Chapter 6

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 6

Chapter Title: Wandering Merchant

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"You hear? A wandering merchant is coming to the village today."

"Perfect timing. I need something."

"I want meat. Pork. Wonder if the wandering merchant brought any?"

The villagers' chatter now included talk of the wandering merchant.

This massively piqued Yoon Young's curiosity.

'An event on a set day... Feels just like those games made with Japanese RPG maker tools.'

What kind of guy was this wandering merchant?

What did he sell?

Weapons? Meat, maybe?

'If he's got proper weapons, that'd be a game-changer.'

Stuck unable to leave the area, a new NPC showing up was nothing but welcome news.

'Hope she's a girl.'

Ria was great, of course, but as the saying goes, variety is the spice of life—he wanted to sample other NPCs too.

Yoon Young waited for the wandering merchant, buzzing with anticipation.

Two hours later.

He was sitting blankly on a stump when something that looked like a petite woman with a massive backpack came waddling into view.

He called it "something" instead of just "woman" because of the plump squirrel tail peeking out and jiggling despite the backpack.

'What the hell is that? A tail? Like a squirrel's?'

Still, it had to be the wandering merchant.

Yoon Young stood and followed.

"Heave-ho, heave-ho."

The wandering merchant, chanting cutely as she walked, settled in the village square—which was just an empty little clearing—unrolled her bundle, and dumped out stuff from her backpack.

"Everyone! Merchant Rento has arrived!"

She shouted loud, then stood there cutely with her hands clasped.

Yoon Young took a close look at the wandering merchant who'd named herself Rento.

'Pretty cute...'

Shoulder-length, light brown semi-curly hair.

On top, what looked like squirrel ears.

A black stripe ran from the center of her head down to the tail like it was painted on, and the tips of her ears were lightly darkened too.

Her eyes were amber.

Her outfit screamed "what an adventurer would wear": a shirt topped with a laced leather vest, pants below, a belt, and boots a handspan below the knee.

A dagger hung from her belt—probably for self-defense or utility.

Honestly, he wanted it.

If he'd had one, he might've tried sharpening a stick into a spear or something.

He'd picked up a branch once and tried grinding it on a rock, but it hadn't worked out.

'Forget that—it's that tail...'

Yoon Young's gaze locked on Rento's big, fluffy tail.

'Ears and tail mean she's a beastkin, right?'

Who knew this world had beastkin.

Thinking back, the original game, Plain World, had beastkin races too.

'Thank god it's not a furry.'

For the uninitiated: furries were closer to animals than humans—like adding human traits to animals, not the other way around.

Rento here was clearly a human with just animal ears and tail—way more comfortable.

He respected tastes, but Yoon Young got the creeps from furries.

'Hmm.'

Now his eyes shifted to the cloth spread on the ground.

On it weren't real items, but icons—like dot graphics of a sword, armor, cartoonish meat, potion bottles, herbs.

'Just showing categories, huh?'

He picked up an icon: nothing happened.

Seemed like he'd have to trade to see the real goods.

Yoon Young approached Rento.

'One thing I'm dying to know...'

Those animal ears.

Up close in real life, what were they like?

Did beastkin with animal ears still have human ones?

'Why am I so nervous about this?'

Gulp.

Yoon Young swallowed, then brushed back her right side hair.

"!"

There.

A human ear proudly on display.

'Then these are extra? Four fucking ears?'

His hand shot to the ear on top of her head.

Plush!

"Eep."

Rento flinched in surprise at the touch.

Yoon Young startled too, for no reason.

'It's just a brainless NPC anyway.'

Realizing that, he went right back to groping without hesitation.

Both hands kneading now.

'Whoa... seriously soft and warm? Velvety too.'

An addictive texture.

"Nngh...! P-Please, just... hnng... b-browse... ahh... and go..."

But Rento blushed hard, squirming her body.

Yoon Young took her reaction as unusual.

'Maybe these aren't for hearing—more like erogenous zones?'

No way to know for sure.

Next up: the tail.

Poof!

He yanked it into a hug—softness and warmth hit at once.

'Oh man, so soft. So pillowy.'

The feel was incredible.

Perfect for hugging in bed.

Sniff sniff.

He took a whiff.

Cleanliness managed well—no beastly stink.

'Squirrel beastkin... Kinda digging it.'

Affinity shot up from the tail feel alone.

"Us Darami have special pheromones, so monsters don't attack us. We can trade freely."

Pfft.

Yoon Young burst out laughing unwittingly.

'Darami? That's the race name? Not iron or something.'

