Chapter 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: I Want to Go Home
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Ah, I want to go home.’
The only thought filling my head was that one.
More awful than the sticky mud clinging to my ankles was the stench.
The bloody reek of monster fluids mixed with the nauseating aroma from unidentifiable plants and the fishy rot of something decaying—it all blended together, threatening to make my stomach acids rise.
“Hoo….”
I held my breath without thinking and scanned my surroundings.
Men with vicious faces that looked like they could swallow a person whole just from eye contact, grotesque monster byproducts strewn carelessly on market stalls, and greedy eyes glinting from the dark alleys beyond.
Everything here felt alien and threatening.
‘I really want to go home….’
I stuck close behind Yuna as she walked ahead. I absolutely couldn’t lose sight of her. If I ended up alone in a place like this….
“…….”
I decided not to imagine what might happen next.
“You okay? Your face looks like death.”
Reading my anxiety, she whispered in a low voice.
“Don’t worry. Nothing worth fretting over is likely to happen to you here. Too many guilds have their interests tangled up in this place….”
Even listening to Yuna didn’t ease my mind at all. Atmosphere is a thing, you know? I couldn’t buy that this was just a normal market.
“This way.”
“Uh-huh….”
What could I do about it? I didn’t have the guts to tell her to head back. I just hurried to keep up with her strides.
Before I knew it, we’d ventured deep into the market. The entrance had plenty of shops crudely converted from containers, but this area was different.
Suspicious ingredients lined the stalls stretching along the alley. Yuna stopped in front of one that seemed to get the least foot traffic.
“Sigh, another day of zero sales.”
I was yawning and rolling my stiff neck.
Screeech—!
Then the rusty iron door creaked open with a grating sound. I reflexively flashed a sleazy smile and looked up.
‘Oh ho.’
A customer. And a juicy mark at that.
The woman leading the way looked like a hunter. And trailing behind her… a kid in a hood pulled low, sticking close like they were terrified.
‘Not her daughter, probably.’
That hunter had the build of a combat type. Normally, I’d be cautious, but with baggage like that kid, it changed things.
I inwardly cheered as I stood from my seat.
“Well, well, what an honor. What brings you here?”
“Do you have moonlight ore and silver powder?”
Perfect. Raw materials like those are tough for non-experts to judge. Coming here looking for them was basically begging to get scammed.
“Popular items, those. Of course I do. For gear crafting?”
I chattered on, deliberately heading to the farthest corner of the display.
A box covered in a thin layer of dust that no one had touched in months.
Inside were moonlight ores that had rolled in here due to their poor quality. The thought of finally offloading this dead stock had my mouth watering already.
“Fresh in today—top quality. Guaranteed purity over 95%. Was gonna supply it to a guild, but they hit some snag.”
The hunter’s brow furrowed slightly at my words. But that was it.
Obvious she knew the market price but couldn’t spot quality if it bit her.
‘Hm?’
Then the kid behind her tugged her sleeve and shook their head.
I was puzzled for a second, then nodded. Sure, being dragged to a shady dump like this would scare anyone.
That sight just confirmed it for me. I let out a hearty laugh.
“No need to worry, little miss. Heh heh.”
‘…What’s this guy saying.’
I averted my eyes from the merchant’s nauseating face. That wasn’t important right now.
The moonlight ore in his palm. Something had felt off since I first saw it.
It looked shiny enough on the surface. But it lacked vitality, you know? Felt like just another street pebble.
The dissonance muddled my thoughts.
‘Something… something’s wrong….’
The idea circled in my head. Hard to put the feeling into words.
Frustrated, I tugged Yuna’s sleeve, but she just tilted her head. She wasn’t much help with this.
‘Ah.’
A solution hit me.
I had someone who could help.
I focused my mind and summoned the gallery right next to the moonlight ore.
[Simple Basic Tool Making]
[Extra. How to Tell Good Materials Apart]
[…For moonlight ore, first check the luster on the surface. You might think shinier is better, but it ‘only shines under moonlight.’ It’s basically dull indoors. If it sparkles inside, they’ve slathered some crap on it to fool suckers—skip it.]
[So just dull ore is good enough? Nah nah nah. Flick it lightly with your finger to test. High purity rings clear. If it’s muffled like it’s clogged, trash.]
