I Just Traded in the Forest of Monsters, but the World Changed - Chapter 19

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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 19
[Shriek!]
The wyverns stared in horror at the tteokdokki as it turned golden-brown.
Moreover, Se Hui’s murmuring carried on the wind toward them.
“Ah, this part’s a little charred. Better pick that off before eating.”
Once the tteokdokki was properly grilled, Se Hui pinched the end with her fingers to cool it against the heat.
“Tteokdokki’s always best when you tear it apart.”
Se Hui popped a torn piece into her mouth.
[Screech!]
An indescribable shriek erupted from behind the thicket.
It reached Se Hui’s ears too, of course.
‘Why is it so noisy?’
She turned her head briefly to glance toward where the wyverns were hiding.
She considered telling Erasmus, but thought better of it.
If she poked at it, things would likely get messier. Best to leave it alone.
“Tteokdokki really is delicious no matter when you eat it.”
Each time Se Hui chewed, the wyverns in the forest trembled as if under collective hypnosis.
Se Hui tore off another strand of tteokdokki and held it out to Erasmus.
She hadn’t gotten a clear answer from him earlier about whether he’d eat it or not.
“Would you like a piece?”
A savory aroma drifted subtly from the tteokdokki Se Hui offered.
Unlike when he’d watched from a distance, holding it right before him made the scent far more pronounced.
Erasmus’s hand paused for a moment in mid-air.
His deliberation wasn’t long.
Perhaps, in truth, his answer had been decided the moment she’d asked him before.
“……This aroma is, in fact, most difficult to refuse.”
With reverent care, he accepted the tteokdokki.
“Whether I shall manage to eat this without mishap, I cannot say—but I shall receive it gratefully.”
His fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
The instant Erasmus placed the tteokdokki into his mouth with a solemn expression.
The terror of the monsters reached its peak.
[Screech!]
Several wyverns and monsters, unable to endure any longer, shrieked and began fleeing toward the back of the forest.
The sound of their wings and scales clattering against one another filled the air.
Species that would normally have fought were fleeing together.
A single wyvern, lagging behind the rest, turned its terror-stricken gaze backward for one last glimpse of Se Hui’s tent.
Se Hui, still chewing her tteokdokki, glanced toward the forest—but saw only leaves rustling in the wind.
“How is it?”
Se Hui asked Erasmus, who had just finished his tteokdokki.
“Hmm, I prefer coffee, I must confess.”
“Ah…… I see.”
Se Hui decided it was her own mistake for asking someone already addicted to Mix Coffee.
“Then who should I sell this to……”
Se Hui’s gaze naturally fell downward.
A wolf sat beside her, quietly holding its front paws together.
Se Hui picked up one remaining strand of tteokdokki and dangled it gently before the wolf’s nose.
“Want some?”
The wolf’s ear twitched once.
The creature, which had been quietly studying the yellow strand, then—
let out a soft snort and turned its head away.
A sharp exhalation through its nose, and it looked elsewhere.
“It doesn’t want any.”
Se Hui’s shoulders visibly sagged.
Watching her, Erasmus stroked his chin.
“Hmm.”
His gaze, which had been sweeping the forest, came to rest on a patch of thicket.
“If this is indeed edible even for monsters…… might it not be worthwhile to attempt selling to them?”
“To them?”
Se Hui tilted her head.
Erasmus pointed lightly with the tip of his staff toward the direction.
“You’re still holding your breath, aren’t you?”
Se Hui turned to look in that direction.
There was nothing but empty brush.
“I don’t see anything.”
“It’s possible your eyes can’t perceive it.”
As Erasmus stepped forward, a faint rustling sound emerged from within the thicket.
“Don’t be frightened. It means you no harm.”
As if responding to his words, the shadow in the undergrowth twitched ever so slightly.
Se Hui, half-doubtful, picked up a piece of Tteokdokki.
“You’re really sure there’s something there……?”
“Throw it.”
Se Hui tossed the Tteokdokki weakly toward the thicket.
The moment it hit the ground, a brief silence fell.
And then.
[Screech!!]
[Shriek―!]
There had never been such pandemonium in all the world.
Wings unfurled all at once, scattering leaves in every direction.
Several Wyverns collided with one another as they burst upward, taking flight backward.
It became absolute chaos, as if poison had been hurled into their midst.
Se Hui stood stunned, gazing up at the sky.
‘We’re done for.’
