Chapter 6
[Virility Enhancement Germanium Jade Bracelet +2] (2)
Why save money when you have an Enhancement Skill?
Thatâs nonsense.
Money is always better in abundance, and havenât the elderly always said that you need to be frugal to become rich?
âI actually donât understand those hunters who buy sports cars and luxury goods just because they earn a lot.â
You canât let your guard down.
Isnât the hunter world called âthe last barbarism remaining in the 21st centuryâ?
There are countless people who earn well in their youth but blow it all on medical bills in their old age.
Thatâs why.
Kang Hoon haggled down the price of the germanium jade bracelets, and haggled some more.
He would cut it down to the absolute limit!
âHey, young man! Are you sure about this? What exactly are you planning to do with these jade bracelets?â
The street vendor was confused.
Wasnât he just an honest(?) professional(?) who did a bit of sales mediation on public transportation used by common people and took a small profit?
These germanium jade bracelets werenât selling as well as expected anyway, so he was considering switching to a new market.
In other words,
Next time he was planning to try selling things like fleece-lined stockings or magic socks.
This meant the germanium jade bracelets had no value.
âWhy is this young guy so ruthlessly frugal!â
A young man who haggled down to the exact point where only a razor-thin margin remained!
Only when the street vendor reached the point where he was about to lie down and say no moreâ
âThank you.â
He immediately pulled out the money from his wallet and paid.
What an incredible guy.
The street vendor thought.
ââŚThat guyâs going to be rich.â
There was no doubt about it.
In all his years of business, this was the first time heâd seen such a crazy bastard who tried to squeeze out every last penny with such clear eyes!
* * *
âPhew, today was quite profitable.â
Kang Hoon returned to his monthly rental room.
Though it was a small and old place, even this level of rent was incredibly expensive to live in the metropolitan area.
They say there was a time when you could buy a house in the Gyeonggi outskirts with savings.
âThatâs impossible these days.â
Housing prices keep rising.
Rent keeps going up too.
Ever since awakened individuals appeared and Gates emerged, rent has been continuously rising.
Even though South Korea is quite a safe country compared to others.
It seems anxiety affects housing prices.
As a result, Kang Hoon had made it a habit to haggle down every penny he could.
In the 21st century, to survive as an unsuccessful illustrator paying monthly rent, you had to do at least this much.
âNow, letâs see. Todayâs earnings!â
As soon as he got home, he poured the germanium jade bracelets from the black plastic bag onto his desk.
Clatter clatter clatter! Clink~ Clink! Clink~!
The sound of them falling and bumping into each other was quite satisfying.
These might look like real jade on the surface, but they were actually just polished to look decent.
âTheyâre really just cheap plastic.â
Kang Hoon rubbed his chin.
âMinimizing the cost ratio is the foundation of business, they say.â
Remembering a self-employed survival program heâd watched before, Kang Hoon smiled slightly.
Back then, he thought it was just someone elseâs world, but he never knew heâd be standing at the threshold of that world himself.
âWhat I need to do next isâŚâ
1. Use the Enhancement Skill to turn these knockoff products into real virility-enhancing magic jade bracelets.
2. Set up a marketplace where I can sell them.
âIt sounds simple when put like that. ButâŚâ
The details are complicated.
Specifically, number 2.
In the old days, he might have rented a street stall to set up shop, but Kang Hoon had absolutely no intention of doing that.
âWhen Seoul land prices are worth their weight in gold, why should I pour money into rent?â
This was Park Kang-hoon, a ruthless penny-pincher who had haggled down even the plastic jade bracelet prices with burning determination.
Take out loans for his first business venture just to fatten the wallets of landlords and interior contractors?
Absolutely not, even if dirt got in his eyes!
Youâd be in big trouble if you underestimated South Koreaâs business failure rate.
âThis is the internet age, isnât it?â
The site this ruthless Kang Hoon chose was âCorn Market.comâ.
Corn Market.com was a specialized trading site where only certified hunters could register as sellers.
âSince the sellers are hunters, the items being traded are quite extraordinary tooâŚâ
When playing RPG games, donât you often see things like [Goblin Ears 0/10] in the quest window?
Most players donât read a single line of story so they donât know why theyâre looking for those thingsâ
But if you diligently hunt goblins, ears will drop as items.
Youâd pick them up and take them to the shop owner.
In todayâs reality, the role of that shop is played by âCorn Market.comâ!
Freshly harvested troll fingertips.
Lower orc buttocks.
Tentacle monster slime.
They collect and sell all sorts of bizarre materials from dungeons.
Besides that, they also sell weapons and armor obtained directly from dungeons.
