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The man glanced at our table once and then took a seat at a table on one side.

Zion shouted towards the kitchen,

“Serve the customer, brother Donkey. You need to attend to customers promptly when they arrive.”

“He’s right.”

I also looked towards the man, feeling a sense of reciprocation for Donkey’s hospitality. I intended to at least try to attract him as a customer.

“The chef’s a newbie, so he’s a bit out of it. But this place makes good chicken stew. I guarantee it. Of course, I’m not getting paid for this. Have you heard of ‘paying with my own money’? It means I’m not using my money, but I’m the one buying.”

The man briefly made eye contact with me, then placed his scabbard on the table without saying a word.

It was a scabbard made of woven beast scales, and it was well-maintained.

“…….”

Most of the Dark Soul guys used spears, but not all of them.

Occasionally, there were those who carried swords, and those guys always bossed around other thugs.

“A customer? Welcome…”

Donkey hurriedly came out of the kitchen to greet the man but stopped abruptly. He had seen the scabbard on the table. The man spoke in a low voice.

“Are you the owner here?”

“Yes.”

“I haven’t heard of any shop here.”

“Ah, I just opened the shop recently.”

“Did you pay the tribute?”

“Ah, about that… Not yet.”

At that moment, Zion walked up to the man and sat down across from him without hesitation.

“Excuse me. Are you an executive of Dark Soul?”

The man kept his gaze fixed on Donkey and only glanced at Zion.

“What?”

Zion took something out of his pocket.

“I want to sell you something. Have you heard of magic stones? They’re very useful in this dangerous world. I’ll give you a special discount.”

The man tilted his head and looked at Zion.

“You seem to have no fear of the world. And why is a young kid talking like that?”

Zion glared at me for a moment, but I just quietly gave him a thumbs-up. Encouraged, Zion spoke again.

“I’m the business manager of Samael. This item is guaranteed by the business manager himself. Do you understand?”

“Samael?”

“That’s right.”

The man stared at Zion for a moment with a puzzled expression, but when Zion didn’t flinch, he looked away and spoke to Donkey.

“You said you just opened the shop recently?”

“Yes.”

“Then register your business first. You might be misunderstood otherwise. And take your time preparing the tribute.”

“Alright.”

Having said what he wanted to say, the man stood up, glanced at Zion and me once, and then left.

I watched the large figure walk away and muttered,

“He’s acting unlike a third-rate thug.”

Zion nodded.

“That’s a shame. I could have sold it.”

Donkey added his two cents.

“You both have guts. I thought a fight was about to break out. Samael is different indeed.”

It seemed Donkey also had guts, seeing how casually he talked about such things.

I looked back and forth between Donkey and Zion and said,

“Unfortunately, our attempt to attract customers failed this time. But the first time is always difficult.”

Suddenly losing my taste for alcohol, I ordered Zion,

“Business Manager. It’s time to stop drinking and focus on your main job.”

Zion nodded.

“Understood. Ah, but since I’m the business manager, shouldn’t I receive a commission?”

“How much do you want?”

“I think about 20% of the sales would be appropriate.”

“You want to get beaten 20 times?”

“I’ll take 2%.”

As soon as I nodded, Zion’s eyes lit up, and he disappeared somewhere in a hurry. It seemed he had been diligently thinking about business even while drinking.

* * *

While I was sprawled out on the stall, trying to sober up, I heard a rush of footsteps from one side.

Stampede—

I got up and saw a crowd of people running down the street, filling it up.

I could hear them humming a song…

And I heard Zion’s voice in the midst of it all.

“This isn’t just any ordinary stone you see every day. It’s a magic stone, a stone that protects your life!”

Zion was walking energetically in the center of the crowd, wiggling his hips.

Everyone was also excitedly wiggling their hips.

It was like watching a traveling troupe passing through the city.

“…….”

Zion stopped in front of me and picked up a magic stone from the stall. He turned around and waved the magic stone towards the crowd filling the street.

“This is that stone, the one and only precious stone in the world.”

Skeptical boos erupted from here and there.

“Hey, don’t lie. It’s just an ordinary stone.”

“I came here for nothing. A young man is already lying.”

“I was fooled for a moment.”

Zion said with a smile,

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you a demonstration.”

I blinked, wondering what was going on.

A young boy walked out and stood in front of Zion.

Looking closely, he seemed familiar.

‘Where have I seen him before?’

Zion handed the magic stone to the boy and picked up a wooden stick he had found somewhere.

“Alright, here I go.”

The boy made eye contact with Zion and nodded.

The moment Zion was about to hit the boy’s head with the stick, the boy closed his eyes tightly and shouted,

“Barrier.”

