"Skimmed off the top?" Lee Sangah asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Ahem, watch your phrasing," I replied, though admittedly, she wasn't entirely wrong.
"We just decided to put those materials to good use since they left them behind. It's as simple as that."
"Isn’t that exactly what ‘skimming’ means?”
"There's a difference in nuance," I said, trying to shrug it off, though her expression was still skeptical.
I could understand her reaction—hearing it framed like that might make it sound like I’d done something underhanded. But there wasn’t any malice behind it.
"As I said, there were a few people who did ask for the materials back. Naturally, we returned everything they requested."
“Well, I guess that’s a relief,” she replied, though her voice held a hint of doubt. “But still...”
“Look, those who asked for the materials were probably in groups with production-based Awakened.”
I picked up a bone lying in the storage and examined it. “For the average person, monster bones and teeth are useless."
In other words, those who didn’t ask for them had no production-based Awakened in their group, which meant they had no practical use for these byproducts.
“Think about it. If you don’t have a production Awakened, what would you even do with these materials?”
“Hmm... I suppose they would just throw them away.”
"Exactly. Most of it would have gone unused or been discarded anyway."
“Oh...”
Lee Sangah finally seemed to understand my point, her expression softening as she processed the explanation.
“So, using them isn’t really a bad thing, is it?”
“I... guess not,” she admitted, exhaling a sigh of relief, now realizing her misunderstanding.
Right now, most monster byproducts held no value to anyone except production-based Awakened. It would likely take some time before people realized their worth and started trading them widely. In the meantime, I was simply making sure these resources weren’t wasted.
"I’m sorry," she said, a bit embarrassed. "I honestly thought you were scamming people."
"Who do you think I am?"
She chuckled nervously. “I’m just glad I was wrong.”
With that issue resolved, I turned back to the ample pile of materials in storage.
“So, is this amount sufficient?” I asked, glancing at Old Man Park.
“Absolutely,” he replied, examining the mountain of resources. “No need to worry about materials. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll get to work.”
“I already made a list,” I said, handing him a carefully prepared document.
“Hmm... All this?” His brows furrowed as he read through it.
“Ah, is it too much?” I asked, scratching the back of my head. I’d had some doubts myself, wondering if I might be overloading him with work.
“Well, it’s not that I can’t make it,” he said, though his expression remained thoughtful.
“Then what’s the issue?”
“Honestly? I just don’t think all these tools will benefit you.”
“Pardon?”
He looked at me with a {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} piercing gaze. “Having a lot of cooking tools isn’t always helpful. What matters more is how well you know your tools and how comfortable you are with them.”
I nodded. “I understand that much.”
By now, I’d been a chef for long enough to appreciate the wisdom of that statement.
"If you understand, then let me suggest this," he continued. "For now, take a single knife made from that axe. Only once you’ve fully mastered it should you think about adding more tools to your collection."
I understood his logic—it was better to have a few well-mastered tools than to be overwhelmed with options I hadn’t yet mastered.
"That’s reasonable advice," I agreed. Then I added with a grin, "But the thing is... I won’t be the one using all these tools."
His brows shot up in surprise.
"They’re for my assistant chefs," I clarified.
* * *
Once Old Man Park had finished crafting the requested tools, Sanghyup, the merchant, returned to inform us that he was ready for the journey.
“Good to see you again,” Kim Joong-wi greeted him, shaking his hand.
The two exchanged a few words about the upcoming trade expedition.
“Now then, as for the guards...” Kim Joong-wi gestured toward me and the other soldiers chosen for the mission.
For a brief moment, I noticed a shadow flicker across Sanghyup’s face as he looked us over. But he quickly replaced it with a bright, grateful smile.
“Thank you for providing such valuable protection!” he said, looking back at Kim Joong-wi with what seemed like sincere appreciation.
“By the way,” Kim Joong-wi began, “how do you plan to transport the supplies? We’ve prepared combat rations, but how will you carry them?”
“Oh, I’ll be using this,” Sanghyup replied, holding up his backpack.
