Chapter 119

Chapter 119

Spendthrift Necromancer (119)

Vampire's Ancient Castle (1)

Marco, branch manager of the Malay Merchant Company.

He was currently stunned.‘Is this seriously real?’An unbelievable number of crafted goods were stacked before his eyes.

Like some magic wand, every time he handed over materials, thousands of finished products came back.

And all in less than a day.[You receive crafted goods from ‘Kim Minwoo’!][You pay 1,302,500 points!]

Two thousand on the first day.

Four thousand on the second.

Buying nearly six thousand crafted goods had drained over two million points in an instant.

Enough to make even a major merchant company stagger.

It wasn't strange for cold sweat to run down Marco's forehead.

“W-We received the goods safely again.”

Kim Minwoo smiled.

“Payment came through fine. But the amount of materials you're supplying this time seems a little low.”

“Th-That's…… we've already swept up every usable material in this city. People have gone to nearby cities to acquire more, so if you could wait just one more day…….”

“You'll bring plenty this time, right?”

“Of course. We're planning to buy everything available, so you have nothing to worry about.”

Five nearby cities.

If they gathered every material from those places, there should be enough to craft at least thirty thousand items.

“Can you pay the points?”

“Haha. We may not look like much, but we're a major merchant company. We can certainly pay.”

Marco answered boldly.

Of course, if Minwoo returned with thirty thousand finished products, they'd have to pay an astronomical number of points.‘Even if we have to swallow it and puke blood afterward, this deal has to happen.’The merchant's profit-seeking mind began spinning at high speed.

Thirty percent of the items Kim Minwoo produced were Magic-grade.

What if he made thirty thousand products?

Nine thousand Magic items.

Twenty-one thousand Normal-grade.

The merchant company could earn around twenty points per Normal-grade item and eighty from every Magic-grade one.‘Even when we're only taking ten percent of the profit…….’That was 1.14 million points.

And when the merchant company's expanding influence was included, the ripple effect couldn't possibly be valued at only a million points.

If Marco successfully completed a trade this large and circulated all the goods?‘Even the position of General Branch Manager isn't a dream.’He could achieve enough to aim beyond managing one city's branch and become a General Branch Manager.

Naturally, Marco had already wagered everything. For example, he'd taken out enormous loans using every building the merchant company owned in the city as collateral.To pay transaction fees exceeding ten million points in a short period, there was no other option.‘It's overstepping my authority, sure.’But as long as he won and paid it back, what did that matter?

Fail and you're a gambler, succeed and you're a hero.‘Still, this is incredible…….’Only ten percent of the profit came to 1.14 million points.

Then nine times that?10.26 million points.

If Kim Minwoo truly returned with thirty thousand crafted goods, a mercenary richer in points than most nobles might be born.* * *‘Well, not bad.’He had the ability to craft goods, but now he was running short on materials.

Still, he'd already planned to stop crafting around this point anyway.

The reason was simple.[Hidden condition to unlock VIP Shop fulfilled!][You currently possess over 1,000,000 points!][You can unlock the VIP Shop.][If you discover another hidden condition, you may be able to unlock a shop even higher than this.]

Those messages had appeared after he completed the latest transaction.‘VIP Shop, huh.’They'd said something special would happen once he gathered points beyond a certain threshold.

They weren't lying.‘Though the condition is brutal.’One million points?

Most people could never gather that much.‘The Day 2 rankings were…….’Second place had 530,000.Third had 360,000.

There were only two participants who could obviously produce scores like that.

Park Siwoo and Seo Yerim.‘If things go well, those two might barely make it too.’Either way.

Now that he'd met the unlock condition, it was time to examine the goods.

The moment he thought about opening the shop.[Opening VIP Shop!][A shop assistant is visiting!]

Something popped into existence in midair along with the message.

A tiny teddy bear.

An extremely familiar sight.

“Didn't expect to see you here too. Good to see you, man.”―……!

The doll's eyes flew wide open.―D-Don't tell me the person who gathered one million points was…….

“Yeah, me. You're the Evaluator and you didn't even know?”―It's not because I'm incompetent. This stage is designed so that intervention is impossible in the first place. Observation too.

Popo protested indignantly, then bowed his head.―Uh…… anyway, good to see you.

“Right. You're the shop assistant?”―Y-Yes.

