Chapter 4

The clean and clear text on the box.

Gravity 3060 12GB.

'Why did a model costing over 600,000 won come out when I put in two 150,000 won ones? And it’s a new one too?'

As if to answer that question, a string of text appeared.

──【Subspace Workbench】is delighted to have obtained the name, ‘Tam’.

──【Subspace Workbench】expresses curiosity at the first material it has consumed.

Oh, you like it?

──「Lucky Strike」has been activated, applying a bonus efficiency to 「Quality Conversion」.

Bonus efficiency?

So it converted at a higher efficiency than 70%?

"Whoa, shit!"

I put down the 3060 graphics card box for a moment and reached out to Tam.

There was no sense of touch, but I still wanted to praise it.

"Thank you!"

Thanks to you, my life feels like it’s going to be great!

Tam’s yellow and red light stripes suddenly shone brightly.

"Let's try this too!"

I immediately handed over three 1060 models to Tam and instructed him to perform the 「Quality Conversion」.

──「Quality Conversion」has begun.

Then I plopped down on the floor and started the work of replacing the motherboard and installing the 3060.

The computer shop owner diagnosed my PC’s problem as being with the graphics card.

But what if I assembled it wrong and the computer doesn’t work again?

If it wasn’t 「Consumed」, this ability could disappear.

「1:59:32」

「1:59:31」

「1:59:30」

The quest has 3 out of 5 attempts remaining.

The time limit is under 2 hours.

Now it’s a race against time and a test of concentration.

"Let's do this!"

...And I was quite happy to have something to focus on and immerse myself in.

*

The Windows boot screen appeared normally.

"Done! Ugh, my back."

I threw myself onto the bed.

"Ouch."

──「Consumption」has been completed.

I was able to successfully complete three 「Quality Conversions」and 「Consumptions」.

1st attempt.

Two 1060 products were converted to a new 3060.

Thanks to 「Lucky Strike」.

2nd attempt.

Three 1060 products were converted to a used 3060.

Even if you add up the prices of three used 1060s, it’s still less than the price of a new 3060.

3rd attempt.

Four 1060 products were converted to a new 3060.

Considering the selling price and 70% conversion efficiency, it was just the right level.

And they all worked properly, completing 「Consumption」cleanly.

As a result, I ended up with two new 3060s and one used one.

If you add up the selling prices, it’s at least 1.8 million won.

Considering I invested about 1.2 million won in 9 1060 models.

"...50% profit margin."

It was rewarding.

No, it was overflowing.

A qualitative change achieved through the amount of effort and dedication put in! This is the life I really wanted.

'Thank you, grandmother... '

Thinking of the grandmother I met in my dream, my heart felt moist, but there was no time to indulge in sentiment.

4 out of 5 quest attempts completed.

One more 「Quality Conversion」remained.

I looked at the three Gravity G3060 models.

"I can't let this go without trying."

I handed them all to Tam.

If these three turn into a 3080ti, that would be perfect.

──The power of 「Quality Conversion」is being exerted.

──Item: Gravity G3060 12GB

──Quantity: 2.84

──Do you want to start the conversion process?

──The estimated processing time is 51 minutes and 30 seconds.

Thanks to my diligent work, the quest time limit seemed to be barely met.

「1:02:59」

「1:02:58」

「1:02:57」

"Let's go!"

And after about 50 minutes.

The current top-of-the-line model.

A luxury item worth 1.8 million won.

The protagonist of a shortage that can't be obtained even if you want to.

Gravity G3080ti 12GB!

It appeared right in front of me.

"Whoa... "

And there were two of them.

──【Subspace Workbench】expresses ecstasy after tasting a top-quality product.

──「Lucky Strike」has been activated, applying a bonus efficiency to 「Quality Conversion」.

‘Lucky, Lucky Strike is so great!’

I picked up the two shiny boxes, hugged them tightly, and savored the unique smell of new electronics.

And I shouted to Tam.

"I love you! I love you so much, Tam!"

It had been two weeks since the divorce.

I never thought I would confess my love to someone else so quickly.

I must be going crazy.

Putting aside the joy for a moment, I opened one of the 3080ti boxes.

