Chapter 16 : Naba (2)
Chapter 16 - Naba (2)
I heard that outsiders who fall into the north generally become slaves.
But what if you can't even become a slave?
You just freeze to death.
'Or starve to death.'
So for the first month after coming to this world, I felt a bit wronged.
Wouldn't it have been easier if it were a 'possession', like in common webtoons or NovelFires, where you take over someone else's body—
Because thoughts like that often crossed my mind.
'If that had been the case, I feel like the difficulty level would have been much easier than it is now.'
Anyway, returning to the main point,
Outsiders who have manifested in this land with their bodies from Earth have the lowliest status in this world.
Slaves that no one cares if they're killed.
Slaves that no one pays mind to even if they die.
In other words, a status less than human.
When I, such an outsider, received the objective from the [Quest] to hire one employee, the first thought I had was this.
'Who am I going to hire?'
Is there anyone who would work under an outsider?
I judged that I wouldn't be able to find anyone, at least not in this town.
But my thoughts changed after talking with the brown-haired boy, Naba.
Wouldn't I be in a position to hire a much younger orphan boy?
“I was in the middle of an interview.”
“What? An interview?”
“Yes. As a clerk for our shop. We've gotten busy, so we were short on hands.”
Jeros's mouth twitched as if he was dumbfounded.
“You said it was manageable even if it was busy. Why are you changing your story?”
“When did I say that?”
“The day after the martial arts demonstration! When people were suddenly bursting at the seams and I asked if you were okay. You clearly said with your own mouth, 'It's okay because I learned mana'.”
He has a uselessly good memory.
“Ah, yes. I did say that. That was the case then…… but as the number of customers kept increasing, it started to become unmanageable.”
“Somehow, it seems you're getting smoother? Have you gotten cocky just because I'm letting you earn some money?”
“Aey. No way.”
“……”
“I have to go buy ingredients by myself, prepare in the kitchen, there's so much to do that serving customers was difficult.”
And that was actually true.
Dealing with the flood of customers by myself was not as easy a task as I thought.
I had only managed to do it somehow thanks to having learned mana.
If I got an employee, it was an established fact that the work would become much smoother and more efficient.
“And if I get an employee, the shop's sales will rise as a result.”
“Hmm. I've been watching, too. It seems like there have been excessively many people lately.”
As expected, Jeros's mood subsided a little when I talked about sales.
“Actually, I was planning on catching any outsiders I saw on patrol and giving them to you.”
He says something that would make any ‘Belkazium’ user on Earth freak out, and he says it so casually.
“How would you know when an outsider will appear?”
“Still, there's always a 'what if', you know, what if! Heh heh.”
“Anyway, for the sake of the shop's sales, I want to hire this young friend named Naba. What do you think, Jeros?”
At Jeros's gaze, Naba swallowed hard, and Jeros erased his smile and spoke.
“Hey, Ian.”
“Yes.”
“Even if I say I've killed all the useful guys in Derek's gang, an organization is still an organization. And they're a proper Adventurers' Guild. Using a kid who was with those bastards as a clerk entails risk. Therefore, I object.”
Haa. So it's come to this.
He must think the risk is too great compared to the return.
Because he's a bastard who judges and moves based entirely on financial gain.
But if I was going to back down just because Jeros objected, I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place.
Because I can't miss the chance to clear the [Quest], not to mention the efficiency of the business.
Hiring a clerk is necessary, and so I decided to say what Jeros wants to hear.
“I'll raise the sales to 1.5 times what they are now.”
Twitch.
Jeros's eyebrow twitched.
1.5 times the sales is a tempting figure, of course.
“You think that's possible just by hiring one kid clerk?”
“Of course.”
“It won't be easy.”
“I'm the one who made this shop, which was only swatting flies before the demonstration, burst at the seams with customers. So I can do 1.5 times the sales too.”
At my spirit, Jeros made a strange expression and then spoke.
“Hmm. You're not the type of bastard to make such a confident declaration without any plan. You've got something. Right? Heh heh.”
Has it gotten to the point where he knows just by looking at my eyes?
“……Yes.”
“Spit it out. What is it? Heh heh.”
Right. They say you should strike while the iron is hot.
Let's go for it!
“I'm going to add food from the world I lived in to the shop's menu.”
At that, Jeros made a dumbfounded expression as if he was flabbergasted.
“What? Are you crazy? Who's going to eat food from your world?”
“They will. If it's delicious. And also……”
“?”
“Because the effect will be much better.”
“……Heh heh. Kahahat!”
Jeros kept snickering as if something was hilarious.
Is he convinced, or not?
“Heh heh heh. How much of a difference is there in the effect?”
“Enough that it can't even be compared to the pumpkin soup and Fondue Bread.”
Sugar raises a special stat, and rice raises a main stat.
This difference is clear.
“Hmm. Alright.”
Soon, Jeros, with one corner of his mouth raised, spoke.
“Then bring it here. The food from your world.”
……
Thud.
I placed the wooden bowl on the table.
Inside was a food that Jeros was likely seeing for the firs—
“Did you make this with rice?”
Huh?
“How did you know?”
“I know because I traveled all over the continent in my youth. By the way, where did you get this? Same with the garlic before.”
“Well, I have my ways.”
“Heh heh. You annoying bastard. Don't want to talk, huh.”
Jeros stirred the rice porridge with his spoon and said.
