Chapter 46

Chapter 46

It was completely silent.

Seol didnt know who the people beyond the fog were, but they must have known each other.

They would know that Janet was here, present with them, and even which one of them Janet was.

And then the merchant who showed Seol the items said this

See, what did I tell you? In the end, itll only hurt your self-esteem.

The other merchants flinched as if there was a situation that Seol wasnt aware of.

You played a trick on us, Janet.

Trick? Haha, you really dont know how to keep your mouth shut, do you, you old wrinkled fart?

What?

Did you really think youd be able to seduce my customer with trash like that?! What a waste of time! A great merchant like me is already struggling with the guilt of wasting my customers time."

Th-this fucking How did he know it was Janet?

The silhouette, who was confirmed to be Janet now, then said something to the lamenting merchants.

Its because you guys are here to sell items and Im here to let them buy the items. Do you really not know the difference?

Whats the difference? answered one of the silhouettes.

Seol knew what the difference was.

He felt the difference strongly the moment Janet showed him those two items.

The difference was whether the item they were trying to sell was something that I needed or not.

The other merchants all tried to sell Seol expensive items almost like they were trying to get his Madness. Janet, however, offered Seol the items he needed the most at this moment.

And that was why Janet had an equal standing to Seol in the transaction, not below him like the other merchants were.

Janet then shouted at the other merchants in a booming voice, threatening them.

If you dont know, then fuck off! You damned third-rates.

...Well see you when you get back, Janet.

Of course, as much as you want. Ill see you guys later though. I have an important trade to make after all.

Krgh

That might be the case but you do know that its dangerous if you only trade that much, you know

Thats not for you to worry about. Go already!

The other merchants left one after another through a large hole.

Slowly, the fog started to lift. Though, just because it had lifted didnt mean the area was any brighter.

A bloody hue and a demon mask.

The things that symbolized Janet filled the surrounding area once again.

Phew, I wouldve been sad if you didnt recognize me.

I realized who you were the moment I saw the items.

I knew it! You really do have a good eye

Seol checked the items that Janet brought forth earlier.

[[Gelatin of Persecutory Delusions]

Quality: Rare

Recommended Level: N/A

Weight: 0.1kg

Bonus Effect: A volatile energy which has been solidified into a soft jelly form.]

This was the gelatin of persecutory delusions that Seol wanted, and

[[Poisonous Herb Powder]

Quality: Rare

Recommended Level: N/A

Weight: 0.1kg

Bonus Effect: If you consume this with water, you will die in five seconds unless you have some kind of special resistance to it. However, if you are afflicted with a poison that is more potent than the poisonous herb's poison, the poisonous herbs poison will devour that poison instead.]

This was the key ingredient to creating the shadow venoms antidote.

Both of these were things that Seol desperately needed.

How did you know?

Know what? Ah! Are you asking how I know that these two items were materials that you needed?

So you do know what I was asking.

You might be disappointed with my answer though

Janet pointed at Seols belongings.

That black flower.

Ah!

Haha, yeah Did you forget that I was the one who sold you that?

The black flower could be used as is, but it also evolved tremendously after you processed it. There was no way that Janet, who sold him the item, wouldnt know the method either.

"However, though it isnt a problem that I know the secret behind the Shadow Flower, the fact that an ordinary human like you who was caught up in the World Merge knows how to process it is another matter entirely."

So you arent an ordinary human.

Janet realized a lot of things about Seol from just one interaction.

She put the next trade in place by selling Seol the Shadow Flower and was also on the verge of having another successful trade.

Furthermore, through setting up the trade, she was able to realize Seols uniqueness.

Seol looked at Janet with wary eyes. However, contrary to his expectations, Janet just picked her ear and blew the ear wax off her finger.

Well, unique circumstances can happen from the World Merge and youre just one of them. Dont worry! I, Janet, am not a shameless merchant who tries to expose her customers weaknesses.

She then gave a sly laugh, her mask bobbing up and down slightly with it.

The only thing I have to do is sell my wares after all.

But how did you know about the poisonous herb powder?

Ah! Thats because Ive been watching your recent moves.

You can do that?

Did you think I couldnt? Anyway, those two items combined are 3,000 Madness.

