Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Chapter 47
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Treasure's True Value
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All the failed dishes so far had been about the size of Kang Seol's palm, but the jelly he'd just made was no bigger than one segment of his finger.
The size of a small elixir pill, or maybe a calming tablet.
Kang Seol savored its aroma as he checked its details.
Cloudy Day's Jelly
Grade:Treasure
Appropriate Level:None
Weight:0.1kg
A jelly made from shadow flowers native to Plegaria.
It captures the full essence by solidifying shadow powers—which grow increasingly volatile upon enhancement—using gelatin from phantom delusion. Shelf life is up to three years, provided it's not stored in a place prone to spoilage.
Special Effect: Grants use of Miracle of the Cloudy Day for 1 hour upon consumption. (Once only: Force a Shadow Summon on an opponent far above your level. The summoner's level is treated as +30, but even with a Shadow Flower, failure occurs if the level gap doesn't narrow to 30 or less.)
A whopping level gap of 30.
Of course, levels weren't absolute, but they still posed a real obstacle for Kang Seol.
The issue stemmed from his own level as a Shadow Summoner.
As adventure difficulties ramped up, so did the levels of his foes.
But Shadow Summoners like him simply couldn't summon targets whose levels exceeded a certain threshold.
To grow further, Kang Seol needed to fight stronger opponents and turn them into summons.
Yet the system's level mechanics created a barrier through the concept of "realm disparity," and this jelly was his way to overcome it.
The key is knowing when to use it.
He'd check it again when enhancing his abilities, but his Shadow Space still had plenty of room left.
Now all that remained was acquiring a new summon.
That said, choosing the right one was crucial.
Adventure difficulties were growing erratic, and enemies were getting tougher. Who knew when another chance to snag a decent summon would come along?
I need... the strongest possible summon I can get.
He needed a summon that could serve as a pillar until that opportunity arose.
Karuna and Jamad were excellent, of course, but could they really take down an even stronger foe right now? It was hard to nod confidently at that.
Sure, as his summons' grades rose and their numbers grew, things would stabilize. But at his current level, a lot was riding on this jelly.
"Whew... Careful now."
Kang Seol meticulously wrapped the jelly in clean packaging and tucked it into his inventory.
Can cooking even be a treasure?
Insane lololol a consumable as treasure??
Cooking was this OP?
Hardly any players pick cooking as talent, right?
It's total wipeout levels; who'd pick that crap lol
Trash chars did lol
Look at those careful hands lololol
Kang Seol let out a deep sigh once the jelly was safely stowed.
"Whew... Now, when do I clean this up?"
He'd been cooking nonstop, day and night.
The kitchen already looked like a battlefield.
As Kang Seol started tidying up the mess, a sound shattered the silence.
Knock, knock, knock.
It came from the door.
In truth, he'd sensed it earlier. An unidentified presence had lingered near the annex countless times.
"What is it?"
A voice replied from beyond the door.
"Um... sir, there's someone here to see you."
The voice was thick with fear.
The inn staffer's tone was damp with tears.
"Me?"
"Y-yes... that is..."
Kang Seol nodded to himself.
Right on schedule.
His plan seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
For someone staying quietly in the annex without causing a fuss, there was only one person who might come calling.
"...Where should I go?"
"No need. I'm impatient, so I came ahead."
Another man's voice.
Unlike the staffer's, it was low and weighty. Even through the door, Kang Seol could tell the speaker harbored no tension whatsoever.
"You can head back. Good work."
"B-but... will there be any trouble?"
"No trouble. I'll just have a quiet chat and go."
"Thank you..."
He could hear the staffer scurrying away in a panic.
The man left alone beyond the door introduced himself leisurely.
"You probably know already, but I'm Kiboy. You going to leave me standing out here?"
"...It's a mess inside. You sure?"
"Life's messier than that. Can't complain about a little household clutter."
"Come in, then."
"Appreciated."
Creeeak...
The moment Kang Seol opened the door, Kiboy's massive frame filled the frame.
What a monster of a build.
Kiboy was so enormous it was hard to believe a human could grow that big.
Creak...
Not the door closing, but the floor groaning in protest.
"No need to be so guarded. I'm just a beast without teeth now."
"For someone toothless, your watch is pretty thorough."
Kang Seol meant the presences surrounding the annex. He could still feel eyes on them.
"Got a lot of worrywarts on my tail. And for a solo stay, this place reeks of the john nonstop."
Kiboy glanced at the kitchen.
"Eh, circumstances."
"I said I understand, so I do. Otherwise, I'd think there was a corpse in here."
"Have a seat."
"Don't mind if I do."
Conveniently, there was an oversized decorative chair fit for Kiboy. He plopped down into it.
"Heh heh... Normally you'd make an unannounced guest stand, but you're well-prepared here."
That was when it happened.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone pounded on the door.
"Mister! Kiboy! Let me in! It's dangerous!"
"......"
Kang Seol eyed Kiboy.
Kiboy covered his face with a bony hand, looking troubled. That huge hand caught the eye first.
"Haa... What a headache..."
"Won't open? I'll break it down! I'll smash this door! Think I can't?!"
"The kid's... well, you see..."
"Lord Kiboy! Open up! You bastard! It's dangerous!"
It was a woman's voice, rough around the edges. Kang Seol looked at Kiboy.
"Talking about me?"
"Me, or both of us probably."
"Let her in."
"You sure?"
"She'll keep it up otherwise."
"Wise."
Kiboy strode over and opened the door.
"Come in, Mira."
"Took you long enough!"
"But stay quiet."
"Got it."
They looked like a kindly grandfather and his granddaughter.
Kang Seol sat in the chair opposite Kiboy, meeting their gazes.
"She's a Transient?"