Sure enough, as soon as he accessed âCorn Market.comâ, a popup appeared.
âWow, this! The one that sold for 1 billion is featured here.â
Recently, a shield signed by a famous first-generation tank hunter sold for 1 billion.
To be exact, 1 billion 20 million and 100 won.
âCorn Market allows free auctions too.â
When that hunter retired, he put his beloved weapon up for auction.
The winning bid was 1 billion 20 million and⌠one hundred won.
He heard it was won by a difference of 100 won at the last moment.
Having gained explosive recognition from the public like this, âCorn Market.comâ.
Today.
All the notable crafting hunters from across the country gather here.
âUsually, this is where they sell items that boost huntersâ attack power or magic power, butâŚâ
Kang Hoon has absolutely no intention of doing that.
Heâs a cost-effectiveness man, after all!
In the first place, with his current skill level, he canât enhance magic items.
âMaybe things will change once I can level up laterâŚâ
Anyway, now is the time to prioritize cost-effectiveness.
After being lost in thought for a while.
With sparkling clear eyes, Kang Hoon said something crazy.
âIâm going to⌠suck up only the promotional effects of Corn Market and spit them out.â
Thatâs right.
He has no intention of selling items to Hunters.
Would a Hunter really purchase a [Virility-Enhancing Germanium Jade Bracelet] because they lack stamina?
âWhat I want is a side benefit.â
ăSeller Certificationă
Thatâs another role of âCorn Market.comâ.
Of course, itâs not a feature that everyone pays much attention to.
Such certification is very basic when buying and selling items.
However.
What Kang Hoon is targeting is the âvirility enhancement marketâ.
For long years in the past. That very market where people filled their stomachs with mysterious beasts like snake liquor, bear paws, deer antlersâŚ
What happened when properly certified âViagraâ first appeared!
âIâll get proper ăSeller Certificationă and sell [Virility-Enhancing Germanium Jade Bracelets].â
âŚThe merchant who sold cheap Chinese bracelets in the subway never would have dreamed.
That those items would now be circulating with real government certification.
Kang Hoon quickly posted a sales listing.
The holy ground of transactions for ordinary people.
Kang Hoon had written posts on âDangeum Marketâ, an app for buying and selling used items.
His account temperature is 49 degrees.
Even at this very moment, the pulse closest to his heart was beating at 49 degrees.
On Hell Peninsula where monthly rent is going crazy day by day, isnât Dangeum Marketâs temperature another means of survival?
He is one of the top ten masters of Dangeum Market in Muryu-dong.
In an instant, with the supreme techniques of a master.
He completed identity verification, mobile phone text verification, ARS verification, and selected various traffic lights to verify he wasnât a robot.
Finally, he even completed Hunter certification and Crafting certification.
Since he finished all of that within 5 minutes, it could truly be called divine technique.
âDo I just need to set a nickname last?â
Itâs the process of creating an alias.
To roam this martial world called âCorn Market.comâ, a memorable name is important.
But a name thatâs too flashy would be shooting himself in the foot.
Because it might look untrustworthy.
Names that are too political, idol names, or internet memes that are just fleeting trends are also forbidden.
Dangeum Market 49 degrees.
The supreme technique of the worldâs greatest master, born with a solar constitution, paused here for a moment.
ââŚâ
Click, clack.
He typed and deleted several times, then deleted again.
Finallyââ
He decided on the most familiar name.
[Kang Hoon]
That was Kang Hoonâs illustrator activity name.
âItâs attachment. Pure attachment.â
He was an illustrator whose work never sold, but still couldnât abandon this name.
Though Kang Hoon becomes more ruthless than anyone in front of a single 100-won coin, there are still some things he canât help.
âWell, whatever. This is a common enough nickname.â
The human heart is truly interesting.
Kang Hoon.
So, the nickname Kang Hoon quickly moved on to the next step.
Click, click clickâŚ
Entered the âSelf-Made Itemsâ category.
He clicked [Write Post].
[Selling virility enhancement bracelet usable by ordinary people.]
Those who want to check directly, please send a message. Direct transactions also possible.
Location is Seoul CityâŚ
His hands, which had been typing enthusiastically, suddenly stopped.
Like a martial arts master who realized his sword technique was wrong.
He tilted his head slightly.
âNo⌠This isnât right. Iâm not feeling it.â
Itâs an ordinary post.
His head is saying âThis is a reasonably decent sales post.â
Most other craftsmenâs sales posts are even less sincere than this.
HoweverâŚ
âSince everyoneâs writing carelessly, thinking in reverse. Isnât this actually an opportunity to stand out?â
Since everyoneâs being ordinary.
