Chapter 26

Chapter 23

<How about we just do it this way.>

“Huh?”

<Let’s set the prices like this. For the four basic attributes, 200,000 to 500,000 won per quiver.>

“Quiver?”

<Yeah. We sell them packed in quivers of 100 or 200 arrows. Let’s price them by the quiver.>

“That works too. Wouldn’t 500,000 won per quiver be enough?”

<Right. If you use them sparingly, one quiver should be enough to clear a dungeon.>

“Or we could run a test using your subordinates. I’ll prepare a quiver of 200, and have them form a party of about 5 people to do hunting using only bows.”

<That’s a good method.>

“And Storm, Fire, and Ice arrows will be Mid-Rank. 5 million won per quiver for Mid-Rank should be sufficient, right?”

<That’s a fitting price.>

“Yes. The four basic attributes are meant to be affordable enough that people can keep using them without burden. Besides, these are things I discovered through my experiments. If you mix the four attributes, you can create things like Fire or Storm. Of course, you need a certain level of Proficiency for that.”

<That’s possible?>

“Yes. Fire, Storm, and Ice are fundamentally created by mixing the four basic attributes.”

<I see.>

“There’s no need to reveal that for now.”

<We’ll do Mid-Rank like that, and the remaining ones like Explosion and Pierce will be High-Rank at 10 million won per quiver.>

“That’s right. Those have the power to clear a dungeon on their own.”

<Alright. We’ll do that, and since we’re calling them High-Rank, are there things like Top-Rank as well?>

“There are.”

<Oh?>

“Yes, but I can’t make them yet.”

<Why?>

“Because of Proficiency.”

<Ahh, I see. So that’s the Mechanism. What kind of things would be called Top-Rank?>

“They contain real Magic.”

<Real Magic, you say……>

“Yes. The kind of Magic that Mages use can be imbued into arrows or bullets.”

<Hoho, that’s insane. Circle doesn’t matter?>

“Right. But it’s only possible once my Proficiency is maxed out. For 7th to 8th Circle ones.”

<Understood. Let’s talk about that later. For now, we need to figure out how to lift the restrictions on bullets.>

“If we just wait a bit, they’ll probably contact us. We don’t need to worry about it—we just need to prepare to make and sell. The government will probably……”

<They’ll try to figure out who this Unknown guy is and do something about it.>

“Probably. But they won’t find him anyway.”

<Alright, understood. Contact me if any problems arise.>

“Yes.”

Just as he hung up, they arrived home. When the car stopped, Seungho looked at Jaeha and spoke.

“You’re really smart, you know.”

“Huh?”

“You accurately judge how the government will move, and how you need to move to get the biggest benefit for yourself, then act on it. I could never do that.”

“Hmph, everyone has their own talents. I happen to have combat sense and talent, plus a sharp mind.”

“If you’re smart and good at fighting, you’ve got everything.”

“But I used to have a bad body.”

“Ahh, true.”

“If I’d stayed like that, I would’ve died within a few years anyway. Whether I had good talents or not, I’d have died regardless. But was I pitiful enough for that? Or maybe……”

“Or maybe?”

“Or maybe some being suddenly had something happen and Awakened me.”

“Some being?”

“Yeah. Well, it’s just my delusion. But if a god exists, that god might have Awakened me. They say heroes are born in times of chaos. Maybe some god who knew chaos was coming was trying to make me into a Hero.”

“Heh, sounds like something out of a novel.”

“Well, I’m just talking.”

With that, Jaeha got out of the car.

“Whoa, it’s hot. Let’s hurry inside and turn on the AC.”

“Yeah.”

And so the two went into the house.

* * *

“What’s happening in Korea?”

“Well……”

“Yes.”

“It seems they’re also digging around everywhere over there trying to find this Unknown person.”

“And? Did they find anything?”

“No. However, they did confirm that there’s an organization hiding this Unknown person.”

“It’s not an organization we have ties with, is it?”

“No. If it were, they would have contacted us.”

“Hmm.”

“If we threaten this Na Jaeha, we could probably get some answers. What shall we do, Mr. President?”

At that, the President of the United States leaned back in his chair and spoke.

“You won’t get anywhere with that approach.”

“If the United States steps in, that man Na Jaeha will have no choice but to talk.”

At the words of the man in the suit and glasses, the President let out a loud laugh.

“Hahaha.”

“…….”

“Chief of Staff.”

Stopping his laughter, the President spoke.

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“The reason I put you in that seat is because I trust your mind. I also valued your ability to handle people. So let me ask you.”

“……Yes.”

“What kind of man do you think this Na Jaeha is?”

“…Hard to say. Just a man who’s what you’d call a genius.”

“A genius…. Yes. From what I can see, he seems to be a genius as well.”

