"This can't be real."

My eyes were shaking violently as I looked at the ledger.

Bok Man-chun, noticing my reaction, spoke up.

"If you look here, you'll see..."

The moment he opened the ledger, a flood of numbers appeared.

I understood what I could, and skipped over what I couldn't.

In the end, the conclusion was this:

"... Even if I wanted to eat and die, there's nothing left. There's not a single penny to spare."

Bang! I slammed the table with my palm in disbelief.

"Does this make sense? The inheritance I received isn't just a few coins. Are you saying all that money is gone?"

The vast inheritance left by Old Man Heo.

It wasn't originally my money, but since Cheongcheon handed over the will and rights to me, it was now my hard-earned money.

And now, Bok Man-chun was telling me that my precious money was gone.

"Could this guy have embezzled it in the middle...?"

As my eyes narrowed at Bok Man-chun, who was quick to catch on due to his long years as a wanderer, he jumped up.

"I swear I didn't take any of it! It's all because we invested in businesses. Didn't you tell me to invest aggressively in various businesses before?"

"I did say that before, but this is still unbelievable."

"Sir, please think carefully."

Bok Man-chun protested with a face full of grievance.

"When Old Man Heo was alive, we closed the biggest income source, the moneylending business, and shut down all the profitable brothels. We also stopped all illegal activities. Now, where would the money come from?"

"..."

"All we have left are legitimate businesses like inns, restaurants, taverns, blacksmiths, and trade guilds and escort agencies that we only set up to save on taxes. These weren't our main businesses, so we need to expand them. You agree with this, right?"

"Hmm, well."

Listening to him, I found his words made sense, so I nodded with my arms crossed.

Bok Man-chun brought a few documents and waved them in front of me.

"Look at this. Recently, we bought a shop in a prime location called Jamryong Restaurant, and we also bought a large estate in front of Cheongryong Academy. Setting up a new blacksmith shop cost a lot of money too. That old man, he has great skills but only buys ridiculously expensive equipment!"

"... He is a bit like that."

Recalling Wi Ji-yeol, who insisted that excellent craftsmen must use good tools, I couldn't help but sigh.

Bok Man-chun, seeing my reaction, spoke confidently.

"Spare money in this situation? We've started so many things that we actually need to get investments."

"Surely..."

"Don't worry. I'm not the kind of person who would borrow money and start a business without your permission."

At his shameless answer, I sighed and looked at him.

"For someone like that, you've completely emptied the storeroom."

"Sir, I swear on my wife and children, there's not a single unprofitable investment among these."

Bok Man-chun leaned towards me with a serious face.

"Sir, I'm confident. Once the businesses here are firmly established, I want to properly set up the trade guild and bring trustworthy friends to create an escort agency. Of course, I won't do it without your permission."

Bok Man-chun, who seemed thirsty, gulped down the tea in front of him and continued.

"The inheritance you received is a lot of money. Even if you just leave it with the Central Plains Bank and live off the interest, you could live comfortably for a lifetime. If that's what you want, I'll sell everything. We can still recover the principal now."

"..."

I looked Bok Man-chun straight in the eye.

He certainly had the temperament of a businessman.

He invested generously in the present for the sake of greater future profits, rather than focusing on small immediate gains.

"He's not the type to run away with the money."

Since our visit to the wanderer market, I trusted his character and entrusted him with the management of the inheritance and businesses I received.

"Though it's a bit surprising that it turned out like this..."

Bok Man-chun's eyes were burning with ambition to succeed as a merchant.

After a short silence, I organized my thoughts and asked.

"Chief Bok, so how long do you think it will take for the business to turn a profit?"

At my question, a bright smile appeared on Bok Man-chun's lips.

"It will take a year to recover all the investment! After that, we'll be sitting on a pile of money!"

A year, huh.

It might be a bit difficult for now, but considering the profits we could earn afterward, it was a time I could endure.

I nodded and said.

"Alright. Proceed as planned. I'll continue to trust and leave it to you, Chief Bok."

