After executing the electronic servant.
Rajiks began sweeping and cleaning the spacious house as if he were a fish back in water.
With the determination to allow not a single speck of dust.
The top-floor penthouse of the apartment even had a small garden that used the rooftop.
Before long, he went out to the garden as well, snipping branches cleanly with the gardening shears he'd taken from his backpack and tidying everything up neatly.
Watching the scene with satisfaction was Gyeon Dallae.
"His status has risen, so he must be that happy."
"…Pardon? Status rising?"
"He's become a servant of a great noble house now. Among all servants, isn't that the ultimate dream? This girl is pleased as well."
Ah, that status.
Well, compared to an officetel, a penthouse really was a great noble house.
He himself, in the past, had desperately wanted to become a servant of a major corporation—
no, a great noble house.
"I thought you meant my rank went up. From R to SR."
"You cannot judge a servant by such trivial ranks. Just look at that SSR Kosak and Gobang, won't you?"
Turning his eyes—
Gobang was in the kitchen.
Apparently fascinated by the faucet that produced water automatically when you put your hand near it, he kept putting his hand in and pulling it out.
Kosak was sprawled diagonally across a wide, high-end sofa, propping his arm up.
With the remote, he was flipping through TV channels from 0 to 999 at lightning speed, yawning loudly.
Then he made eye contact with Juhyeok.
"No team dinner today?"
"Oh dear…, tsk tsk tsk. Look, Young Master. Of what use is SSR, really? He doesn't even know the proper duty of a servant."
Kosak seemed to have adapted to the new house quickly.
"Of course we should have a team dinner."
"Hehehehe, as expected of Summoner Bong. Should we order delivery?"
"Hey, can we really order delivery on a day like this? We should go with room service."
He already had it all planned out.
The concierge service unique to luxury apartments.
The basic maintenance fee alone was three million won.
Places like this had their own in-house dining system and even provided breakfast service in the mornings.
Naturally, room service was available too.
"From now on, team dinners are room service only."
"Yahoo! Summoner Bong is the best!"
Juhyeok opened the service guidebook placed on the living room table.
When he looked at the room service menu—
He was left speechless.
No wonder.
What kind of menu is this…
The prices were outrageous.
An organic vegetable salad: 30,000 won per plate.
Pasta: 60,000 won per plate.
Tenderloin steak: 150,000 won per plate.
Even a single boiled egg cost 15,000 won.
What, did a phoenix lay these eggs?
Gobang alone would eat 300 eggs.
And he could easily polish off 100 plates of steak.
"Why's that?"
"N-no particular menu really catches my eye. And the food doesn't even look that good."
Snap!
Juhyeok closed the service guidebook.
"Oh, oh, then we shouldn't order it. Food is very important. There's even a saying that the Black Tower, too, is best tackled after a meal."
"This time, Kosak is correct. A servant works best when he eats well."
"I'll eat anything. Cheap and filling."
Juhyeok nodded.
"Let's order delivery. It'll taste way better."
"Yes, sir!"
Anyway, this place has everything.
You could move in immediately.
The apartment price was roughly 15 billion won.
Including acquisition tax and one year of maintenance fees.
When he asked why it was so cheap,
He was told it wasn't the actual transaction price but the officially assessed value.
Since the official price was set by the state, they had no choice but to sell it at that price.
He knew it was all just excuses, but still—this much, he could let slide.
In any case, there was no need to drag things out.
Tomorrow, he'd immediately vacate the officetel.
At the same time, he'd diligently skin the basilisk as well.
He didn't know how much the leather would sell for, but he needed to secure inventory so he could hand it over immediately when it was needed.
And starting the day after the move.
Juhyeok and the summoned beings proceeded with repeated clears of the 45th floor.
HG Fashion's Goyeon Ha visited the Awakened Management Administration.
It had been three days since she received the proposal to supply basilisk leather.
"Excuse me. Deputy Director."
