Chapter 66
A week later, at the store’s opening hour.
Bustling noise filled the air.
In front of the Dmir Workshop located in the prime district of Apgujeong, a huge crowd had gathered.
“Please, sell it to me!”
“I’ll buy it! I’ll pay an extra ten million won!”
“Excuse me! Mr. Dmir Workshop Owner! Couldn’t you restock a bit more?”
The moment the doors opened, people who had been waiting since early morning rushed in all at once.
After that—
they simply had to get in line, choose a weapon, and make their payment to the skeleton clerk.
“Haha, don’t rush, everyone! Take your time!”
“Will you be paying by card or cash? I’m afraid we don’t support installment payments.”
Dmir’s subordinates had completely adjusted to their work.
They now understood the concept of credit cards and even how installments worked.
The sight of skeletons swiping cards—that alone drew flocks of reporters wanting to capture the peculiar scene.
“What, only twenty items again today?”
“How are we supposed to buy anything at this rate?”
“I came right at opening and it’s already sold out? Shouldn’t a business at least have some stock?”
Hunters grumbled in frustration.
But the only ones they could complain to were the skeleton clerks.
“Hahaha. We only do what we’re told.”
“Why’re you getting mad at us?”
No matter how much they argued, it was obvious it wouldn’t make a difference.
“Hmm.”
Kim Jina and I were watching the scene from the rooftop.
“Still selling well, I see.”
Enjoying the sweet success of earning four hundred million won in under a minute,
I sipped my caramel macchiato.
When it came to sweetness, caramel was king.
At this rate, the hundred billion I borrowed would soon be repaid, and I’d be rich before long.
The best part?
No production cost.
The mineral pile still hadn’t run out, the employees were skeletons, and the production line—my own bones.
It was pure profit.
Kim Jina smiled beside me.
“See? That’s the power of marketing.”
She was right.
In truth, Dmir’s weapons only slightly surpassed the average B-rank gear.
Compared to the top-tier B-rank items from shops like White Boar’s or others, they were inferior in performance.
Of course, when it came to design, ours could stand toe to toe with any of them.
“Hehe, I knew this workshop would do well. I’ve got a real knack for these things. Oh, did you know?”
“What?”
“Dmir products are being resold on the black market for double or triple the price.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes! That’s why people are swarming here. Even if they don’t use the weapon themselves, they can resell it for profit. There’s even a new slang term now—Dr-tech.”
“Dr-tech…?”
“A combination of Dmir Workshop and finance tech. I bet it’ll soon reach luxury-brand status.”
“Wow.”
I clapped in admiration.
I’d expected it, but hearing it still felt incredible.
Watching my workshop rise to the ranks of world-class luxury brands—how could that not feel good?
“……”
Of course, Kim Jina didn’t yet know, that I could craft even S-rank weapons.
And that this level of profit wasn’t even close to satisfying me.
I looked down at the store again, where another round of chaos erupted as it closed barely an hour after opening.
“Anyone manage to buy something?”
“Anyone get a spear? I’ll pay extra!”
“I got a spear. How much will you offer?”
“You name it.”
“You first.”
Unbelievable.
An open-air black market right in front of the store.
Some might think I was losing out by not raising prices, but I had no intention of doing so.
After all, Dmir Workshop’s real profit wouldn’t come from those small-timers.
What we were selling now were just “standard products.”
Rather than charging a few people high prices, it was more profitable to sell affordably to many.
—
“Sigh.”
Another week passed.
Kim Jina looked exasperated.
“They’re seriously pulling stunts like this?”
The reason for her sour expression was clear.
As expected, ‘Oseong Workshop’ had started meddling.
However—
‘Shin Jongoh… that guy’s even more of a scumbag than I thought.’
I hadn’t expected him to go this far.
He’d quickly rented a nearby building and started selling better B-rank items at discount prices.
That was fine. The world ran on market logic.
Even if they sold cheap, they’d only bleed themselves dry.
Dmir Workshop remained as popular as ever.
Every item sold out the moment we opened.
Until, a few days later—
“This street’s ours now!”
“You wanna pass through? Pay the toll!”
“You think we’re bluffing? Yeah, we rented this whole street! Don’t like it? Leave!”
A group of hunters in suits began illegally occupying the area in front of the shop.
It was painfully obvious who had sent them.
Kim Jina was flustered.
For all her smarts, she had only ever dealt with legitimate business matters.
Thuggery like this was a first.
“Jerks. Dirty, underhanded jerks.”
Grit.
She ground her teeth on the rooftop, and I approached her calmly.
Compared to her, I was completely relaxed.
And staying calm in a situation like this was simple.
Just survive a couple of unranked dungeons.
After that, nonsense like this would look like child’s play.
“Jina, there’s no need to react.”
“What? But for the last two days… we’ve had to close without selling anything. This should go through the Association, but our opponent’s a major corporation.”
Capitalism was filthier than people thought.
