In Tarak (1)
Tarak, the northern metropolis of the Tulk Kingdom, where several avatars have somehow gathered.
Further north, beyond the Steel Citadel, there is a northern mountain range where you can obtain resources such as rare monster bodies, minerals, and herbs.
To the southeast, there was a trade route leading to the Azerion Empire, which ruled the central part of the continent.
In the southwest, there was a high-quality iron ore production area that was the pride of the Countess of Aonia, and it was also a place that had many outstanding artisans.
‘That’s why I chose this place as the starting point for the Hubert Firm.’
A city with developed mercenary and weapon industries, and a blessed location boasting an excellent location in trade.
Hubert Corporation had developed into one of the first large merchant companies in such a place.
‘Of course, it’s not an achievement achieved purely through fair competition.’
It was only natural that Sanghoe, which had only been created for a few years, could not have grown so quickly in a normal way.
“Hmm.”
Hubert looked down from the roof of the store’s headquarters and caught his eyes at the bustle of people passing by.
The beginning was the enormous initial capital that could be raised with Hans’ support.
Talent recruitment and aggressive mergers and acquisitions through it quickly put his company on track, and the status of Harley, a co-representative who began to grow afterwards, became an external shield.
‘It was important to have a friendly relationship with the count family, the lord of this land, and to show off your friendship with the church through Heinrich.’
Thanks to the vampires under King Heinz II, it was also important to note that he had an advantage in the dark struggle under the water.
In the process, there was also a case where he thoroughly punished those who were behind the scenes and set them as an example.
‘In addition to the finest spices and rare items brought from the earth, and quality products supplied after managing quality through “Emotions.”
In addition, the unconventional investment and business moves carried out while grasping the immortal king’s raid information in real time have been successful every time.
The Alliance of Merchants of the Kingdom of Tulk, which kept him in check at every turn, lost its influence in an instant due to the intervention of the undead army that happened by chance.
As if the sky is helping, the success story that continues day after day.
Because of that, in the upper world of Tarak, Hubert was even called ‘the man loved by the god of wealth’.
It was not so strange that he became the owner of a large merchant company that was the first in the northern part of the Tulk Kingdom and had a considerable presence in other countries.
And it is the same at this moment.
Still, Hubert’s heyday was still in progress.
“Ah! Lord Sanghoe, you are here!”
As he stared blankly at the people, he heard a familiar female voice in his ears.
Hubert slowly turned his head to look at the girl approaching the ledge on the roof where he was.
“Diana.”
The girl who was small and skinny because she couldn’t eat well, but now she exudes a healthy beauty that makes her look more mature than her original age.
She was Diana, who was now his personal assistant.
“I have an issue that needs to be settled by today! This is an agenda for the expansion of other branches of the restaurant ‘Dancing with Orcs’ suggested by Lord Sanghoe, and this is…”
She came next to him and skillfully continued her briefing, holding a folder in one hand like a competent career woman.
She had a professional feel to her that she would look very good on if she had glasses.
She said, ‘I heard that she studied hard before coming here… No, this is not the level of studying. Is it effort added to talent?’
At first, she was entrusted with her business with the intention of using her transcendent sense of smell, but she was more prominent than she thought.
Perhaps, her struggles were included in a significant part of Hubert’s recent advances.
‘It was a bit disappointing that Hubert itself seemed to have stopped growing, but it wouldn’t be too bad if it was such a smooth expansion of power. In fact, I just need to be helpful in some way.’
Avatar, Hubert, whose goal is the colossus that commands the upper world of the continent.
He was an avatar made in order after Harley, but the development situation of the individual, not the force, was not very satisfactory.
He didn’t even expect it from the beginning in terms of combat, but I thought that by this point he would have at least some merchant-related skills like ‘bargaining’ and ‘speech’…
‘I never thought there would be one until the business is this big.’
Well, when I thought about it, I thought I could understand why.
A skill is an ability itself.
And the trader’s skill was generally based on interaction with others, including personal insight and judgment, rather than special abilities.
