Chapter 28
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Slum's Alchemists' Association
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The Slum's Alchemists' Association
Cheon Doun placed the items in his bag and crushed the return stone.
"When my sister wakes up, let's all have a grilled clam party."
With that farewell, he passed through the Gate. He arrived in the same slum square as before.
Since it was the only place he could think of for now, he was transported to the same location.
“Oh, aren’t you that gentleman?”
A boy approached Cheon Doun. It was the homeless boy who had introduced him to Owner Park’s clothing store.
Since the boy did business with outsiders in the square, they had met again.
“It’s been a while! Have you been well, sir!”
“Yeah. You look good, too.”
Unlike before, the boy’s attire was clean. Just having guaranteed food and shelter had put some meat on his once-skinny frame.
What was odd was the sandbags strapped to the boy’s wrists and ankles. Noticing Cheon Doun’s gaze, he straightened his posture.
“I’m building up my strength to be of help to you, sir!”
I don’t intend to end up as mere cannon fodder. Please remember this firm resolve of mine. The boy wore a look of grim determination.
‘What’s with him?’
Of course, it was none of Cheon Doun’s concern.
“Good timing. Do you know any skilled apothecaries around here?”
“An apothecary? Ah. You mean someone who Awakened in alchemy?”
“Yeah. If there is one, show me the way.”
“A skilled one… uh…”
The slums, known as the graveyard for D-rank Hunters. The apothecaries who gathered in a place like this were also D-rank in skill.
‘I guess there aren’t any.’
He hadn’t asked with high hopes, so he wasn’t disappointed.
It might take some time, but I should leave the slums and head toward Gold City. Just as he was thinking that, the boy spoke.
“There are no skilled ones among the privately run places. But there is a branch of the Alchemists’ Association. Should I guide you there?”
“There’s an Association branch in the slums?”
“Yes. It came in about a year ago. There should be skilled apothecaries there. How about it?”
“Sounds good. Lead the way.”
If he could get his business done here without going all the way to Gold City, nothing could be better.
If it was an Association branch, he might even be able to buy the medicine in its fully refined state, so it was all for the best.
They arrived at a shabby, three-story building. Being built in the slums, it was small in scale.
"Here it is."
“Alright. Put today’s fee on my tab.”
“On your tab! I’ve already received more than enough. Just remembering me, O Bongsu, is plenty, sir!”
The boy, O Bongsu, bowed deeply and turned away. Cheon Doun mulled over his name and smiled.
“What a folksy name.”
Why were there no parents in the slums who gave their children proper names?
This is all because this area is bad luck. That’s also why I have no talent for naming things. Cheon Doun muttered quietly and entered the shop.
* * *
The slum branch of the Alchemists’ Association.
Manager Kim, who had been assigned here, let out a sigh. It was called a transfer, but it was no different from a demotion.
[I told you not to talk back to your superiors.]
His colleague’s words wouldn’t leave his mind.
In the working world, there are times you have to bow your head even when you know something is unfair. He knew that, but there are also times when you just can’t hold it in.
He had endured and endured the blatant misconduct of his superior, who cunningly stole his achievements. After holding it in for so long, he exploded and reported his corruption.
The result was a transfer that was as good as a demotion. It was only later that he found out one of the so-called ‘higher-ups’ was a relative of his superior.
[Don’t worry too much. Just rack up some achievements. You know how sometimes the main office calls you up directly. Hang in there.]
His colleague had said that, but it was no comfort. The slums. A city of criminals. The worst poverty-stricken area on earth.
Over 90% of the Hunters here were D-rank. The same went for the alchemists.
How was he supposed to rack up achievements among incompetent people drowning in debt?
“Achievements… If I could just get some achievements… I’d do anything. Won’t someone bring in some incredible material to sell?”
“All those incredible materials flow to Gold City. That branch is overflowing with funds, so they pay above market price.”
“Don’t kick a man when he’s down. My old bones are aching.”
Just as he was exchanging idle chatter with an employee, the lobby door opened. A young man in his twenties entered. Manager Kim immediately put on his business smile and approached him.
“Welcome. Are you looking for something in particular?”
“Mana Hole Purified Water. I’m looking for the kind made with Mandragora. You have it?”
The blunt question made Manager Kim pause.
Mandragora Purified Water. A miraculous medicine said to restore even those with shattered Mana Holes to perfect health.
It was a medicine so rare that even he, with over 20 years in the industry, had never seen it in person.
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have that. As you know, Mandragora is extremely rare.”
“Then what about the medicine from the stage before that?”
“The stage before?”
“The state before combining the Mandragora. I want to get the medicine that’s ready to use as soon as you add the rootlets. You have it?”
At Cheon Doun’s words, Manager Kim’s eyes shifted. The receptionists at the counter also looked puzzled.
“We can prepare it for you that way if you wish… but without the Mandragora, it will have no effect.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it.”
Hearing Cheon Doun, Manager Kim’s face filled with pity.
‘He must be planning to try mixing it with other herbs. Should I stop him?’
Doing so would just be a waste of money. Manager Kim was about to say so but stopped.
If his Mana Hole was messed up, he’d be desperate enough to grasp at straws. He probably needed to try something, anything, to not have any regrets.
“Understood. We’ll prepare it for you that way.”
“I need two. How long will it take?”
“It’s an intermediate-stage medicine, so it’ll be quick. About 40 minutes should do it. However, even without the Mandragora, the other ingredients are expensive. The price is quite steep.”
Can he afford it? In response to that concerned look, Cheon Doun set his bag down.
