The Suspicious(?) Customer Craving Powder
Sonya sat at the corner table, staring intently at Kim Minchul beyond the counter for a long while.
She could feel it clearly.
At the tips of his hands as he gripped the mop and wiped the floor, a faint sparkle of the World Tree's power glimmered.
He'd denied it, but it was unmistakably World Tree pollen.
Does he really not know?
He didn't recognize her either, and he seemed oblivious to mana fluctuations.
Can't even sense the flow of mana.
Normally, any being in Taepyeong City should have detectable mana, but he had none at all.
Not in his heart, not in his dantian.
A being who can't use mana somehow got World Tree pollen?
How?
It wasn't like the World Tree fell from the sky.
Maybe this part-timer was some unfathomably powerful entity she couldn't even sense.
Taepyeong City was vast, full of hidden powerhouses.
Whatever the reason, one thing was certain: World Tree pollen clung to him.
It was definitely there. And that Woo Young guy's reaction...
The minotaur who'd eaten the lava fruit recovered in an instant.
That level of recovery was impossible without World Tree pollen.
I need World Tree pollen right now to clear the 73rd floor...
Sonya stared blankly at the cup ramen on her table.
Normally she'd slurp up every last drop of broth, but she'd barely nibbled at the triangle kimbap.
Her mind was too preoccupied to swallow.
The 73rd floor...
The next target: Tower floor 73.
A curse zone packed with poison slimes.
The key to conquering it was pushing through the vast curse zone the lich had created to protect its lab.
Ordinary recovery items couldn't get you through fast enough.
It was doable with hundreds of elixirs.
Every time poison whittled down your HP, chug an elixir and antidote.
The monsters weren't overwhelmingly strong, and the traps weren't special.
Hunters who'd already cleared it had chipped away like that, aiming for the next floor.
But Sonya didn't want that approach.
Too consumable.
Unnecessary and inefficient.
Analyze cautiously before the raid, but execute with maximum efficiency.
That was her way—finding the optimal path to minimize accidents on-site.
Plus, the Hunter Tower limited consumables in your inventory to 10 on entry.
That's why vanguard teams took weeks planning their 73rd-floor clears.
But with World Tree pollen?
Two days tops.
I have to get it somehow.
Even if I bow my head, I need that World Tree pollen.
"Excuse me."
"Need anything? Cigarettes?"
"No. I don't smoke."
Do I look like a smoker?
Sonya reflexively sniffed her own clothes.
Just in case.
"Ah, sorry. Most folks who come up empty-handed are after smokes."
"It's not that..."
Sonya scratched her head and sighed.
She'd been denied once already, so her courage faltered.
But she couldn't just sit there.
"That powder on your hands... could you spare just a little for me?"
"...Powder?"
"Yes, the World Tree pollen I mentioned..."
The manager said it, and now this woman too.
Claiming World Tree powder was on my hands.
I'd brushed off the manager at first.
But that mystical glow when I handed the cocktail to the lava-fruit-suffering minotaur.
And this sudden customer's reaction.
Hard to deny something was up.
Something really is on my hands, huh...
Honestly, I had no idea how it got there.
"It's desperately important to me. I have to break through a dangerous, tricky spot soon, and without that power, it'll cost lives."
Sonya bowed deeply, pleading earnestly.
"I'll pay a fair price. Whatever you want, name it. Please, just share a bit."
"...Well, if lives are on the line, no reason not to."
"Really?!"
She bowed that low; couldn't exactly refuse.
I'm not that heartless.
Just one issue.
"But how do I give it? I can't see it. Just shake my hands?"
Sonya's face lit up.
"Yes! That would be amazing!"
She pulled a small pouch from her pocket.
Looked expensive at a glance.
"Shake it into this. Even a light dusting of what's on you is enough."
She opened the pouch wide, eyes locked on my hands.
I shook and rubbed them in front of her gulping swallow.
Is it working?
Nothing fell from my view.
Glanced at the customer.
"..."
Her expression darkened noticeably.
Clearly not working.
"...Looks like it's not happening."
She bit her lower lip, forcing a smile.
"Sorry. I asked too much."
"..."
Sudden request, sure, but seeing her hope crumble tugged at me.
"It just needs to stick, right?"
"Huh? Well, yes, but..."
