How a Disaster-Class Necromancer Retires – Chapter 10
The skeletons, now increased several times over compared to before, were working tirelessly 24 hours a day, producing shoes.
And the existing employees, taking turns to handle the finer details that the skeletons couldn’t manage, were now a part of the busy shoe factory, which had now been renamed Seron Shoes.
Kim Deokbae, looking at the factory in full operation for the first time in a while, said with a look of deep emotion,
“It’s been ages since we’ve been this busy… it’s all thanks to you, Boss.”
“Well, you did all the sales, Mr. Kim.”
“By the way, aren’t we setting the margin too low?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
China had risen to become the world’s largest manufacturer by crushing the manufacturing industries of other countries with unbelievably low prices.
Since there were already successful examples, I had to do the same.
Mass production with low prices was the best way to maximize the advantages of skeletons.
“If we’re going to sell cheap, we have to sell it ridiculously cheap to push hard and make it work.”
Sudden and shocking.
That’s the specialty of the undead.
“See? Thanks to that, we have so much work, right?”
Korean-made shoes, which had a better image than Chinese ones, were even cheaper.
Naturally, buyers from all over the world, including China like Im Yong-gi, came with indifferent expressions, but were shocked by the low price, and when they heard that custom orders were possible, they began ordering new shoes at similar prices. The factory was truly nonstop.
As a result, I increased the number of skeletons accordingly, and the small factory was now producing 9,000 pairs of shoes a day.
“Sell at a low price to increase orders, and when the orders increase, increase the number of skeletons. Repeat this process infinitely. This is how money is made.”
It may have started small, but once it started rolling, it grew exponentially—a snowball effect.
I’m perfectly optimized for this kind of snowball effect.
The undead provide me with infinite labor, as long as they’re not destroyed.
So, even if I have to take the minimum margin, the focus should be on growing the business.
Once the company grows, money will follow automatically.
Moreover, expanding quickly is necessary if we want to do contract production with big brands.
“Sell cheaply in large quantities, then sell even cheaper in larger quantities, and then more, more, more. It’s simple, right?”
“There’s only one person who can say that’s simple, and that’s you, Boss.”
Well, I’ve suffered for 30 years, so I should be able to do this.
Kim Deokbae nodded and said,
“Anyway, I understand. But, according to what you said, even if we run the factory 24 hours, we won’t be able to meet the orders. It seems like it’s time to increase the number of skeletons… but there’s a problem.”
What’s the problem?
I have an overflow of skeletons prepared as backups in the spatial pocket.
At that moment, Kim Deokbae awkwardly gestured to the factory and said,
“There’s no space to deploy additional skeletons.”
“Eh?”
There’s an abundance of labor.
Orders are pouring in.
Seron, which should be ecstatic, was operating perfectly, just like any other normal company.
But the one thing Seron lacked was space.
The factory, which was now filled with 100 skeletons and the existing employees, had reached full capacity.
“Right. There’s no space for more lines.”
“Yes. The factory is completely saturated.”
I hadn’t thought of this.
But is it really a problem?
“We’ll just acquire a new factory, then.”
If there’s not enough space, we’ll just expand it.
“It’s not a bad idea, but should we be more careful?”
“Careful?”
“The main consumers of these low-cost shoes are developing or underdeveloped countries. Right now, everyone’s ordering because they’re excited about cheap Korean shoes, but we don’t know how long this trend will last… What if we acquire another factory and then can’t keep up with the demand, leaving the factory idle? That would be a big problem.”
Kim Deokbae, still clinging to the mindset of a small factory owner, said this.
I chuckled and replied,
“What does it matter?”
“Pardon?”
“Let it idle if it has to. How much could the labor cost possibly be?”
The biggest obstacle in expanding a company is when you grow the business because things are going well, but then a recession hits, and the labor costs for newly hired workers become a burden. But for me, since most of the workers are skeletons, it’s flexible, right?
I can just store them in the spatial pocket.
Of course, there are existing employees, but with the current income, I can easily cover that.
