Chapter 36: Those Left Behind （5）
Gulp.
The sound of a dry swallow could be heard.
Leaving behind Yu Jeong-yeong, whose face was tense with anticipation, Kang San carefully examined the sword he had been handed.
『Worn-out Longsword』
『F-rank』
『Attack Power +3』
The stats were nothing special.
It was the same as the F-rank stats commonly found in blacksmiths, but the outward appearance was clearly different.
‘Sharp.’
Swish.
He tilted the sword slightly.
The blade, reflecting the light and smoothly tapering down, was so magnificent that the name “worn-out longsword” didn’t seem to fit. He swung it a few times in the air. The sound of it cutting through the wind was crisp, and when he felt the entire blade, he could feel its solid strength. Could this really be called an F-rank weapon? Although it was designated as an item, there was no change in stats, but the quality was incomparable to the unremarkable F-rank weapons.
It was the irony of life.
If you were to compare the two swords with someone who knows nothing about them, they would undoubtedly choose Yu Jeong-yeong’s sword every time.
A worn-out sword with a chipped blade.
A sharp and gleaming sword.
In the era when only the value of weapons was considered, people like Yu Jeong-yeong were called artisans, and their works were regarded as masterpieces. But as times changed, the standards also changed. No matter how excellent the craftsmanship of the sword, the clear standard of item stats determined the value of the item.
Yu Jeong-yeong’s sword was,
after all, F-rank.
An ordinary sword, accessible to anyone, that didn’t even surpass the attack power of 5, which is equivalent to E-rank.
Kang San looked at Yu Jeong-yeong.
When they first met, he had lost the will to live, but when they met again, his eyes were blazing with aspiration.
‘This is not a level of quality that can be achieved in a day or two. If he was this dedicated to his work, the world’s standards, which judge solely based on item stats, must have been despairing. Whatever he did, the clearly defined limits would have reduced Yu Jeong-yeong to an ordinary craftsman. If the skills I need are related to crafting… Currently, there’s no better option than Yu Jeong-yeong.’
He liked it.
Yu Jeong-yeong’s craftsmanship.
Yu Jeong-yeong’s sincerity.
And Yu Jeong-yeong’s desperation.
Kang San accepted this encounter, which could have been nothing, as fate.
Kang San said,
“Let’s make a contract.”
✦✦✦✦✦✦
The content of the contract was as follows.
Kang San listed the contract terms one by one on the scroll contract.
『1. Leakage of technology will be strictly prohibited. Demonstrating or transferring the technology to others is not allowed.』
『2. Ownership of items created using this technology is free, but if ownership is transferred or sold, it shall be shared with Party A to determine the matter. And 30% of the sales proceeds shall be paid to Party A.』
『3. Technology transfer will occur once a week, and irregularly depending on the circumstances.』
『4. When transferring the technology, Party B （乙） will also transfer their own technology.』
『5. If any of the above terms are violated, the violating party will be subject to a powerful curse magic due to the binding nature of the contract. This cannot be cured by any detoxification magic and can only be resolved by the other party’s mercy.』
Roman Bednar.
It was a scroll contract created by a world-renowned scroll crafter, which imbued it with binding force.
The incident where an A-rank Hunter who ignored the scroll contract broke the contract and ended up kneeling and apologizing to an ordinary person was a famous case. That’s how powerful the scroll contract was. There was a saying that scroll contracts should be written very carefully, as they are impossible to create without mutual consent in the first place.
The terms of the contract were strict.
No leakage of technology was allowed, and even if something was created, profits from it had to be shared with Kang San. In addition, there was an additional condition of teaching blacksmithing skills. In fact, there were many unfair clauses that unilaterally pressured Party B, but Kang San felt no shame about this contract.
He had the right to do so.
It wasn’t something Kang San initiated.
The technology to enhance item ranks had limitless potential for development, and it was impossible to say how much money it could generate. The power was in Kang San’s hands from the beginning. If Yu Jeong-yeong created a 100 million won item with this technology, would it be a loss for him even if he had to surrender 30%? It was clear that this would bring Yu Jeong-yeong more financial benefits than repeating simple tasks that pay only tens of thousands of won per job, hundreds or even thousands of times.
And above all,
it was something that could showcase Yu Jeong-yeong’s value.
They both knew that, and they both knew that the terms stated in the contract were justified.
“Thank you for accepting my offer, even though it’s unreasonable.”
Yu Jeong-yeong didn’t hesitate.
He read the contract once and, as if he judged it to be reasonable, immediately wrote his name on it.
Seeing that,
Kang San said,
“I don’t really like relationships that are all talk. I believe this contract will be an opportunity for us to trust each other more.”
“I agree.”
Swish.
He put down the pen.
Yu Jeong-yeong looked at Kang San.
“I know very well. If human skill can bestow special abilities on items, I’m not so ignorant of the world to not know how valuable that is. As you can see, I’ve proven my commitment with the contract. Then when can I start learning your skills, Kang San-nim?”
Kang San picked up the pen.
He wrote his name in the remaining space, then looked at Yu Jeong-yeong and smiled.
“Now that we’ve signed the contract, there’s no need to hesitate any further. Strike while the iron is hot, let’s start right away.”
