Round 36

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After Lee Kyu-seong and Ara left on Jeong So-yeon’s bike, the guild members who remained behind were hurriedly making calls.

“Hey, do you know Lee Kyu-seong among the Awakened? No, no, a level 1 Awakened.”

“Hello? Yes, yes. Could you provide information on a level 1 Awakened named Lee Kyu-seong? They say he’s been awakened for a long time….”

“Ask around the Ara Hongryeon Guild. There’s a level 1 Awakened named Lee Kyu-seong who’s been mentioned in contract talks with Ara Hongryeon Guild.”

If they had seen them stop the bull themselves, the story might have been different. However, since they hadn’t witnessed it, they weren’t overly proactive.

But as the story of Jeong So-yeon’s appearance and her contact with Ara Hongryeon Guild spread, their curiosity was piqued.

‘Ara Hongryeon Guild, one of Korea’s top 5 guilds, which is currently rising in stock due to the shortest 4th-grade dungeon clear, dealing with just a level 1 Awakened?’

‘Jeong So-yeon, who could be considered the flagship Awakened of Ara Hongryeon Guild, personally knows him? There must be something special about this level 1 Awakened!’

‘But how did they stop the bull herd? I really want to know the method.’

If they knew the rumors about the recent buff-type food and that Lee Kyu-seong was the main contributor to the quickest dungeon clear, the impact would have been unimaginable.

However, neither those gathered here nor Lee Kyu-seong himself realized the value.

* * *

“Vroom vroom.”

Ara, wearing a helmet, imitated the sound of a motorcycle.

Thanks to navigating through severe traffic, we quickly arrived in Yongsan and stepped out of the parking lot, surveying the surroundings.

“Ara, you need to take off your helmet.”

“Can’t I wear it a little longer?”

Her expression was hidden by the helmet, but I could tell she was excited. She seemed to really like the motorcycle.

“You can keep it on. I have plenty of spare helmets.”

Jeong So-yeon smiled and patted her backpack.

Although the backpack was only about the size of a palm, it was the space expansion item I had longed for.

‘As expected of Jeong So-yeon.’

As the leader of Team 1 in Ara Hongryeon Guild, she must have a lot of money.

Feeling a bit envious, she asked, “Where are you going?”

“Oh, I’m here to buy dungeon supplies.”

“Dungeon supplies?”

Seemingly surprised by the item, Jeong So-yeon tilted her head. Her gaze suggested curiosity about why a non-combat type Awakened like me would need to enter a dungeon.

“I study the ecosystem and plants in lower-grade dungeons. As you might have guessed, my abilities are suited for that….”

“Oh! That makes sense.”

Jeong So-yeon nodded, now understanding. Then she started walking ahead.

“I know a place I frequent. I’ll guide you there.”

“Thank you.”

Ara, still wearing her helmet, tapped her head and walked beside me.

We arrived at a famous dungeon supply store that I had heard of.

“Welcome… Oh? Ms. Jeong So-yeon!”

The employee, recognizing Jeong So-yeon, immediately brightened up. Jeong So-yeon greeted the employee warmly in return.

“It’s been a while.”

“Haha, three months? It’s been a long time.”

The employee, while chatting, glanced at Ara and me, who had come in with Jeong So-yeon. Then, he bowed slightly and greeted us.

“Hello, are you accompanying Ms. Jeong So-yeon?”

“Yes, he is. Mr. Kyu-seong, if you have any specific items you’re looking for, you can ask me or this person, and they’ll find it for you right away.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Having already made a list of the items I needed to take, I immediately showed it to the staff. 

Then, Jeong So-yeon also looked over the memo with the staff.

“Oh~!”

Meanwhile, Ara was wandering around the displayed tents and items, touching them curiously.

“What is this?”

“That’s a tent. You can sleep and eat inside it.”

“And this?”

“That’s a lamp. When you turn it on, it lights up the surroundings.”

“This one?!”

“That’s a portable heater. It makes the area warm.”

Even though she was wearing a helmet, it was clear she was very excited.

“Is Kyu-seong Kyu-seong buying all of this?!”

“No, we should only buy what’s necessary.”

“The tent! Are we buying the tent?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Then what about this! Are we buying this stove?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that…”

While I was chatting with Ara, the staff and Jeong So-yeon approached us.

“I’ll guide you through the products first.”

“Yes.”

The most important thing was the tent.

Since I knew that one day wouldn’t be enough to explore the Dungeon of Gluttony, a tent, bedding, and provisions were essential.

“Here are the tents. We have everything from 24-person tents to single-person tents on display, so let me know which one you want.”

As expected from a famous brand store, every type of tent was on display. I looked around, checking the prices.

“Are you solo, Mr. Kyu-seong?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, are you entering the dungeon alone?”

Jeong So-yeon smiled sheepishly, realizing her mistake. She had said something misleading before too, seeming a bit clueless.

“No, I’m going with a group.”

“Oh, I see. It’s a bit dangerous to go solo since you need strength.”

“Yes, that and I have a few people with me. So a slightly larger tent would be good…”

The prices of the tents were staggering.

