How a Disaster-Class Necromancer Retires – Chapter 13
“Haah.”
Roco’s CEO, Andrew, sighed deeply and said,
“Is this all we can increase?”
The factory that had gone on temporary shutdown due to the coup was one of Roco’s key factories, producing half a million shoes a month.
Naturally, for a rapidly growing company like Roco, a shortage in production was a catastrophic event.
So, the first thing Roco decided to do to fill the gap was to increase the production at one of its other OEM factories.
But it wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
“They’re already running at full capacity, so to increase output, the manufacturers are insisting that we need to hire additional staff.”
If the additional demand had come from a normal increase in orders, the manufacturers would have been fighting over the opportunity to take the job, as adding more production lines would mean more money for them.
But all the manufacturers knew.
Once this crisis passed, the extra 500,000 units would disappear like a mirage.
Naturally, no manufacturer would want to hire more staff and set up new production lines for just one or two months of extra work.
“We need to make these shoes, whether it’s through shift work or whatever!”
“But if we do that, the unit cost will rise…”
“Damn it! How can they claim to run a business and only think about their convenience?!”
Andrew tried to control his anger as he said,
“So, how much can we increase production?”
“Combining all the existing manufacturers, we can manage about 200,000 units.”
They had managed to solve the issue of 200,000 units with the existing factories, but the remaining 300,000 units could only be filled by finding a new factory.
“What about the factory in Fujian, China?”
So, they turned to a shoe factory in China.
It was a factory that made shoes for other well-known brands through OEM, with a monthly production capacity of over a million shoes.
A factory of this scale should have been able to easily fill the shortage for Roco.
But…
“Well… their minimum contract period is six months, and they’re asking for a guaranteed quantity of 200,000 units per month.”
Andrew looked shocked.
“Six months? 200,000 units? Are they out of their minds?”
Not only was it ridiculous to ask for a guaranteed 200,000 units per month, but six months was just too much.
If the coup ended early, Roco would have to carry the burden of those guaranteed quantities.
If the currently shut-down factory resumed operations early, they’d have to produce an extra 200,000 guaranteed units for the remaining contract period.
“That’s the only way they’ll convince the makers and set up the lines…”
Makers, of course, want the manufacturer to focus solely on their own products.
While there was some reason in the manufacturer’s request to persuade the makers, in an industry where OEMs were commonplace, large manufacturers often accepted orders from several brands simultaneously. Moreover, the proposal itself was excessive.
Andrew, his face turning red with anger, said,
“This is just an opportunity, isn’t it? These bastards…”
Normally, makers would hold the upper hand, but with the factory closed due to the coup, Roco wasn’t the only one looking for a replacement factory.
Other makers with factories there were also scrambling to find alternatives, so the one in trouble right now was Roco.
Naturally, manufacturers were actively taking advantage of this situation to their benefit.
“What about the factory in Jinjiang?”
Andrew then mentioned another factory in Jinjiang, China.
“They agreed to a 3-month contract period, but again, they’re asking for an increased guaranteed quantity.”
They were desperately in need of a factory right now, but if they kept going like this, they’d end up just bickering over the contract.
Of course, there were some factories that accepted Roco’s conditions, but they were either quality-challenged, small and struggling companies, or new factories.
Reliable factories were playing hard to get, and the ones jumping at the opportunity seemed entirely unreliable.
“Damn! We need at least 70,000 units more by next week!”
Especially with the closed factory responsible for handling European orders, the situation was even more serious.
Europe was Roco’s second most important market after the U.S., and they had been intensively advertising there, and it was finally starting to show results. But now, they might not be able to sell because of a shortage of stock.
Just imagining it sent a chill down Andrew’s spine.
Then, an executive, who had been deep in thought, spoke up.
“Mr. CEO, have you seen this video?”
“Video?”
The executive pulled out his phone and showed it to Andrew.
“Here it is.”
“What kind of video… Huh?”
The skeletons were working along a production line, stitching and applying adhesive to make shoes.
“What is this? Is it fake?”
“It’s not fake, it’s real. It’s a Korean Awakener, one who can summon skeletons in large numbers. Apparently, they’ve recently been running a shoe factory using these skeletons.”
Andrew looked utterly bewildered.
“So, this is a real video? They’re running a shoe factory with summoned creatures? What on earth… And why are you showing me this video now?”
“Roco Korea sent over the results of a meeting with this factory, and the details were quite interesting.”
“Let me see.”
Andrew took the proposal and looked at it with disbelief.
“A one-month contract with automatic extensions? No need for guaranteed quantities, and if there’s a quality drop or defects, they’ll pay double the cost as compensation? Are they out of their minds?”
While everyone else was jumping on the opportunity to offer better terms, these guys were presenting some of the worst terms themselves.
And then…
“And this delivery price… Did they make a mistake here?”
“I was going to mention that. According to Roco Korea, they’re able to offer this price because the skeletons handle the work, making labor costs nearly zero.”
