The Clatter of Hooves
I turned my head at the sound of clopping hooves crunching through the snow.
"Huh. Already?"
Of course, I'd sent a whisper the moment I logged in, but even accounting for that, this was insanely fast.
Whoa, whoa~ Prrrff!
The carriage pulled to a stop right in front of me. Another Geum Taeyang sitting in the driver's seat gave me a quick nod before vanishing in a puff.
I'd told him to send a clone as a guide, and it looked like he'd handled the job perfectly. My cooking summons were just so damn competent.
"Good work."
I said to the Geum Taeyang standing beside me.
"No problem."
The man in the driver's seat blinked in surprise at the disappearing clone, then hopped down from the carriage. A mild-looking guy with a bowl cut, bundled up in layers of fur, spotted me and strode over with a big grin.
"Haha, Hura-nim!"
He seemed pretty excited. I wondered if he'd be this thrilled once he heard the news I'd prepared.
"Dapam-nim."
I gave a slight smile and shook his hand.
"How'd that thing you were preparing go?"
"Perfectly, of course."
Dapam grinned confidently.
"But that's not the point right now! I saw the video! You were absolutely insane out there!"
"Insane? Nah."
Insane? All I'd done was smack the Sap Knight around a bit with words until he blew himself up. If anyone was insane, it was Beda and Molrangkau. My part was so minor it was embarrassing to even call it "insane."
If Beda hadn't shown up when he did, I'd already be a smear under the Sap Knight's shovel. So yeah, save the "insane" talk for the truly insane duo.
"I figured it'd take a few more hours, but you got here insanely fast."
"The second I got your message, I hauled ass here with my eyebrows flapping in the wind! I was just waiting for your call anyway."
Dapam replied briskly. Come to think of it, we'd agreed to return the rented furniture within a day or two after the sale.
But then a question popped into my head. I peeked at the back of the carriage.
"...You came alone, right?"
"Yep! You said no need for anyone else. Plus, solo's faster."
"Yeah, last time you came alone first too."
"That's right."
It suddenly hit me how brutal the road from Yuten Village to Harten was. Sure, I'd hitched a ride on the Crying Priest's back, flapping like a cape—wait, no, that wasn't comfy either. Anyway, that lunatic priest made it easy for me, but this path was infamously brutal.
And now, thanks to recent events, that infamy had spread even further... Ugh, enough with the "insane" loop. It's not funny anymore.
Point is, even with the best horses pulling the carriage, no frail merchant could solo this route.
"Must've been rough getting here. Last time and this time, both solo. You handle it like a champ."
The Tteokbokki Cult guys? Nine out of ten died en route.
"Hidden class or something?"
"Haha, no way."
Dapam laughed and shook his head.
"This is what did it."
He pulled a pouch from his pocket.
"What's that?"
"Powder that monsters hate the smell of."
I sniffed.
"Doesn't smell like much."
Just a faint, tangy soap scent.
"Not to local monsters."
Dapam untied the pouch and showed me the contents.
"It's dried mint from the northern regions, mixed with gray wolf gallbladders and a bunch of other stuff, ground fine. Sprinkle it, and the monsters around here steer clear."
"Whoa..."
I reached in and pinched some. A dull mix of turquoise and gray powder.
"No one's gonna rob me in this blizzard hell anyway. Made it comfy. A bit cold, though."
"Handy stuff."
"Top-shelf info. Sell it to the Thieves' Guild, you'd make bank."
Merchants gonna merchant. They hoard all the good secrets.
"...Not that you need it, Hura-nim."
Dapam retied the pouch. I nearly asked for some but swallowed it.
"Ahem."
"...Want a bit anyway?"
Dapam glanced at me.
"Nah, but if you're offering... No more monster hassles."
And so I pocketed the "Monster-Repelling Stink Powder" from Dapam. Score.
"Heh heh heh."
"......"
Dapam pulled out a ledger and headed toward the neatly stacked tables and chairs.
"Shall we handle business first?"
"Uh, about that—the furniture I rented..."
I hurried after him, making excuses.
Dapam chuckled.
"Smashed to bits, huh?"
"...Yeah."
"No worries. Saw the video. They shattered so satisfyingly."
"...They did."
So satisfying they kept chilling my spine.
"My apologies."
"Apologies? Just pay up. Easy."
"...Right."
That's what I'm worried about, merchant dude.
"This the lot?"
"Yes."
Dapam flipped through the ledger and marched to the tables.
