[Slum]
[Buying Monster Corpses at High Prices!]
After returning to Paradise, I visited a research lab called 'Slum.'
Normally, surface goods and Scrap Metal went to an exchange.
Monster corpses were sold to research labs.
That was basically the standard.
"Welcome."
"I'm here to sell some corpses."
Of the three sacks slung over me, I lifted the one containing Wild Dog eyeballs and the Mole Cricket's sharp mouthparts.
"Please put them here."
Research labs did not have Paradise certification.
In other words, there were no fixed prices, and what you got paid varied wildly depending on where you went.
Even so, most places were fairly similar.
"The Wild Dog eyeballs are in good condition. How does 7 Gold sound?"
There was decent demand thanks to the Compression effect of Wild Dog eyeballs, so the price was pretty good.
'They're paying more than the old market rate.'
"The Mole Cricket remains are in poor condition, so I can't offer more than 10 Gold."
"Ah, sure. I'll sell them for that."
'Tch. Shame.'
If I'd killed it cleanly, I would've gotten at least 15 Gold.
Still, I was lucky enough to get a little something after cutting open the Mole Cricket's stomach.
Clink—.
The sack in my left hand shifted slightly.
It wasn't anything amazing.
Just a few consumables that had belonged to someone who had been swallowed by the monster and was half-dissolved inside it.
'Three flashbangs and one Decoy should be worth around 8 Gold.'
If I had to compare it to something.
Like winning fourth prize in the lottery?
They'd been inside a monster's stomach, so I didn't know whether they would work properly.
[Fantasy Military Flashbang.]
[Fantasy Military Decoy.]
They were products from a small-to-medium company I used often too.
They should be fine.
"Here is 17 Gold!"
After finishing the settlement, the employee handed me a chip.
"Thank you."
I took the chip containing 17 Gold and headed toward the crow workshop.
Or rather, I tried to.
"Why are you following me? Planning to repay me for saving your life?"
A woman with long, straight black hair was following behind me.
"Th-That is......."
What the hell?
She seems like a completely different person from when she was fighting.
Isn't the personality gap between when she uses Combat Stimulants and when she doesn't a little too extreme?
"Th-Thank you...... for saving me!"
"Forget the thanks."
I answered coldly and turned away, not wanting to get dragged into something troublesome.
GRAB—.
Then she grabbed my arm.
'What kind of strength...... she's going to break my arm.'
"What?"
"Um...... who taught you how to fight?"
What kind of question was that?
Was there something strange about my movements?
"I'm self-taught."
She kept glancing noticeably at my sheath before cautiously asking.
"Ah...... then, what about the sheath......?"
"A friend gave it to me."
"Um...... and who is that friend......."
This is frustrating.
"So what exactly are you trying to say?"
"I was wondering if you know P......!"
"P?"
The masked owner.
The old man.
Now even this woman.
Everywhere I went, all anyone talked about was him.
What was so great about a character who died twenty years ago that everyone was making such a fuss?
'What should I say?'
Looking at her eyes shining with pure excitement.
I felt a little guilty about lying outright.
"He's just someone I know."
"R-Really?! Do you know where he has been recently?"
"He's dead."
"......That's right......"
Her shoulders drooped and her expression turned gloomy.
Since I'd answered her question, it was my turn to ask one.
"So what was your relationship with him?"
"U-Um...... I guess...... we were companions......?"
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
I never had any female companions.
'There was one little kid who was hard to call a woman, I guess?'
But she had been nowhere close to being a companion.
If I had to define it, she was more of a student.
Actually, more bait than a student or companion.
Calling a person bait sounded a bit harsh.
But.
[Innate Traits : Monster Prey, Temptation.]
[Monster Prey : You become the first target of monsters.]
[Temptation : You draw excessive attention from all nearby living beings.]
Her traits had been absurdly specialized for being bait.
'......Wait.'
Why did that little kid suddenly come to mind?
Don't tell me.
Twenty years passed, and she grew up into this?
