Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Selling Vegetables
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A call came in from the Association.
They said a Dimensional Gate had opened near the Association.
It was C-rank.
The Association staff entered the inside of the Dimensional Gate with me to personally verify the rumored abilities I possessed.
And so, I explored the interior of the Dimensional Gate alongside the staff.
“Hmm, it’s just a plain old forest.”
“Low-rank Dimensional Gates don’t have anything special to begin with. It’s because there’s little mana floating in the air.”
“…You’re even giving explanations in place of Si-woo, who went off to shoot an ad.”
Han Ji-su hadn’t come along today because she had an ad shoot.
Honestly, I was jealous.
Shooting ads must bring in a ton of money.
I asked the staff, who were dressed in neat suits.
“I want to shoot an ad too. Has anything come up?”
The Association staff narrowed their eyes and replied.
“Nothing.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Not even one?”
“Your features are a bit too sharp, and your personality doesn’t seem all that great either. Better not to get your hopes up.”
“…”
That stung.
I’d heard that Association-affiliated heroes, being national employees, had relatively low performance bonuses.
That’s why they supplemented their income through ads and selling monster byproducts. Once their terms were up, they made better money working for corporations or as freelance hunters.
‘If I want to earn more, maybe selling monster byproducts is the only way.’
The cockatrice egg I sold last time had been quite profitable.
Alright.
My goal this time: shatter the dimensional core while collecting various monster byproducts.
I immediately put my plan into action.
‘Show yourselves. I’ll rip out your gums and yank every tooth.’
Come on out, wolf dogs!
With a bold spirit, I roamed the dimension.
But I couldn’t achieve much.
“Don’t run away, you bastards! Fight me!”
Kiiing— Kiiing—
“Argh, why are those things so damn fast!?”
I needed to get byproducts from the monsters.
But they wouldn’t fight me—they just tucked tail and fled.
And they were fast ones I couldn’t catch.
The Association staff watched me solemnly, jotting something down on their tablet PCs.
“Lee Ha-jun. Age 23. Monsters flee in fear: confirmed true. Combat ability: unassessable. Exceptional at resolving Dimensional Gates.”
“Not suitable as an ad model, but possesses a unique ability no one else has.”
My rating as a “Dimensional Gate opener” was steadily climbing.
Not that I wanted it.
I had no idea how it turned out like this.
***
After wrapping up today’s stroll through the Dimensional Gate as usual.
I got home and asked the dragon kids.
“Kids. Monsters keep running away the moment they see me. What do I do?”
I needed to hunt monsters.
To get the byproducts from their bodies.
But the monsters had no intention of fighting me.
“I want to fight monsters! But I can’t!”
Sob sob.
Frustrated, I shed tears.
However, Suryeon didn’t seem to sympathize.
Suryeon set down her smartphone and said to me.
“Dad’s a Red Dragon too? Why are you trying to fight? You’ve changed from hanging around with Hwaryeon.”
“No, it’s not like that…”
“Dad, that’s greed.”
“…”
She had a point.
Originally, I didn’t even have the power to fight monsters, so I should’ve been grateful they just ran.
I felt like maybe I was being greedy, just as Suryeon said.
It was like cold water had been dumped on my head.
“Hmph, what greed! If you have power, of course you fight!”
Hwaryeon, who’d been quietly listening, jumped in and yelled.
“If you can win, you win! Why just stand there! Fighting’s the best!”
“Oh.”
Hearing that,
It kinda made sense?
My head heated up again at Hwaryeon’s words.
I asked Hwaryeon, who agreed with me.
“Hwaryeon. Is there a way to stop monsters from running?”
“Of course! It’s basic of the basics for a dragon at play! Just hide your dragon mana!”
“How do you do that?”
“Well, it’s like this—”
The moment Hwaryeon started to explain.
Suryeon quickly cut her off and interjected.
“Impossible. Dad’s not a dragon. He can’t hide dragon mana.”
“Really?”
“Dad, you don’t believe me?”
“Ah, no. Of course I believe my daughter.”
I’d only said it casually.
Her reaction was scary.
Anyway, if Suryeon was right, I couldn’t hide the dragon mana flowing through this body.
“You’d need to learn Dragon Tongue for that.”
“Dragon Tongue…”
“But don’t tell Dad yet. Forcing it could make the mana explode inside you.”
“That sounds scary.”
No helping it, then.
I wanted to control the Overlord Haki flowing through my body.