“I heard the bastards in Len to the east eat this as their staple food. I guess this is a stew made from rice.”
“It's similar. It's called 'juk'.”
“What? You're telling me to kill (juk-yeo) someone?”
“……”
“Heh heh. It's a joke.”
Fucking unfunny.
“Just try it.”
At that, Jeros hesitated a few times, then with difficulty, took a spoonful and put it in his mouth.
“?”
Jeros tilted his head, then shook it.
Then he glanced at me once and, without resting, spooned up and finished off the rice porridge.
However, his speed seemed slow compared to the pumpkin soup and Fondue Bread.
“……How is it?”
“Hmm.”
Why am I so nervous about this?
Jeros stared at the empty bowl for a long while before opening his mouth.
“It's tasty. Hmm. It's good.”
Ah. That's a relief.
“But…… Ssshp. It's weaker than the pumpkin soup and Fondue Bread.”
“……”
Honestly, my feelings were a little hurt, but I had expected it from the way Jeros was eating, so the shock wasn't that big.
Because compared to the foods loaded with sugar, white rice porridge has a subtle taste.
'That bastard Jeros has a kid's palate, it seems.'
While I was having this mental victory internally,
“But, you know.”
It was Jeros, drawing an arming sword from its scabbard.
“The effect is just as you said. It's a different class from the Fondue Bread. It's not on the level of just improving your condition. Heh heh.”
Jeros cloaked himself in Sword Qi.
A shimmering, colorless energy swirled around the blade.
'Insane.'
But the force of that sword qi was no ordinary thing.
It was on a completely different level from what I had seen from the soldiers at the martial arts demonstration.
It was so fierce that the expression 'clearly visible despite being colorless' was a fitting description.
“It's to the point where I want to fight someone right now. Good. I acknowledge the effect. Heh heh.”
Not only is he registered as a regular customer, but as a skilled person of Jeros's level, he would certainly be able to distinguish the difference in buffs.
“This is good enough to be sold at a high price. What's the price?”
“Undecided. And the actual menu item to be sold is also undecided. I'm going to sell other dishes besides this one.”
“Eh? Then won't the effect be different too?”
“If anything, the effect will get better, not worse than this. Both the duration and the effect.”
Since the completed Korean dish bonus for the rice porridge was Health Regeneration,
I have to make and test other Korean dishes.
My plan was to choose a suitable one among them to sell.
“Hmm. The duration is certainly short. It's already ending.”
As the Strength buff ended in just a few minutes, Jeros smacked his lips as if in disappointment.
It's short since there's no extension effect.
“If I eat a lot of this like the pumpkin soup, will the duration get longer?”
“I don't know that yet either. That's why I absolutely need an employee. Someone to do my work while I develop new menu items, and to promote them when a new one comes out.”
“Hmm.”
“And you saw it too, Jeros. This kid, working hard at the martial arts demonstration.”
It was Naba who shouted his throat out looking for someone to bet on Ralph while the other dealers were resting.
Jeros definitely saw it too.
“Huuuum.”
What's he so worried about?
Jeros stroked his chin and said.
“I have my circumstances with Derek's gang, so I can't openly step in and fight for you. It's different from the situation with Flaco.”
“What circumstances?”
“Circumstances I can't talk about.”
Of course you do.
I heard everything you said earlier about killing all the useful guys in Derek's gang.
“Nevertheless, if you're confident you won't be beaten by Derek's bastards, then go ahead and try using this kid as a clerk. Heh heh.”
Without Jeros's help, can I survive against Derek's gang?
That is the key point.
“Are there any guys in Derek's gang who are stronger than Flaco?”
“Are you saying you can handle someone on Flaco's level?”
“No, I'm just using him as a standard to size things up.”
“Heh heh. If that's the case, that's a very good question. Among the guys Derek has working for him, there's no one stronger than Flaco. They're all either Hierarchy 1 or morons who can't even handle mana. As I said before, I killed all the executives of Hierarchy 2 and above. Heh heh.”
“Then it sounds manageable, doesn't it?”
“Stupid bastard. What are you going to do, ignore their numbers? I told you, they're an organization. No matter how weak your opponents are, facing several of them at once is another story.”
At Jeros's words, Naba bit his lower lip hard.
It was as if the terror of Derek's gang was slowly creeping up on him.
“How could you possibly handle it? Are you still going to use that kid as a clerk?”
“……”
“The choice is yours, Ian. Heh heh.”
Naba's eyes and mine met.
Naba made no expression and said nothing, but his gaze was already detached.
The sad gaze of someone who had already given up on living, trying not to be hurt even if he were to be abandoned again in this situation.
'Because he's never received an adult's care.'
Pitiable.
The child in front of me felt endlessly pitiable.
However,
Even so, I cannot decide my choice based on emotion.
Even if it came to this because, for a moment, the emotions of the modern person Lee Han-cheol overtook the reason of the outsider Ian.
When it comes to choices about the future, cold-headedness is more important.
What, truly, would be the better choice for me.
“I……”
After deliberating, I spoke to Jeros.
“I'm going to hire this kid, Naba, as a clerk.”
< You have hired an employee. >
< Quest [1] Raise the Inn (Step 1) objective achieved. >
A mob of Hierarchy 1s and unawakened ones,
I had made the judgment that I could win against them.
And for me, right now, more than anything else—
< Congratulations. The reward will now be distributed. >
< A new function will be unlocked. >
Unlocking my special privilege comes first.