It is different from acquiring related skills by training in martial arts or magic that are in contact with supernatural powers from the beginning.
‘If there is a skill called “Bargaining” That can lower the price, it’s not a merchant’s ability, but it’s no different from mental magic.’
Of course, he hadn’t figured it out, and maybe there were skills for those who really chose the path of a merchant, but now all such assumptions were meaningless.
Because now he was a captain who decided the course of a large ship called Hubert Co. Rather than playing in the front line.
‘Still, it’s not like there aren’t any results at all.’
Just a little while ago, Hubert had finally acquired a new skill, although it was not a trader-only skill.
To be precise, the proficiency of [Appraisal], which had been used all along, had crossed a certain line, and it evolved into a new skill by merging with [Eye of Wisdom] added by enhancing the status.
“This time, I talked to my uncle, the grocer from ‘Dancing with the Orcs’… No, Mr. Bolt. We can control the delivery price more efficiently…”
And the skill that evolved in that way, “Analysis”, Is an advanced compatibility of “Emotion”, Making what was previously impossible possible.
He gazed at her talkative Diana with her flirtatious expression, and immediately used her “Analysis” On her.
＜Diana＞
– Belongs to Hubert Corporation. Even though she is still young, she is very good at Sangjae. Knowing her own inadequacies, she constantly learns and strives to grow further. She is excited at the thought that she can be of help to Lee for saving him. For her lunch today she ate a bacon sandwich.
-Main Traits: Mysterious Sense of Smell, Blind Loyalty, Dedicated Family Love, Genius Merciful, Extraordinary Mental Abilities, Mediocre Physical Abilities, Desperately Unhappy
-Reliability: 98%
The biggest difference.
Unlike “Emotion”, Which was only possible for things, the evolved “Analysis” Was that it could be used for people as well.
‘It seems that there is a difference in the detail of the information that comes out depending on how well you know the target person, but even this much is great.’
The reason he had been up on the roof and looking down at passers-by was to check it out himself.
The only information I could confirm at that time was ‘I’m nervous because I couldn’t meet the delivery date’ or ‘I’m lying to hide the fact that I had an affair’, and there were only two or three main characteristics that I could see.
‘On top of that, the trustworthiness of people I don’t know isn’t marked at all, and even if it’s an employee of our company, it rarely exceeds 60%.’
Looking at it like that, I was able to realize that Diana’s reliability of 98% was really ridiculously high.
The item ‘blind loyalty’ included in her main characteristics must also mean that.
‘But whatever else… It’s a hopeless misfortune.’
Hubert looked at Diana as she continued to talk about her with a bright expression on her face, and gently stroked her chin.
Of course, when she thought about her past, she could understand it well enough.
Even before Aaron was abducted, I heard that she was in a dangerous situation, only barely avoiding it with her sense of smell and desperate efforts.
If she hadn’t met herself that day, she would have had to live an unhappy life after all, losing her brother and being alone.
‘But you don’t look so unhappy right now, so why are you still in the main character? ···Hmm? For a moment.’
Then, I suddenly remembered the story of how her family came all the way here to Tarak.
The incident in which their family was in trouble due to the conspiracy of no one else but the greedy education instructor who taught Diana.
What would have happened if Heinz II had not visited at that time?
Her good-natured uncle and wife, who welcomed her poor brother and sister, lost her shop and place to live, as well as her ill-treated only daughter, Raffy, likely to be at fault.
If things really went that far, could the Bolt family not resent Diana after learning the whole story? Or could she have forgiven Diana herself?
‘…If I had been a little late, that harmonious family would have been completely ruined.’
Again, the variable was himself.
To be precise… It can be said that it is the intervention of an awakened person from another dimension that shakes even the established flow of the world called ‘unhappiness’.
“…Then, please pay!”
Then, just as she had finished her explanation, she exclaimed vigorously, holding out her file folder and pen.
Hubert gazed at the bright smile for a moment, then accepted it with a slow nod.
It was as natural as breathing for him to divide his thoughts, so he didn’t miss a single word she said even while he was distracted.
