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And the basement room I lived in? I left it messy, just as it was. Now, the workshop was cleaner and felt more comfortable than at home.

{Demir’s Workshop}

The sign greeted me as soon as I entered.

[‘Air Purification’ (B-rank) is active in this zone.]

Seeing the message that popped up made me smile. Indeed, ritual magic was fascinating. Through Eldrin’s will, it felt like anything was possible.

“The air is incredibly fresh and clear. Thanks, Eldrin.”

“You’re welcome.”

—Click, clack.

Eldrin, who was in the workshop, clacked her bones together and smiled.

I usually never unsummoned the three who had achieved awakening now. It came from the thought that it must be frustrating for beings who could think and speak to be trapped in some unknown place.

In the case of the old man, he had a time limit, so there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

“Hmm.”

—Click, clack.

Eldrin kept moving her jaw.

“This body was uncomfortable at first. But I’m getting used to it.”

“…”

Come to think of it, how would it feel for a soul that remembered its original body to live as a skeleton? I figured it probably wouldn’t be pleasant.

Seeing me staring silently, Eldrin chuckled. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. We’re grateful to be able to think and feel, even in this form.”

“Oh.”

Oops, did she read my mind?

Even though she’s my subordinate, she was the queen of a tribe who lived for hundreds of years. She must have immense insight. It wouldn’t be hard for her to read the mind of a young man in his twenties.

“Hey, Master. You’re already here?”

—Clang!

The sound of metal striking stopped once Demir sensed my presence.

I marveled at the swords, spears, bows, hammers, daggers, and numerous other weapons piled up beside him.

“Wow, you’ve already made this much?”

“Haha, you named the workshop after me, Demir. How could I stay still as a blacksmith? I’ve made a variety of things similar in performance to last time.”

“Wow.”

“Ahem, no need to be overly pleased. I must still build more proficiency to make weapons worthy of my name. It’s strange. I know it in my head, but my body won’t follow… Oh well.” Demir shook his head.

It was due to the system’s limitations. With Demir’s Intermediate Item Crafting at level 6, he could only make weapons of that level, no matter the method used. But if no mistakes were made, creating the best possible weapons at that level allowed him to gain proficiency quickly.

“It’s a bit humiliating to put these weapons out under my name. But…”

“…”

“But it’s just about finding the fun in growing again, right? I’ll do my best.”

“Hmm, I’m sure you can level up quickly if it’s you, Demir.”

“Thanks for the encouragement.” Demir grinned and picked up his hammer again.

Behind him, piles of ore were stacked high. His desire to gain proficiency as quickly as possible was evident.

I should expand the workshop and create training rooms for each skeleton once I make enough money.

This was another reason to earn money. I couldn’t keep wasting time traveling back and forth to the clearing.

Training rooms for Boney 1 to the eventual Boney 10.

I planned to create a total of eleven luxury training rooms, specialized for each unique ability, including for myself.

“Nice.”

Just thinking about it made me feel good! I hummed cheerfully.

Anyway, I packed up the weapons Demir had made.

Since I asked them to sell the sword last time, I should also get an idea of the prices for the other things.

Then I went back to the Gotomall central auction house. As always, the middle-aged man with glasses was sitting behind the desk.

“Hello, appraiser.”

“Oh, it’s you?” The appraiser’s eyes widened, welcoming me. “You’re the young man who entrusted us with that B-rank sword back then!”

“That’s right. How did the item I entrusted to you sell?”

“Do I even need to mention it? It was a big hit, a big hit!”

“Oh, really?”

“It was much more popular than expected. Besides having good stats for its rank, the durability was incredible. And the design was practically art. Man, oh, man.”

“How much did it sell for?”

“Twenty million. It sold for twice the expected price. You hit the jackpot.”

Twenty million won,* huh? For a weapon that could be mass-produced, that was quite a price.

≈ $15,380 USD

“…”

I was speechless. I knew it was a likely outcome, but it still felt surreal. Twenty million in just one day… It felt like I was working as a mercenary just yesterday, trying to save up a little money.

This felt overwhelming.

“The auction price, minus a 10% fee, will be deposited into the account you provided within two business days. But what brings you here? Didn’t you get notified via text?” The appraiser looked at me with a curious expression.

I smiled and put down my backpack. Then I slowly pulled out my supplies—the items Demir had made.

The appraiser’s eyes widened as he saw them. “Wh-What are these?”

“What do you think? They’re weapons for the next auction. You said the sword was quite popular last time, right? I’ll put all of these up, so please promote them heavily.”

“My god.” The appraiser picked up each weapon and examined them. “They’re all B-rank items? And they all have similar performance with clean designs that look like works of art…”

“Hehe, these are all from Demir’s Workshop.”

“Young man, you’re amazing! Where did you find such an incredible blacksmith?”

“Well, that’s not the important thing right now, no?”

I dodged the question, and the appraiser flinched but nodded.

“…That’s true. Ahem, alright. I’ll put these up too. The people who participated in the last auction were asking for more. Word will spread quickly.”

“Good.”

Great. This should easily cover the initial capital for the business. And with a limited quantity released, it would surely generate some buzz.

If I was going to do this, I’d do it right.

The auction house, open late at night, was bustling. Hunters who had come after hearing the online promotion had eyes of anticipation mixed with tension.

“They say they’re auctioning off that hot weapon again today?”

“Yeah, but I heard it’s not a sword this time. It’s different weapons.”

