Chapter 182

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 182: Heavenly City

The two-hour conference came to an end.

The necromancers from each country, with satisfied faces, went through interviews.

“Haha, I gained a lot of know-how. If Guild Master Kim Minwoo’s schedule allows, I would like to have another gathering like this.”

Liang Xiaojun replied with a bright smile.

Mikhail, who was fuming when he entered, also left a short reply saying it was a good time.

‘With this, the first step has been taken…’

The seeds sown to high-ranking necromancers around the world. It’s weak now, but the results will be very sweet over time.

‘It’s time to take the next step.’

He checked the item he got a few months ago.

[Heavenly City Travel Pass]

[TL/N: Celestial → Heavenly]

[Rank: Special]

[A pass given to those who pass the Initiate trial. Allows travel to the Heavenly City to take additional trials. Can be activated once every six months.]

[Effect 1. Allows travel to the Heavenly City upon use.]

[Effect 2. Each travel allows for one month of activity time.]

An item obtained from the examination site where he moved with Seo Ye-rim.

The reason he hasn’t used it yet is simple.

‘Because I wasn’t level 300.’

After the Initiate-level, there is an Apprentice-level trial. The level at which you can challenge the tApprentice-level trial was 300.

So he kept it.

‘This isn’t the only thing I’m keeping.’

The Ascension Ritual was also like that.

[* Ritual 1,321 is already in progress!]

[* You can apply when recruiting participants for the 1,322nd session!]

Perhaps there was a long gap between each ritual.

“It’s June now…”

If he goes to Heavenly City and comes back, it will be July.

‘The timing is perfect.’

If it were July, he wouldn’t have been able to move to Heavenly City.

This is because there was one reservation in August.

[Masquerade Ball Invitation]

[Rank: Special]

[An invitation to attend the banquet of the Demon Lords. A special event may occur upon entry.]

[Banquet Date: August 1st]

An invitation from .

Since the banquet date is August 1st, it will be activated then. If he looks at the major schedules, after moving to Heavenly City, he will take the apprentice-level trial and then be invited to the masquerade.

There will probably be additional schedules in between.

‘The witch might come too.’

Didn’t the grand witch Ananke promise? She said she would send a witch to the place where the Abyss Lord is.

But it seems it would take some time.

‘Anyway.’

He has to go to Heavenly City, but before that, there was one last thing to take care of.

“I have to sell the runes before I go.”

Wouldn’t it be reassuring to leave the money copier running while he would be gone for a month? In fact, it was a situation where he had to earn money.

Runes and tattoos.

He had used a significant portion of the money he had saved so far, engraving two things.

“Well then, shall we go do some business?”

***

Ilsung Group Chairman’s Office.

A knock echoed through the room.

“Father, it’s me.”

Kim Minwoo, who entered soon after, looked at Chairman Kim.

“Did the conference end well? It must have been a gathering of arrogant people.”

“Fortunately, everyone was decent. I plan to interact with them frequently in the future.”

“That’s good. So, what’s the matter?”

“Are the equipment selling well? I heard you’ve expanded overseas.”

“Of course. We can’t keep up with the demand. It’s all thanks to the equipment you supplied. Thanks to that, things are going well in Southeast Asia too.”

Chairman Kim said with a proud smile. He had completely turned the tables with the plus equipment.

In the first place, there was an overflowing demand for plus items.

Since they were being sold at half the auction price and even used as bait, there was no way other companies could survive. Ilsung’s share of the Korean equipment market was close to 80%.

This was practically a monopoly.

The subsequent moves were aggressive.

They hired all the craftsmen who lost their jobs from other companies and expanded overseas without hesitation.

Objectively, the skills of Korean craftsmen were not top-notch.

But there was no big problem at the Southeast Asian level. Here, too, they aggressively marketed plus items at the forefront, and the results were good.

“That’s great. You don’t have to worry about the quantity. My mana capacity has increased a lot.”

“I thought so, seeing the amount you’ve been supplying.”

“Speaking of which, would you like to take a look at this?”

“Huh? What’s this pebble…”

A small pebble-like object was placed on the table. The chairman, who was looking at it closely, opened his eyes wide.

“A rune?”

“I got it from the Hidden Gate.”

The more he explained about the rune, the brighter Chairman Kim’s eyes became. As the chairman of Korea’s No. 1 company, he couldn’t miss the smell of money.

Chairman Kim, who had been asking various questions, said.

“What about the supply?”

“I can make it overflow if I want to. Let’s spread it out in the stores. I’ll only take the profit on this, excluding the material costs.”

“Always grateful.”

“I’m making money too. Well then, I’ll get back to work.”

***

Clang!

Clang!

Sparks flew.

The sight of over a thousand skeletons lined up in rows and columns, crafting items, was always a spectacle. And to think this was happening underground!

Choi Yuna stared blankly at the scene.

‘So that’s why the supply of plus items never stopped.’

She had learned Kim Minwoo’s secret after moving into the basement.

There was a reason for the enormous smithing and alchemy facilities.

—What are you doing, Yuna?

“Huh? Oh, nothing. Sorry.”

Choi Yuna shook her head at Iris’s question and put the ingredients into the giant cauldron. Iris slowly stirred the inside with a mana rod.

