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“Yes?”

“Please accept me.”

“Huh?”

Kim Jinah’s sudden request upon visiting the workshop caught me off guard, especially since it happened right after I had finished a training session with the old man.

“Hmph, you little brat.” The old man narrowed his eyes as he watched from the side. “I sensed that your mind has been elsewhere lately. Have you been fooling around with some woman?”

That’s not it at all!

I had a feeling about this, though. Ever since we first met, her gaze had always been an evaluating one.

I shrugged. “What do you mean by ‘accept you’?”

“I’m talking about the Demir’s Workshop that you’re building. Let’s grow it together! I’ll help turn it into a massive enterprise—no, something even bigger than a guild!”

“Pardon?”

“Right now, what you need are talented people. Someone like me, who can handle things cleanly and efficiently.”

“…”

I was speechless. My lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

Wasn’t this confidence a bit excessive? Or was this the new trend in job applications these days? Like those stories where someone says something daring, and the boss likes their spirit and offers to work together.

“Oh? What an intriguing young lady,” the old man observed with curious eyes. “She’s a genius in her field. Though it would be hard for her to grow through martial arts, she possesses incredible business acumen. She’s quick at calculations and can foresee the future faster than most. She’d have become a prime minister in my world.”

Really? She’s that good?

“If you aspire to be the king of this world, there’s no harm in having her by your side. Though, of course, I didn’t need someone like that.”

Interesting.

I was intrigued. I already knew from our earlier encounters that she certainly wasn’t ordinary. But if even the old man, who was notoriously stingy with praise, spoke so highly of her, she must be exceptional.

“So you want to turn Demir’s Workshop into something bigger than a guild? What do you mean by that?”

Guilds, huh? That was something I had never considered. I aimed to create the best workshop in Korea and make some money—just enough to help me ascend in rank. The workshop itself wasn’t the end goal.

“Mr. Donghoon, that’s the current trend. Whatever business you start inevitably leads to forming a guild. Look at White Swine, for example. It started as a workshop and grew into a massive merchant guild. If you grow your workshop, you’ll inevitably face opposition, and in the end, you’ll need the forces to defend yourself, leading you to form a guild.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

It was like how all disciplines converge into one ultimate truth once they reach their peak.

“So you’ll need more than just talent. You’ll need money, people, legal support, networking, and to engage in guild politics. You’ll also need to lobby associations, merchant unions, and the government.”

“Ugh.” Just thinking about it gave me a headache. “I see now. I thought all I had to do was make good weapons.”

“Of course, that’s the most important part!” Kim Jinah nodded energetically. “But I can make sure you only have to focus on crafting weapons.”

“That does sound appealing.”

It wasn’t a bad offer at all. Working under me, such a talented person who was even praised by the old man would be a tremendous asset. I should have been the one scouting her.

But there was one issue…

“What about your salary?”

Labor costs.

“I’m not greedy. Pay me based on what I contribute. Whether it’s stock options or cash, I’m flexible.”

“Really?”

“Though most employers can’t wait to pay me. I’m confident you’ll feel the same, Mr. Donghoon. Teehee. Trust me, I’m worth it.”

“Wow, I like your mindset.”

She had ranker-level confidence.

“I’m fine paying what you’re worth as long as you prove your abilities.”

As I said before, I wasn’t obsessed with money. I only cared about using money to create the best environment to become a ranker. If that meant paying for good talent, then so be it.

I smiled and extended my hand. “Alright, we’ll work out the details later. Let’s work together.”

“It’s an honor, Shop Master.” Kim Jinah bowed politely and shook my hand. “Oh, by the way, since you’re the workshop master, I should probably get a title too…”

“What title would you like?”

“Well, since it’s still early stages… I think ‘Vice Shop Master’ would be a good fit, don’t you think? I left my whole career behind for this, after all.”

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

It was still a tiny neighborhood workshop, so hiring practices were pretty flexible.

“Wow, what is all this?” Kim Jinah’s jaw dropped as we did a more thorough workshop tour. “Oh my gosh, are these all raw materials for crafting?”

“Haha, young lady. What you see here is just the tip of the iceberg.” Demir, hammering away in the makeshift workshop, chuckled.

She was still getting used to a talking skeleton but quickly regained her composure. After all, as the new vice shop master, Demir was someone she needed to befriend.

“By tip of the iceberg, you mean…”

“There’s at least a hundred times more stored away in this bag. Gahaha.”

“Wow…” She marveled, her lips slightly parted, before pulling out her smartphone and swiftly typing away.

“Hm? What are you doing?”

“Inventory management. All of these are precious assets.”

“You’re going to organize all that?”

“Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the quantity, I’m thrilled. The more we have, the stronger our financial foundation.”

“…Impressive.”

Kim Jinah sat down in a corner, carefully examining the bag’s contents and meticulously counting the materials. Her efficiency was almost robotic, like something from the 22nd century.

Now I understood why the old man said she was quick at calculations.

It’s starting to feel like we’re operating correctly.

I watched her in satisfaction and then turned to Demir. “Shall we get to work, too?”

“On the weapon for that Jang Daewoong fellow?”

“Yup.”

“Looks like he uses gauntlets. I happen to have a blueprint for something that might suit him.”

“Let’s see it.”

Demir pulled out a blueprint from a pile in the corner.

[Item: Fist of the Giant Warrior God]

[Rank: A]

[Type: Blueprint]

[Description: A blueprint for crafting the ‘Fist of the Giant Warrior God.’]

