Chapter 3

If Level 1 is the basic grade, then it will gradually get better from now on, right?

It's fine.

‘Then, where can I use this now?’

There was no need to worry too much about it.

Since the second quest appeared right away.

──────────

The tutorial Ⅱ of 《Brilliant 30s》 has started.

◇ Quest: Successfully perform a quantity-to-quality conversion 5 times.

◇ Time limit: 3 hours

──────────

This time, the quest time limit has increased, and the requirement to match exactly 20 items has been removed.

But, is this even a quest?

It's like a dream come true.

There's so much stuff at home that has been piling up uselessly!

The first thing that came to mind was the 8-pack of toothpaste I ordered from ‘Kopang’ a while ago.

The ads claimed it prevented cavities, whitened teeth, and had the scent of phytoncides from a Nordic coniferous forest, but when I actually used it, it was really not that great.

Especially, the artificial scent was a real pain to smell.

I had only used it once and then stored it all in the warehouse.

I took out the 8 tubes of toothpaste and looked at the light beam, which, as usual, was sending a greedy gaze.

......Well, it wasn't really a gaze, but that was the feeling I got.

“Alright.”

The toothpaste tubes were sucked into the thing, which I'll call the 【Subspace Workbench】.

Soon, a string of text appeared.

──The power of “Quantity to Quality Conversion” is being activated.

──Item: Apothecary 'DentalDental' Toothpaste

──Quantity: 7.997

──Do you want to start the conversion process?

──The estimated processing time is 30 seconds.

It expresses the quantity as 7.997 after using it once.

Okay, let's proceed!

──“Quantity to Quality Conversion” has started.

A little while later.

The thing spat out a single tube of toothpaste with English writing, which I had never seen before.

──Quantity to Quality Conversion is complete.

──Please “consume” the converted item.

──Time limit: 2 minutes

The consumption time limit has increased by 1 minute compared to before.

I really wanted to brush my teeth.

I hadn't been able to wash up and go to bed last night because I was too drunk.

I went to the bathroom and opened the cap of the toothpaste.

“Hmm─.”

A fresh scent reminiscent of a rain-soaked meadow made me involuntarily sniff.

I put it on the toothbrush and put it in my mouth.

“Oh.”

The scent was good even when I held it in my mouth.

I felt refreshed even before brushing my teeth!

Chika chika─

When I brushed my teeth, I could feel very small granules, almost imperceptible.

Some toothpaste has granules that are too big, and some are too gel-like, but this one was just right.

After rinsing my mouth,

“Oh.”

My mouth felt really fresh.

After drinking a lot, the alcohol smell usually comes up from deep in the throat even after brushing teeth, but it didn't this time.

“Is this amazing?”

I had never used such good toothpaste in my life.

I examined the toothpaste from all angles.

I wanted to see if there was a brand name and if it actually existed in this world.

“Oh? It's there?”

It was a brand I had never heard of, but the brand name, logo, expiration date, and everything were clearly written.

‘Right, the “Quantity to Quality Conversion” efficiency increased, didn't it?’

I went to my desk and turned on the PC.

I wanted to search for the price of this toothpaste and compare it with the price of 8 'DentalDental' toothpaste.

That way, I could calculate the efficiency more accurately.

But the PC wouldn't turn on.

To be precise, the PC turned on, but nothing appeared on the monitor.

“Is it broken?”

In such cases, it could be the monitor, the graphics card, or the motherboard or power supply that is completely broken.

Since I was curious about the price of the toothpaste, I took out my smartphone and searched for the brand.

It was a real brand.

[ (Overseas) UK IREN Toothpaste 100g, 6 pieces, 38,000 won, shipping fee 10,000 won ]

Total 48,000 won.

8,000 won per piece.

And when I checked the order on ‘Kopang’, the 8-pack of 'DentalDental' cost 11,800 won.

The capacity per piece was the same at 100g, and shipping was free.

So, 8,000 won vs. 11,800 won.

It was definitely not a 1:1 conversion.

Roughly 70% of the price.

Then, the “Quantity to Quality Conversion” efficiency is roughly 70%, right?

“You, the fee is a bit high?”

