I Just Traded in the Forest of Monsters, but the World Changed - Chapter 11

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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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Chapter 11
Thud—
“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life.”
That cry seemed to serve as a signal, and the other mercenaries began drinking from their cups one by one.
These were people who had been rolling on the ground just moments before.
Of course, bringing something unknown to their lips again took tremendous courage.
But after one sip.
And then another sip went down, similar reactions rippled through the mercenaries scattered about.
“Ah, I’m going to live.”
“This is absolutely insane! It’s completely delicious……!”
“Really. It doesn’t hurt.”
The mercenaries held their cups with eyes squeezed shut, or trembled as they shook out every last drop onto their tongues.
The fear-stricken expressions that had frozen their faces only moments before gradually softened, transforming into something else entirely.
“Wait… did you make this yourself?”
“No way, this is holy water. How could anyone make this?”
The atmosphere shifted into something strange.
The terror and confusion that had filled the space evaporated, replaced instead by a peculiar fervor.
Se Hui watched this unfold and murmured to herself.
“Wow, I didn’t expect Coolberry to get this good a reaction.”
Se Hui deliberately maintained her expressionless face.
She sensed that the moment she smiled or showed alarm, the mood would shatter.
‘Best to stay quiet in times like this.’
Then Bargas rose from where he stood.
“We can’t just let this slide. Let’s make a promise.”
At those words, everyone fell silent.
“Not one of us will ever draw a weapon here again. Especially not against you.”
Before he even finished speaking, his hand reached toward his waist but hesitated.
“……Ah.”
His hand, moving by habit to draw his dagger, froze in the air.
After a moment of awkwardness, he cleared his throat once and instead picked up the cup that still held a little Coolberry.
“We’ll make sure to spread word that a place like this exists.”
‘But I was just selling instant noodles and giving out drinks?’
Still, she nodded outwardly.
She wasn’t sure how effective the mercenaries’ word-of-mouth would be, but it seemed better than nothing.
After all, people’s tongues always wagged fastest on forest roads.
Today’s events were a sight that couldn’t help but become rumor, and this much counted as a decent investment.
“Mm.”
Se Hui paused briefly before speaking.
“You need to keep what you just said.”
“Of course!”
Bargas shouted, his face nearly trembling with emotion.
“If anyone lays a hand on your shop in this forest, we’ll handle them first.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Se Hui’s calculations finished running in her head.
‘This should reduce the odds of other people showing up threatening and aggressive too.’
Moreover.
‘I don’t have any other ways to protect myself here yet.’
This Mercenary Group had been fortunate, but there was no guarantee that another trick with hot sauce would work the next time around.
Besides, dealing with people was honestly exhausting.
‘Still, if I’m going to live here, I’ll have to keep running into them eventually.’
Se Hui preferred to avoid those who came looking for trouble if she could.
‘As for the wolf, well, the more I see it the more I seem to be adapting.’
It looked like a large puppy, and there was something oddly endearing about it.
‘Now that I think about it, how’s Kasian doing? He looked pretty badly wounded.’
Se Hui brushed that thought aside.
He’d walked away on his own two feet that morning, after all.
‘Wait, looking at these mercenaries… there are quite a few simple-minded people living in this area, aren’t there?’
They’d drawn their blades, but their reactions had been straightforward and their feelings unguarded.
‘And they were easier to deal with.’
Then a familiar notification came to mind.
[Emergency Situation Resolved – Reward Granted!]
Disposable Tableware Set x3,
Folding Chair for temporary seating x5
‘These would actually be useful.’
She wished the System always provided for her needs this way, but she knew better than to expect it.
‘At least a few Quests are trickling in.’
Not that she was hoping for an avalanche of them.
It was just the timeless office worker’s dream: earn more, work less.
Se Hui let her gaze drift beyond the forest.
‘I was just lucky this time.’
Next time, her visitor might not sit so cooperatively.
Beyond the mist lay things not yet revealed—waiting in that direction.
‘Next time…….’
The corner of her mouth lifted, barely perceptible.
Se Hui swept a glance across the Mercenary Group soldiers surrounding her position.
‘Security’s handled.’
She set down the cup and thought of the next visitor.
The next one might not be the reasonable sort.
* * *
Several days passed.
