Ttungi's Unexpected Bargain

The merchant Ttungi muttered, 'Much easier than I expected.' Of course, that was purely his own opinion.

"Huaaah—!"

"Let's rest for a bit. Whoa, this is insane. What the—"

"Just kill me already... haa..."

"I'm gonna die. Augh—"

Everyone collapsed straight onto the ground, their breaths ragged and pushed to the limit. For the hunters, it had been a truly brutal march. Two full days spent trudging through a sealed, pitch-black passage while being periodically assaulted by monsters, unable to even address basic needs like food or bodily functions in a timely manner. Of course, it had only taken two days because I had guided them along the shortest route. Without me, the journey would have been far more treacherous.

"Rest for thirty minutes, then we'll make our attempt."

"Yes—!"

"Understood!"

Hong Yong-seok relayed Yeom Tae-seok's orders, and after brief replies, everyone immediately closed their eyes. Among them was Ju Ye-seul, her ample chest partially exposed. It was fortunate she had followed us this far without losing control. She must have been wary after what I had done to her before, and whenever she showed the slightest suspicious sign during the march, I had sent my minion 'Gori' to strike her wrist as a warning. She had clearly sensed an invisible force interfering with her, spending the entire journey scrutinizing everyone's faces and trying to deduce who it was. She would never suspect it was me. I had operated too carefully for that. And 'Gori' had performed admirably, sometimes displaying more wit than I had anticipated. Cute little thing.

'My minion's attacks aren't bound by the oath, after all. Only the original parties who swore it are affected, I suppose? If that's the case, my own attacks probably wouldn't trigger it either...'

But I couldn't be certain. Testing it recklessly and endangering Yeon-hee would be disastrous. Better to play it safe.

"How does it look?"

Hong Yong-seok and the leaders of each party had naturally gathered together. Their gazes were fixed on me. I relayed the information through Ran, and the hunters who heard it wore grim expressions.

"A thousand undead under the Skeleton Knight's command... It's fewer than expected, but..."

"The real problem is the Skeleton Knight itself. Ghouls and Skeleton Decurions strengthened by more than double... I'd rather face three thousand without the buffs."

"At least it's better than Nargul. They won't revive."

"Some people say the Skeleton Knight is trickier than Nargul. The buff effects are far superior, after all."

They exchanged worried conversations, unable to come up with any solid tactics or countermeasures. Just then, Ttungi—who had been blankly staring at us from behind Yeon-hee—pulled a crude club from the sack on his back and showed it to us.

"Huh? What's this? Kyaa—! It's heavy! What is this?"

Yeon-hee staggered as she took the club. After reading the message that appeared in the air, her eyes widened.

"This...?! It's an undead-exclusive weapon!"

"...Pardon? It has a race-specific option?"

"Yes, yes."

"Really? What are the effects?"

Though it looked like nothing more than a thick iron club, it was an incredible weapon with a +35% damage boost against undead. Weapons that increased attack power by percentage usually only appeared at higher grades... Its durability was 1,200, and it was brand new, completely unused. At least during our survival run, it would never break. Ttungi even pulled out two more identical weapons from his sack.

"What the hell is this?! What is this ridiculous, cheating ability?!"

"Every single one of these monsters is... incredible..."

"Do the Lizardmen and Orcs have other abilities too?"

The party leaders stared at Ttungi and me with wide eyes, their gazes filled with unmistakable envy, jealousy, and greed. It wasn't an ability one could obtain just by wanting it. Humans were truly foolish.

"Kobolds had this kind of ability? This is really surprising."

Yeon-hee beamed at Ttungi's sudden performance and asked how many more weapons there were. Ttungi turned his gaze from her, extended his hand toward the hunters, and made a gesture as if demanding something.

"W-What does this mean?"

"Don't tell me... he wants to trade...?"

Yeon-hee immediately asked Ttungi what he wanted. He erased his usual vacant expression and whispered something into her ear.

"...Huh? Magic stones and runes?"

Ttungi nodded, offering to trade the clubs in exchange for magic stones and runes. This little bastard was actually bargaining? Instead of just handing them over to his master? He probably wanted to give them freely, but...

The summons belonging to Yeon-hee regarded her as their one and only god. He had to know that distributing weapons to the hunters would increase her chances of survival. Acting this way while deeply devoted to his master probably meant...

'His ability must come with conditions.'

Ttungi wasn't particularly active in combat, but he had faithfully stayed by Yeon-hee's side on the battlefield and occasionally supplied equipment to his fellow summons while continuing to level up. It wasn't surprising that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the tier of his existing ability had risen. Even so, this weapon was truly...