“Is it okay if I pay with items instead of money? They’re materials I brought from beyond the Gate.”
“Of course. We can just purchase them from you.”
The problem was whether they had a value comparable to the medicine they were providing.
The items brought in by slum Hunters were all pretty much the same.
He would try his best to match the price, but he was worried if it would be enough to cover the cost of the medicine.
“First, this.”
Cheon Doun took a yellow ore bracelet out of his bag.
‘A bracelet. Someone’s already processed it. Seeing how they drilled a hole in that small stone to thread it… the hardness doesn’t seem that great either. It won’t fetch a high price.’
As expected, the item that came out was not just ordinary, but of poor quality. Manager Kim, trying hard to hide his pity, took the bracelet to the appraisal platform.
The measurement was based on two criteria.
The darker the color on the appraisal platform’s gauge, the higher the demonic energy. The price also varied depending on the speed at which the color changed.
“Let’s see. The reading is…”
Manager Kim placed the bracelet on the platform. The moment he did, the gauge’s color instantly flashed indigo. The time it took for the color to change was 1.5 seconds.
“Huuuh…?”
The unexpected situation made Manager Kim let out a dumbfounded sound.
Is the machine broken? Could this be some kind of scam? Maybe it’s been manipulated. There’s no way this tiny stone bead could produce such a reading.
Manager Kim looked at the bracelet with a suspicious face. He even took out and put on a pair of specially made glasses, then used tweezers to move the bracelet’s beads around and examine them.
‘What, what is this? This hardness…! This is on par with Black Azurite. Does that make any sense? How could they drill such a tiny hole and make a bracelet… Could my glasses be broken too?’
The Black Azurite that Kim Nari had shattered with her railgun. A stone so hard that even A-rank Hunters struggled to break it, and this had the same hardness.
And yet, it was a bracelet made by drilling a needle-sized hole through it and threading it with a string. The demonic energy emanating from the ore beads was also top-grade.
This was impossible to appraise. If put up for auction, fanatics would come flocking with fire in their eyes.
‘His reaction isn’t great. Is this not something that’ll sell?’
Manager Kim froze at the appearance of the unexpected item, and to Cheon Doun, he looked unimpressed.
‘I guess the ore is too small.’
Cheon Doun picked up the bracelet from the appraisal platform and put it back in his bag.
“Ah, ahh…!”
Manager Kim let out a sound of regret without realizing it. He couldn’t take his eyes off the bracelet as it disappeared into the bag.
He didn’t know what it was. It was an ore he had never seen before. But just from the reading that came from a fingernail-sized piece, he knew its value was immense.
Moreover, it was an unconfirmed mineral that had never been discovered before. Couldn’t he sell it to our branch? That regret made him swallow dryly.
‘He won’t sell it. He saw the reading too… He’ll take it to Gold City to sell, not here.’
That’s what taking the bracelet back meant. Manager Kim became acutely depressed. In the meantime, Cheon Doun took out his backup item from the bag.
“Appraise this one instead.”
The second item Cheon Doun took out was a stone the size of an egg. Seeing it, Manager Kim’s eyes widened.
‘A-a black pearl…!’
Anything from the sea fetched a sky-high price.
A pearl. And a black pearl at that. If that wasn’t a fake, its value didn’t even need to be appraised. Weren’t pearls something even the main office couldn’t handle because they didn’t have any?
‘Th-there are two more!’
Manager Kim’s eyes grew wider as he brought out more black pearls in succession.
Purchasing just one of those would be an achievement significant enough to be noticed by the main office.
Is this what they call a pie in the sky? Manager Kim could only stomp his feet in frustration.
‘No reaction. Is this one not good either?’
Those wide-open eyes didn’t look like someone dealing with a customer. It might have been a silent signal, as if to say, *What kind of crap are you putting out?*
Cheon Doun put the pearls back in his bag.
“Aah… Ah…!”
No, don’t put it away, don’t take it. Manager Kim’s hands hovered in the air. In the meantime, Cheon Doun took out the last item.
Thud. With a heavy sound, he presented a clam the size of a human head.
“How about a freshly caught clam?”
Manager Kim’s eyes widened again. A clam whose shell shimmered with iridescent colors like mother-of-pearl.
Seeing a sea creature from the Demon World for the first time in his life, Manager Kim’s jaw dropped.
Squeak. Just then, the clam’s shell opened slightly, and the clam meat inside spat out seawater.
Good timing. Cheon Doun pointed to the protruding clam meat for all to see.
“It’s fresh.”
“Haaah!”
A sea creature. A living sea creature from the Demon World, no less. Its value was simply beyond measure.
The counter staff, watching from a distance, scrambled inside to contact the main office.
You could feel their determination to pull some funds, no matter what.
“Th-this… What in the world is…”
Who on earth was this person? Manager Kim stared at Cheon Doun, his jaw hanging open. Seeing a proper reaction at last, Cheon Doun smiled.
He took out a bundle of leaves from his bag. Unrolling the leaves revealed red moss.
“Th-that’s…!”
Red Moss. A fantastical ingredient that, when added to high-grade potions, multiplied their efficacy several-fold.
It was a life-saving herb whose price was whatever the seller demanded.
The Red Moss, which was impossible to find, was presented wrapped in leaves like some kind of dip.
‘This one’s getting a reaction, too.’
Cheon Doun placed the red moss next to the clam.
“They’re delicious together.”
At the nonchalant words, Manager Kim’s jaw dropped.
This unidentified man who had produced items beyond imagination. The words that came from his mouth had far exceeded Manager Kim’s wildest expectations.