So you were aware of it after all. That's correct."
Had Seo Wi-ryong misinterpreted the look in Si-mun's eyes?
"DS. To be precise, it's a spirit elixir called Dragon Serum."
Nodding to himself, Seo Wi-ryong extended the vial toward him.
"Dragon Serum?"
"Yes. It's the Continent Guild's finest spirit elixir, exclusively provided by Fist King Jong-ri Chu's faction."
The Continent Guild's finest spirit elixir.
At those words, Si-mun's eyes grew solemn.
Because—
'In my past life, there was no such elixir as DS in the Continent Guild...'
Si-mun had frequently traded with the Continent Guild in his previous life.
Naturally, he was intimately familiar with all their proprietary elixirs.
Yet this so-called Dragon Serum was something he'd never heard of.
Moreover—
'The Continent Guild almost never uses foreign loanwords for their arena items.'
Whether due to their peculiar linguistic pride or not.
The Continent Guild predominantly used Sino-Korean terms for their crafted items.
Just look at how they call promising talents "Rising Stars"—doesn't that give you the idea?
But "Dragon Serum"?
Of course, there was nothing inherently strange about it.
"So you're saying this is an elixir exclusively produced by Fist King Jong-ri Chu's faction?"
"Correct."
An elixir produced solely by Jong-ri Chu's faction.
That alone spoke volumes about what this implied.
"There are other elixirs with undisclosed recipes like the Dragon Blood Pills, but..."
As he spoke, Seo Wi-ryong's gaze inadvertently lowered.
Naturally so.
The Continent Guild wasn't some minor faction.
They stood as one of the world's two superpowers alongside America's American Dream guild.
Yet even crucial information like guild elixirs wasn't being properly shared internally?
'Must be embarrassing.'
A major guild would naturally have its pride.
To have their dirty laundry exposed so blatantly to an outsider must be humiliating.
Showing no outward reaction, Si-mun said:
"Let's arrange to examine those other elixirs when the opportunity arises."
He accepted the DS vial from Seo Wi-ryong.
Perhaps recognizing this as consideration.
"...Yes. Thank you, Si-mun-nim."
Seo Wi-ryong bowed his head in gratitude.
Si-mun responded with a faint smile before turning his attention to—
Glug.
The dark red liquid sloshing inside the glass vial.
'Dragon Serum, huh...'
He didn't even need to activate the Death Eye within Odin's Eye.
Just by looking at this so-called Dragon Serum—
Sssssss.
'It lives up to its name.'
The pure Dragon Power radiating from it was unmistakable.
Of course, only someone like Si-mun—possessing both the Death Eye and Dragon Power—could perceive this.
Ordinary people wouldn't sense a thing.
Si-mun checked the Dragon Serum's information window.
And then—
"Huh?"
"Si-mun-nim?"
His eyes widened into perfect circles.
"What's wrong? Is there some problem with it?"
"Seo Wi-ryong-ssi, am I the only one not seeing this?"
"Pardon?"
Si-mun extended the Dragon Serum toward the puzzled Seo Wi-ryong.
The guild member stared at the elixir with equal confusion until—
"Ah!"
His expression mirrored Si-mun's shock.
The reason was simple:
"The—the information window isn't showing!"
"Right?"
The Dragon Serum's information window.
It wasn't appearing—not even in an unidentified state.
By default, all crafted items produced as Galaxy Arena byproducts came with information windows.
This was common knowledge known even to non-Production Class players.
Seo Wi-ryong was no exception, yet—
"No, what could it possibly be made from to not show an info window...?"
The absence of the window left him utterly flustered.
Si-mun asked calmly:
"Where did you obtain this?"
"Right before departing, the Vice Guild Master gave it to me as a gift for you. He said it helps enhance traits."
"Enhance traits?"
"Yes. With the 430 billion won rental fee involved, he probably wanted to make a favorable impression during contract negotiations..."
Unable to bring himself to say the word "bribe,"
Seo Wi-ryong trailed off, then bowed deeply in apology.
"I apologize, Lord Si-mun. This Seo Wi-ryong has been showing far too many unsavory sides of himself today."
"It's alright."
Si-mun waved his hand lightly and turned his gaze to the Dragon Serum.
'So the current Vice Guild Master is Jong Wan-ji. Jong-ri Chu's uncle, then.'