No unexpected visitors arrived, and no serious problems emerged.
‘Though Monsters did show up now and then.’
The mercenaries still had their rough edges, but they’d grown considerably calmer.
‘This peace is making me nervous.’
Even so, rest was rest.
How long had she been idling?
[Survival Challenge!]
This world does not waste tax revenue on idle entities.
You are currently in a temporary maintenance state.
Objectives:
Conclude an Employee Contract (0 / 1)
Accumulate 10 transactions (0 / 10)
Time limit: 10 days
* Time is money. Your gold is melting away as we speak.
Success: 5x Shop 20% Discount Coupons, new features unlocked
Failure: Annihilation
“Employee Contract? How am I supposed to do that?”
Se Hui stared at the window for a long while, realized no answers would come, and quietly closed it.
‘I’ll think about it later.’
Once again, failure on this new Quest meant Annihilation.
Craving something sweet to combat the stress, Se Hui opened her Inventory and pulled out a small yellow pouch.
Maximum Gold.
‘Nothing beats this when you need a break.’
She flicked the pouch with her finger, and it crinkled.
Se Hui tore open the top edge without hesitation.
Sweet and savory fragrance bloomed at once.
The scent drifted through the tent canvas and seemed to seep all the way to the forest edge.
“What’s that smell?”
“Looks sweet, but it’s not bread.”
A few of the mercenaries standing guard unconsciously sniffed the air.
Se Hui pulled out a cup, set it on the ground, and tilted the yellow pouch to pour its contents inside.
The powder settled softly on the bottom of the paper cup.
At that moment, footsteps rustled through the leaves.
Se Hui lifted her head and saw an old man with white hair emerging from between the trees.
“Huh?”
Though “old” was the word, his posture was ramrod straight, and his gait was steady.
The Robe draped over his shoulders was worn but clean, and he carried a Staff in one hand.
‘What is this? He looks exactly like those archetypal wizards from old movies…….’
There was the faintest shadow across the old man’s face.
“You there!”
One of the mercenaries on watch shouted.
Soon the others gripped their spears and swords, eyes darting toward the forest.
“This is no place to enter without permission.”
“Move along if you’re just passing through.”
Yet the old man spoke without hurry.
“I merely took a wrong turn while crossing the forest.”
The mercenaries did not believe him easily.
The blades crept forward an inch more.
“We’ll find out soon enough whether your words ring true — or false.”
In that moment, the old man pressed his staff lightly against the ground.
“Slip. Fall into slumber for a while.”
“…What?”
Before the word had even finished, the mercenaries’ eyes shut one by one.
“Impossible!”
Blades clattered to earth as the soldiers’ bodies crumpled.
Se Hui stood frozen, cup still raised, watching the scene unfold.
Her grip tightened around the rim.
Though she kept her face composed, her hand trembled slightly.
The old man’s gaze found her.
More precisely, it fixed upon the paper cup she held.
“Ah… in a place like this.”
Erasmus paused mid-step.
A wisp of steam rose thinly from within the paper cup.
Deep brown, and above it the delicate scent of something bittersweet drifting through the air.
Erasmus’s interest kindled.
Se Hui said nothing, simply watching the situation unfold—afraid she might collapse like the mercenaries.
‘A guest?’
A strange silence fell.
Each footstep rang out with measured, deliberate clarity.
Tap.
With every press of the staff against stone, the air seemed to settle with subtle weight.
Not even the sound of breath could be heard.
Crossing between the fallen mercenaries, the old man’s shadow grew longer and longer.
Se Hui’s grip on the cup tightened unconsciously.
Her fingertips quivered, yet her eyes never wavered.
‘Just a moment.’
Se Hui’s eyes narrowed.
‘Why is he coming closer?’
As the old man drew near, he turned his head slightly, sweeping his gaze over the fallen soldiers.
Then he spoke quietly.
“Ah? Are you in the midst of brewing that?”
Se Hui nodded, feigning ease.
“Yes. Coffee.”
“Coffee.”
The old man rolled the word around in his mouth before repeating it softly.
His gaze lingered briefly at the cup’s edge.
It was the briefest of moments, but his eyes dimmed almost imperceptibly.
And his brow furrowed, just for an instant.

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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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