Kim Deokbae nodded blankly and said,
“I see. I’m still not used to it.”
“Anyway, if we want to sign a contract with a big brand, we have to grow the business. Let’s acquire another shoe factory while we’re at it.”
There’s nothing to hesitate about.
When orders explode, we need to expand quickly to make more money, faster.
With a quantity that no one expected, we’ll hit hard and fast.
“Or, we can just rent a factory and buy a cutting machine. If the machinery costs are an issue, we can just have the skeletons do the manual labor.”
“Manual labor?”
“The labor costs are cheaper than machines in my case.”
“Ah, I see.”
“What do you think? Acquisition? Just renting a factory? What seems better to you?”
Kim Deokbae hesitated before answering,
“Personally, I think acquisition would be better. Even though we have skeletons, we still need some personnel to fill the gaps. It would be better if they were already skilled…”
I grinned and said,
“Just say it without holding back. I’m planning to focus only on managing the skeletons and leave the operations to you, Mr. Kim.”
How can I handle that tedious work?
“If we land a big contract, I’ll give you an incentive, so work hard.”
Kim Deokbae bowed and said,
“Thank you, Boss!”
“Please recommend a company that’s up for acquisition.”
“Yes! I’ll look into it right away! Everyone will be happy!”
*
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“Thank you!”
Before being acquired by Seron, shoe factories in similar situations to Kim Deokbae’s factory readily accepted acquisition offers as soon as they were made.
With this, the fourth shoe factory acquisition was complete.
“Not at all.”
It was like a storm had swept through.
Although the factories had suddenly increased, and full 24-hour operations like the first factory were not possible, there was still plenty of stock.
“Alright, then let’s get started with the skeletons…”
“Eek!”
Having seen this scene many times already, I immediately put them to work without any reaction.
I had already upgraded the sewing macro to version 2.3, and now the skeletons worked just like skilled craftsmen.
But even so, the final touch was still my job.
“From here to here… and…”
Each factory had different workbench locations and movement lines.
After completing the basic setup, I spoke to Kim Deokbae’s subordinate, who had come with him.
“Please take care of the rest.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Now, if this employee teaches the staff how to work alongside the skeletons, the setup would be complete.
“Ugh. Now I can go home and rest…”
But just then, I received a call from Kim Deokbae.
“…Ah.”
I let out a deep sigh.
“Yes, it’s me.”
-“Uh… Boss.”
“Go ahead.”
-“We’ve received an order, and it seems we’ll need to adjust production lines accordingly…”
Sewing and cutting could be done according to set lines, so this part had already reached a decent level, but the skeletons just repeated the actions based on the commands they were given.
This meant that if a new order came in with changes like different decorations, I would have to step in personally.
The problem was, as the factory grew and orders increased, the places I had to visit also increased.
“I’m in Chungcheongdo right now.”
-“I’m sorry, but this is a rather large order…”
“Sigh.”
What can I do?
I started this, so I have to take care of it.
“I’m on my way.”
-“I’m sorry, Boss.”
After ending the call, I muttered to myself.
“This is a problem.”
It wasn’t just my own exhaustion; Kim Deokbae had gone through the trouble of securing the order, but now he was apologizing and asking for adjustments.
“If this goes on, both sides are going to burn out.”
People who always carefully ask for detailed adjustments and me, who can’t refuse them.
If this continues, they might miss design revisions while trying to be considerate, and accidents could happen. And above all, I know myself well.
If I keep pushing too hard, my irritation will explode, and I’ll retire soon, abandoning everything.
“…I need to lighten the load.”
But how?
“Should I take on an apprentice?”
What if I teach someone magic to work for me?
But even that wasn’t easy.
“Damn. I’d spend all my time training an apprentice.”
It takes a long time and a lot of effort from a master to get one mage to perform their duties properly.
Because of that, mages didn’t easily take on apprentices, and the threshold became even higher, with potential apprentices enduring all kinds of strange challenges to become one.
