Chapter 142 – Negotiation Plan
Teacher···?
At Seo-jun’s request to become a teacher, Marjorie looked at him with a slightly despondent gaze and asked.
“Uh, um. So, you want me to teach that blonde? Is that what you mean by needing me…?”
“…Then what, does it mean something else?”
When asked if it was obvious, Marjorie felt a bit bad. I felt like I was the only one who was excited and made a fuss-.
Again, like the first time, I crossed my arms and crossed my legs. His eyes darkened and his tone became businesslike.
“…Tell me exactly. What do you mean by being a teacher?”
At Margery’s question, Seo-jun looked around her and he tilted her head towards her. Surprised by that, she stood tall and didn’t do anything until Seo-joon’s face came close to her ear.
However, the words that came out of Seojun’s mouth were quite surprising. In another sense -.
“We plan to enter the demon cave.”
Eh, I’m so depressed…? She tried to shout back, but she barely covered her mouth with the palm of her hand. She had many ears to hear. It was natural for Seojun to speak cautiously.
Magul was a word that meant ‘transformation area’.
The ‘transformation area’ is a place created by abnormal phenomena of mana. Due to the deformed distortion of mana, caves that did not exist were created, and forests were lush.
It was also called by names such as ‘Magul’ or ‘Labyrinth’. Usually, if you want to be easy, it is called a labyrinth if it is not attacked even if several mercenaries and demons die.
The mutant area spreads an unstable flow of mana throughout the area. Because of this, all kinds of monsters and beasts gather around.
That’s why the mutant area is so dangerous.
At the center of the mutation area, a crystal containing turbid mana grows. Whether it’s a monster or an animal or plant, if you swallow it, your body will enlarge due to unstable mana, your fangs will become sharp, and your shape will become grotesque.
Sometimes there were creatures that became divine beasts in that way, but most of them became monsters and became violent and greedy – and were bound to ravage their surroundings.
For the mercenaries, these ‘transformation areas’, or demon caves, served as a kind of bonanza.
It was because of all the by-products and fame that could be obtained by catching and killing the things that swallowed the mana crystals.
Among them, the most valuable is by far the mana crystal.
Although the price of mana crystals varied greatly depending on their size, purity, and color, it was said that a mana crystal could usually receive gold coins of the same weight.
Mana crystals are usually sold to magic towers, and they are said to have many other uses, such as engraving magic circles or making artifacts.
There was a story of a man who came out with a mana crystal the size of a watermelon and became the richest man on the continent, and there was a founding tale of a man who became the founding king by making weapons and armor with bones and skins from killing monsters.
Even Seo-joon does not know the truth of those exuberant stories from long ago.
However, what was clear was that there was a high probability of mana crystals and various high-value items coming out in the mutant area.
However, the occurrence of the mutant region was not always a blessing.
The formation of a mutant area meant that the flow of mana in that area would change abnormally.
In other words, it means that monsters gather from all sides and the native animals and plants change abnormally. Mostly in a direction hostile to people -.
Butterflies, which used to cling to flowers and suck on nectar, stuck their snouts into the scruff of people’s necks, and monkeys that ate coconuts or crushed people’s skulls and sucked out their brains.
Mutated flora and fauna-. Plants that spit venom -. A mushroom that spreads spores that cause paralysis -.
Among the dogs, the particularly vicious ones have never been conquered… It was called the ‘Ten Great Labyrinths’ because you cannot come out of such a place.
There were only 10 such ‘teen labyrinths’ as the name suggests. Only those who lost their lives while entering the absolute labyrinth to seize the glory were beyond spirited.
Anyway, the magic cave was just as dangerous. Even if it wasn’t until the ‘Ten Labyrinth’, there could be mutated animals, plants, or monsters – it was natural that dangers were scattered.
It’s fortunate that they happen somewhere in the middle of a mountain or in the middle of the sea, but there are also cases where they appear next to a small village or in an underground waterway in a city.
In that case, it was nothing short of a disaster. Villages disappear from the map, and cities are half-destroyed.
The way to get rid of the demon cave was simple.
If you remove the mana crystal that becomes the core, the demon will lose its center of unstable power and return to its original state.
You can either pull out the mana crystal or kill the monster that swallowed the mana crystal.
Well, it’s that simple-, if it was that easy, there would be no way there would be a ‘teenage labyrinth’.
She tilted her head to Seo-jun and asked in a very low voice.
“Hell···? Me really? You say you know where the devil’s cave is…?”
It was natural for Marjorie, a natural mercenary, to roll her eyes. As much as the risk was high, it was a place where the return was great. The so-called Devil’s Cave was a place that led to the land of opportunity, flowing with milk and honey.