"Welcome, CEO Goyeon Ha."
They exchanged greetings, and—
"So, have you reached a conclusion regarding the value assessment of the leather?"
For evaluation, Yeonha had taken leather samples and even photographs of the basilisk three days earlier.
But—
"I'll be honest with you. We haven't found an answer either."
"Hm, I suppose valuing it is difficult."
"However, we do have a proposal to make, and it requires some prior explanation…"
"Yes, go ahead."
What kind of proposal could it be?
"For example, when it comes to crocodile leather, it usually takes about three hides to produce a single high-end bag."
"Just for one bag?"
"That's right. When processing crocodile leather, all the parts that can't be used as products are cut away. There are differences in quality, and above all, patterns and textures are crucial."
"Ah! I see what you mean."
"Of course, a basilisk is several times larger than a crocodile, and its entire body is alive with patterns and textures, so there won't be nearly as much waste."
Naturally.
How could a crocodile even be compared to a basilisk?
"We plan to create products in three lines using this leather."
"Three lines…?"
"A mid-to-low-priced line that's easy for people to access, a high-quality line that requires serious resolve to open one's wallet, and a high-end luxury line that not just anyone can afford."
"So the leather quality will differ for each."
"Yes. The high-end luxury line will incorporate rainbow basilisk leather."
Goyeon Ha lifted the teacup in front of her, wet her throat, and continued speaking.
"So here's what we came up with. Instead of us paying money to buy the raw materials, how about we split the final product's sales profits at a reasonable ratio?"
"Ah!"
That was a good idea.
After all, they were in a situation where it was difficult to assess the leather's value in the first place.
Splitting the final profits might actually be the simplest and most rational solution.
Goyeon Ha briefed Jeon Gwang-il on her proposal.
Accept what should be accepted, revise what needed fixing.
And then they reached a conclusion.
First, establish a new corporation and a new brand.
The brand name: Wildflower & Basilisk.
From the total revenue of Wildflower & Basilisk products, deduct everything—
the cost of processing the leather, the cost of manufacturing products from it, labor costs, distribution costs, facility costs, marketing expenses… all of it.
Then the production cost settlement would be audited by the Administration.
What remained would be the net profit after taxes.
"How about the Administration taking 80% of the final net profit?"
Eighty percent—HG Fashion would take 20%…
"Let's make it 95%. It's profit sharing, not revenue sharing."
"Five percent is a bit—"
"You'll be selling other things too. And the brand value of 'Wildflower' will rise as well."
"We still need something left over to invest in facilities—"
Jeon Gwang-il casually tossed out a word.
"Wildflower & Wy."
"…Pardon?"
What was he talking about?
Wildflower & Wy?
"What do you think the 'Wy' stands for?"
"Ah!"
"It might not be Wildflower & Wy, but Ilseong & Wy, or Daehyeon & Wy instead…"
That was insane.
"Y-you mean wyvern leather is possible too?"
"It's absolutely possible. When wyvern leather comes in later, we can renegotiate the profit-sharing ratio of Wildflower & Basilisk."
Goyeon Ha replied instantly.
"Yes. We'll take 5%."
If you hesitated over something like this, you'd be a fool.
Besides, Ilseong & Wy, Daehyeon & Wy—
Just imagining it was horrifying.
Jeon Gwang-il was satisfied as well.
If the net profit was one million won, the Administration—no, Player Bong—would receive 950,000 won as the leather price, and HG Fashion would take 50,000 won.
HG Fashion wouldn't have major complaints either.
It was profit sharing, after all.
They'd develop items and sell them together.
For example, bundling clothes that matched a basilisk leather bag.
They'd do their best to maximize profits.
And on top of that, he'd thrown them the bait called Wildflower & Wy.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"There is one thing."
"Please, go ahead."
"We processed the sample leather you gave us through chemical treatment. It took some time, but as a material for products, it was more than sufficient."
