Chapter 23
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Baridegi's Domain (6)
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There was no sensation of being grabbed, but the inside of my hand tingled faintly.
It felt like a thin membrane had been draped over it.
Baridegi's form looked at me one last time.
"Since it's meant for the dead, using it too long will eat away at you."
I nodded.
"I know."
But I've got an extra life force bar from my past life!
There was nothing to fear.
With those words, the form fell silent and said no more.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the night air again.
In my hand were three gold coins.
And over them hung a distinct sensation.
A transparent, lightweight film.
It felt like a winged garment.
When I moved my hand, the air sliced thinly apart.
And when I opened my eyes fully, I was standing before everyone.
Yoo Han-seong and the others were all looking at me with admiring eyes.
Gong Seo-yun whistled and shouted.
"You actually cleared it? Even for a mental dungeon, that's a first, right? Impressive, Jin Hari."
"Ahaha. I got lucky."
I replied like that, then clenched and unclenched my fist, testing the feel of the skill.
Baridegi's Domain.
The treasure that lets me grow and harvest everything needed for special potion-making right from my own hands!
I finally got it.
Instinctively, I swung my hand.
In that moment, a square domain unfurled on the ground.
It was wide enough for one person to sit in.
Glowing white earth.
So small, yet it seemed all the more precious for it.
At the same time, a notification popped up in everyone's view.
You have entered Baridegi's Domain!
Purify yourself with a bath and prepare to depart for the afterlife!
Until departure, this place nullifies all attacks for 1 minute!
Everyone stared down at that white square.
The cramped, fragile-looking space.
A brief silence fell.
Then Hyun I-seo pushed up his glasses with a finger and said awkwardly.
"If the apocalypse hits and we save one baby, we'll leave it with you."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"...For one minute."
Suddenly, someone bit their lip to stifle a laugh. A tiny sound came from up in the tree.
"Pfft."
Even you, Yu Hee.
I looked up at Yu Hee, then shot Hyun I-seo a playful glare.
And I said,
"I'm satisfied."
"With this?"
"That's not all it does."
Everyone's gazes shifted back to the notification.
An additional explanation appeared.
While the domain is open, plants growing in this land become spirit herbs, and animals become spirit beasts.
A moment of stillness passed.
It was an explanation that sounded like a scam.
But soon, realistic calculations would follow.
The fact that maintaining the domain continuously drained mana.
And the fact that I was F-rank.
'F-ranks don't have much mana.'
It was right to judge it as a pretty but empty peach.
I smiled under their peculiar gazes.
While sensing the faint, steady presence emanating from my earring, unknown to anyone else.
"With this, I'll grow tons of spirit herbs and make lots of great potions!"
A silence fell at my words.
Soon, a few sighed. Some gave me odd, amused looks. Lee Hae-sol nodded and said.
"You'll pull it off, Hari."
Yoo Han-seong said nothing.
He stayed silent to the end.
Even until we reached the dorms.
Only right before we parted ways to our separate dorms did he murmur softly.
"Don't push yourself too hard."
People like that die too soon.
The latter words were hard to hear.
[It's not a curse! What the hell is that?!]
Judging by Erich's reaction, it might've been the protagonist dismissing an F-rank's efforts as pathetic or pitying her.
Either way, it didn't matter.
Now I could make not just special potions, but even higher-grade ones.
'Though it involves a bit of cheating.'
The key was maintaining this domain with Erich's mana—otherworldly mana.
My condition might suffer a bit until I adjusted, but it wouldn't actually cause problems, so it should be fine.
Fast growth was important too.
I could get an infinite supply of top-quality ingredients that boosted crafting success rates.
I couldn't stop my lips from curving up.
And a few days later.
Sunlight filtered halfway into the quiet hallway, stretching Yu Hee's shadow long.
The tip of the shadow touched the end of my shoe.
"Today... people."
She said in a small voice.
"They all seemed happy just seeing you, Hari. So shamelessly."
As if she didn't know those were gazes aimed at the angel-like Yu Hee, not me.
Hee took another step closer.
