Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Found It
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"...What the hell is going on here?"
A voice chilled to the bone sliced through the silence.
Yuna's gaze fixed without a single inch of error on Chun-sik, who wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, and me, sprawled on the sofa in a position that looked like I was about to pounce on her.
How did this look to anyone else? No need to think deeply—the answer was obvious.
"N-No! It's not! M-Misunder... misunderstanding...!"
I waved my hands frantically, almost convulsing, but Yuna's eyes showed no sign of belief.
At that moment, Chun-sik, who had been pinned under me, wriggled and poked her head out.
She stared blankly back and forth between me and Yuna, then opened her mouth with the utmost casualness.
"Hi."
"......"
At the unexpected greeting, bewilderment flickered across Yuna's stiffened face.
I was the same. No, I was beyond bewildered—I was just dumbfounded.
"You... you can talk now?"
When I came to my senses, I had thrown a baggy T-shirt over Chun-sik and was earnestly explaining the whole story to Yuna.
I'd made the potion last night, Chun-sik had secretly drunk it, and by some fluke, the spirit creature had turned human.
"So... this is Chun-sik?"
"Y-Yeah..."
As she listened to my desperate explanation, Yuna's expression shifted from bafflement to absurdity, then to resignation. She let out a deep sigh, as if giving up on understanding.
"...Potions are really something else. Nothing's impossible. What the hell."
Yuna rubbed her throbbing forehead. After a moment to collect her thoughts, she got back to the point.
"So, to make Seo Yi-hyun a solid ally, you whipped up a cure for his daughter's rare disease overnight?"
I nodded vigorously.
"And... this little variable popped up in the process."
Yuna's gaze lingered briefly on Chun-sik, who was fiddling with the hem of the oversized T-shirt.
"Sigh... Got it. We'll have to reschedule the interview for now. I'll make a call right away."
She turned with a weary face, then added as if it just occurred to her.
"That potion. Could you make one more?"
"Uh, sure..."
"And this time, make sure she can't reach it."
With that, Yuna vanished out of the gate.
Silence returned to the workshop. I stood there blankly for a moment, then looked down at Chun-sik, who had rolled over to my feet.
When our eyes met, she spoke in that same clear voice from before.
"Hungry. Feed me."
It was absurd, but I couldn't ignore the little growl from her stomach.
I grabbed an energy bar I'd set aside for quick snacks from the workbench corner and popped it into her mouth. Chun-sik promptly clutched it with both hands and started munching away.
While she was focused on eating, I picked up the tablet she'd been holding earlier. The Hunter Gallery was still open on the screen.
"No internet for you."
I firmly turned off the tablet and tossed it into the deepest part of a locked drawer, slamming it shut.
"Boo."
Chun-sik's lips puffed out around the energy bar in dissatisfaction.
I lightly flicked her forehead and headed to the workbench.
Third potion brewing.
I reviewed the recipe once more and began pulling out ingredients.
"......"
Chun-sik seemed bored now that her only toy, the tablet, was gone.
She wandered around the workshop with her mouth still working, then soon plastered herself to my side, watching my every move with curious eyes.
"Master. Whatcha doing?"
"Making mana adaptation potion. And be quiet. I need to concentrate."
"Potion?"
"The one you drank. It was supposed to neutralize mana and help get used to it, but..."
Haa. Why was I even explaining this to her?
I shook my head mid-sentence, but she started peppering me with questions every time I picked up an ingredient.
"What's that?"
"Moonlight Herb."
"Why put it in?"
"Mana stabilization."
"That one?"
"Slime core. Mana neutralization."
I gave half-hearted answers to Chun-sik's questions as I proceeded with the potion. I was just about to heat the beaker with the moonlight herb juice and slime core when—
"Master."
Her voice piped up from beside me.
"Got a question."
I rubbed my forehead. My focus was already scattered enough without this.
"Later. I'm busy now."
"You said stabilization and neutralization just now."
