Yeomje of the Divine Eye: What the Hell is an Old Maid Elf in This World?
Why is Yeomje going on about this world's old maid elves? What's the deal with this guy being so serious...?
Are old maid elves really that dangerous?
'Is Aisha sis really that bad...?'
"Dennis bro... I have no idea what you're talking about, so explain it to me...."
At my words, Dennis glanced at his watch, ruffled his hair roughly, and said,
"Ah... damn... I gotta head to work, so I don't have much time. I'll summarize, so listen up, kid. Judging by the professor's condition, you've probably been around her a lot lately, right?"
"Gasp... yeah, how'd you know...?"
"...I figured. That night, it must've targeted you for sure... I should've noticed you were eavesdropping sooner. My bad... damn it...."
I didn't know what it was, but Dennis seemed genuinely self-blaming.
"Right now, you're the target of an old maid elf. And stage 1 is already underway. From now on, the professor's gonna start depending on you bit by bit."
"...Depending? On what exactly...?"
"...Dependence as a tool to fill her crumbling self-esteem every day. Kid... whatever you do, do not be nice to an old maid elf. If you heed my warning, you can still escape."
What the hell was making him advise me so seriously?
"I don't get it, bro... Wouldn't it be good if I just praised Aisha sis a bit and boosted her self-esteem? It's not like praise wears out."
"What? Y-you? Kid, are you insane!? Please, listen to me!! Stage 1 is dependence, but stage 2 is obsession. Once you hit that, there's no going back. And don't get it twisted. Long-lived races like elves don't take a liking to people as easily as we do...!!"
This was the first time I'd seen Dennis bro get so emotional.
He took a deep breath, placed his hands on both my shoulders, and said with a serious expression,
"Kid... you're still young... a bit dumb, but you're handsome, right? For your future, take my advice. The moment an old maid elf gets obsessed with you, you'll never be able to date another woman...!!"
...Never date another woman?
"Wait, explain that part in more detail!!"
"No time for that. I'll tell you after work... Wait, no... she'd probably mark me too? Kid, sorry, but if you're that curious, just search the gallery. You need to see the cases to understand. I hope... you can still turn back. Gotta go—check the info!"
I had no clue why he was acting like that, but his words carried real desperation. With a vibe like he truly cared about me, he left.
In the end, I still didn't know what the problem with old maid elves was...
"...Search the gallery?"
Fine, I'll eat and come back to look it up.
"Alright, attention everyone!! You're all the new hires starting salt field duty today. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart on getting to work at the salt field!"
The crowd gathered at the Management Office each muttered something, genuinely grateful for the salt field jobs.
"...My chance has come too. No job in sight, and now a salt field worker with killer pay..."
"Gulp... Does this mean I can finally strut around the shelter...?"
"Mom, your worthless son will bring home the big bucks..."
Some raised questions at the term "additional recruits."
"But wasn't it full already? Did they make a new salt field?"
"Yeah, right?"
"I saw a post the other day—said a ton got fired on day one."
"What the...?"
The salt field had only been running a few days.
But everyone knew about it.
Naturally, from day one, the community leaked its existence, and workers spilled stories on the gallery.
Check out the pics I took. Awesome, right?
See that wide-open ocean? Sun's blazing so it's a bit hot, but the breeze is nice and the view's so open—feels like therapy every time I clock in.
Only day 2 of operation, but the work environment alone is Top-tier as hell (S-tier).
Nothing hard about the job. My part's just scraping salt. Sometimes move the salt carts.
No big deal, way better than other shelter gigs.
Hell, just hiring me is a blessing.
Secret: I've been sneaking licks of salt on the job.
Each time, I'm like, "Oh yeah, this is salty."
You'll call me an idiot for licking, but hands move on their own—what can I do?
They might hand out salt as employee perks later, but idk lol.
Oh, there's this manager called Yeomje—guy's the real deal.
Seriously... don't even think about hiding shit in front of him.
If you're gonna work the fields, remember this.
Yeomje knows everything.
Of course, it wasn't a big deal even if it spread.