✦✦✦✦✦✦
The transfer of skills continued late into the evening.
Even though he used the skill transfer, it was impossible to grasp the abstract concept at once, and he told Yu Jeong-yeong, who hadn’t even found a clue yet, that they should continue trying. He didn’t expect it to be easy from the beginning. Even Kang San wouldn’t have succeeded without his past life experience.
After returning home,
Kang San immediately turned on his computer.
‘Before I go on raids in the future, I need to overhaul my items. I’ll continue to use the D-rank shield after strengthening it, but the E-rank armor and weapons are different. Not only are the stats lower, but the E-rank sword, in particular, has a special effect, but its attack power is half that of the D-rank sword I used before. For me now, it means I need to dispose of my existing items and get new ones.’
The plan was simple.
Dispose of everything except the shield.
He was going to combine the money he earned from that with the money he had and spend it all on new armor and a sword.
And if he strengthened them with the Blood Demon’s skills, he didn’t know how effective it would be, but it would be the best setup he could achieve for now. With that purpose, he accessed the Item Market. The Item Market could be used both online and offline, and transactions were actively conducted online as well.
『Weapons-Swords』
━A-rank
━B-rank
━C-rank
.
.
『Armor-Armor』
━A-rank
━B-rank
━C-rank
.
.
Within the site,
a wide variety of items were listed.
As Kang San was officially registered as a Ranger, he became a Special grade, able to view almost all items. Perhaps because of that, he instinctively clicked on a C-rank item, even though he knew he couldn’t buy it now. He had only used up to D-rank items so far, so he wanted to see what the next level was like.
『Black Rock Two-Handed Sword』
『C-rank』
『Attack Power +39』
『Special Effect: Barrier 』
━Temporarily strengthens the sword’s durability.
“Wow.”
His jaw dropped.
The weapon Kang San was currently using was a D-rank longsword.
He had paid over 10 million won just to secure an attack power of 15.
But this one had more than twice the stats and even had a skill called Barrier as a special effect.
It was truly amazing.
And just as amazing as the stats was the price.
『Minimum Starting Bid』
『100 million won』
Transactions in the Item Market were conducted through auctions.
100 million won meant
it was truly the minimum price, and it was common for items to be sold at two to three times the starting price when the auction ended. It was certainly a different world from D-rank items. Even though it was just one rank higher, the price of the Black Rock Two-Handed Sword jumped significantly, even if it was considered a high-quality item among C-ranks.
Enough with the admiration.
Looking at good items would only make him envious.
Kang San swallowed his envy and listed the two items he had.
Click.
The selling method was anonymous.
Even the site administrator wouldn’t know the seller’s identity, and as a Special grade, he wouldn’t be charged much commission on the sales proceeds. Kang San listed the items and immediately closed the Item Market. He had set the selling time to 6 hours, so he would know how much he had earned when he woke up tomorrow.
Fatigue washed over him.
He always pushed himself to the limit every day, so he collapsed into sleep at the end of the day.
As Kang San fell asleep,
a small commotion began to stir in the Item Market.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
It started with a bid from a user.
『Worn-out but Sharp Longsword』
『Starting Bid: 2 million won』
━Desired Winning Bid: 3 million won
As soon as it started,
someone immediately bid 1.5 times the starting price.
Considering that E-rank items were usually traded for around 3 million won, it was as if they had set the maximum bid from the beginning. Generally, auctions would end like this. While competition for higher-rank items was fierce, people didn’t usually compete fiercely for lower-rank items.
But 10 minutes later,
━Desired Winning Bid: 3.5 million won
Someone bid 500,000 won more.
On the other side of the screen,
Shin Seung-min, an F-rank Hunter who had initially bid 3 million won, scowled.
“What the h*ll is this crazy bastard doing?”
When he first discovered the item,
Shin Seung-min was captivated by the bleeding effect.
He lacked talent but came from a wealthy family, so he was looking at E-rank items that matched his stats for future hunts. But an E-rank sword with a special effect? Moreover, the bleeding effect was considered to be quite powerful among the special effects that melee weapons could have. Even if you only inflicted one wound on the opponent, it would cause fixed damage and reduce their recovery effect, so weapons with special effects like bleeding were often more sought after than others.
That’s why he bid.
He thought he could get it for 3 million won without any problems, but he reacted emotionally when someone bid 500,000 won more.
━Desired Winning Bid: 4 million won
He raised the bid.
And then,
━Desired Winning Bid: 4.5 million won
It came back immediately.
That’s when it started.
As the competition heated up, it climbed the E-rank category search rankings, and people watched the two compete.
━These crazy bastards. Why are they competing over an E-rank item?
━But it’s definitely good for an E-rank, isn’t it? The attack power itself is average, but an E-rank weapon with a bleeding effect would be comparable to a decent D-rank weapon. That fixed damage is insane.
━If you have the money, it’s worth bidding on. There are hardly any D-rank items with special effects anyway.
People showed interest.
That day,
until the 6-hour auction time was over, Shin Seung-min and the anonymous bidder engaged in a fierce competition.
And the next day,
Kang San, who woke up with a messy face, encountered an unexpected situation.