'Against undead, this might even be better than the greatsword I commissioned...?'

I wondered if the dwarf at the forge knew the value of the greatsword he had poured his heart into was plummeting. And to think it wasn't limited to summons—he could supply hunters as well...

'I knew something was off about him ever since the mine. Just what is this guy's true identity?'

Thud—

'...Damn it. I don't know! I can't figure out what he's thinking with that dumb face of his.'

Though little was known about the kobold race in general, Ttungi was definitely special. But that wasn't important right now. The hunters were beginning to eye each other warily. Thanks to Yeon-hee's summon ability, they would obtain the most efficient weapons for this dungeon, so they needed to show their sincerity. Yet none of them had a sense of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠how many resources to offer, so they were all gauging one another.

Our party held the upper hand, so we simply watched the remaining hunters in silence. We weren't pushovers—we had provided food and even guided them here. This was their responsibility to pay for. No Hayun and Yeom Tae-seok's lips twitched as if they were enjoying the spectacle. It wasn't often one got to see hunters of equal standing squirming and reading the room.

"I shall make the first offer."

Hong Yong-seok stepped forward. He presented three low-grade runes and ten mid-grade magic stones obtained from this dungeon. That was worth roughly five to six million won. Ttungi laid the items on the ground and examined them with his fingers before firmly shaking his head.

"Huu... You're saying this isn't enough?"

"Seems that way. Keh keh!"

'He steps up like a man, but his hands are small. This uncle...'

Trying to buy a weapon with 1,200 durability and 35% increased attack power for only 500? Even with a party discount, it was absurd. Yeom Tae-seok burst into hearty laughter at the sight, while the other ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hunters' faces twisted. In the end, Hong Yong-seok had to add two more mid-grade runes and twenty magic stones before he could receive the weapon. Ttungi swiftly swept the runes and stones into his sack and handed over the club, as if that settled it.

"...Ooh?! What the— 37%?"

"Huk... Why is it 2% higher?"

"W-Well, I don't really..."

Hong Yong-seok scratched his head while swinging the club a few times, then spoke with clear satisfaction.

"It seems much better than my spear...? This feels strangely good. Anyway, I've obtained something excellent. This much is worth the price."

The other hunters who had been hesitating were clearly swayed by Hong Yong-seok's high evaluation.

"If the value of the offered runes and magic stones exceeds a certain threshold, it provides a weapon with better performance...?"

Someone lying down and watching spoke up, and it seemed that way to me as well.

Kreung—!

Ttungi, his spirits lifted after a long time, raised his shoulders high and extended his palm again. This guy? He was surprisingly good at business. Maybe he had been a merchant in his original world. In the end, all the hunters handed over their magic stones and runes to Ttungi and received weapons in return. Those who lacked enough goods even wrote promissory notes promising to repay with interest once they got out. It was always best to be clear about money matters, regardless of the situation.

Once Ttungi's standards were understood, most hunters traded for the basic +35% version. Twenty-three hunters pooled their resources to cover the weapons for our six party members as well, and in the end, every hunter except the summons was equipped with a Ttungi-brand club.

"Ttuung..."

After finishing his business, Ttungi grinned widely and handed five clubs to Yeon-hee for free. Five weapons to supply the summons... Only five? Was he joking? Give me more!

"...No more, Ttungi?"

"Kiee..."

Ttungi scratched his head and told Yeon-hee that this was the limit he could provide for free. Ruthless.

'Five should be enough for now. Besides, as long as we have runes and magic stones, we can trade anytime.'

In the end, only the main summons including myself received clubs first.

'The base attack power is below average, but the option is definitely insane.' Still, as a fellow summon, he had given me a weapon with 3% higher stats than the basic version. (Thanks, you little bastard.)

(Kreung—!)

Ttungi gave an eyebrow salute with his index and middle fingers, as if it were nothing. I was so dumbfounded I couldn't even laugh. He really lived up to his name—completely unpredictable.

The rest period soon ended, and it was time to slowly rise. "Alright—now that we've got our weapons, let's get started."

Before receiving the weapons, I had expected some casualties—roughly two or three deaths—while still achieving victory against the Skeleton Knight. But Ttungi's sudden performance had raised our goal significantly.

"Not a single one of us dies! Let's all make it out safely!"

"Uwaaaah!"

"We can do this!"

"We must absolutely follow the plan we decided on beforehand! The summons will take on the tanking role, so even if we take some damage, we'll pour our skills in from the start and seize the advantage!"

Everyone steeled their resolve, going over the actions suited to their positions.