I Just Traded in the Forest of Monsters, but the World Changed - Chapter 8

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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 8
Se Hui muttered under her breath, bewildered.
As if waiting for Cassian to leave, none of the creatures rushed forward.
“Look, just stay put like that for now. Don’t attack.”
Se Hui let out a sigh into that strange silence.
She ducked into the tent and retrieved the pork belly she’d grilled yesterday.
Since it had already cooled, she placed it back over the fire.
“Would you all eat this and then leave?”
Wolf turned his head first.
He looked up at Se Hui for a moment, then slowly shifted his gaze toward the meat.
Taking that as a signal, the other beasts stepped forward one by one.
They didn’t push each other aside, and they didn’t squabble over order.
‘These creatures have better social skills than I do.’
Then one of the goblins came forward.
It held something glittering in its hand.
It was a crudely cut gem.
The moment Se Hui took it, a faint vibration traveled through her fingertips.
For just an instant, her vision overlapped slightly, and a blue window materialized in the empty air.
[Currency Exchange Notification – Fuel Appraisal Result]
• Target: Garnet Fragment x1
• Purity: 32% (minimal impurities)
• Potential Energy: 380P
• Refining Fee (10%): -38P
• Final Acquisition: +342P
“Wait, hold on.”
Se Hui’s eyes fixed on the number.
‘Hold on. What if I need to spend money later?’
The moment Se Hui had that thought, another window appeared before her eyes.
[Withdrawal Fee Notice]
• Reverse Exchange Fee: 40%
“……?”
Se Hui’s expression hardened.
“You take 20% when I earn it, but 40% when I spend it?”
A brief silence fell.
“This is basically loan sharking!”
Immediately, the system window responded flatly.
[You don’t have to use it if you don’t like it.
However, the System assumes no responsibility if you end up in prison for theft and fraud later.]
“……Wow.”
Se Hui let out a hollow laugh.
“Really heartless.”
Se Hui muttered absently.
After staring at the system window for a moment, she finally exhaled deeply.
“Fine. It’s not like I need to spend anything right now anyway.”
As Se Hui tilted her head back slightly, her eyes suddenly narrowed.
“But why is the price different from what Wolf brought?”
She recalled that gem Wolf had carried in his mouth and dropped on the ground.
‘It was definitely…….’
What she remembered from then wasn’t a detailed Appraisal window like this one—it was the Auto-Summary Feature.
Se Hui’s brow furrowed slowly.
“But why is it different now?”
As if answering her question, the blue window appeared again.
[Notice]
During the initial adaptation phase, the Auto-Summary Feature was applied by default to facilitate your Comprehension Level.
Your Comprehension Level has now reached the threshold, and Detailed Information Display has been activated.
* You may choose between Auto-Summary or Detailed Display
“What……. Why are you telling me something that important only now?”
Se Hui glared at the blue window as she spoke.
“Would it have hurt to tell me earlier?”
After taking a breath to collect herself, she continued muttering.
“If that’s how it’s going to be, you should’ve given me choices from the start.”
The blue window offered no response.
Se Hui exhaled sharply and drew in a long breath of morning air.
‘All right. First things first—let’s eat.’
* * *
Cassian’s footsteps down the forest path were heavy.
As Duke Valere, he had crossed countless battlefields, yet leaving behind a being so strange and formidable was a first.
‘Sei. Is she truly a saint?’
Cassian slowed his pace not at all, but glanced once over his shoulder.
‘There’d be no reason for a saint to be in a place like this.’
The thought clung to him, refusing to settle.
He slowed his stride and turned to survey the forest behind him once more.
It was in that moment, as he descended a narrow, steep ravine, that it came.
A sharp, rank stench of blood and sweat drifted up on the wind.
Thud-thud.
The footsteps of men trampled through the forest’s stillness, drawing closer.
Cassian’s hand instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword as he stilled his movement behind a tree.
This forest fell within the Duke’s domain.
Few had reason to enter without permission, and fewer still possessed the audacity to try.
His first thought was a hunting party returning from the kill.
What emerged through the mist was a mercenary company.
Their gear was mismatched, but their movements were practiced; the marks of recent hunts lingered on their shoulders and weapons.
At a glance, Cassian knew they bore the Duke’s seal of approval.
‘The Red Fang Mercenary Company.’
They passed by him unaware, never breaking stride.
“It’s around here, I’m telling you! That incredible smell!”
“Duke or no duke, if we find that scent, we’re done hunting for the day!”
