Round 19

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My brain stopped working at the sudden comment.

What did Jeong So-yeon just say?

“Wow~!”

“Swoosh!”

“Jeong So-yeon is bold, isn’t she? She went straight for it.”

People around us started causing a commotion, which left Jeong So-yeon looking bewildered.

Soon her face turned redder and she flailed her hands.

“No, no! That’s not what I meant! What I meant was…!”

Overwhelmed, Jeong So-yeon faltered in her explanation just as the elevator arrived.

Ding!

“Ah! Th-the elevator! Let’s go, Kyu-seong!”

“What? Oh!”

Jeong So-yeon grabbed my arm and pulled me in.

People around cheered and teased again.

“We must have been a disturbance.”

“Have a good time~!”

Jeong So-yeon waved her hands frantically, insisting it was a misunderstanding until the elevator doors closed.

“I…”

Silence enveloped the inside once the door closed.

Finally, I hesitantly broke the silence, and Jeong So-yeon, still flushed, barely met my gaze.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“Yes. But what did you mean by ‘you want’? Were you referring to my item?”

Naturally.

I hadn’t misunderstood at all.

After all, she was a leading awakened person belonging to one of South Korea’s top five guilds. It made no sense for her, the country’s youngest Level 6 awakened person and already an elite team leader, to like someone she had just met.

“Yes! Exactly!”

“Thank you for seeing it favorably. Since I have a connection with Awakened Kang Hanul, there might be a chance to supply my items to Ara Hongryeon Guild.”

I felt good, as if my item, and by extension myself, was recognized. However, I wasn’t sure why the reaction was so heated since I hadn’t tried the fruit juice myself…

“No!”

“What?”

While I was silently rejoicing, Jeong So-yeon suddenly came close, leaning in.

Her smooth forehead, long eyelashes, and sparkling eyes felt incredibly beautiful.

“To me, not to the Team 2 leader!”

“What do you mean all of a sudden? To you, Awakened Jeong So-yeon?”

“Ah! Sorry. I got carried away again. What I meant was…”

Ding!

The elevator arrived.

The doors opened, and a vast corridor came into view.

“Wow…”

The top floor of the Ara Hongryeon Guild.

It was another world, with a ceiling that seemed to stretch endlessly and a geometric design.

“The guild leader and the second team leader had sudden urgent matters, so they stepped out for a moment. They’ll be back soon, so please wait a little.”

“Understood.”

“And please forget what I said earlier, just consider it nonsense.”

Jeong So-yeon smiled brightly, looking both fresh and confident.

“Isn’t Awakened Jeong So-yeon busy?”

“There’s been a lot of talk because of the Yeongdeungpo dungeon raid. That’s why I decided to stay out of the media for a while. It should resolve soon, though.”

“Ah…”

I wondered if I had awkwardly brought up a sensitive topic.

It seemed like I had insensitively brought up a topic that was causing her distress.

“That aside, the juice you made, or should I even call it an item?”

“You can call it whatever you feel comfortable with.”

“Anyway, it was incredibly delicious!”

“Ah!”

Now I realize that Jeong So-yeon was the one who had actually tasted the fruit juice!

It felt more like she was surprised by the taste rather than the ability of the fruit juice. I had thought she highly valued it as an item.

“It’s such a shame. There was only one, and the effect duration was so short I had to rush through enjoying its taste.”

“Hmm…”

I remembered the cherry tomatoes in my bag. I hadn’t brought the magic cherry tomatoes, but I did bring a bunch of freshly harvested magic-imbued ones.

Swoosh-

“What’s that?”

“It’s similar to the ingredients used in the fruit juice you had. It’s a bit of a downgrade, though…”

I took out the cherry tomatoes and opened the bag.

The translucent tomatoes glistened brilliantly.

“You can try some.”

“Really?! Oh, but I didn’t bring that up to get something from you…”

She seemed hesitant, perhaps thinking it was too precious to accept. Ignoring her concern, I went ahead and ate one.

Pop!

“Mmm!”

It didn’t melt away like the magic cherry tomatoes, but it was a delicacy in its own right. Perhaps some might even prefer this for its texture.

