Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Need Money Urgently (2)
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I want to buy it right now. Where should I go?
"Finally...!"
Someone actually trusted me! I immediately replied in the comments. My small hands fumbled quickly over the keys, causing typos left and right, so I had to correct them several times.
Please send a 1-on-1 chat.
The user named Flame Salt sent a private chat the moment I posted my reply.
Can I buy today right away? I want several of similar items.
Flame Salt seemed to be in desperate need of items—grateful for that. They even wanted multiple pieces.
Yes. Direct trade at 37 XX-ro, XX-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul. Multiple will take some time.
My scales grew slowly, shedding the outer ones gradually, so waiting would yield more eventually.
Even one per month meant 100 million won monthly income! Ten would be a billion!
My stomach growled with hunger, but my heart soared with joy.
I'll be there in 30 minutes. Wire transfer is fine, right?
Yes. And could you agree to one trade condition?
It might seem trivial, but these were essential conditions for me.
What condition?
There are two conditions.
It might sound odd at first, but I'd prepared reasonable ones—to keep my body hidden.
First, I'll leave the item in front of my house, so please pick it up that way.
The first condition was to avoid showing myself to the buyer. What if they tried to use my body for materials? Or worse, capture me as a slave to forge weapons?
To prepare for that, we had to trade with the door between us.
Ah, sure.
Flame Salt accepted my request readily. Now for the important second one.
Second, if you could pick up some cup rice on the way, I'd be grateful. It's hard for me to go out.
The typing indicator on Flame Salt's chat flickered on and off.
'No way, are they refusing?'
I really didn't want to leave the house if possible. Please, please accept...!
Thirty seconds later, the reply came.
Got it.
"Yes!"
The deal was finally sealed. All that was left was to wait.
For my food to arrive, that is.
Grrrowl...
An hour had already passed.
'It's about time...'
Five minutes until Flame Salt's promised arrival. I'd placed the dagger in front of the front door and was peeking cautiously at the hallway through the peephole—standing on a stack of books to reach, thanks to its height.
The item was disguised in a delivery box to prevent theft if left out plainly.
As I worried about a possible delay, a woman ascended to the second floor without a sound from her footsteps.
A redheaded woman I'd never seen before. Petite build, but her fierce gaze stood out.
'A resident from upstairs?'
As I turned my eyes away, she approached my door.
"Are you Golden Hand?"
I hadn't expected a hunter, but this woman was apparently 'Flame Salt' coming to buy the item.
"Y... Ahem! Yes."
I almost answered normally, cleared my throat, and replied in as deep and serious a voice as I could muster.
"Where's the item?"
"Uh... right in front of the door. Check the delivery box."
She bent down, opened the box, and inspected the dagger inside.
"...Holy..."
A gasp escaped her lips. I worried it was negative, but the response came quickly.
"Confirmed. What's the account number?"
"Ah, yes! Sending it via phone!"
I sent the account via the Hunter Gallery chat. Dozens of seconds later, my phone chimed.
80,000,000 KRW deposited from Kim Hwa-rin.
Kim Hwa-rin. A name that rang a faint bell.
"Sent the payment."
"Yes, yes! Confirmed! Thank you!"
Eighty million won hit my account instantly. My lips kept curling into a grin—I couldn't hide my soaring elation.
Then she pulled cup rices from her bag, one by one, two, three... a total of ten stacked up.
"I'll leave the cup rice here."
As Flame Salt—Kim Hwa-rin—turned to go, she tossed a question my way.
"...By any chance, do you live alone here?"
"...Pardon?"
The sudden question threw me off, and I blurted a reflexive reply.
"Just curious."
Well, she'd wired 80 million without hesitation—surely sharing this much was fine.
"Uh... yeah. I live alone."
She stood at the door, pondering for a long moment, then fired another question.
"What if I just grabbed this dagger and ran? What would you have done?"
"...Huh?"
Kim Hwa-rin's words froze me solid. Come to think of it, if she'd snatched the dagger without paying... I had zero countermeasures.
But I didn't want to seem like a fool, so after some thought, I lied.
"Th-there's someone else waiting nearby."
"I see."
Kim Hwa-rin replied and turned away immediately. Seemed it was pure curiosity.
The tension from dealing with her melted away, replaced by raging hunger.
'Time to eat first.'
Even Mount Geumgang tastes better after a meal. Filling this starving belly came first.
Once she was out of sight, I carefully hauled the cup rices inside one by one.
Regrettably, three were spicy flavors.
"Guess that means really only seven..."
A brief sour mood hit, but checking my account balance cheered me right up.
Who cared if seven or six? I could order delivery feasts from now on.
For now, the task was eating cup rice. Nothing else.
Kim Hwa-rin checked her surroundings the moment she exited the building.
'...No mana signatures detected.'
An awakener presumed to craft A--grade daggers. The girl had said someone else was waiting nearby.
The nickname seemed too mature for a girl to pick, and the delivery box label suggested a man's order.
Based on the info, she made a cool judgment. Normally she'd handle it with her abilities or delegate to her guild, but this was serious.
She ducked into an alley, pulled out her phone, and dialed the shortcut for 'Awakener Management Bureau.'
Ring-ring—
The call connected before the first ring finished.
"Yes! Hunter Kim Hwa-rin! What can I do for you?"
The handler, accustomed to her frequent curtness, picked up swiftly.
"Kidnapping case. Someone's abducted a young awakener and forcing them to use crafting skills."
"...Pardon?"
The handler buffered briefly. It was too grave for Kim Hwa-rin's usual gripes.
"Oh, and the girl's sword is A-grade."
"...We'll act immediately. Anything else?"
Pro that he was, the handler grasped the situation and mobilized. An A-grade weapon maker needed national protection pronto.
"Location: 37 XX-ro, XX-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul. Ah, and there's an awakener evading my detection. She mentioned someone nearby, but nothing within 50 meters on my scan. They might be onto us—prepare as fast as possible."
Unbeknownst to Gold Dragon Yi Da-yoon, groundwork for her protection was underway.
Five minutes later, Yi Da-yoon was transferring cup rice from the microwave to the table.
"Heehee...!"
The primal joy of impending satiation, plus the high of 80 million won, had her giddy as if drunk.
"Cup rice, cup rice~"
She grabbed a glass of water, finished prep, and peeled back the lid. Steam rose invitingly from the microwaved cup, filling the air with delicious aroma.
"Thanks for the food!"
As she scooped the first bite, footsteps echoed from all around.
"Hm?"
Sounds like over a dozen people approaching from every direction. Something neared the window too.
Puzzled, she turned—and the window shattered inward as two men burst in.
Crash!
Simultaneously, mana severed the front door's hinges, and black-uniformed men stormed through the collapsing entrance.
"Awakener Management Bureau! Don't move!"
"Stay still and drop the stealth!"
"Whaaat?!"
Yi Da-yoon's mind blanked in shock.