Chapter 11: Networks are assets to merchants(3)

“Here’s your pass. Please wear it at all times.”

“Okay.”

It was a luxury apartment. A very secure apartment that required several procedures to enter.

My ‘client’ was waiting for me in this apartment.

“Excuse me.”

“Welcome. Here, have a cup of tea first…”

Fragrant tea and expensive-looking snacks greeted me.

A perfectly clean house and an elegant lady were inside.

“Oh, hello…”

There was also a boy, probably an academy cadet, who looked a little intimidated.

After enjoying the tea, I immediately got to the point.

“First, would you like to try the product?”

“I-Is that okay? I mean, it’s a firearm-“

“It’s basically a toy. It’s not dangerous. It can only be used as a gun in special circumstances.”

“I-I see. I’m sorry. I’ve never bought an artifact personally before.”

“It’s alright.”

I took out a Gremlin pistol and placed it on the table.

“I-Is this it? It’s a little-“

The lady’s eyes were filled with doubt when she saw the pistol.

“Shabby, isn’t it?”

“Yes…”

Anyone with a normal aesthetic sense would inevitably feel negative about the Gremlin pistol.

Of course. This is actually a shabby and inadequate pistol.

“You’ll know its true value when you use it.”

“Here? I mean, since it’s indoors, there are things that could break-“

“It’s fine. I’ve prepared a simple target.”

I set up a target I bought from an online shopping mall yesterday in the living room.

“If… if it misses, there could be problems. My husband will be very angry.”

“As long as you open your eyes, aim at the target, and think about hitting it, there’s no way you’ll miss at this distance.”

I was confident, and I handed the loaded gun to the boy.

“Would you like to shoot?”

“Well, I’m really bad at shooting. I’ve only shot BB guns at amusement parks.”

“It’s okay. Trust me.”

“Okay…”

He grabbed the pistol with trembling eyes.

“Spread your legs, hold the gun with both hands, push it forward, lean forward slightly… Good. Perfect. Just shoot like that.”

I explained the pistol shooting posture I roughly saw on the internet. It wasn’t a special posture, and I didn’t know if it was the correct posture.

It didn’t matter. It would hit anyway.

“I-I’ll shoot!”

With a bang, the bullet hit the target. It was a 10.

“Perfect. Shoot again like that. Keep going.”

He shot the bullets without stopping. And not a single one missed.

‘Well, since he’s taking a stance and shooting, he’s being much more polite than a Gremlin…’

The Gremlin’s pistol shots are hard to miss, even if they don’t hurt when they hit.

This apartment was big and nice, but the living room was still a living room. There was no way he could miss the target at this distance.

“Oh, Mom. This is real. It feels like… it really hits every time. We have to buy it. It’s unbelievable…”

The boy looked at the target and, with his mouth wide open, began to persuade his mother.

“R-Really?”

“Really! With this, I can pass the test. No, there’s no way I can’t pass! It’s guaranteed!”

The lady nodded in embarrassment.

“H-How much is it?”

“One million won.”

“An artifact for one million won?”

It was an expected question.

“This gun is a consumable. It wouldn’t be strange if it broke down at any time.”

“I-It does look like it.”

“We’ll check for initial defects right here, right now. But it wouldn’t be strange if it broke down at any time.”

“What if it breaks during the test?”

“Just take a lot of guns with you.”

The fact that the artifact could break was a pretty terrible risk, but considering the cheap price of one million won, it wasn’t that strange.

“Then, how many should I buy?”

“Well. That depends on the individual. But the academy’s test isn’t that easy.”

“Is that so?”

“You’ll need to practice a bit more. Of course, it’s more effective to practice with this gun, but… practice guns also break down.”

I smiled awkwardly, as if I was sorry.

“You’ll also have to buy bullets separately, and these are special bullets, so they’re a bit expensive. 10,000 won per bullet.”

“Hmm… Is it okay to buy more later?”

“As long as there’s stock left, it’s fine anytime.”

Leave the possibility of buying guns or bullets later, but instill the fear that ‘if you don’t buy now, you might not be able to get them in a desperate situation’.

The lady slowly nodded.

“20 million won, I’ll pay in full. Fifteen guns, 500 bullets. Do you take credit cards?”

“You can transfer the money to my account.”

“Alright.”

In an instant, 20 million won was deposited into my account.

400 of this would go to Rose, and 200 to her collaborator, but even without that, it was a significant achievement.

“Thank you for your purchase. Oh, and don’t forget to bless or imbue the bullets with attributes before the test.”

“Yes. Thank you so much. Such a valuable item at such a low price…”

“Don’t mention it.”

She was smiling brightly, as if she had made a ‘very profitable deal’.

If she thought so, I was grateful too.

****
“An Roze, come out!”

Roze couldn’t help but frown at Yuhwa’s loud voice.

“What brings you here? I thought I apologized for that incident.”

“That’s not it! Why are you lying to the other kids, tell me!”

“I’m not sure what lies you’re talking about.”

“Are you playing dumb? The… toy gun that my brother gave me! You’re selling it, aren’t you?”

Roze sighed deeply.

“That’s not a lie. I apologize for using your name… but it’s a business matter. Please understand that it was unavoidable.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m just acting as a connector… The person who’s actually selling it is your ‘brother’, Mr. Isu”

“What… did you say?”

