Chapter 3

Chapter 3

From coming down Obongsan, riding the bus, then transferring to the subway.

I arrived at the destination with both eyes wide open, worried the bag holding the potions might get shocked or stolen by someone.

Seoul Yongsan.

It used to be famous as an electronics market, but now it had become a general store for awakeners.

Here, items from dungeons were sold wholesale and retail, and direct trades between awakeners often happened.

Above all, as those who awakened artisan abilities began doing business here, Yongsan became the mecca for awakeners in this country.

‘I used to think I would open a shop here too...’

Since my ability was also on the item crafting side when you thought about it, it was a natural imagination.

However, unlike other crafters, I could only synthesize liquid types, and moreover the cooldown was long enough that mass production was impossible. I had realized long ago that opening a shop was absurd.

Ding!

“Welcome! Oh? Gyuseong, you’re here?”

As I opened the door, the shop owner, hyung Yeongseong, welcomed me warmly.

It was a regular shop I had visited since right after becoming an awakener, and after gradually becoming close, he became a helper who bought my potions at a reasonable price.

“Hyung, have you been well?”

“Yeah, well. But this time it’s been a week?”

“Yes. And there’s quite a few.”

“Hm? What’s going on all of a sudden? Got something you need to spend money on?”

Hyung Yeongseong was about 15 years older than me, so perhaps because of that he treated me cutely like a nephew.

Instead of answering, I took out all the potions in the bag and lined them up on the counter.

A total of 18.

Half of the stock I had gathered little by little.

Considering I had used the ability without missing a single day for over 3 years, the stock hadn’t piled up that much, but it was unavoidable due to basic expenses.

“Gyuseong, tell hyung. Is something wrong?”

“No. It’s nothing special, I was just thinking of going around dungeons a bit.”

“Suddenly?”

“Because of the quest, well.”

The 3rd quest blocked for 3 years.

But I hadn’t told the people around me this fact.

It wasn’t a good thing, so there was no need to say it. I didn’t want unnecessary sympathy or possible disregard.

Of course hyung Yeongseong or my family wouldn’t disregard me, but still, it hurt my pride, I guess.

‘If I could clear the quest by saying it, of course I would have said it regardless of pride. But if it’s not that, there’s no need to say it.’

Hyung Yeongseong roughly guessed what my ability was, but he probably didn’t know I was still stuck on the 3rd quest.

Well, now I came to release the stock thinking maybe I could resolve that somehow.

“Looks like you’ll have to stay in the dungeon for quite a while?”

“Yes. A few days, maybe even on the order of months.”

“Tsk. You’ve got it hard. If you need help, tell hyung. I may not look it, but I have some connections.”

Even if small, if he could open a shop in Yongsan, hyung Yeongseong’s words probably weren’t bluffing.

There was nothing I needed help with right away, but since I was grateful in my heart, I bowed my head.

“Thank you, hyung. When I’m really in a pinch later, I’ll use the hyung chance.”

“Yeah. Don’t feel burdened and say anytime.”

Hyung neatly organized my potions then went into the room inside saying to wait a moment.

After waiting a bit like that, he came out holding one thick envelope.

“Here’s the money. I put in a bit generously on purpose, so don’t misunderstand and keep it.”

“No, hyung. You don’t need to do this.”

“Tsk, you. It’s been 3 years since we met, think of it as hyung giving pocket money and take it. Considering what I earned thanks to your potions, it’s not much.”

There was no reason to refuse what was given.

However, maybe because I hadn’t met people well lately and only stayed in the dungeon. Or was it because of the hardships until now and what happened the day before.

Suddenly I felt emotions welling up.

“...Thank you.”

“Yeah. Every time I see you you seem thinner, so eat properly. Your handsome face is a waste, you.”

Just as I was about to express thanks and leave the shop not wanting to show an emotional appearance.

“Hey, Lee Gyuseong!”

“Yes?”

“Take this too.”

Hyung Yeongseong suddenly popped out and put something in my hand. Looking down, it was a box wrapped in cloth.

On the cloth, the characters ‘Hoengseong Hanwoo’ were written large.

“Go grill and eat it.”

“No, hyung...”

“I’m giving it because it happened to be left. You’re not going to go back home like this again, right? Since you came out after a long time, see your family’s faces and go in. Take it and eat together.”

“I’ll eat it well, hyung.”

I didn’t refuse and bowed my head once more as I came out of the shop.

The pocket on my chest holding the money envelope and the hand holding the meat felt particularly heavy.

“This won’t be enough.”

Looking at the meat hyung Yeongseong had prepared, I smiled bitterly and crossed over again to Yangju where my family was.

* * *

“How long has it been.”

A place not too far from the dungeon I was staying in.

It seemed like it was almost a month since I returned.

It was close so I could have gone often, but I couldn’t. What face would I have to see my family when I had been running in place for 3 years.

I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I had been reluctant for no reason.

Beep! Beep beep beep!

Ding-a-ling-

“I’m home.”

As I opened the front door and went in, my mother who heard my voice got up from watching TV on the sofa.

“Oh my. Why did you come without contacting?”

“I’ll go back soon. Where’s father?”

“It’s about time he’ll come. I naturally thought it was your dad, ah, right. Did you eat?”

“Actually I bought some meat. Are the kids out?”

“Jaeseong will come soon. Seona went to a university MT yesterday. She’ll probably come tomorrow or so.”

“Ah, she went to MT. I’m jealous of college students.”

At mother’s words, having put down my luggage, I glanced around the house.

A house with nothing changed came into view.

