...
'Easy income? Is that it?'
Yeonha really didn't understand Theo's thoughts.
She had expected him to come demanding a shareholding, some executive position in the guild or even a joint expansion plan, anything that reflected the magnitude of what he was offering. But, to her surprise, the only thing he seemed to want was a quiet way of securing a source of income.
And, in fact, if everything went as he said it would, with Essence of the Strait handling all the bureaucracy, business and logistics, Theo really wouldn't have to lift a finger apart from handing over the weapons.
Yeonha crossed her arms thoughtfully.
'An opportunity like this shouldn't be passed up. The only problem will be the connection between him and the Guild...'
The government and the Heroes' Association were adamant about this: it was forbidden for guilds to harass cadets until graduation. Violating this rule could lead to serious penalties for the guild.
Even though this rarely happened, the risk was still great.
"Theo, I..."
Before she could even raise her concern, Theo looked at her with a calm gleam in his eyes. As if he already knew exactly what she was thinking.
"If you're worried about a problem on my end, I'll tell you what..."
He leaned forward a little, a slight smile on his lips.
"I won't be passing these weapons on to your guild. I'll be giving them to a friend and classmate."
Yeonha blinked. She remained silent, thinking about what he had said.
And really, there was nothing illegal about it.
Technically, cadets could trade with each other, and there was nothing to prohibit one of them from giving a 'gift' to another.
She let out a sigh with a muffled laugh.
"That's ridiculous."
She muttered, shaking her head.
"And at the same time, completely genius."
Theo just shrugged, not really caring. The truth was that he wasn't even worried about any action from the government or the Association, but he could simply create a false identity.
"I just want to make life easier for my friend. If she has connections that can turn these weapons into capital, good for her."
He said, looking directly at Yeonha.
"What she does with it is her business, isn't it?"
Yeonha squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep a serious expression, but the tip of her lip kept rising.
"That friend of yours is lucky to have someone so generous by her side."
"Or maybe I'm lucky to have someone so competent to deal with it for me."
This time, Yeonha didn't hide her smile. It was impossible to do that.
"Very well, my good friend. Let's make it work."
And for the first time in a long time, Yoo Yeonha felt real excitement rise up inside her.
And no wonder, since with these weapons, her contributions to the Guild could soar to heights she hadn't dreamed of going to so soon.
She propped her elbows on the table and crossed her fingers in front of her face, her gaze still locked on Theo.
"So... What kind of weaponry can you create with your Gift?"
Theo didn't answer, he simply shrugged as if to say, "What do you think?"
"Snap!"
Theo snapped his fingers and, above the table, the air distorted slightly. A new weapon appeared in the space where the sword used to be: a pair of elegant, curved daggers with black blades and thin silver veins that pulsed subtly.
Yeonha stared at him blankly, carefully picking up one of the daggers.
"From your answer, I can tell it's quite a lot."
She put the dagger back, she knew she wasn't an expert in evaluating equipment, that was a job for another team. But even without the tests, it was clear that this piece was way above the ordinary market...
"Shall we?"
Yeonha blinked, momentarily snapped out of her thoughts.
"Where?"
He pointed with a slight movement of his chin, as if the answer was obvious.
"Where else? I'll give you the presents. This isn't a good place for that... the space is too small."
Her eyes traveled around her office, and Yeonha followed his gaze. Indeed, the environment, although luxurious and functional, was cramped for something like this.
"I'm thinking of starting with fifty units."
"Fifty, huh?"
She said, with the tone of someone who could barely hide the excitement in her voice.
"I think we can work something out. Just a second..."
She started checking something on her smartwatch.
"Here..."
She turned her wrist and tilted the holographic screen towards Theo. The projected image showed a large, empty space. There was no furniture, no partitions. Just a clean, quiet and perfectly functional environment.
"This floor is two levels above ours."
She explained.
"It used to be used for tactical simulations, but it's been disused for months, and it's big enough to hold all the weapons you intend to create. What do you think?"
"Sounds good, let's have a look."
With Theo's confirmation. They both left the office, took an elevator, and a few moments later, they were already looking at the empty space.
"This will be great. I'll start then."
Theo positioned himself in the center of the room, his eyes roaming briefly over the smooth walls.
As soon as he used his creation magic once more, there were small distortions in the air, accompanied by a blue light.
The magical energy condensed into discreet spirals in space, like translucent threads spinning around an invisible core. Little by little, weapons began to appear, one after the other.
Long blades, short blades, hammers, spears, crossbows... All displaying a unique design, but with a cohesive aesthetic. On each weapon there was a small wave symbol, the same that the Essence of the Strait uses in its logo.
Yeonha watched everything with an intense gleam in her eyes, almost as if she were witnessing a miracle.
"That... That really is absurd."
She muttered, approaching one of the floating supports where a silver halberd had materialized.
"...Okay, now it's up to you to do the rest."
"...That's fine. I'll get someone to assess everything today. If possible, I'll publish it in the Essential Armory next week."
The Essential Armory was a sub-guild operated by the Essence of the Strait. As weapons above artifact level were sold at auctions, the Essential Armory was the most popular site for factory-made weapons.
Many people used it, and Yeonha couldn't wait to be able to publish each of these weapons there.
"Here..."
Theo appeared at her side, handing her a few sheets of paper.
"There's detailed information about each weapon."
Yeonha took the papers. The sheets were divided into clear sections, with technical diagrams, magical specifications, elemental affinities, and even suggested tactical uses for each type of weapon.
"You. When did you do this?"
Theo shrugged.
"I just did."
She ran her eyes over a token, where a long spear with a three-sided tip was filled with a filament of blue oscillating energy.
Name: Winter's Lament
Rating: High - Masterpiece.
Type: Long spear
Attribute: Ice
Primary Bonus: +15% amplification on skills with an Ice attribute.
Secondary Bonus: Critical hits have a 20% chance of applying Light Freeze, reducing the enemy's movement speed by 10% for 3 seconds.
Passive:
- After four consecutive hits, the next attack launches an ice stake that deals additional physical damage.
- Reduces the effect of movement penalties caused by slippery or frozen ground by 10%.
Note: Winter's Wail is a support and containment weapon, ideal for tactical combat and low-temperature environments. (Recommended for Intermediate to High level beings.)
Yeonha whistled softly after reading every detail.
"These descriptions are more complete than many legendary weapon catalogs. But it's a shame that only people of Intermediate and High level can use them."
"This is just the first batch. For the next few, I can create normal-ranking weapons too."
"Hm..."
She nodded as she flipped through a few more sheets, her eyes narrowing with each turn.
"It's going to take some work to adjust the prices. This is too good. If we make it too cheap, no one will believe us. If we make it too expensive, we'll scare the market. I'd say the price will be between 40 and 50 million won."
Considering that even a high-grade pistol could cost 30 million won, it was expected that weapons with so many additional effects would be the same.
"...That's for you to decide... I've already done my job."
...