Chapter 13: Yellow Grade at a Bargain Price

Squeeeeeeeee!

It was only after the scream erupted that I realized things had gone south.

It was a genuine accident.

I learned today that even a weasel’s lips could swell up that much.

The fire burning inside its mouth wouldn't go out, no matter how much water was poured in.

The little troublemaker, the youngest, Ha-gye, squealed and cried sorrowfully for a long time.

Go Nam-tae apologized to the parents, who were watching silently.

"Sorry, I couldn't stop him."

Then, Ha-byeong shook his head firmly.

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

"He needs a taste of discipline to understand."

Indeed, perhaps because of the crying Ha-gye, the other little ones, who had been full of curiosity, were now pointedly ignoring the chili peppers.

Gurgle.

The sight of White Tiger putting a chili pepper in its mouth and then shuddering was quietly buried in the commotion caused by Ha-gye.

After a large bowl of scorched rice water, Ha-gye finally calmed down.

The disturbance subsided, and a dramatic peace returned.

A moment of leisure.

It was the kind of clear weather where it felt like you could reach out and catch the clouds drifting across the sky.

At times like this, the desire for a place to lie down and rest became more desperate.

He could have just gone inside and rested, but there was a promise he had made while picking the peppers.

"Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!"

The little ones were already prepared, bursting with anticipation for their first outing with the boss.

Go Nam-tae set out, carrying a basket and a bucket.

The moment he crossed the bridge over the stream, he could feel it.

"This place… it’s really my territory…."

It was an instinctive realization.

A sense of comfort, security, and the confidence that no one could harm him.

Last time, he had been too rushed saving Ha-byeong to feel it.

However, he also felt a difference.

If the area inside the stream was 100, this side felt like 90?

Or maybe 95.

This seemed to be the reason for the difference in recovery rate that Toto had mentioned.

"The further I get from the house, the weaker the power of my domain becomes."

[That is correct.]

[Instead, as the boss who is one with the house, you are invincible there.]

[No attack can harm you.]

They were words meant to be reassuring, but Go Nam-tae felt a chill in his chest.

If even a novice boss like him felt this way, then why did the powerful previous boss… It wasn't a time to be complacent.

For instance, there were monsters like the chameleon snake that had swallowed Ha-byeong.

Outside his domain, he was no better than a low-rank hunter.

In other words, he would be a bite-sized boss.

"Caution, and more caution…."

The path to the coast was peaceful.

He soon arrived at a familiar spot.

"I think it was around here…?"

It was where he had caught the chameleon snake.

However, the domain had expanded slightly.

It was only by about a single step, but the difference was clear.

"I’ll have to expand the rice paddies as soon as I get back…."

It was the best way to get even one step closer to the sea.

While he surveyed the surroundings, Go Nam-tae spoke to the little ones who were quietly waiting for his orders.

"You guys play around here."

But instead of scattering, the creatures pressed their heads against Go Nam-tae.

Seeing them looking dejected, Go Nam-tae changed his command.

"The kids need to learn their traits too. Dig the ground, gather berries, and see if there's anything special."

At those words, their expressions brightened instantly.

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

As Ha-eul and Ha-byeong cried out, the little ones split into groups of three and four, sticking close to their parents.

Bounce, bounce!

"…You guys watch over the kids. Scout the area and see what’s around."

They split into two groups and scattered.

However, even after everyone left, one remained.

White Tiger stayed by his side, eyes sparkling.

It had stayed behind on purpose.

Go Nam-tae gave it a new command.

"Then, White Tiger, would you like to help me? If the water splashes, can you catch it for me?"

The reason for coming to the coast was to check the domain, but the main purpose was to make salt.

Since he couldn't fetch seawater directly, he decided to use a trick.

The skill he had used when saving Ha-byeong was the key to this salt-making process.

By catching the water with [Watering] and then using the [Drying] skill, only the salt would remain.

It was inefficient, but it was currently the only way to obtain salt.

As he set the bucket down and took a stance, White Tiger stepped forward.

"I can go fetch the seawater for you!"

"You?"

"Yes! If I take the bucket and scoop up the water…."

It was at that moment.

Splash!

Something leaped out of the water not far from the shore and dove back in.

"…!"

It was a sight that would have been hard to believe if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

A massive fish flew through the air.

The creature looked larger than the world's biggest submarine.

Wasn't it cheating for something that big to be swimming right in front of the beach?

In the brief moment it glided through the air, he could see rows of sharp teeth glinting between its pointed jaws.

Go Nam-tae cried out in alarm.

"No! You absolutely must not go!"

It was a monster living on the 100th floor.

Even if White Tiger was a spirit, there was no guarantee it wouldn't be annihilated by such an attack.

Thud, tumble.

White Tiger rolled helplessly on the ground.

"I’m not saying you’re weak. It’s my fault."

To the tilted head of the creature, Go Nam-tae continued his explanation.

"You can only be protected within my domain. So, you must never approach that ocean until my domain reaches it. Understood?"

Bounce, bounce!

He stroked the creature as it nodded obediently.

"Then do as I asked earlier. Just help me with the splashing water and gathering the salt."

"Yes!"

[Watering!]

As the work continued, Go Nam-tae grew more grateful to White Tiger.

The efficiency of [Watering] wasn't great.

If it hadn't been for White Tiger, the water would have splashed everywhere, and he wouldn't even have gathered half the amount at once.

Once the water was in the bucket, he used [Drying!]

He gathered the white grains that remained into the basket.

