Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Hermes' Sneakers
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─Bang! Bang! Bang! Click click
I quickly detached the spent magazine and slammed in the pre-loaded drum mag.
─Bang! Bang!
Each shot hit heavy.
I reached into my subspace, and a hefty, cool chunk of metal came out attached to my hand.
Triple fragmentation grenade.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Triple Fragmentation Grenade Clink!
No hands, so I pulled the pin with my teeth—it was so tight, any normal person would've been straight off to get implants.
I let go of the safety lever just a bit, and I could feel the vibration in my hand as the grenade's fuze ignited the delay element.
─KABOOM!
Shrapnel from the triple frag sprayed everywhere, turning the troll into mincemeat.
"Whew."
All the trolls that had been standing were now rolling on the dirt ground.
It was a sight to behold.
The stench of blood mixed with rot assaulted my nose, twisting it in disgust.
I scanned around, thinking I'd cleaned them all up, when something twitched in the pile of corpses and bolted off toward the opposite side like a shot.
I shouldered the buttstock, steadying my ragged breathing.
─Bang!
"Damn it, as if."
I exploded my leg strength, kicking off the ground.
I raced forward fast, soon spotting the troll's ass as it flailed away in panic.
Wham!
Squeal!
The troll I kicked in the butt face-planted forward.
"Hunter, my ass—where do you think you're running?"
I pressed the muzzle to the troll's head, and its eyes filled with terror.
It had watched with its own eyes as the metal lump in my hand ripped open its comrades' bellies, so it must've decided running was the play.
"Head that tough, huh?"
Click.
"You little shit."
─Bang!
Screeeeech!
Scalp torn open, exposing white flesh, red blood oozing over the chipped skull.
─Bang! Bang! Baaang!
With every bullet that slammed in, the screaming troll quieted down bit by bit.
"Finally croaked."
I confirmed the troll's breath had fully stopped and turned back toward Lily.
When I got there, Lily was still crouched down, eyes squeezed shut, ears plugged.
"Lily, it's over."
"For real?"
"Yeah. How'd you answer with your ears blocked?"
"...Heehee."
Only then did she spring up and peer at the gruesome scene spread around us.
"Whoa. They're all really dead?"
"Scary..."
Blood pooled and flowed, chunks of troll flesh stinking up the grass blades.
It was so gory it could make you puke on reflex.
And she was grinning innocently at it.
Lily must be missing a screw.
Or maybe this is the kind of world where you have to be like that to survive.
"Blood splattered on your clothes? Da-rin unnie has some outfits that'd suit you, Lily."
"Clothes?"
"Yeah, and let's re-braid your hair too."
We moved away from the foul-smelling spot and sat down with the group.
"Lily, come here. Let's wipe your face."
Remembering Lily before we came, I'd prepared some clothes and wet wipes in my subspace.
Even though she was still a kid, she didn't seem used to being cared for, fumbling awkwardly.
"Sit in front of me."
"Okay!"
I wiped her face and touched her hair, and she giggled happily.
"Feels good?"
"Yeah, it does."
The hair-braiding I'd picked up from Da-rin unnie playfully braiding my hair.
It was uneven and lumpy no matter how you looked at it, but she loved it.
"You said you came out to gather herbs, right?"
"Yeah, got a ton."
As we chatted idly and I fiddled with her hair, the herb talk made her open her bag to show me.
Inside was a small knife and what looked like the herbs she mentioned, stuffed full.
"You gathered all this by yourself?"
"Yeah."
"Lily, you're amazing."
"Heehee. This one's good to grind up and eat when you've got a fever."
They all looked the same to me, but apparently not.
Excited, she pulled out various plants and explained them, but I didn't know a single one.
"This one's for when you cough a lot—eases your throat."
Lily suddenly shoved a flower toward my face; sniffing it, it smelled like peppermint.
The fresh, sharp minty scent was spot-on.
"Whoa, you gathered this too? So refreshing."
Hearing that, Lily plucked off a small leaf and popped it into my mouth.
"Put it on your tongue, clears your nose right up."
"Mmm, nice. Lily, you're so cool for gathering stuff like this."
"Heehee."
"You gave me something awesome, so I gotta give you a gift back."
"A gift?"
"Hold on."
🛒 SHOP OPENED 🛒 I opened the shop to pick a gift for Lily, and it was packed with lists I'd never seen before.
Come to think of it, the tutorial reward had mentioned unlocking the shop—that clicked now.
A new "General" category appeared, scrolling down; nothing too special, mostly everyday stuff.
Lots of food added, especially—excluding snacks like chocolate, the shop that used to sell weird stuff like 10-year-old bellflower roots now had meat and provisions too.
"No more packing my subspace to the brim."
"Subspace?"
"Nah, Lily, check this out."
🛒 SHOP MENU 🛒 [General] [Special Items] [Skills] ─ [Sort Ascending]
[Search] [Balance: 390,250,000 won]
★Exhausted Fallen Fruit Piece: A malnourished fallen fruit piece that Spirit Par sucked dry of energy and was about to discard, but left for her contractor instead.
> [Price: 0 won] [Unavailable]
Delicious Water 500ml: The kind of water where "just drinking water makes you gain weight." Infused with a drop of holy water.
> [Price: 4,200,000 won]
Mistletoe Branch: A branch that once glanced at the mistletoe Mistletoin, which killed a god. Burns well even in pouring rain.
> [Price: 10,000,000 won]
Hermes' Sneakers: Sneakers molded from mud Hermes once stepped in. Makes you run nimbly.
> [Price: 30,000,000 won]
... Other: A guitar that luckily absorbed a drop of wine that Dionysus coughed up mid-sip. Plays beautiful sounds; performing when the mood's killed flips the vibe.
> [Price: 420,000,000 won]
... One Lick Voucher for Great Replenishing Pill: A one-time lick voucher for the legendary elixir Great Replenishing Pill. Makes you very healthy.
> [Price: 1,150,000,000,000 won]
Looking at this shop where cost-performance was troll-fodder made my head spin again.
At least it was sorted into categories now, which was a relief.
"Why'd the prices drop?"
"Unnie, something wrong?"
"Huh? No, all good."
That shitty water I'd never even tried was always fixed at 5 million, but now it was down.
Probably the tutorial reward or the energy Par mentioned collecting before.
⚙ PURCHASE COMPLETE ⚙ [Balance: 360,250,000 won] I'd decide later; for now, I tapped purchase, and a pair of white sneakers appeared in my palm.
⚔ EQUIPMENT ACQUIRED ⚔ Hermes' Sneakers Lv.1 ● Infused with faint divinity ○ A pair of shoes prepared by Heavenly Peach for the high-flying wind Lily [Owner: High-Flying Wind Lily] Equipment level increases with repeated purchases I wanted to give something good since I was giving, but this was a first.
"Hmm."
⚙ PURCHASE COMPLETE ⚙ [Balance: 330,250,000 won] ⚔ EQUIPMENT UPGRADED ⚔ Hermes' Sneakers Lv.2 ⚔ EQUIPMENT UPGRADED ⚔ Hermes' Sneakers Lv.3 30 million gone with each tap of my finger—my guts were shaking too much to test more.
What I figured out: duplicate buys didn't raise the price.
"Lily, try these on."
"Uh... I've gotten so much already, these for me too?"
"Yeah, they're yours."
Lily approached and carefully slipped on the shoes like they were precious treasure.
"Whoaaa! So squishy. Like stepping on clouds."
Excited Lily hopped around here and there.
"Unnie! How do I look?"
"Prettiest in the world."
"Hee."
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