Chapter 48: It Would Have Been Better if He Were Female

"This is it!"

Ji Yul-geon rushed toward the bags and boxes piled up in the room.

"Hey, there’s nothing for you!"

Park Ki-beom’s snarky voice rang out, but he didn’t stop Ji Yul-geon from charging into the room. He had only pretended to turn him away at the door; in reality, Ki-beom was the one who had called him. From today onward, Park Seong-yeon would be "recovered," and Ji Yul-geon would be credited as the one who cured him.

In front of the piles of crops brimming with mana, Ji Yul-geon’s eyes sparkled sharply. He had already tasted a few for research purposes, but the freshly delivered crops were on a different level. His eyes locked onto his first target.

"Son, let’s start by cutting this one."

"According to whose wishes? I won’t give you any! I can’t! This is all for our Seong-yeon!"

"Wait a moment, Uncle. I’ll go get some plates and a tray. We don’t need to get you a knife, do we, Lucian?"

A longsword was hanging at Lucian’s waist. Setting aside whether it was appropriate to use it as a kitchen knife, no one raised an objection.

"Seong-yeon, I can go get the tray."

"I’m fine now, Uncle. I need to move around on purpose."

The watermelon was sliced open, the disharmonious voices in the room being completely ignored. The moment the red flesh was revealed, the room fell silent.

"What kind of watermelon is this...?"

"Please, try some."

"No, the owner should eat first."

"I’ve already had some, so go ahead. We need to decide on the price while eating this. Jae-won’s father said he hasn’t been able to set a price for the watermelons yet."

"Is that so? All right..."

Ji Yul-geon reached out and signaled Lucian with his eyes.

'Appraise it first.'

'Yes, Father.'

That was how it started. However, by the time they snapped back to their senses, they were practically licking the white rinds of the watermelon.

It felt like he might have even scrambled with his son to grab the last piece. Only then did Ji Yul-geon startle and toss the rind aside, but he couldn't erase the unsightly display he had already made.

'I was definitely planning to appraise it...'

Forget appraisal; he had no memory of anything other than eating. Belatedly gathering his senses, Ji Yul-geon closed his eyes and observed his internal state. At that moment, he heard his son’s voice.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom for a moment."

Ji Yul-geon suddenly snapped his eyes open and stood up.

"No, let me go first!"

He grabbed his son and began to run. However, the world’s most filial and obedient son disobeyed him and surged ahead.

"I’m sorry, Father!"

"No!"

It was then. Suddenly, Ji Yul-geon was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and thrown in the opposite direction.

"There’s another one over there! Didn’t you know that?"

"Park Ki-beom!"

His resentment over the near-disaster was brief. Soon... he experienced a tremendous sense of liberation.

***

When the father and son returned with expressions of enlightenment, Park Ki-beom was clutching his stomach, laughing.

"You... you, Park Ki-beom...!"

Ji Yul-geon let out a lion’s roar, but his hands trembled with a sense of betrayal as he saw his nephew turning his head away with a sorry expression.

"Park Seong-yeon, even you!"

"I’m sorry, Uncle."

Park Seong-yeon couldn't meet his eyes, but his smile was a perfect match for Park Ki-beom’s. Only then did Ji Yul-geon realize he had been played. He let out a hollow laugh before tilting his head in confusion.

'...I didn't feel anything wrong, though?'

Come to think of it, even though they had all eaten it, Park Seong-yeon and the others were perfectly fine.

"What happened?"

Instead of the mischievously grinning Park Ki-beom, Yang Man-chun answered.

"To be honest, we were like that at first too. We spent so much time in the bathroom that we wanted to replace the toilets."

"What?"

"But Director Ji, you must have felt it by now. Don't you feel like you've experienced... about 0.1% of a Rebirth?"

"Ah!"

At those words, Lucian let out an exclamation and closed his eyes. After observing his body for a moment, Lucian opened his eyes and wore a joyful smile.

