Level Up Machine

Chapter 103 Catching the Golden Fish (1)

He felt a soft sensation.

A sweet fragrance tickled his nose. Ara’s long black hair brushed against Yeong-sik’s cheek.

A thrilling shiver spread through his body from his lips.

A heavy silence settled in the room. As the kiss that had lasted for some time ended, her face moved away.

Yeong-sik looked at Ara with a surprised expression. Ara, who had kissed him, lowered her head with a face flushed bright red.

“This is…”

“Pl-please, don’t say anything right now!”

Ara shouted at him with a desperate expression. Her face, red as a beet, looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

“D-do you understand now?! That it doesn’t matter whether you’re human or not!”

“M…?”

“Do you understand or not?!”

Grabbing Yeong-sik by the collar, she shouted in an excited voice.

Steam seemed to be coming out of her red face as she glared at him.

Looking at her, Yeong-sik let out a small laugh.

“I understand.”

“R-really?! Hmph. As long as you understand, that’s fine.”

Ara, trying to appear confident, placed her hands on her hips. She turned her body with stiff movements.

“Th-then, I’ll be going now!”

Before Yeong-sik could say anything, Ara slammed the door and hurriedly ran out. Yeong-sik looked at the closed door with a perplexed expression.

“……This is troublesome.”

First Tiria, and now Ara had expressed their affections quite clearly.

It wasn’t that he was insensitive or clueless about people’s emotions. He had vaguely sensed the feelings of the two women for some time.

But..?

Yeong-sik’s eyes darkened deeply. He looked down at his right arm. He wasn’t sure if he should accept their feelings, given that he wasn’t human. He knew too little about himself to accept their feelings lightly.

“Not yet.”

Yeong-sik muttered in a bitter voice. He needed to know more. About himself, his past, and why he had such a body.

He couldn’t get involved with them without knowing anything. It felt wrong.

‘Well, now is not the time for that anyway.’

The current situation with the Salvator Guild was urgent.

Strengthening their power to be on par with the top three guilds within a year. Even focusing solely on that wasn’t enough.

‘I should meet with the Goldrun Guild first.’

With that thought, he lay back down on the bed.

Three days had passed since the incident with Ara.

Thanks to Park Si-a’s arrangement, Yeong-sik had been able to schedule a meeting with an executive from the Goldrun Guild.

“Well, I’m off.”

“If anything happens, contact us through the communication crystal.”

Yeong-sik and Han Seong, dressed in neat suits, stood at the door. Tiria, who had come to see them off, anxiously stomped her feet.

“Shouldn’t I go with you as well…? After all, I am the Guild Master…”

“No. If the Guild Master gets directly involved in such matters, it might appear undignified. Please leave this to us.”

Han Seong spoke in a calm voice.

With a disappointed look, Tiria nodded. Taking a step forward, she approached Yeong-sik, who was dressed in a suit.

“Your tie is crooked, Yeong-sik,” she said with a gentle smile, reaching out to straighten his tie. A subtle, rosy atmosphere began to form between them.

“Ugh… Ye-Yeong-sik, you might get thirsty on the way, so take this. I used magic to keep it cool.”

Ara, who had been watching, nudged Tiria slightly with her hip and handed Yeong-sik a water bottle. The water bottle, enchanted with ice magic, was so cold that ice floated on its surface.

“Hohoho. Ara, what are you doing?”

“And what is the Guild Master doing, clinging to Yeong-sik like that?”

A heated exchange of glares occurred between Tiria and Ara.

Yeong-sik swallowed with a troubled expression.

“Hah, hah, the fight over Yeong-sik is getting more interesting, isn’t it, Yu-na?”

Chaerin, who had been watching, asked excitedly, breathing heavily.

“…I don’t know? I don’t really get it,” Yu-na replied, looking away from Chaerin and glaring at Yeong-sik with a disapproving expression. Chaerin’s mouth opened wide in surprise.

“Hmm? You seem a bit upset, Yu-na. Why is that?”

“Sh-shut up, you brat!”

“Kyaaaah!”

Yu-na’s scream echoed through the guild house, causing a commotion.

“……Let’s go quickly, Yeong-sik.”

“……Yes.”

Leaving the chaos behind, Yeong-sik and Han Seong stepped outside the guild house. The sun shone down intensely.

Yeong-sik and Han Seong headed to their meeting place. It was a high-end restaurant, a rare sight near the northern border.

As they entered the restaurant, a young man who appeared to be a staff member guided them to a room.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Bae Han-seong from the Eclipson Guild.”

“I’m Yeong-sik.”

“Hahaha. It’s an honor to meet the illustrious new guild. I’m Han Jun-man, the deputy guild master of the Goldrun Guild.”

He had a plump, round physique, eyes barely visible behind his chubby cheeks, a neatly groomed mustache, and expensive jewelry hanging all over his body.

The word “nouveau riche” came to mind immediately.

As Yeong-sik shook hands with him, he scrutinized him with a sharp gaze. Han Jun-man, in turn, narrowed his eyes and looked Yeong-sik up and down. Their gazes locked in mid-air.

“I heard you are preparing for a business, is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Han Jun-man looked at Yeong-sik with an intrigued expression. Usually, he wouldn’t even consider business proposals from new and insignificant guilds, but this time was different.

‘A recommendation from the Leviathan Guild Master…’

The Leviathan Guild was a giant and a significant source of revenue that even the Goldrun Guild couldn’t ignore.

A recommendation from such a Guild Master meant that the items wouldn’t be ordinary.

“We would like to request the Goldrun Guild to handle the marketing and distribution of our products.”

“Hmm, the answer will depend on the type of products.”

“There are two main products we have in mind. I’m sure you will understand once you see them.”

Yeong-sik opened his inventory and took out a refrigerator and a microwave, each as tall as a person.

