Clang—!
A massive spoon moved.
Something sticky was scattered over the wooden palisade.
Clang—!
The dwarves watched the scene unfold.
Clang—!
By the time the sticky substance had thoroughly covered the wooden palisade, Suho gave the order.
“I think that’s enough. Now, spray the stuff I handed out earlier.”
“You, Giant!”
“Let’s go, Stray Spray!”
‘It’s not Stray, it’s Spray.’
“Whatever, just spray it! Go wild!”
The Dwarves grabbed canisters that looked like mosquito repellant and rushed to the palisade.
Chiiiii—
The sound of spray being released echoed from all directions.
And then—
“Wow! It’s hardening! It’s really hardening!”
“It really solidified in an instant! Amazing!”
“Hehe, if Giant says it’ll harden, then it’ll harden!”
The sticky substance on the palisade hardened the moment it touched the spray.
Suho looked at the result with satisfaction.
Rapid-Hardening Cement.
Boasting a strength impossible to achieve by ordinary means, thanks to Monster Byproduct mixed in.
With just a quick spray, it would harden instantly, making it perfect for the short-handed Dwarf Village.
‘Rapid-Hardening Cement is definitely worth its price.’
A single stretch of fortress wall was completed in the Dwarf Village.
It would need reinforcement over time, but even this alone would serve as a first line of defense.
‘I gained a lot yesterday.’
He’d gone out to buy groceries and ended up catching a pickpocket without spending a dime.
Thanks to that, everything went smoothly.
“I even got food supplies delivered at the source price.”
He borrowed a warehouse for free to stack goods.
Since he could put items in the [Dimensional Bag] inside the warehouse, transportation was easy.
‘Getting the Rapid-Hardening Cement on the spot was the cherry on top.’
The cement was taken directly from Sangwangryeon’s storage.
Thanks to that, he could hand it over to the Dwarves right away, and the results were now in front of his eyes.
“Oh, to finish a fortress wall in one go! This is truly an amazing item.”
Tarunga came over and spoke.
“We can finally catch our breath. That’s a relief, Tarunga.”
“Yes, it’s all thanks to you, Giant. I will repay this grace with all my strength and dedication.”
No need to go that far.
Suho himself was doing this partly to gain favors from the Dwarves, so such grand expressions felt a bit much.
“How are the other preparations going?”
“Just as you instructed, we’re putting as many people as possible into the smithy. We’ll need weapons for the upcoming Monster incident. We started production right away, even if the quality suffers a bit from the rush.”
“You’ve already started making them? Any issues with metal supply?”
“We’re getting high-quality iron from the mine you gave us last time.”
Tarunga added another word of thanks.
Suho became interested in the newly made items.
“What kind of weapons have you made?”
“To fight atop the walls, spears are the most useful. So we started with spears. We plan to add crossbows later, and if we have enough resources, we’ll prepare ballistae for large Monsters as well.”
“Crossbows and ballistae, that’s excellent.”
“Thank you. But those are quite complex in structure and require various materials, so for now, we’re distributing iron spears first.”
Iron spears, huh.
If it’s Dwarf-made, it must be excellent.
“Do you have any finished iron spears?”
“Of course. If you need any, just say the word. We’ll make as many as you want.”
“You should distribute them in the Village first. I don’t need them all. I’d just like to see one.”
“Understood. I’ll bring one right away.”
Tarunga quickly brought over a spear and handed it to Suho, who accepted it with Exchange Skill and checked its stats.
[Supply-Model Strong Iron Spear]
- A spear hurriedly crafted by a master using high-quality iron, forged to easily pierce a Monster’s vital points.
- Item Grade: High
- Physical Attack Power: 170
- [Piercing Enhancement (Low)]
- Strength +5, Stamina +5
- Durability: 250
“This is what you call rushed?”
Even though it was made in a hurry, its grade was ‘High.’
It was better than the hammer he had of the same grade in every way.
While Suho was admiring it, Tarunga spoke up.
“We tried to produce them quickly, so this is the best we could do for now. We’ll gradually replace them with better items.”