"Thank you. You won't regret it!"

"And about the trade guild and escort agency you're preparing."

"Yes!"

"Let's give them new names while we're at it."

"Do you have a name in mind?"

I nodded with a smile.

"The trade guild will be Baekryong Trade Guild. The escort agency will be Baekryong Escort Agency."

Although the establishment of Baekryong Academy was out of reach, it didn't seem bad to give the trade guild and escort agency the same name.

"Baekryong Trade Guild... It sounds like a name that could become the best trade guild in the Central Plains someday."

Bok Man-chun seemed to like the name as he laughed heartily.

"So, because of this and that... all my sources of money are blocked now?"

"... Hmm?"

"No way..."

Myeong Il-oh, who was listening to the story while eating and drinking the alcohol and meat I bought, had a stiff expression, and anxiety seeped in.

Guys, it's too late for that.

"So, what I'm saying is."

Swoosh.

I put my arms around the shoulders of the two to prevent them from escaping and smiled.

"Do you guys have any money?"

"Cough! Cough! Are you a thug?!"

"I wondered why you suddenly bought us drinks... Was it to collect money?"

Ahn Yeon-ho choked on his drink, and Myeong Il-oh put down the snack he was eating and looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"Please, lend me some. I'll pay you back when I get my monthly salary next month."

"No, where would we have money?"

"Uh, we're not doing well financially these days either..."

The two tried to get up and sneak away, but I tightened my grip on their shoulders.

Then, I looked sharply at their money pouches.

"Why are you acting like this? One of you is from the prestigious Shandong Ahn family, and Myeong Il-oh is from a wealthy family that runs an escort agency, right?"

Hanging out with them often, I got to know their family situations and financial conditions well.

A moment later, the two, whose money pouches had become as light as feathers, had tearful expressions.

"Sob. You're not even human..."

"There's nothing left to take, and you're taking the tiny salary of a new instructor..."

I patted the now bulging money pouch and smiled brightly at them.

"Come on, I'll treat you today, so eat as much as you want. Should I order more drinks and snacks?"

"Order what? It's all bought with our money!"

"... My father warned me that making the wrong friends would ruin me, and I should have listened..."

After lamenting their fate for a while, the two eventually ordered more drinks and snacks.

Since their pockets were already empty, they decided to eat and drink until they were drunk.

"... You guys, you have to go to work tomorrow. Is this okay?"

I raised the question, but it seemed they couldn't hear me as they were already deep into drinking.

"I don't care~"

"Work? Eat this!"

Human greed is endless, and they repeat the same mistakes.

These guys will suffer from hangovers all day tomorrow and get scolded by the senior instructor, regretting today's drinking session.

And tomorrow, they'll come out to drink again.

"Hahaha! Let's eat and die today!"

"Brother! Let's call Miss Jegal too!"

I looked at the two getting drunk with a satisfied gaze.

"Geez... Where did all these fools gather from..."

A while later, Jegal So-young, who joined after finishing overtime, as usual, started drinking quietly at first, then naturally began to drink straight from the bottle.

After downing several bottles in an instant, her face turned red, and she suddenly started cursing her senior instructor, Namgung Soo.

"He's really a crazy guy!"

...

It seems everyone has a lot of pent-up frustration from work.

Anyway, I was able to get significant financial help from Jegal So-young as well.

"So, because of this and that..."

"You don't have money...?"

After roughly listening to my story, Jegal So-young, with tears in her eyes (why?), handed over her entire money pouch, saying, "This isn't much, but please use it..."

Of course, being a person with conscience and common sense, I didn't do the shameless thing of taking the entire money pouch from a drunk person.

I only took half and returned it.

"Miss, keep this."

"... Money? Wow! Are you giving me pocket money? Hehe. Thank you..."

Receiving the money pouch with both hands and bowing her head, her face turned red.

My conscience pricked me, and I cleared my throat.

"... Ahem. You won't remember even if I tell you now, but I'll definitely repay the money I borrowed from you."

