Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Secret Base Project
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What does a weapon mean to a damage dealer?
The power was clearly demonstrated in the spell she cast as a test.
Even Wang-sik was surprised when a simple fireball created a massive crater.
Its power surpassed Wang-sik's expectations.
"Whoa."
Min Ha-na, who had cast the fireball herself, was just as astonished.
Flame of the Chilling Soul, Elia
Flame Enhancement 6th Circle
Flame Condensation 6th Circle
Flame Absorption 5th Circle
Special Skill
Lava Spear (Proportional to caster's ability)
These were the kinds of options a flame mage would dream of in a weapon.
In fact, the flame mages who had possessed Elia left significant marks on the history of the Azelan Continent.
"This is amazing."
It didn't have as many varied options as Peradora, but its Circles were high and the synergy was excellent.
"It seems to be a high-tier Mythic-grade item."
Min Ha-na agreed with Wang-sik's assessment.
"I feel several times stronger."
"I seem to recall someone saying something about 'just an item'..."
"You're right. I feel bad for Shaz."
"Shaz?"
"Flame of the Chilling Soul. Shaz for short."
Wang-sik was dumbfounded.
"I believe it has a name, Elia."
"I'm still thinking about what to call it. 'Shaz' is a bit much, isn't it?"
"Yes. It is."
"Elia, I'm counting on you."
As Min Ha-na tapped the crest on her right hand with her left, a blue flame flickered to life and then vanished.
Wang-sik chuckled at the sight, as if the flame were reassured.
"Alright, let's get to work."
Wang-sik gestured to the surrounding area, which was littered with corpses.
"It'll take all day just to collect the mana stones."
"We have to make money. Let's grab some byproducts today, too. I see a few things that are too good to just leave behind."
Until now, they had strictly collected only mana stones. It was because the process took too much time.
In the case of boss monsters, the byproducts obtainable from their corpses were actually more valuable than their mana stones.
However, without specialized knowledge, they would have to haul the entire carcass, and they lacked both the inventory space and the time for that.
As a compromise between time and money, they had agreed to only extract the mana stones.
"Let's finish up quickly and go hunt!"
But contrary to her hopes, they had to wrestle with the corpses from sunrise until noon.
* * *
Guseong Group conference room.
The executives stopped their chatter as Han Young-im entered.
The mood at Guseong Group had been good recently, and the executives' expressions were bright.
The recovery of their Korean operations was proceeding smoothly, and their overseas business was also showing steady growth. In particular, the Gate Exchange, which Han Young-im considered a core project, was making a name for itself, lightening the mood of those attending the meeting.
Currently, the Guseong Gate Exchange held a six percent market share.
This was the result of their aggressive marketing using the highest and finest quality mana stones.
—For mana stones, go to the Guseong Gate Exchange.
This perception was now beginning to take hold among buyers.
"We must now establish our exchange's mana stone prices as the standard market rate."
Han Young-im wasn't content with simple sales; she was striving to create the perception that their prices were the standard for mana stones.
"Our goal is to reach ten percent by the end of the year. While we might achieve this with mana stones alone, we cannot climb higher with just that. To become the number one exchange, not just settle for ten percent, we need more. Please share any ideas you may have."
As this was the topic of the meeting, many people offered their opinions.
"The guilds that are merging soon have yet to decide on a main sponsor. Since these are Korea's representative guilds, we must secure that sponsorship."
"We should recruit artisans and create our own production brand."
"I believe it's time we consider running a monster corpse retrieval business alongside our current operations."
Various proposals were put forward. But Han Young-im was not pleased with their ideas.
They were all things she had already considered. And none of them were particularly special.
"The corpse retrieval business and guild sponsorships are ultimately only viable within Korea. Foreign governments would never permit us to acquire such businesses overseas. Even if we acquire them in Korea, the scale is ridiculously small for competing in the global market."
Korea was still a small market.
They could solidify their position within Korea, but the profits wouldn't be substantial, and the potential for expansion was too limited.