Comparing the explanation line by line to the ore, the incongruity I hadn’t noticed sharpened into focus.
In this dim room, that artificial sparkle was definitely from some surface coating.
I reached out with conviction.
“Um, c-can I… touch this…?”
The merchant tilted his head for a moment before handing over the moonlight ore. Like ‘go ahead if you dare.’ Not my imagination.
I swallowed dryly and took it. Then gingerly flicked the surface with my slender index finger.
Thud—
A dull, choked sound. Like it was packed solid with dirt inside.
All the evidence lined up.
No reason to hesitate anymore.
“Ptui.”
I spat right on the moonlight ore and roughly wiped it with my sleeve.
“No! What are you doing to such a precious—!”
The merchant freaked and tried to grab my hand, but the shiny silver powder smeared on my sleeve first.
Where the coating peeled away.
There, the true face of low-grade moonlight ore riddled with dark impurities glared back hideously.
“Wh-where the hell did you sell your conscience? I’m mighty curi…ous.”
Suddenly, the air went still.
I sneaked a glance up. The merchant gawked in shock, while Yuna smirked opposite him.
She raised the corner of her mouth like it was amusing.
“Why’s your pronunciation so perfect?”
Yeah, how about that.
“…Uh, w-well, you see….”
Even I was flustered and tried to say more, but my voice snapped back to normal like nothing happened.
“C-customer!”
The merchant finally snapped out of it and started fumbling excuses.
“This is a misunderstanding! I must’ve mixed it up with the top-grade one over there….”
“Enough.”
Yuna’s voice sliced through like a cold blade. The playful smile from moments ago was gone.
“Give us something else. Nicely.”
The blood drained from the merchant’s face. He’d finally grasped the situation.
In the end, he dragged out another box from deep in the warehouse.
His trembling hands revealed what the gallery had described: genuine high-purity moonlight ore.
Thanks to that, we scored the premium moonlight ore and silver powder at half price.
The merchant bowed 90 degrees until we left the shop. The whispers from nosy neighboring merchants shut right up.
“…Haa.”
The moment we stepped onto the street, all strength drained from my body.
‘I want to go home.’
But we couldn’t.
We’d barely cleared step one. Now that we had the materials, we needed someone to process them per the blueprint.
“Next up is crafting, right?”
Yuna, walking beside me, asked as if reading my mind. I nodded weakly.
“This time it’s someone I know, so it should be fine.”
“Ah, someone you know…?”
“Yeah, skills are reliable at least….”
At that, Yuna already looked tired, pressing her temple.
“Personality’s a total asshole though.”
The shop was in the deepest part of the market, isolated from the others.
A rundown forge with no signboard. But the heat seeping through the door cracks and the clang of striking metal told you it wasn’t ordinary.
“Let’s go in.”
Yuna pushed open the creaky door ahead of me.
“Old Man Hwang! You here?”
Hot air and the smell of iron hit us as we entered.
The forge blazed red-hot inside, crammed with tools and weapons. Finished swords and axes hung on the walls, while metal shavings and whetstone dust littered the floor.
“What’s all the racket!”
A muscular old man emerged from the back. Scars etched across his body, beard singed like from flames. No ordinary blacksmith at a glance.
He scowled deeply, eyeing us over before fixing on me behind Yuna.
“Choi Yuna, what brings you here? And who’s the kid hiding behind you?”
“Here on commission. This is my business partner.”
“Business partner? Babysitting now?”
The old man snorted. His gruff face made it scarier.
“Commission, huh. Break another blade?”
“No, the client’s them this time.”
At Yuna’s words, the old man’s eyes narrowed. He sized me up suspiciously.
I pulled a crumpled sheet from my pocket and offered it with shaking hands. The alchemy gear blueprint I’d compiled from gallery info all night.
He took it reluctantly. His bored scan turned to a furrowed brow.
“What the hell is this.”
He asked in a low rumble.
“Make these from moonlight ore, coat the inner walls with silver powder? Why the hell do something like this?”
He glanced between the blueprint and my face.
“Kid, be straight. What’re you even using this for.”
Should I say it’s for making potions? The thought flickered briefly.
But while I hesitated, Old Man Hwang took my silence wrong.
“I don’t make shady stuff. Especially not non-weapons.”
He tossed the blueprint back at me.
“Commission denied. Get lost.”