Chapter 16 :The heart of a desperate person can be bought cheaply(1)

The teachers called the man.

But the tension in their eyes didn’t fade. A young teacher looked at another teacher with a puzzled expression.

“But, is there a reason to be this scared?”

“Why?”

“We called him last time too. No matter how I think about it… Aren’t we the ones with the upper hand? The artifact didn’t seem that great either-“

The one who answered her was Principal Wisu.

“The situation is different from last time. Come to think of it… It was a bit touch and go back then too.”

“?”

“Well, you could think that way. Why should we consider the circumstances of a peddler when changing our company rules? But that common sense depends on who you’re dealing with.”

Wisu bit her lip tightly.

“Is that person really a ‘peddler’?”

“…Yes?”

“If it were one or two, it could be. A peddler trying to make money by selling a cheap artifact that somehow leaked out… But, that’s not the case, is it?”

According to the school’s investigation, the number of guns already sold exceeded one hundred.

A person who made 100 million in sales in less than a month. It was awkward to call him a peddler anymore.

“He’s a big shot. More than we think. We don’t know who’s behind him.”

“Is… Is that such a big deal?”

“Not if you only consider money.”

The academy’s teachers are also not a pushover job that can be swayed by a mere ‘100 million’.

Considering the cost of the guns, it was hard to think that he could make a lot of profit.

“Still, it’s an artifact. At least I don’t know the origin of that weapon, and no one I know knows the origin of that weapon. At the very least, it’s not something made in a known workshop in Korea.”

Only then did some of the teachers realize the seriousness of the situation and looked at Wisu in surprise.

“A hundred items, and even special bullets designed for that gun. It’s not a dropped item or a leaked item. Then-“

“Is there a guild behind it?”

“A guild, a workshop, or some organization we don’t know about. There must be something.”

But the man carefully hid that fact and acknowledged that this item was distributed in the academy.

“The person involved in the distribution, you said it was Roze, right?”

“…Roze was also the one who reported this. She was tearing the man apart like she wanted to kill him, then changed her attitude and cooperated as if she had planned everything-“

“That’s what I’m saying. What if all of this was planned?”

She didn’t want to suspect a student. But considering who Roze’s mother was, it was hard to believe that there was no capital behind this.

“Come to think of it… That man was strangely relaxed. As if he expected all of this. He even recorded it thoroughly…”

“But even so, what can that man do… In the end, don’t we have the justification?”

Wisu shook her head.

“Let’s say we didn’t think about this in advance and just unilaterally notified the ‘rule change’.”

“Yes…”

“Then, the man would protest. Saying that this is clearly trying to prevent him from selling his goods.”

“Realistically, that’s the only way, right?”

If the use of ‘all artifact pistols’ is prohibited due to the rule change, the number of students who suffer damage will inevitably increase.

Depending on the perspective, it could be considered ‘unfair.’ We have to be firm and aggressively block ‘that pistol.’

“What if we send that man away like that, and then the backers come in?”

“…!”

Changing the rules is the authority of the school.

However, ‘prohibiting a specific model of goods without reason’ is something that can become a problem if it is made public.

What if a large guild or workshop uses this as an excuse to mobilize the media and pressure the academy?

“After this, we might have to give up something bigger.”

Wisu bit her lip tightly.

The workshop or guild could demand a ‘solution’ from the academy and try to demand other concessions ‘in exchange for giving up the right to sell that pistol.’

“So, how…”

“We have no choice. Still, a school is a school. We can’t let that man sell ‘the right to never be expelled’ to the students.”

“Ah…”

“Be as polite as possible and try to persuade the other party. That person likes to record, right?”

“Yes.”

“Think that it could be uploaded to the community tomorrow, and never use harsh words. Got it?”

Recognizing the problem didn’t improve the situation.

“Yes, Principal!”

In the end, all they could do was tremble and wait for his actions.

“Excuse me. May I come in?”

And, he arrived.
****

‘They called me, as expected.’

I was thinking that I would get caught once. And, I had prepared a lot for this moment.

I confidently entered the staff room.

“Ah, you’re here? Mr. Isu. Right?”

Unlike what I expected, the voice was quite soft.

But when I checked who was speaking to me ‘friendly,’ I had no choice but to bow my head in tension.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Hunter Wisu.”

“Don’t mention it…”

Wisu. A hunter whose name is known even to those who are not interested in the hunter industry.

The principal of the academy was in front of me.

“The reason I called you today is because… There’s been a problem with the item you’re distributing.”

“Did an accident happen?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that! It’s just, there’s talk that the students are relying too much on that item.”

This is fine. It’s what I expected.

“In that case…”

“We’ll have to ban the use of that pistol in the upcoming expulsion test.”

‘It came to this, as expected.’

I also knew what happened in the expulsion test through Roze.

Even if that wasn’t the case, considering the number of Gremlin pistols I sold, I could ‘naturally’ predict that this would happen.