Just as in his past life.
Jong Wan-ji was Jong-ri Chu's man.
Therefore, there was no way the Dragon Serum he sent could be fake.
Si-mun asked Wi-ryong, who was biting his lips anxiously.
"Mr. Seo Wi-ryong. By any chance, have you seen this Dragon Serum elixir before?"
"Before... Ah!"
As if realizing what Si-mun was getting at,
Wi-ryong let out a small sigh and shook his head.
"Unless it's the Dragon Blood Corps, I've never actually seen DS before. It's an elixir I've only heard of."
"That makes it sound like an extremely rare elixir."
"Correct. It's an elixir only given to the Fist King's inner circle."
"Hmm..."
Si-mun rested his chin on his hand for a moment.
If it was an elixir that enhanced traits, it made sense to only give it to one's closest allies.
Conversely,
that meant it was an elixir that could never be given to someone untrustworthy.
'Which implies this Dragon Serum is inherently an item without a system window...'
An item without a system window.
In other words, an item not authorized by the Galaxy Arena.
'Meaning it's essentially a black-market item.'
If it were a legitimate item, it would have already been used for faction expansion long ago.
Didn't it possess the extraordinary effect of enhancing traits?
From ultra-high-priced sales,
to being used as bait to lure famous Rankers—the possibilities were endless.
Yet Jong-ri Chu had strictly limited Dragon Serum to only his inner circle.
This could only mean one thing:
'It's an item made from materials not approved by the Galaxy Arena.'
It was an extremely plausible deduction.
Hadn't he already witnessed, through past Arenas,
how the Dragonkin subtly violated Galaxy Arena's regulations?
'Now that I think about it, the Dragon Power that corrupted the World Tree belonged to the Dragon Emperor Nidhogg.'
The Dragon Power in this Dragon Serum was on par with what had corrupted the World Tree.
Which meant:
'The Dragon Power contained in this serum is practically equivalent to a Dragon Emperor's.'
And if that were true, it implied Jong-ri Chu wasn't just an ordinary Dragonkin—
but had connections with a Dragon Emperor.
'Well, this is more intel than I expected.'
He hadn't even properly backed the Moderates, including Seo Wi-ryong, yet.
And already, he'd reeled in such valuable information.
Of course, from Wi-ryong's perspective, this was nothing more than a bribe for contract negotiations.
Si-mun observed Wi-ryong, who was cautiously holding his breath.
"It's a gift to my liking. Please convey my thanks to the Vice Guild Master."
"Eh? Ah! Yes, I'll make sure to deliver your message."
"Now that I've received a gift, I should return the favor, shouldn't I?"
"Re...turn the favor?"
This was a bribe meant to reduce the rental fee—
what did he mean by returning the favor?
But even as Wi-ryong puzzled over it,
'Despite being busy with expanding the Moderates' influence, they're pulling stunts like this.'
Si-mun's heart had grown quite cold.
'If I were an ordinary Player, I'd have gulped this DS down without a second thought.'
The lack of a system window might have raised some suspicion, but
with the elixir coming from the Vice Guild Master of one of the world's top two guilds,
and boasting effects that enhanced traits—that alone would have crushed any doubts.
But knowing that the base of this elixir contained Dragon Power on par with a Dragon Emperor's—
'This is a disaster waiting to happen, no matter how you look at it.'
It was painfully obvious this would become poison to ordinary Players in one form or another.
Truthfully, from Si-mun's perspective, drinking it wouldn't be an issue.
'After all, I possess the Blood of the Dragon God.'
The Blood of Tiamat, the Dragon God.
Even the Dragon Power of Nidhogg, which had corrupted the World Tree, had already submitted and been absorbed by Si-mun.
For him, this Dragon Serum could do more than just enhance abilities—
it might even improve his Dragon Power and related skills, just like with the World Tree.
But.
'As it happens, I have the perfect use for this.'
Indeed, Si-mun currently had a perfect use for such highly concentrated Dragon Power.
'So? Are we done?'
As Si-mun glanced down at his chest,
-Mhm! All analyzed!
The Philosopher's Stone, having completed its analysis of the dragon serum, responded in a cheerful voice.
-The quantity may be small, but the grade of Dragon Power is exceptional. If we replicate and amplify this through alchemical synthesis, it'll be more than enough to operate the Production Golem!