We planned to go public once we confirmed no major issues.
Anyway, with the salt field running, crowds flocked to the salt field Management Office daily.
"Ahem... quiet down, everyone!"
The staffer at the mic addressed the crowd.
"Newbies, learn from your section leads. We had some unfortunate incidents last time, creating gaps, so we're hiring a lot."
"What were those incidents? Anything dangerous?"
"Just personal conscience issues—nothing dangerous. I'll say it now: caught stealing salt means immediate firing. It's in the contract."
Some in the crowd flinched.
"Hmph... what do you take us for? We got daily pay— we got morals... don't paint us as thieves."
"Sigh... fine, just please, no stealing salt. They catch everything. Half got fired, doubling our work for new hires. Don't be fools. I'm begging."
"...Half the workers stole, and they all got caught?"
A vast ocean under blue skies.
The salt field's spawn zone.
A massive light gathered, turning into a crowd.
"Huff...!! This is the salt field...!!"
"The sky!! Look at the sky!! Haha!!"
"How long's it been... ugh..."
Everyone marveled at the scenery, lost in emotion.
A staffer in a nearby tent shouted,
"Newbies, come here for roll call! And must return 10 mins before ticket expires for checkout. No checkout, no pay."
"S-so the last 10 mins is free time?"
"Kinda, but no salt field area. Otherwise, roam free."
"Ooh—!!"
Thus began the newbies' first day at the salt fields.
Scrape scrape—
A newbie worker scraped salt from the crystal ground.
"Heh... job's a breeze... patrols are sparse too—nobody'd notice a handful."
Staff warned against it, but who wouldn't grab a handful worth ten days' pay?
Hide well, won't get caught.
Half fired? Obviously bullshit.
Probably a few sloppy ones.
I'm confident.
"I can do it—me!"
Peak time before salt hits the market.
I'll get rich...!!
"Heh heh..."
"...Hey, better not steal that."
"Gah...!"
Too careless. No footsteps—when'd he sneak up?
It was his section lead.
"No need to tense... not telling management... just giving you a chance."
"What... do you mean?"
"Half caught day one? Not a lie. Can't fool his eyes. I warned you... choice is yours."
The lead said his piece and returned to his post, done.
"What the...?"
Newbies gathered at the spawn tent for checkout.
A middle-aged mage stood there, surrounded by staff.
"Hm, all present. I am Yeomje. You've heard. I'm here because new hires stole salt."
Murmurs—
"Quiet. I'll make fireballs over thieves' heads. Step forward."
Snap—
Yeomje snapped; fireballs appeared over half the crowd.
Whoosh—
The staffer covered his face in despair.
"Aaaah!!! Half again!!! Half!!! More hiring!!!"
"...Calm down, still half the previous workload."
One with a fireball yelled innocence.
"Mercy, Yeomje-nim! This humble one didn't steal!!! Misunderstanding!!! Search me! I want to prove my innocence!!!"
"Sigh... no need. Salt in your shoe sole."
"Gasp...!!"
Yeomje pointed at the next.
"You there, yes you. Why salt in your armpit?"
"Uh!"
Then the next.
"...You, why salt in your panties? Selling it?"
"How...?!!"
Thieves tried protesting but were speechless.
Yeomje saw through their clever hides like glass.
Yeomje explained,
"As a Dimensional Transferee, I grasp all in this salt field. Everything in my 'Domain' is clear as day."
A watching lead muttered, arms crossed.
"Fools... Can't fool Yeomje's Divine Eye..."
His voice was soft but rang clear.
"Divine Eye...? R-right... Yeomje has the Divine Eye?!"
"Divine Eye...! Yeomje of the Divine Eye!!!"
"...The whole salt field is his 'Domain'... Can't escape his Divine Eye here..."
"Dungeon Master... hires a guy like that as guard... too meticulous. Smarter than he looks?"
"Gasp...!!! This is the salt field manager... King of the Salt Fields! Yeomje of the Divine Eye...!!"
That day, rumors of manager Yeomje spread on the gallery.
"...It's not Divine Eye, he said 'Domain' perception..."