To the plain eye it looked like an ordinary home corner, but I knew the household situation wasn’t very good.

I had contributed a part to that livelihood.

“How have you been lately? Doing well?”

“Getting by somehow.”

I roughly deflected and took out the envelope from my bosom.

Since I had set aside my living expenses separately in advance, I handed the envelope as is to mother.

“Mom, here. Use it to supplement living expenses.”

“This kid. What’s this money all of a sudden? It’s fine. You use it.”

The reason I was able to become an awakener.

That was possible through my parents’ enormous support.

There were two ways to become an awakener, one of which was natural awakening and the rest forced awakening.

‘It cost in the hundreds of millions.’

Honestly speaking, I don’t know the specific amount either.

At the time, because father was running a business and earning well, the burden wasn’t large.

But life was something whose outcome you never knew.

Father’s well-running business suddenly declined, and it was ambiguous to give up what we were already pouring money into to become an awakener.

In a dilemma situation, father ultimately chose me.

‘Having become an awakener like that, it was only ‘Liquid Synthesis’.’

He never showed it outwardly even once, but the one who was most disappointed upon hearing my ability was probably father.

“It’s not much. Still, since I’m an awakener of sorts and earning some money, I’m giving pocket money.”

“With that money, invest in your ability and earn more. It’s fine, so put it away.”

“Mom.”

“Ay, I said it’s fine. It’s okay, so use it on yourself.”

Beep beep!

Ding-a-ling-

Just then father returned.

Beside him, younger brother Jaeseong was also visible.

“Oh? Hyung?”

“Gyuseong came.”

The second, Jaeseong, had been working at a small restaurant since last year. The guy who graduated from junior college and came out, perhaps because he was the second sandwiched between siblings, matured much earlier than me or the youngest Seona.

Actually, if it weren’t for me, he might have gone to study abroad at a cooking school somewhere like France and become a successful chef by now, so I felt sorry for no reason.

“You’re here, father. Jaeseong, it’s been a while too.”

“What were you doing? What’s that?”

“I was going to give some living expenses. Father, please take it.”

When I tried to hand the envelope to father, mother quickly took it.

“No, I said I’m giving it to you.”

“It was originally meant to be given to me.”

Watching the parents bickering, I also gave Jaeseong some pocket money. It was only 100,000 won, but as someone holding a debt of the heart, I wanted to give something at least.

“What money is this. It’s fine, hyung, you use it.”

“How do you say the exact same thing as mom without missing a syllable. Then should I just give it to Seona?”

“No, then I’ll just take it.”

After chattering once like that, we had dinner together.

Various stories came up, but I couldn’t join the conversation well and only listened while smiling awkwardly.

Was it because I had only stayed in the dungeon so much.

I didn’t even know what was trending in the outside world these days, and knew nothing about recent hot news or gossip.

“When are you going back.”

At father’s words, I who was grilling meat shrugged my shoulders.

“I have to go right after eating.”

“How about resting a few days before going.”

“Eh, what would resting do for me. Even if I rest, there’s nothing to do.”

“Don’t overdo it too much.”

“...”

Father spoke indifferently, but why did the past 3 years come to mind.

I hadn’t rested even a single day.

Others might say since I couldn’t clear the quest and couldn’t move forward, wasn’t I resting every day, but that wasn’t it.

Rather, when I realized that even as each day passed I couldn’t move forward, I came to know that even in moments of doing nothing, rest was not permitted to me.

“Here, mom will grill the meat, so try wrapping this ssam. Ah.”

“Ah, mm.”

Even as I put the ssam mother wrapped into my mouth and earnestly moved my mouth, I couldn’t taste it.

The thought of whether I had come home for nothing and the thought that coming was good after all complexly crossed.

“I ate well.”

“We ate well. Anyway come home often. How can it be so hard to see my son’s face?”

Mother smiled with a bright face.

Afterwards, firmly refusing the family who said to sleep at home and go, as I returned to the dungeon my mood became strange.

“A person becomes sentimental for no reason.”

If I hadn’t dual awakened, would I have felt like this? I don’t think so.

They say the most dangerous moment for a person shipwrecked on the sea is when land starts to become visible before their eyes.

Due to the hope visible before their eyes, and due to the strangely close sense of perspective, they can’t endure that short time and jump into the sea and die.

‘I feel like I understand that feeling a bit.’

It was still early to be happy or cry.

When bursting emotions, it should be when I truly succeed, and I must not already relax my heart in a still ambiguous situation.

Immersed in thoughts like that, when I arrived at the dungeon before I knew it, the familiar scenery was revealed.

At the same time, as if they had been waiting, Mark Two and Slime 1 welcomed me.

Wriggle-

Undulate! Undulate!

“Did you spend the day well? Did you work hard?”

Wriggle!

Hm? I thought it was a familiar scenery, but something green caught my eye. I thought I saw wrong because of the slime, but looking again it was really green...

“A sprout?”

Calming my surprised heart, I immediately ran to the vegetable garden. I could feel the slimes diligently chasing after me.

“Weeds are... not, right?”

It’s not accurate, but if they were weeds they wouldn’t grow with dicotyledons like this, right? No, anyone looking would know this wasn’t a weed.

“Crazy...”

Is it because of the slime?

But growing like this in just one day?

Maybe it was originally about to grow and the timing just happened to have the slime there?

“Huh!”

Whatever the case, what was certain was that a sprout had finally sprouted. In the past 3 years I had never been able to sprout even once, and this was the first achievement I had cultivated.

Undulate!

Beside me who was moved like that, Mark Two undulated proudly as if asking for praise.