And, growing fast requires not only insider knowledge but money to support the growth as well.
In particular, for casters like Choi Lee-kyung, wealth translated into skills. Equipment, accessories, summon ingredients, mana stonesâŠthere was really no end to greed when it comes to casters. Among them, the price for equipment was unusually high as the equipment a caster could wear was limited.
The state of Choi Lee-kyungâs fortune was obvious even without asking, so I opened my inventory to see if there was anything worth selling. At first, I had thought all of them would bring in loads of money, but, in reality, there werenât many items that could be cashed in immediately.
In particular, the most expensive items, my equipment, would create rumors immediately when sold. Perceptive eyes (especially rankers) will notice that Seo Dawon had once been known to wear those.
If that happens, rather than worrying about making sales, Choi Lee-kyung could be kidnapped. Plus, it would be better to transfer those to Choi Lee-kyung rather than selling them. The equipment restriction level, though, for these items are quite high.
âFor Lee-kyung-ie to wear theseâŠhe may be able to wear one earring by next year?â
I became gloomy at the fact that there was still such a gap in levels, even considering a fast level-up plan; I swallowed a sigh and moved on to the next inventory category.
âHow much will reagents go for?â
Most of the reagents I now owned second-hand were made by Kyungsik-ie for experimenting purposes. Most of them were âdopingâ type items that raised oneâs abilities above oneâs limits for a set period of time. Since the ingredients used to make the reagents were rare items such as [Kirinâs Bones] or [Asabiâs tears], the reagent itself was extraordinary. The problem was, most of these reagents contained [Choi Kyungsik]âs name in the manufacturer section.
âReagents made by Choi Kyungsik will definitely garner some aggro. We may have to explain how weâve sourced themâŠâ
Of course, not all of his reagents contained his name. But the, the issue there was⊠the names were all like this:
[Love Night that makes you â„hot when you apply it]
[Tired until the morning >_< Long Night]
[An unconventional event for a special day! âHalf Cat Modeâ transformation reagent (10 hours)]
[Sexual pleasure UP the moment itâs eaten! Sexy Candy]
[Monster mode ON! Upgrade your weapon (whirling)]Â 1
Even though I said I didnât need them, Choi Kyungsik giggled and pushed a whole set into my handsâŠWith the Alchemistâs skills, they would not have been haphazardly madeâand there was bound to be a demand for them. However, imagining Choi Lee-kyung with his wide-open round eyes asking âWhatâs a Cat mode?â⊠My hand naturally moved onto the next category. Money is good and all, but, at this point, there was no need to resort to something so easily misunderstood.
Then, something finally caught my eye: a [Barnasium]âa material that could upgrade a top-grade item to the next level. I had collected them long ago to upgrade my accessories, but the deceased have no need for equipment⊠I had no lingering attachment to these gems.
I searched through [Market Raid] with Choi Lee-kyungâs ID to find out the going market price.
He hesitated when he saw my actions, âI-I donât have any moneyâŠ..â
âYeah, it looks like you donât.â
Is he perhaps worried that Iâd mooch off of him? If Jung Garam saw this house, he would whine and make a fuss, saying how claustrophobic he felt⊠It was a bit laughable to see someone living in this sort of place worry that Iâll scam them.
Of course, I never voiced those thoughts. But, my silence must have conveyed a similar nuance; Choi Lee-kyung soon clamped his lips shut. I searched for the market price of the [Barnasiums].
[Mid-grade Barnasiums are selling for 180 million won.]
Fortunately, the item was still in use. Perhaps because the <Tower of Command> had only just opened for raid today and the new top items had yet to enter the marketplace, the Barnasiums had successfully defended their stable price. Still, regretfully, it was still worth half as much as it did when I was alive.
âAh, the market value dropped drasticallyâŠ.â It was harder to secure cash than I had expected.
However, when I started writing the sales post to sell the [Barnasiums], a notification popped up on the app, asking if Iâd like to check on Choi Lee-kyungâs posted sales. I had pressed confirmation, wondering if he had at least something worth selling. He didnât fail my expectations, though, and had uploaded a large number of funny things. [Orcâs crude fan]âŠwho would even buy that kind of thing?
âDoes anyone buy things like this?â I asked.
âNo, wait! What did you just do?â
âWhat?â
âBarnasium or whatever! Did you just post something for sale?â
âUhuh.â
âYouâdo you have it?â Choi Lee-kyung asked a strange question. I mean, Iâm not some swindler in a peaceful country. 2 Why would I sell something I donât have?