"That's good news."
"But cutting and crafting it is extremely difficult. Even an A4-sized piece doesn't cut well with ordinary tools. So we need tools mixed with Tower metal. A lot of them."
Tower metal.
Just as rare as the leather itself.
Possibly even rarer.
Players occasionally obtained it in ingot form as Tower rewards, but honestly, even that wasn't enough to make weapons.
"Understood. I'll inquire at a workshop. And we'll draft the contract after receiving final approval from the Director."
"Yes."
Now all that was left was to make products and sell them.
The only downside was that money wouldn't come in right away.
Permission was required.
He told Goyeon Ha it was the Director's approval, but in truth, it was someone else's.
For four days straight, they cleared only the 45th floor.
Two Tower entries per day.
It sounded exhausting and time-consuming, but it really wasn't.
First of all, there was no need to worry about an S++ clear.
They'd already done that; this was just repeated farming.
The amount of leather they could take in one run was six regular hides and one boss hide—seven total.
Twice a day made fourteen.
Every two days, Assistant Manager Lee Min-ah would come and collect twenty-eight hides into her inventory, and that was it. Not hard at all.
If there was one truly difficult part in the process, it was meeting Assistant Manager Lee Min-ah. She talked so much it nearly killed him trying to respond.
Anyway, after finishing a run and resting at home, Juhyeok received a call from Jeon Gwang-il.
It was about the leather supply contract.
"Huh? I get 95%? Did they call me a thief or anything?"
—They accepted it gladly on their end.
Was the HG Fashion CEO a pushover?
"Well, I have no complaints. I'm actually grateful. All I have to do is supply the leather."
Sell leather products and split the profits.
Ninety-five percent of the net profit.
It was money earned while practically lounging around.
—Understood. Then we'll proceed with drafting the contract with HG Fashion. Just so you know, Player Bong Juhyeok's name won't appear. Officially, it's a contract between the Administration and HG Fashion.
"That sounds perfect. And don't forget—each time you collect the leather, take one hide as the Administration's share."
—Thank you very much. Ah! There's something else I need to mention… We'd like you to stop collecting leather for the time being.
"What?"
Stop skinning leather?
"Why?"
—Let me explain. First…
Jeon Gwang-il gave two reasons for asking them to stop leather collection.
First.
The leather processing facilities were not yet fully equipped.
As a result, they couldn't handle any of the incoming volume at all.
Second.
Scarcity.
If too much leather piled up, its value would inevitably drop.
It was better to supply it as if it were always just slightly insufficient.
Juhyeok agreed.
There was no point in continuing to collect leather when it couldn't be processed or converted to cash—doing so would only lower its value.
After gathering the summoned beings and relaying the contents of the call with Jeon Gwang-il—
"I knew this would happen. Thanks to that, only our Rajiks laborer suffered. How frustrating Young Master must feel—this girl can only sympathize."
As she spoke, Gyeon Dallae shot a glare at Kosak.
"You want money pouring straight into the account? I want that desperately too. But the money's tied up now. There's no telling when it'll be liquidated."
"Hooeeng!"
"How do you plan to take responsibility? All that effort went to waste. We should've just mined magic stones and sold them."
"Hooeeng?"
"You were so confident during the briefing, yet you don't even know how production, distribution, and sales actually work."
"Hooeeeng!"
Kosak's face turned beet red.
He kept glancing at Juhyeok, silently begging for help.
After all, he was the one who'd approved the briefing.
To be fair, he hadn't done anything terribly wrong.
It just means the money will come in late.
If you wait, it'll come eventually.
It's just that Gyeon Dallae—who was always on the lookout for Kosak's mistakes—saw her chance and went for his throat.
Still, seeing the desperate look in Kosak's eyes as he was clearly cornered,
how could you ignore that?
"All right, all right, it's over, so let's drop it. While we're at it, how about we make a run up to the 50th floor? Starting tomorrow, let's begin the 46th-floor conquest."
