A huge warehouse bustling with employees.
As Hubert observed the busy scene, an old man approached him.
"Haha, now that we're mostly organized, we can send the next batch."
An elderly gentleman in a pristine white suit, unlike the surrounding workers in their work clothes. It was Viscount Frances, a demon dispatched from the Hubert Company's Demon Realm headquarters to the main branch on the continent.
"Thank you for your hard work. Things are much easier with your help, Sir Frances."
"It's nothing. It's a direct order from Lady Hela, a piece of cake. Hahaha!"
Frances, a demon specializing in psychic abilities, chuckled and stroked his chin at Hubert's compliment. He still wasn't used to the Demon Realm's sayings, but he was undoubtedly a great help. Trade with the Demon Realm required strict security, so even managing workers demanded caution.
'Even with a fully automated system using magic engineering, final confirmation is essential. In that sense, Frances, who excels at crowd control, is the perfect person for this job.'
Hubert looked at the workers busily moving around in their work clothes. More precisely—at the demons disguised as humans, dispatched to the main branch under Frances' control.
"Such efficiency without rest or food. Humans are truly the best workers, unmatched by any other race."
"…It's a bit strange to hear you admire them for that. Anyway, it's best to give them some breaks. There won't be any major incidents with me here, but if their dissatisfaction builds up, they might sabotage the work."
"Don't worry. I'm not that heartless of a businessman."
Hubert replied confidently. Frances looked at him with a dubious expression,
As if looking at a 'heartless merchant of darkness exploiting demons without pay', but it must have been his imagination. He was paying them properly.
'Of course, since they are dispatched from the Demon Realm, I'm paying them according to Demon Realm standards.'
And he even provided employee quarters and a cafeteria within the warehouse so they didn't have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter. Wasn't he one of the most conscientious businessmen in this world? The fact that they couldn't leave the premises was an unavoidable security measure.
"…Ahem, I see why Lady Hela chose you… Ahem! Anyway, you're truly amazing. I've heard of the Hubert Company's reputation, but I never imagined you could handle this volume of goods so smoothly."
Frances trailed off, seemingly speechless, and changed the subject, looking around. The volume of goods moving through this place wasn't small. It was a hub for interdimensional trade, where goods arriving from and being sent to the Demon Realm intersected. The items piled up in the warehouse were being sorted and transported using an automated system and demon labor. Just like a distribution center on Earth.
"Well, I've been preparing this logistics hub for quite some time. It's troublesome to transport large quantities of goods within the city."
Hubert chuckled and shrugged. This massive warehouse, built on the southern outskirts of Tarak, was the most elaborate of the Hubert Company's logistics hubs. It was large enough to contain an entire village and was a heavily fortified fortress, impenetrable to unauthorized personnel.
'Trading with the Demon Realm within this warehouse is still relatively easy. Carriages from all over are constantly coming and going at the other warehouses.'
Naturally, the city wasn't happy about losing the taxes from the movement of goods, but it wasn't difficult for the Hubert Company to persuade them, now that they practically controlled the area and its economy. The bribes to keep them quiet were insignificant anyway.
"This opportunity came thanks to Lady Hela, didn't it? My hard work has finally paid off."
Frances looked at Hubert with a strange expression at his nonchalant remark. Although his combat abilities were insignificant compared to his own, he wasn't someone to be underestimated. Rather, he was an extraordinary individual, worthy of Hela's favor.
'A monopoly on trade with the Demon Realm. And it's in the hands of the head of the continent's largest trading company…'
At this very moment, a monster of the business world, capable of devouring the entire market, was being born. If they weren't serving the same master, he would have tried to eliminate him before he grew any larger.
'…He's also Lady Hela's servant, so his success is our success. And this situation itself is her will.'
Frances sighed softly, turned his gaze away from Hubert, and looked at the purple gate through which goods constantly flowed.
'That's truly amazing. I never imagined she could use the Demon King's authority like that.'
A sense of awe welled up within him every time he saw it. No matter how capable Hubert was, trade wouldn't be possible without that gate.
'Of course, perhaps for long-term stability, only non-living goods are being traded after a few low-ranking workers were brought over…'
Even that was impressive. It wasn't time for a 'continental invasion' yet. Creating this passage wasn't easy for her, but it was possible thanks to the perk 「World Invasion」, which drastically reduced the cost of breaking through the dimensional barrier. It was ironic that she was using such an ability for trade, not invasion.
"Then I'll be going. I'll leave the rest to you, Sir Frances. If you encounter any problems, talk to Diana, my secretary."
"Hahaha, what problems could there be? It's just periodically exchanging goods. I'll handle any issues discreetly, so don't worry too much."
His mind control was difficult to resist for anyone below Transcendent level, so it was an unnecessary worry. He was appointed as the manager of this warehouse precisely because of that ability. He could exchange goods with the outside world without raising suspicion and discreetly resolve any intrusions.
Hubert nodded slowly and exited the warehouse, passing through the tight security.
Clatter! Clatter!
Murmur
Neigh
"Uh… oh? The horse is agitated! What are you doing? Grab the reins!"
"Hey! Move that over here! Be careful, it's valuable!"
"Are you from the Michael Trading Company of the Talia Kingdom? Let's see… come this way."