“What kind?”

“I don’t know, we’ll see.”

“Did you bring enough in your wallet?”

“Of course, I don’t know what they have prepared, but if there’s a whip, it’s mine. Don’t mess with it.”

Rumors spread faster than expected. The auction house’s site was well-known, but I also posted on the Hunter Board.

[Welcome to the Hunter Board.]

[‘E-rank Mercenary Accepting Requests’ (Lv.10) logged in.]

Of course, after I got into trouble listing an S-rank item last time, the post was made anonymously.

> Wow, the weapon’s performance is solid! And the design is top-notch!

> Man, even if it doesn’t perform well, I’d buy it just for the looks!

> Is it from Demir’s Workshop? Isn’t that the place that got famous recently for using skeletons?

> Hmm, it’s about time to change my weapon. Should I give it a shot?

> No way, too expensive.

> You’re missing the point: the more expensive, the more desirable it is, right? I’m going for it.

As word spread, more and more people flocked to the auction house. Among them were journalists looking for a newsflash, hunters wanting to watch, and those who genuinely needed the weapons.

“Eighteen million won! Any more?”

“Nineteen million won, sold!”

—Bang, bang, bang!

“Next up, a bow! The performance is the same as what’s posted on the pamphlet. Currently only one exists in the entire country.”

“Twenty million won!”

“Oh, twenty-one million won!”

“Twenty-four million won, sold!”

The weapons sold like hotcakes. The average price was around 18 to 24 million won.* It was a ridiculous price for B-rank items, but everyone understood.

*≈ $13,840 – $18,460 USD

Is this the artistic sense of a dwarf?

The designs were, quite literally, insane.

The auction ended in great success.

Several hunters raised their hands.

“Are there any more?”

“I couldn’t buy one this time. Can I place an order at Demir’s Workshop?”

There were many inquiries, but I shook my head.

This was the end of the auction. The values of the products were assessed, and now it was time to open a store and expand. Not only that…

I need to make other types of weapons, too.

Suddenly, the hammer I had made with all my soul in front of the dwarves came to mind.

[Item: Special Titan’s Thunder Hammer]

[Rank: S]

[Type: Hammer]

Although I borrowed Boney 6’s body, it was an S-rank hammer I made with my own hands. I poured all my energy into making it. The thrill I felt at that time was undoubtedly a kind of emotion I could never forget.

I’ll release S-rank weapons as a limited edition.

How can Demir’s Workshop’s brand value be enhanced? It was simple: release high-performance weapons in limited quantities. In the past, luxury leather brands like Hermes or Chanel added value by crafting items meticulously by artisans.

Let’s give it a shot.

Of course, creating them would take immense mental effort, enough to make me forego my training schedule. I wouldn’t make them often.

—Thump.

But the thought of pouring out my passion again made my heart race.

* * *

—Bang!

“What the hell?” A man slammed his desk in anger.

It was Shin Jongoh, the grandson of the Ohsung Group. He was in a foul mood.

“He dares to ignore my invitation and start a business?”

“…Yes, sir.”

The secretary with glasses flinched and bowed her head. It was never good to provoke him in a bad mood.

“Are you sure you handled it properly?”

“Just as you instructed… We used some muscle to rough him up a bit. We even gave him the location…”

“Then how can he act like this? Normally, he’d either be scared or he’d come see me. Isn’t that how it should be?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

The secretary apologized for now. She didn’t know why she had to apologize, but it was to avoid getting fired. Moreover, who knew what could happen if she got on this rich kid’s bad side? She feared she might get into a car accident just walking down the street. This reckless, young, rich guy was that unreasonable.

“Hey. You shouldn’t have done something to be sorry about in the first place, hm? I thought you’d know my temper by now.”

“Th-That is…”

“And what? Demir’s Workshop? Aren’t workshops what Ohsung has been working on recently?”

The reason for Shin Jongoh’s foul mood was none other than this. Ohsung Group’s chairman, Shin Jooyong, his grandfather, had entrusted him with a business branch, which happened to be the business of workshops.

“Hmph. Alright. You want to do this, huh?”

—Clench.

Shin Jongoh gritted his teeth. “Back when you were hanging around at Smith’s Forge, I knew you were trouble.”

“…”

The secretary was dumbfounded. He was the one who kicked the hornet’s nest, and the other side seemed to be minding their business. Why did he think he was under attack? She didn’t understand but kept quiet.

“D-Director!”

A hunter rushed in from outside. He was one of the C-rank hunters in the small group Shin Jongoh was running and was a growing hunter with his support.

“What is it now?”

“Big news, sir! That guy, Joo Donghoon, you mentioned?”

“That guy again?”

“His workshop is being called a rising star. He put out a dozen B-rank weapons, which are hugely popular.”

“What?” Shin Jongoh’s eyebrows furrowed.

He only had one B-rank blacksmith in his workshop. And furthermore…

“A dozen, you said?”

How could that even be? His B-rank blacksmith took at least 15 days to make one weapon.

“This smells fishy.”

Was another billionaire backing him up?

“We can’t just sit by.”

“What should we do?”

When the hunter asked, Shin Jongoh smiled nastily. “What do you think? Find out who owns that Gotomall shop.”

“The shop owner?”

“Yes, buy out the whole area around it. Make him pay for trying to go against the Ohsung Group with money. Whether it’s that guy or whoever’s backing him, crush them all.”

Shin Jongoh still thought only from his perspective.