But it seemed realistically impossible.
I kneaded Choryeon’s glutinous rice ball cheeks, who was sitting quietly in front of me.
“Guess I’ll have to give up on monster hunting for a while.”
“Hehe—”
“This is right. We should take it slow like before.”
After going through the heart of 09 District, I thought we needed to escape this district quickly.
It wasn’t a good place for kids to live.
Unless they came with me.
They’d surely get caught up in something bad.
With that in mind.
“Kids, want to go out together?”
“The rooftop? I like it!”
“No, not the rooftop.”
A bit further.
Maybe taking the kids for a walk would be good.
“Let’s just harvest the veggies from the rooftop first and then go.”
While making some money too.
***
I took the dragon kids and walked the streets.
Were Choryeon’s sprinkled friends diligently growing the trees?
The sprouts around us were getting a little bigger each time I saw them.
‘Just trees sprouting, but the streets feel so different.’
I walked a bit further and sat in front of the subway entrance in a safe district.
Then I placed a black bag full of various vegetables in front of me.
“Prices around this much should be fine.”
I roughly wrote prices on a box and set it up front.
Then the kids poked their faces out of the bag.
They looked like lizards again, just like the first time I saw them.
“Shaaak—!”
“Shaa—”
“Shaaah—!”
Haven’t heard that in a while.
I stroked them with my finger and said.
“Don’t go anywhere else. Just watch from there. If you have something to say, use that telepathy thing straight to my head.”
Nod—
The kids nodded in unison.
Then I shouted toward the passersby.
“Fresh veggies for sale! Homegrown, so they’re delicious!”
The lettuce had grown so fast that even after Choryeon ate some, a lot was left.
Selling lettuce at a time like this could help save up some money.
‘Sure, it dents my hero image, but no choice.’
I displayed the veggies while waiting for people to come.
Then an old lady with a hunched back walked toward me.
“Everyone, hide.”
“Shaaak—!”
Hwaryeon quickly shoved her siblings into the bag.
The grandma who approached me was quite familiar.
“What’s up, Granny. Wanna buy some?”
“You think I’d buy what I grew on my rooftop, you punk.”
“True. Special for you as my first customer. Take one.”
First customer special.
I handed Granny a bag of lettuce.
Granny clicked her tongue but took the lettuce.
“A hero selling lettuce like some grandma… Hurry up and pay the rent.”
“I’ll sell all this and pay up quick. Take care going back.”
I waved to Granny as she left.
Granny slowly disappeared into the distance.
Seeing that, Suryeon asked me.
-Dad, who’s that?
“First time seeing her face? She’s our apartment landlord. Rough talk, but she’s kind.”
-Hmm, a kind human. Got it memorized.
Suryeon said that and looked around again.
Staring intently at the outside world, asking about unknowns, we passed the time until customers came.
“This looks fresh. Give me one.”
“Sure, here.”
Maybe because of the foot traffic.
I could still draw some attention from passersby.
Not many bought, though.
“…It’s getting dark.”
-Heading back, Dad?
“Thinking about it.”
I wanted to sell out before going.
But a lot was left, so it felt regrettable.
Need some word-of-mouth to sell more.
‘No choice. Pack up for today.’
I stood to close up shop.
Just then, a familiar face walked out from the subway.
‘Good timing.’
They spotted my face and approached with happy expressions.
“Nice to see you, Hero!”
“Thanks for last time!”
Chubby and Skinny.
Perfect timing for those two to show up.
I asked the guys, who bowed 90 degrees to me.
“Good to see you. You survived on pure luck, huh.”
“Haha, thanks to you, Hero!”
“But don’t you guys need some lettuce?”
“Lettuce?”
They noticed the black bag in my hand.
Chubby laughed heartily and replied.
“I don’t eat veggies, Hero!”
Skinny immediately poked Chubby in the side.
“Ah, no! We love veggies! We’ll take them all! Thanks!”
“Uh, yeah. Eat well. Tell normal folks around here I sometimes sell high-quality lettuce.”
“Yes, Hero! Got it!”
Skinny’s quick on the uptake.
At least I could finish today’s sales.
I stuffed the money in my pocket, picked up the dragons with a bright face, and left.
On the way home, Hwaryeon asked me.
-Dad, who are those guys?!
“Chubby and Skinny.”
-Dad’s underlings?
“Nah, not underlings. Just neighborhood folks.”
Neighborhood folks.
Felt like I’d run into those guys pretty often.