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[Translator - Prøks]
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Chapter 157
How could this cat merchant's items be this good?
Truthfully, Seonghyun hadn't expected much, seeing as the merchant was a cat.
But to think most of the items were Unique rank—he couldn't help but be surprised.
There were a total of five items on display.
『Shield of Shining Starlight』
→《Unique》
『Dagger of a High-Rank Spirit』
→《Unique》
『Orb of Life』
→《Unique》
→Consumable
『Scale Armor of the Labyrinth Serpent』
→《Unique》
『Flower of the Underground Labyrinth』
→《Unique》
→Material Item
He couldn't buy all of them, but two items caught his eye.
‘The Orb of Life and the Flower of the Underground Labyrinth.’
-Mhm, Seonghyun, those two look good.
They were materials for creating Helena’s body, and quite important ones at that.
The Orb of Life was an item with outstanding utility, more so than just as a material.
It was an item that could resurrect and heal all damage upon use.
What's more, even if you died with it in your inventory, you could choose whether or not to use it.
It was so precious that among users, it was known as a 'spare life'.
And yet, such an item could also be used as a material.
Using this would make Helena’s body even more exceptional.
‘I have to buy it, no matter what.’
But would he have enough money?
He had spent 8,000 at the last auction.
The money he had left was just a little over 30,000 gold.
So, could he afford them?
‘Let’s at least ask for the price.’
“How much gold are these?”
Seonghyun asked politely.
The cat merchant tilted its head and looked at Seonghyun.
Likewise, Seonghyun looked back at the cat merchant with a puzzled expression.
The cat merchant jumped in surprise and said,
“Nyaaaoong?! I-Is this your first time using the Labyrinth Troupe, nya?”
“Yes, it is.”
Was there a problem?
Was the purchasing method different?
The moment Seonghyun thought that, the cat merchant spoke with an apologetic expression (basically, the face of a gloomy cat).
“I-I'm a newbie, so I-I've made a lot of mistakes, meow. W-We at the Troupe don't trade in gold, but with the number of monsters you've killed in the labyrinth, nya.”
“By the number of monsters killed?”
“That's right, meow. Items of a higher rank than Unique are priced by the number of bosses killed, nya!”
“Hmm? Then how many do I have?”
“Please wait a moment, meow!”
Seonghyun hadn't hunted as much as he'd thought in the labyrinth, but considering the chimeras and homunculi he killed in Melisia's laboratory, the count should be quite high.
Plus, he had killed quite a few on the way to the lab.
‘So shouldn't the number be pretty high?’
With that in mind, Seonghyun waited.
The cat merchant brought out some kind of tool and held it out towards Seonghyun.
“Ooh!? Y-You're rich, nya! Dear customer, you have killed 229 monsters, meow!”
“Oh.”
Seeing as it called him rich, that must be a pretty high number.
But it still hadn't told him the most important thing.
“So, how much are they?”
-He makes a lot of mistakes for a newbie. It's cute.
Seonghyun was a bit frustrated, but since the merchant looked like a cat, he did find it cute.
If it had been a person… he wasn't so sure.
Anyway, when Seonghyun asked, the cat merchant was startled once again and said,
“Ah, aah! I-I forgot, nya. U-Unique items are 100 monsters each, meow!”
That was a decent price. And with his discount on top of that… did that mean he could buy them for 70 each?
“Oho? So that means I can buy three of these items right now, correct?”
Seonghyun asked after doing the math, just in case.
“Th-That's right, nya!”
At those words, Seonghyun immediately chose the Orb of Life and the Flower of the Underground Labyrinth.
Those two were the only ones he needed right now.
As for the other items? He wasn't particularly drawn to them.
As he made his choice, a shower of white energy poured from Seonghyun's hands and into the cat merchant's bundle.
“Aah! Th-Thank you for your purchase, meow!”
“Not at all. I should be the one thanking you.”
“Th-Then I hope you'll call for me again next time, nya!”
After saying that, the goods and the cat merchant vanished with a pop! sound.
It seemed they disappeared right after a purchase was made.
‘Did it go back right away because it was happy I bought something?’
Since it was a newbie, he couldn't tell if this was a mistake or if that was just how the rules worked.
In any case, a cute cat selling such good items...
It was more fun than he'd expected.
‘They said these are merchants you sometimes encounter in the labyrinth, right?’
Would they sell such good items even when you found them like that?
He hadn't heard any explanation about it.
How could he have known?
He had been told so little. He didn't even get the cat merchant's name.
‘Even if I don’t know its name, I should be able to find out a little about the Labyrinth Troupe by searching online.’
Thinking this, Seonghyun looked at the description on the whistle and muttered,
“Nothing about a close relationship or a quest came up either.”
-Looks like there must be some kind of condition.
Seonghyun nodded at Helena’s words.
He hadn't even heard the cat merchant's name yet.
There was definitely some kind of condition.
For instance, a condition like having to buy a certain number of items.
It was usually something like that.
He figured he would find out eventually as he continued to buy things. However, he was low on monster kills now.
“I’ll have to explore the labyrinth for a bit.”
If he swept through the labyrinth today, couldn't he get other items easily as well?
Just as Seonghyun decided to start exploring the labyrinth right away, Helena let out a sudden yawn and spoke.
-Haaam. Then I’ll come out again later. Staying out continuously consumes my energy.
She was going back in again?
“Are you going to be gone for a long time this time too?”
-Mhm, no, I'm just going in for a little while. I can come out anytime you call.
“Ah, I see.”
-Yup yup, just call me if you need me~
At Helena’s words, Fiora and Leonik bowed their heads in disappointment.
-L-Lady Helena, s-see you next time.
-Please rest well.
