Chapter 73:
Of course, Airok couldn’t do that now because he was still small.
“But you can still kill them, right, Logi?”
Airok answered with an attack.
A tiny dragon head popped out from the slightly open bag. Its chilling blue eyes glared at the surrounding flowers.
Foolish creatures who dared to try and eat his Master.
The flowers, meeting the gaze of the enraged dragon, trembled, but it was too late.
Water droplets started to form in the open mouths of the stigmas. The dragon’s ability was draining all the moisture from the carnivorous flowers.
Gulp, gulp…
They writhed, but they couldn’t escape his power.
The flowers, completely dried and withered, dropped to the ground one by one. They weren’t just wilted, like the ones affected by Kim Yoo-sung; they were practically mummified.
No flowers survived.
“Good job.”
Seo Jae-yi dropped the vine she had been holding, patted her bag, and landed safely on the ground.
“See? Clean finish, right?”
It wasn’t a clean finish; it was a silent, terrifying attack. Seo Jae-yi, standing before the mummified plants with a grin, was even more terrifying.
“It’s good that you wiped them out in one go, but how are you going to explain this?”
Ah. Seo Jae-yi turned around at Kim Yoo-sung’s words. The Guild members were looking at her with dumbfounded expressions.
“Leader, what did you just do?”
It was understandable for them to be confused, as they didn’t know about Airok.
“Well, I just dried them to death with my heat.”
Seo Jae-yi lied shamelessly. Whether she drained their moisture or dried them with heat, it was essentially the same, right?
“No, it was different from usual…”
Of course, the Guild members didn’t believe her, but they didn’t press further, as both Seo Jae-yi and Kim Yoo-sung insisted it was nothing special.
“Let’s take a break here.”
The sleeping powder had dispersed, and there was no boss monster nearby. It was time to regroup.
While the Espers who had fought were receiving Guiding, the protectors, who had stayed back, searched the corpses of the carnivorous flowers.
“Wow, this thing has a pretty big magic stone for a plant!”
They ripped out the stigma of a carnivorous flower, revealing a blue magic stone, the equivalent of a monster’s heart. It was the most valuable byproduct obtained from monsters, as it contained all their power.
“And it’s the size of a finger! This could fetch hundreds of millions of won.”
“There’s another one here, the size of a finger joint. Wow, there are more than I thought! Guild Leader, can’t we upgrade our equipment?”
Monster magic stones were mainly used in crafting equipment. The reason why Awakened individuals’ weapons could kill monsters was because of these magic stones.
That was why they were so expensive.
“…I want to try wearing equipment made by Young Boss too.”
Ji Yeon-seo glanced at Seo Jae-yi, who was excitedly extracting magic stones, ripping out stigmas. Or rather, she was looking at her stylish black combat uniform.
It was stretchable, breathable, lightweight, and incredibly durable.
Equipment made by Young Boss, Seo Won-yeong, was coveted by every Awakened individual in Korea. It was only natural, as there were few S-rank Enhancement Espers who were also skilled crafters.
But they couldn’t obtain her equipment because Haeil had snatched Seo Jae-yi away…
“To have to choose between Leader’s and Young Boss’s items… What a cruel choice.”
But they couldn’t give up Seo Jae-yi either.
Ji Yeon-seo sighed dramatically and continued extracting magic stones.
“Would Young Boss refuse even if we offered double the price?”
Moon Soo-hyun nodded at Ji Yeon-seo’s question.
“Of course. Her sister is more important to her than money. She’d refuse even if we offered enough money to save the country. Ah, speaking of which, there’s one person who received Seo Won-yeong’s equipment for free, besides Leader.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Noh Kang-woo, who had been Guiding Moon Soo-hyun, interjected, surprised.
“It’s Baek Joo-won.”
Ah, right. Everyone, including Noh Kang-woo, who had been surprised, relaxed.
Of course, it was Baek Joo-won. Seo Won-yeong would probably give him her liver and gallbladder if he asked.
“Come on, let’s move. We need to finish this before the boss monster appears.”
Kim Yoo-sung, who had finished Guiding the Guild members, clapped his hands.
The Guild members, who had slowed down, sped up again. They seemed skilled at extracting magic stones and collecting useful materials.