"Thank you so much. Thanks, Seong-yeon."

Yang Man-chun’s words were no exaggeration. A 0.1% Rebirth. With just a few slices of watermelon, the toxicity accumulated from the Erosion Zone had been purged, and impurities within the body had been washed away.

Seeing as those who had already experienced it were fine, the effect likely wasn't the same every time, but it was clear that it would be an immense help in accumulating pure mana.

The person who had benefited the most was Park Seong-yeon. His recovery was so fast it was hard to believe his body had been ravaged by a curse, and even his stats had improved.

Ji Yul-geon muttered with a dazed face.

"If we could eat this consistently..."

Park Ki-beom followed up casually.

"We’d be able to conquer the next floor, and the one after that, without any trouble."

"...We might as well just call it an elixir."

Park Seong-yeon cautiously raised his hand and asked.

"Then, how much should we charge for this watermelon?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment. Lucian quietly searched on his phone before holding up the screen.

"The most expensive watermelon sold at auction the year before last was 6,000 dollars. I don't think this should be priced any lower than that."

"That’s about eight million won?"

When Park Seong-yeon agreed, Ji Yul-geon waved his hand.

"That’s a calculation for a normal fruit. First of all, the weight is more than double, so double that price. Since we haven't even factored in the mana... should we multiply it by 'n'?"

Everyone’s face turned pale at the same time. Calculated that way, it was at least thirty million won. No matter who they were, eating a thirty-million-won watermelon as a dessert for every meal would be a burden.

Of course, as a price for an elixir, it was ridiculously cheap, but this was still, above all else, a fruit. Furthermore, it was something Go Nam-tae intended to sell continuously.

Was it too expensive to eat? Of course, that wasn't even an option.

"What exactly would be an appropriate price?"

No one could answer Park Ki-beom’s question.

***

*Clatter.*

Go Nam-tae muttered as he took the last piece out of the kiln.

"I wonder how much it’ll be?"

The Kim Gu-bok family had said they couldn't possibly set a price for the watermelon, so he had sent it to Park Ki-beom on purpose. Kim Gu-bok felt the same way, but Toto’s opinion had played a part.

"But can we really trust that guy?"

**[He is the person who knows the crops of this world best on Earth, so he will be helpful in determining the market price.]**

"I guess so...?"

However, Go Nam-tae felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Still, as Toto said, the man should know the market price best, so he had to trust him... Yet, a strange premonition sent a chill down his spine.

Actually, he was more curious about Park Ki-beom’s answer than the price of the watermelon. He had closed the shop early just to give himself a little more leeway.

'No, is it because of that guy?'

Despite never having met him in person, he had gone from "Mr. Park Seong-yeon" to "Park Seong-yeon," "Seong-yeon," and now "that guy." It was quite a talent.

"Calling someone who is exactly like me a friend..."

He blamed the innocent Kim Jae-won, but it was because they were so similar that they had become friends so quickly. At those words, Danhong quickly chimed in.

- I like Park Seong-yeon! He’s handsome! It would have been better if he were a female!

"...Huh?"

- If he were, I would have brought him here to be the Boss’s bride. It’s a shame!

"Absolutely not!"

- No? Then are you going to bring back other pretty females? One, two, three...?

"That’s not it either!"

- Why not?

Where and how was he even supposed to start explaining? Cold sweat began to pour from Go Nam-tae’s forehead.

**[Women on Earth are not referred to as 'females.']**

**[People are not counted as 'creatures.']**

Go Nam-tae secretly gave a thumbs-up to Toto, who had stepped in as his savior.

*Clatter, clatter.*

The final pieces were all removed from the kiln.

From a distance, they looked like ceramics glowing like red jewels. No, they were tiles. The tiles embedded with Danhong’s jewels had been fired with almost no failures. These tiles were the primary materials for remodeling the aging room.

