Chapter 18
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Mandragora's Comradeship
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Owner Park couldn't believe his ears. The boy watching from behind him stared with wide eyes.
“Fifty… fifty sets each?”
“Shoes would be good, too.”
“P-Please wait a moment!”
Owner Park scrambled into the back storeroom. A moment later, he returned with his arms full of clothes and laid them out on the counter.
“These are our bestsellers right now. I get them directly from the upper-class factories, so the quality is excellent and the price is low. This right here reflects the latest trends…”
“Skip the explanation. As long as the sizes fit.”
“Then right this way to the fitting room. I brought these out based on a quick glance, but they should fit. I’ve never been wrong about this sort of thing.”
Owner Park gathered the clothes and shoes and led the way to the fitting room.
He had belatedly noticed that Cheon Doun was barefoot, but he didn't ask why.
‘Who comes to this city without a story?’
This was a time to focus on the sale, not to pry into personal matters. Owner Park quietly took the shoes and placed them in the fitting room.
A short while later, Cheon Doun emerged, having changed his clothes.
Now dressed like a civilized man, his striking features shone even brighter.
Even in casual attire, his tall, well-proportioned frame made him look like a model.
‘His looks, his clear eyes… he doesn’t seem like he’s from this city. Buying clothes in bulk like this, is he planning to donate them somewhere?’
He was clearly not short on money. Thinking he had nothing to lose, Owner Park picked up a hat from the display.
“How about this hat? Many people buy it as a set with the children’s coats…”
“Bag it.”
Such a cool attitude, not even asking the price. A huge grin spread across Owner Park’s face.
“What about these socks here? The character print is all the rage with the kids—”
“Bag them.”
“A-And this sweater, it’s gone viral for its incredibly soft and cozy feel…!”
“Bag it.”
Valhalla! Owner Park could have sworn he saw a halo behind Cheon Doun.
The boy standing behind them was also stunned. The man he thought might be penniless was now buying out the store.
“Hey, kid. You change into this and come back out.”
Owner Park handed a set of clothes to the boy.
“Oh, no. I don’t have any money…”
“It’s fine. Think of it as a freebie from me. Don’t feel burdened and just take it.”
Owner Park said generously. As a local, he had seen the boy a few times on his commute.
‘He’s the kid who guides new Hunters.’
This boy had brought Cheon Doun here. To Owner Park, it was as if the boy had wings on his back.
And so, the boy got a new set of clothes. Coming out of the fitting room, he bowed his head deeply to Owner Park.
“Th-Thank you. I’ll wear them well.”
“Don’t mention it. Come by and visit from time to time.”
*And bring more good customers with you*, Owner Park thought with a happy face.
***
Cheon Doun paid for the clothes and left the store.
The boy followed him out, looking at Cheon Doun with a sense of wonder.
‘So rich people just carry around checks crumpled up like gum wrappers. Just how much money do you have to have to do that?’
When he’d pulled something out of the pocket of the pants he’d been wearing, the boy had thought it was trash.
Who would have guessed that a carelessly folded piece of paper was a ten-million-won check?
Owner Park’s expression upon receiving the check had been similar to the boy’s.
[Th-Thank you. Please come again! Here, this is on the house.]
Owner Park had added another shirt, a pair of pants, and a child’s dress to the box. It was a clear effort to make him a regular.
[And this is my store’s business card. Please come by anytime you need clothes.]
He didn't forget to tuck the card into the box.
To the owner, who was always in the red, Cheon Doun, who had generated over five million won in sales in a single day, seemed like a saint.
Leaving the store, he looked at the boy. Now that he had change, it was time to pay the boy for his trouble as promised.
Cheon Doun reached into his pocket for a ten-thousand-won bill but paused. His gaze swept over the boy’s appearance.
Although he was wearing the new clothes from Owner Park, his disheveled hair and dirty face remained.
He looked like a typical homeless child. It was a sight that overlapped with his own past.
“…There’s one more place I’d like you to guide me to.”
“Ah, just say the word. Where to?”
“Is there a place that rents rooms by the month around here? Preferably somewhere with a trustworthy owner.”