When I said this to the light beam, it seemed to shrink its yellow and red rays and slowly retreated.

“Just kidding.”

70% is enough.

If there was a “Quantity to Quality Conversion” efficiency in my life, it would be less than 10%, right?

No matter how hard I work, I don't get much in return.

But I can just convert unnecessary things into good ones.

There are also high-end products that are hard to get.

‘Oh, things that are hard to get?’

I looked at the black screen and the PC case that was just whirring.

It was a PC I had built 6 years ago when FPS battle royale games were popular.

‘6 years is about the time it should be replaced, right?’

I had already checked the market prices to see if I should build a new one recently.

But the price of graphics cards had skyrocketed due to Bitcoin mining and other factors.

Since I don't have time to play games these days, I decided to just use what I had.

......It turned out well.

“Can you eat machines too?”

I smiled at the light beam, and it seemed to flutter happily in the air.

“Let's go.”

I have something to try.

I love you passionately

In the alley of the university district in Shinchon.

“Can you eat this?”

I held the PC case with both hands and pointed to a sedan with just a nod of my head.

The light beam understood and shook its body from side to side, like a human nodding.

“There's a size limit too.”

I thought it could eat anything because it had sucked in things like invitations and toothpaste.

It would be amazing if it could eat cars.

If I went to a junkyard and fed it all, the ‘quantity’ would be converted into a ‘quality’ and I would get an amazing car, right?

But since it's at the basic level, maybe it can only eat smaller things and will be able to eat larger things as it levels up?

Anyway,

“Should I give you a name?”

Calling it a workbench seemed too cold, so I asked the light beam. But I got an unexpected reaction.

When I turned the corner, two female students were staring at me.

“Uh......?”

“Hey, hey.”

They quickly passed by me.

I'm not a weird person, so I shrugged.

Well, it's actually good that others can't see this thing. I can use it anywhere.

Anyway, I asked the light beam.

“Mate, how about it?”

I named it after the Matcha brand logo that always came to mind, but it shook its head again.

It's picky.

Then, how about this? I hope it eats everything I give it.

“Tam? Is that okay?”

It sounds like an American name and is nice, right?

The light beam lay down in the air and spun like a hula hoop.

──Pew pew pew pew.

It's cute.

But my arms are starting to get tired, so let's hurry.

Time is also running out.

「2:48:13」

「2:48:12」

「2:48:11」

.

.

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[ Se-yeon PC ]

[ PC Assembly, Sales, Repair, Inspection, Upgrade ]

[ Data Recovery, Network Maintenance ]

[ On-site Service 010.3273.02** ]

“Is anyone there?”

This is the first time I've ever been to a computer shop.

These days, people order computers online and fix them themselves.

“Sure, come in.”

In a corner of the small shop, the owner was playing an RPG game and only turned his head to greet me.

......I almost suggested service mind training due to his occupational habit, but I held back and asked.

“My computer seems to be broken. Can you fix it now?”

“Just a moment. Darn, why won't it die.”

Click click click!

The owner was spamming the mouse, so I decided to wait.

“Take your time.”

I had a different real purpose for coming here.

I put my PC on one of the desks and looked around at the parts.

CPU, motherboard, graphics card, power supply.

There were computer parts that seemed to be for clearance scattered around the shop.

‘I don’t need the latest ones anyway.’

I started looking at the graphics card boxes.

‘There are no top-of-the-line ones here either.’

Graphics cards starting with 3000 are hard to find worldwide.

Early adopters looking for such graphics cards wouldn’t come to a shop like this, so they probably don’t stock them.

Instead, there were quite a few 1000 and 2000 series models.

My PC had a 900 series graphics card, so upgrading to one of these would be an improvement.

But if possible─!

“Mr. Owner, which graphics card do you stock the most?”

“The most?”

“Yes, the one with the most stock.”

“Um...... I think the 1060 is the most.”

“Are they all used ones?”

“Um......”

The owner, either engrossed in the game or surprised by my question, avoided answering.

But it’s probably a yes.

The 1060 is the next model after my graphics card, which was released a few years ago, so it’s unlikely they would stock new ones.

