“It’s fine. As I mentioned, I was nearby anyway. Actually, even after clocking out, I’ve been spending all my time thinking about what food to sell. Thanks to this, the corn soup launch went well.”
“Thank you for saying that. I’ll make sure to calculate the hours properly and give you overtime pay.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
While Hyejin was talking with Seojun, Eunwoo slyly took the orb Seojun was holding and tilted his head while examining it from all angles.
“What kind of item is this orb, anyway? Of course, since it’s a gift, it could have no function at all.”
“Hm, if you’re that curious, bring it here.”
At Asha’s words, who had been watching indifferently from behind, Eunwoo’s eyes sparkled as he quickly showed the orb right in front of her.
Asha leaned in her large eyes to inspect the orb carefully, and soon returned to her usual indifferent expression.
“This is a black orb of mana.”
“A black orb of mana?”
“It’s a black orb that hunters of a certain level can use. Instead of infusing your own mana into this black orb, you can get the answer you want. You got quite a good item.”
The answer you want?
Did that mean something like a wish? Or fortune-telling?
Not fully understanding Asha’s words, Hyejin asked again.
“What do you mean by the answer you want? Like, will I pass the exam?”
“Similar, but you can ask about what hunters are most curious about. For example, you could ask about skills you’d gain when leveling up more, or get advance advice on quests you’ll undertake. It does consume a certain amount of your mana, which is a drawback, but it’s a highly rare item.”
“Really?”
“Still, be careful using it, Manager. High rarity means it’s not well-known, so its safety might not be guaranteed yet. You could end up in danger if you use it wrong.”
When Seojun said that with a worried face, Hyejin nodded.
Seojun was right. Above all, Asha’s mention of ‘hunters of a certain level’ stung her chest. That meant Hyejin, a mere F-rank, couldn’t use it yet.
“Then I’ll just store it for now. I don’t think I need to use it right away!”
There was no reason to use this orb now.
She didn’t have anything she was particularly curious about.
Just knowing such an item existed made her feel reassured, didn’t it?
‘But small wooden box, what a name. It doesn’t even give the proper item name!’
The reward items from the system were certainly satisfying, but without Asha, she wouldn’t have even known what the special reward item was.
Even though nothing appeared in the air, Hyejin glared at where the system window might be, clicked her tongue shortly, and moved her feet.
Hyejin placed the wooden box next to the convenience store safe and returned to the counter.
At that moment, the convenience store door opened, and a teenage customer who looked like a middle schooler entered.
He seemed even younger than the customer who had bought the Sevbang earlier.
‘I wasn’t even mentally prepared yet……!!’
Handling four customers must have been overwhelming, as Hyejin had to grip her body and mind tightly to fight off the urge to slack, forcing her eyes wide open.
This was the last customer.
<HINT TIME!>
Nitpicking, Decision, Peculiar, Speed, Rage
The first customer’s hint was ‘nitpicking,’ the second’s was ‘decision.’ The third was ‘rage,’ the fourth ‘speed.’ So, what remained was ‘peculiar.’
Honestly, the word ‘peculiar’ gave her no clue at all. If anything, all the previous customers fit ‘peculiar’ with their vast possibilities.
For now, Hyejin greeted calmly as always.
“Welcome, customer. This is the 24-hour convenience store.”
“Hello.”
The teenage hunter who returned the greeting mumbled something intently to himself while scanning the convenience store interior.
His voice was so quiet she couldn’t make out what he was saying at all.
Up to now, customers with excessive muttering or talking had given hints for the quest, but this customer’s words were truly inaudible.
He surely wouldn’t just buy something nicely and leave.
After pondering briefly, Hyejin stealthily approached Asha sitting in the corner.
“Asha, Asha.”
“What.”
“That customer—can you make his voice audible?”
Asha stared at Hyejin with a blank face, and Hyejin swallowed hard.
It’d be great to clear the quest without Asha’s help, but since she was there, might as well take the help available!