“There is. Follow me.”
The boy led the way. They arrived at a building on a fairly large main street.
“This is it. See the police station across the street? Because of it, the security is pretty good for a slum. The price is cheap, and the owner is a nice guy.”
“I see. Wait here a moment.”
Cheon Doun went inside. A short while later, he came back out and handed the boy a key.
“What’s this?”
“The key to room 303. I’ve paid a year’s rent. You can stay there this winter.”
The boy’s eyes widened.
“I’ve also prepaid for your meals, so you know. Make sure you go and eat when it’s time.”
The boy’s jaw dropped. What was he hearing right now?
Faced with something so unrealistic, the boy’s thoughts froze.
A sense of gratitude for the good fortune that had found him. Suspicion toward a stranger being so kind to him.
The boy looked back and forth between the key in his hand and Cheon Doun.
‘C-Come to think of it… I’ve heard about them. A group that lures kids into doing things related to crime… Could this guy be one of them?’
He recalled a gangster he’d once seen in a comic book. A story about a mafia member in a stylish black coat with a cigar in his mouth.
Had he been chosen to be a bullet shield for people from that dark world? The boy’s imagination soared toward Andromeda.
‘It’s… it’s scary… but still…’
For a boy who had faced death every winter, a warm place to sleep was an offer hard to refuse.
The boy hesitated for a moment before clutching the key tightly.
“I-I’ll work hard!”
“Work hard at what? Go inside and wash up. You stink.”
“Yes, Boss!”
“All I’m giving you is a room and food. The rest is up to you, just like you’ve been doing.”
“Understood, Boss!”
“Why do you keep calling me Boss? I’m leaving.”
“Take care, Boss! I’ll come running whenever you call!”
The boy shouted with a solemn face. His expression had already transformed into that of a protagonist from a 90s gangster film.
‘What’s with him?’
Puzzled, Cheon Doun crushed the return stone.
As the blue Gate opened, he hoisted the boxes of clothes and stepped through.
“Whoa, he just went through without any gear.”
The boy’s face was a picture of astonishment.
Hunters usually geared up heavily before crossing through a Gate. The sight of this man casually walking in with no such preparations left him speechless.
‘But what kind of work requires taking children’s clothes through a Gate?’
Something extraordinary, something a drifter like him couldn't possibly comprehend, must be happening on the other side.
Perhaps the gang’s secret base was inside the Gate.
The boy’s imagination once again journeyed toward Andromeda.
“Whatever it is, he’ll come looking for me again when he needs me.”
He had to build up his strength until then. Just because he was chosen as a bullet shield didn’t mean he planned on dying like an extra.
Now that it had come to this, he would claw his way up and become the organization’s right-hand man.
‘I’ll build up my body until he comes for me. To do that… should I work out and eat things like chicken breast?’
Aspiring gym bro, day one. The scrawny boy was about to awaken to a new world.
***
Arriving home, Cheon Doun set down the boxes of clothes.
Kim Nari, who had been waiting for him since the Gate opened, ran over.
“Mister is back!”
“Yeah. I’m back.”
“Are those clothes?”
“Yes.”
“They’re in boxes. Looks like a lot.”
“Because I bought a lot.”
As he set the boxes down, Kim Nari circled them, resembling a wild animal warily inspecting a new object.
“The box on top is yours. Take it and put everything away. Try them on to see if they fit, too.”
“My clothes…!”
A complex mix of emotions flickered across Kim Nari’s face.
Bewilderment at this new experience. Excitement that surpassed it.
Kim Nari hovered around the box before stopping.
“Thank you. I accept the clothes. I will take this and organize it.”
Kim Nari gave a deep bow and picked up the box.
The way she hoisted the heavy box onto her shoulder was the very picture of a sturdy worker.
‘I should probably tell her what a normal kid’s strength is like someday.’
What would she say if he did?
[The… the Coconut Tribe has been strong for generations!]
He couldn’t help but chuckle, imagining her spouting such a clumsy excuse.
As Kim Nari went inside, Guu approached.
-You seem to have bought quite a lot.
“Life here is rough. I figured the clothes would wear out quickly. What’s Nam Giseok up to?”
