"It's a trade secret."
Seeing Jeong-min lounging on the sofa and speaking so leisurely, Jo-won felt a surge of anger, but he took a short, deep breath to calm himself.
The intense pain that had been rushing from his forehead was real, and it had been excruciating.
Not wanting to experience that pain again, Jo-won calmed himself and spoke to Jeong-min.
"So, to summarize, the gate outside is just the beginning, and more gates will appear, spewing out even more powerful monsters? And the gold accumulating in the status window can be used in a shop that will open later. Is that correct?"
Jeong-min nodded.
Jo-won muttered, looking at Jeong-min.
"Then at least I don't have to worry about supplies. I was worried about what to do when the supplies eventually ran out..."
"Well, you take care of that... Now, let's talk about the deal. You said you'd buy the three swords I offered, right? What can you give me in return?"
"Actually, this is the first time I've seen items like these, so it's hard to put a price on them. Just tell me what you want. I'll prepare it for you."
Jeong-min nodded and listed his requests one by one.
Jo-won listened to Jeong-min's requests and nodded.
"I can prepare all of those items. I'll have them ready."
"Do my requests seem excessive for three swords?"
"...Honestly, the items you're asking for are too few. If I took just one of the swords you gave me to the [Jukang] Shelter, I'm confident I could extract far more supplies than you're asking for."
"Well, I live alone, so I don't really need that many supplies. Just think of the rest as stockpiled. I'll drop by from time to time to take what I need."
Jo-won nodded and said,
"Then please wait. I'll prepare the items you requested."
"Hmm... Then, while you're preparing, would it be alright if I looked around the shelter?"
Jo-won looked at Jeong-min with a dumbfounded expression and said,
"Why wouldn't it be? This shelter is practically yours anyway."
Hearing Jo-won's words, Jeong-min chuckled softly and walked out of the office.
The Human Resources department was still empty.
Jeong-min leaned against the door and sighed softly.
'This is the first time I've ever hit someone like that...'
Jeong-min, who had been a quiet student far removed from fighting even in his school days, felt very unfamiliar with the act of hitting someone.
'I can't be shaken by something like this... I need to cultivate a ruthless heart that can even kill dangerous enemies. And I only have one use left of the Ring of Effort...'
Jeong-min clenched his fist once and walked out of the Human Resources department.
Outside the door, Kang Sang-do, his face still a bloody mess, was waiting for Jeong-min.
Jeong-min stared at Sang-do. "Do you still have business with me?"
Sang-do approached Jeong-min.
"...?"
Sang-do looked at Jeong-min for a moment, then knelt down and said,
"I want to be your slave!"
Seeing the burly man with a deep voice asking to be his slave, Jeong-min felt goosebumps rise on his back and took a step back.
"W-what are you talking about? A slave?"
"Please do to me what you did to Department Head Gwak earlier. The branding on the forehead, I mean."
"...You weren't unconscious."
"I was just pretending to be unconscious because I didn't want to get involved any further."
Jeong-min looked at Sang-do kneeling and thought.
'Well, he did seem to have considerable stamina, so it was a bit strange that he passed out from one headbutt. And it seemed like he wasn't keen on participating in Gwak Jo-won's scheme from the start...'
"If you saw everything, it's even stranger. You must have seen how much pain the HR Manager was in, so why are you asking to be made a slave?"
"I'll do anything and everything as your slave. But... if you could just grant me one request..."
"A request?"
"I heard you have a potion with very good performance. If you could just share that with me... I'll really do anything! "
"....?"
"Actually, the only reason I participated in this was because I could get a potion from Department Head Gwak. I know it's really shameless to be doing this after participating in something like that... but I'm really willing to be a slave. Can you share a potion with me?"
Jeong-min looked at Sang-do's messy face.
The area around his crushed nose, whether his nose bone was broken or not, was covered in blood.
'He didn't even treat those injuries and took the potion he was given...’
Guessing that there was a reason, Jeong-min walked past Sang-do and said,
"Follow me for now. Let's go talk."
Hearing Jeong-min's words, Sang-do's face lit up.
Jeong-min walked ahead and asked,
"What happened to Yoon-gu and Gi-chan... was it? Those guys?"
"I took them both to the infirmary."
"Good job. Have you eaten?"
"Well... I was about to eat when Department Head Gwak called me..."
"Then let's have a meal together."
"Ah... yes."
The two walked to the cafeteria.
Arriving at the cafeteria, Jeong-min looked around for Jun-ki or Seong-dong, but they were nowhere to be seen, probably having already finished their meal and left.
'Come to think of it... how does the food distribution system work here? Do they just give it out?'
As Jeong-min was looking around, Sang-do stepped forward and put his wrist near the entrance of the distribution counter, saying,
"Please scan it twice. We'll be eating for two."
A beeping sound came from inside, and two trays and utensils came out.
Sang-do gave the trays and utensils he had brought to Jeong-min and said,
"Now you can get food from the distribution counter."
"...I was the one who suggested we eat, but I ended up getting a free meal... Well, anyway, I'll enjoy it."
The two sat down at a corner of the cafeteria and began to eat.
Jeong-min thought as he ate.
