Chapter 105: Concerns(3)

While he didn’t notice it when he was constantly entering Dungeons, Yu-jun experienced a strange phenomenon recently as he spent more time at home.

It was the drop in his Contamination.

Hunters accumulate Contamination in their bodies while active in Dungeons, and this level usually decreases very slowly over time or can be lowered through Detoxification Potions.

However, one day, he realized that his Contamination was dropping little by little, even though he hadn’t taken any Detoxification Potions.

This wasn’t just due to the passage of time.

To drop that much Contamination naturally, it should have taken hundreds of times longer.

‘How can the Contamination drop this much?’

No matter how much he thought about it, it was an incomprehensible phenomenon.

After deep deliberation, the conclusion he reached was the air in this place.

He had known for a while that the air here was good. As his time at home increased and he became accustomed to the environment, he could now feel the air quality plummeting the moment he left the area.

It felt like going to a place filled with exhaust fumes or a day with severe fine dust—it made breathing uncomfortable and his whole body feel sluggish.

He had an intuition that the air here possessed some special power and was purifying his Contamination.

This intuition turned into conviction because of what happened on the day his younger brother’s Dungeon Disease was cured, followed by the threats from the loan sharks.

Gu Eun-woo’s Dungeon Disease was known as an intractable and incurable illness.

Even the doctors had practically given up on it, yet the condition began to improve noticeably at some point, and now a complete cure was nearly in sight.

While this alone was nonsensical, the situation with the loan sharks was the same.

Those men were not typical thugs. They were cruel people who squeezed others through all kinds of threats and violence.

Yet, they had backed down quietly just because Sang-woong intervened.

That meant they felt some sort of massive threat from Sang-woong that they couldn’t possibly handle.

Then, as if planned, the loan sharks were all caught two days later, and his debt vanished like a lie.

Ultimately, after coming here, the problems that had suppressed him—the ones that wouldn’t resolve no matter how hard he tried—were solved too easily, as if by magic.

‘Is this what it feels like to wake up one day and find a new world laid out before you?’

That was truly the only thought he had.

However, these miraculous events weren’t happening only to him.

They happened to Lee Ji-an, who lived in the same building. And they happened to Lee Miju, the new restaurant employee.

Though there was no tangible proof, his intuition told him that all of this was related to Sang-woong.

He had a strange conviction that this place operated with Sang-woong as its center.

Gu Yu-jun felt an inexplicable sense of security and gladly accepted the offer Sang-woong presented to him—the role of a produce wholesaler.

He suspected there was a specific reason Sang-woong hadn’t revealed for this task, but that didn’t matter much.

Sang-woong was a benefactor to him and his brother, and if he could be of help to his benefactor, that was enough.

Furthermore, this proposal was another favor Sang-woong was extending to him.

Thanks to this, the dilemma he had been facing regarding his work as a Hunter became much lighter.

Once Gu Yu-jun gave his happy consent, Sang-woong explained the specific tasks.

“You can go visit my father tomorrow. For the produce prices, go to the residents and ask how much the Former Village Head sold them for, then buy them for about 10% more. Then, just stack the purchased crops in the barn I told you about. Simple, right?”

“I understand, Brother Sang-woong.”

Gu Yu-jun nodded.

“And take this with you when you go.”

Sang-woong handed a bag to Gu Yu-jun. Looking at the bag with a puzzled face, Gu Yu-jun asked, “What is this?”

“It’s money. Since there are many elderly people, I prepared it in cash for their convenience. I thought the villagers would like it more if you gave them the money on the spot.”

Dazed, Gu Yu-jun took the bag and opened it. The bag was stuffed with 50,000 Won Bills.

Even at a glance, it was not a small amount of money.

Gu Yu-jun was moved by the sight of him handing over such a large sum so casually. It meant he trusted him that much.

“Understood. I’ll give it to them right then and there.”

***

The next day, Gu Yu-jun headed to the village in Sang-woong’s truck.

Upon arriving at the village and heading toward Sang-woong’s father’s house, he was spotted by Park Mancheol, who was tending to farming tools in the yard.

His face was still clouded with worry over the issue of selling the villagers’ produce. His shoulders looked slightly slumped under the weight of responsibility and unresolved problems.

“Oh! If it isn’t Yu-jun!”

Park Mancheol welcomed him warmly, as they had seen each other several times at the restaurant.

“Hello, Sir.”

Gu Yu-jun approached and greeted him politely and formally.

“I’ve come to see you after hearing something from Brother Sang-woong.”

“You heard from Sang-woong? About what?”

Park Mancheol’s eyes were filled with curiosity.

Gu Yu-jun took a breath and began the story he and Sang-woong had coordinated beforehand. His voice was calm and trustworthy.

“Well… I heard from Brother Sang-woong that you’re having trouble with the sale of the produce.”

Gu Yu-jun accurately pinpointed the heaviest burden weighing on Park Mancheol’s shoulders.

“Oh dear… did he tell you that… To be honest, I’ve been losing sleep lately because of that problem, and the villagers are struggling too. It’s harvest time, but we’re forced to delay it, so it feels like we’re dying. I’m worried sick that the crops we’ve worked so hard on will be ruined if we miss the harvest window.”

