Chapter 125:
From that day on, Seo Jae-yi began clearing the dungeon with Baek Joo-won.
She didn’t intend to use the entire dungeon. It was Baek Joo-won’s domain, a place where monsters lived, so she had to draw a line.
They decided to cultivate a section of land near the gate, an area easily accessible to humans and with the fewest monsters.
Even the area around the gate was overgrown, like an Amazonian jungle, but they didn’t need any specialized equipment.
The dungeon master, capable of manipulating the plants within this dungeon, was on her side.
“Wow, this is easy!”
With a flick of Baek Joo-won’s finger, all the plants around the gate vanished into the ground.
An area twice the size of her greenhouse appeared instantly.
“Hae-won, you’re the best.”
Seo Jae-yi gave him two thumbs up, and Baek Joo-won clicked his tongue.
“Only when it’s convenient for you.”
“That’s not true. I also like the kisses you give me.”
Seo Jae-yi said shamelessly, without a change in her expression.
“You’re so bold.”
“You’re the one who made me this way.”
A look of satisfaction spread across Baek Joo-won’s face at her reply. He liked hearing that.
“Anyway, this should be enough space to grow dungeon plants, right?”
“Yes. There are more carnivorous plants that hunt prey in one spot than roaming monsters here. It’ll be safe.”
As long as they didn’t venture deeper into the dungeon, the Awakened individuals who came here wouldn’t be in danger.
“And since you carry my energy, the plants won’t attack you.”
“Perfect. I should be able to move all the dungeon plants from the greenhouse in two or three trips. It’s not a difficult task, so you can stay here and look after Logi.”
“He’ll recover on his own, but… alright. I should also take a look around since it’s been a while since I’ve been to my dungeon.”
Once they were done discussing, Seo Jae-yi began planting the dungeon plants she had brought. Sensing the nutrient-rich soil, far richer than Earth’s, the transplanted plants trembled.
Imbued with the dungeon master’s power, far stronger than Kim Yoo-sung’s life force, they would thrive here.
After finishing, Seo Jae-yi spent the night in the cave.
She hadn’t paid much attention during her previous brief visits, but the cave was surprisingly comfortable. The entrance was just big enough for one person to pass through, but it opened into a spacious area.
“Wow, it’s not just a cave.”
“Of course not. It’s where I, the dungeon master, reside. But after seeing your house, this place seems a bit lacking.”
Baek Joo-won looked at Seo Jae-yi thoughtfully, as if pondering something.
In any case, thanks to the spacious and comfortable cave, Seo Jae-yi slept well.
In the morning, she ate fruits and edible plants that Baek Joo-won had gathered, then left the dungeon, seen off by him.
“Oh, you’re back!”
The Association employees guarding the gate greeted her. Seeing them here since last night, they must have been on overnight duty.
They looked puzzled not seeing Baek Joo-won, who had entered the dungeon with her yesterday, but they didn’t ask any questions. It was best not to pry into the affairs of an S-rank.
“I’ll call the Vice President now, as promised.”
The employees’ faces brightened at her words. She immediately called Vice President Jeong Ju-hyung.
—What? Seo Jae-yi?
Jeong Ju-hyung’s surprised voice greeted her. It was natural for him to be shocked, as Seo Jae-yi had never called him before.
“Basement hermit, is it possible to own a dungeon?”
Instead of replying, she went straight to the point, eliciting a click of his tongue.
—That crazy talk confirms you’re Firestarter. What? Own a dungeon? What for?
Seo Jae-yi briefly explained.
Jeong Ju-hyung, who already knew about her dungeon plant business, clicked his tongue again.
—The infamous Firestarter, going completely rogue, I see?
“It’s a carefully considered decision.”
—Carefully considered, my foot. Impulsive, more like. Anyway, ownership is out of the question. If I allow you, everyone will want one.
“Then how about renting? I’ll give the Association a portion of the profits from the dungeon plants I sell. Or I can give you the plants themselves.”
—…….
He didn’t immediately reject the offer. He was likely weighing the pros and cons.
—Which dungeon?
After a moment of consideration, he asked. Seo Jae-yi readily told him the location.
“If you approve, I’ll take care of the regular monster subjugations.”
It was a dungeon that had long been forgotten by Awakened individuals, as it didn’t produce any valuable byproducts and wasn’t dangerous.
No guild wanted to take responsibility for it because the cost of subjugation outweighed the benefits.
So, Seo Jae-yi’s offer would be quite tempting to Jeong Ju-hyung.
—……I’ll discuss it with the President.
The fact that her proposal hadn’t been immediately rejected by Jeong Ju-hyung was a first victory.
Seo Jae-yi agreed and hung up.
The Association employees, who had overheard the conversation, looked bewildered.