To complete the quest, I had to finish 「Consumption」.

「00:10:56」

「00:10:55」

「00:10:54」

A 10-minute time attack began.

After quickly skimming through the 3080ti manual, I started the installation process.

"Let's do this."

The principles were two.

Speed, accuracy.

It’s not easy to satisfy both at the same time.

If it were easy, service companies wouldn’t emphasize it so much.

But our company added vague and abstract requirements like 'customer love' or 'owner’s sense', ugh!

‘This is better.’

Honest effort for honest reward.

How great is that?

While having such thoughts, I finished the installation with exactly 2 minutes left.

I quickly turned on the PC, and the boot sound was heard.

Ding-dong─

At the same time, the quest message appeared.

──「Consumption」has been completed.

──Congratulations!

──You have completed the tutorial quest Ⅱ, 《Introduction to Quality Conversion》 of 《Brilliant 30s》.

I did it.

I really did it.

With just 2 minutes to spare.

"Yesss!"

──The experience of 【Subspace Workbench: Basic】has increased.

──The efficiency of 「Quality Conversion」has slightly increased.

──The processing time of 「Quality Conversion」has slightly decreased.

──The time limit for 「Consumption」has slightly increased.

Up to this point, the rewards were the same as the previous tutorial.

But.

──As a quest reward, a 「Lucky Strike」coupon (1 use) is given.

A great gift came with it.

─Using the 「Lucky Strike」coupon on 「Quality Conversion」can grant a bonus efficiency.

─Use it carefully as it is a one-time use.

Ugh, this is so great...

For 2 hours, my back, arms, and legs were screaming from detaching and reattaching graphics cards, but the pain disappeared instantly.

At times, the work was cumbersome and the time was tight, so I thought about going for a safe option like toothpaste.

Something simple and easy to use for both 「Quality Conversion」and 「Consumption」, like soap, cotton swabs, towels, and such.

But ultimately, my choice was right.

Didn’t I upgrade a broken PC to the latest specifications?

"Wow, with the 3080ti, even Minesweeper runs smoothly. You can see that too, right, Tam?"

I could also understand the details like conversion efficiency and 「Lucky Strike」.

‘I’ll save the Lucky Strike coupon for something really good.’

Most of all, the shiny boxes on the bed. New Gravity 3080ti.

Just looking at them made me feel good.

"Hehe."

How could I not be happy?

After a few hours of work, I was about to make a fortune.

I immediately picked up my phone and accessed the Hongdangmu Market to search for '3080ti'.

[ Selling: Gravity G3080ti 12GB ]

[ Mapo-gu Sinchon-dong / Bumped up 6 hours ago ]

[ 1,750,000 won ]

1.75 million won, crazy!

I spent 1.2 million won on 9 1060 products from the computer shop.

If I used that money to buy a 3080ti for my PC and sold the other one for 1.75 million, that would be pure profit.

‘Jackpot!’

...The profit margin was well over 100%.

But one doubt arose.

Maybe my conscience as a seller kicked in.

Are the items Tam produced really material from this world?

Are they just empty shells that look like 3080ti products? Booting up can be done with the integrated CPU.

I immediately opened the PC device management program.

[ Name: Gravity G3080 Ti ]

[ Board Manufacturer: Gravity Corporation ]

[ Memory Size: 12288 Mbytes ]

"Is it right?"

Good, it’s material from this world.

But is it a good product?

Will it work well enough to sell to someone?

This time, I opened a benchmark program to check if the graphics card was performing at its best.

Start.

All kinds of 3D graphics appeared on the screen.

There were bright light sources and chaotic particles, which had no aesthetic value, only for performance testing.

Result.

[ Graphics Score: 14,632 ]

[ CPU Score: 10,841 ]

[ *78% performance compared to the same device ]

The score wasn’t great.

‘Probably because everything except the graphics card and motherboard is old parts.’

I did a quick search on the internet.

As expected, there was no problem with the graphics card.

People who installed 3080ti on old systems like mine also got scores around 14,000.

"Good product, ding ding!"

I’ll put it up for sale right away.

I accessed the Hongdangmu Market and started typing.

