Chapter 11
Chapter 11 – Solo Start (2)
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Translator: HH
-Hey, Zombie . Do you know what’s most important when being tutored?
“I’d like you to first stop calling me Zombie . ”
-It’s the tutoring fee .
We finished our business in the Sangryun headquarters and left . It was right in the middle of the day, and the streets were bustling . Retired hunters were busily serving customers in restaurants and cafes .
There were a lot of completely empty stores among them as well . The owners of the stores were sitting blankly with their mouths gaped open . People who succeeded would succeed, and those who didn’t would not . It was cruel, but it was the unchangeable fact of both Babylon and the outside world .
-And you just got the tutoring fee . Let’s see, so what’s next?
“Mm . A good tutor?”
-Nope . There’s already one in front of you .
Bae Hu-ryeong spoke shamelessly . Without even the slightest change in his expression .
-A good reference book! You need a textbook that’ll help you grow faster .
“A textbook…”
-Yeah . Like a skill tome or an elixir . But there’s no way you’ll understand a skill tome even if you get one, k? So the only answer is to get those fucking expensive elixirs .
This guy said the right things in such a rude way .
-Also, I don’t deal with cheapo elixirs . Why, was it the Alchemy Castle? There was a guild that doctors and pharmacists were registered in . Get the elixirs made only by their skilled masters .
“Ek . ”
-I know where the store is, so don’t worry . There’s something that grandpops Marcus used to go . If we get all the elixirs there…
“W, Wait a minute . ”
-Hm? Why?
I lowered my voice because some people were walking by me .
“…Aren’t those elixirs ridiculously expensive?
-Of course they’re ridiculously expensive . If you hear the price, your jaw will drop .
Bae Hu-ryeong snickered .
-Should I tell you how much it is?
“Let’s hear it . ”
He whispered in my ear . My eyes widened after hearing the price . It was an astronomical amount .
“Even if I pour everything I have, I only get 4?!”
-Heehee . If we buy it in bulk we can get a discount and get 5 . They know how to run a business . This is why doctors who know the taste of money are the scariest .
“I, It’s too expensive…”
Goodness . I would become poor again . I thought I would be able to live comfortably since I got the 1st place lottery ticket .
-Well . What can you do about it? It’s because you lack skills . Just think of it all as your fate…humph!
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Bae Hu-ryeong’s face hardened .
-Gong-ja . Hide .
“What?”
-Quickly .
His voice turned serious . I found myself behind a trash can at his words . It was a trash can that a restaurant used to throw away food waste . I crinkled my nose .
“Why are you telling me to hide suddenly?”
-Be careful . It’s grandpops Marcus .
“…”
I held my breath . Carefully, I peeked above the trashcan to see the street . An old man with tied back white hair, the current world Rank 1 with the Detective’s Insight, Sword Saint, was walking far away .
‘If I get caught it’ll suck . ’
My heart pounded . Was it because my nervousness was delivered . Too much talker Bae Hu-ryeong shut his mouth for a while . Both of us hid behind the trash can holding our breaths, looking at Sword Saint .
“…Again…shut up…”
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have noticed us . He muttered to himself like always and headed somewhere .
-Sheesh .
Bae Hu-ryeong grimaced seeing Sword Saint enter some building .
-Tsk! That’s the best shop .
“The best shop?”
-Elixirs, I’m talking about elixirs . The best creator set up their shop there . Ugh, seriously! Everyone else is just a drug dealer . We have to buy it there…!
Bae Hu-ryeong tapped his feet . This was the first time I saw this ghost actually mad . I was lost in thought next to him .
‘Using the same store as Sword Saint is too dangerous . But, a good store for elixirs…’
I searched for the top rankers on my phone . There was a list starting from first place .
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Rank 1 . Sword Saint / Affiliation: None
Rank 2 . Black Dragon Witch / Affiliation: Black Dragon (Guild Master)
Rank 3 . Count / Affiliation: Merchant’s Union (Guild Master)
Rank 4 . Heretic Questioner / Affiliation: Ten Thousand Temple (Guild Master)
Rank 5 . Venomous Snake / Affiliation: Chen Mu-mun (Guild Master)
Rank 6 . Babel’s Linguist / Affiliation: Manhak (Vice Guild Master)
Rank 7 . Kwangyeok Messenger / Affiliation: Golden Newspaper (Vice Guild Master)
Rank 8 . Crusader / Affiliation: Civil Militia (Vice Guild Master)
.
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“It’s not here . ”
I muttered to myself . Bae Hu-reyong reacted to my words .
-Hm? What’s not here? Your luck?
“No . The opposite, actually . ”
I was overflowing with luck .
“It might not cost as much as I thought . ”
-What?
“We’ll only have to spend a penny to get the best elixir . ”
I grinned .
“Cause I know a really good pharmacist . ”
We entered a dark alley .
It was a poor neighborhood . People here had to live here because they couldn’t earn money . It was a harlem neighborhood . The hunters looking our way had abnormal gazes in their eyes .
-…There’s a skilled pharmacist here?
Bae Hu-ryeong complained, like he didn’t believe it .
