Finding the request board wasn’t all that difficult.
Just like how I’d found the [Exchange] tab.
I could get there by tapping the three-line menu bar and entering through the [Requests] tab at the very bottom.
[Welcome to the request board, ﹝Private﹞.]
《Request Board》
[Request: Information on the hidden piece on the 19th floor of the Tower of Struggle]
[Request: Crafting or purchase of a Unique-grade or higher light-attribute greatsword]
[Request: Information on mandragora gathering spots in the Conqueror’s Tower]
[Request: Purchasing any and all dragon-slaying specialized equipment]
[Request: Tower of Insects 15th-floor climber guild job search]
.
.
.
.
“Ooh….”
Was it because only verified personnel could use this board?
Unlike the general board, where all sorts of shitposts were chaotically overflowing,
this place gave off a much more serious impression.
“Let’s take a look first.”
So, while getting a feel for the board’s atmosphere,
I looked through various requests for a while.
As a result,
I found that this was basically a back-alley gallery for climbers,
where they bought and sold information they needed from one another,
or exchanged necessary ingredients and rare materials through one-on-one trades or direct transactions to reduce fees.
“That side is pretty chaotic, after all.”
Well, it wasn’t like I couldn’t understand it.
That side had been taken over by beasts hiding behind anonymity,
and had already turned halfway into a lawless wilderness.
“They should’ve at least made fixed usernames like me.”
Though, if I really got down to it, I was basically no different.
Anyway.
As I looked through the requests, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Couldn’t I make some decent money just selling recipes?”
This was a place where people bought and sold the information they needed.
Naturally, there were also requests buying and selling information about certain recipes.
And I had a skill that could create such recipes.
“If I’m only selling the recipe… wouldn’t that be fine?”
I wouldn’t be the one selling the item made from that recipe.
So if I sold only the recipe under complete anonymity, the men in black suits probably wouldn’t come looking for me.
And even if they did come, I could just vaguely say I’d gotten lucky and found it in the Tower.
Of course, I’d have to control the pace and quality of the recipes I released.
“I need to leave some rice in my own bowl.”
In that sense,
while I was browsing posts earlier, I found a suitable request.
“Where was it again….”
[Request: Battle Hornet Antidote Recipe]
- Client: [BugsAreDisgusting☑] [Request 1:1 Chat]
- Request Details: Battle Hornet antidote recipe or related information
- Reward: 100 million won in cash or monster materials of equivalent value
“Ah, this is it.”
A request looking for an antidote recipe for a monster called the Battle Hornet.
Considering the reward was a whopping 100 million won, it seemed like a pretty rare recipe.
But from my perspective, it was an insanely sweet request that was practically the same as earning 100 million with a single click of my skill.
“Good. Let’s go with this.”
But what kind of monster is a Battle Hornet?
Out of curiosity, I searched it up.
The Battle Hornet was a fairly powerful monster that appeared from the 40th floor of the Tower of Insects onward.
It resembled a giant hornet. Apparently, when one was nearby, you could hear the sound of a helicopter.
It had a thug-like physique and even a powerful poison, so among climbers of the Tower of Insects, it was apparently called “that bastard.”
“Holy shit, that’s terrifying.”
How big does it have to be for you to hear a helicopter sound?
I hadn’t entered the Tower yet, so I still didn’t know which Tower I’d be assigned to,
but please, let it be anywhere but the Tower of Insects.
“It really makes me respect the climbers who climb Towers like that.”
So, in order to make money and help out our senior climbers,
shall this junior put in a bit of effort?
“[Transmutation]”
[Please enter what you wish to transmute.]
〖 -- 〗
Since this wasn’t a recipe I’d be using myself, I’d have to write it a little more precisely.
I didn’t know who the alchemist making the antidote would be,
but they obviously wouldn’t have EX-grade Transmutation, let alone an Emerald Cauldron or Pure Flame.
So if I were to make a recipe while taking those things into account…
[Please enter what you wish to transmute.]
〖A Battle Hornet antidote anyone can make〗
“This should be enough, right?”
[Searching for the recipe for ‘A Battle Hornet antidote anyone can make’….]
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.
.