Production Golem.
It had been rendered inoperable due to insufficient Dragon Power—despite the Dragonium serving as its base material.
'How wonderfully convenient. They've delivered exactly what I needed.'
Who would've thought the schemes of Jong-ri Chu's faction—meant to undermine him—would instead become such a boon?
Now, shouldn't he return the favor tenfold?
"Um... Lord Si-mun? What do you mean by 'repayment'?"
"Ah, exactly what it sounds like. Having received such a precious gift, my nature won't allow me to leave it at that."
With a faint smile, Si-mun glanced behind him.
There, the Night Hunter Park Jin-uk—who had entered unnoticed and been waiting—approached.
"Mr. Jin-uk, are you prepared?"
"Yes. Though 'preparation' is hardly necessary. I did say you could make use of it anytime before departure."
Park Jin-uk let out a dry chuckle as he retrieved something from his inventory.
"T-this is!"
Seo Wi-ryong's eyes bulged at the sight.
And how could they not?
Rustle.
A traditional Eastern-style slip of paper adorned with a fox illustration.
This was none other than—
"A Black Market voucher?!"
A currency as valuable as the dollar—
No, perhaps even more valuable than the dollar—the Black Market voucher.
Moreover—
"Wait! That 'L'... This is a direct voucher from the Black Market's owner?!"
The elegantly engraved initial "L" at the top of the voucher.
Seo Wi-ryong knew full well this marked it as a voucher personally issued by the Black Market's proprietor.
"Correct. A voucher guaranteed by the Black Market's owner."
"Good heavens..."
At Si-mun's confirmation, Seo Wi-ryong's jaw dropped.
'Even our Guild Master possesses only a handful of these...'
The Continent Guild—one of the world's two superpowers.
Yet even its current Guild Master held only a scant few of the Black Market owner's vouchers.
Naturally so.
The Black Market owner's vouchers weren't something one could obtain simply through wealth, authority, or power.
They were granted solely based on values determined by the Black Market owner alone.
And more importantly—
'Didn't the Night Hunter just say he could use it freely?'
Hadn't Park Jin-uk explicitly stated Si-mun could utilize it as much as he wished?
Given the context,
Those words must have come directly from the Black Market's owner.
But then—
"Consider this my repayment. Take it."
"Pardon?"
The beautiful young man before him extended the priceless voucher as casually as one might hand pocket money to a child.
"My reciprocation for your gift. Though I should clarify—this is for Seo Wi-ryong personally, not the Vice Guild Master."
Rustle.
Without the slightest hesitation, he slid it forward.
Seo Wi-ryong was utterly flabbergasted.
"How could I possibly accept something so—!"
"As I mentioned earlier—I'm not the type to simply receive without giving in return."
A Black Market voucher.
Moreover, one issued by the owner—its value was beyond quantification.
With it, one could bypass all auctions and procedures—
Purchasing any item directly as top priority in the Black Market.
To bestow such a voucher...
"This is essentially... financial backing."
No different from providing funding to the Continent Guild's Moderate Faction.
"How astute of you. Precisely."
Si-mun nodded with a light smile.
"Naturally, we'll also provide separately laundered yuan. Our specialists will ensure even Jong-ri Chu cannot trace it, so feel free to use it without concern."
"Even yuan?! Lord Si-mun, this is too much—"
"We made a deal, didn't we? You restrain Jong-ri Chu, and I'll support your rise."
"......"
Si-mun's matter-of-fact tone left Seo Wi-ryong speechless.
"Besides, the dragon serum you brought will prove immensely helpful to me. So accept it without reservations."
Without reservations?
How could one not feel burdened when receiving such staggering support so casually?
"Lord Si-mun, the dragon serum was the Vice Guild Master's gift to you! I've given you nothing—"
Seo Wi-ryong began urgently protesting when—
"Enough. Your mere existence benefits me. Therefore—"
Si-mun effortlessly cut him off.
Then—
"Don't make me repeat myself. Take it."
Authority and dominance.
With that shift in demeanor, Si-mun pushed the Black Market voucher right before Seo Wi-ryong.
Faced with this...
"...My deepest gratitude. I, Seo Wi-ryong, shall never forget this kindness!"
All Seo Wi-ryong could do was bow in profound thanks.