Seol was shocked by the price as it was cheaper than he expected. He then looked at Janet and nodded.

Alright, a successful deal!

Seol gave a satisfied smile then realized something.

...Is there anything else you want to sell? asked Seol.

Did you think that I, Janet, titan of the industry, would only prepare this? If you have the time

He then sprinkled some kind of powder on it.

Grow well.

Seol dusted himself off before returning to the outbuilding and taking a rest.

And the next day, at the same time

Seol was in awe after looking at the flower that was around the same height as a small child.

So far so good.

The powder that Seol sprinkled on the flower was the powder that he received as a reward from Grizs laboratory.

[[Intact Vitality Powder]

Quality: Treasure

Recommended Level: N/A

Weight: 0.1kg

Bonus Effect: A powder enhanced in vitality. However, you must be cautious as it can grow too much.]

- As expected from the Intact Vitality Powder! Its definitely effective!

- Is it okay for it to grow that big though?

Seol pulled out the massive Shadow Flower.

[[Overgrown Shadow Flower]

Quality: Rare

Recommended Level: N/A

Weight: 0.1kg

Even though they grow in Flegueria, there is a good chance you wont ever see this flower unless you are lucky.

Bonus Effect: You can forcibly use Shadow Summon on a much stronger opponent once. The summoner will be considered 15 levels higher when using this item. If the Shadow Summon would still be unsuccessful with an increase of 15 levels, Shadow Summon will fail.]

The Shadow Flowers description changed overnight.

Even though Seol originally wouldve been satisfied with just this, he had just received another ingredient from the merchant of madness as well. And with the ingredients he got from the auction house, he had more than enough to continue to the next step of the process.

Seol didnt exit the kitchen for two days.

[You have finished cooking.]

[You have made a Jelly That Smells Like the Gutters.]

[It looks horrific. The dish was a failure.]

[This method definitely isnt it.]

[You have been inspired.]

[You feel like you will be able to come up with a recipe the next time you come across a new ingredient.]

[Your cooking skills have slightly improved.]

Seol took a bite of the jelly before holding his mouth.

Urgh

- This aint it

- Everyone, you are currently watching work that embodies what it would be like to be in hell.

[You have finished cooking.]

[You have made a Severely Burned Jelly.]

[It looks horrific. The dish was a failure.]

Again?

- The surprising thing is that he didnt even use flames this time.

- How the fuck did it burn then? LMFAOOOO

- Is this cooking or alchemy?

Once again, Seol took a bite of the jelly.

It tasted awful to the point that he wanted to yell curses out loud.

Urgh

[You have earned the achievement 'Just Eat Dirt Instead'.]

[You have earned the title 'Strange Food Eater'.]

The Strange Food Eater title had no other effects other than still giving you the chance to increase your stats when you ate failed dishes.

And obviously, this was something that Seol was extremely thankful for right now.

Ill end this today no matter what.

Seol dropped a bead of sweat while focusing on cooking.

There was no complicated reason for why Seol was failing his dish despite it having an easy recipe.

The standard for it to be a success was just that high.

Seol kept making the jelly, even forgoing sleep. His eyes grew hazy and he even dozed off from time to time. But even so, his hands were active and he kept cooking.

- Lets just go to sleep now

- What do you think about giving up? I dont think you have any talent in cooking

- I cant believe this was one of the talents he chose too

And just as the ingredients Seol prepared were about to run out

Is this it?

Seol even thought, What a waste of Madness and Maybe I shouldve picked another thing but it was too late. In the end, everything in the world is results-based.

You did well if you succeeded, and you did horribly if you failed.

Even while he was thinking negative thoughts like that, Seol kept moving. And then, he felt something strange.

Unlike before, his hands moved before he even had the time to think the steps were easy.

Seol took this as a signal.

He let his body flow like he was allowing someone else to take over his body.

Some time passed after that.

Sigh Finally

[You have finished cooking.]

[You have made a Jelly From a Cloudy Day.]

[It smells great. The dish was a success.]

[Your Spirit permanently increases by 3.]

[You have been inspired.]

[You feel like you will be able to come up with a recipe the next time you come across a new ingredient.]

[Your cooking skills have slightly improved.]

It was finally time for Seol to be rewarded for his efforts.