Magic Store 30


The goblin was so frustrated with my reaction that he handed me his entire wallet.

These guys must think this place is a pawn shop.

I had no idea what he was trying to do, but since he left a deposit, I couldn’t refuse to process the refund.

After I did, he told me to wait a moment and went to the alcohol section to grab two cans of beer.

"Charge me for six cans."

"Excuse me?"

"I refunded four cans earlier, right? So there's a gap of four cans. Now charge me for six."

What’s the point of this?

Does it even make sense?

Something was starting to click in my mind.

Could he be serious?

Really?

"So that’s 15,000 won, right?"

It wasn’t until he said that that I realized he was serious and what he was trying to do.

What this pockmarked, big-nosed goblin was suggesting was this:

Imagine a can of beer costs 3,500 won. If you buy two cans, it totals 7,000 won.

But if you buy four cans at once, the price drops to 10,000 won because of the convenience store’s discount policy of ‘buy four or more cans, get each can for 2,500 won.’

So, five cans would be 12,500 won, and six cans would be 15,000 won.

Now, this goblin was trying to refund his previous purchase of four cans and then buy six cans.

In this case, what happens?

He’s technically only buying two more cans, but the price for those two cans won’t be 7,000 won—it’ll be 5,000 won.

That’s because he’s now buying six cans in one go instead of separately.

The total price would be 15,000 won instead of 10,000 won + 7,000 won.

"Is that what you mean?"

When I asked to confirm, the goblin nodded with satisfaction.

"Finally, we’re on the same page."

Who would have thought someone would actually pull off this diaper logic…?

This structure, in theory, has no issues.

He's repurchasing the same number of items he refunded, so the inventory matches, and the discount policy is still in effect.

While there's no structural issue, is it really necessary to go to such lengths just to drink beer?

And another thing.

If all customers start doing this, who would buy beer in sets of four for the discount?

Everyone would just carry their refund receipts, refund their purchase, and buy only the number of cans they need.

Moreover, not all beer prices are the same.

Some are 2,700 won, and others are 3,200 won.

Regardless of the price, using this method, any beer can be bought for 2,500 won.

It's practically a creative economy.

“It’s not against the rules. Why, can’t you do it?” the goblin asked me bluntly, but I hesitated. Is this the right thing to do or not?

Since I wasn’t sure, I decided to do it.

I couldn't imagine that the marketing department hadn't thought of this, and there were no directives against it.

I scanned the six cans for 15,000 won and handed him his card back.

The goblin shoved the two beers into his pants pockets and said, “Thanks.”

He then took his umbrella and left.

As I stared blankly at the entrance, the cigarette fairy sitting on the paper cup mumbled, “I could never work part-time at a convenience store.”

“Yeah, you shouldn't do this kind of job. It's bad for your health….”

“But I really don't want to be a cigarette fairy either.”

“How about being a nicotine patch fairy then? With your experience at the tobacco company, it could be helpful.”

“What kind of mischief could I cause there?”

“That’s for you to figure out. You could sell band-aids as nicotine patches or chewing gum as nicotine gum….”

To be honest, even if you trick people into buying those, the effect would be similar.

Quitting smoking requires willpower, not a well-fitting nicotine patch.

The fairy didn't seem too keen on my suggestion, either.

After pondering for a while, she shook her head.

“I’ll think about it over the weekend. Do you sell whiskey here?”

“We do, but can you drink it?”

“If I buy a 12-year-old whiskey, it’ll last until it’s 17 years old.”

Apparently, they measure their alcohol tolerance in drops rather than bottles due to their small size.

What a cost-effective species.

I remembered seeing a 12-year-old whiskey on the shelf, but when I checked, it was gone.

“We don’t have the 12-year-old one right now. It must have been sold earlier today.”

“Oh… Can you order it in?”

We could.

Whiskey doesn't sell well, so we don't restock it frequently.

But if a customer orders and is willing to wait, there’s no reason not to.

“We can do that. By the way, do you have any other fairy friends who might mess around in the convenience store?”

“Hmm, I have some friends who specialize in wind magic and work at snack companies.”

I asked what wind magic had to do with a snack company, and she explained that many fairies work as consultants in the nitrogen packaging sector.

Why do they use their skills for such trivial things?

“Anyway, if any of them are thinking of messing with our stock, can you warn them that they'll definitely get caught? Whether it’s day or night.”

Knowing my manager, she’d probably laugh it off as ‘cute fairy pranks,’ but if we can prevent those situations from happening, it would be easier for both of us.

Since we can’t go after the troublemakers ourselves, we should at least reduce their numbers.

The fairy shrugged nonchalantly and said, “Sure, I’ll do that. You’re pitiful for being single for 29 years, after all.”

“What is this little pest saying now?”