Laughing coarsely, they began to march straight toward where Se Hui’s tent stood.
Cassian wanted nothing more than to draw his blade and halt their insolent steps in their tracks.
Yet suddenly he recalled Se Hui from the night before—calmly closing the soy sauce lid even as countless beasts pressed down upon her.
‘My interference itself might be an offense to her.’
Cassian remained where he stood, watching their procession unfold.
The mercenaries continued into the depths of the forest.
No immediate danger seemed apparent.
Against his nature, Cassian turned his gaze toward where Se Hui waited, concern flickering in his eyes.
His mind had already begun to calculate what would happen if they made her uncomfortable.
The conclusion that crystallized was cold and certain: he would erase the entire company from the imperial map.
* * *
Meanwhile, the storm’s center—Se Hui—was blissfully oblivious, savoring a peaceful morning.
“Ah, I think I’m finally going to make it.”
She opened the Point window while seated on a chair in front of her tent.
Thanks to the money Cassian had left behind, her balance was pleasingly thick.
“To upgrade to a convenience store, I’ll need better turnover first.”
Se Hui’s mind rapidly calculated customer volume and cooking times.
“I wish we had some practice runs before the knights arrive.”
She opened the System Shop with practiced ease.
“The Duke seems to prefer meat.”
Se Hui tapped her chin with one finger, musing aloud.
“Next time, I hope for some fiery customers.”
A faint laugh escaped her lips at the thought.
“If I hit them with something spicy and they lose their minds, I can rake in extra orders—easy big sales.”
Se Hui wore a businesslike smile.
Coarse shouts and the clash of metal drifted up from below, growing steadily closer.
But to Se Hui, this was no threat—only the vibrant entrance signal of potential customers bearing the scent of profit.
She set a pot of water over the flame.
The forest’s mist was thinning; mere moments before broad-shouldered mercenaries would burst into the clearing before her tent.
The wolves, positioned at the tent’s edge, kept their ears pricked toward the forest.
‘If they were customers, they wouldn’t be this loud.’
That thought—as it turned out—was her gravest miscalculation.
Se Hui dismissed the subtle shift in the air without a second thought.
Too many things had piled up in the span of a single day.
She scrolled mindlessly through the System Shop inventory when her finger froze.
• Spicy Chicken Ramen (Pack of 5) … 500P
“……Spicy Chicken Ramen?”
Last night’s events, and all the stress accumulated since tumbling into this forest, flashed through her mind.
“Ah, I can’t resist this.”
Se Hui pressed the purchase button without hesitation.
‘But does the ramen selection change daily? Or does it unlock as I grow stronger?’
Se Hui pondered for a moment, then shook her head.
The system wasn’t the type to give her answers immediately anyway.
‘Who knows when I’ll see this again.’
She adjusted the quantity with a flick of her finger.
It was better to stock up generously, just in case something unexpected happened.
“While I’m at it, I should pick up other essentials too.”
Se Hui swept her necessary items into the cart.
[Purchase History]
• Spicy Chicken Ramen (Pack of 5) ×3
• Cool Berry (2L)
• Paper Cup (20 Count)
• Chopsticks (100 Count)
.
.
.
Total Cost: 2,210P
Se Hui checked her remaining Points once more.
[Current Points Balance: 4,582P]
‘Still plenty left.’
Se Hui set a pot of water over the flames, her hands moving with practiced ease.
When the water began to boil moments later, she tore open a packet and shook the noodles into the pot.
Once the noodles loosened, she tilted the pot and drained most of the water, added the red sauce in the right amount, and stirred rapidly with the chopsticks.
As steam rose, the spicy aroma began to drift slowly around the tent.
“Mm, that smells delicious.”
At the same moment, Wolf, crouched at the edge of the tent, lifted his head.
His ears straightened, and his tail sank low.
The other wolves began rising one by one, spreading soundlessly toward the perimeter.
A low growl rumbled through the air.
“Huh? What’s wrong with you all?”
Every gaze turned simultaneously beyond the fog and fixed there.
[
Emergency Situation Triggered!
]
Multiple external personnel are approaching your Operating Territory.
If the situation is not resolved within 30 minutes,
business suspension and unforeseen conflict may occur.
Objective: Peaceful Resolution (0/1)
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Success Reward: Disposable Dinnerware Set ×3,
Folding Chair for Temporary Seating ×5
Failure Penalty: Business Suspension, Threat to Life
※ The external personnel may also become customers.
The choice is yours. (Composure recommended)

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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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