“Yes.”

“Chief of Staff, have you ever seen a genius?”

“A genius…… you mean?”

“Yes. A genius.”

“……Well, I’ve met plenty of smart people.”

“No, I’m asking if you’ve ever seen a genius. Not a smart person.”

“……I’m not sure.”

“Haha, let me be blunt. Chief of Staff. You’ve never seen a genius.”

“…….”

“A genius, you see, is a word reserved for those who stand alone. Even in this country of America that I manage, there have been a few geniuses. It’s already been six years since I took this seat.”

“Yes.”

“In those six years, I’ve seen countless geniuses all over the world. Hunters, scientists, professors — the fields varied. But geniuses all share one distinguishing trait. True geniuses, that is…….”

“…….”

“They possess talent great enough to hold the world at arm’s length.”

“Yes…….”

“Haha. I have a habit of making things sound a bit complicated. Let me put it simply.”

“Yes.”

Only then did the Chief of Staff’s expression ease slightly.

“If we touch him…… he’ll probably push us aside.”

“……Pardon?”

“Because he’s a genius. He’ll have more than enough power to shove us away. We know nothing about him, after all. But he knows America’s strength — at least indirectly.”

“B-But surely, an individual can’t go against a nation……. And not just any nation, but America….”

“Geniuses, you see, always possess power that ordinary people can’t conceive of. Isn’t the most famous genius Einstein? He discovered formulas that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine. And in that era, no less. Even in this day and age, no genius has surpassed him. In my view, this man Na Jaeha is a genius with talent so overwhelming it rivals Einstein’s.”

“He’s…… on that level?”

“Haha, and on top of that, he’s a Hunter. In the past, Einstein was a scientist who contributed to the advancement of human civilization, but this man is a Hunter. If he misuses his power, it could be used to tear down the civilization humanity has built so far.”

“You’re saying the power he holds isn’t on a level we can predict?”

“Exactly. So it’s best not to think about pressuring him. The reason I spoke at such length is because I was worried that you might—— truly, might do something rash against him.”

“Don’t worry. I’d like to be someone who knows his place.”

“Haha, that’s all you need to do. Both you and I should be people who know our place.”

“Then I’ll set the matter of Na Jaeha aside for now.”

“No, no. That’s not right either.”

“Pardon?”

“We need to help him. If you try to kill a hero, you become a villain. But if you help a hero, don’t we become the hero’s allies?”

“Ah,”

At that, the Chief of Staff nodded.

“Approach him and find out what kind of help we can offer. Then help him.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare right away.”

“Yes.”

“Then.”

As the Chief of Staff disappeared, the President smiled.

“Well, it’s a good opportunity to confirm whether he’s a genius or not.”

* * *

“What?”

“The NIS got in touch.”

“Where?”

“An email came to the MuTube channel.”

“So what did they say?”

“They said they’d come meet us.”

“When?”

“Today.”

“Today?”

“Yeah. The email came three days ago, but I didn’t see it.”

“Is that so? Alright. What time are they coming?”

“3 PM.”

“Got it.”

As he said that, Jaeha checked the time. It was currently 10 AM. Making the various weapons would be done in no time anyway.

‘Even with the other items, I’ll be done by 11.’

He made as equal a number of each item as possible before listing them. If he dumped everything out at once, there might be people hoarding them, so that was the reason.

In any case, since the number of items he made per day wasn’t that large, he could finish them all within about an hour. After that, he spent the remaining time enchanting arrows.

“Once I’m done with the arrows, I might as well make some bullets in my spare time.”

Muttering that to himself, Jaeha stepped into the blacksmith shop.

“Hey.”

“You’re here?”

“Yeah. Did you get it done?”

“Of course.”

At that, Penny, who was wearing glasses and sitting at the desk, greeted Jaeha. Jaeha had asked Penny whether it was possible to make rifles or sniper rifles instead of handguns, and Penny had said yes.

So Jaeha ordered her to produce blueprints for the other guns.

“The handgun and rifle are done and put over there. The sniper rifle is almost finished.”

“Really? Good. Let’s make it right away.”

With that, Jaeha immediately checked the blueprints and began preparing to craft them as specified. Then he started converting the other weapons into Items first. In less than 30 minutes, he had turned the weapons into Items and sent them to Herb Gramps. Along with the sorted weapons, he also sent the elf corpses.

“Alright. So let’s make the guns now. Is the sniper rifle blueprint fully done?”

“Of course. Would you like to see it?”

“Let me see it.”

At that, Jaeha looked over the guns.

“What about the bullets?”

“I made these in 5.56mm caliber.”

“5.56mm?”

“Yes.”

“Hm. Alright. I’ll have to try making it.”

Saying that, Jaeha took the blueprint and began crafting the gun.