"Hehe! Thank you!"

"Wait a minute! What about our money?"

"Let's skip the trivial stuff."

"Hahaha! Drink more!"

The drinking party gradually turned into a mess, and my money pouch became thicker.

But I couldn't just be happy about it.

"This is far from enough."

The money I borrowed (?) from the three was quite a bit, but it was impossible to buy the level of elixirs I needed right now with this money.

Moreover, I also had to buy the equipment and materials Wi Ji-yeol requested.

"There are many places to spend money, but no place to earn it."

The inheritance from Old Man Heo was all being used as investment funds for business expansion, and I hadn't even received my instructor's salary yet.

In fact, as a newcomer, it wasn't much.

All I had now was a large estate, my body, and two disciples who lived and ate at my house without paying.

"Sigh."

"Why are you sighing?"

"I'm sighing because there are many places to spend money, but no place to earn it."

As I sighed deeply over money worries, Myeong Il-oh, whose face was flushed from the alcohol, scratched his chin and spoke.

"Brother, if you're in such a hurry for money, why not try private tutoring? It might be hard to find time, but..."

"Private tutoring?"

When I looked at him as if I was hearing the term for the first time, Myeong Il-oh was surprised.

"Literally, it's one-on-one martial arts instruction for a fee. With the title of Cheongryong Academy instructor, there should be quite a few people wanting to learn."

"Oh? Come to think of it, the entrance exam for Cheongryong Academy is in just a month. The entrance exam preparation class should be in full swing now."

Ahn Yeon-ho, who was half-lying on the table, also raised his head and added a word.

"Oh, I see...!"

Why didn't I think of that sooner?

I asked Myeong Il-oh for more details about private tutoring.

"Have you done tutoring? How does it usually work?"

The answer came from Jegal So-young.

Her voice was slightly slurred from the alcohol.

"Usually, it's twice a week, about an hour per session. The fee is either per session or once a month. I don't really recommend it, though..."

"Is there a reason you don't recommend it?"

Jegal So-young pouted her lips and said.

"Private tutoring is mostly done by the children of high-ranking officials or wealthy families, so the kids are a bit..."

"Rude?"

"Yes. I tried it a few times when I was at Cheonmu Academy..."

I listened to Jegal So-young's story and fell into thought.

Doing private tutoring itself isn't very difficult.

The problem is whether I can earn enough money from it...

I asked honestly.

"How much is the tutoring fee?"

"It varies. In this field, the treatment of instructors is vastly different, so the average doesn't mean much..."

"I'm not interested in the average."

I'm curious about the highest treatment in the industry.

"What about someone like Namgung Soo?"

When I suddenly mentioned Namgung Soo, Jegal So-young widened her eyes.

Namgung Soo was not only her senior instructor but also the only top instructor at Cheongryong Academy.

Naturally, his tutoring fee would be the highest.

"If it's Brother Namgung... he could probably get over three hundred silver coins per person per month?"

"... Three hundred coins?"

My eyes widened.

One hundred silver coins is enough for an ordinary family to live for a year.

Three hundred coins is three times that.

Earning that much money just by teaching martial arts for a month, twice a week?

I clicked my tongue, recalling Namgung Soo's cold face.

"Huh. He had a face without greed, but he was really money-hungry."

Anyway, this is good.

I was worried about how to earn the money needed to buy the elixirs for improving the Reverse Heaven Divine Art and the equipment and materials needed for the blacksmith shop.

A satisfied smile appeared on my lips.

"If I charge that much for tutoring, I can earn enough as I want."

"Brother, as Miss Jegal said, new instructors don't get much..."

"What are you talking about?"

I looked at the three with an expression that said I didn't understand.

"Of course, I'm planning to charge more than Namgung Soo."

"What?"

"How does that make sense..."

"Who would pay that much to a new instructor!"

The three looked at me with shocked faces.

I smiled at them.

"Money? I'll make them pay."

The next morning, I went around the city with my two disciples, posting flyers everywhere.