âI posted it because I have it.â After answering bluntly, I took the [Barnasium stone] out of my inventory with the intent to show it off. As soon as I put down the round, marble-shaped jewels, they rolled towards Choi Lee-kyung, scratching the wooden table along the way. Choi Lee-kyung grabbed them reflexively. Perhaps he was surprised; his fingers were trembling.
âHis expression is really honest.â
He was quite fast at mental calculations; he seemed to realize that he was holding more than 10 billion won in his hands. A minute after holding the [Barnasiums], the [Market Raid] app began to explode with transaction alerts.
âHey, tell me your account number,â I said.
Looking like a stiff breeze would knock him unconscious, Choi Lee-kyung called out his bank number. And, less than half a day later, all the [Barnasiums] were sold and cashed in.
Looking at Choi Lee-kyung, who looked astonished at the flood of deposit notifications from his cell phone, I was reminded of a secret account I had saved for one purpose or another in the past. Wouldnât it be tempting to broach the secret fundâthe necromancer was more sensitive to money than I had imagined. Later when Jung Garam was called in later, we will need continued cooperation; perhaps this would be the perfect carrot to dangle in front of him.
âMoney that I can âswallowââŠ.T-then, do you mean to give me all of it?â
âIâm dead anyway; souls have no need of material goods. The same goes for the rest of my rascals at the guild.â
âButâŠ.â
âDonât you think you should be paid for your part in the revenge?â
Choi Lee-kyungâs eyes grew wider as soon as I brought up the secret funds; he was eventually convinced by my promise to revise the contract clauses. Humans were passive unless they were directly connected to the cause; Choi Lee-kyung involvement in this revenge was forced. No matter the cost, it was worth it to kindle the Necromancerâs enthusiasm.
âI donât need it anyway.â
Of course, if the scenario succeeds and Iâm resurrected, Iâll need money again. If Iâm truly able to return to how I was before, though, money will not be a large issue. That much I could earn again.
* * *
As soon as evening fell, Choi Lee-kyung released a deep yawn, almost as if he were sleeping while standing. Since we sold the [Barnasiums] as soon as we exited the dungeon, I realized that his energy was all used up, butâŠ
âItâs not even 10 pm nowâŠâ
Do those of his level usually have such lagging stamina? Or, is Choi Lee-kyung particularly weak? Ignorant of my misgivings, the Necromancers went to the bathroom to wash up and said he needed to sleep. I realized that there was another special characteristic to being a servant after Choi Lee-kyung entered the bathroom.
[UghâŠâŠ Iâm super tiredâŠâŠ]
Choi Lee-kyungâs voiceâdespite the fact that he entered another room to wash himselfâcould suddenly be heard very clearly. I jumped up, shocked, while laying on his bed. However, the bathroom door was firmly closed, and Choi Lee-kyungâs presence could be clearly felt beyond the closed door.
âWhat is it nowâŠ.â
What is this perverted skill?
It was absurd and strangely unpleasant. I had looked for a way to adjust the volume of the skill, but there was nothing.
I had a skill to temporarily block all of my senses. When I used it, though, it felt even more strange; while other senses were blocked, I could only hear Choi Lee-kyungâs voice. Every echo in the bathroom clung to my ears, and I felt like I was showering with him.
[HaahâŠ.HaaaaahâŠ.]
Of course, Choi Lee-kyung had no idea. He could release such audible, long sighs because he had no idea. I used the [meditation] skill I often used when my mind felt like it was in a disarray when I touched my ears in a habitual nervous tic. Then, the goosebumps crawling up and down my spine began to calm down. When my frustration with the skillâs effect began to clear, I could analyze this situation.
âThe larger the distance, am I more focused on Choi Lee-kyungâs voice? Since thereâs no volume control, it must be an inherent characteristic of servantsâŠâ
However, does it have to be like this? I thought whether or not to tell Choi Lee-kyung about this characteristic or to keep my mouth shut, but, soon afterwards, Choi Lee-kyung let out a strange [NnnghâŠ.] sound. All my thoughts flew away in the wind.
âNo way, in the bathroomâŠ?â
Several imagined scenes crossed my mind, but fortunately Choi Lee-kyung did not commit a faux pas. However, perhaps he enjoyed his time, he took a long time to shower. The effect of the special characteristic was cut off only when the Necromancer left the bathroom and we locked gazes.