"What's your name and epithet?"
"Ah, you saw that I'm a Legend......."
"So what are they?"
"My epithet is...... Madwoman......."
She paused for a moment.
Then shouted loudly.
"My name is Magnes Yuno......!"
"Magnes......?"
"Ah, that's not my surname. It's more like a nickname. My name is Yuno!"
That name was way too unusual for this to be a coincidence.
'That's the name I gave her.......'
Magnes was the Latin version of 'magnet.'
I gave her that nickname because she was like a magnet that dragged monsters around.
So she really was that kid from back then?
"N-Nice to meet you!"
Wait.
Nice to meet me for what?
***
"Not like that. Undo this side first......."
"Ah, I get it now. Then the next one......."
I cracked the door open slightly.
Inside, Berry and the masked owner were studying enthusiastically.
'That's a relief.'
Berry had spent quite a while worrying about the old man, but she had quickly recovered and was studying again.
"Hey, dinner's here!"
BANG—.
I deliberately flung the door open hard and shouted.
"Wow!"
"Hm."
The masked owner stared at me closely, then casually asked.
"And who is that woman behind you?"
Yuno, who had been hiding behind me, suddenly popped out.
"H-Hello! I'm Yuno, one month into being a Legend!"
She bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"......You. Come here for a moment."
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
The masked owner dragged me outside.
"Why do you keep picking people up from who knows where?"
"I tried to shake her off too, but she just kept following me."
I shrugged once.
"Phew...... you know she has a bad reputation, right?"
"What reputation?"
"......Forget it. Gossip is not my thing. Go ask her yourself."
During the short dinner break.
We brought the old man's meal inside.
While Berry and the masked owner continued studying in the workshop.
Yuno and I stepped outside for a moment.
"How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-eight now!"
So she'd lied about her age back then.
She told me she was thirteen.
I was twenty-nine at the time.......
Which meant Yuno had only been eight years old back then.
CLANG—.
Whoa there, officer.
I'm not that kind of person!
"Then let's speak casually with each other."
"Yes! I'll keep it casual while speaking politely!"
"Whatever. Anyway, you know your own rumors, right?"
"Hm......."
She opened her hand and started counting them off one by one.
"There are too many."
"What are the three biggest ones?"
"Assaulting a Paradise citizen?"
"......Someone who actually has Paradise citizenship?"
"Yes!"
'Is she insane?'
Paradise citizenship carried enormous weight.
It looked like everyone living in Paradise had citizenship.
But strictly speaking, anyone outside Sectors 0 through 3 did not.
People with citizenship were a small minority who wielded enormous political and economic influence.
Otherwise, only a tiny number of Expedition Members who had contributed tremendously to Paradise could obtain it.
Or you could buy it by paying an enormous amount of money.
'I didn't buy it because it felt like a waste of money.'
Anyway, Paradise citizens were basically like Celestial Dragons from that one anime.
"You...... didn't kill the person with citizenship, right?"
"Of course not!"
At least she wasn't a major criminal.
"Don't tell me there's more?"
"Hm...... there was an argument, and I got into a fight during a war between small and medium companies...... and most recently, I massacred a huge number of monsters during a Monster Wave? Other than that, nothing much."
That is...... not nothing.
As I listened silently without saying anything, she urged me for an answer.
"So, will you accept me as a companion?"
"I'll think about it."
"Yay!"
I seriously didn't know whether taking her in as a companion was the right choice.
'Still, having her is probably better than having no one.......'
Her Innate Traits were heavily focused on attracting monsters.
But that could be controlled to a reasonable degree by using Decoys or keeping distance.
It might be a little dangerous.
But for making money quickly, she seemed hard to beat.
'And she's someone I know.'
If I counted the connection from my game days, we'd known each other a very long time.
......Not in that sense.
I meant I'd literally known her for a long time.
"Let's work together."
"Wow! Thank you!"
She bounced around excitedly.
"Are you heading out tonight?"
"Huh? Sorry, but I don't have an Expedition Member license, so I can't."