“How much do you sell them for?”

“Huh? Are you buying all of them?”

The owner finally took his hand off the mouse and turned to look at me.

His eyes were puffy, and he had a listless expression.

Since my job was franchise management, I feel sorry for people like him.

I want to completely overhaul their mindset, interior, and sales strategy to make them rich......

But first, let’s negotiate.

“I need to know the price to decide whether to buy them or not.”

“Um...... The prices vary a bit, but they’re around 30,000 won each.”

“Okay, good luck.”

I picked up the PC I had put on the desk and turned to leave.

Then I heard an urgent voice.

“No, no! 25,000 won.”

I had already checked the second-hand market before coming, so 25,000 won was a bit off.

“Okay, good luck.”

“No! I’ll sell them for 15,000 won! No lower!”

15,000 won? That’s fine.

It’s a bit higher than the lowest price on the internet or Carrot, but I need the items now, so 15,000 won is fine.

This time, I only turned my head and replied.

“Mr. Owner.”

“Yes?”

“I’m dead.”

Your character, I mean.

“Ah, right!”

The owner hurriedly returned to the game, and I took the opportunity to ask.

“Can I pay by card?”

“Yes!”

“Since I’m buying all 9 for clearance, can I get a discount?”

“I, I, I got a legendary item! Discount, discount!”

Yes, congratulations!

*

Back home.

“Oof, car!”

My arms ached after putting down the 9 graphics cards and the new motherboard I bought.

I bought the latest motherboard in preparation for the 1060 models to be converted into 2000 or 3000 series models through “Quantity to Quality Conversion.”

The total cost, including 9 graphics cards, motherboard, and diagnosis fee, was 1.5 million won.

It was a significant investment.

But I didn’t want to skimp on the test.

I need to know how this goose lays golden eggs and how smoothly it does so.

“Right, Tam?”

The light beam spun like a pinwheel, and I smiled as I opened the graphics card boxes.

They were 9 of the same model from the same company.

Why did I buy 9?

I wanted to test the “Quantity to Quality Conversion” with 2, 3, and 4 at a time to see how they changed.

This way, I could also complete 3 out of the 5 quest conversions, making it a win-win.

──────────

The tutorial Ⅱ of 《Brilliant 30s》 has started.

◇ Quest: Successfully perform a quantity-to-quality conversion 5 times.

◇ Time limit: 3 hours

──────────

There was plenty of time.

「2:11:13」

「2:11:12」

「2:11:11」

But there was the “Quantity to Quality Conversion” processing time and the “Consumption” time, so I couldn’t delay.

Most importantly, I was curious to the point of madness about what would happen now.

“Alright, let’s see.”

I handed 2 1060 models to Tam.

As soon as Tam sucked them in, a string of text appeared.

──The power of “Quantity to Quality Conversion” is being activated.

──Item: Gravity G1060 6GB

──Quantity: 1.72

──The estimated processing time is 10 minutes and 30 seconds.

──Do you want to start the conversion process?

Both were used, so they were calculated as 1.72.

So, each one is in a condition of about 0.86.

I could make money just by distinguishing between new and used items and evaluating their used value.

But, let’s focus on the quest first.

“Let’s proceed.”

──“Quantity to Quality Conversion” has started.

But 10 minutes and 30 seconds for the processing time? Graphics cards take much longer.

It only took 30 seconds for the toothpaste.

I roughly calculated the time it would take.

It would take more time to convert the remaining 7, so at least 1 hour.

Including the time to install and remove the graphics card for “Consumption,” the remaining time was tight.

Gurgle─

Even though my stomach felt like it was stuck to my back, it was worth coming back without stopping at a hangover soup place.

I left the “Quantity to Quality Conversion” to Tam and prepared to disassemble the PC for “Consumption.”

I didn’t replace the motherboard yet.

Based on the efficiency I calculated earlier, the 1080 model was more likely to appear, and if it was the same 1000 series model, there was no need to replace the motherboard.

And 10 minutes later.

──Quantity to Quality Conversion is complete.

──Please “consume” the converted item.

──Time limit: 5 minutes

An unexpected model appeared.

“......What?”