"Let's tally what's left and—"
He froze. Ahead, on one table, sat Molrangkau, poised regally.
"Ah, uh... Mol-Molrangkau-nim."
His ledger-holding hand trembled.
"......"
Molrangkau eyed him briefly, then hopped down with a smile.
"Hello, Dapam-nim. Nice to see you again."
She bowed elegantly.
"?????"
Dapam's blank face mirrored Beda's earlier shock. He was probably internally freaking out big time.
* * *
While Dapam sweated over inventory, up on the surface above the Flame Palace, Beda slurped his fourth bowl of ramen.
"Kha..."
Wiping sweat nonstop, he inhaled it like a black hole. Jeil Hura, watching blankly, asked,
"Another?"
Beda nodded.
"Yes, too good. Please."
Even as a clone, he looked and talked just like Hura, so polite speech felt natural to Beda.
Jeil Hura topped off the water and tossed casually,
"Why bother with formal talk to a mere clone? Loosen up."
"Really?"
"Sure. Clones got no rights anyway. Heh..."
"......"
Beda shot him a sour look. Hura through and through, but a twisted version. Like if Hura had a really dark puberty phase.
Beda watched him boil ramen and asked,
"So, you're Jeil Hura?"
"Yessir."
"Hmm..."
Beda stroked his chin.
"Sap Knight was raging about avenging Jeil Hura. That you? Thought it was bullshit."
Jeil Hura's hand paused on the ramen.
"...What'd you say?"
* * *
"Uh... yeah, this should cover it."
Dapam, done inspecting, offered the ledger.
I checked the amount.
"......"
My head spun. Half my profits from this gig, easy.
"...Tables were higher quality than I thought."
"Yep. Couldn't bring junk for your business."
"...Well done. Perfectly done. Heh..."
I laughed like screw it, opened inventory. I'd grabbed all the cash from the Flame Palace—full payment, no problem.
"...Here."
I handed over the bulging pouch.
"Haha, straight shooter as always."
Dapam beamed, taking the jingling pouch.
"...Hura-nim?"
"......"
I stared longingly at the temptingly heavy pouch before letting go.
"Whoa, hefty~"
"......"
Dapam stowed it smoothly.
"Where to next?"
I watched it vanish into his inventory, then replied.
"...Dunno. Hit somewhere first... then figure it out. Need to think slow."
"Makes sense. That mess was huge—take a break. World's buzzing about you. Famous everywhere now."
"Yeah. Good or bad, huh."
Still waiting on full rewards, and the old man needed time to respawn. Gap till next quest.
What to do? Dungeon crawl? Tell Minare about Lilac? Swing by Machine Hill en route—promised Ptah. Wonder if Baek Bal Baek Jung's still groaning. Napaladin chasing him?
Lost in thought, Dapam handed something over.
"Here—the stuff you asked for."
"Ooh. Bigger than expected."
"Tracked down the best."
"How much?"
I rummaged for my pouch; Dapam waved it off with a grin.
"Nah, on the house."
"You know how to keep customers happy."
"No biggie."
While we chatted, Tteoksoon-i and Geum Taeyang returned from loading the pricey space-expanded, lightweight carriage.
"Master! All loaded!"
Behind, their clones loading gear poofed away one by one.
"Great. Come here."
"Huh? Okay."
Geum Taeyang and Tteoksoon-i approached, puzzled. I handed each a massive candy stick—face-sized behemoths.
"Take it."
"Whoa...!"
"This is...!"
"Waaah! King-sized lollipop!"
"Tteoksoon-i, bigger than your face!"
"Looks so yummy! Can I eat it?"
"Never seen one this huge!"
Their childlike glee made me chuckle.
"Reward."
"Reward?"
"Yeah. Promised one if we nailed it."
"Oh..."
They'd forgotten. Exactly—they didn't help for some casual promise.
Which made it even more impressive.
I smiled.
"You guys were amazing. All thanks to you. Impossible without ya. Thanks again."
"......!"
"I know what you did, no need to say. Thanks for hustling for me unasked."
"Master...!"
Their eyes widened, misting up. They dropped to one knee.
"Thank you, Master! We'll shatter our bones for you!"
"Thanks! I'll savor it!"
I grinned, patting their heads.
Then—a chime.
Cooking Summons' Loyalty Massively Increased.
They would gladly lay down their lives for you at any time.
"...Huh?"
Didn't see that coming.