Whiiing—

The stick bounced off into the air, and cheers erupted from the crowd.

“Oh, what? It actually works?”

“Did you see that? It bounced off!”

“Ooooooh!”

Suddenly, the boy looked at me and bowed politely. It was then that I remembered him.

I had once saved a boy who was being beaten by thugs in eastern Kaoto, and it was this kid.

People rushed towards the stall.

“So, what’s the price?”

“I’ll buy them all, no matter the cost.”

“What do you mean buy them all? We have to share.”

Zion, with a big smile, organized the situation.

“Everyone, line up! The price is only 100 gold.”

“….What?”

“100 gold, not 1 gold?”

People simultaneously stepped back.

An awkward silence fell, and the lively hip-shaking instantly died down. 100 gold was an unimaginably large sum for the locals.

It was then that the crowd parted like the tide, and a man slowly walked through.

It was the large man we had seen at the inn this morning.

“100 gold?”

Zion met the man’s eyes.

“Are you interested? 100 gold isn’t expensive for the price of a life.”

The large man nodded.

“That’s true. But that’s only when it’s truly the price of a life.”

“Didn’t you just see?”

“That trickery isn’t enough. You demonstrate it yourself.”

Clang—

The man drew his sword from the scabbard at his waist. He looked quite angry. Zion replied with a smile.

“You’re a suspicious one. I’ll show you as much as you want.”

Zion, with a confident look on his face, picked up a magic stone in front of me and whispered,

“Boss, this one isn’t defective, right?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t used it.”

“Fuck.”

Zion regained his composure and faced the man.

“Come at me.”

The man drew his sword and charged. The locals watched in fear.

Just as the sharpened blade was about to pierce Zion’s shoulder.

“Barrier.”

Whiiing— Crack!

The sword was halfway embedded in the barrier, unable to go any further.

As the large man pushed the sword with all his might, cracks appeared with a 쩌저적 sound, but it still hadn’t reached Zion’s shoulder.

Exclamations erupted from the surrounding people, and the large man had a very surprised expression. Feeling sorry for the wasted magic stone, I immediately stood up from the stall and intervened.

“Let’s stop here.”

Zion grinned and backed away, and the man muttered in surprise,

“….It was real.”

I looked at the man and said,

“I think that’s enough proof of its worth. Tsk, we wasted a precious magic stone on a demonstration. You’ll have to buy another one. I’ll give you a 50 gold discount, so let’s say 150 gold.”

The man looked at me for a moment.

As our eyes met, a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is it too expensive?”

“…….”

The man, who had withdrawn his murderous intent, sighed and took out a pouch from his pocket and tossed it over. I checked, and it was full of gold coins.

“You made a wise decision. It’s the price of a life, so you won’t regret it.”

Zion handed the magic stone to the man, who examined it in his hand and then muttered unexpectedly,

“I’ve heard of magic stones before. But I’m not sure if this is one. I’ve never heard of magic stones emitting light. What’s the name of this thing?”

“Name?”

“It must have a name.”

I was momentarily flustered and looked at Zion.

A magic stone is a magic stone, what other name could it have?

Zion also seemed to have nothing to say and remained silent.

But I felt a bit of pride and hesitated to call it just a “trash magic stone.” While I was pondering, the boy next to me spoke up.

“Precious.”

The man looked down at the boy.

“Precious?”

“Yes. It means a precious stone that protects your life.”

The man, seemingly not satisfied with the answer, looked back and forth between Zion and me, but he remained silent, having nothing to say.

The man looked at the Blue Sea Flag for a moment, then started walking away, saying,

“Not a bad name. I’m Carrot of Dark Soul. You guys should be careful.”

I nodded as I watched the man’s back receding into the distance. He was a man of his word.

‘It doesn’t hurt to be careful.’

Unlike a third-rate thug, he knew how to be cautious.

If he hadn’t withdrawn his murderous intent himself, his head might have been cracked open today.

* * *

I handed Donkey a generous amount of gold coins and stayed at the inn. I deliberately got a different room from Zion.

Donkey persistently refused the gold coins, but I forced them on him because receiving free hospitality usually comes with a hefty price.

If I saved the gold coins, our business manager might go bald, and I couldn’t bear to see that.

That’s how much I care for my subordinates.

The next day, I slept in until late afternoon and went downstairs to find quite a few people gathered on the first floor. I took a seat in a corner, and Donkey came out of the kitchen and said,

“You’re up?”

“Why are there so many people today?”

“Thanks to you, of course. People flocked to this area yesterday, remember? Some of them had dinner here and came back today.”

I remembered the traveling troupe Zion had brought. It seemed some of them had eaten here.