“So, this price is real?”
They’re using skeletons to attract attention and deliver at a price that’s almost unbelievable.
Having seen countless shoe factories, Andrew had never come across one so unique and attention-grabbing.
“Are they just cranking out products? Even if they’re summoned creatures, can they really make shoes instead of humans?”
“We checked the sample, and the quality was acceptable.”
“Who’s to say whether the sample was made by skeletons or humans? How many times have we seen cases where a product looks great in the sample, but mass production turns into a disaster?”
“Still, the terms are good. Don’t you think it might be worth trying? They’re offering double the compensation if the quality drops, so we wouldn’t lose anything on our end.”
“Well… I guess that’s true. What’s the size of the factory?”
“The Awakener has acquired a total of five shoe factories, and before the acquisition, each factory’s monthly production capacity was around 5,000 to 10,000 units at full capacity. After skeletons were introduced, production reportedly skyrocketed, but we don’t have exact numbers yet.”
“Let’s assume the maximum and say each factory can produce 10,000 units. That’s only 50,000 units. Even with the skeletons, it would be a stretch to get 70,000… Maybe 100,000 at most?”
Andrew said, nonchalantly and without much hope.
“Well, there’s no harm in trying. Let’s just place an order for about 10,000 units. If the quality is awful, at least we’ll have made some pocket money.”
*
read only on pindangscans
support me : https.//ko-fi.com/pindangscans
*
“Boss! We’ve received an order for 10,000 pairs from Roco!”
This is it!
“What about the materials?”
“They’re easily available in the market. We can get them as soon as we order.”
Great.
“Let’s start by making the macro first.”
I placed the raw materials order and immediately began the adjustment work.
The design was unique, but in the end, they were just shoes for people—how different could they be?
Having already created many different shoe macros, this was nothing for me.
“How’s it look!?”
Kim Deokbae, after checking the finished product, said,
“The front width is too narrow. You need to sew it a bit more loosely.”
“Okay!”
Having handled shoes so many times, I was completely used to it. Even though this was a new design, I finished the adjustments in just two hours.
I smiled and said,
“Great. Now we just need to copy this.”
“Then should we stop the other lines and focus on Roco’s order first?”
“Why bother? It’s all the same money. We can do them simultaneously. We have plenty of skeletons.”
Unlike the transport-type skeletons, all I had to do was stand them up, so I had made plenty of them as backups.
“But the machines won’t keep up with that speed.”
“Machines?”
“Yes. The sewing is fine, but we still need to press the parts into shape, and the machines are already running at full capacity…”
The principle of the machine was very simple.
Just like stamping cookies, when the fabric is placed into the mold, the machine uses pressure to press the material into the shape of the mold.
Making the molds wasn’t difficult, but the machines would take a long time to arrive if we had to buy secondhand ones.
I shrugged and said,
“What’s the big deal? If we don’t have one, we’ll make it.”
A simple machine that just presses with pressure? That’s no challenge.
“Yes?”
I reached out, and backup bones fell from the pocket dimension.
Following my gestures, the bones began to form into a shape resembling a machine.
In no time, a skeleton similar to a press machine was completed.
“Tada! The press skeleton is complete!”
I walked up to the skeleton, pressed its head down, and it pressed with a heavy, mechanical force.
“With a steel plate under it, the job is exactly the same as the machine, right?”
Kim Deokbae stared, wide-eyed.
“Y-yeah.”
“Let’s order as many steel plates as we need for the machines.”
“But if we order steel plates to match the press skeleton’s size, it will take time to make…”
“Just buy pre-made ones in any size. Why bother matching the steel plate size to the machine? We’ll match the steel plate to the machine’s size.”
“Ah…”
“What else do we need?”
Kim Deokbae, sweating nervously, said,
“We need space. All the factories, including here, don’t have enough space…”
We had the workers and machines ready, but now all we needed was a place to work.
“Then let’s use the Seron warehouse.”
The warehouse at the Seron headquarters, where we distributed transport-type skeletons.
Of course, it was completely empty at the moment.
“Making things in an unregistered manufacturing location is illegal…”
“Heh.”
I shrugged and said,
“I already got it registered. I asked the tax agent, and they did it in two hours.”
I had already prepared everything to lure in a maker, including making sure we were legally clean by completing the manufacturing registration.
“Anything else we need?”
“…I think that’s it.”
“Okay!”
Once the raw materials and steel plates arrive, I’ll unleash all the backup skeletons and finish everything in the shortest time possible.
I said, my eyes shining,
“Great! Let’s finish this in one go!”
*
read only on pindangscans
support me : https.//ko-fi.com/pindangscans
*
“Hoo. At least, I could compromise by reducing the guaranteed quantity…”
Andrew, who was holding an emergency strategy meeting to find a substitute factory as usual, spoke.
But then.
“Huh…?”
An executive who had mentioned Seron looked at his phone with a puzzled expression and spoke.
“Already?”
Andrew turned to the executive.