An opportunity to really catch the eye if he just puts a little more effort into writing.
In the first place, what this man is trying to sell is no ordinary âitemâ.
When selling such an item, would it work to write a description thatâs utterly bland?
âI bought twenty-seven of them. I need to sell them allâŚâ
It might be pocket change to other Hunters, but itâs a fortune to commoner Kang Hoon.
Scratching his temple with his index finger, Kang Hoon furrowed his brow.
âI need a more eye-catching title.â
The 49-degree man of Dangeum Market decided at this moment to abandon the righteous path and walk the path of dominance.
As provocatively as possible.
While still not violating Corn Market rules!
âReally great for men!!
Item that makes you firm and long-lasting!!!
#Hey why are you so lively today?
#UsableByOrdinaryPeople
This is really good⌠really good⌠so good that explaining it would get me bannedâŚ
Performance can be directly.verified. through direct transactions!!! Cool deals welcome, cash direct deals super welcome!!!â
Why is that?
Though itâs writing he would never normally do, his fingers didnât stop as he wrote continuously.
As if this sword technique was the right path.
Each keystroke spread into praise and obsession for things that are good for men.
Somehow the feeling at his fingertips⌠feels good.
âSometimes it might be better to go with instinct rather than reason.â
Right.
At this moment,
Letâs drop the pretense.
âââââââââClack.
The 49-year-old man finally walked the path of demonic energy.
This meant he had completed the lowest-quality sales post in Corn Market.com history!
ââŚ.â
Next came the long-awaited pricing time.
Considering the cost of the germanium jade bracelet, even pricing it at 10,000 won would be⌠unconscionable.
However, the âStamina Enhancementâ option.
What if he thought about buyers who desperately needed this option?
On the screen,
His finger hesitated over the selling price input field.
Soon, clack. Clack. Clack. He entered the numbers.
[50,000] won.
Fifty thousand won? Too cheap!
He put force into his index finger over the â0â on the number pad, clack!
[500,000] won.
Five hundred thousand won? No, not yet!
Muryu-dong Dangeum Market.
The 49 years of internal energy he had accumulated was telling him.
That he could raise it even higher.
âAh, whatever! I donât know! Iâll just price it high for now, and if it doesnât sell, Iâll lower it.â
Swallowing dry salivaâŚ
Aiming at the number â0â keypad,
Clack!
[5,000,000] won.
Here we go, five million won!
Then a warning window popped up with a âbeep!â
ă< Would you like to register?</pă
The price cannot be changed for 7 days. >>
ââŚAh?â
At that, Kang Hoonâs right hand stopped over the mouse.
âI canât modify it for a week? HmmâŚâ
His contemplation was brief.
After all, this was the first item of its kind in the world.
There was no such thing as a âstandard priceâ!
Since he had already chosen the path of demonic energy.
Now that it had come to this, there was no point in backing down.
Having stepped onto the path of darkness.
If he was going to go, he should aim for world domination and stride forward boldly!
âAh, whatever!â
I believe, I believe in my product!
Shine black.
O passion of Dangeum Marketâs 49 years!
Empowered by such thoughts,
Click!
Kang Hoon clicked the [Register] button.
The current view count for the sales post was only 1.
And even that was Kang Hoon himself.
What would he do if it never sold like this forever?
To postpone such worries, Kang Hoon boldly closed âCorn Marketâ.
âIâll check again tomorrow or something.â
And he returned to being an ordinary freelance ant and started working on outsourced projects.
Nowââ
Whether this bracelet would become the Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step,
Or the Sunfish Step Technique, no one could know.
* * *
âI bought it with my own money, and I speak with my own mouth! âMy money, my mouthâ!! There are no ads! Hello, suckers! This is No-nop!â
YouTuber âHogang No-nopâ with 990,000 subscribers.
As you could tell from his channel name, he was a YouTuber who promoted the slogan âDonât be a sucker!â
His main content was purchase review videos.
In other words, shopping.
A precious YouTube channel he had worked hard to build for 4 years.
That YouTubeâs subscriber count was on the verge of â1 millionâ.
What would be needed at a time like this?
Hit content that would draw in 10,000 more subscribers!
âTodayâs live stream content is what! Your absolute favorite! âCornâ and âMarketâ and âdot comâ shoppiiiiing!!â
Thereâs a saying.
âItâs better to review Louis Vuitton than to review Corn Market.comâ.
Itâs not an exaggeration at all.
To film a âCorn Market reviewâ, you have to buy items from Corn Market, and the money needed for this is enormous.