"I am also tempted by the idea of our own production brand, but it's meaningless without recruiting key artisans. We need A-rank artisans, and if we can't scout them, the whole endeavor is pointless from the start."
Weapon artisans were talents treated with as much reverence as healers.
Naturally, the recruitment war among Gate-related corporations was fierce. The three companies that had emerged victorious were known as luxury brands and were reaping enormous profits.
Using those profits, they recruited even better artisans, solidifying their position and making it difficult for other companies to catch up.
The conference room fell silent as Han Young-im pointed out the problems with each proposal.
As the silence spread, Han Young-im's expression turned cold, and the mood of the meeting soured.
"Let's not be satisfied. I hate stagnation more than anything."
For the first time in a while, Han Young-im pressured her executives.
"We will hold an idea contest for all employees on business development strategies. Submissions will be accepted directly, without needing approval from superiors, so make sure even new employees can participate freely."
The meeting concluded with those words.
Back in her office, Han Young-im threw herself into her chair.
"*Phew*."
Although she had announced an idea contest, she didn't have high hopes. The Gate industry was large in scale, but the scope of possible ventures was limited, making new attempts difficult.
"Should I invest directly in technology?"
Guseong Group had always centered on distribution. The exchange wasn't a significant departure from that.
Reckless expansion could be poisonous, so they had limited their involvement in Gate technology to mere investments. Now, that was coming back to bite them.
"It's too late to start now. In the end, is acquisition the only way?"
She had achieved a great deal by working tirelessly on the ground, but a great wall stood in the way of becoming number one in the world.
"Think. There has to be a way."
As she leaned her head back in the chair, lost in thought, her smartphone rang.
—Client Bae Wang-sik has contacted us for a pickup.
"Where is he?"
—He requested we come to the Incheon pier.
"I'll go myself."
Han Young-im stopped pondering and left her office.
* * *
*Fwoosh!*
A line of fire materialized above the gently lapping waves.
The flame, which seemed to split space itself, stretched out further, becoming a hundred-meter-long spear of fire.
Despite hovering about five meters above the water, the intense flames were vaporizing the sea, sending up plumes of white steam.
"You're not actually going to drop that, are you?"
"I'm just practicing."
Late evening.
On a boat heading to the Incheon pier, Min Ha-na was testing her newly acquired skill.
"The more I look at it, the more captivating it is. It's hard to believe I made this."
The lava spear contained condensed fire energy.
Its source of power was rage and hatred. Looking at the flame brimming with destructive energy, Min Ha-na had an expression like someone who had just fallen in love.
"I respect your tastes."
Elia's special skill, Lava Spear.
It was a spell that could only be used through Elia.
This spell was one of the ultimate goals that mages on the Azelan Continent would risk their lives to obtain.
It was even nicknamed the 'Flame of Judgment,' as it looked like a god delivering the apocalypse.
"It's a shame, but we'll see each other again."
When Min Ha-na clenched her open fist, the lava spear vanished.
"It's best when you drop it from the sky."
The reason she had floated the lava spear over the sea was to avoid unnecessary attention.
On the Azelan Continent, she would have proudly slammed it down from the sky like a meteor, a thrill so intense it made her body tremble.
"It's addictive."
Min Ha-na hugged herself and shivered once.
Then, realizing Wang-sik was beside her, she looked away, embarrassed.
"I'm not a weirdo."
"As I said, I respect your tastes."
"I'm telling you, my tastes aren't weird."
"Are you sure?"
Wang-sik's sharp question left Min Ha-na momentarily speechless.
"We've arrived."
Before she could recover, they entered a quiet breakwater in Incheon. As they disembarked from the boat, five people in suits were waiting with two long trucks.
"It's been a while."
The first to greet them was Han Young-im.
"I've arranged a table at a nearby restaurant."
It was a restaurant that usually had few customers, so renting out the entire place hadn't been difficult.
They sat facing each other across a worn-out table, and Wang-sik got straight to the point.
"Besides the mana stones, I've brought a few byproducts."
This was why he was handing over the items beforehand, unlike usual. It seemed selling them would take some time.
Wang-sik took out a fang that filled the table.