“It’s not a skilled pharmacist, but the best pharmacist in history . ”
-Take it easy with your lies . Why would someone like that stay here?
“Ah, don’t believe me if you don’t want to . ”
I heard someone clicking their tongue from some corner . It seemed like the hunters looking our way had turned away . They probably thought I was a psycho seeing me talk to myself . Even though people in this harlem were the worst, they didn’t touch mental patients . I smirked to myself .
‘What’s gonna happen if they know my wallet’s filled with gold coins?’
It was obvious . They would run at me like wolves .
Of course, I didn’t plan on telling my wallet’s business to others . Smelling the scent of rotting corpses, I entered deeper into the alley . It was then that I heard the sound of something ripping .
“P, Please, just don’t touch my experiment materials!”
A young voice .
After that, someone spoke in a rough tone .
“You’ve done this more than once now? What kind of bullshit are you spitting out!”
“It’s already half a year since the due date . You have to pay the price now . ”
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I headed towards where I heard the voices . In the middle of the twisted streets, there was a empty store set up . It was where the people were fighting .
“Ut . I, If you take all the tools…I really can’t make a living…”
“Let’s go, there’s nothing to see anymore . Take everything!”
Gangsters with good bodies got machines onto their rearcars . A young woman looking to be in her mid 20s grabbed onto them to plead .
“One week! Please just give me one more week . No, 5 more days…”
“That one week became one month and that month became half a year now!”
As the gangsters drove away, the store owner collapsed to the floor without being able to protest . She held her hand out to the rearcars even when her knees were being scratched .
“There’s…there’s still incomplete liquid medicine…!”
“Ugh . Why did we get caught by this crazy pharmacist . Lady! I’m advising you, but don’t ever make medicines again!”
The rearacars creaked and disappeared into the streets . Only the despairing woman on her knees was left .
Including me, all the other neighborhood people had come out to watch . They whispered amongst themselves .
“Tsk tsk . I thought that store would fail . ”
“The medicine is too expensive . Why is a single health potion 40 Gold?”
“She thought business was easy because she’s young…”
Perhaps she had heard the whispers of the onlookers . The despairing store owner whipped her head towards them .
“E, Expensive? I only sell it at the original price!”
She looked quite pitiful . Her hair was stuck to her head like she hadn’t washed it in days . The glasses on her face looked like antiques . Even her voice was cracky .
“Only our store sells these kinds of medicines at this price in Babylon! Y, You should actually be grateful that I set up my store here! Yeah!”
“Aw, she’s still not living in reality . ”
“Sheesh . Does she think she’s better to say that…”
The onlookers shook their heads and the crowd dispersed .
The store owner who looked like no one would like her was still there .
“Oh…W, Wait . Since you’re all here, how about a bottle of health potion…With my special potion, even an almost dead hunter can flop back to life . ”
“I . I won’t buy it, I won’t . !”
She tried to grab onto the onlookers, but it was too late . The water was already spilled . They cursed and disappeared .
“It has really good effects…it’s not a lie…”
She plopped on the ground .
-Hey .
Bae Hu-ryeong muttered after seeing that unpleasant scene .
-Is the ‘historical pharmacist’ you talked about…that loser?
“What are you going to do if it is?
-I’m going to sincerely worry about your welfare . Thinking, ah, this kid’s brain must’ve gone weird after dying 4000 times . And then I’ll introduce you to the best therapist in Babylon .
I snorted .
“You should’ve worried about my welfare when I started to see ghosts . That owner is definitely the historical pharmacist, so don’t worry . ”
-That’s not a historial pharmacist, that’s a historical loser! You crazy bastard!
Bae Hu-ryeong spoke loudly but I ignored him . I walked towards the owner who was sitting on the floor .
“Excuse me . ”
“Uuh . . ?”
She looked up at me . She looked even more pathetic up close . Her clothes were all too long for her . But since she was wearing a white coat, you could tell she was a pharmacist and not a beggar .
“Store owner-nim . You’re still selling, right?” [TN:Store owner-nim is a way to address store owners respectfully in Korean . ]
Of course, this person wasn’t a beggar . She wasn’t an ordinary pharmacist either .
“If you’re still selling, there’s something I want to order . ”
Lord of Alchemy Castle .
She was a pharmacist who would rise to Rank 5 status in the future .
Right now, she was outside of the rankings, but she would definitely succeed .
“It’s alright if it’s a bit expensive . ”
“Ah, yes . Yes! Of course! I can make you anything!”
The color came back to her face . Her store had been on the brink of going bankrupt, but there was a customer saying they would buy expensive medicine .
“Uh, but how expensive are you talking about…?”
“Hm . ”
In the future, she was a pharmacist that I couldn’t even think about buying from, but this time was different .
“I want to buy about 20,000 Gold worth . ”
“…”
She dropped her mouth open .
So what if she looked pathetic . To me, she looked like a goose that laid golden eggs . And 100% percent pure gold ones at that!
I smiled .
“What are you doing? You need to take the order, Store owner-nim . ”
I would be your sickening regular now .