CH.52 Companion (2)
Kim Chae-eun didn’t know what to do when she first saw Jeong Seon-young. She didn’t know much about her, but Jeong Seon-young was said to be incredibly famous in the ice magic magician field. Well, she was known even more among the ice-related runic spells that seemed almost epic, so it was even more remarkable within the related field.
Meeting the senior she had respected for so long and now traveling with her brought an overwhelming joy. Thanks to this, throughout the journey to Daegu, Jeong Seon-young was able to witness Kim Chae-eun’s new side.
“Senior, would you like some water?”
“…It’s okay. I already have some.”
Even when she was drinking water while eating.
“Senior, how’s the water temperature at the accommodation? Is it too cold by any chance? Should I talk to the counter?”
“…This place is run by an acquaintance of mine.”
Even when unpacking at the lodging.
“Senior, I brought three different coffees – Americano, latte, and mocha. Please enjoy whatever is comfortable for you, hehe.”
“……”
Even when drinking coffee at the café, Kim Chae-eun’s enthusiasm was evident. Although she was already sociable, this side of her was unfamiliar.
“If you have any discomfort, please tell me!”
“Well, uh… “
Jeong Seon-young sent me a look that she felt burdened. She had spoken comfortably to both me and Kim Chae-eun. By the way, it was all because of Kim Chae-eun’s persistent request to put her at ease.
‘Try to handle her.’
Her eyes were saying that. I closed my eyes and lowered my head. I couldn’t handle this. The runaway Kim Chae-eun couldn’t even be stopped by her father, Professor Kim Myeong-hyun.
“Oh, by the way. Is there anything you want to buy at the auction?”
After taking a sip of coffee, Jeong Seon-young changed the subject.
We were in a café in Dongseong-ro. It was the most famous café in Jung-gu, and its interior was colorful and pretty.
The auction would be held nearby tomorrow. In addition to the regular auction items, there would also be an S-class disaster monster’s byproduct auction. Both Jeong Seon-young and I participated in this disaster monster hunt, so naturally, we had the right to purchase items from the latter.
“Um… well.”
But can I really say this? What if the items I want to buy overlap?
As if understanding those concerns, Jeong Seon-young smiled and spoke.
“Oh my, it’s okay. What I’m planning to buy won’t overlap with what you guys want. You’re not interested in leather anyway, right?”
“Leather?”
“Yeah. The leather from S-class monsters is quite popular.”
Unlike dungeons, field monsters didn’t offer rewards in the rest room. They didn’t yield special items like equipment, accessories, and various potions that Holders mainly used. Of course, there were rare instances when certain body parts of monsters could be turned into items, but in most cases, field monsters only dropped magic stones and byproducts.
And excluding magic stones, the most popular byproduct was ‘monster leather’.
“Why is leather so popular?”
Kim Chae-eun asked with a curious expression.
I was sure this had been covered in the class about <The History and Information of Monsters>.
I answered in place of Jeong Seon-young.
“Leather is a key material when blacksmiths make armor. It’s also used for accessories and research materials.”
The byproducts obtained from monsters were quite diverse. Among them, the most well-known was magic stones. Magic stones were the main source of income for Holders and had a wide range of uses. They were used as materials for maintaining magical phenomena like [Magic Barrier] and [Warp Gate], and were often used in making high-grade equipment, armor, and crafting special items like potions.
Stones that contained magic. True to their name, magic stones were used wherever magic was required. This high demand and supply within the Holder community made them highly valuable.
“The next popular byproduct is leather. The higher the monster’s grade, the better the quality of the leather. A-grade monster leather can sell for hundreds of millions.”
“Wow… They sell for that much?”
“Yeah. High-quality leather has a high chance of producing high-grade items.”
Expensive leather results in good items. Honestly, if I had the luxury, I would buy leather in addition to magic stones. Especially if it’s the leather of the S-class monster, Swirl Leviathan… It’s certain that at least rare or higher items would be made. Plus, I know a blacksmith who can make items of that level.
But the top priority right now is magic stones.
The chance to obtain Legendary Runes and the rarity of rare armor didn’t even compare.
Kim Chae-eun, who had been listening quietly, suddenly tilted her head and smiled.
“But why haven’t I ever gained leather before?”
“Because you don’t have the butchering rune. You need to know how to do it to get leather.”
“There’s a butchering rune?”
“Yeah. It’s classified as a specialized rune.”
Unlike magic stones that anyone can easily gain, various byproducts from monsters such as leather, hearts, and bodily fluids can only be accurately collected by professional butchers. Regular Holders can also perform butchering, but the byproducts are often damaged or significantly lower in quality. For ordinary Holders, obtaining byproducts from monsters isn’t easy.
For this reason, domestic clans would often employ specialized butchers among their clan members to maximize the value of their owned dungeons.
Unlike other specialized fields where one’s abilities might be lacking, butcher Holders are in demand everywhere due to their scarcity in numbers. Even the Holder Association and the government sometimes employ them… For them, worries about employment were like tales from a distant land.