“When my level goes up more, I’ll clear quests with my own power then, promise.”
“No choice, then. Make sure to keep that promise.”
Right after Asha’s words ended, the customer’s voice began echoing clearly only in Hyejin’s mind.
Hyejin looked at Eunwoo in surprise, but Eunwoo, organizing items under the counter, didn’t seem to hear it.
“Ugeoji soybean paste ramen? Ugeoji might be divisive……. This ramen is for microwaving after? Ramen tastes better boiled…….”
This customer wasn’t so much agonizing over what to buy as critiquing the overall products.
His mature tone didn’t match his youthful voice at all.
After examining the cup ramens one by one for a while, the customer passed the cup ramen shelves and headed to the refrigerated section with dairy products.
“Cheese, cheese. String cheese is tasty, but eating it plain feels wasteful. It’d be nice if there was something to pair it with, but nothing really grabs me.”
‘Am I overthinking because it’s a quest?’
It felt like normal product selection again, making Hyejin tilt her head, when the voice in her mind rang clearly in her ears.
“Excuse me, Manager sis.”
“Yes, yes?!”
Startled, Hyejin widened her eyes in surprise, quickly composed her expression, stepped out from the counter, and approached the customer.
“Is there a problem?”
“What do you think is the problem with this convenience store, sis?”
“Pardon?”
There were many problems.
First, this convenience store was still low level, had few items despite seeming plentiful, and was located in a dangerous dungeon.
No, pardon? Problems, what?
Hyejin was speechless, unable to respond, when the customer pushed up his round glasses and began answering his own question.
“In my opinion—ah, I’m a student at Yeongjin Middle School near the dungeon entrance, and I’m first in the whole school. I’m in 8th grade, and I’ve never missed a perfect score on a test in my life. I’m telling you this in advance because if a kid you don’t know suddenly says all this, you might be surprised, sis. I want to give advice to this convenience store.”
Seojun, who had been listening to the situation while organizing kitchen items, and Eunwoo, organizing under the counter under Asha’s direction, stared at the customer as if entranced. Seojun was even half out of the staff room with the door open.
Everyone’s expression was the same. Stunned, unable to speak.
“The geographical location is good since the convenience store is inside the dungeon. Great accessibility. Being the only convenience store in the dungeon is appealing too. The issue is that because it’s in the dungeon, the variety of goods is limited. There are way fewer items here than at the mart in our neighborhood.”
“Pardon? That’s because convenience stores and marts originally stock different products….”
“Right. Then what’s the difference between a convenience store and a neighborhood mart? I think convenience stores focus on customers’ ‘convenience,’ while marts stock diverse and abundant products regardless. Of course, there’s also the difference of having PB products or not. But is this convenience store really focusing on customers’ ‘convenience’?”
The customer spoke like he was giving a speech. Even more so with attentive listeners.
After catching his breath briefly, the customer continued.
“This convenience store can only be used by hunters. But hunters can only buy products needed right at the dungeon entrance before攻略. Since this is the only convenience store inside the dungeon. They can’t procure items as needed while conquering the dungeon. That’s why lately, many hunters enter hidden dungeons without food prep and get trapped in mazes, starving to death. This is just an example, though.”
“Yes, an example?”
Hyejin had heard such stories a few times.
Dungeons were truly dangerous, and many hunters died inside them.
‘But what’s the connection between that example and the convenience store?’
As if hearing Hyejin’s unspoken question, the customer opened his mouth again.
“You’re a hunter too, sis, so you know, but what you can buy at hunter-exclusive shops varies wildly by level. Low levels mean almost nothing available. That’s why countless hunters in Korea flock into dungeons to level up.”
“Right.”
“I’ve been in dungeons a few times too, and since there’s no rescue team here, you have to escape and survive alone. It might be different with party members or a guild, but what I want to emphasize is that often, you don’t have what’s needed right then. No matter how prepared you are. Well, high levels can procure anything from the shop. But such hunters are a minority. So!”
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