Once they bribed the judges, they could twist the law however they wanted.
Or just assassinate the plaintiff and end the case altogether.
“There’s really no need.”
“How can you stay so calm?”
She tilted her head, and I smirked.
“Look down there. Who’s actually blocking the street? Not us. People aren’t stupid—they know those goons are from Oseong Workshop. Who do you think the public anger will turn toward?”
“Oh… so they’re digging their own grave.”
“Exactly. Besides…”
Slide.
I held up a freshly posted article.
[Breaking! Exclusive Report! Shadow Emperor, Ki Soyul, Reveals Her Weapon Details!]
[‘Dagger for Assassins’ (S-rank): A weapon with a 500% damage boost—who’s behind this masterpiece?]
[Ki Soyul: “Infinite gratitude to Dmir Workshop Owner for crafting my S-rank weapon.”]
[Talk of the town—Dmir Workshop, capable of producing S-rank weapons?]
Truth be told, I’d just found out myself.
Apparently, the Shadow Empress had gone public—and at the perfect time, too.
“This is…”
As she scrolled through the articles, Kim Jina’s pupils widened.
“W-Wait, S-rank weapons?!”
She was stunned.
S-rank weapons were priceless treasures.
And now she learned I could make them.
“To be honest,” I said, watching her dumbfounded face, “I don’t care in the slightest about selling standard products. What matters to me are VIP limited editions—S-rank weapons. That’s all I’ll focus on. The rest of my time goes to training.”
“Y-You’re serious? Why didn’t you say so earlier?!”
“If you’d told me, I would’ve emptied every bank to fund you! Forget a hundred billion—I’d have gotten you more!”
“I won’t need to borrow again. From now on, I’ll earn it myself.”
“Aah…”
“Soon, they’ll start coming.”
“R-Right…”
A domestic craftsman capable of making S-rank weapons?
That was front-page news—an international headline.
And sure enough—
“There it is!”
“Dmir Workshop!”
“Mr. Joo Donghoon! Please come out!”
“Is it true you recently got a B-rank evaluation? What’s your process for making S-rank weapons? When did you awaken as a production-type?”
Crowds of reporters and people swarmed the front of the store, pushing past the suited hunters.
“What the hell—who are these people?”
“Get out of here already!”
The hunters panicked, but they couldn’t stop the flood.
Nor did they have the right to.
‘Alright.’
I clapped my hands.
Time to stir things up a bit.
—
– Hello, reporters.
– I’m Joo Donghoon, owner of Dmir Workshop.
Using Dmir’s spell scroll—“Amplify” (A-rank)—my voice boomed across the crowd.
“Wow, it’s Joo Donghoon!”
“He’s younger than I expected!”
“I know that guy! The necromancer who went viral three years ago, right?”
The reporters murmured excitedly.
I looked down from the rooftop while cameras and smartphones pointed up at me.
– That’s right. I am a necromancer—though a rather unusual one. As some of you know, my skeletons work in production.
The crowd buzzed.
“So it’s true! Skeletons that forge weapons!”
“Insane! Necromancer crafting instead of fighting? That’s broken!”
“Wait, those skeletons made an S-rank weapon?”
“Fascinating!”
Hunters’ eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Then a loud-voiced reporter shouted, “Question!”
– Go ahead.
“For two days now, some individuals have been illegally blocking your store. Do you know who they are, and why?”
– I don’t. Nor am I interested. I only sell my goods here. Anything beyond that doesn’t concern me.
“I see. Thank you.”
I deliberately refrained from mentioning Shin Jongoh.
It was my way of saying he wasn’t even worth acknowledging.
My focus wasn’t on Oseong Workshop.
At most, maybe the Oseong Group.
Of course, that didn’t mean I’d let it slide.
He’d pay for crossing me.
That was my principle.
“Reporter from Daetong Daily! How often can you craft S-rank weapons? And since you gifted one to the Shadow Empress, do you plan to gift or sell the next?”
Oh?
Just the question I’d been waiting for.
– Our Dmir Workshop’s VIP weapons will be exclusive limited editions, custom-made. As for the crafting cycle—there isn’t one. Depending on circumstances, it could be once a month, or once a year.
The moment I mentioned S-rank weapons, the chattering died down.
Everyone was listening closely.
The reporter pressed on.
“When will the next S-rank weapon be made?”
– The dagger gifted to the Shadow Empress was No.1. No.2 will be crafted tomorrow.
“……!”
“No.2?”
“He can make another one immediately?”
“Then who’ll get it?”
– Bidding opens until tomorrow. Any ranker, merchant, or hunter interested should write their maximum bid and submit it to a skeleton clerk. No.2 will be made for the highest bidder.
This time, the theme was -a weapon for the wealthy.-
Of course, each series would have a different theme.
After all, Dmir’s pride lay in not being swayed by money alone.
“……!”
“Bidding competition…!”
My announcement spread instantly across news outlets and hunter forums—exploding in view counts, and going viral worldwide.