Round 16

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“Last time was extraordinary already, but if you’ve even improved the variety, I’m definitely excited!”

“Hmm. Kyu-seong. Honestly, I’m a bit anxious. I hope we haven’t messed up the original delicious tomatoes by being too greedy?”

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have brought them.”

“Then I’m excited! Hahaha!”

The tomatoes were a kaleidoscope of colors.

Moreover, they shone so translucently that neither of them dared to taste them first.

“They really look… magical.”

“They almost seem like dungeon plants.”

Even if they were offered free samples, no one would take them.

I finally decided to demonstrate myself.

I took out a tomato and popped it into my mouth.

Like last time, it seemed to melt away, filling my mouth with a rich tomato flavor.

‘Could there be an addictive substance in this?’

In fact, before coming out of the dungeon, I had unknowingly eaten several. It was hard to resist, but I felt better after some time.

However, once I ate another, it was hard to stop my hand again.

I ended up taking out another one.

“Kyu-seong?”

“Ah, okay, that’s enough now…”

Hmm? Why is that?

I looked down at my hand and saw it clutching a handful of tomatoes.

Gulp.

I swallowed the mouthful of tomatoes and hurriedly explained.

“I, I didn’t mean to… It just happened… haha.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Hanul picked up a tomato I offered and ate it. Then, he bulged his eyes and glared at the bag of tomatoes in my hand.

“Kyu-seong  give me one too.”

“Here you go.”

Just as I was about to hand over a tomato, another hand swiftly snatched it away.

“Hey! Kang Hanul!”

“Yum yum.”

Annoyed, Kang Hanul had already brought it to his mouth. Not to be outdone this time, Young-seong hurriedly stretched out his hand and managed to grab the tomato I was giving.

“Hup!”

“How is it? Delicious, right?”

I can assure you that these tomatoes, imbued with magic, were tastier than the magic Cherry tomatoes. Although preferences varied, I could confidently say that the Cherry tomatoes were objectively more delicious.

“This is crazy!”

“It definitely tastes better.”

“No! That’s not it!”

Excited, Kang Hanul exclaimed again with fiery eyes.

“The magic power has increased!”

“What? What does that mean…”

“Kyu-seong! Give me another one!”

I had brought 4kg for the two of them, and including the family’s share, 16kg in total.

Of course, I had calculated the slimes’ share as well.

“Here you go.”

“Hmm!”

This time, Kang Hanul didn’t put it in his mouth but scrutinized the cherry tomato closely. To anyone watching, it seemed like he was reading an item description, and Young-seong held his breath waiting.

“Three seconds! That’s a bit disappointing!”

Having checked the description, he nodded and handed it back to me. I thought he would eat it right away, but surprisingly, he didn’t.

“What do you mean by three seconds?”

“I’ve also noted down the information about this batch of tomatoes.”

Young-seong checked my notes immediately and looked back at me with a surprised expression.

“Does this even make sense?”

“Haha…”

“It’s not about ‘haha’! Of course, as Kang Hanul said, three seconds might be disappointing, but for Awakened, those three seconds can be the difference between life and death.”

He made it sound so significant.

“Of course, we need to check how much the magic power increases, but if we can further improve it from here…”

“I think the attempt will probably be in the direction of increasing the level.”

“That’s right, it was just a Level 1 tomato!”

I still didn’t know how to increase the level of crops.

But perhaps, like this time, we could accidentally find a method?

‘It seems like the slimes might be the answer.’

Eventually, everything was connected.

Liquid synthesis and the Slime Lord; alone, each was a useless ability, but together, they provided the answer.

“Shall we set a price now?”

Kang Hanul said with a smirk.

“5 million per kg. How about that?”

“Hmm.”

Honestly, the 20 million I received from Young-seong yesterday was too much, but this price was expected.

At 5 million won per kg, 4 kg would be 20 million won.

‘Each harvest produces 40 kg. Of course, I need to consider the slimes’ share, but just a simple calculation brings it to 200 each time.’

I still didn’t know the harvesting cycle of the magic cherry tomatoes.

It was possible to imbue them with magic daily, but I hadn’t confirmed that yet with these.

Excluding the slimes’ share, I wondered if I could end up selling just about 10 kg. This time, I brought a bit more, even including some for my family.

‘Even 10 kg would be 5 million won.’

Am I really becoming rich now?

I used to earn 100,000 won a day, and now it looked like I was about to strike it rich.

“Let’s do that. You get a first-customer benefit.”

“Hahaha! Thanks!”

Since no one else knew about my crops yet, we agreed on this price, but I intended to raise it naturally as competitors emerged.

Of course, I had no plans to increase the price for Young-seong since I owed him help, but it was different for other people.

“I need to report this to the guild immediately. Text me your bank account number. I’ll pay you right away. Ah! We need to price the Layla and paralysis poison too.”

“I’ll take 30 per kg for Layla. That’s roughly 5 kg for about 150. For the poison…”

As I hesitated, Young-seong helped me out.

“Based on our shop, that much paralysis poison would be about 150,000 won.”

“Um, I’ll give it as a service then.”

“Hahaha! Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Well, I’m getting close with Hanul nim, so I have nothing to lose.”

“You’re a smart brother!”

Kang Hanul grinned and immediately transferred the money to the account I had sent him.

[12,500,000 won has been deposited.]

“I’ve confirmed it.”

