To a Merchant, Connections Are Wealth - 5
"Hey, Mom..."
Shin Yuha looked up at her mother, Lee Seoyeonn, with hesitant eyes.
"No. Absolutely not."
"Aww, why nooooot..."
"I know exactly what you're trying to say. But do you really think that makes any sense?"
"Ugh..."
Lee Seoyeonn's gaze pierced Yuha like daggers.
"Messing up during field training? That happens. Every hunter makes mistakes. I can overlook it."
"Yeah..."
"Slacking off in class? As your mom, it's tough to swallow, but if you say you just want to enjoy your student life... I could accept that."
"That's..."
"Using that weapon during the expulsion exam? I don't know how you got it, but fine, I'll let it slide. Your mana went berserk, right? You couldn't cast spells, so it was unavoidable."
Yuha couldn't even lift her head.
Her mother had already endured Yuha's antics multiple times.
"But now what?"
"Well..."
"One slip-up and you find some workaround? And you plan to keep pulling stunts like that to avoid expulsion?"
"That's not it..."
Lee Seoyeonn bit her lip hard.
"With your skills, if you just paid attention in class, you wouldn't get expelled. Either buckle down in lectures, rack up points in other training without screwing up, or pass the expulsion exam on your own merit!"
"Ugh..."
Every word from Seoyeonn stabbed straight into Yuha's chest.
"Absolutely not. Got it?"
"Hiiing..."
"Don't pull that cute act! Who taught you to weasel out with aegyo?!"
"I'm serious, it's not like that!"
The mere fact that Seoyeonn thought that way was Yuha's karmic retribution.
After all, Yuha was the one who'd first broken her mother's trust.
But this time, Yuha had a counterargument.
"I've really turned over a new leaf. I've been paying attention in class, doing my homework diligently..."
"I heard. That's why I'm even more disappointed. I thought you were finally changing, but now it feels like you're sliding back."
Her mother's heavy love weighed down on Yuha's heart.
The temptation to give up right then flickered before her eyes.
'I've got five guns already anyway. Three of them work great, and I don't even need to buy bullets—'
But thinking of her friend who'd bragged about buying a new gun—or more precisely, her classmates—made it unbearable.
"I just really want it. For real."
"You just want it?"
"Yes!"
The thought that she might finally convince her parents made Yuha's eyes sparkle.
"I can make flame bullets, right? That's a skill I can use in any situation."
"True."
"Mana surges could happen again, or monsters that resist my spells might show up, or sometimes my spells might be too powerful for the situation..."
She calmly laid out her case to her mother.
"So you're not buying the gun just to pass the exam?"
"No! Honestly, for anyone else maybe, but I don't need it for that. Like you said, Mom, without the mana surge, I wouldn't be at risk of expulsion."
Shin Yuha was strong.
Born from the bloodline of a top hunter, she possessed talent and ability that surpassed even that.
Recent incidents were mere accidents; in normal circumstances, she wouldn't need to worry about expulsion.
"...No other reasons?"
"Well... I know the oppa selling it, and I want to help boost his sales a bit—"
Yuha casually dropped the word "oppa" without a second thought.
She'd called him that whenever she saw him, even at the Academy.
But others—classmates, teachers, even the "oppa" himself—had let it slide because they all thought, 'How do you even stop this girl...'
"Ah. So you're close with the guy selling it?"
"Yeah! We grab coffee sometimes, text too!"
And Yuha innocently dropped the bombshell, oblivious to her mother's changing expression.
"...Shin Yuha."
The atmosphere shifted.
The warm vibe from moments ago turned ice-cold.
"W-Why? What's wrong all of a sudden?!"
"Hand over your phone."
"W-Why suddenly..."
Yuha trembled, unable to adjust to her mother's sudden chill.
"If you don't give it in three seconds..."
"W-What? What'll you do if I don't?!"
"I'll take it by force."
"Fine, here."
Shin Yuha was a girl who objectively knew her own strength versus her opponent's.
If her mother wanted her phone, resistance was futile.
"Haa..."
Seoyeonn snatched Yuha's phone and checked the messages.
'...'
Seoyeonn bit her lip tight.
Her daughter, who'd never given her trouble with boys before, suddenly pulling this?
'If she were just an Academy student...!'
She'd tried not to be a bad mother.
If Yuha brought home a boyfriend, she'd accept it graciously.