Wonder if someone named it weird or bad translation.

Still, it sounded cute.

"You know? Without us Darami, the peddler trade wouldn't survive."

Sounded like a race of wandering merchants who zipped around undetected by monsters.

'Anyway, check the goods first...'

True to merchant form, [Trade] was a keyword option.

Select it, and her reaction changed.

"I'd like to buy something."

"Lots of good stuff!"

Shwing!

As Rento spread her arms like a hawker, the buyable list unfurled before his eyes.

'Meat and salt?'

Slurp...

His mouth watered.

'Grill one of those with the rice I saved—it'd be a total meal thief.'

Rice was one of the monsters roaming the plains.

Rare—he'd only seen one so far.

He'd caught it and got the rice, planning to save it for something tasty instead of just boiling it.

Didn't know if it was from satisfying his lust, but other urges were tolerable even unsatisfied.

'Look at more first.'

'Healing potions. Nice for insurance, but no money—low priority.'

'Whoa, armor. Even that would help a ton...'

"Oh, ooh?"

Weapons appeared as he scrolled.

Dagger, scrap iron sword, scrap iron halberd.

Names didn't scream quality, but he vocalized awe on sight.

Other stuff he wanted but could live without; weapons were different.

'Gotta buy one!'

How long could he swing this stick disguised as a wooden sword?

He craved slashing, stabbing, smashing foes with real edged overwhelming power.

'Sword? Sword's good. Halberd? Halberd sounds great too.'

And it wasn't a plain spear.

A bladed one for slashing too.

Halberd, yeah.

'Let's see the price!'

His face soured.

'T-Ten... I only have 8 coins right now?'

Hard-earned too.

She came all this way—wait for next time?

'Nah. Do what I can.'

Yoon Young switched to sell mode.

"I'd like to sell something."

"We wander a lot, so we can't pay top price."

NPC or not, merchant instincts—laying groundwork.

'I'm desperate, so no choice...'

Shwing!

The sellable list appeared.

All the preserved food he'd diligently hoarded.

Thankfully, decent prices—no rip-off.

'Sell everything? Should cover it.'

Painful to part with, but weapons would let him farm more fast.

He sold everything sellable without regret.

This wooden sword, his journey companion? Ugly and unsellable.

"Yes! Purchased!"

Net: 38 coins.

Plus what he had: 45.

Enough for the dagger, barely.

'Ah, what now?'

Bargain option maybe?

He hit buy again, selected scrap iron halberd, opened keywords.

'Oh... there it is.'

Should've tried selling too.

Yoon Young lamented his late discovery.

But maybe knock down the price enough for a weapon.

"Could you lower the price a bit?"

"Hmm, how much were you thinking?"

'Oh! It works?'

He punched in 46.

"Sorry, not at that price... This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is already cheap."

'Fuck.'

Anger surged.

Strip her naked and...

'No. Not yet.'

His thirst for a real weapon beat lust.

Without daily Ria, impossible.

'Don't know how long she'll stay. Can't waste time on bullshit now she knows I'm short. Gotta go earn cash.'

He knew fruit-smashing outside made money—time to use that.

Yoon Young gripped his wooden sword and bolted.

'Push hard, kill like hell. At least six today!'

Forest Path 2 would yield three skulls today.

2.

"Hahk, hahk, hahk. Ow, owowow."

He wasn't pushing lately, but had to now.

The plains were huge.

Portal-to-portal was walkable, but areas vast, monsters spaced out.

Finding them took time.

Anxiety kicked in; he ran while searching.

Stamina drained fast.

Still, nabbed six.

'It worked. I've grown. This should do.'

Dodged weeds, targeted veggies/fruits, butchered, inventoried loot.

Should cover costs.

Back to village.

Merchant still stood blankly.

"Sell something."

"We don't buy much... but if the price is right."

Sold new haul: 9 coins.

'Total 55.'

Enough for sword or halberd.

Tried haggling on sell anyway.

"Hmm, not at that price..."

No dice.

Probably needed haggling skill or charisma.

Try often.

'Sword or halberd?'

Sword.

Halberd.

He pondered.

'Sword's king of weapons, cool too...'

Stick-like, but his current weapon was a sword.

Some sword skill synergy expected.

But halberd tempted too.

'Swords feel tricky.'

Gut said wild swings would self-harm.

Spear? Easy poke, swing, safe takedowns.

'Problem: all brainfart. What if halberd's hard too?'

Never wielded proper weapons—how to judge?

Yoon Young sank into thought.