“So, I wanted to discuss it with you.”

I was taken aback. Not in a negative sense, but in a positive sense.

‘Do they really need to call me to talk about this? It’s their rules. They don’t have to discuss it with me’

I held my breath and analyzed the situation.

‘Are they thinking of me as more important than necessary? Really? Why?’

It was perplexing, but I couldn’t find an answer right away. I couldn’t just stand there with my mouth shut for a few minutes.

In the end, I made a decision.

“Of course, you should do as you please.”

“Do you understand?”

“The academy has its own rules.”

I didn’t know why they were taking a low stance with me.

If I don’t know, I can’t judge exactly how far I can pressure the other party.

‘The opponent is Wisu…’

She was smiling at me now, but she probably wasn’t seriously smiling because she liked me.

To her, I am ‘the main culprit who ruined the academy’s expulsion test.’ There’s no reason to look favourably upon me.

Then, it would be a wiser choice to create a good image for the other party rather than taking risks and aiming for more.

‘Hmm?’

The bell rang. It was my phone.

“I’m sorry. I should have turned it off. Right-“

Seeing the phone number on the phone, I had to bite my lip tightly.

“I’m sorry. This is a really important person calling… I’ll explain the situation and hang up right away.”

“No, we’re not in a hurry, so you can take your time.”

“I’m sorry. Excuse me for a moment-“

I know. It’s rude to take another person’s call in front of the academy’s principal, Wisu.

But if the person who called was Seo-yeon, I had no choice. I had to prioritize the words of the stronger person.

I went outside the staff room, took the call, and felt my body freeze at Seo-yeon’s cold voice.

“There’s something I need to discuss.”

“That’s…”

“The guns I bought last time, the contents are real artifacts, but… They don’t look very luxurious.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m in contact with a workshop I know, and I’m going to make some modifications to the exterior. In the process, there might be minimal reverse engineering. Would that be okay?”

“Of course, it’s fine. Do as you please.”

Perhaps sensing the urgency in my voice, Seo-yeon became slightly uncomfortable.

“Are you in a situation where you can’t take calls right now?”

“Yes. There’s been a bit of a problem with the pistols… I’m at the academy.”

“…Shall I take care of it for you?”

“No, it’s not a big problem.”

“Alright. I trust you. If there’s a problem, feel free to leave it to me.”

“Yes. I’ll ask you when the time comes.”

“I’ve kept a busy person for too long. Go ahead and take care of your business.”

“Yes. I understand.”

I quickly hung up the phone and returned to the staff room, sat back down on the chair, and looked at Wisu.

“I’m sorry. I was called by someone I couldn’t refuse… Where were we?”

Wisu had a relaxed smile.

“The rules are changing, so your guns will be banned from the expulsion test. Can you… understand this?”

“Of course.”

I nodded with a smile.

“Thank you for calling me when the test is over, so there won’t be anyone buying the item with incorrect information. Thank you for warning me in advance.”

Even if this pistol is not a very expensive item ‘from the perspective of the academy’s parents,’ if the item for the expulsion test cannot be used in the expulsion test, the arrows of complaints could be directed at me.

It was a shame not to make more money, but I had already made enough money. Going further would be excessive greed.

“Thank you for understanding. Do you need any other support?”

“No. I’m the one who should be thanking you for letting me know this.”

Wisu, along with her achievements and fame, had a lot of notoriety.

The position of the academy’s principal was a position that couldn’t be held without earning someone’s hatred.

Still, she didn’t seem to have any hostility towards me. Although I didn’t know the reason.

“We’re more grateful. If you have time later, let’s have a meal together.”

“If you call me anytime, I’ll run right over.”

I exchanged phone numbers with Wisu. This was a huge gain that I hadn’t expected.

At least as long as I have this number, the people in the academy won’t be able to oppress me unfairly.

I was nervous when I came in, but there was definitely a gain. In the first place, I didn’t intend to sell things like Gremlin pistols forever.

‘I have enough money for now, so let’s think of it as a break for the time being.’

Time is on my side. The amount of water poured into [Wasteland 2] was increasing, and the ‘trade performance’ I was making was gradually increasing.

‘I’ve accumulated enough capital, and if I just open a new trade route…’

With a faint smile, I confidently left the academy.
****

After he left, Wisu erased the fake smile from her face and let out a deep sigh.

Realizing that she was uncomfortable, the teachers began to speak one by one.

“Isn’t that guy too rude?”

“If he got a call while talking at the academy, he should hang up.”

Wisu slammed the desk.

“Shut up, all of you.”

Her sharp eyes were glaring at the teachers.

“Did anyone hear who that guy was talking to on the phone?”

“That’s…”

“It’s Seo-yeon. Out loud. He was talking to Seo-yeon on the phone.”

She bit her lip tightly. Hard enough to draw blood.