Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World
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"It's real?"
It wasn't just a casual fondness.
Baek Young, who hardly ever moved on his own under normal circumstances, was rolling around on the dungeon floor like he couldn't contain his excitement, rubbing his whole body against it. The sight was downright shocking.
And to top it off, Na Baek-ho and Maeng-i were dashing around wildly in the open space at the dungeon entrance, pulling off full-speed udada.
That's right.
The kind of mad, all-out sprint that puppies sometimes do, like they've been possessed by something.
"Kyahaang!"
"Chijjit, chijjit!"
Maeng-i had even tossed aside the treat he always carried, sprinting with abandon.
I was used to seeing him sprawled out on the training room couch, so this was utterly unfamiliar.
"The kids... Should I stop them?"
"It's like they've come back home after ages, right? They look happy, so let's let them be for a bit."
Han Ji-seong came over and spoke soothingly to my surprised self.
"Home. Oh, yeah."
Familiar eggs are found inside dungeons.
So maybe this place is the most familiar spot for them after all.
I hadn't even thought of that.
Now that I was their master, I should've considered their longing to return home sometimes.
A twinge of guilt hit me, and just as I was thinking I should bring them here more often since they were enjoying it so much...
"Ccong! Ccong!"
Na Baek-ho, unable to keep up his speed, tumbled across the ground a few times, ending up covered in dirt, then barked at my feet.
[(,,>᎑<,,)♫•*¨*•.¸¸♪]
"That happy, Na Baek-ho?"
"Ccong!"
Even while chatting with me briefly, his butt was wagging furiously. He was totally in bliss.
"Go run some more. But stay where we can see you, okay?"
"Keuroong!"
As if that had been his goal all along—getting my permission—he bolted off, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Right beside him was Maeng-i, his fluffy forehead fur whipping wildly in the wind.
"Baek Young doesn't need to roam... I guess he's fine."
Unlike the other two, who were zooming around like they had motors on their paws, Baek Young had staked out a spot deep in the clearing.
The hottest spot in the clearing, radiating intense warmth.
"Baek Young, is this the warmest place?"
[(⸝⸝ᴗ͈ ̫ ᴗ͈⸝⸝) z Z]
"Yeah, he looks super comfy."
With his eyes gently closed, body buried in the warm soil—he looked just like an old-timer enjoying a sand bath.
"Rest well. Don't go anywhere else."
"Pseut."
Baek Young gave a lazy reply and buried his face in the dirt too.
Don't bother me anymore.
Anyway, one worry down. Time to get to work.
"I've got something prepared. Hehe."
I pulled out what I'd bought with every last bit of the prepaid ad contract money and grinned.
"Whoa, isn't this a magic stone detector?"
Im Cheong-su's eyes sparkled as he asked.
"Yep, it's a basic model, but way better than nothing. Cost a fortune."
"How does it work?"
Jang Su-ho sidled over, craning his neck curiously.
"No idea. I skimmed the manual, but this seems like the power button."
I pressed the chunky button on one side firmly.
Beep-.
"Oh! It works, it... Wait, does that mean they're all magic stones?!"
"Looks... like it?"
Jang Su-ho and I were speechless for a moment.
The palm-sized screen showed different patterns with every step I took.
A high-end precise detector costs hundreds of billions, but this basic one—only detecting within 10 meters radius and 1.5 meters deep—was what I'd bought, tears in my eyes.
I took a few steps to stand over one of the bright spots on the screen.
Then tapped the spot with my foot and told Jang Su-ho,
"Dig here."
"Got it."
Jang Su-ho started digging as instructed and soon let out a cheer.
"Got one! It's small, but it's a magic stone!"
"So all those dots mean magic stones for real."
I swallowed hard.
"This is a total goldmine!"
No more blindly digging up the whole place hoping for luck like before.
Just follow the detector's guidance, dig those spots, and out pops a magic stone.
Realizing that sent chills down my spine.
I tore my eyes from the detector, looked up, scanned the entire flame dungeon, and muttered,
"It's all... money!"
The full-scale mana stone mining operation began.
I'd walk around with the detector, marking spots where mana stones were buried with little flags, and the other guild members would dig there.
Honestly, I hadn't expected the basic detector to perform this well.
So the "flags" were whatever was handy—like chopsticks, spoons, or even the can from a recent stone.
It was a mesmerizing sight.
Every time we unearthed a stone, another appeared right there!
It was a shame we only had a few days.
If we had a month, we could've stripped this dungeon to the bone.
Then something tapped my ankle.
"Oh, Maeng-i! Found another stone? Good boy."
I praised Maeng-i as he dropped a red mana stone the size of his head at my feet.
"Chik! Chijjit!"
"Got it, got it. Here, treat."
I crumbled a tiny bit and reshaped it into a round treat for familiars, feeding it to him.
[╰(*´︶`*)╯♡]
Just a regular home treat, but he loved it.
With his reward, Maeng-i scampered off for another stone.
"Whoa, Na Baek-ho. Digging deep—big one this time?"
Na Baek-ho paused his frantic pawing, looked up, and barked "ccong."
Then back to digging frenzy.
He seemed to just love digging itself.
Whatever—as long as it was top-notch familiar material for Nayeo-ju.
"Baek Young's still snoozing in that spot. Where's Im Cheong-su?"
I stashed the detector in my sub-space and looked for him.
I figured he'd be digging with the others, but no sign.
Maeng-i was here, so he couldn't be far.
Then I spotted a bush rustling faintly in the distance.
"Im Cheong-su, whatcha doing here?"
"Oh, sis. Was peekin' at some herbs."
His dialect slipping out meant he was deep in focus.
"Yeah? Grass grows even in this scorching heat."
"Ain't ordinary grass—it's dungeon grass, so that's why. But..."
"But?"
"Reckon I gotta plow a field."
"What? Why plow a field all of a sudden?"
"Ain't no cow backin' up into a frog patch, right?"
With that, Im Cheong-su held up a small thorny bush, green tinged almost blue.
...The description's a bit iffy.
As I stared at the Joygrass, Im Cheong-su explained.
"This here's Joygrass. Eat it, and ya feel joy."
"But Im Cheong-su, 'joy' usually means, uh..."
Ah, how do I explain this to a kid?
"Nah, I know all that. Ain't the point. Remember my focus potion?"
"Yeah."
"Ah, how to explain to sis..."
He mirrored my earlier dilemma, gathered his thoughts, then spoke.
"Can't force focus anyway. Potion user knows what they wanna focus on, right?"
"True. Some wanna study, some train."
"Exactly! Words make sense! But think—who can't focus on somethin' fun?"
"Oh... Oh!"
I got it.
"Potion with this makes anything feel fun? Even boring stuff like studying or research?"
"Yup! Landed a golden frog, not just any!"
My hands shook taking the Joygrass from him.
"Sack! Into the sack! Can't lose freshness!"
Luckily, this was a Joygrass patch—thorny bushes everywhere.
"Nah, pot some with soil. Plant 'em in your greenhouse."
"Was gonna. But sis is more excited than me."
"Im Cheong-su, succeed with that focus potion, and moving to a bigger building's no dream!"
"...That good?"
This kid underestimates the millions of exam-takers and parents nationwide!
Mana stones weren't the priority now.
I focused on harvesting Joygrass with him.
I didn't even hold a hoe.
Im Cheong-su carefully dug them up with skill, and I just collected and sacked them.
The area around us turned to bare dirt in a circle.
But it was fine.
This whole area's Joygrass!
As I stretched my back, Im Cheong-su neatly stacked and sacked the dug-up Joygrass, and I kept bursting into laughter.
"Hehe, money. It's all money."