“It’s tasty. Try one.”

“Just like that?”

“Meeting this way must be fate. It’s nice for me to make an impression on Awakened Jeong So-yeon.”

I spoke frankly.

Wouldn’t anyone want to befriend a celebrity if they had the chance, especially in Korea?

This could be an opportunity to expand my network in the awakened community and enhance the reputation of my crops.

Pop!

While I was thinking, Jeong So-yeon cautiously took a tomato to her mouth. Her immediate reaction was,

“Mmm?!”

She looked surprised and then chewed adorably before her expression melted into delight.

“It’s delicious…”

She really melted.

Seeing such a reaction made me curious about how she would respond to other crops.

‘Is this what being a farmer feels like?’

Seeing people enjoy the crops I grew brought a sense of satisfaction and pride far beyond what I expected.

“You can have more.”

“Really?”

“Just leave about half.”

Half would still be enough for Jae-seong to use. If it’s not enough, I can always grow more.

Jeong So-yeon sneakily took another one, then couldn’t stop reaching for more.

It was a good thing I brought almost 20kg; otherwise, it might have disappeared in no time.

“What! Jeong So-yeon! Why are you enjoying something so delicious all by yourself!”

“Ah!!”

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and two figures appeared. One was the familiar bulky figure of Kang Hanul, and the other was Han Seok-jun, the guild leader of Ara Hongryeon, whom I had often seen on TV.

‘Brother…?’

Kang Hanul had called him brother, but he seemed to be around the same age.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kyu-seong. My name is Han Seok-jun.”

“Ah! Nice to meet you. I am Lee Kyu-seong.”

I stood up and bowed to Han Seok-jun in greeting. Kang Hanul then lifted me up and suddenly gave me a strong hug.

“Hanul?”

“Uhahaha! Thanks to you, we set a record! It’s all because of you, brother!”

“Ah, I get it. I can’t breathe!”

Thunk!

Barely touching the ground, I exhaled heavily and scratched my head.

“It was an item sold at a fair price. It wasn’t because of me, but because of your decision, Hanul.”

“What are you talking about! Ah! First, let’s get the money.”

Kang Hanul immediately pulled out his phone and sent me money. With this, another ten million won entered my account, pushing my assets over 70 million won.

“I promised to give you more if we succeeded in the dungeon raid. Uhahaha!”

“Thank you.”

At that moment, Kang Hanul’s eyes caught sight of the tomatoes, and he slyly asked,

“Can I have some too?”

“You have to pay.”

“Hmm! Of course I will!”

The mention of money slightly paled Jeong So-yeon’s face. Why was she reacting like that?

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just ate it without thinking… I’ll pay too!”

“Oh, Awakened Jeong So-yeon, it’s fine. Consider it a first meeting discount.”

“What? That, that’s…”

As I joked, Kang Hanul made a sulky face but then nodded.

“I ate for free at first too, not knowing it was a trap.”

“What?”

“Thanks to that trap, I’ve become so dependent on Kyu-seong’s tomatoes I can’t live without them.”

“…”

What a terrifying joke in return for my light-hearted one.

Regardless, I smiled and set aside the tomatoes meant for Jae-seong, giving the rest away freely.

Thinking about it, it seemed like a good idea to let them taste it once before deciding to buy, just as Kang Hanul had mentioned.

It feels odd to say it myself, but my crops definitely have competitive and addictive qualities; once people try them, they can’t stop.

“Wow.”

Guild Leader Han Seok-jun also savored a tomato behind his glasses, his eyes lighting up.

Then he suddenly asked me,

“I invited you to express my gratitude, but if it’s okay with you, Mr. Kyu-seong, may I make a suggestion?”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“Could we receive supplies of these tomatoes and similar items regularly? Naturally, we would compensate you.”

Uh!

A direct supply offer from Ara Hongryeon!

Still, I calmed my excitement and thought carefully.

‘I’ve only been doing this for a few days, so I’m not sure how much I can produce yet.’

Managing the slimes and selling whatever is left seems feasible, but supplying a large guild like Ara Hongryeon might be nearly impossible right now.