As soon as he left the warehouse, he exited the secure area with his escorts and saw a bustling crowd. Large and small buildings, wide, well-maintained roads, various carriages and merchants coming and going.
This was the true form of the large-scale trading complex built under the leadership of the Hubert Company, the continent's largest trading company.
"Phew— Magnificent."
Hubert looked at the scene with satisfaction. This was the result of combining rare, exclusive goods, an endless supply of funds, the hidden power of vampires, unparalleled information gathering capabilities from integrating major intelligence networks, and his top-tier connections across the world.
'It's been a long road. It's been years since I founded the Hubert Company. No, is a few years too short to become the continent's best?'
He chuckled softly. Of course, this wasn't the end. Now that trade with the Demon Realm had begun in earnest, the Hubert Company's influence would only grow. He would make sure of it.
'This is the path I, Hubert, the world's greatest merchant, must take.'
And,
As if to encourage his resolve,
"Accumulated karma has reached a certain level and unlocked a possibility. Acquires special skill 「Dimensional Merchant」."
A sudden message appeared before him as he took a step. He, who had no skills other than 「Analysis」 and 「Decryption」,
Had acquired a merchant skill, something he never thought possible.
Awakened, transported to other worlds with the system, acquired skills based on their actions. Training their bodies, wielding weapons, practicing magic, building poison resistance,
Fighting life-or-death battles, obtaining special items, consuming rare elixirs. Unlike the natives of other worlds, they were blessed with the system's support, allowing for rapid growth under any circumstances.
"「Dimensional Merchant」… What a grand name. It's not wrong, though."
In that sense, it wasn't strange for Hubert, with the additional bonus from 「Avatar」, to acquire a skill. Except that it was a merchant skill, acquired after years of business, something he thought didn't exist.
'So there were related skills after all. The acquisition conditions must be much stricter than ordinary skills.'
I sat in the massage chair in the corner of the living room, looking at the skill Hubert acquired, a subtle expression on my face. The reason for acquiring 「Dimensional Merchant」 was obvious. As the message indicated, his karma related to trade had exceeded a certain threshold after he started dealing with the Demon Realm, beyond just selling goods from Earth. And as he had previously speculated, this was far beyond the realm of ordinary commerce, clearly impossible without the influence of otherworldly powers.
"This skill system is truly unpredictable. You can develop combat skills with training, but for these, you need to be involved with otherworldly powers."
It would have been different if he had a related unique skill from the beginning. A mental manipulation ability to increase好感度, or an ability to greatly enhance his luck. Of course, it was irrelevant to Hubert, who easily grew his company based on the foundation built by his other avatars, with only 「Empathy」 as his initial skill.
Until now.
'The effects of 「Dimensional Merchant」… As expected of a high-ranking skill with strict acquisition conditions. It has many additional abilities.'
Increased好感度with new acquaintances, charisma bonus, improved appraisal skills, increased physical abilities for some reason. But the most important one was…
'Interdimensional trade bonus.'
I stroked my chin with a serious expression. The best way to understand a skill's limits and usage was through practice. But he could roughly gauge its potential through the changes—
"This… could Hubert actually travel between dimensions on his own?"
The result was quite groundbreaking. Not only could he stabilize the passage Hela opened to the Demon Realm, but he could also establish new trade routes. And what if it was combined with 「World Invasion」, which reduced the cost of interdimensional travel?
'…It won't be easy due to the proficiency issue, but the possibility is there. This is complicated.'
To think Hubert, a mere merchant avatar, would gain such an ability. It made him feel complicated, considering that it might even be possible to return to Earth without the Karma Shop, the very feat that earned him the 「Otherworldly Portal Summoning」 perk and formed the basis of his growth.
"Well… for now, getting used to the ability is the priority. It's a good thing anyway."
There was no need to worry now. The more abilities, the better, and they would come in handy eventually. He had other things to worry about.
"Unused Karma points exceed 20 million. Perk 「Karma Shop Ver.2 Update」 changes to 「Karma Shop Ver.3 Update」."
His rapidly increasing karma, thanks to the ongoing trade,
Had finally reached the desired amount, triggering another change.
In a cluttered office,
"Phew, at this rate, I'll lose all my hair."
A dark-skinned man gently cradled his thinning hair. It was a careful gesture, as if soothing his damaged hair follicles from the recent stress, but it had no effect, lacking any mystical properties.
"Please let today pass without any incidents…"
It was a pathetic prayer, unbelievable to those who knew his usual demeanor. For him, who had melted countless people alive with poison, to be praying so helplessly.
But he had an excuse.
"Please… this isn't Africa, where information control is easy. I'm the one who has to clean up your messes…"
His colleague from the savage lands of Africa caused trouble almost daily, making it impossible for him, already busy as the regional manager, to do any other work. He had anticipated this to some extent, but facing it in reality made his vision darken.
Ding—
But as if mocking his prayer,
A familiar notification sound echoed softly in his office.
-Manager! It's an emergency! The Executioner is at it again…!
"Ah."
His subordinate's urgent voice came through the communication device. The Cheonbuhoe Southeast Asia branch manager closed his eyes tightly.
'I don't care if it's Hahoe Mask, the Saint, or anyone, just please come quickly.'
He slowly lowered the hand that was covering his head. An unusual amount of hair was tangled around his fingers, despite his careful movements, but it must have been his imagination. …Or he would cry.