"Y-Yes, sir. I agree, sir."
Kosak replied as if he had been waiting for it.
"Don't worry, sir. I, Ssusal, Lord Summoner Bong's right-hand man, his loyal retainer Kosak, will finish it cleanly at S++ rank."
"Sounds good. That's reassuring. Tomorrow, we start the 46th-floor conquest. However! The 50th floor we'll do only after the random summon cooldown resets."
As if something had just occurred to him, Kosak raised his hand and asked,
"Uh… um, sh-should we do a briefing?"
"No. Don't."
"Yessir!"
Gyeon Dallae and Gobang also voiced their agreement.
"Truly, Young Master, your wisdom is unmatched. This humble girl also agrees."
"The warrior agrees as well. If you give the order, I'll do it no questions asked."
Then—
"Hoeng?"
Rajiks shot his hand up as well.
"Yes, Rajiks the laborer. Go ahead."
"Peel scorpion exoskeleton?"
Well… what should we do?
Exoskeletons need processing anyway.
Still, we could take a few as samples.
"Just peel one or two. We don't need many."
"Ho-e, yesss."
And so, the ascent into the unconquered upper floors was decided on the spot.
[Entering the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea, 46th Floor.]
Floors 46 through 50 were the giant scorpion zone.
In other words, the Scorpion floors.
Each floor featured scorpions with different attributes.
The environment, however, was exactly the same.
Bald mountains without a single blade of grass here and there, flatlands that were nothing but desert, and massive, house-sized rocks scattered throughout.
What kind of scorpions would appear?
Poison was a default feature, and depending on the type of poison, their attribute was determined.
Neurotoxin, hemorrhagic toxin, hallucinogenic toxin, acidic toxin—
and a King that possessed all of them.
This was the section where healing potions were consumed the most.
How many potions you had stockpiled would determine success or failure.
[46th Floor Mission: Defeat 15 Paralyzing Scorpions.]
[Time Limit: 13 hours.]
[Failure Conditions: Death or Mission Abandonment.]
Their tails were poisonous.
Their pincers were poisonous too.
They even spat poison-mixed saliva from their mouths.
"These scorpion bastards spit poison. If you get hit, you get paralyzed. Once paralyzed, you can't move your body. Sooo—"
"So I stay out of it?"
"As expected, sir, you're sharp. Lord Summoner Bong is a genius, sir."
"I can't really do that, though. And what about Gobang and Kosak? Paralysis affects them too, doesn't it?"
"Paralyzing poison doesn't work on Gobang. Just look at that thick, brutish hide. And as for me, I'm an expert on poisons. Even if I get hit, I can expel it easily."
Gyeon Dallae nodded.
Rajiks nodded too… and then toppled over.
A tragic Rajiks, saddened by his lack of a neck.
"…"
Let's see about that.
Whether I move or not.
Conquest begins.
Ttakkagaga—kkrddddd—
A massive blue paralyzing scorpion appeared, raising its pincers and tail.
Gobang truly didn't flinch at poison.
Even after being drenched head to toe in the scorpion's spat venom, he wasn't paralyzed—in fact, he moved even faster.
Gobang tore off the scorpion's pincer and used it to smash its head in.
Baaang!
Kosak stayed cleverly hidden on Gobang, avoiding poison, and whenever an opening appeared, he landed the finishing blow.
Gyeon Dallae's buffs were as solid as ever.
But then—
"Huh?"
Rajiks was gone again.
What if he got splashed with poison like this—
Right at that moment!
I turned my gaze.
There was Rajiks, already wielding a pickaxe in front of a huge rock, swinging his short arms as he diligently chipped away at it.
Then he picked up a lump about twice the size of an adult's fist from between the rocks and stuffed it into his backpack.
I had a pretty good idea what it was.
"Ore?"
The scorpion zone.
Besides exoskeletons, there were other things to gather here too.