'But he's not even an adult!'
The thought of her daughter falling for some sleazy guy's tricks tore at her heart.
"...Call this guy."
"Huh?"
"Tell him you're buying the gun."
"W-What? Suddenly? I thought you weren't allowing it?"
"I just want to see his face once."
"You're not gonna do anything crazy, right? If you do, I won't stand for it."
"And what will you do if you don't?"
"I'll cry."
"Still no."
Seoyeonn cut her daughter off firmly and let out a deep sigh.
From here on, she had to peel off the leech clinging to her daughter.
'Why's she suddenly saying she wants to buy a gun again...'
I wasn't sure, but from talking with Roje, I could gauge Yuha's skills.
Pure talent-wise, she was top-tier even in the Academy.
Without the mana surge, expulsion wouldn't even be on the table.
And lately, she'd been attending classes diligently—no reason she needed a gun.
'Well...'
She seemed to like me a lot, so she probably tacked on some excuse to convince her mom.
It was a bit sad that a kid could drop a million won on a toy without blinking, but the world wasn't fair.
And considering the money I'd made lately, I had no room to envy anyone.
'Selling what are basically junk 'enchanted items' and raking in this much.'
I'd thought my gatherer pay was decent, but this was on another level.
Now I was eager to see how much I'd make from truly profitable dimensional trades.
But the moment I opened the apartment door, all those thoughts evaporated.
"Come in."
The woman's face waiting at the door...
'Lee Seoyeonn? No way. Am I seeing things?'
One of Korea's top hunters stood before me.
'A lookalike? Has to be.'
I'd met parents of Academy students before—famous folks, rich ones.
But Lee Seoyeonn was leagues above.
Name the top ten hunters in Korea, and she'd be there.
She ran her own guild—not corporate-backed, but one of the best personal ones.
Her skills were insane: veteran of countless large raids, the kind the government calls up when the nation's at stake.
And she was right in front of me.
"You're Jeong Isu, right?"
And that wasn't all.
Her voice was ice-cold.
A killing intent that said she'd end me any second.
And she could.
If an awakener vanished in her home, no one would bat an eye.
The instant she used her powers, I couldn't resist.
I'd drop dead without even realizing.
'What did I do? Is Lee Seoyeonn just that vicious? Why me—'
I definitely felt it: her razor-sharp fury, honed by a top hunter.
But I'd never met her, no reason for her to hate me—
"Oppa! First time at our place, right? Remember that potted plant on the balcony? I sent you a pic of the flowers blooming—said it was super pretty!"
"Ah, yeah. I remember."
It hit me.
Undeniably, inescapably.
'So you're the culprit.'
For a split second, I seriously wondered if suing that brat for attempted murder would stick in court.
'She's a kid anyway, she'd be out in no time...'
Forcing a wry smile, I stepped inside and sat before Lee Seoyeonn.
"You seem pretty tense. Did you do something wrong... or guilty?"
She smiled leisurely, eyeing me coolly.
"No, ma'am. Just... surprised to meet someone like you, Lee Seoyeonn Hunter. Caught me off guard."
"I see. Didn't know Yuha was my daughter?"
"No, I didn't."
Everyone in Korea knows Lee Seoyeonn, but fame doesn't mean I have to know her family tree.
"...I hate beating around the bush."
"Understood."
"I'll buy the items. Time is money for merchants, right? Can't keep you without reason."
"Take your time deciding."
"I have zero interest in chatting leisurely with you."
Her killing intent thickened, like a slasher creeping closer in a horror flick.
"Ten million won. Ten guns. You weren't planning to sell her bullets too, right?"
"Isn't it the buyer's choice what and how much to purchase, not the seller's?"
"Mom, I said fifteen guns!"
I saw Yuha in a new light.
Either she was too dense to sense the intent, tough enough to shrug it off, or loyal enough to shield me regardless.
"Fine, fifteen. You heard that, right? Make it so."
"Yes. Right away."
I skipped the usual warnings, like with other sales.
Seoyeonn's interest wasn't in the guns anyway.
"...So this is what you sell."
Pulling out the shoddy Gremlin Pistol tanked my credibility further.
"Straight to the point, then."
"Please do."
Silence fell.
I held my breath, awaiting her verdict.
"Don't meet my daughter anymore."
Relief washed over me.
At least she wasn't planning to kill me on the spot.
"Understood."
I nodded immediately.