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####
To start with the conclusion,
I succeeded in creating the recipe for “A Battle Hornet antidote anyone can make.”
But if you asked me whether the process was easy,
I could confidently say it absolutely was not.
[A Battle Hornet antidote anyone can make ver.1839]
[Required Ingredients]
-Low-grade recovery potion 400mg
-Battle Hornet magic stone powder 44mg
-Diluted Battle Hornet venom 36mg
-Battle Hornet royal jelly 11mg
-Dried antidote bug powder 9mg
[Required Tools]
-Glass bottle
“I really went through way too much. This is seriously exhausting.”
No, I mean, who would’ve known that many recipes would come out?
I thought maybe three or four would pop out, like the recipes before.
But suddenly, over two thousand recipes came pouring out, making me break out in a cold sweat.
“Ugh, my eyes are going to fall out….”
Honestly, if I had my way, I wanted to just toss them any random one and tell them to make it according to that recipe.
But when I was getting a whole 100 million for it, wouldn’t that be a bit lacking in business ethics?
So, in order to pick out the simplest recipe from among them, I read through every single one and checked them.
And the one I found that way was recipe ver. 1839, which could be made without any special tools.
“They should be able to make it with this….”
I’d given them the amounts down to the milligram, and it didn’t even require any special tools. If they still couldn’t make it?
Then I thought that alchemist should just quit alchemy and look for another line of work.
“Good. Let’s go sell it.”
In order to sell the recipe I had obtained by sacrificing about 0.1 of my eyesight,
I requested a one-on-one chat with the client and expressed my intent to trade.
[Me (Private): I’m contacting you after seeing your request post.]
[Me (Private): Are you the person purchasing the Battle Hornet antidote recipe?]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Yes, that’s correct.]
[Me (Private): I happened to get lucky and obtain the recipe, so I’d like to know how you want to proceed with the trade.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Um… please wait a moment. Are you saying you’re selling the recipe itself, not related information?]
[Me (Private): Yes, the recipe.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: …Please wait a moment.]
“Hm? Why is this person reacting like that?”
I wasn’t sure, but I could feel from the text that they were flustered.
Don’t tell me… they didn’t think someone would actually bring the recipe, did they…?
“Please don’t do this to me….”
I spent over an hour reading nothing but recipes.
If they said, “Actually, the 100 million was a lie!” I might just go dark.
As I waited for the other party, half worried and half anxious,
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Thank you for waiting.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: First, in the case of recipe transactions, the method most commonly used is for the client to receive the recipe, produce it themselves, and pay the reward according to the result.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: The issue is that the production process involves several trials and errors, so it takes some time.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Because of this, before a trade, both parties must disclose their identities and a portion of the reward is paid in advance.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: You’ve set your nickname to private. Is there a reason your identity must not be exposed?]
“…This is an unexpected variable.”
The irresponsible line I’d been worried about—“Actually, the 100 million was a lie!”—didn’t come out.
Instead, I’d been hit with a no-win move where, if I wanted the money, we had to reveal our identities to each other.
“Well… I guess this is only natural.”
From their perspective, how could they know whether the recipe someone they’d met for the first time today gave them was real and hand over 100 million won right away?
Naturally, confirming the actual product first before paying the reward was reasonable in many ways.
“But I have my own circumstances.”
I could do anything else, but I couldn’t expose my identity.
I had no idea where the identity I revealed here might leak and come back to hit me like a boomerang.
With things like this, it was better not to give them an opening in the first place.
[Me (Private): It will be difficult for me to disclose my identity. Let’s call off the trade.]
“Tsk… It’s a bit of a shame, but I can’t sell my future over this.”
Just as I decided I’d have to find another way to make money
and was about to leave the one-on-one chatroom,
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Please wait!]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Do you really have the recipe?]
[Me (Private): Uh… I do, but I have no intention of exposing my identity.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: I understand that part.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: But we’re in a situation where we absolutely need that antidote recipe.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: We’ll pay half the reward first, so we would appreciate it if you continued with the trade.]
“What’s with this person…?”
I didn’t know what they trusted about me, someone they’d met for the first time today,
but what were they going to do if I scammed them? Why suddenly ask to trade?
“They must really be desperate.”