"Hari, you wouldn't happen to be doing the same to other people besides us...?"
"Huh?"
I waited expectantly for what she'd say next.
But in that moment, elegant footsteps echoed rhythmically from the hallway behind us.
Someone was approaching.
Regrettably, Hee cut herself off and turned around.
The person who stopped before us was Yoo Han-seong.
Yoo Han-seong's silver eyes quietly scanned the two of us.
Then he paused upon noticing Hee's hand gripping my wrist.
Yeah, this is a bit unusual.
Normally, people hold hands, not wrists.
But I knew this was Yu Hee's habit.
'A habit to check pulses.'
Even aside from that, since she could poison people through handshakes, she'd heard she avoided them.
That extended to holding hands with friends too.
So she either avoided touch altogether or limited it to this level of checking if someone was alive.
Of course, things were different with the original Yoo Han-seong's team.
She had no reservations with her teammates.
Yes, our perfectly appropriate distance was still holding strong even after a few days!
'Yu Hee, you're the best...'
[...You like that, huh.]
Erich, who had been strutting around like he'd received praise himself toward the kids now expecting double portions, went quiet.
No words, but the sulkiness poured through.
"Han-seong?"
Anyway, I was satisfied with my relationship with Yu Hee, but I knew how this pulse-checking pose between friends might look to a third party.
Hee seemed aware too, hesitating on whether to let go, but before her dilemma dragged on, I spoke first.
"Hee-ya, hold on a sec. Han-seong brought some potions to give, so let me grab those."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
Hee naturally released my wrist.
Yoo Han-seong approached. His expression unreadable.
I looked at him with a perfectly casual face, and he glanced between Yu Hee and me before skipping the wrist topic and getting straight to the point.
"...So you're officially selling starting tomorrow?"
"The potions? Yeah. I even got permission to advertise on the school bulletin board."
A 2nd or 3rd-year homeroom teacher I'd never attended class with approved it.
He was someone I kept bumping into whenever I went to the teachers' room to see my homeroom teacher.
He'd offered to invest in ingredients in exchange for a cut of the profits.
Of course, I refused, saying a mere F-rank like me couldn't accept something like that.
[...Remember how that guy showed up right after?]
Erich, who usually only caught snippets of my thoughts unless I was talking to him directly, chimed in.
He'd been quiet—what's up?
'Yeah, he did. Why?'
[...Never mind, you idiot.]
I made a slightly sulky face, and Yoo Han-seong said.
"They said you could do it through the forum too, but... yeah, that'd be embarrassing."
"Good call."
Yoo Han-seong slowly stepped closer.
As I moved toward him too, Hee naturally stepped back, keeping a proper distance from me.
Her beaming face was slightly shadowed by the window.
I shot her a wink, then said to Han-seong.
"It'd be great to get some regulars. Our classmates said they'd be regulars, but..."
"I can be one too."
"Thanks, everyone, even if it's just words. The prices won't be too high, so use me a lot, dear customer!"
I said it to both Yu Hee and Yoo Han-seong, and they both just smiled without a word.
They seemed a bit annoyed somewhere, exchanging glances too.
Yoo Han-seong let out a quiet sigh and said.
"Anyway, what were you two doing here? Isn't it time for you to be in the workshop, Hari?"
"Hari looked tired."
"...Yeah?"
Yoo Han-seong's eyes turned to me.
That gaze wavered for a split second.
I smiled softly.
"Nah. I'm fine."
Hee said.
"She says that. Hard to believe."
What?
"But Han-seong, why do you look so mad? Did you think I was trying to make some shady deal with Hari or something...?"
Pretty direct for Hee...
But her beaming, angelic face and bell-like voice made it confusing.
"Ask Jin Hari about that."
"...Hari?"
He said it to me with a strangely triumphant look.
"Remember what I said yesterday?"
"Yesterday."
Yesterday, Yoo Han-seong came into my workshop and said.
Once I started taking money, there might be some initial noise.
To avoid trouble, he'd help out for a month?
'I agreed to give him free potions during that period.'
Honestly, it was a welcome offer for me.