“Next, there’s the heart, blood, bodily fluids, and so on… Anything that can serve as research material is sold as byproducts. Especially creatures like the S-grade monster we hunted today have more to harvest.”
Monster byproducts weren’t merely used as materials for production. They were popular items even in Holder scientific institutes like rune research facilities. The modern Holder system was a domain full of mysteries, and there were still many secrets yet to be uncovered. Scientists who sought to discover new facts through monster byproducts were still conducting research somewhere.
“Then, can’t you directly gain items from monsters?”
“Most of the items are in the dungeon’s rest room. So, that’s mostly true.”
“But not always.”
Listening silently, Jeong Seon-young interjected.
“Sometimes, items like weapons used by monsters can also be actual items. The probability is low, though.”
That’s not entirely wrong. In fact, items can be gained from field monsters too. For instance, creatures like Goblin Warriors. Just like items dropping from enemies in a game, sometimes the equipment they use can be items. Even a Normal-grade equipment could fetch a considerable sum, so there were Holders who specifically hunted these creatures.
However, I had never gotten one. Not once, even while tackling ‘Goblin Lair‘. Even the equipment from the boss monster ‘Goblin Chieftain’ was not an item. [Goblin’s Bronze Shield] had come from the treasure pouch of a Golden Goblin.
So, the chance to gain items from field monsters was low.
“Oh, and was that recently not classified as the highest-grade undead dungeon again?”
I answered Jeong Seon-young’s question.
“Room of Approaching Death?”
“Oh, yeah! The boss monster in that dungeon was an S-grade creature, and the weapon it used was an Epic-grade item.”
“Death Knight….”
S-grade monster Death Knight. The boss of the dungeon classified as the highest-grade, <Room of Approaching Death>. Jeong Seon-young clapped her hands when I mumbled the name.
“Right, Death Knight. You know everything, huh?”
“That was the dungeon Holder Song Do-hyuk tackled. I saw him when he was a rising knight.”
Song Do-hyuk, the heir to the Song Clan, one of the two renowned swordsmanship clans in Korea. One of the top three large clans domestically, along with <Judgment of Fire> and <Royal>, and the clan master of <Dragon Flame Sword>. S-grade Holder Song Do-hyuk. Information about him, who rose to the top with his swordsmanship alone, was so well-known that I could learn about him through newspapers and articles, even without being A transmigrator.
“Anyway, I’m not interested in leather, so keep that in mind. I’m going for the gills.”
“Gills?”
“Yeah. That creature seems to be very skilled in water-based magic, so I’m thinking something interesting might come out from studying its gills. Plus, usable items can be bought at regular auctions anyway.”
The auction house that would be held in Daegu tomorrow. Not all the items appearing here were related to Swirl Leviathan. Regular auction items would appear first, and the byproducts of Swirl Leviathan would be included as additional items. That’s why even those who participated in the disaster monster hunt often didn’t obsess over these byproduct auctions.
That is why I wasn’t nervous about this auction where high-grade Holders participated. Besides S-grade magic stones, many good items would appear in the auction.
“Senior, do you often research byproducts?”
“Of course. All magic users are not just battle Holders, but also researchers. Better magic comes from long contemplation and research.”
I nodded in agreement. It made perfect sense.
“I’m interested in the magic stone.”
Taking a sip of coffee, I answered her earlier question.
Jeong Seon-young’s eyes widened at my response.
“Magic Stone? S-grade monster magic stones are likely to be as popular as leather. Do you have a lot of money?”
I smiled lightly in response to her question.
The market price for B-grade monster magic stones is 42 million won. For A-grade monster, it’s 300 million won. So, the S-grade monster magic stones would cost at least over 1 billion won. I’ve heard of prices ranging from 2 to 5 billion won.
For an ordinary Holder, it’s an unimaginable amount. But…
‘I’ve prepared bullets for this day.’
The academy’s underground dungeon, which regenerates every week. I’ve consistently tackled the dungeon and saved money over time.
The main hunting targets were B-grade lizards. Although hunting in a duo with Kim Chae-eun was slightly less efficient than a five-member party, we’ve hunted nearly 200 creatures.
Even if I divide the profits from magic stones by half, it would amount to 4.2 billion won for me. Adding the byproducts of monsters caught while advancing to a C-grade Holder and the dungeon profits from owning ‘Goblin Lair’, it’s quite substantial.
After subtracting investments for Choi Yoo-min and Choi Arin, my living expenses, essential costs, and other expenses… I would still have around 4 billion won left immediately. With this much, I wouldn’t lag behind other Holders in terms of purchasing power.
‘If I’m short on money, I can borrow some from her or Chae-eun.”
Kim Chae-eun also has a similar amount of money as me. We’ve hunted together in dungeons before.
Honestly, the sum is quite large to borrow…
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
When I stared at her, Kim Chae-eun asked with a mischievous smile.
I lightly shook my head and answered.
“Just in case.”
Because it’s you, Chae-eun. I’m sure we can figure something out.