“What do you sell here?”―One moment.[Product List unlocked!]〈Tip 1. This shop can be used through the second trial.〉〈Tip 2. Only items usable by the person who unlocked the shop are displayed.〉[1. Light Bomb (500,000 points)][2. Highest-Grade Elixir Recipe (1,000,000 points)][3. Elixir (1,000,000 points)][4. Random Item Box (2,000,000 points)][5. Old Key (5,000,000 points)][6. ???][7. ???][8. ???]‘Wow.’Kim Minwoo clicked his tongue at the price tags. The cheapest item started at half a million points.

A vicious price range.‘But…….’The things being sold were good.

Way too good.

He roughly examined their detailed descriptions.

The Light Bomb was a high-performance explosive.

The Highest-Grade Elixir Recipe was literally a Recipe explaining how to manufacture one.

The Elixir maximized recovery for 72 hours after consumption. Roughly speaking, once you drank it, even fairly serious injuries wouldn't kill you for around three days.

As for the Random Item Box…….[Random Item Box][Rank: Special][Level Requirement: 251 or higher][An item box containing equipment with an equip requirement of Level 251 or higher.][Effect 1. Using it grants random Necromancer equipment. (Accessories excluded)][Effect 2. An item between Legendary and Ancient rank appears.]

It was extremely similar to the equipment draw ticket sold in the Achievement Shop.

The only difference was that one cost Achievement Points while this one cost ordinary points.‘If Ancient comes out, that's a jackpot.’Ancient equipment for two million points?

If one actually appeared, the jackpot was guaranteed.

Even Kim Minwoo, a complete veteran who'd played this game for over ten years, had seen Ancient-grade items only about five times.

The fact that something like that was openly being sold here was remarkable.

Finally, he examined the Old Key.[Old Key][Rank: Special][A worn-out old key.][Effect 1. It may be able to open something.]‘That's refreshingly concise.’Yet the price was a full five million points.

Meaning if he found whatever this could open, there'd probably be an enormous payoff.

His interest stirred.‘Every item here is seriously good.’The Highest-Grade Elixir Recipe alone proved that.

A Recipe possessed by only Witch Christine in America, anywhere in the world.

Naturally, players had coveted it too.

As long as they could discover the required ingredients, they'd somehow manage to craft it.‘But nobody figured it out.’Christine refusing to talk was one problem, and America's ironclad security was another. Even after tens of thousands of failed attempts, players never uncovered it.

Even the hardcore guide writers known for their terrifying persistence had eventually shaken their heads and declared it impossible.

Yet here, that Recipe cost one million points.

It looked expensive on the surface, but when he thought about it carefully, it almost seemed cheap.

He looked at Popo.

“What are those question-mark items?”―They'll become visible once you fulfill the conditions.

Kim Minwoo nodded.‘Current Points: 2.13 million.’He stood at a crossroads.

Save the points or spend them.

Saving them might give him more options after unlocking the next shop.‘But…….’Blindly hoarding wasn't always wise. Especially when he was currently considering challenging the Vampire's Ancient Castle.

The castle rewarded 500,000 points.

But he wasn't really planning to challenge it for the points.[Vampire's Ancient Castle][Exterminate the group of Vampires guarding the ancient castle.][Time Limit: None][Difficulty: Highest][Reward: 500,000 points, ???][Remaining Attempts: 1/1]‘There was a question-mark reward.’It gave something in addition to the 500,000 points.

And there was a real chance the hidden reward was the important part.The mission was dozens of times harder than exterminating Cyclopes for 10,000 points.

Go into something like that completely unprepared?‘Dangerous.’Hadn't the Mercenary Guild kindly told him? Starting from Medium difficulty, failure meant death.

Naturally, he needed contingencies.

Vampires normally possessed enormous regenerative power.

If you wanted to kill them, a single heavy blow was more useful than many small ones.‘So the Random Item Box is out for now.’It gave one Legendary-to-Ancient piece of gear, but equipment like that paid off over the long term. It wasn't ideal for a short decisive battle.‘Something like a Light Bomb would be much better.’One consumable bomb for 500,000 points.

And Light happened to be a Vampire's natural weakness. Detonate one and they'd absolutely love it to death.

Decision made.

The best defense was offense.

Full-burst-damage route.

“I'll buy something.”―Yes. What would you like to purchase?

“Four Light Bombs.”

Popo blinked for a moment at those words.

Then his mouth fell open.―Wow…… you've already gathered two million points?

“Yeah. Give me the goods.”―Here you go.[You pay 2,000,000 points!][4 Light Bombs are placed in your inventory!][Light Bomb][Rank: Special][A bomb filled to the brim with Light. Once detonated, it seems capable of sweeping away everything nearby.][Effect 1. Detonation causes an explosion of Light.][Effect 2. The user and allies take no damage.]