The rest of us stared at him in confusion.
“...We can provide a vehicle if that would make things easier,” Kim Joong-wi offered.
“No need. This bag is more than sufficient.”
We all looked at him, still bewildered, as he started transferring the combat rations into his seemingly ordinary backpack. After a few minutes, it became clear what he meant.
“An infinite bag?”
“Oh, you’re a gamer, huh?” he chuckled, seeing our reactions as he continued loading supplies into the bag, far exceeding its apparent capacity.
“It’s not truly infinite, but it’ll hold everything we need for the journey,” he explained.
I couldn’t help but be impressed. I had my own “shadow cloak” for extra storage, but I hadn’t expected to meet someone else with a similar magical item.
“Where did you even get a bag like that?” I asked, curious.
“Ah, well, I have you folks to thank for it,” he replied.
“Huh?”
“Remember the information I sold you last time? That small bit of intel turned out to be a huge success. It counted as a major transaction, apparently.”
He scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. “In fact, it was enough to earn me an achievement.”
“Oh...”
Everyone around us murmured in admiration. For a moment, I was left puzzled by the reaction, so I asked a nearby soldier for clarification.
"Is earning an achievement really that impressive?"
“Of course, sir!” The soldier gave me an incredulous look. “Sure, our guild members all have dungeon-clear achievements, but he earned a *personal* achievement. That’s incredibly difficult.”
“I see...”
“Achievements that you earn on your own are on a whole other level. Very few of us in the unit have managed that.”
I nodded, trying to look modest. “I guess you could say I have a couple...”
The soldier's eyes widened in admiration. “Sir, you’re amazing.”
Honestly, I had lost count of my achievements by now. I’d been earning them so often that I hadn’t realized they were considered rare.
“Anyway,” Sanghyup said, interrupting my thoughts, “I’d appreciate it if you could keep this bag a secret. As you know...”
“I understand. It could make you a target.”
“Thank you. I trust you.”
We filled his bag with rations, readying ourselves for departure.
* * *
The expedition was to be made on foot.
We’d considered using vehicles, but most roads had been severely damaged in the aftermath of Doomsday. Walking seemed like the safest option.
Shortly after we set off, I felt someone’s gaze and turned to find Sanghyup watching me.
“Ah, it really is you,” he said, smiling when our eyes met.
“Good to see you again.”
Though I greeted him politely, I felt a bit wary. He’d probably bear a grudge for losing out on his attempt to shortchange us during the negotiations.
“I’d thought you might not like me very much,” I admitted.
“Oh? Why would you think that?” he replied, looking genuinely surprised.
“Well, you did end up giving us a much larger cut of the profits.”
He laughed. “True, it was a shame. I could’ve hit another achievement if I’d taken the whole share.”
He was certainly shameless.
“But a 50-50 split is still fair,” he continued. “Besides, you’re not just clients—you’re partners now.”
His gaze turned shrewd, assessing. “By the way, I was genuinely surprised when you noticed I was lowballing you. It’s still a mystery to me how you caught on.”
“Ah, just a bit of intuition.”
“Quite the talent you have.”
He let out a small chuckle before his tone turned serious again.
“While we’re on the topic, though... forgive me if this sounds rude, but are we really bringing the maximum number of guards?”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, I don’t doubt your skills. I know no one would question the strength of the army’s Awakened here in the city. But... with so few of you...”
I could see his concern. This expedition was crucial to him, so having only ten guards likely seemed inadequate from his perspective.
“Yes, we’re well aware of the mission’s importance,” I replied.
“Ah... so you simply don’t have more available soldiers?”
“Oh, not at all.”
“Then why are there only ten of you...?”
I smirked. “Have you ever fought in a battle yourself?”
“Oh... I’ve been in one,” he admitted. “When I Awakened, I had to face a group challenge in the city.”
“Then it might be helpful for us to tell you something.”
“What’s that?”
Grinning, I gestured to the towering figure leading our group, a soldier standing over 2.3 meters tall.
“The power of an Awakened isn’t measured by numbers.”