Though they were disappointed, they knew it couldn't be helped.
Helena’s former familiars, hearing the two, also bowed their heads and spoke.
-P-Please rest well.
“Rest well.”
Balthar and Nocturnium didn't know what the conversation was about, but they inferred from Fiora and Leonik’s words and said the same.
None of them knelt, however.
Their current master was Seonghyun, so they simply bowed their heads to Helena.
Helena looked at her familiars, smiled alluringly, and said,
-You have to listen to Seonghyun, okay? Well then, I’ll be going~
With those final words, Helena vanished as if seeping into Seonghyun’s embrace.
Now that Helena was gone...
‘Shall I get back to what I was doing?’
0.
The most important element of the labyrinth.
The Labyrinth Troupe.
They were the labyrinth merchants who could be seen anywhere in the fifth region.
Every labyrinth, no matter which one, was connected to the Labyrinth Troupe's hideout where they lived.
Thus, they could be seen in any labyrinth.
They were very popular among users for their cat-like appearance.
the hideout of the Labyrinth Troupe, countless cat merchants bustled about.
Since they traded using the number of labyrinth monsters killed, their status within the troupe rose according to the number of kills they collected.
Those who had only sold for a few dozen kills were effectively at the bottom of the ladder.
The cat merchant who had just sold items to Seonghyun was originally one of them.
It was no coincidence that he had been pushed by seniority to visit the labyrinth where Carmine resided.
But now, things were different.
“Oh? Beki? You’ve improved a lot, haven’t you? What did that crazy woman buy this time?”
The cat merchant called Beki was indeed the one who had dealt with Seonghyun.
Thanks to his transaction with Seonghyun, his sales record had jumped well over 100 kills.
Including his previous record, the number was now close to 200!
However, it seemed his experience was still severely lacking.
Although his sales record had risen, his actual experience hadn't increased.
At his senior’s sudden question, Beki flinched and nodded.
He had traded with Seonghyun, not the crazy woman, Carmine, but he had inadvertently lied.
“Nya, nyaong. Th-That’s right, nya.”
“Puhahaha! That’s a little surprising, that crazy woman buying something other than food.”
“Anyway, now that you’re over 100, shouldn’t you fix the way you talk?”
“Still acting like a total rookie.”
The faces of the seniors who said this were what one would typically call "fat cats."
Beki, who still had the appearance of a kitten, shouted back sharply.
“M-Mind your own business, meow!”
“Puhuhuh, we had a time like that too.”
“Ah, you’re right~”
“Getting all fat and chubby, well, isn’t this what it means to be a proper merchant of the Labyrinth Troupe!”
“Absolutely! Hahaha!”
Ignoring his heartily laughing seniors, Beki scurried away.
If he stayed any longer, they would surely start rambling on about what they were like when they were rookies.
Having made his escape, Beki snuck over to the warehouse and began to check out various items.
All of them were items he could sell—items that appeared rarely in the labyrinth.
Among them…
‘He only bought a material item and a consumable, meow. I’ll focus on choosing those, nya.’
He precisely chose the types of items Seonghyun would want.
Then, suddenly, a thought struck him as odd, and he cried out.
“Nyanyaang!!? I-I forgot to tell him my name, meow!”
The Whistle of the Labyrinth Troupe allowed one to summon a specific merchant they wanted.
He needed to introduce himself to be called again.
How could he have forgotten! He was so stupid.
Then, a thought occurred to him.
‘No, that’s not right, nya. They’ll definitely send me again anyway, meow.’
They wouldn't know that the crazy woman was dead.
If Seonghyun blew the whistle, they would surely think it was her.
Then, he could volunteer to go and raise his sales record.
With that cunning thought, Beki let out a sly "nyanyanyang" laugh, waiting for Seonghyun to call for him again.
1.
Pentagrid, the Viscount's Castle.
There was a man there, agonizing as if tearing his hair out.
“Ughhh, was this truly the right decision.”
It was none other than Viscount Paragon.
“Huuuuuh.”
He sighed deeply from within, lost in thought.
He was filled with the nagging question of whether sending Seonghyun had been the right thing to do.
Carmine had been running rampant in that underground labyrinth for several months.
In his determination to deal with her somehow, he had asked Seonghyun, an outsider who seemed powerful, for a favor after a long time.
But even after half a day since he entered, there was no news.
The underground labyrinth was a place where powerful monsters appeared, even without Carmine at its center. The fact that there was still no news…
Only ominous thoughts came to mind, making Viscount Paragon tremble with anxiety.
Just then, one of Viscount Paragon’s vassals, who was attending to his duties in the office, spoke.
“If you are so worried, how about sending some soldiers to check?”
“Soldiers?”
It was true that if there was still no news, it was right to check in person.
Something could have happened.
If he sent skilled soldiers, they could get out quickly even if Carmine were still alive.
As if having made a decision, Viscount Paragon nodded and stood up.
“Butler? Send down some soldiers to check on the situation.”
“Understood, my lord. I will send our skilled soldiers.”
“Huuuh, please…”
Hoping that Seonghyun had won, Viscount Paragon gave the order to send the soldiers.
Feeling incredibly anxious, the Viscount also decided to go to the labyrinth entrance himself.
Just as he was about to send the soldiers, the door at the entrance of the labyrinth creaked open.
Was it Carmine?
No, that couldn't be.
Magic circles were installed to prevent Carmine from coming out this way.
Then who could be coming out of that labyrinth?
There was only one possibility.
As the door opened, the person who emerged made eye contact with Viscount Paragon.
He scratched his head apologetically and opened his mouth to speak.
“Sorry I’m late. I was busy killing the remaining monsters in the labyrinth.”
The one who came out was none other than Seonghyun, looking perfectly fine.
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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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