Miners had to return every day.
But with an Expedition Member license, you could freely explore the surface.
And I still hadn't gotten mine.
"......."
"I'll get it soon. Wait."
"Yes! Then I'll see you at the entrance tomorrow!"
She dashed off and disappeared in an instant.
'Wait, tomorrow?'
Already feeling like I'd gotten dragged into something troublesome.
CREEEAK—.
I pressed my throbbing temple and stepped back into the workshop.
SWISH—.
My eyes met the masked owner's as she covered Berry, who had fallen asleep at the table, with a blanket.
"How's Berry at studying?"
"She's smart. There is almost nothing I need to teach her."
"That's a relief."
"And perhaps because she is young, she adapts fairly quickly."
A few perfectly ordinary, everyday questions passed between us.
Then I asked what I'd been curious about.
"Any worthwhile requests?"
"None right now."
"Then have you heard anything from other workshops that could make money?"
Workshops in the same sector usually knew each other fairly well.
It was like they had their own neighborhood gatherings and group chats.
Anyway, workshops with lots of visitors accumulated plenty of information.
And they often shared it among themselves.
The reliability was not as high as places that sold actual information.
But I could just filter it appropriately.
"Hm...... I have not heard anything."
After thinking for a moment, the masked owner answered.
"I'm really sorry to ask, but do you have any money?"
"......."
"If not, forget it."
"Do not sell the sheath."
"Why would I sell it?"
I hadn't thought of that.
Yuno seemed pretty interested in it.
Should I try selling it to her?
"I said do not sell it."
"I won't...... but how much did you buy it for?"
"Five......."
"Five hundred Gold? Damn, that's expensive."
"No. Five thousand Gold."
Fifty million won for one measly sheath?
Even with the name value of the Surface Liberator.
Paradise's strongest.
A Legend.
That was way too expensive.
So she wasn't exactly sane either.
"I still have debt left......."
"You work hard too."
"Do not mock me."
"Anyway, let me know if you hear of any good way to make money."
"Understood."
That opened an information channel.
I calculated how much money I had.
'Right now, around 100 Gold.'
If I took the test with only basic equipment.
One hundred Gold wasn't remotely enough.
Still, after a few more hard days, even if I fell a little short, I should be able to afford the Expedition Member license.
Then for now, I should probably work with Yuno.
I casually asked the masked owner.
"Do you know anything about the Madwoman?"
"I told you I dislike gossip."
"No, just anything I should know."
"......Do not make a mistake just because she acts like a child."
"What do you mean?"
The masked owner dragged a chair closer to me.
"They say that after P died, she suffered some kind of incident and her mental age remained stuck at childhood."
"......."
"I do not know the details. It is only a rumor."
"Thanks."
Anyway.
Another day passed like that.
***
'Ugh, I'm so sick of this.'
In the game, whenever a day ended, I used to look forward to the next morning and wonder.
Who should I beat up tomorrow?
What item should I go get?
Those were fun things to think about.
"This feels like going to work."
Waking up in the morning, heading to the surface, picking up things, and fighting monsters.
Unexpectedly.
It was incredibly tedious.
Truly exhausting.
I didn't have to ride a hellish commuter train.
And I didn't have a boss screaming at me.
But aside from that, it wasn't much different from going to work at a company.
"Phew......."
GRRRRRT—!
Right on cue, the corridor door leading to the surface opened.
Miners desperate to make their daily wages rushed out in the surface opening rush.
As a Miner myself, I was about to head out too.
Tap, tap—.
Someone lightly tapped my shoulder.
"H-Hello! Um...... your name was......."
I turned around.
It was Yuno.
"Park Dohyeon. Just call me Dohyeon."
"Dohyeon! I look forward to working with you!"
Yuno approached me with a bright smile.
"Let's make a mess of things."
"Yes! Dohyeon!"
The Mole Cricket yesterday was one thing.
But today, she was still a Legend of Paradise.
She'd show me something impressive, right?