Of course, as my abilities and farming experience increase, I’ll be able to produce much more efficiently, but a contract right now felt premature.

“Thank you for your words, Guild Leader. But I’m not confident yet about handling large quantities.”

“Ah, then that can’t be helped.”

“May I make a proposal from my side later on?”

“Of course. We’ll be waiting anytime.”

At least I’ve opened a door here.

There’s no rush. My farming is just beginning.

“Ah, if it’s alright, would you like to try these too?”

I wanted to show that I didn’t just have tomatoes. I pulled out a potato and a Layla, and everyone’s eyes lit up with interest.

“You brought Layla too! And this is my first time trying your potatoes! Uhaha!”

“So, the second team leader has been hoarding your items all to himself? That’s not fair!”

“If you’re feeling unjust, you should have gotten to know Kyu-seong before I did! Uhahaha!”

Jeong So-yeon and Kang Hanul bickered for a moment.

During that time, I peeled the skin off the Layla and cut it into pieces for everyone to eat.

‘I’ll take the rest to Jae-seong…’

As the intense fragrance of the Layla fruit filled the air, everyone started to salivate.

“You can eat it.”

“I had some at home that I was saving, but I never expected such a windfall! Uhahaha!”

“Second team leader, you had some at home? And you didn’t tell me?”

“Ah, brother, that’s…”

Since raw potatoes aren’t edible, I called an employee over to ask if they could make them into mashed potatoes. I had three, but two were definitely for Jae-seong.

‘A bite each and they’ll be gone.’

I was acutely aware of the importance of quantity.

Those who ate the Layla shook their heads in amazement.

“This tastes even better than what we had in the dungeon. What’s going on?”

“Uhahaha! What comes from the dungeon isn’t an item, but this is! Of course, it’s tastier!”

“Is that so?”

Kang Hanul, who had just finished his share of Layla, lamented as he answered Jeong So-yeon’s query.

“Brother, how about we go now while we wait for the potatoes?”

Huh? Where are they planning to go?

As I pondered this, watching their exchange, Han Seok-jun spoke to me.

“Thanks to your item, Mr. Kyu-seong, we’ve really benefited this time. Therefore, we at the Ara Hongryeon Guild would like to offer you a token of our gratitude.”

“A token of gratitude?”

“We have a treasure vault here at the guild, a dungeon collection. It’s categorized into several levels based on the rarity of the items, and we would like to offer you one item from any collection below the second level, free of charge.”

“Ah!”

It was widely known that each guild had hidden vaults. Suddenly, I had the opportunity to pick any item from Ara Hongryeon’s vault!

‘Even though it’s just up to the second level, it’s still the Ara Hongryeon Guild. They wouldn’t store just anything in their vault.’

This was an unexpected turn of events.

I had thought I was just invited for a meal, but this was beyond my expectations.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, yes!”

I responded automatically and followed them.

We walked through a grand corridor to a lavishly decorated area.

“Wow.”

“This is the beginning of the collection area. You can see the level numbers written up there. Let’s comfortably browse together.”

Guided by Han Seok-jun, we walked side by side.

Kang Hanul and Jeong So-yeon followed, and from their whispered conversation, it seemed they had just tagged along.

“Is it okay for us to follow?”

“Why not? We’re just going to look at what we’ve secured.”

“Right? But shouldn’t we tell the guild leader?”

“…”

We then entered the first-level area.

Various items were displayed, mostly consumables or one-time use installation items.

“This is the first level, so you can quickly move on. These are mostly the lesser-valued items that we’ve accumulated.”

Nodding at Han Seok-jun’s explanation, I still took my time looking around.

Then, something strangely familiar caught my eye.

‘A slime?’

It was a small item shaped like a slime.

With its color and shape, anyone could tell it was a slime, but it couldn’t just be a model of a slime here; it must be an item or artifact from a dungeon.

Intrigued, I discreetly checked the effect of the item…

[Slime Copier]

[Allows you to copy a designated slime.]

[Only applicable to slimes.]

[Can be used on any slime.]

“This is it!”

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