I Just Traded in the Forest of Monsters, but the World Changed - Chapter 7

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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 7
Beyond the mist, she felt countless gazes watching.
Branches twisted of their own accord, though no wind was blowing.
[Regional Economic Activity Index surging!]
[Ecosystem Imbalance detected in vicinity]
* Monsters lured by the scent are heading toward Se Hui’s Convenience Store.
Se Hui’s expression hardened in an instant.
“Wait—economic activity rising? What do you mean by imbalance?”
Just then, Wolf’s head snapped up.
Tail pressed flat against the ground, he lowered his body into a crouch.
His watchful gaze, which had been sweeping across the entire forest until moments before, now fixed rigidly in a single direction.
A low growl rumbled from his throat—
This time, it was a warning.
Kasian’s brow furrowed minutely.
Se Hui understood then.
This was no modern city.
By now, Kasian too had seized the hilt of his sword, eyes fixed on the darkness of the forest.
Despite his injuries, the killing intent radiating from him was razor-sharp.
“Something approaches. Intoxicated by the scent of meat, they’ve lost all reason.”
Se Hui’s jaw tightened as her gaze darted between the sizzling Grill Plate and the forest’s shadows.
The dreams of Gold Coins and Points she’d been painting just moments before were swiftly transforming into a survival thriller.
Then, from deeper in the forest, came a sound.
It cut through the damp mist.
Crack. Thud.
The sound of branches being crushed.
“They come,” Kasian murmured tersely.
He adjusted his grip on the sword hilt.
A chill settled across his pallid face, drawn from illness.
But Se Hui, who should have been backing him up, was doing something entirely different.
She was carefully packing the remaining Pork Belly scraps into an Airtight Container, then snapping the sauce lid shut with a decisive click.
“Is that really it? They came running just because of the Pork Belly smell?”
Se Hui’s fingertips trembled slightly.
“Hey, you said it yourself just now, right? That the Regional Economic Activity Index was going up. But how is this supposed to be economic activity?”
She deliberately straightened and rose to her feet.
The wobbling in her legs, fortunately, didn’t fall within Kasian’s line of sight.
The System took a long moment before responding to Se Hui’s voice, then replied with an icy blue glow.
[Surging demand elevates the value of a region.
The Monster Forest site is currently rising to become the most valued Landmark within the forest.]
“A Landmark? Give me a break!”
Se Hui gritted her teeth and peered into the mist, keeping her voice as low as possible.
“These aren’t restaurant-hopping patrons! They’re predators coming to eat me!”
As Se Hui pushed back, the System’s text appeared to mock her, inscribing itself slowly, one character at a time.
[Owner protection is recommended, not mandatory.]
“What…?”
Se Hui felt as though she’d been struck hard on the back of her head.
“Seriously, this has no business ethics whatsoever.”
Se Hui furrowed her brow sharply, muttering under her breath.
“That ‘recommendation’ is something you should actually be following, don’t you think?”
However, Kasian didn’t hear Se Hui’s words—he was momentarily stunned by her reaction.
Even with Monsters closing in around the Tent, she was snapping shut a sauce lid while complaining.
‘Not a single blink,’ he thought.
Kasian’s eyes wavered.
There were few beings who could remain so composed in such circumstances.
In truth, Se Hui was screaming internally.
‘Argh! Cursed System!’
Three years in a business support team had honed her poker face to perfection.
For her, the loss mattered more than the fear.
Just then, a System window materialized in her field of vision as though it had been waiting.
[System Upgrade Mission: Convenience Store Level]
Reward upon completion
• Unlock new features (including Security System)
• Dramatic increase in store operation efficiency
• Expansion of civilization stage
※ Detailed conditions cannot be confirmed at this time.
“An upgrade? In the middle of this chaos?”
Se Hui’s exasperation flickered away the moment the words “Security System” registered in her mind.
For now, with only this threadbare Tent, those troublesome Monsters hadn’t breached her doorstep,
but if a proper Security System existed, she might be able to impose strong measures like barring entry.
“Fine, I get it—just lay out the conditions already!”
The words tumbled into empty air.
Her tone was sharp with irritation, yet shot through with desperation.
The moment Se Hui’s voice rang out toward nothing, Kasian shuddered.
It looked as though she were conversing with an invisible elemental spirit.
That was the instant it happened.
Something erupted from the mist.
Boom—
The ground trembled as an Ogre materialized.
A mass three times the size of an adult man hurtled in a straight line toward the Tent.
Wolf’s body tensed to spring away at that very moment.
Kasian moved his blade at a speed the eye couldn’t follow.
Whisper—Bang!
Only the faintest afterimage of Black Aura lingered in the air.