He became instantly broke.‘Well, money is meant to be spent when necessary.’If any bombs were left over, he could always use them later.

The description didn't say they were usable only within the Point Cities.―Would you like to buy anything else……?

“I'm out of points. Oh, right. Popo.”―Yes?

“Look at this.”

He showed the teddy bear photos of his guild members saved on his phone.

“Recognize them?”―I-I know the woman, but…….

“The other guy is my guild member too.”―Ah, yes. But why are you showing me…….

“Pass them a message later. If they unlock the shop, tell them not to buy the Recipe.”

Without communication, all three might stupidly buy the exact same Recipe.

And since Minwoo already had an acquaintance in Popo, using the teddy bear as a messenger seemed reasonable.

Popo blinked and said.―Um…… that might be considered intervention if I'm not careful…….

“You don't have to actually say anything. If they try buying it, tilt your head a little or shake it. Can't you give some subtle signal like that?”―Something that minor might be possible. But…… hehe…….

Popo rubbed his paws together.

Apparently the bear wanted to establish a connection with Minwoo.

There was nothing strange about that.

The last time Minwoo entered the Trial Grounds, hadn't he formed what looked like some kind of connection with the Angel who was Popo's superior?

They'd even established a sponsorship relationship.

Some things in life were understood without needing to be spoken.

Kim Minwoo nodded.

“Of course. I never forget a favor.”

Return favors twofold.

Grudges a hundredfold.

That was the truth of life.

This probably counted as receiving a small favor.

Popo's eyes lit up.―Yes! I'll carry out your request faithfully!

“Good. Take care.”―Yes. Then I'll be off…….

Perhaps because of the connection they'd just established, Popo bowed far more politely before disappearing.

Minwoo summoned Cedric and Merhen.

“Get ready. We're going hunting. Vampires. They're probably pretty strong.”―Vampires?

“Yeah. Vampires.”―If Master is saying they're strong, are they perhaps Truebloods?

“Probably?”

Cedric's eyes flared.―Then at least they won't be boring.

Cedric seemed to be working himself into a fighting mood.

Merhen, on the other hand, frowned slightly.

“What's wrong?”―It just reminded me of the old days.

Then.

Cedric suddenly cut in.―Thinking of Olivia?―Yeah.

“Olivia?”―The Lord's third Legion Commander. A Vampire.

He'd unexpectedly gained information about the third Legion Commander.

Then the four Legion Commanders' races were…….‘Skeleton, Banshee, Balrog, Vampire?’He looked at Merhen.

“Were you close?”―……

We talked once in a while?―Do you feel guilty or something? They're probably not Vampires related to her anyway.―I just thought of her because you said Vampire.

That didn't sound like it would interfere with the hunt. He headed to the Mercenary Guild and stood before the mission board. First, he removed a High-difficulty mission sheet worth 10,000 points.

Another mission sheet regenerated on the board.‘As long as I don't rip it…….’He could collect multiple mission sheets like this.

Then he could travel somewhere distant and carry them out there.

If he did them here, thousands of Skeletons appearing when he returned would be a problem, so he planned to find a suitably empty location first.

He collected roughly a hundred High-difficulty mission sheets that way.

Nobody looked at him strangely.

Other mercenaries occasionally did the same thing.

Finally, the moment he picked up the paper labeled ‘Vampire's Ancient Castle.’

Every mercenary, including the clerk, turned to stare.

Their expressions were dumbfounded, as though asking whether he had lost his mind.

Minwoo casually ignored their reactions and put the mission sheet into his inventory.

Another Vampire mission regenerated on the board. Apparently the remaining-attempt count only disappeared once someone fully cleared the mission.

He left the Mercenary Guild.

When he arrived at the deserted smithy.

Riiip!

Kim Minwoo immediately tore one of the sheets.

The scenery changed instantly.

It had clearly been broad daylight moments before, yet now a crescent moon hung in the sky.

A winding road.

Forest surrounding him.

And ahead.

A gigantic fortress stood in the distance, radiating an inexplicably sinister atmosphere.[Starting ‘Vampire's Ancient Castle’ mission!][Eliminate every Vampire!][Remaining Vampires: 100/100]

The Vampire group was probably inside that fortress.

He extended a hand.

Thousands of undead appeared, starting with the enormous Bone Golem, followed by the Dullahan group, Specters, and Skeletons.[The undead army receives command from the Dullahans!][‘Chivalry’ effect applies!][All commanded undead stats increase by 20%!]

An inflated buff.

There was a reason people said Necromancers started pulling their own weight once they obtained Dullahans.

An immortal army that knew no death.

They began advancing toward the fortress.