Monster Company Tycoon - Chapter 23

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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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Monster Company Tycoon
Chapter 23
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A week had passed since Luadis warned me to be careful of the Temple.
Contrary to my worries, there hadn’t been a single incident so far.
Of course, I’d been avoiding the northern road out of the village entirely, and just to be safe, I’d waited obediently at the restaurant even after my shift ended until Luadis arrived.
I’d been uncertain how to treat Ragner after hearing I should keep my distance from him, but as though he knew this himself, he’d completely stopped coming by after that first day.
I’d been worried about it, but I was grateful that he’d stepped back on his own.
And finally, I received my first week’s wages from the restaurant.
“Choi, you’ve worked hard. You’re as skilled as someone who’s been working at our restaurant for years.”
“Hehe, thank you so much.”
Getting paid for labor always felt good.
But a week passing also meant I had money to spend.
I’d already had to pay the monsters their second week’s wages.
‘But still, I managed to save twenty-five thousand silver from the operating funds!’
I’d prevented money from slowly draining away without landing a single customer!
It was money that would’ve gone to operating funds anyway, but I couldn’t understand why finding this extra amount felt so satisfying.
“Now I need to actually stock the reward room with this money.”
The proposal I’d submitted to Luadis had been approved without a hitch.
When I suggested filling it with items to help graduates safely pass through the Garuga Forest, he readily invested thirty thousand silver.
Now I just needed to procure appropriate items with a total of fifty-five thousand silver.
“I heard there are ten graduates this year. So I should prepare ten sets for now.”
Combining the advice I’d heard from Ragner before and Luadis’s counsel, the dungeon clear reward I’d planned looked like this.
First, the most important item: a special compass!
Its precise name was the Holy Stone Compass.
It was absolutely essential equipment for finding your way through the Garuga Forest and escaping safely.
‘When Luadis showed me the one he had, it looked more like a watch than a compass.’
The operating principle was surprisingly simple.
An ordinary compass responds to the Earth’s magnetic field and points north, but a Holy Stone Compass points toward the Holy Stone that guards human settlements.
Humans could maintain villages and cities even in the heart of the Demon Realm because of barriers. And at the center of every barrier, there was always a Holy Stone.
‘He said the location of the Holy Stone in the village was kept secret. They keep it thoroughly hidden so monsters can’t target it.’
The Holy Stone Compass was a device that detected the aura emanating from the Holy Stone and changed the direction of its needle accordingly.
Notably, it had two needles—one pointing to the nearest Holy Stone, and the other to the strongest one.
The larger the scale of a barrier, like in cities, the stronger the Holy Stone’s power. So if you just followed the needle pointing to the strongest stone, you’d naturally arrive at the city.
Next came the Purification Stone.
People can survive going hungry for days, but without water, death comes quickly.
So to reliably secure drinking water in the Demon Realm, a Purification Stone was absolutely necessary.
Made from solidified holy water, it purified all contamination, or so I was told.
And finally, Recovery Potions!
‘Ahh! Right! If there’s adventure, there has to be potions too!’
What I could afford with my budget was at best a low-grade Recovery Potion. It was said to treat scrapes or minor bleeding at that level.
In the Demon Realm, even small wounds could quickly become infected and rot, so rapid first aid was more important than anything else.
I couldn’t even dream of the highest-grade Recovery Potions that could raise even the dying back to their feet, but this was the best I could manage with my current means.
‘At least this should prevent people from dying from infected wounds once in a while.’
There were many other necessary items besides these, but I excluded them because they were hard to obtain in the village.
“The General Store is the only place I can get all of this, right?”
In the city, stores were divided by specialty, but here the General Store handled all sorts of goods like a five-and-dime.
I’d told Luadis the day before that I planned to stop by the General Store after my shift, so we’d meet a bit later.
So now I was heading to the General Store!
‘He said the priest wears white clothing, didn’t he?’
I kept up my vigilance, every nerve on edge, and moved carefully forward.
Then I paused briefly in front of the plaza bulletin board.