When Kang Seol asked first about the woman named Mira, Kiboy answered.
"Yeah, Yu Mira. Fun kid."
"Who're you calling fun!"
"Shh, keep it down. We're here for serious talk."
"Eek..."
She couldn't have been older than 21 or 23 at most.
Yu Mira pouted and stuck to Kiboy's side like gum.
Kiboy and Kang Seol turned their attention away from her and got down to business.
"Rita passed along your message. You want to trade the item?"
"Better than getting shortchanged on its price."
"You knew I was the owner?"
"Who can say."
"Heh... Probably did. You're not surprised I showed."
"Treasure like that? Wouldn't matter who came."
Yu Mira suddenly cut in from the side.
"So, are we trading or not?! Hurry up!"
"Hey now, Mira. Watch and learn."
"Watch what?"
"This brat... Sigh..."
In relationships without established trust, the desperate one loses. Rushing when you should be patiently reading intentions only invites loss.
Kiboy seemed to be teaching her that.
Though Yu Mira clearly wasn't getting it.
"Mira already spilled it all, so no helping it. I need your treasure bad."
"Why?"
"You know the situation in Nobira lately?"
"The relic hunters' cold war? Yeah."
"Makes this easier, then. That ice is about to crack."
Kiboy glanced at Yu Mira once, then told Kang Seol,
"Heca and Doju are the hawks; Shur and I are doves. We never saw eye to eye."
"How's full war been avoided till now?"
"Borgo was in between. That sly bastard was always lurking like a hyena for weakness."
"You all held back fearing he'd strike from behind if blood was spilled."
"Ironically, that's what kept the relic hunters at peace. War's deterrent is another flavor of violence."
Borgo had crossed Kang Seol and gotten himself killed.
His faction was the smallest, but his vicious persistence had made even the others wary of him deep down.
"So, current state?"
"Shur and I are on the back foot."
"Manpower?"
"Not just that... No one to counter Heca."
Why was a man with such a colossal build whining like this?
As Kang Seol stared, Kiboy gave a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Told you. No teeth left."
"Why?"
Yu Mira tried to stop him from the side.
"Kiboy... Don't spill to someone you can't trust."
"Mira, trust isn't born in a vacuum."
"...What?"
"I don't trust him; he doesn't trust me. So where does trust come from?"
"That's..."
"The more desperate one makes excuses. Harsh world, innit."
Kiboy smiled sadly and rolled up his sleeve.
"...Your arm."
His right arm was pitch black, necrotic.
It hadn't blackened completely, but the rot reached his elbow.
This was worlds apart from a single possessed hand. It felt far more ominous.
"Shadow poison. Price for coveting treasure."
"Heard you're a Shadow Summoner. Did the treasure get you?"
"Heh heh heh... Relic hunters all end up like this. Not every treasure has use. Some demand their owner's life as fuel to paint the world in blood. Half the treasures through my hands were like that."
"Galota's Tongue one of them?"
"Can't purify it yet, so yeah."
"Why touch it?"
"Got hasty. With Borgo gone, Heca and Doju formed a united front and squeezed us. Thought I had to step up."
"Shur?"
"Shur's just a coward who lucked into leading after her boss died. She's with me now, but if things worsen, she'll fold to them. That'd end Nobira."
End how, exactly?
Kang Seol suddenly grew curious about the future he envisioned.
"Heca and Doju treat Transients like slaves. Squeeze every drop: labor, coin, even buy and sell them. Plenty of Transients have died rebelling against Heca."
"...Over the line."
"They claim the natives should band together and enslave them—their rightful owners."
"More like livestock, right?"
"Can't deny it. Doju maybe not, but Heca's a maniac."
Yu Mira shuddered beside him.
"Heca's... a psycho. A few Transients joined him and turned up as corpses."
"Rumor he kills Transients for kicks. Circumstances make it near-certain."
Kiboy's way with words was odd—you ended up rooting for him the more he spoke.
Kang Seol asked,
"So, you need my treasure to stop that?"
"Trade for equal value."
"Equal? You think the treasure eating your arm equals mine?"
"Unsold goods are worth zero. Neither's sold, so equal."
"Sophistry."
"Sophistry's better than nothing."
Galota's Tongue was already as good as Kang Seol's. Trading now would profit him hugely. Yet he held back from agreeing outright for another reason.
Heca swallowing Nobira whole would be trouble too.
He was a Transient himself. No way he'd view Heca favorably.
Plus, once the relic hunters' war ended, the victor would monopolize all ruins—growing far larger than now.
Carving them out later would be a nightmare.
In the end, he'd clash with them and take the hit. Kang Seol didn't want Nobira's balance tipping badly.
Seeing him hesitate, Yu Mira told Kiboy,
"Kiboy, he won't trade. Let's go. Been out too long. Heca might notice."
"Mira."
"Told you not to expect anything! Transients only care about themselves!"
"Mira, you're a Transient too. They just haven't blended into this world yet."
"......"
"Haven't become family yet."
Kang Seol, who'd been listening quietly, pulled something from his inventory.
"Do relic hunters really know an item's value?"
"Most things, yeah. We don't misjudge."
"What about this?"
Thud.
Kiboy eyed the glass vial Kang Seol set down.
"Hmm... Some reagent? Or..."
"K-Kiboy..."
"Mira, don't interrupt."
"No, the shadow..."
"What?"
"Kiboy's shadow..."
Kiboy held the vial in his left hand.
His shadow should mirror that.
But in the shadow, Kiboy's form kept its right arm as far from the vial as possible—like the liquid inside terrified it.
The shadow was afraid.
In that instant, Kiboy looked at Kang Seol.
Kang Seol's golden eyes stared back clearly.
Kang Seol asked softly,
"Do you know this item's value?"
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