However, it seemed that Seo-joon and his party’s voices could be heard at first glance.
“What are you talking about…? Can you hear me?”
“No, I can’t hear you well.”
Seo-joon and his party, who were sitting there, were curious about what the two were talking about.
Apparently, the other side didn’t seem to know anything about the demon cave. If so, she would have known what Seo-joon was talking about to her-.
Marjorie hooked his eyes and sent a suspicious glance away.
“You, please-. You’re not trying to trick me, are you…?”
“It can’t be. You’ll know when it arrives anyway.”
Seo-joon’s leisurely answer relieved Marjorie’s doubts a little, but it was still hard to believe completely.
It was a world where there was no 100 percent credit from ancient times. Isn’t it a world where parents abandon their children, and children throw them out on the roadside when their parents get old?
Marjorie’s eyes widened as if she had imagined something strange.
“Stop, you can’t believe you dragged me into a strange place…”
“Introduce-. What.”
Margery’s suspicion made Seo-joon narrow her eyes. Her face blushed at him, and she groaned. She swallowed her afterwords, but there was no way Seo-joon would just let it go.
“Well, I was afraid I might sell you somewhere?”
“That, that’s something you never know…!”
In fact, it must have happened once or twice.
Marjorie also had a time when she was full of youth, ambition and hope—and she was an easy prey for worn-out males. There were also her mercenaries who seduced her with all her sweet words, drove her into her trap, and tried to eat her back.
That day, she fought fiercely. Her lips parted and there were knife marks all over her immaculate skin. Her scar from that day was still visible on her abdomen.
The incident of that day was quite a famous anecdote even in the small town of Rivermill. No matter how mercenary she was, she was a young woman. That’s because she defeated five strong men… Even without a weapon…
Still, after that, she was recognized for her skills on this floor and began to climb up terribly. She will be number one in this city after that.
Hani wasn’t such a fool as to say that Seojun’s words were sweet.
Of course, from her point of view, this guy was definitely not the kind of guy who was going to do anything behind the scenes. It was because I had heard that Seo-joon had safely brought her to her inn without touching her after she passed out.
Even the gamblers who lost their money and became violent suggested that they hand over Marjori in exchange for money to Seo-joon…
After hearing that, the mercenaries said that they had to catch all the gamblers and cut them off.
But Seo-jun glanced at her breasts and whispered in a low voice.
“Well, to be honest… If you catch your sister and sell her as a slave, would you sell her? And those flat breasts…”
“Ugh…”
Margery blushed and covered his chest with her hand.
These small breasts were a complex for her too.
“Also, there are scars on her face. Actually, there aren’t that many guys in the world whose ideal type is someone with small breasts like me. Even if you catch your sister and sell her to a slave market, even if your breasts are small, you will be teased for being so small- why did you come here to sell a bitch like this?”
Margery bit her lip and trembled at her shoulder at her shame.
Seo-joon’s words were so direct, but I couldn’t deny it. It was all true-.
In fact, she gave up being a woman a long time ago, and it’s normal for her to be fine when she hears things like this-, but for some reason, when Seo-jun said it, she felt embarrassed. It felt like my self-esteem was sinking to the bottom.
Air lock. She was born and had never been in a relationship with a man, let alone confessed to her.
She had an unfortunate past, was busy earning a living when she was young, and after that, she worked in the mercenary industry and got scars on her face – and her mouth became as dirty as any man’s.
She lived with a dirty curse word.
Is that all-? She also killed people.
The eyes of a person who had seen blood once were different from those of ordinary people. A predator’s pupil…? Those who have killed people have that kind of bloody smell.
Of course, there were many of her men who wanted to covet her, perhaps because of her peculiarity as a red-haired northern woman. However, they often clicked their tongues when they saw her flat breasts.
The mercenaries waiting for her outside her boat. Every day they see her and talk about how cute she is, how lovely they are, how they like her small breasts. That’s all to make fun of her—I didn’t know that it was just a joke.
Seojun hinted.
“Well, I can’t tell you to believe unconditionally. However, we can promise you a corresponding reward.”
“···Compensation?”
Wasn’t the point of going to the request together as a reward for winning the bet in the first place…? But what about compensation?
When she opened her eyes wide, Seo-joon snapped her hand.
It meant sticking close.
Margery hesitated for a moment, but then tilted his head closer. If Seo-joon sticks out his lips just like this, it’s close enough to touch his cheek…
Had her mercenaries been present, they would have chewed the hem of her clothes in her jealousy.
She said softly as Seo-joon brought his lips close to her reddened ear.
“…I know one mana breathing technique.”
At his words, Margery opened her mouth wide.