Bribes were basic, along with menial tasks, and even things too terrible to mention.
Anyway, trying to lighten the load only ends up adding more burdens.
Moreover, if magic suddenly came into play while I was known as an Awakened one, it would just draw more attention in an already noticed situation.
Magic, unlike Awakening, could be improved through effort, so people who hadn’t awakened might flip out and rush to me, begging to be accepted as apprentices.
“Pass. This is too troublesome.”
So is there no way?
A way to lighten my load.
“I just need to set up the basic framework and have someone handle the detailed adjustments for me… huh?”
At that moment, I noticed the computer being used in the office of the recently acquired factory.
“…Wait a minute, this is no different from a program.”
Programs that follow commands.
And the people who write the commands that make these programs run are called programmers.
In other words, I’m like a necromancer-programmer.
But that doesn’t mean only programmers can use computers.
What makes a program a program is that it’s made to be easy to use and provided to everyone, so many people use it to interact with and enjoy computers.
That means, even though they don’t know the commands, they can still handle and make use of the computer.
I said with a spark in my eyes,
“Wait a minute… If I combine this with Skeleton Mage…”
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“Huff.”
A man took a deep breath and muttered with his eyes closed.
“Hello, I’m Baek Sangho! I’m 30 years old, and I… I… Ahhh!”
Baek Sangho, tearing his hair out, said,
“What am I doing, I’m almost there!”
The taxi driver, glancing at him, asked,
“Is this a job interview?”
Baek Sangho, with an awkward expression, replied,
“Ah, yes. Haha.”
“What kind of job is it?”
“I’m a programmer.”
“Oh!”
The taxi driver exclaimed with surprise.
“Programmer! They say it’s easy to get a job in that field. They say IT companies are competing to hire them.”
“Ah…”
This was one of the most common misconceptions people had about programmers.
Although big IT companies did try to hire programmers, what they wanted were skilled, high-level programmers who could jump into the job immediately, not the half-learned, makeshift ones who had just taken a computer course.
But not knowing this, many people fell for the idea that programming had good job prospects, paid expensive tuition fees, studied, only to crash in front of the harsh reality.
And Baek Sangho was one of those who had crashed.
But of course, he couldn’t just tell this to the taxi driver.
“Well… that’s what they say.”
The taxi driver laughed and said,
“Haha, my son is also studying programming. I hope he gets good results.”
At this, Baek Sangho flinched and asked,
“…Is he attending an academy?”
“Yes. He’s attending a famous academy in Gangnam. What was it? Better Computer? He’s taking the C course there.”
Baek Sangho, in a quiet voice, said,
“An underclassman.”
“An underclassman?”
“Yes. I graduated from that academy’s C course.”
The taxi driver, pleased, said,
“Really? Wow. If you don’t mind, could you tell me which company you’re going for the interview at? My son is about to graduate soon.”
“Ah…”
Baek Sangho, thinking for a moment, was about to answer when the taxi driver said,
“Oh? We’re here.”
Arriving at the address Baek Sangho had given, the taxi driver read the company name visible outside the window.
“Corporation… Seron?”
It was shabby and small, the epitome of a so-called “small-time” company.
Sensing something, the taxi driver asked in a quiet voice,
“…Is this the place?”
“…Yes.”
“Really?”
Denying the reality, the taxi driver asked.
“Well, the salary is high, though.”
Baek Sangho responded to the taxi driver’s surprise,
“Still, the salary is high.”
After a brief silence, the taxi driver awkwardly smiled and said,
“Well, good luck with the interview.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Baek Sangho got out of the taxi.
As the taxi drove away, Baek Sangho could hear the taxi driver shouting,
“Hey, you jerk! Do you think I paid that expensive tuition so you could go there!? Just quit! Quit and find something else!”
Hearing this, Baek Sangho muttered quietly,
“Seriously, the salary is high, though.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Seron’s starting salary for new employees was a whopping 5,000.
It wasn’t a salary you could easily get at a small company.
