I Just Traded in the Forest of Monsters, but the World Changed - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1
“Han, is this month’s order data correct? Are you out of your mind?”
Manager Kim’s roar tore through the office ceiling.
‘Here we go again.’
Third year in the Sales Support Team at the Distribution Company.
Always the same routine.
“I apologize. Logistics says there was an error, so I’m verifying it again.”
At that, Manager Kim’s face flushed crimson and his voice grew even louder.
“An apology fixes everything? Don’t even think about going home today.”
With that, Manager Kim slammed the door irritably and left.
‘God… seriously.’
Frustration flared first, but the housing lottery confirmation text she’d seen earlier kept flickering through her mind.
‘I’m quitting soon anyway. Just hold on a little longer.’
After wrestling with the data for hours, Han Se-hee finally finished and left work.
“I should buy something on the way.”
Han Se-hee drifted toward the Convenience Store as though drawn by invisible hands.
Ding—
“Welcome!”
A cheerful greeting met her as she stepped inside.
Han Se-hee grabbed a package of Instant Ramen to satisfy her immediate hunger, then her eyes wandered to the side.
‘Buy one, get one?’
She picked up two Banana Milks and a Chocolate Bar, heading for the register.
“Would you like a bag?”
“Yes.”
Han Se-hee gave a small nod and stepped out of the Convenience Store.
The Plastic Bag cutting into her wrist bumped against her thigh with each step.
After walking for a while, a crosswalk appeared.
‘Maybe I’ll save the ramen for tomorrow.’
Her body was exhausted.
Just then, the traffic light turned green.
Han Se-hee adjusted her grip on the bag and took a heavy step forward.
The humid air brushed against the tip of her nose—rain was coming.
“What…?”
That’s when it happened.
Crash—
The moment she turned her head, white light flooded her vision and she couldn’t even scream.
The headlights of an enormous truck filled her eyes, and her body lifted into the air.
‘What’s—?’
Scenes flashed past her eyes like a lantern show at life’s end.
From childhood through college graduation.
And finally, the report she’d finished at work.
The autosave failure icon blinking just before she’d saved it came back to her.
‘I’ve lost it….’
With that useless thought as her last, consciousness faded.
* * *
How much time had passed?
She opened her eyes at the damp, sticky sensation against her cheek.
“Ugh… urgh….”
Han Se-hee froze as she tried to push herself up.
The scene stretching before her eyes was not the Seoul she knew.
“What? Where am I?”
The sky was shrouded in violet mist.
Gnarled trees filled the forest around her.
“Ah… is this heaven? I’m sure I got hit by a truck….”
Han Se-hee looked around.
The acrid smell pricking her nostrils seemed to tell her this was no dream.
Cautiously, Han Se-hee pinched her thigh.
“Ow!”
It hurt intensely.
For heaven, this was far too real.
‘Even if a tiger gets hold of you, you’ll survive if you keep your wits about you. First things first—stay calm.’
That was when Han Se-hee’s gaze fell on her own hand.
She could have sworn she’d been holding something, but it was empty.
“……what?”
The Plastic Bag that had been looped around her wrist was gone.
Everything inside it, too.
“Damn it! My food!”
Unable to make sense of the situation, Han Se-hee scrambled to her feet and surveyed her surroundings.
At some distance away, wedged between contorted trees, lay a metal mass that caught her eye.
A mangled truck.
“That’s……”
The chassis was crushed, and the driver’s seat sat empty.
“Where’s the person?”
As expected, there came no answer.
She was here, the truck was here, but everything that should have been between them had vanished without a trace.
“Does this make any sense?”
Her mind raced. Han Se-hee instinctively patted her pockets.
No phone. No wallet.
All that remained were the clothes on her back and her bare body.
The first thought to cross her mind in this situation was oddly simple.
‘My lottery winnings! My apartment!’
At that very moment, the center of Han Se-hee’s vision crackled and fizzed, a blue holographic window materializing before her eyes.
[Loading……]
[Please wait a moment.]
“……what?”
Han Se-hee’s gaze fixed on empty air.
Text floated in a space where nothing existed.
She waved her hand through it, but the words remained.
“What is this?”
Just moments ago she’d thought the forest was strange, but now her head seemed even stranger.
“Could it be……a game? Reincarnation? But I’ve never heard of a world like this.”
Then, before Han Se-hee’s eyes, a brighter blue window materialized once more.
[All data synchronization complete. Welcome.]
“Welcome my foot!”
Han Se-hee let out a hollow laugh at the words and opened her mouth to protest.
[Store Owner ‘Han Se-hee’ Registration Complete]
This system is designed for the distribution of worlds. You have been selected as the sole Distributor to bring prosperity to the Other World.