Yuhwa sat down with a devastated expression.

“It wasn’t for me, just for me… the gun?”

“I guess not.”

“L-Lies…”

“Shouldn’t you grow up a bit? Does that mean Mr.Isu has to… let that precious item rot because of you?”

“That’s not it. That’s not it, but-“

“Then, don’t get in your ‘brother’s’ way, and just stay put.”

“Ugh, sniff, there’s no way, my brother…”

Yuhwa burst into tears.

“I’m sorry. But what can you do? Just accept it. Anyway, you weren’t expelled.”

“…I’m going to ask my brother. If it’s a lie. I swear I’ll-“

“Oh, go ahead and ask.”

Roze chased Yuhwa away with a victor’s smile. But after Yuhwa left, Roze couldn’t help but have a serious expression.

‘The information leaked. Well, it can’t be helped.’

She had asked the buyers to keep it a secret as much as possible.

But too many people had bought it. Eternal secrets didn’t exist, and it wasn’t strange that the news reached the ears of friendless Yuhwa.

‘Why is it selling so well in the first place…’

Yuhwa’s expulsion test was a while ago. The next expulsion test would be in a month.

The number of people expelled per test varied, but it was usually 1-3 people.

Since she thought there were about 10 people at risk of expulsion, she thought she would have to wait until next month after selling about 10 times.

‘But…’

The number of buyers was gradually increasing. People she hadn’t approached were approaching Roze.

There were already over ten buyers, and twenty more were on the waiting list.

‘Why are they buying this?’

Rose didn’t know, but there were many reasons.

Expulsion was based on absolute evaluation. But people’s anxieties weren’t easily quelled.

The rumour spread that a student who was thought to be ‘likely to be expelled’ would not be expelled through a ‘special method’.

Then, students who were one or two levels above the ‘risk of expulsion’ couldn’t hide their anxiety. They couldn’t help but have the fear, ‘If that guy isn’t expelled, will I be next?’

That fear spread, and the number of people wanting to buy increased.

Moreover, there were people who tried to exploit it in a malicious way.

Students who didn’t want to be expelled and were confident they would pass the expulsion test diligently attended classes and did their homework.

They were booking the item, thinking, ‘I won’t be expelled if I have this, right?’.

Even students who had nothing to do with expulsion were starting to take an interest in the item.

People who thought, ‘I can buy an artifact for one million won? Is there any reason not to buy it?’.

The students of the academy were basically wealthy. Spending a few million won on toys or hobbies couldn’t be considered excessive.

For those complex reasons, many students were trying to buy or were interested in Isu’s Gremlin pistol.

In addition, rumours about the pistol began to circulate in the ‘parent community’, and well-informed parents began to reserve the pistol, thinking, ‘Everyone else is buying this’.

‘Why…’

Rose didn’t know why.

****

“This is killing me…”

There was a shortage of supplies.

That day after talking with Roze, I asked Lisa to get me ‘Gremlin pistols and bullets in good condition’.

But, surprisingly, there was a shortage. That’s how well the item was selling.

‘Should I hire someone…’

I, who had to carry it myself and sell it, was also suffering from overwork without holidays.

There were days when I had to make two sales a day, and there were times when I had to break out in a cold sweat after meeting a difficult parent.

“Well, I’m making a lot of money… so is it okay?”

I had no choice but to take a break from being a gatherer. No matter how much money I made there, it was absurdly less than the money I made selling items.

As the items brought in increased, the ‘transaction record’ also quickly accumulated. Now, I could make transactions once every 5 days instead of 7 days.

“But today… this is the last one. I need to finish quickly and rest…”

Most of the places I visited were apartments or luxury mansions.

But this place looked a bit ordinary. A lived-in house in a neighborhood with not-so-good security.

“Excuse me.”

I rang the bell. A girl’s voice came through the intercom.

“Yes? I didn’t order any food.”

“It’s not that. I’m here to sell something. Is your mother home?”

“My mother isn’t home.”

“Then can you call her and tell her a salesperson is here?”

“I’m not buying anything strange.”

“It’s not that, I already contacted her.”

“My mother passed away. Go away.”

In the short conversation, there was a strong trace of tragedy.

‘Did I get the wrong house?’

The address I received by text was definitely here. I was about to call the client again when the door suddenly opened.

“Oh… I’m sorry, sir. Please come in.”

“…Okay.”

It wasn’t the mother, it was the grandmother. I carefully went inside.

“What are you doing, Grandma? Don’t let strangers in like that. I told you not to buy anything strange! Mister. Leave.”

“It’s not something strange. Siu’s mom said this person sells something really valuable.”

“Siu’s mom? Why?”

“She said he sells… something that helps students pass the test.”

“Even if that’s true, we don’t have the money for that…”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

‘An academy student? Is this the right house? Then why…’

“I’m sorry, mister. Please go. I don’t know what Grandma is talking about, but we can’t buy that.”

The long-haired girl, with a look of resignation, tried to send me away.

“No, no. Grandma saved up money. Here, in… here-“

The girl’s grandmother brought a chest hidden under the bed.

“Ten million won. I really saved up penny by penny-“

The old woman’s weak eyes were looking at me.

“That, toy gun. Can my child buy it too?”

I bit my lip, looking back and forth between the money and the old woman’s face.

‘This is getting tiring…’

Things weren’t going to be easy.