After deciding to meet Jin Bora the next day, I immediately began preparing for the task.
First, I went to a nearby wholesale market and bought a few hundred pieces of extremely thin fabric.
Despite their appearance, they were still considered clothing—vests that could be easily slipped over an outer garment.
Each piece cost about 1,000 won.
I piled up these garments in the lobby and started working.
A two-process spell, created by combining two single-process spells.
For incantation-based magic, adding more processes increases the length of the incantation.
For magic circles, more processes mean more fields—essentially, more circles.
High-level magic circles often have multiple smaller circles within a large one, all of which are at least two-process magic circles.
1 process + 1 process = 2 processes, but the difficulty doesn’t just double.
Magic functions like a complex ecosystem—each additional process increases the difficulty not by addition but by multiplication.
Fortunately, I had gained a pure understanding of the two-process magic system during the battle with Baphomet, so grasping the concept itself was easy.
However, mastering it was still a challenge.
No matter how much I practiced, I couldn’t achieve the efficiency of single-process magic like Mana Arrow, Gauntlet, or Shield.
‘In the end, relentless practice is the only answer.’
I placed my palm on the pile of white vests and began inscribing the magic circles.
The main rune was the Heat Resistance Rune.
Inside it, I added a smaller circle and inscribed the Sustenance Rune.
Since two magic circles had to be applied, the formulas became more complex, but I managed by referencing The Fundamentals of Magic.
After several trial-and-error attempts—
[You have successfully combined two magic circles for the first time.]
[Magic power has increased by 2.]
[Intelligence has increased by 1.]
[Heat Resistance Magic Circle – Sustained]
Magic Circle Value: C
Process: Two-process
Type: Sustained
Special Effect: Heat Resistance
Understanding: 11
Sustainability: 180
Operability: 7
Output: 5
I spent the entire night making 200 magic-circle-imbued vests.
As my proficiency increased toward the latter half, I sped up slightly and managed to complete a third of my quota.
Making 600 in one night was impossible.
Deciding to handle the rest on-site, I forced myself to sleep.
The next morning.
I arrived in Yeoju by early-morning intercity bus.
It was a quiet riverside area near a ferry dock, but the parking lot was packed with cars, and the entrance was crowded with people.
And most notably—
“Hey, young man! Need some armor?”
“Check out this gear! It’s all made from monster hide!”
“Essential dungeon supplies for sale!”
The area was filled with an overwhelming number of street vendors.
The spicy smell of grilled chicken hit my nose.
From street food to all sorts of equipment—nothing was missing.
‘Feels more like a marketplace than a dungeon entrance.’
It had become common in Korea for pop-up markets to form around newly opened dungeons.
Avoiding eye contact with the pushy vendors, I quickly made my way through the crowd.
‘I was supposed to meet her near the public restroom.’
I messaged Jin Bora to ask where she was.
Her reply came quickly: Almost there!—accompanied by an emoji of a cartoon animal sprinting.
I decided to wait, perching on a nearby rock.
VROOOOM!
A sleek black BMW pulled into the parking lot.
Click.
The door opened, and a young driver stepped out.
He looked pretty young to be driving a foreign car… intrigued, I kept watching.
And then, from the passenger seat—
‘Why is she getting out of that car?’
It was none other than Jin Bora.
She flashed a bright smile, thanked the driver, and walked with him toward the trunk.
Then, they started unloading various bags.
“Thanks for the ride, oppa!”
“No worries, I was heading this way anyway. Stay safe in the dungeon.”
“You too, drive safely!”
VROOOOM!
The BMW drove off the way it came.
Jin Bora waved for a while before turning around with a much cooler expression.
“Pfft. Acting like he’s doing me such a big favor for a ride in his secondhand junker.”
“You’re here?”
“EEK!”
She jumped and spun around.
“D-Don’t scare me like that, senior!”
“You flirted your way into another free ride, huh?”
“Flirted?! No way!”
Her face turned red as she shrieked.
I sighed lightly.
“I’m not in a position to judge, but… you might get into serious trouble someday.”
“Hehe, don’t worry. I know how to keep my boundaries.”
That is what we call stringing people along, you know.
“Anyway! I’ve got everything ready as we discussed!”