“Or should I introduce you to some single fairies? They might find you fascinating.”

I responded by making a disgusted face.

Even if it meant spending my life with a life-sized moving pillow, I couldn't date a fairy.

No way, no how...

“If you don’t like it, forget it. Bye.”

With that, she squeezed through the crack in the convenience store door, paused for a moment, conjured up soap bubble-like things around his body, and flew away into the rain.

Now that I had sent her off and made my request, I should fulfill the request I received in return.

I tried calling the manager to order a bottle of whiskey, but the line was busy.

I thought it would end in about 10 minutes, but when I called again, the line was still busy.

Wondering why the call was taking so long, I decided to restock the ramen shelves.

It was then the manager called me back.

“Hey, Chan. What’s up?”

“The cigarette fairy asked for a bottle of 12-year-old whiskey. She’ll come by later to pick it up.”

“Okay, let me just jot that down… 12-year-old whiskey, right?”

“Yes. But what were you on the phone about?”

“Logistics. They said they’ll be coming by later.”

Am I going to see her again?

Do we need to receive those dragon scales again?

I’d managed to forget about that experience after dealing with some troublesome customers for a few days, but thinking about it again made my right arm feel like it was coated in cement.

However, after listening further, it seemed there wouldn’t be any issues this time.

“Yoon-Ha said there shouldn’t be any issues with this delivery. She really pushed the suppliers hard.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But… uh, Yoon-Ha said she had something to say to you.”

“What… what’s it about?”

“Not sure, she said she’d tell you herself.”

What on earth is she going to say?

Nothing came to mind, so I recalled the first time I met her.

She was curious about the kind of work I did and seemed fascinated by my unique traits...

I felt like I needed to mentally prepare myself.

When I asked the manager when she’d be arriving, she sounded unsure.

“She said she was flying over as we were talking, so… she should be here soon, I think?”

As the manager finished her sentence, I heard a thud from outside.

Speak of the devil, and she appears.

“I’ll hang up now.”

“Looks like she’s there. Alright.”

I peeked outside the front door and saw a container box leaning at an angle on the sidewalk.

On top of it was a winged horse, soaked in rain and panting heavily, and someone in a yellow raincoat.

The raincoat was loose, but it was cinched at the waist, clearly showing a smooth body line.

It was easy to recognize who it was.

Yoon-Ha Noona, the woman in the raincoat, hopped down from the container, pulled back her hood, and waved at me.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

Since we’d already dropped formalities on the first day, I decided not to act awkward.

She was already acting casually.

“How long has it been since we last saw each other?”

“About four days? You made it sound like you’d be coming by often.”

“Only if I have the time. I’m exhausted from working late.”

“Working late? But today’s the weekend.”

“Gates don’t care if it’s a weekend or a weekday. When they open, we have to go.”

I didn’t really understand, but I figured hunters must be insanely busy sometimes.

Once inside, Yoon-Ha Noona took off her raincoat and handed me the delivery note.

All I had to do was scan the barcode, and my job would be done...

“Hell Horse (A-grade) / 1EA.”

"Wow, what the hell is this?"

I muttered aloud.

An A-grade Hell Horse, one unit.

Checking the weight, it was 520kg (about twice the weight of a large motorcycle).

Guessing further, since "Hell" was in the name, it probably lived or came from Hell, and "Horse" indicated it was a horse.

That's all I could think of, so I decided to handle my work first.

I scanned the barcode on the delivery note and showed it to Yoon-Ha Noona.

She glanced at the note, nodded, then took a huge wooden box out of the container and carried it into the office.

Three minutes later, she came back.

With my work done, I could comfortably ask her now.

"Hey, what’s that thing you brought?"

"A monster taxidermy. I can show you if you're curious. It was really tough to get."

I wouldn't know what it was even if I saw it.

I can't even tell a foal from a donkey.

But she looked like she wanted to brag about it, so I decided to change the subject instead of rejecting her outright.

"The manager said you pressured the supplier to get it."

"Yeah."

"So, do I really need to see it? You already handled everything."

"True… but now that I think about it, it's annoying. Hey, do you know how much it costs to taxidermy that thing?"

"How much?"

"1,500. And 400 of that was just for trimming the mane. Aren't those people crazy about money?"

Talking about the mane made me think it really was a horse-like creature. But why would trimming the mane cost 400?

When I asked, she explained that the Hell Horse's mane was on fire with hellfire.

Because of that, the ignition organ on its mane required special purification treatment....

Considering that, 400 seemed reasonable.

It's hot.

Fire.

But I didn't say that.

When listening to complaints, it's best to just nod and agree.

As I nodded, she grinned and spoke.

"Chan, I've got something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Could you maybe do me a favor?"

As she said that, she pulled out something that looked like a heart.

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