“That’s good. Bring me a bowl too. I’m starving since I haven’t eaten anything.”

A moment later, Donkey brought me chicken stew.

The spicy smell made my mouth water, and as soon as I took a bite, my appetite was fully awakened.

‘This is really delicious.’

As I was devouring the food, I heard the sound of raindrops falling outside. Pitter-patter—

I relaxed and looked outside for a while, and soon everyone had left, leaving me alone.

Donkey poked his head out of the kitchen and said,

“Are they all gone?”

“Yeah, no one’s left.”

A sound of “Ugh” came from the kitchen, and then Donkey walked out, stretching his back a few times before sitting next to us.

“Having a lot of customers is tiring too.”

“You’re talking like you have it easy. You need to work hard at times like this. By the way, is our Business Manager still not down yet?”

As soon as I said that, Zion came down from upstairs and sat across from us. He looked outside and said,

“It looks like it’s going to rain.”

I pointed at Zion and said,

“Don’t even think about making excuses. Rain or shine, the Business Manager of Samael should be thinking about business.”

Zion suddenly got angry and held out his hand to me.

“Give me the money.”

“What money?”

“You promised me 2%.”

“Why should I give it to you when I was the one who sold it?”

“What?”

“You may have brought the troupe, but I was the one who sold the magic stone to that guy yesterday. If you’re unhappy, sell it yourself.”

While we were bickering, Donkey came out of the kitchen with stir-fried chicken and makgeolli, saying,

“Shall we have another drink today?”

Donkey popped the lid open with a pop— the smell of makgeolli wafted through the air, and the three of us drank without saying another word.

I took a bite of the stir-fried chicken, and the savory taste exploded in my mouth. It had a different flavor from the stew.

“Brother Donkey, you’re a culinary master.”

“Not yet. But someday, I’ll be the best chef on the continent.”

Donkey, perhaps feeling comfortable with us, made a joke.

But looking at his face, it seemed like he meant it sincerely, so I didn’t laugh. A man with big dreams deserves respect.

At that moment, Zion, who had been looking outside, spoke up.

“It’s raining.”

The raindrops, which had been falling sporadically, were gradually getting heavier.

I thought the Business Manager was making an excuse, but I didn’t say anything.

Whoosh—

The three of us drank makgeolli for a while, enjoying the sound of the rain as a side dish.

I loved the sound of rain in my past life too.

When it rained…

It felt like the madness soaked in blood was being washed away.

I closed my eyes and savored the sound of raindrops hitting the dirt floor, but then I suddenly frowned.

The sound of rough footsteps was disturbing the sound of the rain.

Bang!

With the loud sound of the door breaking, uninvited guests arrived.

“I heard there’s a bastard here selling junk without permission.”

Three third-rate thugs, drenched in the rain and holding spears, were glaring at us. They whispered among themselves for a moment, and then one of them spoke up.

“Are you the one selling the Precious?”

When I didn’t respond, Zion took a swig of makgeolli and said,

“You must have heard the rumors and come looking. I’m that person.”

“I need to see the goods. Bring them here.”

“Money first. If you pay 100 gold, I’ll give it to you without a word. But you have to give it only to me. If you give it to this person here, you’ll have to pay 150 gold.”

“You crazy bastard.”

“I’m not crazy yet.”

“Do you want to die? Do you know who we are?”

Yes, that was the typical third-rate thug I knew.

Acting without any caution whatsoever.

“10 gold in tribute. Hand over the Precious, and we’ll spare your lives.”

I continued to focus amidst the chaos.

Looking outside, the rain was still pouring heavily.

“Hey, no answer? Do we look like a joke to you? You need to die to come to your senses.”

Zion nodded silently, and Donkey quietly went into the kitchen.

‘Ah.’

No matter how hard I focused, I couldn’t hear the sound of the rain anymore.

I pointed at the thugs and said,

“Be quiet.”

One of the thugs slammed his hand on the table.

“You’re asking for it, really.”

“Please. Just be quiet.”

Bang—

“Guys, cut off that bastard’s fingers first.”

Two thugs charged at the same time, spears in hand. I unconsciously chanted a spell, my index finger extended.

“Wind that pierces a single point, Piercing Wind.”

Whoosh—

The two charging thugs were flung back to the main street, holes pierced through their hearts in the exact posture they had been running in. Blood sprayed like a fountain.

While the thug who had given the order was running away,

I was still looking up at the rain-soaked sky.

“…….”

I slowly walked out to the main street, and the rain instantly drenched my entire body.

I stood there for a moment, looking down at the dead bodies. The rain was washing away the bloodstains.

Whoosh—

“Now I can hear it.”

———-