[ Selling: 3080ti 12GB Unopened New ]

[ Price: 1,700,000 won ]

The price is slightly lower than the current market price.

Second-hand trading is all about smooth deals.

The computer shop owner also sold me the items at a good price, so we should all help each other.

To write the product description, I checked the warranty card in the box.

Domestic release, genuine product, recent production date.

Okay.

[ It has never been used, and the box is still sealed. It’s not an overseas purchase, and there’s no mining history. The warranty period is almost 3 years. Direct trade at Shinchon Station. ]

I took a few pictures, uploaded them, and clicked the complete button.

Then.

Buzz──

I immediately felt a vibration in my hand.

A 1:1 chat message came in as soon as I posted the listing.

[ Badjoa: Hello? ]

[ Badjoa: Has the item been sold? ]

Just as I was about to reply, a series of popup messages appeared.

[ TimesAhn: I want to buy the graphics card ]

[ HyunJinSooJinDaddy: Hello. Can you modify the price and repost it? About 80. I’ll buy it for the 170 you posted. ]

[ Cocongdak: I want to buy it! I’ll come over today! ]

[ Reminian: Can you lower the price to 160? ]

Messages came from all kinds of people.

"Wow, it’s popular... "

The stress I felt every time I sold second-hand items came back.

People who randomly negotiate.

People who say they’ll come and then don’t show up.

Most of all, the times when I had to bump up the post for days because no one was interested.

This time, it was different.

A hot item, a reasonable price!

Let’s sell it quickly.

Of course, on a first-come, first-served basis.

[ NotreDameBreadShuttle: No, it hasn’t been sold. ]

[ Badjoa: Then I’ll buy it. When can we trade? Is today okay? ]

It was 3 PM.

I wanted to sell it right away, but.

Rumble─

I hadn’t eaten anything all day, and my stomach was in turmoil. My head was also dizzy.

I’m doing this to eat, so let’s eat and then trade.

[ NotreDameBreadShuttle: From 5 PM onwards, it’s available. ]

[ Badjoa: Then I want to trade at 5 PM! ]

[ NotreDameBreadShuttle: Sure, 5 PM, in front of the Glass Bank at Shinchon Station Exit 5. Is that okay? ]

[ Badjoa: Yes! See you later! ]

It’s hard to get a 3080ti, so they seemed eager. Thanks to that, I made a clear appointment.

"Cool trading is so good."

I left a message for the other potential buyers that it was reserved and changed the listing to reserved status.

1.7 million, ugh!

If I do this twice, my income will be better than my monthly salary?

"Productivity is insane."

Let’s eat now.

I’m dying of hunger.

‘What should I eat?’

Should I go to a hangover soup place now?

Or since I made some money, should I try some luxurious delivery food?

Steak? Prawns? Special sushi?

But if I order delivery, I’ll have to wait for a few more minutes.

Rumble─

I feel like I’m going to die right now.

Besides, it’s better to eat such dishes at a restaurant. When you order them, they often turn out to be not so great.

I don’t usually order expensive food, so I don’t know any reliable restaurants.

‘Should I quickly make something?’

I got up from the bed and went to the kitchen.

The house is small, so it only takes a few steps.

But when I opened the refrigerator and the cabinets, there was nothing to eat.

"Damn."

I’ve been living alone for 10 years.

I usually cook a lot.

I started to save on food expenses, but it turned out to be fun, and sometimes it was better than eating out.

However, recently, I’ve been a bit distracted.

With the divorce and resignation, things kept happening, and I had a lot of evening appointments.

I didn’t even realize that the groceries at home were running out.

But fortunately, I found some Osori ramen in the corner of the lower cabinet.

‘A bit disappointing, but... Osori is fine, right?’

I poured water into a pot, turned on the stove, and opened the ramen packet.

Well, ramen is enough.

When you live alone with a tight budget, you realize that convenience foods are great.

Anything is better than not eating.

But today, for some reason, different thoughts started to creep in.

The reason is probably.

"Tam, do you want to come over for a bit?"

My situation, my circumstances, from today, are completely different.

"Do you eat food?"

Tam shook its sunflower-like light stripes.

"Is that a yes?"