“What happened again?”
“Well… the factory that makes shoes with skeletons.”
“Ah.”
Andrew recalled the order for 10,000 pairs placed the day before without much thought.
“What’s wrong? They can’t do it? They say they can’t meet the price? Or do they want to change the contract?”
Andrew, having seen countless factories that acted confident but then made excuses after the contract was signed, had no expectations at all for Seron.
“Tell them we can’t change the contract…”
“No, it’s not that. They’ve made everything.”
It usually takes a significant amount of time just to switch production lines or expand, let alone train employees for a completely new design. Yet they claimed to have made everything already?
The executive handed over his phone.
“Here’s the email from Roco Korea.”
Andrew took the phone with a skeptical look and said.
“I’m sure they made a half-hearted attempt and will come up with an excuse… huh?”
Attached were photos of the finished products.
But.
“…What?”
The shoes were decent.
They weren’t exceptional enough to be called masterpieces, but they were well-made, and clearly marketable products.
Andrew flipped through the photos with a dazed expression and said.
“This one… and this one?”
“Also, take a look at the message from Roco Korea staff below.”
“Inspection results: all 10,000 pairs have been deemed acceptable…”
“Wait, they really made 10,000 pairs of good-quality shoes in just one day!?”
It was generally expected that a new design would take time for line changes, setup, and employee training. The other Roco OEM factories had just begun setting up their production lines.
Yet these shoes were made in a single day, and all of them were of good quality.
“At this price, this quality, and this speed? Is this really possible?”
The shock, amplified by the lack of any expectations, hit him hard.
“Could it be a scam? Maybe they’re in on it together with Roco Korea? This doesn’t make sense…”
Andrew immediately called Roco Korea’s representative.
-“Yes! Kim Hakki, Department Head…”
“This is Andrew, the CEO.”
-“Oh! CEO!”
“I’ve seen the email. Can you show me the products now?”
-“Y-yes! I’ll show them immediately!”
Andrew switched to a video call and began inspecting the shoes.
“Flip it over. Get a close-up there.”
After confirming the finished products for a while, Andrew spoke with a stunned expression.
“It’s real?”
The “Made in Korea” label on the shoes was the proof.
Since Roco didn’t have any factories in Korea.
“…Good job.”
-“Not at all! CEO!”
After ending the call, Andrew still couldn’t believe it.
“How is this possible? No, what…?”
Then the executive spoke with shining eyes.
“Maybe this is an opportunity?”
“An opportunity?”
“Not only is the price great, but they made 10,000 pairs of good-quality shoes in just one day. That means they can handle even larger quantities. And this is from a factory with no guaranteed quantity, just a one-month contract.”
The news was so shocking that Andrew briefly lost his focus, but he quickly realized what this meant.
“…They could fill the gap? And do it overwhelmingly cheaply and quickly?”
“Yes.”
After some thought, Andrew spoke.
“Let’s go ahead and order the remaining 60,000 pairs for next week. This time, with multiple models, we should be able to test it more thoroughly.”
He wanted to test whether this was a fluke or not.
Since any defects could be compensated under the contract, there was no real risk.
If this order was completed perfectly, it would fully cover the shortages for next week.
“And ask them how much they can produce at maximum capacity.”
“If the next batch also comes out good, what will you do?”
“What else, I’ll make full use of them.”
It was far more advantageous than getting tied down by contract periods and guaranteed quantities with other manufacturers.
Andrew said with an expression of anticipation.
“I really hope they make it well…”
*
read only on pindangscans
support me : https.//ko-fi.com/pindangscans
*
“60,000 pairs? With 7 different models?”
Kim Deokbae nodded and said.
“They probably want to test it.”
“Still unsure? Well, testing is free, after all.”
“They also inquired about the maximum production capacity.”
I smiled.
“Looks like they’re starting to bite.”
At first, they were indifferent, but after tasting it, they began to wonder what it was.
But this was just the beginning.
One bite leads to two, and two leads to ten.
“Anyway, 60,000 pairs…”
Although it would take time to adjust with many models, the amount could be finished in a few days if we ran the skeletons at full capacity 24/7.
But that wouldn’t be overwhelming enough.
They were already asking about our maximum production capacity.
So, without even speaking, we needed to show them through action.
I picked up my phone and called Mr. Park.
-“Yes! Boss!”
Mr. Park, who had now firmly established himself in the market as my dedicated bone procurement agent, answered.
“Mr. Park, we need a huge amount of bones.”
-“Bipedal ones? Of a similar size?”
We had traded so much that no words were needed.
“Yes.”
-“Understood. I’ll pack fresh ones, one per bag, and send them over.”
Once packed, they were just a gesture away from being skeletons.
“Thank you.”
-“Yes! Leave it to me!”
After finishing the call, I smirked and said.
“Order as much as you want. I’ll show you what insane quantities really mean.”
*
*
*
—
read only on pindangscans
support me : https.//ko-fi.com/pindangscans