Chapter 27

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 27

Chapter Title: Delivery Into the Dungeon

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[ «٩(*´∀`*)۶» ]

'Still, seeing them so happy makes me feel pretty good too.'

Ahem. Immersed in her sense of accomplishment, Chae-ryeon threw herself even more energetically into the sales.

The meat from those baby sandworms—she'd hunted hundreds—now only had 50 packs left.

"Alright, from now on, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'll sell to the hunters who bid the highest price first!"

At Chae-ryeon's declaration, the crowd that had been chanting "Take my money!" in line recoiled in shock.

"What?!"

"No way!"

"It's right here, folks. This baby sandworm meat is only available today, just for this short time. It's a rare item, you see."

"But..."

"Up until a moment ago, I was selling at the minimum fair price. But now that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it's so popular, there's no reason for me to keep it there. I'll sell the remaining packs first-come to those who bid higher!"

By now, most of the gathered crowd had tried the tasting dumplings, leaving no room to argue with Chae-ryeon's words.

The meat inside those dumplings burst with juices like a waterfall the moment it hit the tongue—a true delicacy. And for hunters whose stamina was hanging by a thread, it provided a noticeable boost, not quite on par with a high-grade stamina potion but meaningful all the same.

Once the taste and visible effects proved its worth, no one could dismiss the sandworm meat anymore. They surged forward in a frenzy, desperate to snag even one more pack.

In the hunter market, the truth was simple: get valuable goods into your hands by any means necessary.

"Urgh... Me! I'll buy one for 2,700 gold each!"

"No way! I'll do 3,000 gold!"

"I can top that by 500 gold!"

As the overheated market ignited, the price of baby sandworm meat kept climbing higher and higher.

In the end, she even pulled off the feat of selling them at 6,000 gold apiece—three times the original price.

...

...

...

[°+( * ´∀｀)ｂ°+°]

The system let out some weird laughter in the middle there, but...

'This feels awesome!'

Chae-ryeon grinned just like it, chuckling to herself with her own "Uhhehehe."

'Delicious' monster meat sold out—she'd done it!

"You're the best! Lee Seo-ro, thank you so much. I should treat you sometime later... Huh?"

Chae-ryeon tried to exchange thanks, but where Lee Seo-ro had been sitting and eating dumplings, only a business card and note remained.

[Lee Seo-ro's Alchemy Workshop]

[Contact: 010-####-####]

[Call this number if you need to get in touch.]

[I'll be waiting anytime.]

[From Lee Seo-ro.]

"I didn't even get to say thanks..."

"He vanished in an instant. Even I didn't sense his presence, so he must have used some kind of magic."

"I see..."

'Next time we meet, I definitely have to thank him properly.'

Chae-ryeon looked forward to seeing Lee Seo-ro again.

Chae-ryeon had developed a faint fondness for Lee Seo-ro, who appeared out of nowhere, helped her, and vanished just as suddenly. But the reality was a bit different.

Lee Seo-ro hadn't helped Moon Chae-ryeon for free without any ulterior motive.

As he approached his group with his long cape billowing dramatically, a storm of complaints swirled around him.

"Hey, workshop master! Where the hell were you hiding? Why show up only now?"

"We were looking everywhere!"

"We finally tracked your location and were about to drag you back, but then you said not to come until you walked there yourself!"

"I had my reasons."

Despite the ear-piercing nagging, Lee Seo-ro just chuckled softly.

His entourage consisted of hired hunter bodyguards to protect him and apprentice alchemists following him to learn from his teachings.

It was a decision born from the many who coveted Lee Seo-ro's exceptional appraisal skills, alchemy, and magical knowledge.

A genius investor. Eyes that pierced through truth. A stunning appearance impossible to forget after one glance.

Lee Seo-ro's presence stood out wherever he went, so he had to stay vigilant at all times. There had been no shortage of kidnapping or confinement attempts.

That's why, when he slipped away without a word, his followers were thrown into panic.

"Did you know we freaked out when 'Lee Seo-ro monster meat' trended on Sylt on SNS?"

One of his alchemy apprentices, face pale as a ghost, thrust her smartphone at him.

On the Hwitter app screen she held out, his name dominated the real-time trends.

"Click on Sylt, and it's flooded with photos and sightings of you, workshop master!"

"Why risk solo action like this? You're a famous top hunter, sure, but that means plenty of people are after you. That's why you always keep us around..."

"What if something happened while you were out alone?!"

They wailed, voices nearly breaking.

Lee Seo-ro's awakening rank was S.

But his primary ability was support-type alchemy, with magic as his secondary.

No one doubted his S-rank—or possibly higher—alchemy prowess.

However, his secondary magic was rated at a mere A-rank.

An attack-type magic at A-rank meant his personal combat power fell short compared to S-rank attackers.

That's why so many rankers targeted him, a walking corporation raking in fortunes.

His apprentices and bodyguards fretted over this, unleashing their barrage of scolding.

They adored him deeply, having earned the right to stay by his side through his trust.

"You were kidnapped before, and now you shake us off again? If you get in danger..."

One couldn't hold back their overheated emotions and brought up an old incident Lee Seo-ro hated.

"Hey, why bring that up here?"

"You know he hates that!"

"Did I say something wrong? He definitely acted recklessly on his own..."

This one was particularly devoted to Lee Seo-ro, bordering on fanaticism, and grew extremely anxious without him nearby.

He usually kept it in check, but with Lee Seo-ro ditching the group for solo action, he couldn't contain himself anymore.

"...Didn't I tell you?"

Lee Seo-ro's voice turned icy in an instant.

Click. The sound of a gun chambering a round echoed as a massive shadow loomed over the apprentice.

"Wh-what...?"

The apprentice looked up to see a massive blue slime-like creature gaping its maw at him.

It was Pongpong, Lee Seo-ro's custom homunculus companion.

"Pongpong, swallow him so he can't run."

[Meeeh.]

"Wh-why the gun all of a sudden...! Aaaagh!"

[Meeeh. Gulp.]

Pongpong's enormous mouth engulfed the alchemy apprentice whole.

"Gurgle! Grrrk!"

Composed of viscous fluid, Pongpong's body trapped him like quicksand, leaving him gasping and suffering.

Lee Seo-ro, still wearing his affable smile, spoke to him while aiming the loaded gun.

"You're right—I keep you around to avoid entanglements with nuisances. But if you start nitpicking and interfering with my actions at every turn, I won't let it slide."

"Grrk, gurgle!"

"You signed the contract stating I'd handle violations my way, didn't you...?"

His bright green eyes gleamed coldly. The smile vanished, leaving Lee Seo-ro sharp as a honed blade.

He'd worn a perfect "nice guy" mask in front of Chae-ryeon, but this was his true face.

"I trust you enough to keep you close, but you're not family or friends—so stop with the annoying chatter. When the trust bound by strict contracts runs dry, you'll be the first I cast aside."

His cold expression delivered the words in a detached tone.

"S-sorry..."

The others, spared from the slime's maw, finally bowed their heads to Lee Seo-ro and fell silent.