‘Anyway, 「Analysis」 is a pretty useful skill. It can be said that he is the best at dealing with subordinates.’
This made it easy to single out her loyal and capable underlings.
And if you continue to develop this, you will learn more about Diana’s sense of smell and her unhappiness.
Until then, it seemed best to keep her by her side, lest she be swept away by her own misfortune.
“Then I will implement it as it is, Lord Sanghoe!”
“Um, yes.”
The first relationship she met after coming to this world, a girl who listens well and works hard, was a very meaningful child to him.
***
The only workshop in the central area of Tarak, where land is expensive.
Unlike other workshops located in the industrial district, this was a private workshop prepared only for one person, Zaonic Steelstone, by order of the lord.
Caang—! Caang—!
Of course, not only the facilities, but also the equipment scattered here and there were not of the highest quality, and the prepared materials were also of poor quality.
Moreover, the Zaonic were not the Dwarves who were said to be a race of artisans.
“Oh, I am amazed every time I see it. What a monster…”
However, the owner of the workshop was intent on letting go of his hand and laughing while looking somewhere.
Because of the ridiculous growth that a guy who had to teach from the basics not too long ago showed.
‘He’s a genius. He knew it from the beginning.’
Should I say that if you teach one, you will awaken ten?
Not long after he picked up the hammer, he even received the blessing of the furnace, so it goes without saying that he was talented.
Even the branches of the World Tree, which are said to be hard to find, are being used like ordinary firewood.
On top of that, his stamina was so good that he often went out first and fell while matching the pace.
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‘Eh, I was so bubbly when I was younger.’
Zaonic shook his head excitedly as he recalled the glorified past.
Even if I compare it with a beautified standard, I think that was a bit harsh.
‘Not to mention the will.’
Once in the work, it was so mechanical that it looked like a golem, not the same living thing, getting rid of all distractions and moving only looking at the completion of the work.
Of course, refraining from eating and drinking and concentrating solely on work was common among artisans, but Howard’s appearance was quite foreign even by Zaonic’s standard.
‘I was showing monstrous growth like that…’
However, starting from a few days ago, it finally went beyond the limit of understanding.
The second hammer strike following one hammer strike is like the 20th hammer strike, and the third hammer strike develops further as if corrected dozens of times from there.
As if living alone in dozens of times of time.
Yes, it was more correct to say that it was evolution rather than growth.
After several days of such incomprehensible phenomena, at some point, Zaonic stopped teaching him and just watched from behind, reducing his meddling to giving only occasional advice.
Finally, from the apprenticeship stage where Howard must be taught, he has reached the stage of a full-fledged craftsman whose path can be respected.
It is said that Zaonic is still superior in terms of skill itself, but when it comes to this stage, the difference between each other is not ‘wrong’, but ‘different’, so the map was meaningless.
“Whoa—!”
And another round of work is done.
Howard, finally getting out of his immersion, sighed deeply and wiped away sweat with a towel.
In front of him, a piece of armor on one of his arms, still hot, reflected the light from the swaying brazier with its smooth curves, spilling a lustrous metallic glow.
“Isn’t it time to tell you what you’re making? For an ordinary armor, the internal structure looks complicated. Huh, where the hell did you learn such a strange design?”
As soon as he seemed to have finished his work, Zaonic, who had been quietly watching behind him, grumbled.
It was clear that he was frustrated because he hadn’t received a clear answer, even though he had already asked several times.
“Uh huh! You mean this?”
At that, Howard smiled happily as he stroked the smooth part, not paying attention to the still hot heat.
Until now, he was dubious about it, but he was convinced of its possibility by completing at least one arm.
‘I didn’t say it until now because it might not work.’
Of course, it’s still a simple prototype, and even after it’s finished, it’s going to have to go through quite a few upgrades before it can be used in real combat…
If it could be completed, such an ordeal would have been insignificant.
That’s right, this is—.
“Iron… Kuhm.”
From the moment he decided to become a master craftsman, he vowed to make it without fail, that romantic house combination.
“It is a full-body suit for all-purpose combat.”
Because that was it.
