I Just Traded in the Forest of Monsters, but the World Changed - Chapter 21

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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 21
“Well, usually I only ever see processed Mana Stones.”
Se Hui felt the tension drain from her shoulders.
She seemed to have gotten past it safely.
‘If I mention coming from somewhere else, that’ll only cause problems.’
She didn’t think this world would believe her anyway, and even she had to admit it sounded absurd.
Just then, Erasmus had drawn close to her side without her noticing.
“Hmm, so you have everything from the lowest grade up to the middle grade.”
“Is that so?”
Se Hui crouched down and picked up one of the Mana Stones.
The moment it touched her palm, it felt strangely cold.
Not merely cold, but the kind of penetrating chill that seeped to the bone—like touching metal that had been submerged for years.
The surface wasn’t smooth; it was rough, as if finely ground.
Between her fingers, she felt the subtle vibration of the stone.
The sizes varied too.
Some were marble-sized, others as large as a tangerine.
She wondered if this was what Mana Stones were normally like.
The fragment she’d been holding flickered and vanished in a flash of light.
The Wyvern’s gaze, which had been fixed on her just moments ago, came back to her mind.
‘Did I just get paid off with scraps?’
[Exchange Notice – Fuel Assessment Result]
• Subject: 4 Lowest-Grade Mana Stones, 3 Low-Grade Mana Stones, 1 Mid-Grade Mana Stone
• Purity: Approximately 41%
• Latent Energy: 3,704 Points
• Refining Fee (10%): -370 Points
• Final Acquisition: +3,333 Points
“Ah.”
It happened all the time, but she never liked it when things vanished this abruptly.
Just a moment ago it had weight in her hand; now all that remained was the hollow sensation of emptiness.
Though she’d grown used to it, each time they disappeared, she was left with a nagging discomfort—as if something had been forcibly torn away.
‘No, give me a little more time to look at them.’
Not that she could sell them anywhere or that they were gathering dust.
Se Hui checked her remaining Points.
[Current Points: 3,856 Points]
[Survival Quest Updated!]
Cumulative Transactions (8 / 10)
Se Hui opened and closed her empty fist.
‘Almost there.’
Selling to monsters was proving far more lucrative than selling to people.
‘The problem is, I don’t know what the prices are for Mana Stones.’
Each stone would have its own value, but there was no way Se Hui could know the standard.
‘If I ask, I might raise suspicion.’
Se Hui opened her mouth, thought better of it, and turned her head away.
‘Still, at least they’re charging me less in fees.’
Normally the fee would be 20%, but for Mana Stones usable as energy, it was fixed at 10%.
That was why the incoming Points were so substantial.
Once all the Mana Stones on the ground had vanished, the Wyverns rose skyward again, as if their business was concluded.
‘So they came back just to give me those.’
They could have simply left without returning.
But they’d come back to this place to settle their debt.
Se Hui looked up at the sky in silence for a moment.
The Wyverns hadn’t departed yet.
They’d climbed into the air after leaving the Mana Stones, but instead of flying away, they were drifting slowly in circles overhead.
Se Hui narrowed her eyes, watching their movements intently.
The Wyverns circled lazily across the sky.
“…Why are they doing that?”
There was no one to answer a question posed to empty air.
Then it happened.
Wolf brushed lightly against Se Hui’s hem.
“What is it?”
As her gaze dropped, heads began popping up from the brush surrounding the tent, one after another.
Monsters had encircled the clearing without her noticing.
‘How long have they been there?’
She couldn’t pinpoint when it had started, but they’d formed what looked like quite an orderly line.
Every single one of them was staring at Se Hui—or more precisely, at her hands.
‘Ah.’
The jerky. Of course.
“Isn’t this getting a bit out of hand?”
The words escaped her lips without thinking.
Had word gotten out that Wyverns were buying her jerky with Mana Stones?
‘But this is way too fast for that.’
Se Hui studied the line for a moment, then slowly crossed her arms.
‘Wait. This could actually work.’
Her eyes traced over the monsters queued up before her.
There might be something here she could use.