[Effect 1: Allows the crafting of the ‘Fist of the Giant Warrior God.’]

[Effect 2: Requires 200 iron ingots, 20 silver ingots, and 2 mithril ingots.]

[Effect 3: Possesses excellent performance due to the complex crafting process.]

“Wow, ‘Fist of the Giant Warrior God’? That’s a cool name.”

“What do you think, Master? The rest of the blueprints are B-rank.”

“Not bad. It fits Jang Daewoong’s style.”

“Then we’ll go with this. Whew, it’s been a while since I worked with mithril.”

When we made the Titan’s Thunder Hammer, we used mithril, thanks to Boney 6. But this would be Demir’s first time working with mithril on Earth.

“Not bad at all.”

It was time to up our game in terms of weapon performance. After all, I’d eventually want to arm my skeletons with the best weapons.

“Alright, Master.”

“Yes.”

“Picture this Jang Daewoong fellow in your mind.”

“Got it.”

The crafting process was the same as before. Visualize the person and craft the weapon tailored to them. Custom weapon-making at its finest!

I recalled the image of Jang Daewoong the Berserker, crashing his fist into the ground and laughing maniacally with every strike. Each blow felt like a small nuclear explosion filled with overwhelming power.

“Master, is this really what Jang Daewoong is like?”

“He’s incredible.”

“To be honest, he’s a madman. He’s like the Giant Magic Dragon destroying a mountain just to kill a single insect.”

“…Isn’t that an insult?”

“Hmph.” Demir tilted his head in contemplation. “A weapon for a madman, huh? We’ll need to add some more materials.”

“More materials?”

“We’ll need insane artifacts or mediums to imbue it with crazy options… The more, the better.”

“Interesting.” My eyes gleamed with excitement.

Adding materials not listed on the blueprint? It was a method I hadn’t seen before, but Demir was a legendary blacksmith, after all.

“Okay, I’ll look into it.”

* * *

The post on the Hunter Board quickly became a hot topic.

> Demir’s Workshop is Buying Items

> This is the owner of Demir’s Workshop. We’re purchasing “insane” magical items or mediums for the next S-rank weapon. We’ll pay 100 million won per item.

> We’ll only take the top 10 submissions.

> The crazier the options, the higher the chance of selection.

> Thank you for your support.

It was an amusing post from the now-famous Demir’s Workshop.

> Insane options? They’re buying items nobody else would touch—for 100 million each!

> Haha, I have one. Should I give it a try?

> I have something gross that makes you stronger if you eat poop.

> Wait, are you the infamous “Shit Eater”?

> What is this, an event? Or a charity?

As hunters ventured through dungeons, they often picked up strange items. With so many unique abilities in the world, naturally there were plenty of weird items as well.

Therefore, the hunters were intrigued. They wanted to see what kinds of items were out there and who had found something weirder than them. They wondered if there was someone more unfortunate than them.

It quickly gained attention.

> I don’t know why they’re buying, but this sounds fun.

> 100 million? This will attract all sorts of odd items.

The post spread like wildfire across social media.

* * *

—Knock knock.

Shin Jongoh, a director of the Ohsung Group, knocked on the door of a luxurious suite in a Gangnam hotel.

—Click.

The door opened, revealing a foreign man.

“Director Shin? What brings you here?”

“Good to see you, Shadow Walker.”

The man was a hunter ranked 720th globally, known by his alias Shadow Walker. He was also an Ohsung Group-affiliated mercenary.

“As the director, I came here to ask for a favor.”

“Ahem.” Shadow Walker looked uncomfortable.

Although he was affiliated with Ohsung, he didn’t like taking orders from the third-generation Shin Jongoh. When the group was in dire need of rankers, they weren’t strictly subservient in this relationship.

“Why not go through the official channels for a request?”

“I’ll get straight to the point. I need you to kill someone. The owner of Demir’s Workshop.”

“Hmm?”

“He’s a mere B-rank hunter who just got promoted. It shouldn’t be an issue for someone like you.”

Shadow Walker smirked. Technically, it wouldn’t be an issue, but…

“Well, even as a mercenary, I don’t move without orders from the chairman.”

“I’ll triple your usual fee.” Shin Jongoh’s face remained serious as he said, “And you know I’m in charge of the Ohsung Workshop, right? It’s the most promising industry in the group. This means I’m the most likely candidate to be the future heir.”

“Oh?” Shadow Walker raised an eyebrow in interest.

Honestly.

He didn’t believe for a second that this brat before him would inherit the Ohsung Group. Shin Jooyong, the chairman, was far too sharp for that. He wouldn’t let a punk like this take over the empire he’d built.

Still.

The offer of triple the pay was enticing. Killing a B-rank hunter in secret was no challenge.

“Director, do you know what my usual fee is?”

“10 billion won a year, correct?”

“Oh?”

“If you succeed, I’ll immediately shoot 30 billion to your bank account.”

“Aren’t you overdoing it?”

Thirty billion won wasn’t pocket change.

But Shin Jongoh remained unfazed.

“The Ohsung Workshop isn’t doing badly. I have plenty saved up. That’s not your concern.”

“Hm.” Shadow Walker stroked his chin. “So all I need to do is kill the owner of Demir’s Workshop?”

“Yes.”

“30 billion for one man’s life…” A chilling smile crept across his face. “Not a bad deal at all.”