"I'm suppressing it, so don't worry."
The massive fang was emitting an immense amount of magical power.
"Please, have a look."
One of the staff members came to the table. He was the item appraiser.
Awakeners specialized in appraisal with no combat abilities often worked for companies or organizations like this.
"Uh...?"
A look of astonishment appeared on the face of the employee in charge of the appraisal.
After examining the item for a long while and jotting something down, he finally reached a conclusion after three minutes.
"A detailed appraisal is needed, but based on the bone material and its magic, the condensed mana value and purity are S-rank. Furthermore, it contains poison, classifying it as a special material. If it retains its properties after being cut, we could get over 2,000 pieces based on its weight and surface area."
"With 2,000 pieces, you could forge two entire normal swords."
"That's correct. If used for standard coating, it could be used for up to forty."
The method of selling materials was completely different from that of mana stones.
A square piece slightly smaller than a smartphone was called one 'piece,' and the rank was determined by the amount of mana it contained. If it had special properties like poison, as this one did, it was classified as a special material.
"May I ask where you acquired this?"
The appraiser couldn't help but ask Wang-sik. After a moment's thought, Wang-sik answered.
"It's the fang of a creature called a Rainbow Anaconda."
"If it's a fang..."
"Yes. That means there's another one. It belongs to her."
Min Ha-na, who was sitting beside him, nodded.
"Two of these..."
"How much would it be worth?"
This was the key question. The appraiser quickly calculated in his head, then glanced at Han Young-im. Without looking at him, she replied.
"You can speak frankly."
"If it can be cut, 20 billion. If not, 5 billion."
There were variables, but even the minimum amount was staggering.
"Better than mana stones."
Wang-sik nodded in satisfaction.
"Then please appraise the other items."
After that, more byproducts kept coming.
A Dark Giant's mana core.
A Blade Tree's life root.
A Hell Mouth's bladed tail.
A Blade Manticore's foreleg.
With each item revealed, the appraiser exclaimed in admiration, but he grew quieter and quieter.
He reported the appraisal results with a dreamlike expression, and once all the items were appraised, he let out a long breath and stepped back.
A minimum of 50 billion.
If a detailed inspection confirmed they could be cut into pieces and sold, the total value was estimated at nearly 200 billion. Han Young-im, who had watched the entire process, asked Wang-sik, who remained unfazed by the enormous sum.
"Would you like to proceed with an auction? You could get at least twenty percent more than the current price."
"Does that mean if we trade directly, like with the mana stones, the exchange can make at least a twenty percent profit?"
"Yes. In that case, the commission fee would naturally be waived."
"That sounds like a fair deal for both of us."
"Then we'll purchase everything. Would you like to request a separate appraisal?"
It was highly likely that a buyer would try to undervalue the items. But Wang-sik shook his head.
"I'll leave it to you."
"You trust me?"
"That's part of it, but more than that, I trust my own leverage. It's not hard to switch exchanges, is it?"
Han Young-im smiled.
*'He doesn't look it, but he sees the situation perfectly.'*
Right now, the Guseong Exchange would be in a difficult position without Wang-sik's supply.
"I promise you a satisfactory price. And of course, security will be tight. Mr. Wang-sik's name will not be revealed."
"You always have. Please continue to do so."
"Then, shall we stop talking business and chat a little? The food has just arrived, and we can't let it go to waste."
Han Young-im naturally steered the conversation.
"Including the supply from three months ago and today's deal, you're earning money comparable to the revenue of a decent-sized company. Do you have a specific goal in mind? I'm asking because I think I might be able to help. My position isn't just about making money. Spending it well is also part of my job."
Han Young-im asked, mixing in a bit of humor. At that, Min Ha-na also showed interest.
"I have to admit, I was curious why you were saving so much money. Especially since you eat instant noodles every day."
She knew he needed money to maintain the Gate, but even considering that, it was an enormous sum.
Receiving the gazes of the two women, Wang-sik answered without hiding anything.
"I want to build a secret base."
Amidst the two women's blank expressions, Wang-sik remained calm.