That’s why Baek Sangho, who had been desperate, clung to the last hope and came here.
With a determined expression, Baek Sangho said,
“I will definitely pass! Definitely!”
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“Baek Sangho!”
At the sound of his name, Baek Sangho entered the interview room with a nervous expression.
“Please sit.”
Sitting down, Baek Sangho lowered his head and said,
“Thank you in advance!”
The young man sitting in the middle, with a disinterested expression, placed his index finger on his lips and said,
“Shh.”
“Ah, yes.”
After briefly scanning Baek Sangho’s resume, the man looked up and said,
“Resumes are all pretty much the same. Do you like games by any chance?”
Games?
Baek Sangho frantically thought to himself, wondering if saying he was good at games would help or if saying he wasn’t would be more advantageous.
‘Young man. He must be the Awakened boss Han Jihyuk, right? And games…’
In fact, Baek Sangho was more confident than anyone when it came to games.
‘Right. He’s a young boss. Let’s go for it.’
“I love them! A lot!”
“Oh? Is that so? What kinds of games do you like?”
“I like all types of games!”
The other person was already a young, successful, and wealthy man.
Thinking he might impress him with his love for games, Baek Sangho desperately started to sell himself.
“Whenever I play games, 2,000 hours is just the baseline, so I’ve been called a pro gamer a lot!”
“Do you like games where you make and manage things, like simulation games or game creation?”
Simulation games and game creation!
This was exactly what Baek Sangho was most confident in.
Excited, he said,
“They’re my favorite games! I feel the most satisfaction when I use limited resources to optimize efficiency! And creation is practically my specialty!”
At that moment, Han Jihyuk’s eyes lit up.
“Creation is your specialty? Do you have something to show?”
“I have a video I made. Would you like to see it?”
“Bring it over.”
Baek Sangho, playfully showing a masterpiece he had uploaded to a video site, explained,
“This game originally lets you freely combine parts to create golems and fight enemies, but I wasn’t satisfied with just that, so I made a plane and made it float in the sky.”
It was a masterpiece Baek Sangho had created during his time as an unemployed person, being called a true pro gamer.
Although it couldn’t win because it couldn’t defeat enemies in the sky, for a pro gamer, what mattered was the fun and creativity, not the win or loss.
“Wow!”
Han Jihyuk’s eyes shone as he said,
“So, you usually make golems with small parts, but you made a plane with it? Precise control and concentration. Nice.”
“Yes! The game has a very detailed physics engine, so I added a motor to the golem’s arm to generate thrust… Ah.”
Baek Sangho, excitedly explaining his masterpiece, suddenly froze.
‘Did I get too carried away? I hope he doesn’t think it looks too trivial and rejects me…’
Then, Han Jihyuk’s voice came through.
“You’re hired! Definitely hired!”
An immediate acceptance in the middle of the interview.
Baek Sangho bowed 90 degrees and said,
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Start tomorrow!”
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Finally, Baek Sangho, who had graduated from being unemployed, hugged his mother tearfully.
Since he had applied for a position as a programmer, he had expected to receive a computer, so he arrived at the company, excited. But when he saw what was in front of him, he said with a blank expression,
“What… is this?”
It was a large plate made of bones, covered with various buttons and levers that seemed to be for control, with a skull attached to the front.
“This is a computer.”
“A… computer? This?”
It looked like a skeleton had been squished into the shape of a rectangular plate, and this was a computer?
“To be exact, it’s a skeleton control console. Let me show you.”
Han Jihyuk manipulated the skeleton control console, speaking as he did.
“Look. Now, this skeleton will spin to the right and then raise its left hand.”
“…What?”
While Baek Sangho was still in a daze, Han Jihyuk pressed a button on the console.
Then, the skeleton really spun to the right and raised its left hand.
“Did you see that?”
“Well… I saw it, but…”
“You can control this skeleton with it, you know?”
Han Jihyuk smiled brightly and said,
“I’ll show you how to operate it, and I want you to make the national exercise with this skeleton, within a week.”
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