‘She said she was a witch…’

Iris the Witch.

Kim Minwoo had assigned her as an assistant to Choi Yuna after returning from the Hidden Gate.

Choi Yuna’s eyes used to feel like they were going to pop out every time she had to mass-produce, but after Iris came, the burden was significantly reduced.

That’s how talented Iris was.

She wasn’t an alchemist, but her alchemy skills were excellent.

At that moment, Kim Minwoo, who was commanding the skeletons, approached and asked.

“Is the work manageable? I heard you’ve been busy lately.”

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

“Don’t even get me started. There are so many reservations, if it weren’t for Iris, I would have collapsed by now. From overwork.”

“What can you do? Everyone covets highest-rank potions.”

“I didn’t know there were so many rich people in Korea.”

“So you hate it?”

“No. Actually, I like it. I can’t even remember the last time I leveled up this fast.”

Choi Yuna said with a bashful smile.

The highest-rank potion cost a staggering 8 billion won to produce.

Expensive.

It was undeniably expensive, but demand was through the roof.

It was a highly sought-after item, especially among Korea’s top Awakened individuals.

After securing the rights to sell the potion within Korea through negotiations with the US, inquiries flooded in. People were eager to know if they were indeed selling the potion and when it would be available.

The Korean government also took an interest and began subsidizing the highest-rank potion.

In exchange, they requested a slight reduction in the official domestic price, which was initially set at 10 billion won. This request was readily accepted.

Currently, they were selling for 8.5 billion won each.

The additional 500 million won was added as a minimum profit margin to cover the risk of production failure.

On the other hand, the price paid by the Awakened was about 6 billion won per potion.

Thanks to a government subsidy of 2.5 billion won per potion, the Awakened could purchase them for approximately 6 billion won.

This subsidy fueled the overwhelming demand for the potion, and Choi Yuna found herself in the midst of a windfall.

Crafting classes gained experience with every item they created, and producing something as valuable as a highest-rank potion offered immense experience gains. It was likely that Choi Yuna was rapidly leveling up at this very moment.

This situation was also advantageous for Kim Minwoo.

While direct profits from potion sales were minimal, the low selling price brought about significant indirect benefits, including close cooperation with the government and a boost in reputation.

“It’s good to see you working hard. Keep it up, and good things will continue to come your way.”

“Really?”

“Of course. As I mentioned before, my recipe support won’t end here. I’m planning to visit another gate soon, and I have a feeling it will yield positive results.”

“No way, another Hidden Gate?”

“Something like that.”

The Heavenly City could be considered on par with a Hidden Gate, as it was a place that ordinary Awakened individuals couldn’t even dream of finding.

Kim Minwoo planned to search for more recipes during his visit.

If he could find the production methods, teaching them to Choi Yuna would be a simple task.

“Hehe… Good luck!”

Choi Yuna’s eyes sparkled with excitement, as if she were looking at a breadwinner returning home. Kim Minwoo then turned his gaze to Iris.

Hmmph!

Iris stood at attention like a nervous new recruit.

“Is the work manageable?”

—Yes, it’s fun.

“That’s good.”

He returned to his room.

Over the past week, he had produced and delivered a large quantity of weapons, runes, potions, and more. There wouldn’t be a shortage of goods while he was gone.

‘It’s time to go.’

He took out the Heavenly City Travel Pass. The moment he decided to use it…

[Heavenly City Travel Pass activated!]

[Moving to Heavenly City, District 9!]

[Assigning your residence!]

Flash!

A white light enveloped his body.

As if his soul was ascending, he felt something being sucked in, and the scenery in front of him changed.

‘Huh?’

In an instant, Minwoo found himself in a room smaller than a studio apartment.

Dingy wooden walls.

The floor was covered in straw, pressed down as if someone had been lying there.

‘Is it about 45 square feet?’

The only thing inside was straw.

In short, it was a very shabby space.

‘Is this my residence?’

Well, I guess.

He was a chaebol on Earth, but here in Heavenly City, he had no right to complain even if he was treated like a pauper.

He opened the wooden door.

Creak.

The moment the door opened with the sound of old hinges.

“Huh? A human?”

A one-eyed human tilted his head and looked at Minwoo.

A single eye blinked in the center above his nose.

Literally, he had one eye.

He spoke a language Minwoo had never heard before, but the meaning was clearly understood as if it was imprinted in his mind.

‘By the way, his equipment…’

He saw black armor that looked like it was made of woven spider webs. A curved sword was worn on his right hip, and a small shield was held in his left hand. In short, he was just a monster equipped with gear.

Kim Minwoo, looking at the one-eyed human, nodded and said.

“Yes, I’m human. What are you? Human? Monster?”

“Haha, don’t glare at me like that. Even if it’s a slum, this is still inside the city. If you fight, you’ll get caught. And for the record, I’m human.”

“But you have one eye?”

“If I had one leg, would I not be human?”

“…Well, that’s fine. This is my first time here, so I don’t know much.”

“If you’re curious, go find a guide for this city.”

“Where is it?”

“Do you think I’m your nanny? Figure it out yourself.”

Despite grumbling, his finger pointed forward quite kindly.

“Yes, thank you.”

Kim Minwoo started moving in that direction. He thought he should find a guide first.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]