“Hm. Now that is a curious reaction indeed.”
Erasmus murmured with an expression of wonder.
It was then.
From among the tangled shadows taking flight, one Wyvern approached forward.
It was the one that had been in the lead.
Unlike the others, it did not flee.
It halted directly before the Tteokdokki.
Its long neck descended with deliberate slowness.
Its nostrils flared delicately as it drew in the scent.
‘Is it going to eat it?’
Se Hui’s eyes gleamed with interest.
The chaos of moments before had already vanished from her mind.
The Wyvern’s tongue flicked out and withdrew.
Se Hui held her breath.
‘Eat it…. Please eat it….’
The Wyvern tilted its head.
And then.
Tap.
It took the very edge between its teeth with the utmost caution.
The tip of its fang made contact with exquisite care.
A brief silence hung suspended in that moment.
The Wyvern’s jaw moved as it held the Tteokdokki in its mouth.
Once. Twice.
The shadows concealed in the thicket stirred in unison.
[Shriek!]
[Shriek.]
The Wyvern suddenly spread its wings wide and burst skyward.
Se Hui flinched, drawing her body back.
“What—what’s happening!”
The Wyvern made a wide, sweeping circle overhead.
Then it cried out downward once more.
It was a completely different sound than before.
The other Wyverns fleeing through the air halted as one.
[Shriek?]
[Shriek?]
The scattered Wyverns began to converge again.
“What’s this? Is it going to call a group attack because it didn’t like the taste?”
As Se Hui stood puzzling over how to prevent this, Erasmus stroked his chin and spoke.
“Congratulations. It seems you’ve secured a customer.”
But he’d barely finished speaking.
The circling Wyvern reduced its wingbeats and dove straight toward Se Hui.
“Oh.”
Se Hui reflexively stepped back.
Yet the Wyvern showed no sign of attack.
It folded its broad wings and came to a halt about two paces ahead of her.
Then it lowered its neck slowly.
Screech!
The Wyvern’s gaze fixed on Se Hui’s hand.
“…Tteokdokki?”
The creature’s nostrils flared delicately.
Se Hui recognized that look.
“You want more?”
Screech…
Instead of a clear answer, a sound rumbled from deep in its throat.
‘This is real.’
Se Hui glanced down at the remaining Tteokdokki pouch in her hand.
A single strand she’d roasted last remained in her grip.
Her hesitation was brief.
“Just wait a moment.”
Se Hui quickly lit the Burner.
Click.
As the blue flame bloomed, the Wyvern’s attention shifted to the fire.
The instant the pale Tteokdokki rose above the heat, its ears perked up.
Sizzle—sizzle—
Se Hui glanced up slightly.
The Wyvern tilted its head, eyes fixed on the flame.
Its gaze held such eager anticipation that she almost doubted these were the same ones that had fled before.
Meanwhile, the Wyverns scattered in the sky began descending one by one.
Screech?
Screech…
As if the first one’s landing were a signal, they touched down at measured intervals.
Each stretched its neck and gazed at the Tteokdokki above the flame.
Three or four of them formed a semicircle, standing in a line.
Erasmus crossed his arms and spoke.
“An unprecedented spectacle.”
“I’d have to agree.”
Se Hui flipped the Tteokdokki instead of sighing.
She pressed the golden, puffed surface lightly with a Chopstick.
“Perfect.”
The Wyvern at the front seemed to notice it was done and opened its mouth.
Se Hui held out the halved Tteokdokki in front of its jaws.
It snatched and swallowed the piece whole.
Then it looked back at her with longing in its eyes.
[Survival Quest Updated!]
Cumulative Transaction (1 / 10)
“Huh?”
The quest had updated abruptly.
Se Hui turned around with her head tilted in confusion.
That’s when the line of Wyverns came into view.
One, two, three, four…
‘These Monsters are all part of the quest, aren’t they?’
There were more than she’d expected.
“But I don’t have enough Tteokdokki.”
[Inventory Shortage Alert]
Current Tteokdokki on hand: 1 pouch (10-count pack, 7 remaining)
Projected shortage: 2 per Wyvern unit
She’d been right.
The moment she thought she was short, the system confirmed the truth.
“Hmm…”
Se Hui’s eyebrows lifted.
‘Two per Wyvern, then…’
Six Wyverns visible at the moment.
But spending Points now without knowing what these creatures would drop seemed reckless.
Se Hui opened the shop at once.

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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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