Wolf had frozen mid-leap, now standing motionless. His golden eyes turned toward Kasian.
Kasian sheathed his blade and turned to Se Hui.
“I see now that you’re no ordinary person.”
His tone was grave.
“Still, protecting you is my duty.”
“Ah… thank you.”
The gratitude was genuine.
When that Ogre had burst forth, she’d screamed internally.
In that moment, her heart had finally found a measure of rest.
‘Romance, my foot.’
Se Hui shook her head inwardly.
‘It’s just protection.’
Yet for some reason, she couldn’t pull her gaze away from him.
Se Hui gave her head a shake and looked aside.
Kasian watched her silently as he set his blade in order.
“You’re not easily startled. Remarkable composure indeed.”
“What? No, I was terrified—it just doesn’t show on my face.”
“Honest.”
“What’s the use of pretending I wasn’t scared?”
Having said that, she tilted her chin toward the fallen Ogre.
“Do you think more will come?”
“Ogres hunt alone more often than not. They’re not a herd species.”
Se Hui nodded and shifted her gaze to the Tent.
‘I can’t let him leave now.’
Surviving a night alone in this forest was something she dreaded as well.
At least until morning, staying together was far safer.
“Your Grace, with the forest in this state… I think it’d be safer for us both if you stayed the night.”
Kasian’s heart plummeted with a heavy thud.
“Stay here… and sleep? Are you unfamiliar with the concept of propriety?”
“Well, the Tent is a bit cramped, but…”
Se Hui paused, stealing another glance inside the Tent.
“You paid quite generously before.”
Recalling the sum he’d already given her, she could easily justify including this service.
“Consider it an overnight accommodation charge included in the package.”
And as a final blow, she added:
“If you refuse, I’ll feel rather awkward.”
Color flooded Kasian’s face in an instant.
For the Imperial Duke—known as the strongest swordsman in the realm—it was a proposal unlike anything he had ever encountered.
‘Does this mean you trust me?’
Kasian finally nodded.
“If you say so with such conviction… I see no reason to refuse.”
As he stepped back, Se Hui drew open the tent flap.
The interior was narrower than she’d expected.
Once she’d arranged the space and they lay down side by side, their shoulders nearly touched.
“Tell me if it’s uncomfortable.”
“This is sufficient.”
Se Hui’s eyelids grew heavy the moment she lay down, worn from the day’s ordeals.
She murmured drowsily.
“Tomorrow’s menu… I’ll figure something out once I check my Points.”
Before she could finish, Se Hui’s head tilted toward Kasian, and the steady rhythm of her breathing filled the tent.
Kasian gazed at her sleeping face for a long moment.
His heartbeat sounded impossibly loud.
He watched the faint firelight play across her apricot-toned cheeks, then whispered very softly.
“Se Hui, you are a puzzle I cannot solve.”
Kasian’s gaze lingered on her sleeping face.
“And that is why… I grow ever more curious.”
The night deepened, woven through with tension, anticipation, and an inexplicable sense of peace.
* * *
Dawn light filtered through the tent fabric, tickling Se Hui’s eyelids.
Kasian was preparing to depart the forest outside the tent.
“You’re awake.”
Kasian’s face was far more vibrant than yesterday.
“Did you sleep well? Your back must have ached in such a tight space.”
“No. It was the most peaceful night of my life.”
His voice trembled slightly—he had scarcely closed his eyes.
“Thanks to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing in particular.”
Kasian’s lips curved into the faintest smile.
That brief change lingered oddly in her mind.
Se Hui looked away, hastily tied her hair, and saw him off as he headed out of the tent, ready to depart.
“Take care going down.”
He was the first person she had met in this strange world.
Watching him leave left her feeling more wistful than she’d anticipated.
‘I hope you’ll come back again.’
And seeing color return to his face, she felt oddly proud.
“You know, next time you must bring the Knights Order with you.”
“I will.”
He paused, calculating something.
“As for group discounts, I’ll decide based on circumstances—but I promise you good service.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Kasian nodded gravely.
After meeting her gaze one last time, he turned toward the lower reaches of the forest.
How much time had passed since Kasian left?
The Wolf lying sprawled near the tent suddenly lifted its head.
It rose and positioned itself precisely between the tent and the forest.
“…Huh? What—?”
Se Hui, who had been checking her Inventory, swallowed instinctively.
“Hey, what’s gotten into you?”
Then the sounds multiplied.
Rustling leaves, the dull thud of footsteps pressing against earth.
Shapes emerged dimly beyond the mist.
Deer-like beasts, many-eyed rodents, small goblins crouching at the forest’s edge.
“…Are you all lining up right now?”

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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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