Especially as the size increased, the price went up exponentially, with the largest and most expensive 24-person magic stone tent costing over 300 million won.

“Magic stones are really expensive. I guess that’s why awakened people make good money…”

In the end, to find something suitable, I had to choose either a 10-person magic stone tent or a regular tent not made from dungeon byproducts.

“How many people exactly do you need it for?”

“Well, I think a 10-person tent should be enough…”

As I stroked my chin and spoke, Jeong So-yeon immediately called out to the staff.

“One 10-person magic stone tent, please.”

“Understood.”

“Uh, Ms. Jeong So-yeon?”

Startled, I urgently called her name, and she smiled brightly.

“Don’t be so formal. Just call me by my name.”

“No, that’s not the point…”

“I told you before we came, I’ll repay you somehow.”

I heard that, but this was way beyond my expectations. The price of a 10-person magic stone tent was a whopping 120 million won.

It was the same amount as my entire savings.

“You don’t need to feel too burdened.”

“Still, it’s a bit much…”

“And with the abilities you have, Mr. Kyu-seong, you’ll be able to earn this amount quickly.”

I had nothing to say to that.

As she said, if I decided to sell my crops, I could make a lot of money.

However, the happiness I’ve been feeling lately couldn’t be obtained with such a relentless mindset, so I was enjoying a leisurely life.

‘Seeing Ara happy and enjoying delicious food is more precious than earning ten million won.’

In the end, I decided to accept Jeong So-yeon’s kindness.

“Thank you. I’ll repay you someday.”

“There’s no need for that. Mr. Kyu-seong, you’re the benefactor who saved my family. Besides, I even got a free meal from you, hehe.”

I scratched my head awkwardly and nodded. At that moment, Ara trotted over to the tent we decided to buy and pointed at it.

“Is this what we’re buying?”

“Awakener Jeong So-yeon… no, Ms. So-yeon is buying it for us. Say thank you.”

“Oh! The pretty sister is buying it! Thank you!”

Jeong So-yeon smiled at Ara’s gratitude but soon tilted her head.

“But Ara, you’re not going to the dungeon anyway, right?”

“Excuse me? Well, yes, that’s right.”

“Huh? I’m not going? I’m going too.”

Ara suddenly bumped my leg with her helmet, as if asking what I was talking about. It hurt more than I expected.

Though she looked like a child, her physical abilities matched those of a legitimate Level 3 awakener, so of course it hurt.

“Ouch, Ara.”

“I’m going too!”

“No, I mean…”

Jeong So-yeon, thinking Ara’s behavior was just a child’s tantrum, gently soothed her and picked her up.

“Shall we go look at something else, Ara?”

“Oh! Is there more?”

“Of course!”

It seemed she had experience taking care of children from the orphanage. I managed to get past the moment and started picking out other items one by one.

“Whew.”

After choosing everything, it turned out to be more than I expected.

Visiting the store in person and seeing things was different from just planning it.

In the end, Jeong So-yeon bought the tent for us.

She originally offered to buy everything else as well, but I politely declined, saying I would just accept her kind gesture.

It wasn’t about the money, it was about my principles.

“Then we’ll deliver the items to the address you provided.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After buying this and that, the expenditure was larger than I expected. Excluding the tent, it was over 20 million won.

“Since these are items used inside the dungeon, they’re much more expensive than regular household goods.”

At this point, the price of the tent with the magic stone even seemed cheap. But the tent at least had a magic stone, unlike the other items…

“Do you have any other places to visit?”

“I was originally planning to check out an artifact shop, but the prices here were steep. I think I’ll head back today.”

“Artifacts? What kind of items were you looking to check out?”

“Items related to spatial expansion.”

“Ah! Considering your abilities, Mr. Kyu-seong…”

Jeong So-yeon stroked her chin and fell into deep thought.

No way, is she going to say she’ll buy me a spatial expansion item too?

“Mr. Kyu-seong.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll talk to my guild about it.”

“What do you mean…?”

“If you join our guild, I’ll make it a condition of your contract to rent a spatial expansion item for free indefinitely.”

“Well, I haven’t even decided to join yet.”

“That’s why we’re negotiating now. It’s a request to join in exchange for this offer. Hehe.”

Jeong So-yeon smiled bashfully.

I awkwardly thanked her and said I’d think about it.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

“Yes. Thank you so much for today. Take care. Ara, see you next time, okay?”

Ara took off her helmet and handed it to Jeong So-yeon as she waved. Jeong So-yeon said she could keep it if she liked it.

“A helmet! I can keep it?”

“Of course. It seems like you like it, so I’ll give it to you as a gift.”

“Jeong So-yeon Jeong So-yeon is the best!”

She’s even learned to call her by her name now. But why add ‘Jeong So-yeon’ twice?

“I’ll see you next time. Thank you for the tent.”

“I hope to see you at the guild next time. Hehe.”

As Jeong So-yeon rode off on her bike, the surroundings grew quiet. It seemed like only I felt that way because Ara was hugging the helmet and smiling happily.

“Shall we go too? We’ve bought all the supplies, so it’s time to start the real exploration.”

“Yeah!”

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