Itâs a site where Hunters exist as sellers, and the majority of buyers are also Hunters, so how could it not be!
âA department store for the rich of another world!â
But it couldnât be helped.
Though his bank balance would decrease, he could gather that much buzz all at once.
It was a world full of envy, longing, and curiosity about Hunter society.
So much so that there was even a term âHunter-lywoodâ combining Hunter and Hollywood.
âThereâs nothing better than this for gathering subscribers!â
So Hogang No-nop accessed Corn Market.com.
After that, he started browsing through various items while chatting with viewers.
Then.
ââŚWhatâs this? [Virility Enhancement Germanium Jade Bracelet +2]?â
A product name that couldnât help but draw aggro caught Hogang No-nopâs eye.
The description he read aloud into the broadcast microphone was even more ridiculous.
Just wearing it would give you stamina stats or something.
âCould this seller possibly be a fake account?â
No matter how he looked at it.
The title and content seemed more suited for blocked spam texts than Corn Market where South Koreaâs Hunters gathered.
With suspicious feelings, he clicked on the sellerâs ID.
âŚIt was real.
It was really a product put up by an awakened Crafting Hunter.
âHmm. The nickname is unfamiliar though. Everyone⌠this seems real?â
Even so, Hogang No-nop wasnât certain.
What Hunter in the world would stake their identity to sell a âVirility-Enhancing Germanium Jade Braceletâ?
Hogang No-nop had been broadcasting explorations of Corn Market.com for 4 years now.
He had never heard of such a vulgar product!
Sure enough, the chat reactions were full of doubt.
[Sounds like bullshit?]
[Oh come on, no way~~lol]
[Looks like Hogang-no-nop got scammed today lol]
Even though the reactions were cynical,
The chat was scrolling very fast.
Many viewers can be seen laughing and joking around, repeatedly typing âă ă ă ă â.
It was fine to get scammed.
He needed more âaggro.â
From a YouTuberâs perspective, there was nothing more to think about.
Crack!
After interlocking his fingers tightly and making his knuckles pop,
Hogang No-nop declared.
âI, No-nop, have decided! Tomorrowâs content will be a live stream of direct trading for the [Virility Enhancement Germanium Jade Bracelet +2]!!â
âââââ!!
The chat reactions became even more heated.
Several fans were seen trying to stop Hogang No-nop.
Saying a scammer who stole a Hunter License would show up, or that heâd definitely run off with the money.
The more they said that, the louder Hogang No-nop laughed as he clicked the âpurchaseâ button!
Dingâ
He opened a chat window with the seller.
âLetâs see. The sellerâs nickname is⌠âKang Hoonâ?â
It was a hunter Hogang No-nop had never heard of before.
* * *
âUgh, thatâs itchy.â
Kang Hoon scratched inside his ear with his pinky finger.
âIs someone talking about me?â
Just as he stopped his busy tablet pen and was cleaning out his ear,
Ding-dong!
Perfect timing as he had just finished his work.
His mobile phone notification rang loudly.
Today, Kang Hoon had completed a whopping three covers.
Naturally, he had plenty of time before the deadline, and it was high-quality work that would normally take a week.
âHmm~!â
Feeling light-hearted, Kang Hoon stretched and picked up his mobile phone.
An alarm was blinking on the rectangular screen.
Along with a bright yellow corn-shaped icon.
[Your first reservation customer has arrived~!]
ââŚReservation customer?â
After being puzzled for a moment,
âHuh. No way?!â
Kang Hoon quickly accessed the Corn Market.com app.
Someone had decided to purchase the expensive item Kang Hoon had listed and made a âreservation.â
âTheyâre not just messing around, are they?â
Such worries also arose.
âI steeled myself and set the price at the huge sum of 5 million won.â
To get a reservation customer in less than a day.
It was hard to believe.
But.
ââŚItâs real.â
A âdirect trade reservationâ had really been placed on Kang Hoonâs item!
[When the buyer confirms the quality on-site during direct trading and clicks âtransaction complete,â the reservation money will be transferred to the sellerâs account!]
A simple and clear notification window.
Kang Hoon read the content two, three times repeatedly.
âWow⌠So the buyer has already put 5 million won into Corn Market!â
Was this some chaebolâs second-generation rich kid?
âOr⌠a really desperate impotent guy?â
A hidden martial arts prodigy who had consumed demonic energy and used the Heavenly Demon Supremacy Step on Corn Market from the very first day.
Kang Hoon tilted his head, not even knowing what footwork technique he had used.
âTheyâre really going to pay 5 million won for thisâŚ?â
No way.