“Quite a few errands posted today too.”
The notably conspicuous high-quality memo from the Temple was still there as always. Though the content was different from before.
‘I can’t even look at it!’
I quickly turned my eyes away and examined the other notices.
“Huh? There’s a memo from the General Store too?”
It was a request for someone to interpret letters. It was more of a commission than a simple errand, but….
I was happy that the errand location and destination were the same, but letter interpretation felt like a specialized field, so I hesitated.
Even if I could accept this world’s language without difficulty thanks to my Contract with the Demon King, it still gave me pause.
Rashly offering help would only end in humiliation, so reluctant as I was, I tore myself away from the notice board and headed back toward the General Store.
“There it is!”
Right next to the Plaza, a building built around a well came into view. It looked like someone had slapped additions onto it haphazardly, layer upon layer of illegal expansion.
The shop interior couldn’t contain everything, so goods spilled out onto the street, crammed together in chaotic heaps.
I stepped inside the General Store with anticipation, moving carefully between the crowded merchandise.
Things stacked to the ceiling left only the narrowest corridor for a single person to squeeze through.
“Excuse me.”
“If you know it’s an intrusion, don’t come in.”
“Oh….”
The voice was brusque and curt.
The Old Man, compact and sturdy, sat in his chair with an expression that screamed everything was a bother. He kept his eyes fixed on the paper in his hands, boring through it, never sparing me a glance.
Clearly, he wasn’t the type to welcome customers.
With people like this, the best strategy was to keep conversation short and finish your business quickly.
“I’m looking for a few items. A Holy Stone Compass, Purification Stones….”
“Don’t have them.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Holy Stone Compass. Out of stock.”
This was… not something I’d anticipated.
Everything else aside, the Holy Stone Compass was absolutely essential.
It was the first thing both Ragner and Luadis had mentioned.
“Is there… any way around this?”
Sharp eyes suddenly fixed on me. I was certain—absolutely certain—that within five seconds, either a string of curses or an old man’s roar would come exploding out.
Then the Old Man lowered the paper he’d been holding slightly, and I caught a glimpse of what was written inside.
‘Wait… what’s that?’
The strange language crowding the letter suddenly translated in my mind into something familiar.
Sentences written entirely in Korean from start to finish—like monster resumes, perfectly formed.
I forced myself to focus on the paper, enduring the Old Man’s piercing gaze.
Three seconds before a word of scolding. Two seconds before….
The first line of the letter. “Dear Father.”
The moment the Old Man finally opened his mouth, I hastily raised my hand.
“Wait, wait! Weren’t you looking for someone to translate a letter!?”
I need the General Store’s cooperation to fill the Dungeon Reward Room! I can’t afford to be thrown out or lose his goodwill now.
He’s not refusing to stock the items entirely—if it’s just a matter of inventory being depleted, he can restock them.
“What?”
“That letter. You were looking for someone to translate it, weren’t you?”
I’m almost certain of it.
The moment I mentioned the letter, a flicker of something different sparked in the Old Man’s otherwise listless eyes.
“Can you read these characters?”
The Old Man’s sharp tone softened ever so slightly.
“May I take a proper look?”
“Just look. Don’t take it.”
This must be a deeply treasured letter. It bore the fingerprints of many readings, worn smooth from handling, and he clearly didn’t want it in anyone else’s hands.
I examined the letter the Old Man showed me carefully, then read it aloud as I saw it.
“Ahem, ahem. Dear Father. I trust you have been keeping well all this time?”
“Hic!”
At just one line, the Old Man’s stubby nose flushed crimson and tears came pouring down his face.
“Should I… continue reading?”
“Yes, yes… go on. *Sniffle*.”
“But… when does the Holy Stone Compass stock arrive?”
…….
“My heart is unsettled thinking of Father alone in our hometown….”
“Hic-hic-sniff!”
If I’d known it would come to this, I should have torn off that memo from the notice board.
Surely he won’t refuse to pay the errand fee just because I didn’t tear it off.

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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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