My gaze shifted to her pile of supplies—banners, a portable tent, balloons, even one of those inflatable tube men.
“…Are we running an event or something?”
“Isn’t it cute? If we’re doing this, might as well go all out!”
She held up the deflated air dancer next to her face and grinned.
“That’s nice and all, but how do you plan to inflate it?”
“You’ll blow it up for me, of course.”
“……”
“Come on, let’s go!”
We picked up our bags and headed for the dungeon.
Everywhere, there were barricades and armed hunters, police officers, and association staff managing the crowd of players.
A woman in an association uniform waved her arm and shouted:
“We’ll begin entry in five minutes!”
…Was this a dungeon or an amusement park?
The intense, nerve-wracking dungeon atmosphere I had imagined was completely missing.
Well, I guess this was normal for a mid-tier monster field dungeon.
I’d probably have to reach high-level dungeons to see the kind of scenes I dreamed of—
A swarm of reporters, military helicopters hovering in the sky, guild members exchanging solemn vows like, “We must all survive this time as well!”
At my current pace of growth, those dungeons weren’t too far off in my future.
“Entry is now open!”
Jin Bora and I lined up.
A massive rift had formed in midair—the entrance to the dungeon, gaping like a black hole.
People who had been chatting and joking suddenly fell silent, their expressions stiffening.
It was finally our turn.
“Please show your entry permit.”
At the association staff’s request, we pulled out our academy student IDs.
Players who hadn’t yet become professional hunters needed a ‘provisional license’ to hunt monsters.
For us, our student IDs served as that provisional license.
“You are academy students, I see. Verification complete.”
After going through a few simple additional procedures, we followed the people ahead and stepped into the dungeon’s black portal.
Woo-oo-oo-oo!
Upon entering the portal, the surrounding environment changed completely. A stifling heat seeped into my mouth.
The ground was made of pitch-black rock, riddled with holes. The rivers flowing here and there were yellowish, and a stench reminiscent of rotten eggs overwhelmed my nose.
‘So this is the Lava Cave.’
My body suddenly felt itchy, but unfortunately, I wasn’t here for hunting today.
Once I hit my target earnings, I’ll do some hunting in the remaining time.
“Shall we begin?”
“Yeah.”
First, we set up the portable tent and secured it firmly to the ground before hanging up a banner on top.
I had no idea where they managed to get it printed, but it read: “HEAT RESISTANCE GEAR 30% OFF!”
“…30% off?”
“Hehe, even if we’re not actually giving a discount, adding numbers like that really catches people’s eyes! Just writing ‘Heat Resistance Gear for Sale!’ would be too plain.”
Now that I think about it, that does make sense.
Next, we placed the prepared banners around the tent and stacked the heat-resistant clothing I had worked on atop the table.
“Let’s not use the wind doll.”
“Why not! That’s the highlight!”
“It makes the atmosphere too chaotic.”
“But it definitely grabs attention!”
“We don’t need anything extra to draw attention. We’re the only ones selling stuff inside the dungeon.”
As it was, several people entering the dungeon were already glancing our way with curiosity. We hurried to finish setting up.
“Senior! I’m just going to adjust the position of the back banner real quick.”
“Alright.”
Jin Bora disappeared, leaving me alone in the tent. People entering the dungeon murmured as they passed by, sparing us glances.
Wow, I do need to sell, but…
This is more embarrassing than I expected.
I had absolutely no experience with sales or business.
How should I even start? “Gear for sale”? “Buy some gear”? No, that sounds like a street market. “Come take a look at our gear”? What did those street vendors say again?
“What are you selling?”
Just then, a few people showed interest and approached me first. I forced the calmest smile I could muster and said,
“We’re selling equipment that blocks the heat of the Lava Cave.”
“Like cooling packs?”
“Not exactly. These are items.”
These days, the word “item” is commonly understood to mean “something from another world, not from Earth.” A party member of the one who asked appeared from behind and spoke up.
“As if a cooling pack would cost 50,000 won. It’s gotta be an item.”
“What exactly does it do?”
Looks like I successfully piqued their interest.
“It completely blocks the heat of the Lava Cave for two hours.”
Murmurs spread.
The people who heard my explanation began discussing the item amongst themselves.