Han Jun-man’s eyes widened in shock upon seeing the items.

“Wa-wait a moment? Could these be…”

“Yes. They’re a refrigerator and a microwave.”

“Ha… Is this for real?”

Han Jun-man forgot his composure and jumped up from his seat, hurriedly inspecting the two items.

It was clear. The items before him were refrigerators and microwaves like the ones he used back on Earth before coming to the Elnore continent four years ago.

“How on earth…”

Han Jun-man looked at the two items in disbelief.

Attempts to introduce modern conveniences from Earth to this underdeveloped world had been made before.

But those attempts mostly ended in failure.

For example, consider trying to make a car.

There were hardly any individuals who knew all the specific components required to build a car. Even if someone did know, manufacturing modern items in the Elnore continent, which lacked petroleum-based materials like plastics, was impossible.

Yet, the refrigerator and microwave before him were perfect in form and function, comparable to those used on Earth.

‘This is…’

Han Jun-man’s eyes gleamed.

Gold. He envisioned a mountain of gold rising to the sky.

The thick smell of money tickled his nose.

‘If sold properly, this is a surefire hit!’

He calculated that successful distribution would place him on a veritable mountain of money.

Gulp.

He swallowed hard.

“Is mass production of these items possible?”

“Of course. If mass production were impossible, I wouldn’t have started this business.”

“What about the power source? I don’t see any electrical cords.”

“They run on rechargeable external batteries. They last about four months and need to be replaced periodically.”

“…We can expect continuous revenue as well.”

Han Jun-man’s eyes sparkled. With his keen business acumen, he immediately grasped how perfectly the “external battery” fit the current situation on the Elnore continent.

A heavy silence fell.

Han Jun-man rolled his eyes buried in his thick flesh. Rapid calculations were happening in his mind.

‘A new guild, huh…’

Han Jun-man narrowed his eyes and looked at Yeong-sik and Han Seong. A twisted smile formed on his lips.

“Hmm. Indeed, the business item is tremendous.”

“Then, can Goldrun handle the distribution?”

“Ah, let’s not be too hasty. I can’t make such an important decision on my own.”

He said this as he sat down in his chair.

Han Seong frowned slightly and spoke up.

“Then, when can we expect an answer?”

“Hahaha. I’ll have an answer within three days at the latest. Please wait patiently until then. Patience is the most important thing in business, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

Han Seong glared at Han Jun-man with an unhappy look.

He continued speaking while stroking the refrigerator and microwave with his hand.

“Could you perhaps send a few more items? We need evidence that mass production is feasible.”

“…Sending them won’t be difficult.”

“Haha! Good. By the way… what ratio are you thinking about?”

Han Jun-man asked in a subtly suggestive voice.

Yeong-sik and Han Seong’s eyes both gleamed. The profit ratio. This was one of the most crucial issues to be decided at this meeting.

Han Jun-man smiled lazily as he continued speaking.

“You do understand that, generally, the distributor takes a larger share when it comes to distribution, right?”

“But these items can only be manufactured by our guild. You can’t think of this as a typical situation.”

“Hmm… No matter how good the items are, they won’t sell without proper marketing and distribution.”

“No matter how good the marketing and distribution are, if the items aren’t good, they won’t sell either.”

A fierce exchange of words sparked between Han Seong and Han Jun-man.

“We propose a ratio of 80 to 20. Of course, we get 80.”

Han Seong started with a strong offer. Logically, it was an absurd figure. As Han Jun-man mentioned, when distributing such items, it was usual for the distributor to take a larger share than the producer.

“Hmm… is that what you’re thinking.”

Han Jun-man nodded and smiled broadly.

“I’ll need to discuss this with the Guild Master before giving an answer.”

Upon hearing Han Jun-man’s response, Yeong-sik’s eyes gleamed sharply. He observed Han Jun-man’s expression with tightly sealed lips.

“Now, aren’t we about to embark on a grand venture together? We can’t just frown at each other in such a delightful setting.”

Han Jun-man stood up and uncorked a bottle of wine. The luxurious aroma of the wine filled the room.

“Please, have a glass.”

Han Seong, with a suspicious look, accepted the drink. After pouring drinks for both men, Han Jun-man smiled slyly and raised a hand.

“In such a fine setting, shouldn’t we have some lively company?”

With a snap of his fingers, beautiful women in revealing dresses entered the room. There were six of them. The women, moving with practiced grace, sat down next to Han Jun-man, Yeong-sik, and Han Seong.

“Oh my, why do you look so stern, oppa? Don’t you like us?”

“Hehe. Relax, we’ll make you feel good.”

The women giggled as they clung to the men’s arms.

“So this was your plan.”

Han Seong’s face twisted in anger as he roughly pushed the women clinging to his arms away.

Using high-class prostitutes and alcohol to get people to sign contracts without realizing it. It was a cheap trick, exploiting a man’s base instincts.

‘So that’s why he didn’t say anything about the ratio.’

Han Seong sneered at Han Jun-man’s pathetic plan.

“Let’s go, Yeong-sik. It seems the Goldrun Guild has no intention of doing business with us.”

“Wh-where are you going, oppa?”

Han Seong stood up and spoke in a sharp voice to Yeong-sik.

Yeong-sik, who had been scanning the surroundings sharply, suddenly smiled foolishly and looked back at Han Seong.

“Han Seong, we’ve come all this way. Wouldn’t it be a shame to miss the chance to be entertained by such beautiful women?”

“Haha! Oh my? Beautiful women! Oppa, you’re so sweet!”

The prostitutes’ eyes sparkled as they clung to Yeong-sik, charmed by his seemingly naive words.

“Yeong-sik…?”

Han Seong looked at him with a puzzled expression, unable to understand his behavior.