“…I see. Then, is it alright if I take this one?”
“Of course. Whether it’s ten or a hundred, just let me know. We’ll make however many you need.”
“There’s really no need for that. By the way, did you make more of those short swords from before? I think I’ll need to sell some.”
He had managed to get the items at a cheap price, but it wasn’t entirely free.
The cement alone cost 300 million.
He’d offset it with the bounty and loot, but—
He still needed to earn more money.
“I left that to the kids… I’ll check right now.”
“The kids?”
“Yes, since you asked us to intentionally lower the quality last time, and we were short-handed anyway, I let the kids try making them.”
“…I see.”
To think they had such crafting skills, yet were still amazed by Rapid-Hardening Cement.
Civilizations in different worlds really do develop in different ways.
Soon, Tarunga brought over the short swords.
Forty of them. The quality was the same as the ones he’d sold before.
‘This should be enough for a while. Things are going pretty smoothly, aren’t they?’
Just then, a voice interrupted Suho’s thoughts.
“I am most displeased.”
It was Balryong.
He was flapping his wings with an obviously sulky look.
“What now?”
“Yesterday, I clearly made a great contribution. And yet, why must I be treated like this? Why, why do you humans get to eat all of it! Among those, some were clearly meant for me!”
Suho stared in disbelief and replied.
“You said you don’t eat food, didn’t you? Only lowly humans eat things like that. A noble Dragon can live off magic alone, isn’t that what you said?”
Balryong flinched.
He had actually said that.
“Still! Yesterday, I was definitely the greatest contributor in catching the pickpocket. And yet, you humans devoured every last bit of that Chicken! Some of that was meant for me!”
Suho shook his head.
After everything was done yesterday, he’d had dinner with Jeong Hyunsoo.
The menu: Chicken and beer.
He hadn’t wanted to reveal Balryong’s existence, so he made sure Balryong couldn’t deactivate his invisibility magic.
Naturally, Balryong hadn’t been able to eat.
That was the cause of his sulking.
“He clearly said with his own mouth that he doesn’t eat food…”
It was something he’d heard right before entering the Chicken place.
“Well, it’s chicken, so I guess I understand.”
If it’s chicken, of course it’s mouthwatering.
Besides, Balryong was a severe case of eighth-grader syndrome.
You couldn’t judge him by normal standards.
“Hm, what to do? If I just keep scolding him, the efficiency will drop.”
Even now, if he picked up the broom, he could quiet Balryong.
But if he just kept punishing him, it wouldn’t be good.
“If I do that, he might not use his abilities to the fullest.”
Yesterday’s incident was solved easily thanks to Balryong.
Even with the system’s restrictions weakening him, a Dragon was still a Dragon.
He was quite capable.
Rather than just scolding him, it would be better to coax him and use him well.
‘Time for a carrot, huh?’
For that, a suitable reward was needed.
The carrot and stick—it’s a method proven by history.
And he was clearly expressing which carrot would work best.
Nothing difficult about it.
“Alright, Balryong, you have a point. If you did the work, you should get a fair reward.”
“Naturally. At last, you primitive human, you understand my words.”
That way of talking!
Hold it in. It’s carrot time, so I must endure.
After a moment to calm himself, Suho spoke to Balryong.
“So, I’ll buy you the chicken you missed out on yesterday.”
“Oh! Is that true? That crispy wild fowl dish! Are you really going to go buy it now?”
“No need to go buy it.”
Suho pulled out his phone and launched the Delivery App.
‘Let’s start with Fried for now.’
If he gave too big a reward at first, it would be a problem.
The bar would only go up.
“What are you doing? Why are you fiddling with that thing instead of making my meal?”
“It’s done. Just wait a little, it’ll be here soon.”
Flap flap—
Suho endured Balryong’s fidgety movements.
Soon, the chicken arrived.
“My word! You brought the food out of nowhere! Such a thing!”
“Hurry up and eat.”
This is the backward world you have to live in now.
You primitive lizard.
While Suho was thinking that, Balryong lunged at the chicken.