-He is training by putting his hands in water. As if struck by some inspiration, he suddenly started circulating his mana hole while standing under the waterfall.
“That’s an interesting training method. Is he trying to imitate a movie or something?”
Nam Giseok was fully committed to becoming a Class-A cleaner.
-Are you going to build the fence now?
“I was planning to, but I think making a wardrobe should be the priority.”
Cheon Doun said, looking at the boxes of clothes.
Combined, his and Kim Nari’s clothes numbered well over a hundred sets. It was far too much to store in the chest of drawers he had made before.
“The size of the wardrobe… no. Should I just make a separate dressing room?”
Kim Nari, Guu, and now Nam Giseok, the cleaner.
He suddenly had three mouths to feed. It was clear that their belongings would only increase from now on.
Cheon Doun looked at the first house he had built.
He had built it with the intention of expanding if it proved to be livable. Now was the perfect time for that expansion.
“I should build another room next to it and use it as a dressing room. It should be easy since I’ve done it once.”
Cheon Doun took a long pole and drew lines on the ground next to the house, marking the approximate location and size of the new room.
“Guu, let’s go cut some trees. You have a better eye for wood, so you pick them out.”
-Wood, you say. If we’re furnishing a dressing room… I see. How about using Fragrant Trees?
“Fragrant Trees?”
-Yes. A subtle scent will infuse the clothes. I think it would be nice.
“That sounds good. Then it’s settled, we’ll build the dressing room with Fragrant Trees. Let’s go cut some down.”
Cheon Doun lifted Guu and set him on his shoulder. Seemingly pleased by the gesture, Guu dangled his horse legs in the air.
The timber for the extension would be Fragrant Trees.
The material for the dressing room had been decided.
***
Finding the habitat of the Fragrant Trees was easy.
A faint lavender scent wafted from a distance, and following it led them to their destination.
They entered an area on the outskirts of the forest where endless trees, as white as if they had been bleached, grew all the way to their leaves.
“So these are Fragrant Trees. Is this entire area their habitat?”
-Yes. The fragrance will grow stronger on rainy days. When they absorb moisture, the scent can spread over a hundred meters away.
“Isn’t too strong of a scent a bad thing? It seems like it would cause a headache at that strength.”
-You need not worry about that. The scent doesn’t get stronger, it just travels farther. It remains subtle, just like now, but drifts further. I don’t know the principle behind it.
Cheon Doun’s face lit up with interest at Guu’s words.
“Come to think of it, there’s no difference between the scent I smelled from afar and the one I smell now that we’re here. That’s strange.”
-It’s a similar feeling even when it rains. The quality of the fragrance changes, especially when it absorbs moisture. It seems to have a calming effect on the mind and body. On rainy days, injured monsters gather near the Fragrant Trees to rest.
Building a house with such wood might attract monsters every time it rained.
Normally, that would be a concern, but for Cheon Doun, it wasn't a factor.
“Alright. Let’s use these trees, then.”
Cheon Doun drew thread from his fingertips. Having done this before, his work was fast.
He knew exactly how much wood was needed and what sizes to cut.
As such, there was no hesitation in his movements as he felled the trees.
After cutting and trimming the wood, he tied the logs with vines and lifted them. After a few trips, a mountain of logs was piled up in front of the house.
Progress was swift, but an unexpected complaint arose.
-Hmph! Hmph, hmph!
The Mandragoras popped their heads out of the garden patch. With wide eyes, they slapped the ground with their rootlets.
The ground shaking every time he stacked the logs had woken them up.
One of them even pulled itself completely out of the soil and patrolled the area around the garden. It was the largest of the three Mandragoras.
‘Mandragoras have poor eyesight, so it probably can’t see much anyway.’
The Mandragora that had come above ground stood firm in front of the garden patch as if on guard duty.
It spread its leaves and extended its rootlets to make itself look bigger.
The effect made the 10-centimeter root look like it was 12 centimeters.
-Hmph, hmph!
It even made what it considered to be a threatening noise.
It was the eldest of the three roots. It had to protect the younger ones.
It was a roar that showed such determination.