The broadcast guy got the World Tree powder effect because I mixed his cocktail.
The powder on my hands seeped in, transferring the effect.
Probably needs direct contact.
That sparked an idea.
If direct contact works...
I grabbed her hand.
"Pardon me."
"Huh? What are you—eep!"
Her tail stiffened as I held her hand.
She jolted in surprise.
She pulled back awkwardly but didn't resist.
"Figured direct touch might transfer it."
"I-is that so?"
"Not sure."
"..."
"But if shaking doesn't work, rubbing it over works too."
It was soft.
First time touching a woman's hand.
p>No connections in my all-boys middle-high-military track.
My life's handshakes were with old dudes at work.
Rough, callused textures were all I'd known.
So soft...
Smoother and softer than expected.
And oddly hot.
Heat radiated through her skin the moment we touched.
Couldn't help fiddling a bit.
"U-um... hn."
Flustered Sonya shuddered, stumbling over words.
Her black wolf ears atop her head perked straight, quivering.
Her tail, poking from her pants, tensed rigid, refusing to droop.
"Just in case, I'll make sure it transfers fully."
"Eek, y-yes... okay..."
Hoping it stuck, I carefully rubbed my palm over hers and her hand's back.
"E-even this thorough... hn."
Her hand twitched finely.
Embarrassed? Or shocked by the intense skinship with a stranger?
Her fingers fidgeted unconsciously, then slipped between mine, stroking.
Hot, soft fingers intertwining tickled strangely.
"S-sorry if it's unpleasant..."
"N-no! It's not that...!"
As she tried explaining, her shaky golden eyes fixed on my hand.
"Wha?"
Still nothing to me, but she saw something.
"I-it's working... it's transferring! Really transferred!"
Her wide eyes, fingers wriggling eagerly.
Once embarrassed, now she actively groped my hand upon confirming the transfer.
Even after I let go, she gripped tighter, fiddling.
But only briefly.
"Ah..."
Realizing what she'd done, her face flushed crimson.
"Th-that was... um, this is..."
Our clasped hands grew scorching.
Her sweaty palm slicked up.
"G-good! Th-this much should be e-enough!"
She yanked free, clenching her fists in panic.
Cheeks and eyes above her black mask burned red.
She yanked the mask under her eyes, dodging my gaze, coughing awkwardly.
Her perked ears quivered.
"S-sorry. Got carried away..."
"No, I started it."
"Y-your hand's rougher and firmer than I thought... ah, forget that! I'm bad at communicating."
An awkward silence fell.
"Th-tha-thank you! I-I won't forget this f-favor!"
She bowed frantically, tongue-tied.
"H-here's a small token of gra-gratitude!"
Thud!
Sonya yanked a heavy leather pouch from her pants pocket, slapped it into my hand, and bolted out without looking back.
"Ma'am?"
Ding-a-ling-!
A rougher, louder bell than usual echoed in the empty store.
Inside the pouch.
"What's this?"
A gem swirled with verdant green light.
A beautiful stone smelling of fresh forest.
Suddenly, a gallery post popped to mind.
Appraisal posts like that.
Taepyeong City convenience store basics, right?
I snapped a photo.
A crystal of pure earth mana and life force, extremely compressed.
Obtainable only from S-class or higher forest-type boss monsters or high-ranking spirits.
A legendary elixir priceless to elves and plant-based heteromorphs.
"S-class spirit stone?"
Price: "Priceless (Auction Recommended)".
"She tossed me something like this for holding her hand?"
How insanely valuable was World Tree pollen to make her drop an absurd item like this?
Couldn't even fathom.
But the shock faded quick.
Re-reading the description, my eyes snagged on one line.
A legendary elixir to plant-based heteromorphs.
Suddenly, the tiny World Tree branch in my room came to mind.
"...No real spot to cash this in anyway."
A convenience store part-timer hauling an S-class item to auction or exchange? Instant suspicion, arrest, or worse—seized and chased off.
They say don't handle what you can't manage.
"Better as fertilizer for the branch?"
Who knows? Might bring even bigger luck.
It gave this much fortune small; grown bigger...
Might yield even greater rewards?
Investment for the future. Not bad.
"Hmm~."
Feeling good, I hummed.
Ding-a-ling-!
The door opened to a familiar voice.
"Hey."