“I’ll contact you again after finishing the dungeon raid tomorrow! I’ll go first!”

Kang Hanul left in a hurry.

Following him, Young-seong also packed up the items and made a deposit right away.

[12,500,000 won has been deposited.]

“Uh, hyung? It’s just carrot juice without the carrots, I didn’t intend to receive this much.”

“Just take it.”

“I received too much yesterday, it feels a bit much.”

I sent back 2 million won to Young-seong.

Then Young-seong chuckled.

“Kid, it’s right to be precise with money, but hyung isn’t as broke as you worry. Do you have any idea how much I earn at Ara Hongryeon?”

“No, that’s one thing, this is another. I can’t do it because it makes me uncomfortable. Is this a matter of just seeing each other for a day or two?”

When I waved my hands in refusal, Young-seong tousled my hair and waved his hand.

“Alright, thanks. I’ll start by analyzing what you’ve made and if the results are good, I’ll let you know.”

“I really hope it works out well.”

“It will. I have a strong feeling about it.”

With those words, Young-seong left too.

He probably wants to analyze it as soon as possible and start treating his wife.

Left alone, I didn’t head back to the dungeon, but went home instead. I seem to be visiting more often these days, but that’s a good thing.

In the past, I was actually scared to visit home. I knew my family didn’t dislike me, but there was always a nagging fear in the back of my mind.

‘No need for that anymore.’

I felt grateful for the slime once again.

When I think about it, I was also thankful to the quest. It had shown me the way I needed to go.

Let’s live with gratitude for everything.

Thinking this, I arrived home.

“Mom, I’m home.”

“Oh, you’re here again?”

Now she greets me with ‘you’re here again?’

I grinned and started unpacking my bag.

“What did you bring this time?”

“Oh, I brought something nice. Try some.”

It seemed everyone else was still out, I had come a bit early.

“Oh my, what’s this?”

“It’s a dungeon fruit called Layla. One fruit should be enough for four of us to eat. Ah! Next time I come, I’ll bring some seeds, so please keep them separate.”

Two Laylas and 16kg of Magic CherryTomatoes.

I brought a lot of tomatoes, wanting to take care of my family, maybe pushing it a bit.

“Kyu-seong, are you farming or something?”

“Something like that.”

“It’s all good, but don’t overdo it. You’ve never farmed before, don’t strain yourself unnecessarily.”

“I’m an Awakener, Mom. I’m strong, so don’t worry.”

After hastily unpacking, I immediately got up from my spot.

“Are you leaving already?”

“Yes, I have a lot of work to do.”

“Why don’t you rest a bit?”

“It’s okay.”

That’s when my mother cautiously started to speak again.

“Kyu-seong.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“It seems Jae-seong is thinking about quitting his job.”

“Jae-seong is?”

Not switching jobs, but quitting altogether…

He’s a sensible guy, so he wouldn’t quit without good reason.

“Is he planning to do something else?”

“He wants to study cooking more. And he also said something that might be sudden.”

“What did he say?”

“Kyu-seong, he wants to try cooking with the things you bring…”

As I watched my mother speak cautiously, I took a moment to consider Jae-seong’s idea.

Thinking about it, I had only planned to eat these things or make them into fruit juices; I never thought about cooking them.

“…that’s brilliant?”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. I hadn’t thought of it, but it really seems like a good idea.”

I am aware of Jae-seong’s passion for cooking.

Moreover, the cooking of Jae-seong’s I had occasionally tried was not bad at all.

‘To be honest, being my brother, I might have scored him a bit harshly.’

If a stranger had tasted it, they would likely give him a thumbs up for his excellent cooking skills.

“It’s a relief. Mom was a bit worried.”

“Really, there was no need to worry? It seems like a really good idea. But I’m a bit concerned about…”

I hesitated a bit as I calculated the cost.

Given that my crops were extraordinary, they naturally commanded a high price. The cost of production wasn’t high, but their competitive edge justified a higher pricing.

What would be the right price to set if these crops were used in cooking?

‘Well, since I am the supplier, it’s not a big problem.’

Selling cheap wasn’t a loss for me.

It would only reduce the profit margin.

Since everything from labor was virtually free, if my brother decided to run a restaurant, he wouldn’t price it like I sell to the guild.

It’s really up to me.

‘I should pay for Jae-seong’s cooking school. Or maybe even send him abroad?’

Now I could afford to be proud.

If the income I earned today continues steadily, studying abroad would be no big deal.

I already felt a moral debt, and this seemed like a good opportunity to address it.

Of course, it was a debt only in my own mind.

“What’s the problem?”

“No, it’s nothing. I just thought about it and it’s not a big deal. No problem at all.”

Study abroad, cooking studies, and even a restaurant.

Ultimately, what I needed right now was money.

Buying the dungeon was urgent, so I needed to talk to Jae-seong first. I had planned to go back right away, but I’d wait until Jae-seong got off work.

* * *

“Team Leader, where did you get this?”

Someone asked, and Kang Hanul flashed a bright smile.

“Hahaha! I know a brilliant kid!”

“This is… absolutely insane?”

The deputy team leader of Team 1, Ko Kang-yeon, was speaking, but everyone gathered at the location was nodding in agreement.

Even the guild master, Han Seok-jun, had been quietly examining the items Kang Hanul had brought since a while ago.

It started with the Ara Hongryeon Guild.

A wave was stirring in the society of the Awakened.

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