Deep concern and frustration seemed to cast a shadow over Park Mancheol’s face again as he answered. His voice carried the helplessness of facing a problem with no solution in sight.

“I thought of a solution after hearing about the village’s situation from Brother Sang-woong. An acquaintance of mine runs a large-scale produce wholesale business. When I contacted him, he readily agreed to buy all of the produce.”

Gu Yu-jun tried his best to act naturally, just as Sang-woong had taught him.

“What? Is that true?”

Park Mancheol asked back in shock. His face, once wrinkled with worry, smoothed out instantly.

“Yes. He’s someone who runs a very large wholesale business in Seoul… He has distribution channels connected nationwide and is considered a major player in the distribution industry.”

“What a blessing.”

Park Mancheol couldn’t hide his joy.

“It’s nothing. I’ve always been worried about how to repay Brother Sang-woong because I’ve received so much help from him. I’m glad this opportunity came along. My heart feels much lighter knowing I can repay that kindness even a little through this.”

“Oh, thank you, truly thank you. You are a benefactor to our village. A benefactor.”

“He even said he would buy it at a much better price than what the Former Village Head gave you!”

“What did you say?”

Park Mancheol’s eyes widened. He almost dropped the farming tool he was holding. A look of disbelief and shock appeared on his face.

“Is that true?! A better price than the Former Village Head? You’re not lying, are you?!”

“Yes, Village Head. It is true,” Yu-jun replied sincerely.

“Oh my… what a miracle. Thank you so much. I won’t forget this kindness.”

Park Mancheol was so moved he was on the verge of tears.

“Everyone was groaning and losing sleep because of the produce! This is truly a relief.”

“No, it’s nothing compared to the help I received from Brother Sang-woong. I simply made a phone call to someone I know.”

Gu Yu-jun spoke humbly and bowed his head.

“Yu-jun, come with me! We must tell the villagers this good news right away! How happy they will be! This is the first time I’ve been able to deliver good news to the villagers since becoming the Village Head!”

Excited, Park Mancheol grabbed Gu Yu-jun’s hand and headed into the village. Gu Yu-jun, moved by Park Mancheol’s passion and sincerity, willingly followed.

As they walked along the village roads, Park Mancheol shouted joyfully to every villager he met. His voice was now full of vigor instead of heavy worry. He walked tall with his shoulders squared.

“Villagers! Everyone, come out! I have good news! Very good news!”

Curious, people stopped what they were doing and came out of their houses. As they gathered in small groups, Park Mancheol introduced Gu Yu-jun to them.

“This young man lives in the same building as my son, and it turns out someone he knows runs a big produce wholesale business. After hearing about our village’s situation, that great person… wants to help us since we’re struggling! From now on, they will buy all! Every single bit! Not leaving a single thing behind! And at a better price than the Former Village Head!”

“What was that?!”

“Is that true, Village Head?”

“Oh my goodness! What a bolt from the blue! I can’t believe it!”

Initially, the villagers stirred at the miracle-like news that was hard to believe, but they gradually realized it was true from Park Mancheol’s confident voice.

The fact that the problem of selling their produce—their greatest sorrow for months—was resolved in an instant brought a look of astonishment, overwhelming relief, and immeasurable joy to their faces.

Here and there, exclamations broke out, and some people wiped away tears.

“Oh, Village Head! Thank you so much! Thank you!”

“We’re saved because of you, Village Head! Saved! Now we don’t have to worry about the produce anymore!”

“To bestow such kindness… I’m so grateful to the Village Head… and please tell that great person how grateful we are!”

“Oh, our Village Head is the best! You were indeed the right person to be the Village Head!”

The villagers flocked to Park Mancheol to express their gratitude. They were sincerely thankful to him for solving the village’s biggest problem as their leader.

Even those who looked at him with distrust or expressed dissatisfaction just a few days ago were now patting his back and holding his hands with sincere gratitude.

Park Mancheol felt a swelling sense of pride as he received the villagers’ heartfelt thanks. There had been eyes looking at him unfavorably because of the produce issue, but at this moment, he could forget all those worries while feeling the villagers’ sincere gratitude and joy.

Looking at the villagers, Gu Yu-jun took off the bag he was carrying on his back and spoke.

“I brought money to sign the contracts right away today. I wanted to provide as much convenience as possible to the villagers for Brother Sang-woong’s sake.”

Park Mancheol’s eyes widened. A gaze mixed with surprise and joy fixed on the bag on Gu Yu-jun’s back.

The villagers also looked back and forth between Gu Yu-jun and his bag in unison. A sense of suspicious anticipation flashed across their faces along with hope.

“Is that true?! You mean you’re giving us the money right now?!”

Park Mancheol’s voice trembled slightly with emotion. It felt as if the heavy worry that had been crushing his shoulders vanished in an instant.

Gu Yu-jun smiled brightly and carefully unzipped the bag.

Inside the bag, bundles of neatly tied 50,000 Won Bills were stacked high. The sunlight reflected off the portraits on the bills, casting a golden radiance.

At that moment, a chorus of suppressed gasps erupted from the villagers.