‘What else might these monsters have, besides Mana Stones?’
Se Hui needed to find a route to securing currency that couldn’t be converted into Points.
‘I don’t know when I’ll need actual money, and if a situation comes up where I need to give change…’
If that actually happened, Se Hui had no options.
“Erasmus.”
“What is it?”
“Besides Mana Stones, what else can you get from monsters?”
Erasmus glanced at Se Hui for a moment.
“Sudden question?”
“Just curious, since there are so many monsters here.”
It was a halfhearted deflection, but she hoped it sounded plausible.
Fortunately, Erasmus didn’t seem suspicious and went along with it.
“I figured you’d know better than this old man, seeing as you’re the one running a shop here.”
Se Hui felt a pang of guilt and let out an awkward laugh.
“It depends on the monster type. Some hoard things like horns or scales in their lairs, alongside herbs and minerals.”
“They hoard them?”
“Some kinds collect things instinctively, even if they don’t know what to do with them.”
Erasmus clicked his tongue.
“Tsk.”
As a mage, Erasmus clearly found those materials a waste.
Se Hui didn’t let that slide past her ears.
“So those materials would naturally be valuable, then?”
“Of course they’re valuable. Not many people can reach those lairs in the first place.”
The moment Erasmus finished speaking, something clicked in Se Hui’s mind.
‘Monsters hoard things without knowing what to do with them, and people can’t reach those places…’
All she had to do was slip in between.
Se Hui glanced back and forth between the Wyverns still circling overhead and the monsters peeking out from the brush.
‘This could turn into something bigger than I thought.’
Then it happened.
[System Upgrade Mission: Convenience Store Stage]
■ Completion Requirements
• Points: 100,000P (Progress: 0%)
• Secure Regular Customers: 20 or more (including monsters and humans) (Progress: 0/20)
“…….”
Se Hui found herself speechless for a moment.
‘One hundred thousand?’
She double-checked the number.
……It was still 100,000.
Her finger stopped mid-air.
‘I actually have to save up that much? I’ve never even crossed ten thousand Points!’
There was nothing to say.
She’d actually lost her words.
“Wow…….”
Se Hui felt exasperated all over again.
“I mean, I’ve been selling so hard all this time.”
Of course, the 3,333 Points she’d just earned weren’t included either.
“Am I losing my mind?”
Se Hui raised her arm and rubbed her eyes, then checked the system window once more.
But nothing had changed.
“And why is the regular customer progress still at zero?”
She already had two confirmed regulars: Wolf and Erasmus.
Just then, the system window appeared again.
[System Upgrade Mission progress applies from the moment of public release.]
“Fine.”
Se Hui, who by now knew well that such explanations changed nothing, closed the system window.
If she kept staring at it much longer, she’d explode.
‘Better to sell one more thing and turn one more person into a regular while I have time.’
The shocking numbers and the mission to secure regulars had so overwhelmed her that she hadn’t even noticed what the reward was.
* * *
Cassian descended from Greenhal Forest, which was called the Monster Forest, and immediately headed for the Mansion.
His grip on the horse’s reins was unnaturally tight.
‘By now, Se Hui and the mercenaries should have crossed paths.’
Cassian knew Se Hui was strong, but he couldn’t help worrying.
That worry persisted even after he arrived at the Mansion.
As Cassian dismounted, he glanced back toward Greenhal Forest once more.
‘Maybe I should have helped her after all.’
When he released his grip on the reins, red marks remained across his palm.
The Mansion door opened, revealing the butler and servants.
“Welcome home, sir.”
The butler, observing Cassian’s exhausted state, issued instructions to the other servants.
“Prepare everything so he can wash at once——”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes.”
Answers came from all around.
Cassian said nothing throughout.
The butler approached him cautiously.
“Sir, your equipment——”
Instead of answering, Cassian unbuckled his sword and handed it over.
“Then I’ll prepare a meal while you bathe.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
With that, Cassian headed upstairs.
As he passed through the corridor, he paused at a window.
He reached out and opened the shutters, then fixed his gaze on a distant point.

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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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