'It feels like the first proper meal I've had in a while. Mixed grain rice, seaweed soup, kimchi, and frozen pork cutlet... not a bad menu. The food situation must still be okay. Well... even later on, there will be a shop, so if I manage it well, maintaining this kind of menu shouldn't be too difficult.'
The two finished their meal in silence.
After finishing the meal, Jeong-min asked Sang-do,
"So... let's talk. Why do you need the potion?"
Hearing Jeong-min's words, Sang-do lowered his head for a moment to think, then began to speak.
"Well... I have a daughter."
"A daughter...?"
Sang-do nodded.
"Yes, she's four years old now. But... she's suffering from a bad illness..."
"An illness... is that why you need the potion?"
"Yes... I've been constantly requesting it from the shelter, but I couldn't get it. They said they couldn't waste a precious potion on an illness like that... Then, I tried using a small amount of potion that Department Head Gwak gave me... and it was so effective. So..."
"So you attacked me in exchange for the potion?"
"....I have nothing to say about that."
Jeong-min looked at Sang-do bowing his head and thought.
'Well... he didn't really seem to want to do it. He told me to pretend to be unconscious when he was subduing me, and he ignored Gwak Jo-won's order to break my arm...'
After thinking, Jeong-min said to Sang-do.
"Well, it's okay. You weren't much of a threat anyway. Anyway... so you're saying you want a potion to cure your daughter's illness in exchange for becoming my slave... is that right?"
"Yes... that's right."
Jeong-min leaned back in his chair and thought.
'Well, giving away a potion that I have plenty of is no big deal... but can potions even cure illnesses?'
"What... what kind of illness does your daughter have?"
"Well..."
Sang-do hesitated for a moment, then said to Jeong-min.
"...Atopic dermatitis... it is."
"Atopic dermatitis...?"
"I know it's a pretty common disease. But the atopic dermatitis my daughter has is very severe... Her skin all over her body is red and inflamed, and she can't sleep every day because she's scratching herself, and she's constantly scratching herself, so her wounds never heal."
Seeing Sang-do speaking urgently, Jeong-min said,
"Okay... calm down. I understand well enough."
"Before moving into the shelter, she had a cream that worked well, so it wasn't this bad... but after entering the shelter, I don't know if it's because the environment doesn't suit her, but it suddenly got worse and has been like this ever since..."
Sang-do bit his lip and said,
"If... if you don't mind, would you take a look at my daughter? If you see her, you'll probably understand what I'm saying."
"Your daughter? Where is she now?"
"She's probably at the daycare at this time. It's run for the Awakened in the shelter."
"Hmm..."
Jeong-min estimated the time.
It would take some more time to prepare the items Jeong-min had mentioned.
Jeong-min, who had been planning to look around the shelter until then, nodded and got up from his seat.
"Let's do that. Lead the way."
At Jeong-min's words, Sang-do's face lit up and he led the way.
The cafeteria and daycare facilities were not far apart.
The two quickly arrived at a facility with the sign 'Daesung Daycare'.
The sound of children playing could be heard loudly from inside.
Sang-do took out a wet wipe from his inventory and roughly wiped his messy face, then said to Jeong-min.
"Please wait here for a moment. I'll bring her out soon."
After saying that, Sang-do went inside.
And a little later, he came out holding a small girl with dark circles under her eyes.
As soon as Jeong-min saw the child, he understood why Sang-do had been so desperate.
'Ah... this is... really bad...'
All the exposed parts of the child's body, including her face, were red and inflamed more than he had imagined. There were many places where she had scratched herself and where her skin was peeling off.
Even while being held by Sang-do, she was constantly scratching her body as if it was itchy.
Sang-do said to the child.
"Jia. Daddy told you, right? It hurts a lot if you scratch it. You can't scratch it."
The child, called Jia, whined, looking at Sang-do.
"I'm itchy. So it hurts. I have to do this."
"Wait a minute. Daddy got medicine. I'll put it on you."
Sang-do took out the low-grade potion he had received from Jeong-min earlier.
Seeing the medicine, Jia struggled in Sang-do's arms.
"I don't want medicine! I don't want medicine!"
Sang-do soothed the struggling Jia and said to Jeong-min.
"Well... if you apply the potion, it doesn't itch for a while, and her skin calms down and gets a little better... but it seems to sting a lot as the wounds heal. So... she doesn't want to apply it well."
Jeong-min watched the two struggling and took out a high-grade potion from his inventory.
Approaching Sang-do with the potion, Jeong-min said kindly to Jia.
"Jia? Do you want to try applying this? This medicine doesn't hurt at all."
"I don't want to! I don't want to! I won't do it!"
"If you apply this medicine, your brother... no, your uncle will give you chocolate."
Jeong-min took out a small chocolate from his inventory and showed it to Jia.
"Choco?"
Sang-do, distracted by the chocolate Jeong-min offered, said as he opened the bottle of high-grade potion.
"Instead, let's just apply a little bit of this. We'll only apply a very little bit. Here, on your arm."
Jia seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded.
Jeong-min smiled and handed Jia the chocolate, and after pouring a little high-grade potion on his palm, he gently applied it to Jia's arm.