She kept going, ignoring me.
"Uh, but."
"Why's there twice as much stabilization as neutralization?"
My hand, heading for the beaker, froze in midair.
"...Good point?"
I slowly recalled the recipe.
The first potion had the right ratio of neutralization to stabilization. But starting with the second one, it had changed.
In the shock of Chun-sik turning human after drinking it, I'd unconsciously upped the moonlight herb ratio.
'But... how did she know that?'
Just to check, I asked her.
"So, how much should it be?"
"Dunno."
Chun-sik shook her head.
"Just said it 'cause the amounts looked weird."
"......"
I immediately adjusted the ingredients to the proper ratio. I split it into two portions.
And set one in front of Chun-sik.
"Wanna try copying what I'm doing?"
I slowly began manipulating the mana.
Sss...
Mana seeped into the slime core, drawing the vitality stone powder along. Confirming Chun-sik was watching intently, I finished the adjustment.
"Got it?"
"I'll try."
Chun-sik placed her tiny hand over the beaker. Mana flowed from her fingertips into the ingredients.
But suddenly, the mana flared wildly, scattering the carefully gathered materials.
"Ah."
I patted the crestfallen Chun-sik.
'Mana control's still clumsy.'
Relief that she wasn't surpassing her owner mixed with a strange sense of anticipation.
This one might just become the perfect slave—no, assistant—for my alchemy.
"Heh heh heh..."
"Master. Your eyes are scary. Can I stop now...?"
"Get over here!!"
"Eek...!"
I caught the fleeing Chun-sik, plopped her on the workbench, and started drilling her with the basics I'd learned from the Alchemy Gallery.
While I was wrestling with Chun-sik for a good while, Yuna returned to the workshop.
Spotting the two of us side by side at the workbench, she paused, staring in disbelief.
"This is ogre bone marrow. Property: regeneration."
"Master. What's an ogre?"
"Uh... big and strong..."
"Like Yuna?"
I hurriedly clamped Chun-sik's mouth shut. Cold sweat trickled down my back.
"What'd she say?"
Yuna's eyebrow twitched.
"N-Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"
She let out a short sigh and approached the workbench.
"...Now you're doing it together?"
"Y-Yeah. It just kinda happened."
I quickly changed the subject and handed her the completed shimmering silver potion.
"H-Here. It's not a full cure with one dose... You gotta drink one a week steadily... I'll make them every week..."
"Got it. Understood."
Yuna took the potion and nodded.
"Good work. Seo Yi-hyun's on his way to the guild office now, so I'll head out."
A heavy silence hung over the Normal Operations Guild office.
Seo Yi-hyun swallowed dryly, rubbing his hands anxiously. His interlocked knuckles were white.
He recalled the whistleblower stigma branded on him.
In the past, Hoyeon Guild had routinely thrown newbie hunters into high-rank gates en masse to meet unreasonable schedules.
Unable to stand it, Seo Yi-hyun had gone public, and afterward, he was blacklisted from the industry. No guild would take him.
His daughter's hospital bills kept piling up. Getting an interview at a guild like Normal Operations felt like a miracle. If he blew this chance, it was truly over.
At that moment, Choi Yuna, seated across from him, closed the formal documents.
"We've confirmed Mr. Seo Yi-hyun's abilities sufficiently."
His heart sank with a thud. Rejected again. Despair washed over him.
But instead of standing, Choi Yuna pulled a small glass vial from her bag.
A soft silver potion, as if infused with moonlight.
Choi Yuna placed it quietly on the table.
Seo Yi-hyun's gaze shifted from the papers to the potion bottle. Confusion and bewilderment crossed his face.
Choi Yuna spoke in a calm voice.
"You're hired. And this is a small gift from our owner."
Seo Yi-hyun's eyes widened in disbelief.
Choi Yuna slid the silver potion toward him and continued firmly.
"We'll solve the biggest problem you're carrying."