“What is this taste! So savory and crispy! The juices! You’ve trapped all the meat juices inside! Is it magic? Is it magic? I don’t sense any mana, though?”
Balryong devoured the chicken greedily.
Suho grinned as he watched.
“Is it that good?”
“Of course, it’s not like… it’s not that great, just barely edible.”
“Really? Then you don’t need any more? There are dozens of other kinds of chicken besides the Fried you’re eating now.”
“Dozens?”
“If you help me out well tomorrow, I was going to let you try each kind, one by one. But if it’s not to your taste, I guess that can’t be helped.”
“I—I’ll cooperate. Of course, not because of the chicken, but because I feel sorry for your pitiful situation. Keep that in mind.”
“So you don’t need the chicken?”
“…If you want to show gratitude, I won’t refuse. Ignoring someone’s kindness isn’t fitting for a noble Dragon’s dignity.”
Oh, is that so?
You could at least gnaw on the bones as you say that.
Suho smirked and answered.
“Alright. If you listen to me well from now on, I’ll buy you chicken every time.”
Having finished taming the Dragon, Suho smiled brightly.
***
“Kidnapping a rookie, huh. What a pain.”
Kim Sung-guk, a Level 35 Hunter of the Yeongil Guild.
He muttered with a grimace.
A few days ago, the Guild Master’s son, Park Dongsik—who was on close terms with Kim Sung-guk—had made a request.
Kidnap a newly awakened Hunter.
There was a warning that the target was pretty strong, but there was nothing to worry about.
What was Kim Sung-guk’s specialty?
Infiltration and abduction!
“If you slip in while they’re sleeping and paralyze them, it’s over.”
As long as he didn’t get caught, the job was guaranteed to succeed.
And there’s no way a kidnapping veteran like Kim Sung-guk would get caught by a rookie, so the job was as good as done before it even started.
“Heh, let’s get started.”
Late at night.
A darkened commercial building.
Kim Sung-guk approached the building where his target lived and placed his palm on the wall.
“Pass through!”
The Skill activated.
Srrr—
Kim Sung-guk’s body slowly, silently sank into the wall, like a ghost.
Too slow to be useful in combat, but for infiltration, Kim Sung-guk’s Unique Skill was the best.
After a moment, Kim Sung-guk had infiltrated the target’s room.
“This is easy.”
He’d already scouted the location during the day, so there was nothing difficult.
Kim Sung-guk scanned the room.
The target was sleeping on the bed.
‘Sleeping so soundly. Just one shot and today’s job is done.’
All he had to do was deliver the paralyzed target to Park Dongsik.
Easy.
Kim Sung-guk had done this sort of thing many times before.
Having made it this far, there was no way the job would fail.
The target was asleep in bed, and there was no one around to help.
Kim Sung-guk crept toward the bed, silencing his footsteps.
He took out the [Paralysis Poison Needle] and aimed it over the blanket.
No need to lift the blanket. Even if he shot through it, the needle would pierce it and hit the target.
‘Fire!’
Kim Sung-guk fired the Paralysis Poison Needle.
But—
Ting—
A different sound than expected rang out.
“W-what?”
The blanket flipped up, and the target sat up.
“I should be asking you that. Sneaking into someone’s house in the middle of the night and shooting needles? Who are you?”
A dark lump blocked the target’s chest.
Damn! He’d noticed!
Looks like things were about to get complicated.
Still, Kim Sung-guk didn’t panic.
The opponent was a rookie.
Of course he would win if it came to a fight.
And he still had the Paralysis Poison Needle.
As long as he landed a hit, it would be over.
‘Deal with him before he makes a fuss.’
Thinking that, Kim Sung-guk was about to take a step forward when—
A strange word came from the target’s mouth.
“Half and half.”
“….?”
Kim Sung-guk hesitated.
He was dumbfounded.
But then, from behind, a chilling presence appeared, and a voice echoed.
“Fine. I accept.”
Startled, Kim Sung-guk tried to turn around.
Pluck-!
Kim Sung-guk’s consciousness was cut off.