*Distributing Store Owner Privileges……

“No way—what? Store Owner? What kind of store owner?”
She knew the window wouldn’t answer, yet she asked it anyway, standing there in the empty air.
“Is this a novel?! Am I the protagonist?! Could someone please explain the settings?”
It was exactly like those web novels she’d seen countless times online.
Of course, no answer came.
All that hung in the void was the indifferent message: Store Owner Registration Complete.
Han Se-hee closed her mouth and drew a very slow breath.
“It can’t be.”
[To return to your original world, you must meet certain conditions.]
“……right. I’m getting back no matter what.”
Waiting for Han Se-hee back in her original world was comfortable reality—she’d won the lottery, secured her apartment.
She couldn’t abandon that.
Han Se-hee looked back at the window floating in the air.
She couldn’t deny it.
The sheer impossibility of a system window hanging in the middle of a forest was already surreal enough.
“Fine.”
There was no time to panic.
She wanted to find the driver first, but the system window taking up her vision took priority.
To survive in this unknown world.
This Status Window was the only thing she could trust right now.
“But what does it mean I’m some kind of store owner?”
Han Se-hee looked around, but there was no sign of any shop whatsoever.
Even if a shop existed in a place like this, it seemed unlikely there would be any customers at all.
‘Running a business in a place where not a soul would pass by?’
It made no sense.
Han Se-hee stared blankly at the message for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh.
* If no transaction occurs within the designated time, the Store Owner Protection Function will be permanently disabled.
“In this forest?”
Just then, an unpleasant sound of rustling undergrowth reached her ears.
“…… What? Is someone there?”
Instead of an answer, what met her were pairs of eyes gleaming a sickly yellow.
Grrrrr―
Wolves as tall as grown men bared their fangs and dripped saliva.
‘Ah. This is really…… it’s over.’
The wolves’ gaze fixed upon Han Se-hee’s throat.
“Hey, save me! Get rid of that thing!”
Han Se-hee screamed into the empty air.
[First prospective customer approaching.]
“Prospective customer?! How is that a customer?! It’s a wolf! Anyone can see I’m the one who looks like ingredients here!”
Han Se-hee shrieked and stumbled backward.
Her heel slipped in the wet earth and her back slammed against cold stone.
“Ugh……!”
Pain shot through her, but there was no time to mind it now.
Because the wolf in front of her lowered its head and crouched down.
To anyone watching, it was the posture of an imminent pounce.
‘Is that one the pack leader?’
Among the wolves at the front, one was noticeably larger than the rest, and it caught her eye.
“Wait, wait just a moment!”
Her heart thundered as if beating directly beside her ears.
“I’m unarmed right now.”
The moment her muttering finished, a window appeared.
[You can now use the Status Window and Inventory functions normally.]
“Now? Really?”
Han Se-hee gritted her teeth and tried to look away.
But as if responding to her murmur, the window gently scrolled forward.
[Player Information]
Name: Han Se-hee
Occupation: Sole Distributor of the Other World
Cooking Skill: F-
“F-?”
Han Se-hee’s brow furrowed.
[This world’s Mana System is fundamentally incompatible with the player’s cooking.]
“…….”
That message had popped up the instant she was about to raise the question.
“Hey. You just heard what I said and answered, didn’t you?”
There was no response, but it clearly looked like deliberate silence.
“Or is someone watching me?”
She looked around once more, but saw only violet mist and no sign of another soul.
Yet even as she searched, the wolf that appeared to be the leader drew steadily closer.
“Ah, damn it…… Inventory!”
It came out almost as a scream.
But the Inventory contained nothing at all.
In an instant, her mind went white.
“Nothing?”
The very Inventory she had relied on had betrayed her.
As if mocking Han Se-hee, the window paused a beat before appearing again.
[Summoning purchased items that had disappeared into the Inventory.]
“Don’t tell me…….”
Just as fangs loomed into view, Han Se-hee opened the Inventory again.
[Inventory]
Stored Items: Instant Ramen 1 package, Wooden Chopsticks, Bottled Water 500ml
“Finally!”
But the system window that appeared next sent despair crashing through her.
[Sell food to your first customer!]
If you fail to complete your first transaction within 30 minutes,
you will become the evening meal for starving wolves.
Objective: Feed the wolves (0/1)
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Success Reward: Basic settlement equipment, Old Parasol x1, Maximum Gold x3
Failure Penalty: Annihilation
* Your labor shall become sacred welfare for the Other World. (Work songs recommended)
“This is insane. You’re telling me to sell to actual wolves?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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