Chapter 69: A Craftsman’s Burden
Although many players had already begun looking down on common supplies when trading equipment, that did not mean such items had become worthless.
If Ashfall had offered supplies instead, HighlyCultured would still have accepted them gladly.
After seeing the Molotov Cocktail that Joo Joowon sent over, HighlyCultured was genuinely surprised by his generosity.
Many players currently suspected that Joo Joowon had a massive organization backing him from behind the scenes, but HighlyCultured knew that Ashfall was a lone wolf.
That meant he probably did not have an unlimited supply of these items either, yet he was still willing to part with one so casually.
It truly was...
HighlyCultured could not help sighing inwardly.
Perhaps only during the early days of the apocalypse could something like this still happen.
Then again, maybe it was because his status in his previous life had simply been too low.
The people he interacted with had all been ordinary players just like himself, people who had to carefully calculate every single resource they owned.
Perhaps that was why he had never encountered situations like this before.
After sending the Molotov Cocktail over, Joo Joowon immediately headed to the trading market search function.
The craftsman recommended by HighlyCultured went by the username @CraftsmanMoonJungi.
Perhaps because his username already included the word "Craftsman" at the front, there were no duplicate IDs using the same name.
Unlike many common usernames that ended with strings of numbers to avoid duplicates.
The game never displayed duplicate name warnings.
As a result, only the first player who entered a specific username could use it.
Anyone who attempted to use the same name afterward would automatically have numbers such as one, two, three, or four added to the end of their username in sequence.
Those numbers also could not be changed later.
Joo Joowon exchanged a few simple messages with Moon Jungi and quickly learned about his situation.
His family had already stockpiled a large amount of materials used for crafting arrows before the apocalypse.
In addition, because they owned a generator, they could still guarantee production quality through machinery.
If the entire family worked together, they could probably produce at least one hundred arrow shafts before the trading market closed.
Yes.
Arrow shafts.
Only after speaking with Moon Jungi did Joo Joowon realize that the part consumed most frequently during archery had never been the arrowheads.
It was the shafts.
If properly maintained, an arrowhead could remain usable for one or even two hundred years.
A little polishing would make it perfectly functional once again.
Arrow shafts were completely different.
Once they were damaged, they were simply damaged.
There was no repairing them and no second use waiting afterward.
As a result, if someone wanted to craft a completely intact arrow from scratch, they might not even be able to finish more than a few in an entire week.
If it was only the arrow shafts that needed to be made, however, the process became much easier.
That was also why Moon Jungi had asked Joo Joowon to send detailed videos of the arrows.
He needed to determine whether the arrowheads could be removed and attached to new shafts afterward.
If that was not possible, he would have to manufacture additional arrowheads designed for easier attachment and removal.
Joo Joowon agreed with Moon Jungi’s approach, and next came the matter of discussing the price. To his surprise, the old man only wanted food and medicine as payment.
After thinking about it for a moment, Joo Joowon figured that for a master craftsman capable of producing weapons, he probably was not lacking weapons in the first place.
After quickly negotiating the price, breach of contract clauses, and other terms, Joo Joowon paid some food in advance before finally being unable to hold back his curiosity.
[ @Ashfall: Forgive me for being rude, but does your family not have any able-bodied adults? ]
During their conversation, Joo Joowon had only heard Moon Jungi mention that three people would be helping make arrow shafts.
Because of the shortage of supplies, they hoped Joo Joowon could advance some food first.
Logically speaking, including Moon Jungi himself, that made four people in total.
They also had weapons available.
No matter how he looked at it, they did not seem like a family that should be struggling to obtain supplies.
[ @CraftsmanMoonJungi: My youngest son cannot walk. My eldest son has already passed away and only left behind two young grandchildren. My wife is not in good health either. I have no way of going outside to search for food. ]
[ @CraftsmanMoonJungi: I am the only person supporting this family now. I simply do not dare take risks. If I die as well, what will happen to the rest of my family? ]
[ @CraftsmanMoonJungi: That is why I would rather stay home and earn supplies by working for others than go outside and take risks. This family cannot endure any more hardships or setbacks. ]
After remaining silent for a moment, Joo Joowon finally replied.
[ @Ashfall: Your family should have bows and arrows, right? At the very least, try to kill a few zombies and level up first. The attributes gained from leveling can improve the body. Even diseases like cancer might be cured through leveling up. The best way to protect your family is to make them stronger as well.]
When interacting with other people, one should always remember not to reveal too much too soon.
Since the other party chose to act this way, they undoubtedly had their own considerations.
However, Joo Joowon did not think highly of their decision.
Zombies would not remain Level 1 forever.
If survivors stood still while monsters continued leveling up, then sooner or later, even shelters regarded as safe fortresses would eventually be reduced to ruins.
Besides, from a more practical perspective, Joo Joowon also did not want a weapons master to perish because of this.
At least in the early stages, a master craftsman could provide him with considerable benefits.
After all, arrows had never been cheap.
Practice arrows were one thing, but many specialized hunting arrows normally sold for two to three hundred each.
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