Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Baby Dragon's Fang
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After finishing my business, I returned to the east pub with Park Gyuhwan.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw my group members waiting for me.
They all looked thirsty, each holding a glass of some drink.
Jeongwoo raised his beer mug and called out to me.
“Hey! You’re back. Oh? You brought the goblin soldier too.”
“Yeah. He’s the guy I turned into a summon earlier. Anyway, what’s with the beer?”
“Michael suggested we have a round. We were just wetting our whistles.”
“Nice.”
Michael tapped his beer mug with his finger.
“Cheonjae Kim want one too?”
“Nah. I think I need to eat first. I’m starving after all that moving around.”
I pulled up a chair and sat down.
Yoo Sora was sipping her beer tentatively, glancing around.
“Sora, you don’t have to drink if you can’t handle it.”
“Huh?”
“No need to force it just to fit in.”
“Oh….”
Michael chimed in.
“Cheonjae Kim no no! We no force her. Sora Yu already drink five glass.”
“Huh? Five glasses?”
“Five glass.”
I looked at Yoo Sora’s face. Up close, her flushed cheeks made it clear she’d had plenty.
Yoo Sora gave me a shy smile.
“Cheonjae, you have one too.”
“……I’m good.”
I took off my rain-soaked coat and hung it over the back of my chair. Water dripped from the limp fabric, wetting the floor.
Feeling worn out, I slouched in my seat and asked Jeongwoo.
“Did you check on the rooms?”
“Yeah. The north pub’s offering all ten days for eight hundred jenny combined.”
“Eight hundred jenny….”
“Not bad, right?”
I smirked nonchalantly.
“That’s expensive.”
“Huh? Eight hundred jenny’s expensive? For three rooms over ten days.”
“It is. Michael, what’d they quote you?”
“Foreigner discount, ten days for five thousand jenny.”
Some discount.
I muttered indifferently.
“The west pub’s doing it for a hundred jenny.”
Ma Jeongwoo’s eyes widened, beer mug still in hand.
“Whoa! A hundred jenny per room? That’s a steal. Three rooms’d be three hundred total?”
“Nope. Just a hundred jenny.”
“Just a hundred?”
“For all three rooms, ten days. Sound good?”
Ma Jeongwoo tilted his head.
He hadn’t expected to score lodging this cheap.
Jeongwoo stuck out his tongue and smacked his forehead.
“Damn. A hundred jenny for that? What, you hold a knife to their throat?”
I grinned and took a swig from Jeongwoo’s beer.
Gulp.
Ahh!
“It just worked out that way. Finish up quick and let’s head to the west pub.”
“Okay. Let’s hit the shops on the way. Need to grab some essentials.”
“……Sure.”
* * * * *
The rain had stopped.
After eating, we left the east pub and headed to the shop district.
The shop district near the village fountain was like a general market, dealing in everything from weapons to armor and groceries.
‘Land of Ruin’ players call this place one thing.
[Crooks’ Alley]
Of course, the market’s real name is something else: Peace Market. Players use that nickname because not everything has a price tag.
Only recycled used items do.
Neither buyers nor sellers know the prices. No set market rates—they haggle it out through talk.
That’s the unspoken rule here.
As we entered the market, streets lined with all sorts of fruits and foodstuffs.
There were even familiar street foods like fish-shaped buns and hot dogs.
Feeling peckish, I approached the fish-shaped bun vendor.
“How much for a bag of fish-shaped buns?”
The NPC lady’s curt reply.
“The buyer figures it out—how should the seller know?”
“……Three jenny?”
The lady stared off into the distance impassively.
“Keep walking. I’ll dry ’em out for firewood.”
“……Five jenny?”
She folded her work gloves and tossed them on the ground.
Thud!
“I oughta quit this bun business! Doesn’t even cover dough costs—why am I bothering?”
“……How about ten jenny?”
The bun lady’s lip curled up.
“If you want ’em that bad, take ’em.”
“……Okay.”
[You purchased 4 fish-shaped buns for 10 jenny.]
I paid more for the buns than a single room at the inn.
Others might call me crazy, but I don’t skimp on food.
It’s like agonizing over online clothes sales, stuffing your cart to save a few bucks.
But ordering thirty-thousand-won chicken without a second thought.
I took a big bite of my bun, and Jeongwoo held out his hand.
“One.”
“Sure. Michael, Sora, you too.”
I handed one to each. Even splitting a bean half—taking care of group members is the leader player mindset.
Deeper in the market, we spotted ochre brick weapon and armor shops.
Sword on the sign: weapons. Shield: armor.
While Jeongwoo and Michael checked the weapon shop,
I headed to the armor shop with Yoo Sora.
It might not be there, but
if it was, I could snag what might as well be my strongest weapon.
Creak.
I lightly pushed open the wooden door.
“Welcome!”
A man in a triangular hood and apron shouted energetically.
“Hello! Welcome to Starbox Armor Shop. Take your time browsing.”
“Okay.”
At the front, like any clothing store racks, class-specific armors, helmets, shields in every color.
Players who’d arrived before me wandered the shop. Mid-to-late thirties by looks.
Two guys, early forties at most.
‘Necromancer?’
Bone armor and a huge scythe.
Early game, and screaming “I’m a necromancer!”
I ignored them and headed to the back of the shop.
“Cheonjae, is this where you buy armor?”
“Yeah. Sora, for your armor…. Oh! Michael’s got something good for you, so that’ll do.”
“Oh….”
