06. Midterm exam (3)

[How is it? Huh? How was it? hahahaha! Look! Is the performance itself different? Even if you’re a kid, your garbage-like body changes so much depending on how you use it! If you knew, now praise the greatness of this body-]

‘Noisy.’

I was exhausted to the point where I wanted to sit down at any moment as my muscles were shaking and my legs were losing strength. I didn’t have enough stamina to listen to the humming voice in my head.

She’s amazing, honestly, but I didn’t tell you that it would eat up her stamina to this extent. I wanted to stretch out on the floor and take a good rest, but I couldn’t. It was because Yuna was watching.

Pair. Match. Match. Yuna, who calmed her emotions somewhat with her light applause, approached with her gentle smile.

“It was really overwhelming. She’s good at making knives, and she’s also good at handling them… It’s a talent that makes me jealous.”

“No, I was just lucky. It’s not always like this.”

“If humility is too much, it is arrogance. Which one is your real personality anyway? Afternoon? Or night?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Is your usual manners camouflage? Is the wild side really? It just looked really… Ha.”

Yuna let out her excited breath and cleared her throat briefly, placing her hand on her mouth.

“Excuse me. Still, her excitement had subsided and… No, not excitement in that sense. It means I was surprised to see your battle. I mean, what kind of awe do you feel when you see a top predator like a lion or a tiger in a zoo? Well-developed muscles… Whether it’s that barbarism….”

“Because I really don’t know what you’re talking about?”

What is the excitement in that sense? Yuna, who dyed both cheeks red as if she had read my confused gaze, secretly avoided her gaze.

“Ah, anyway! Let’s get to the point. Were you testing? How did the prototype perform?”

Oh, yes. It did. I forgot about it because I was having a useless conversation.

I could clearly see the pros and cons of using it myself. To the extent that it was more rewarding to participate in the test myself than to listen to the impressions written by others. I held the prototype of the gunblade in my hand several times and gave an honest review.

“Useful. I can only use it… It’s ambiguous.”

“What is it that is ambiguous?”

“I can use it with a gun or a sword without any problems. If you hit it well, you might even call it a gunblade. But that’s all.”

You can fully use the weapon’s functions, and there is no level of inconvenience. There’s no way I would have put in that level of design flaw in the first place. However, the problem is that you can use a gun and a sword at the same time, but it doesn’t feel properly combined in combat.

“Whether it’s a low-ranking or high-ranking hunter, there’s no clear advantage to be attracted to. The rechargeable magic stone bullet is definitely a superior skill, but… If I were a hunter, I’d just buy this gun for long range, and I’d look for a higher-tier item for close range, right?”

“Ugh… That’s a pretty bone-chilling answer.”

“I’ve been curious about something for a long time. Is there a reason why it has to be a gunblade? It’s a new product, so it’s nice to say, but in the end, a lot of people will be unfamiliar with this kind of weapon. Because everyone prefers what they are familiar with and familiar with. Is there a reason you still insist on using the gunblade?”

At my words, Yuna hesitated for a moment.

“… There must be no reason to hide it from Lee Jin, who has cooperated this far and received grace. It’s a long story… Actually-“

“Wait a minute.”

I raised her hand and stopped her from starting her story.

“Yes? What’s going on?”

“No. If the story is going to be long, why don’t we move somewhere?”

I feel like I’m going to die because my legs are shaking from earlier.

–

We moved to the drawing room for a conversation. It was the same place where I had tea with Yoon Seo-hee the other day.

“… The technology patent right itself belongs to me. I tried desperately not to be taken away by my uncle.”

You don’t even call me uncle anymore. Well, she even sent her assassin, so she must have known enough that she didn’t look down on her Yuna even on the other side.

“Then there is no problem? Even if it was just sold as a gun, it would sell well.”

“No. It’s not that kind of problem. After all, this technology was developed under the leadership of my father… I just transferred the patent rights to my name. I’m preparing this business to turn even the staff who claim to be neutral at home, and maybe support my uncle, to my side. What would happen if I turned my father’s technology into a product here?”

