Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Level 2 Player

Reunion with Peddler Lucy

‘What did you see to act like that?’

What entered Jin-su’s eyes as he turned his head were Shin Su-a’s previous party members who had turned into a tattered state.

‘The number seems to have decreased. Did they get caught up when the White Drake was rampaging?’

When he saw them before, excluding Shin Su-a there were 7 people, but it had decreased to 4.

‘They were lucky.’

If they had met the White Drake, the fact that they preserved their lives to some extent without being wiped out was luck.

Shin Su-a who had paused for a moment turned her head again and moved her footsteps toward the lodging. As Shin Su-a moved, Jin-su also moved his footsteps toward the lodging again.

Shin Su-a returning to the lodging had a complicated mind.

‘As expected, what I saw then was correct.’

When she was carried like luggage by Jin-su and encountered the White Drake, there were players in a state right before annihilation. They fled while Jin-su was attacking the White Drake.

Shin Su-a thought the backs of the fleeing players looked somewhat familiar. But because she had to support Jin-su right away, she couldn’t properly confirm. But looking at the appearance of the previous party members she witnessed a little while ago, she thought it was natural that they looked familiar.

‘Cheol-ho oppa, Min-a, and Sang-won died.’

Those three weren’t visible.

‘If there was no Jin-su...’

The party itself would have been wiped out.

‘It’s fortunate that he caught it.’

If Jin-su hadn’t hunted the White Drake, numerous players would have lost their lives.

‘There were many things I wanted to show if I met them again.’

She wanted to say that she wasn’t scammed but that Jin-su was really a good person. She wanted to show that Jin-su was really a strong player.

Also, she wanted to boast of the appearance of doing her share to some extent, although not a big help, after changing class to healer.

But upon witnessing the previous party members who had become tattered with deaths occurring, she thought it would be better to just pretend not to see.

‘If I hadn’t met Jin-su, would I have died too?’

Suddenly such a thought came. If she had met the White Drake together with the previous party members rather than with Jin-su, what would have happened to her?

‘I would have definitely died.’

She was the one who fell the most behind among the party members. She had the conviction that she would have lost her life first among the party members.

‘It’s fortunate that I met Jin-su.’

So she could live.

It’s not that she isn’t grateful to the previous party members. She also has a sorry heart. But Shin Su-a is not a fool. So she knew how the previous party members thought of and treated her.

She wanted to believe until the end that they thought of her as a comrade...

Seeing the words and actions they did when she left the party, even the last faith Shin Su-a had toward the party members was shattered into pieces.

‘Let’s forget.’

Upon witnessing the pitiful appearance of the previous party members, the heart that wanted to boast of Jin-su and her changed self if she met them again disappeared cleanly. It felt childish.

‘Let’s only think about the future.’

Anyway, if she climbs to Floor 51, there will be no chance to meet.

By the time Shin Su-a finished organizing her thoughts, they arrived at the lodging.

***

When Shin Su-a passed in front of them together with Jin-su, Kim So-yeon and the party members were startled.

‘She’s alive? Could it be that they caught that monster? That man and Su-a unni the two of them?’

Kim So-yeon and the party members’ eyes were dyed with astonishment.

At the time of encountering the White Drake, Shin Su-a only saw the backs of the previous party members. But the previous party members vividly witnessed the appearance of Shin Su-a being tucked under Jin-su’s arm and running.

It was natural since they were life saviors.

The White Drake was a monster that was impossible to oppose itself. Around the time they thought they were dead now, Shin Su-a and Jin-su appeared. And Jin-su charged at the White Drake and Shin Su-a entered support.

Thanks to that, they could save their lives.

Kim So-yeon and the party members thought they were crazy upon seeing Jin-su and Shin Su-a fighting the White Drake. So they fled frantically.

Sounds of a fierce battle without rest erupted from behind. Although they were life saviors, there was no thought of needing to help. The most important thing was their own lives.

They wanted to live.

They thought that while Jin-su and Shin Su-a were buying time, they had to somehow arrive at the village. Only after arriving at the village after fleeing frantically like that could they let out a sigh of relief.

Kwaaaaang! Pueeeeong!

“Kuwoeoeoek!”

Even inside the village, large explosions were seen and the White Drake’s roar was heard.

Kim So-yeon and the party members felt guilt toward Shin Su-a and Jin-su arise. But they had conversations like ‘They fought of their own will.’ ‘It probably wasn’t an action to save us.’ ‘Even if we were there, there wouldn’t have been much help.’ ‘They’re just crazy.’ etc., and forced themselves to rationalize their actions.

The noise of the fierce battle disappeared and the White Drake’s roar was no longer heard.

Kim So-yeon and the party members naturally thought Jin-su and Shin Su-a had died. But Jin-su and Shin Su-a returned to the village in fine shape.

Kim Su-yeon and the party members were astonished. And only then did a regrettable heart begin to arise.

If they had lent a hand in hunting the White Drake, wouldn’t they have been able to get even some bean powder? If they hadn’t sneered when Shin Su-a left, wouldn’t they have been able to receive some help? With 3 people dead and no capacity to maintain a proper party, couldn’t they have joined Shin Su-a’s party and sucked honey?

Their past actions were so regrettable that they were sorry. But it was already a past matter.

Kim Su-yeon and the party members rather fell into worry whether Shin Su-a might have told the man who defeated the White Drake the words they had said, whether she might have informed that they fled.

Along with that, fear that Shin Su-a who had held a grudge from the scolding she received in the party so far might try to take revenge on them swept over them. So they couldn’t even bring themselves to acknowledge Shin Su-a.

Rather, they bowed their heads and tried as much as possible not to catch Shin Su-a’s eyes.