It was only natural that the response was positive. The most troublesome thing about this dungeon was undoubtedly the heat.
According to reviews, just ten minutes of monster hunting here left you drenched in sweat, and after about thirty minutes, the heat began to take a direct toll on stamina and overall condition, forcing people to stop hunting.
If they overexerted themselves for an hour, they’d likely collapse one after another.
Even so, hunting in the Lava Cave was relatively efficient. The only issue was the oppressive heat in the field, and if that problem could be solved, then considering the entrance fee and magic stone profits, paying 50,000 won wouldn’t seem like a waste.
And for me? I was selling pieces of fabric that cost a mere 1,000 won for 50,000 won each—pure profit.
“But,”
A man with sharp, narrow eyes approached.
“Is this stuff legit?”
“…What?”
“An item that blocks heat for exactly two hours? Never heard of such a thing.”
The person next to him also picked up one of the shirts on display with a skeptical look.
“It does seem kinda fishy. How is this supposed to block heat? It just looks like a plain white T-shirt.”
“Do you guarantee it lasts precisely two hours? What monster’s byproduct was it made from?”
Doubt began creeping into the crowd’s gazes.
Hmm, this is troublesome.
I had confidence in the quality, but people were questioning its reliability.
This was exactly why we planned to sell inside the dungeon, yet that alone didn’t seem to be enough.
My mind raced. I could offer a refund policy, or hand out free samples to spread the word. What should I do?
“Senior! What’s going on?”
Jin Bora, noticing the commotion, hurried back. After I explained the situation, she gave a faint smile.
“Of course, there’s a guarantee.”
“…What kind of guarantee?”
“We’re from the Hunter Academy’s student council.”
She confidently presented her academy ID, making the narrow-eyed man flinch. The murmurs grew louder as people focused on her.
“Wait, you mean that academy founded by the Association President?”
“I applied there but didn’t make it.”
“And they’re student council members?”
Jin Bora smiled brightly and began explaining with perfect fluency.
“Actually, this is a prototype developed by the Academy’s research team! Internal testing is complete, and now our student council is conducting a live market test by selling it inside the dungeon.”
Damn, even though she’s a student council member, she has no hesitation about using the Academy’s name like this…
But the results spoke for themselves. The name “Korea Hunter Academy” instantly boosted credibility.
“Well, scammers wouldn’t risk coming inside the dungeon to sell, right?”
“Is the effect really guaranteed?”
“Of course! It’s an Academy-certified product!”
Jin Bora added with a playful wink in my direction.
“Limited-time offer, only 50,000 won! Start hunting comfortably in the heat dungeon! We’re not even making a profit off research funds here!”
Some people responded immediately.
“I’ll take four.”
I handed over the clothes and received 20 crisp 10,000-won bills.
I felt a little dazed. So, this is how real money is made.
“Only 200 units available! Yes, thank you very much!”
We officially kicked off our sales. Jin Bora took the lead in attracting customers, while I handled the transactions.
Her sales skills were outstanding.
Just by stepping forward, she commanded attention.
Her sweet voice, effortless eye contact, and energetic yet trustworthy demeanor drew customers in effortlessly.
She deployed every trick in the book when dealing with men, reeling them in one by one.
Market reactions were split.
Some people bought immediately, trusting the Academy’s reputation.
Others hesitated, wanting to see whether the items truly worked.
But their hesitation didn’t last long.
“Is this the place? I heard at the entrance that you’re selling heat-resistant gear!”
“Hey, students! How much stock do you have left?”
Word spread quickly.
As people in the field started experiencing how well my heat-resistant gear worked, a wave of new customers rushed in.
100 units vanished in an instant.
With practically no material costs, I had just pocketed five million won in profit.
“We’re back!”
“How did students even make something like this?”
“I’m coming back tomorrow, so I better stock up now.”
And those who had used the gear once were eager to secure more before they ran out.
This is insane. Pieces of cheap cloth, infused with a tiny bit of my mana for a two-hour temporary magic effect, were selling for 50,000 won each.
Is this what they call a creative economy?
“Senior! We don’t have time for this!”
“Huh?”
“I’ll take over handling payments. You focus on making more stock! Hurry!”
This magic business is booming.