“Mmm.”

I see. In the eyes of the staff, it will look like Yuna did nothing, taking advantage of the feat her father accomplished in the past. Only then will it be difficult to appeal to the fact that she is a talent worthy of leading her next Claprot.

Yuna had to show a much improved image to the people in her family and to the customers who use Klaprothe all over the world.

“And secondly… This is both my desire and my dream.”

“A dream?”

“Yes. Do you know how Klaproth products are being evaluated by the public right now?”

“That’s what.”

Not all Awakeners and Hunters can enter the Tower. Top equipment coming out of the tower is always in limited supply, but demand overflows. At that time, the equipment that the lower hunter uses is the Klaproth product.

Sturdy and moderate performance made from high-quality magic steel. Affordable price for mass production. Hunters who can’t enter the tower use it as they wish, but later, when they become top hunters and get proper tower equipment, they throw away Klaproth without hesitation.

Claprot products are so-called industrial products. Even so, since there is a brand of Klaproth, it can be said to be a luxury item among industrial products… However, it cannot be compared to real luxury goods.

“Since you know, it would be quick to explain. I want to create a market where even top hunters use Klaproth products. It’s not about sub-armed. Rather than the top product, I want to see the top hunter use the Klaproth product as their main weapon. If you can make that happen… Being the next president would never be a dream.”

“Because the hunter society runs based on the top hunters. No matter how much you appeal your product to lower hunters, it will be difficult if you cannot move the hearts of upper hunters.”

“Yes. That’s what I mean. You have to capture the heart of the top hunter! You can win the heart of the market. I want to make such a product.”

I understand the story… I think it would be very difficult.

“It is difficult. But Lee Jin, I think it would be a little different if you were there.”

“Me?”

“Industrial products do not have special equipment or skills. Just moderately strong and sharp. Not everyone expects more from Klaproth. But the equipment you made was different, right?”

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Golden eggs. And the three-person sword.

In the eyes of Yuna, who saw both of her swords with her own eyes, I wondered if I was the key to making her dreams come true.

It is too burdensome to expect. And I can’t imagine myself belonging somewhere and making equipment that other people want.

Yuna said in a kind voice, as if she had read my burden.

“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to force my dreams on you. I have received grace, but I have no shame about it. I’m just saying that there could be such a future. Anyway, back to the story. In the end, guns are not enough to get top hunters to use Klaproth products.”

“Why? The equipment you used was quite powerful. It was a piece of equipment that even a top hunter would consider at least once.”

“It’s the only piece of equipment that has been custom-made according to my father’s instructions… And the equipment also has one fatal flaw. It is a fundamental limitation because it is a gun.”

“What is that?”

To those words, Yuna answered with a firm tone.

“I can’t load my aura. It is not worth considering for a top-level hunter.”

“Ah.”

Aura cannot be applied to bullets. A hunter with good skill can put an aura on a bow or a javelin, but strangely, guns can’t do that. It is the result of the experiments of numerous hunters.

For a top-level hunter who uses aura as a trump card, equipment that prevents the use of aura is rather negative. Of course, it’s not worth considering as a claim fee at all.

“That’s why it’s a gunblade. Combining a gun and a knife… If you can carry an aura, and if the performance is good enough, wouldn’t it be enough to appeal to the top hunters?”

“I know what you mean.”

I knew enough about Yuna’s vision.

I put the dagger-type gunblade I made as a prototype on the table.

“You can’t do that with this weapon. It’s not a piece of equipment that appeals to anyone.”

I made an ambiguous weapon by sticking to the name Gunblade. The product Yuna wanted to sell would not be a weapon like this.

It’s a weapon with innovative technology that can seduce even the top hunters… Even so, she has to create equipment that is faithful to the name Gunblade. The design had to be reworked from scratch.

Tok tok. After knocking on the table for a while and continuing my thoughts, an idea suddenly crossed my mind.

“Then how about something like this?”