“Alright? Then I’ll be going. See you!”
Waving at the stunned employees, Seo Jae-yi left.
She received a reply from Jeong Ju-hyung that afternoon. Seo Jae-yi, who was back at the greenhouse finishing up, cheered at the text message.
[Come to the Association. Now.]
This meant there was room for negotiation. If he had completely rejected her proposal, he would have simply said no.
She immediately informed Kim Yoo-sung. As always, he readily offered his support.
“It’s been a while.”
Seo Jae-yi waved as she entered the President’s office, greeting those who were waiting.
A man sitting next to the impassive Jeong Ju-hyung nodded curtly.
Jet-black hair that covered his forehead, striking golden eyes, a stern expression, and an intimidating aura.
Similar to Kwon Yi-soo, but with a much harsher demeanor, this was Kang Seong-yeon, the President of the Korean Esper Association.
“It’s been a while, Guild Leader Kim Yoo-sung. And…”
After exchanging brief greetings with Kim Yoo-sung, Kang Seong-yeon frowned at Seo Jae-yi, who was standing awkwardly beside him.
“Seo Jae-yi, you always bring trouble.”
“Hey, it’s not trouble. You called me here because you’re interested in my proposal. Otherwise, you would have just rejected it outright.”
“Don’t pretend to be perceptive when you’re not.”
Seo Jae-yi protested, but Kang Seong-yeon ignored her.
“I already know you’re selling dungeon plants.”
The Esper Association was aware of everything: her flower shop, its location, and the frequent posts about it on the community forums.
“We decided to leave you alone for now because there haven’t been any accidents, and the success rate of dungeon raids has significantly increased. And the number of casualties has also decreased.”
“Oh, are there statistics?”
“Yes.”
Seo Jae-yi beamed.
So, everyone was a bit safer now. She was useful.
That was a relief.
“Let me ask you something. No other Esper has succeeded in cultivating dungeon plants. How did you manage it?”
Jeong Ju-hyung, who had been sitting quietly, also looked at Seo Jae-yi. He seemed curious as well.
“If you don’t give me a convincing explanation, I can’t grant you permission.”
Of course. Seo Jae-yi had already anticipated this.
She glanced at Kim Yoo-sung, who believed she was successful because of Airok.
But it was time to tell him the truth.
Not everything, just some of it.
“You all know I disappeared for six months, right?”
A year ago, Seo Jae-yi had almost gone berserk while raiding a Rank 2 dungeon in Incheon.
Immediately after, she disappeared for six months. Even Kim Yoo-sung, the Haeil Guild Leader, and her own sister, Seo Won-yeong, didn’t know where she was.
“I was in a dungeon during that time.”
Seo Jae-yi finally revealed what had happened.
She had sought out a remote Fixed dungeon to suppress her powers, and there she encountered the true boss monster, the one that had never been subjugated.
“I killed it. And I obtained its magic stone.”
She explained that thanks to the power of the forest dungeon’s boss monster’s magic stone, she could now cultivate dungeon plants.
Everything she said was true, except for the part about killing the dungeon master.
“You never said anything about this.”
Kim Yoo-sung, finally learning the truth, murmured, his face pale.
“Sorry. I didn’t want to see you make that face.”
Seo Jae-yi patted his shoulder awkwardly. Kim Yoo-sung sighed and rubbed his face.
“Is that dungeon the one you’re planning to cultivate dungeon plants in?”
Kang Seong-yeon, who had been listening quietly, asked. Seo Jae-yi nodded vigorously.
“Yes. That’s why I chose that dungeon. Perhaps because I possess the boss monster’s magic stone, the monsters there don’t attack me.”
“You didn’t just ‘possess’ the magic stone, did you?”
Countless Espers had extracted boss monster magic stones before. But only Seo Jae-yi had gained such a unique ability.
Kang Seong-yeon astutely realized that she had done something with the magic stone.
“As expected, you’re perceptive. But I won’t tell you the details. Even if I did, no one else could do it anyway.”
Seo Jae-yi had gained this special ability because Baek Joo-won had shared his power with her directly.
But she couldn’t reveal that, so she remained silent.
“I won’t be in danger, and neither will anyone else. I can guarantee that.”
“…….”
Kang Seong-yeon studied her for a long moment. He knew she wouldn’t lie about something like this.
“You better be right. If there’s any trouble, you’ll be prohibited from entering any dungeon not authorized by the Association. That’s the condition.”
“Alright. That’s only natural.”
Kang Seong-yeon snapped his fingers. A file flew from his desk and landed in front of Seo Jae-yi and Kim Yoo-sung. Telekinesis.
“It’s the contract. Read it.”
He had already prepared the contract? He was thorough, as always.