**[Tiles of Pyre: Tiles containing the breath of the Boss’s fairy]**
**[When installed in a limited space, they accelerate aging within a radius of 90cm to 2m and increase purification functions.]**

"You did a great job, Danhong!"

- Hehehe!

At the small word of praise, the little creature, which had turned into a jet plane again, put on a firework show in the air. Since it was a scene they saw several times a day, everyone just accepted it. The sight of the vines busily picking up the falling jewels was also a familiar scene.

Toto, the one in charge of design and technology, also predicted a successful remodel.

**[With this amount, I believe we can finish Room One today.]**
**[I will designate the positions for the Tiles of Pyre.]**

"Okay!"

For the remodeling, the fermented soybean blocks were temporarily moved out. Ha-eul’s family, who wouldn't even come near when the owner of the room was around, also slipped in while holding their noses. Today’s lunch was going to be a boiled soybean paste stew...

*Thud.*

Heung-bok brought over all the neatly stacked tiles and set them down. The tiles that looked like red jewels contrasted with the deep navy-blue tiles that resembled the night sky.

- The regular tiles are really pretty too!

Since she couldn't embed Danhong’s jewels into every tile, there were more regular tiles. Danhong and Ha-eul’s family were already standing ready, holding the regular tiles. Except for the Tiles of Pyre, the rest were the responsibility of the Kin.

Likely, that room would become a place that would make any professional tile-layer weep. And Go Nam-tae had once considered becoming a tile-layer in the past.

"Now, look. I’ll show you a demonstration. You spread the mud evenly on the wall like this and then attach the tiles."

Go Nam-tae picked up a bit of adhesive with a trowel. The mud made by melting and mixing earthworm skins was the best natural adhesive. The wall had been plastered in advance with this superior adhesive to make it flat.

Go Nam-tae began attaching the tiles one by one. As the wall got higher, a sturdy vine lifted him into the air and moved him around.

- Boss! Boss, you’re really good at this!
'Wow!'
'Boss, you're great!'
- I’m going to do it too!
'Me too! I'll do this part!'
'I'm here!'
- There, it’s crooked!

As expected, a chaotic fuss broke out. None of the tiles were attached straight, but they all worked hard.

The one who nagged the most was the one who was most excited. Who knows how hyped she had gotten, as she had already dropped five or six beads on the floor.

"Is she going to faint from exhaustion again?"

As Go Nam-tae whispered softly, Toto also whispered back in a small voice.

**[The current Danhong is different from the nameless fire fairy of the beginning.]**
**[If we were to use the Earth’s ranking system, she has grown from a low-grade to a mid-grade fairy.]**

He didn't know exactly what level that was, but Go Nam-tae just looked on with pride. He didn't even realize it was a level that would surprise the Queen who had sent the child.

Thanks to the many hands, the tiling was finished in no time. And... a room with a very distinct personality was created.

**[Since the Tiles of Pyre have found their places, the efficiency of the aging room will not be affected.]**

'...'

The system also provided confirmation.

**[Aging Room]**
**[The base temperature can be adjusted from -50 to 50 degrees Celsius. (Please add necessary materials to set temperatures beyond this range.)]**
**[Shortens fermentation time and maximizes unique flavors.]**
**[Aging concentration and speed can be set and preserved.]**
**[Prevents decay or oxidation and maintains the flavor of aged ingredients stably.]**
**[Supports fermentation for various ingredients such as grains, fruits, fish, and meat.]**

"...Wow."

The remodeling was more successful than he had expected. Go Nam-tae paused particularly at the last line.

'Grains, fruits... ah...!'

Something he hadn't thought of before in the "aging" room finally occurred to him. Because of that sudden thought, Go Nam-tae unknowingly swallowed hard.

"Toto, design a new storage room for me."

**[What kind of storage room is it?]**

"Shh..."

*Whisper, whisper.*

It was the moment Go Nam-tae’s new storage room—and his largest one at that—was about to begin.