"Ah, it's cold..."
Jia shrank her body as if it was a little cold.
But soon, she seemed to feel a cool sensation and quietly entrusted her arm to Jeong-min.
The potion that Jeong-min applied to her arm instantly healed the small scratches. New skin grew from the peeled skin, and the red and inflamed skin calmed down and returned to a normal skin color.
Jia's eyes widened and she said to Jeong-min.
"This is cool! It doesn't itch! It doesn't hurt!"
Jeong-min smiled at Jia once and handed the rest of the potion to Sang-do, who was standing in amazement.
"Apply it well all over her body, even inside. It seems to have a good effect." Sang-do said in great amazement.
"The potion I received from Department Head Gwak didn't have this much effect. This is really... a really amazing potion!"
Sang-do applied the potion he received from Jeong-min to his hand and put his hand inside Jia's clothes, applying it all over.
Jia laughed, giggling as she was tickled, and soon, after applying the potion all over her body, all the red and inflamed areas had subsided, and except for the dark circles under her eyes, she didn't look like a sick child at all.
Sang-do looked at Jia with tears in his eyes."Daddy! It doesn't tickle! It's cool!"
Jia said happily, and Sang-do hugged her tightly.
"Really... I'm so glad it doesn't tickle... I'm so glad..."
"Daddy, it hurts."
Sang-do quickly let go of Jia, who was whining in his arms, and said to Jeong-min.
"I really... I don't know how to thank you... Ah, I'll take Jia back to daycare first. Can you wait a moment?"
Jeong-min nodded and greeted Jia.
Jia smiled brightly and said to Jeong-min.
"Bye, mister. See you again."
"Not mister, older brother... no, uncle, uncle."
"Unco!"
Jeong-min waved to Jia, and Sang-do carried Jia back into the daycare.
Seeing the child's bright smile warmed his heart.
A moment later, Sang-do came out of the daycare, bowed to Jeong-min, and said.
"Thank you so much... This is the first time I've seen her looking so normal since she developed atopic dermatitis... Thank you so much..."
"Keep the remaining potion and apply a little bit whenever her skin flares up again. Atopic dermatitis isn't completely curable, right?"
"Yes... It gets better, but then it flares up severely again..."
"So keep it safe. Now... shall we talk about our deal?"
Jeong-min said to Sang-do, and Sang-do nodded.
"Yes, I'm ready. Make me your slave. If you just give me the potion, just the potion..."
"What. Never mind."
Jeong-min took out two more Superior Potions from his inventory and handed them to Sang-do.
"If you use them sparingly, they'll last quite a while. You'll be able to buy them directly when the Store opens later. Use the Lesser Potion I gave you earlier to treat your face."
Sang-do received the potions from Jeong-min and said with a bewildered expression.
"...Excuse me?"
"Unfortunately, I can only use the Slave Seal once more. And using the potion I have plenty of to treat a child's illness... it feels too trashy... I think this shelter will have a very close relationship with me, so think of it as giving a favor in advance."
"Ah...?"
Jeong-min waved his hand dismissively, looking at Sang-do's face, which showed that he didn't understand well.
"Ah, never mind. Just take good care of Jia with that potion. That's all. I think it's time for my appointment, so I'll be going now."
Jeong-min walked past Sang-do, who was standing there blankly.
By now, Jo-won would have prepared the items.
Sang-do, who was watching Jeong-min's back as he walked away, ran to Jeong-min and shouted.
"Hyung-nim!!"
Jeong-min turned around, wondering if he had misheard.
Sang-do ran up to Jeong-min and knelt down in front of him, saying.
"Hyung-nim! If not a slave, then let me be your younger brother and serve you. Please allow me, Hyung-nim!"
"Wh-wh-who is your Hyung-nim! Do I look that old?"
"Aren't you friends with 6th Team Leader...? Then you must be my Hyungnim..."
"...Excuse me?"
Sang-do explained to Jeong-min, who was answering with a dumbfounded expression.
"6th Team Leader is one year older than me. So Hyung-nim must be one year older than me too."
"...Excuse me? What are you talking about? Are you mistaken about 6th Team Leader's age? 6th Team Leader... Jun-ki is 23 years old..."
"Yes, I know. And I'm 22 years old."
"....."
Jeong-min was confused.
Sang-do nodded as if he understood Jeong-min's confusion.
"Ah, you must be wondering how a mere 22-year-old has a 4-year-old child. I understand. I matured a bit early, so I had a child early..."
'No, that's not the problem, it's the appearance... I just thought he was at least in his early thirties...'
Jeong-min, who couldn't bring himself to say his thoughts out loud, shook his head and said.
"Ah... th-that's... I see... Ah, I don't have time, so I'll be going now..."
Jeong-min turned around and walked away with a confused look on his face, and Sang-do, who was kneeling, shouted.
"Hyung-nim! Whether you accept me or not, I will serve you as my Hyungnim. I swear to be a younger brother who will follow you in everything with all my heart. Thank you, Hyung-nim!"
Jeong-min ignored Sang-do, who was shouting with tears in his eyes, and quickly left the scene as if running away.