He repeated the process several times, and eventually, Toto popped up a glowing message.

[Please check your Mana Bar!]

[Current Mana: Yellow, Lethargy is occurring.]

The lethargy set in faster than he expected.

The distance to the sea was the issue.

Moreover, seeing how slow the recovery was, he couldn't push himself any further.

Checking the salt collected in the basket, it was more than a handful.

Since his goal had been modest, it was a satisfying amount for his first haul.

"Should I call the kids?"

"No, let’s rest for a moment and wait."

The creature that had dived earlier seemed to have done so just to show Go Nam-tae its presence.

The sea was now calm, without a single wave.

As he absentmindedly looked into the basket, a status window appeared.

[100th Floor Salt: Grade - Blue]

[When used in food, Mana and Stamina recovery +40%]

[Corruption Prevention: Reduces food decay rate by 90%]

[Purification - Additional damage to Undead-type monsters +18%]

Go Nam-tae was stunned.

Among gathered items, anything with a Blue grade or higher was considered rare enough to be on the news.

Yet, something he had made just by scooping up water and drying it was a "Blue" grade rare item.

But that was just the beginning.

[The grade is a bit disappointing, but it's not bad for a start.]

"This is disappointing?"

[It’s just a guess, but if it were Indigo grade, it would have helped with breathing underwater.]

[If it were Purple grade, it would have formed a protective shield.]

[If it reached the final grade, you could create a barrier with a single grain of salt.]

"Wait, you’re saying Black grade salt could actually appear?"

[If the Boss grows.]

It sounded like the saying "dream big."

Wasn't it similar to being told to grow up and become the president when you were a kid?

Regardless, the salt he had obtained was extraordinary.

A Blue grade.

This was something he couldn't just give away, even if he wanted to.

"This is definitely excluded from the trade items."

Meanwhile, the four guardian beasts and Ha-eul's family returned.

They were carrying various seeds, fruits, stones, and miscellaneous items.

When he put their harvest into the empty bucket, it was quite a heap.

White Tiger took the lead, dangling the bucket from its mouth.

"Everyone, let's have salt-grilled earthworms for dinner tonight."

Bounce, bounce!

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

The little ones' tails wagged happily.

Something inside the bucket sparkled.

Someone caught the ball that Park Yoo-seok had thrown.

A single, childishly exaggerated review was posted on the Hunter App.

This isn't just Super-Ultra-Mega-Insane-Delicious-Addictive Corn! It’s the Hyper-Super-Mega-Ultra-Insane-Delicious-Addictive Corn!

This time, it was accompanied by a clear photo of the corn.

Right before this review was posted, Kim Gu-bok and Go Mi-young were also debating the price of the corn.

"How much should we even sell Yellow-grade corn for?"

"…This is the price of the Yellow-grade fruit that I know of."

What Kim Gu-bok showed on the screen was the Labyrinth Bean, which was quite famous among hunters.

It was only about the size of two finger joints, but the price was…

"100,000 won? For just one of these?"

"Yeah, and apparently it tastes terrible. They say it's an ordeal to eat because of the sour, earthy taste. Maybe that's why it's cheap for a Yellow-grade crop."

If that was the case, they should follow the market price.

However, the problem was that they didn't have a reputation or credit yet.

Who would believe them and pay such a high price?

Eventually, after much deliberation, they wrote the price of the corn in large letters in front of the shop.

[Grand Opening Sale] - Corn: 20,000 won per kilogram.

Since the size of the corn was mostly the same, it was essentially the price per piece.

"Isn't it too expensive?"

"No, considering the grade, it should be higher than this."

"But who would know and come looking for this…"

"We can just sell it to regular people. With this kind of taste and price, people will buy it regardless."

Unintentionally, the two of them were getting closer to the goal Go Nam-tae sought.

Despite his wife's hesitation, Kim Gu-bok spoke.

"If it really doesn't sell, we can lower it then."

"…Let’s do that."

Thump, thump.

After Park Yoo-seok, the second customer was their first official customer.

However, contrary to their worries, the person bought the corn without a word, without even asking for a sample.

And they bought ten at once.

"I’ll eat this with my guild members and post a review!"

Leaving those words behind, the person actually posted a review immediately.

Hyper-Super-Mega-Ultra-Insane-Delicious-Addictive Corn?

It was a review full of such excessive praise that they worried it might actually turn people off.

Their shop was still too remote and far from the Labyrinth.

However, the smell of steaming corn was more effective than any expensive promotion.

"I think this is the corn place from the review."

"The corn smells incredible."

"Should we try a sample first?"

Once they ate it, they all let out the same sound.

"Whoa, this is delicious! So good!"

Those who tasted it opened their wallets without a second thought.

"Three pieces of corn, please!"

"I’ll take five!"

"Ten for me!"

They had worried people might be overwhelmed by the large size, but it was a pointless concern.

An Awakener’s metabolism was incomparable to that of a normal person.

Thanks to that, more than a hundred ears of steamed corn were sold out during the morning.

Eventually, when the steaming speed couldn't keep up, some people asked for unsteamed corn.

"I'll just steam it and eat it myself. You can just give it to me at the same price!"

"Me too! Just give it to me."

"And me!"

The moment a few people said that, a competition broke out.

"Me first!"

"I was here first!"

"Boss, I’ll take ten… sacks!"

"I’ll take everything that’s left!"

"Hey, where’s your business ethics!"

In an instant, the front of the shop became a chaotic mess.

The corn was sold out in a flash.