“No need for you to buy armor anymore. Nurse class is better off crafting your own gear.”
“Then…. You here for armor, Cheonjae?”
“Armor… not exactly…. Hmm…. Here for a weapon. Weapon.”
“Weapon? Isn’t this an armor shop?”
I flashed a big smile.
Yoo Sora looked puzzled for a sec but didn’t press.
She knew questioning my actions was pointless.
“Uh…. Where is it?”
“Looking for clothes?”
“Not clothes. Accessory.”
“Accessory?”
“Yeah.”
The deeper into the corner, the older the stock. Dust thickened with every step.
At the end, antiques waited—discolored, broken armor pieces.
I rummaged through them.
Cough—cough—
Dust flew up, and Yoo Sora covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, coughing.
“Ch-Cheonjae, this stuff looks unusable. Chipped, faded. Why not just buy new?”
“……”
I kept digging without a word.
Eyes stung from dust, but something valuable was hidden here.
I checked the antique corner for a good while.
Some decent items, but I set them aside.
Not my goal—armor.
Wondering if someone beat me to it.
Thud.
A horn flute hidden between large round shields fell out.
Bone flute from some unknown beast.
“Got it!”
I brushed off the dust with a grin and read the tag on the string.
[NOGARD]
Yoo Sora leaned in close and read it aloud.
“Nogard? Is this a weapon?”
“Yeah. This is it.”
“Looks like a horn flute to me.”
“……Kinda, yeah. Alright—let’s go pay.”
At the counter, the shop owner set down his duster and said.
“Found what you want?”
“Yeah. I’ll take this.”
“Let’s see…. Huh? You’re buying this?”
I nodded.
The armor shop owner frowned and picked up the horn flute.
Deeply stained—even a wet rag wouldn’t clean it.
The kind of antique tossed out anywhere else.
Only sold here, where upkeep’s lax.
He glanced at the tag and said.
“Nogard….”
“How much?”
“First time seeing the brand. Price tag says ten thousand jenny.”
“Still that now?”
“Hmm…. Hold on.”
He blew into the horn as hard as he could. Black dust poured out the other end.
Like smoke from a chimney.
-Cough! Cough!
“Ugh…. Doesn’t even make a proper sound. You really want this?”
“Yeah. I like it.”
“……Sigh. So, what’re you offering?”
The offer came.
[System Message]
[The shop owner Kim Heungjeong’s mind starts racing.]
One of the top three toughest merchants on this street.
Kim Heungjeong.
The kind of sleazy NPC who’d slather dog piss on armor as “lubricant” and sell it.
I spoke in a serious tone.
“I’ll give a thousand jenny.”
Upper-tier armor price.
“A thousand? The tag says ten thousand!”
“That’s just a placeholder. Who’d pay ten thousand for a monster-luring flute?”
Kim Heungjeong scratched his head.
“……Still, a tenth’s too low, no? Don’t know the animal horn, but it’s branded.”
“Nogard?”
“Yeah.”
I shrugged.
“Defunct brand—why premium pricing? Clothes halve after one season.”
“Defunct?”
“Yeah. Don’t believe me? Google it on your phone. Won’t find it.”
Players can’t use phones, but NPCs can.
Kim Heungjeong eyed the flute sharply, then grabbed his phone.
I tapped the counter idly, waiting.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Nothing, right?”
“……Nope.”
“Gonna rot in the corner anyway. Thousand jenny.”
“……Eight thousand. Eight out of ten on new price?”
I shook my head.
“Thousand jenny. Hard to use, discolored—drops collector value.”
“Why buy junk like that?”
“I’m a flute collector.”
“Ha…. Five thousand then. Half price. No lower.”
Yoo Sora added.
“Oh. Cheonjae, he says half price.”
I said firmly.
“Thousand jenny. Or I walk.”
“Ha. Stubborn bastard. I’d buy at five thousand from ten! Fine! I’ll smash it—don’t buy.”
He flushed red, pissed.
Veteran haggler’s acting.
“Then, take care.”
I bowed politely and headed for the door.
Had to show courtesy and that it’s thousand or nothing.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
As I reached for the wooden door.
“Wait!”
Kim Heungjeong yelled.
“Fifteen hundred. Gotta eat too, yeah?”
“……Twelve hundred.”
“Fourteen!”
“Eleven.”
“Th-Thirteen!”
“Thousand.”
“……Ha. Fine. Twelve hundred. Happy?”
I nodded.
“Thousand.”
* * * * *
Yoo Sora and I left the armor shop.
Ma Jeongwoo and Michael, done shopping first, greeted us.
“Got everything?”
“Yeah. You?”
Jeongwoo proudly showed off a wicked-looking axe.
Berserker X?
The handle mark—axe by ‘Zeras,’ the legendary blacksmith.
“Whoa—what’d it run?”
“Three thousand jenny. I’m broke.”
“Good deal. Michael?”
Michael showed a grenade launcher rifle.
“Four thousand jenny.”
“That’s a bit steep.”
Jeongwoo asked.
“Sora?”
“Didn’t buy. Nurses craft their own weapons and armor.”
“Right. So you?”
I beamed, pulling the flute from my belt.
“You know what this is, right?”
“……This was the one from here?”
I grinned and read the letters right-to-left, not left-to-right.
[N O G A R D]
D. R. A. G. O. N.
The strongest necromancer item available early-game.
[Baby Dragon's Fang]
-Attack Power +28
-All group members' stats +40%.
*Summon combination skill activated.