“….”
And among them was someone who didn’t belong.
Gong Ju-hyun, who had finished Guiding the Guild members, stared at Seo Jae-yi.
He couldn’t forget Seo Jae-yi’s movements during the brief battle.
The first time he had seen her fight, from afar, eight years ago, had been overwhelming, ruthless, and unstoppable. He had expected her to fight the same way this time, but she was completely different.
Bright, cheerful, and powerful. She wasn’t trembling with fear; she was captivating.
But he didn’t feel like she was lacking in power. Just her presence made him feel safe from the monsters.
He liked her even more now than when he had only admired her from afar, his feelings growing uncontrollably.
He wanted to stand by her side, to become the Guide of such a powerful Esper. He wanted to delve into the depths of Seo Jae-yi, a side that no other Guide, no other person, had seen.
He wanted to give her stability.
He wanted to be the one, not Baek Joo-won.
‘Maybe I can do it if I try a little harder.’
Everything would change if his Matching Rate increased, if he could reach at least 70%.
The Haeil Guild members, who readily accepted Baek Joo-won, Seo Won-yeong, who had crafted equipment for him without hesitation, and Seo Jae-yi, who didn’t even look at him, would all acknowledge him then.
“…”
Gong Ju-hyun glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention to him, and stealthily approached Seo Jae-yi.
He didn’t notice that two people were watching him.
“Wow, this is a magic stone party! If the small fries are this good, how big and beautiful will the boss monster’s magic stone be?”
Seo Jae-yi’s eyes sparkled with delight as she extracted another finger-sized magic stone.
“Speaking of which, Logi, I heard monsters eat magic stones too. Is that true?”
Monsters preferred strong prey. That was why they coveted Espers and Guides, who possessed unique powers.
Wouldn’t they also like magic stones, which were essentially concentrated power?
“That’s right. Eating one magic stone is more satisfying than eating a large prey.”
‘So it’s good for Logi to eat magic stones too, right?’
Seo Jae-yi stared at the extracted magic stone.
She couldn’t give it to him right now, as it was obtained from a dungeon they subjugated with the Guild members, but it would be fine after they distributed the spoils, right?
Would one be enough? Or should she collect more?
Seo Jae-yi pondered seriously as she gathered the magic stones.
“Master, there’s a flower that sprays sleeping powder over there.”
Airok poked his hand out of the bag. Seo Jae-yi stopped thinking and quickly turned her head.
“A pink flower?”
A pink flower was swaying in the wind, some distance away from the devastated land.
Seo Jae-yi signaled to Kim Yoo-sung that she was going to check it out. He didn’t object, perhaps because she was with Airok.
“Wow, my goodness.”
The field of flowers, spread out across the vast plain, was a spectacular sight.
The sepals were white, and the petals were tipped with pink, creating the illusion of a pink cloud covering the ground. The layered petals enhanced the effect.
“It’s so beautiful, but it knocks out its prey with sleeping powder and offers them to monsters. How terrifying.”
The scent of the sleeping powder intensified as she got closer. Even with gas masks, the Guides wouldn’t be able to withstand this.
Seo Jae-yi knew she might become drowsy if she stayed here too long, but she didn’t care.
‘I can hold my breath for 30 minutes.’
She hummed a tune and took out her trowel, starting to dig up the flowers.
“Logi, is this addictive?”
“No, it’s not,” Airok answered from inside the bag.
Seo Jae-yi’s face brightened. That was a relief. Maybe she could use this to create a sedative for humans?
A treatment for people who couldn’t sleep without medication.
‘This would help my aunt sleep peacefully.’
She carefully dug up the flowers, making sure not to damage the roots, thinking of her aunt, Seo Won-yeong’s mother.
She would have to ask Seo Won-yeong to find her a potion maker.
“Ah, shoot.”
She sensed someone approaching. If it was an Esper, she would have just warned them, but it was Gong Ju-hyun.
A Guide wandering around a dungeon alone, how reckless.
“Gong Ju-hyun, don’t come here!”
“Huh?”
Gong Ju-hyun, who had been about to wave at her, stopped in his tracks at her warning. But it was too late.