Well, if they were willing to trust me and trade, that was good for me.
I had no reason to refuse.
[Me (Private): If those are the terms, then fine.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Thank you. Then would you prefer the reward in cash or materials?]
Hm… Cash would be convenient in many ways,
but if I did that, there might be a record in my bank account, so I should receive materials instead.
[Me (Private): I’ll take materials.]
[Me (Private): Please prepare the heart, bones, and flesh of a humanoid monster, as well as soil rich in magic power and water rich in magic power.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Understood. Once they’re ready, I’ll request a 1:1 trade.]
Not long after BugsAreDisgusting said that,
they said they had obtained all the materials I’d mentioned and sent me a 1:1 trade request.
[‘BugsAreDisgusting’ has requested a 1:1 trade.]
[Intact Heart of an Orc Great Warrior]
[Sturdy Bones of an Orc Great Warrior]
[Processed Orc Great Warrior Meat]
[Soil Imbued with a Spirit’s Magic Power]
[Water Imbued with a Spirit’s Magic Power]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: I don’t know what you’ll be using them for, but among the humanoid monster materials currently available for 50 million won, the highest-quality ones are from an Orc Great Warrior.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: As for the soil and water, we had these on hand, so we’re giving them to you. Will that be all right?]
“Orc?”
When I searched the exchange, ordinary orcs were relatively cheap, ranging from hundreds of thousands to a few million won.
But the Orc Great Warrior, an upper species of orc, was fairly expensive, easily exceeding ten million won.
Especially considering how exceptionally expensive materials with the keyword “intact heart” were, it seemed they really had gathered materials to match 50 million won.
“Then if I make an elixir with this, will I get an orc’s body?”
Hm… My current face with an orc’s body…?
Let’s imagine it.
Those wild, tightly packed muscles overflowing with primal masculinity,
combined with my current face that looked like a bad boy…
“Holy shit.”
I only imagined it for a moment, but there couldn’t be a more perfect combination.
Wouldn’t that be a true testosterone man, reeking thickly of testosterone,
an alpha male virgin-bomber who could seduce women with just his gaze?
“Orc! I’m definitely going with orc!”
[Me (Private): I like the materials.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: I’m glad you like them. Then I’ll confirm the trade as is.]
[The trade has been completed.]
[Traded items will be stored in storage for up to 30 days.]
“Hehehehe….”
Laughter flowed out of me on its own.
I wanted to transmute the “medicine that gives a perfect body” right now and see myself become perfect.
So for that, too,
I needed to wrap up this trade as quickly as possible.
[Me (Private): I received the goods. Should I write down the recipe right away?]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Yes.]
[Me (Private): Then I’ll write it down now.]
[Me (Private): Required ingredients: Low-grade recovery potion 400mg, Battle Hornet magic stone powder 44mg, diluted Battle Hornet venom 36mg, Battle Hornet royal jelly 11mg, dried antidote bug powder 9mg. Required tool: Glass bottle.]
[Me (Private): That’s everything. If there are any issues with the recipe, please let me know anytime.]
Now that I’d given them the recipe,
I could finally go transmute.
Just as I was about to leave the one-on-one chatroom,
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Uh… Huh…?]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Wait! Please wait!]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: This recipe has everything written down to the milligram.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Is this perhaps a complete recipe?]
At BugsAreDisgusting’s sudden, urgent messages calling me back,
“Oh, what is it now? I need to go transmute!”
I stopped myself from leaving the chatroom
and answered a little curtly.
[Me (Private): Yes? What about it?]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Not ‘What about it?’!]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: If this is real, this isn’t a recipe that should be traded for a mere 50 million won!]
[Me (Private): No, I thought it was something serious. Then isn’t that good for you?]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: Pardon?]
[Me (Private): I’m satisfied with the materials I received, so do whatever you want with the recipe.]
[Me (Private): I’m going to be a bit busy starting now.]
[BugsAreDisgusting☑: No, what do you mean by that?]
[Me (Private): I mean exactly what I wrote.]
[Me (Private): Oh, and I’ll come by around tomorrow to receive the rest of the reward, so please have it ready.]
[‘(Private)’ has left the chatroom.]