For them, the fear of being retaliated against was greater than the expectation of being able to suck honey.

Of course, Shin Su-a had no such heart at all. But Kim Su-yeon and the party members were humans with narrow hearts and small vessels.

Like the saying that pig eyes only see pigs, so Kim Su-yeon and the party members judged that Shin Su-a would also be narrow-hearted and small-vesseled like them. So they naturally had no choice but to worry about retaliation while recalling the things they had done to Shin Su-a so far.

***

Jin-su and Shin Su-a who returned to the lodging met Cha Hee-su.

“You’ve come.”

Cha Hee-su greeted Jin-su and Shin Su-a with a face full of tears.

‘She returned safely.’

It was as expected.

‘When the White Drake rampages, the monsters also hold their breath and restrain themselves.’

There would have been no case of meeting monsters and suffering hardship on the way to the village.

“These are the party members’ items, right?”

Jin-su handed over the ones among the items he had collected that seemed to belong to Cha Hee-su’s party members.

“Huh? That’s true, but why are you giving these to me?”

Originally, the items of a player who died during party hunting becoming the property of a player who belonged to the same party was the principle. But that was the case when the surviving player had collected the dead player’s items.

In the case of fleeing while being chased by a monster, the one who picks them up first is the owner.

“It’s a repayment for telling me that guy’s location.”

Jin-su handed the items to Cha Hee-su. They were also items of no great value to Jin-su, and it was also considering Cha Hee-su who had lost party members.

‘It’s not that I can continue to take care of her either.’

He liked Cha Hee-su’s quick sense and friendly personality. Her skill was also above average. But it wasn’t to the degree Jin-su needed.

“Thank you very much.”

Cha Hee-su bowed her head and received the party members’ items. From Cha Hee-su’s perspective, even just treating the injury and saving her life was an enormous favor, and she didn’t expect to receive consideration to this extent.

Jin-su fed Cha Hee-su dinner to her fill and parted. Jin-su and Shin Su-a entered the lodging, washed their bodies with warm water, and rested.

‘Now let’s properly confirm.’

Jin-su looked at the items that came out from defeating the White Drake.

‘Quite a few skill books also came out.’

Jin-su acquired usable skill books. He put unnecessary items up at the auction house.

‘A lot of basic material items also came out.’

Drake teeth, claws, scales, bones, etc. came out in large quantities.

‘This is ambiguous to put up.’

Even if he leaves the Drake teeth as materials for using the Dragon Tooth Soldier skill, material items like scales and bones were the problem.

‘Especially this is the problem.’

The Drake’s heart.

It was an item containing enormous mana, and just by ingesting it as is, the effect of Mana stat rising could be seen.

‘I have no use even if I eat it anyway.’

Giving it to Shin Su-a was the best.

‘But it’s a waste to just eat it raw.’

The Drake’s heart is a material item before being an elixir that raises Mana stat. Moreover, it’s the heart of the Drake that made them achieve the feat of being first hunted on Floor 50.

‘Because enormous karma is melted into it, if properly processed, an enormous item or elixir might come out.’

But in a simple material state, it’s just a Drake’s heart. It’s hard to properly receive recognition of the value of achieving the feat.

‘Unconditionally making it into an item is a gain.’

It’s a byproduct of the Drake first hunted on Floor 50. Selling it as material at the auction house was an enormous loss.

‘The problem is that this is Floor 50.’

On Floor 50, it was hard to meet those with production classes like alchemists or artisans.

‘From the start, players don’t prefer production-type classes either.’

Even if they change class, there are many cases of insufficient skill.

‘Truly skilled artisans were mostly artisans even before coming to the Tower.’

Especially the skill of artisans from other dimensions is superior to those from Earth. From the start, racial characteristics like dwarves or elves also exert superiority.

‘Even if the same human, the skill of an artisan from another dimension is bound to be better than one from Earth.’

Among those from the modernized Earth where nuclear and missiles exist and tanks and fighter jets exist, how many artisans are there who craft swords or armor?

Even if the same human, it was natural that the skill of an artisan from another dimension that maintains a civilization around the medieval level and wages war wearing armor with swords and spears is superior.

‘Should I just keep it.’

The problem was that if he did so, the Drake byproducts would become a troublesome lump that enormously occupies inventory space.

Knock knock knock!

At that time, a knocking sound was heard from outside the door.

‘Who is it?’

There was no one who would come looking for Jin-su.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Lucy.”

“Peddler Lucy?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Creeeeak!

Jin-su opened the door. Then the fox beastkin Lucy with fluffy brown fur revealed her appearance.

“By any chance, did you come to buy Drake byproducts?”

At Jin-su’s words, Lucy nodded.

“Can I come in?”

The inside of the lodging which is a safe zone can’t be entered without the owner’s permission.

“Come in.”

At Jin-su’s words, Lucy entered the lodging.

Click!

The moment Jin-su closed the door, Shin Su-a showed interest in Lucy.

“Who is this child? She looks really cute.”

“She’s a peddler.”

Jin-su briefly told about the peddler.

“Wow! There was such an existence. I’ve met one for the first time. If it’s not rude, can I try hugging or stroking her head?”

“Sure.”

Lucy readily agreed.

“Hehehe.”

Shin Su-a tightly hugged Lucy and stroked her wildly with a sly smile.

‘She desperately wants the Drake byproducts.’

Jin-su looked at Lucy who was being tightly hugged in Shin Su-a’s arms and stroked wildly. From Lucy who was making all sorts of disgusted expressions with her eyes but forcibly pulling up the corners of her mouth and maintaining a smile with difficulty, a strong scent of an easy mark was felt.

‘I won’t have to sell them cheaply at the auction house.’

He had a strong conviction that Lucy would pay a proper price and buy them all.