[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
Chapter 6
4.
"How many times do I have to say this!!! This is not meat!!!"
"Euagh!"
Marlen's butcher shop was, as always, bustling with customers.
However, all the users who visited were met with scoldings.
Even the users who occasionally came in after acquiring the Butchering skill were no exception.
"What's the point of having the Butchering skill! Look at this, it's all chopped up in chunks because you weren't paying attention!!!"
"B-But I did it p-properly!"
"Properly?"
"Hieeeek!"
"Haaa, just take this and get out!"
She handed over the money generously and chased the user away.
What was the point of having the Butchering skill? It only provided minimal assistance, and the result was barely passable.
It was obvious that they were all relying on the skill and butchering without paying attention.
The meat the users brought in was all the same.
They didn't appreciate the value of meat.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Moreover, they just whacked the rabbits with clubs, so the quality of the meat wasn't good either.
She didn't know who started the nonsense that meat became tender by being beaten, but there was nothing worse than rabbit meat that had been beaten with a blunt weapon or club while it was still alive.
With only such meat coming in, how could it possibly satisfy Marlen?
Today, her throat was only getting sore from all the yelling.
But then, a face she had pushed to the back of her mind came back to her.
It was Seonghyun.
"Huh? What's this!?"
The peculiar newcomer.
But seeing him come back so soon, he must be the same as the others, right?
Ready to yell as soon as he took out the meat, Marlen glared at Seonghyun with her fierce eyes.
Unfazed, Seonghyun took out the meat and hides of twenty rabbits in front of Marlen.
"Look at this!!! The meat..."
Marlen was inspecting the meat as she spoke, but she stopped mid-sentence, something feeling off.
And Seonghyun was looking at Marlen with an indifferent expression.
Marlen faltered for a moment, then looked at the meat and hides and exclaimed,
"This, this is too perfect!?!?"
The other users were even more surprised by Marlen's reaction.
"M-Marlen is giving praise!?"
"Wh-what?! M-Marlen is..."
"Ah! My Marlen is praising someone else!?"
"Who are you???"
The users watched Marlen from afar, making a commotion.
They had frequented Marlen's butcher shop many times, but this was the first time they had heard her praising anything.
Especially praising meat.
"T-t-this, this is...too perfect..."
Her mouth gaped open, and her eyes were filled with emotion.
Marlen was so moved that she even took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.
Seonghyun was a bit flustered by this, but he thought,
'Is it really that good?'
Having been tormented by the newcomers' terrible meat, Marlen couldn't help but be moved by the sight of such beautifully butchered meat.
How long had it been since she had received such clean meat?
Her emotions briefly subsided, and Marlen held up a piece of meat and shouted to the other users,
"All of you, look and learn! Look how gently and beautifully this meat has been butchered!!! To reduce suffering before butchering, it was killed with a single blow, bled, and then had its entrails removed immediately to preserve the quality of the meat!!! Look at this meat!!!"
She was making quite a fuss, but the users' reactions were even more dramatic.
"Oh my god! Such meat can exist?!"
"E-Even with the Butchering skill, I couldn't do that!?"
"Wow, I'm so envious."
"Sob, sob, my Marlen! My Marlen!"
"Seriously, who are you?"
"Wouldn't you get a title for that?"
Seonghyun was a bit embarrassed, but he perked up at the last comment.
A title?
He had received titles in such situations before, but would he get one this time too?
Marlen looked at Seonghyun with an impressed face and nodded.
"This meat is truly excellent. It's been so long since I've received meat this worthy of being called meat! This Marlen is deeply moved."
[You have moved the butcher shop owner with the meat you butchered yourself.]
[You have acquired the title, 『Butcher Shop Regular』.]
He saw the form of a ghost in the distance.
So they were wandering around the village too.
Just as he casually thought that, the ghost, in the form of an old man, approached Seonghyun as if teleporting, with movements that seemed straight out of a horror movie.
Anyone seeing this for the first time would be startled, but Seonghyun was too used to such sights.
'My sister would have loved to see this.'
His sister, who loved ghost stories and supernatural phenomena, particularly enjoyed such scenes.
Since the ghost was doing it directly, should he call it a technique rather than a scene?
Anyway, why was it approaching him so urgently?
Perhaps it had some business with him.
As he waited for a bit, he saw the ghost suddenly appear in front of him.
It had a very urgent and surprised expression.
-I-It's true, you can really see me!?
"Yes, I can see you."
-Gasp! Y-You can even talk to me!!!
When Seonghyun answered calmly, the ghost shouted as if about to faint and threw his head back.
It was quite overwhelming.
But maybe it had something to tell him?
Usually, there was only one reason for this.
-Oh dear! My mind is all over the place.
"Do you perhaps have some business with me?"
When Seonghyun asked politely, the elderly ghost nodded vigorously.
He nodded so much that Seonghyun wondered if his head would fall off.
Seonghyun tilted his head, wondering why the ghost was so urgent.
Usually, they acted like this when they were about to give him something good.
He looked at the elderly ghost, wondering if this was the case again.
-Young man, have you heard of the Hunter's Forest?
"Hunter's Forest?"
-Ah! I see you haven't! The Hunter's Forest refers to a forest created by the hunters in our Hindel Village! However, I hear not just any newcomer can enter.
"Oh?"
As he listened to the story, Seonghyun became more and more intrigued.
Not just anyone can enter?
It was obvious what that meant.
'Is it a hidden dungeon?'
Hidden dungeons that people occasionally discovered.
Judging by the name, it seemed to be just that.
Hunter's Forest.
Seonghyun listened attentively to the elderly ghost's words.
Where it was located.
And what kind of place it was.
-Since the newcomers appeared, the hunters have all left for other villages, and the beasts in the Hunter's Forest have multiplied so much that it's become a concern. Many of the villagers have forgotten about the Hunter's Forest and don't know its location. I would like to tell you, but in my current state, how can I?
"Well...that's true."
-But then you appeared, just like that! I heard from the hunter Apic, and it was true! To think that braggart's words were right.
It seemed he had heard about Seonghyun from the hunter ghost Apic he had met earlier.
The elderly ghost looked at Seonghyun with an excited expression and said,
-There are many rare beasts there, so their hides and meat will fetch a high price. It's something only you, with your steel sword and excellent butchering skills, can do. I implore you.
Even if the elderly ghost hadn't asked, Seonghyun was already planning to do it.
Anyone could tell it was a hidden dungeon.
A hidden dungeon in a beginner village where he couldn't even level up.
At first glance, it seemed useless, but it wasn't at all.
Especially since hidden dungeons in beginner villages were said to contain incredible things.
It was one of the reasons why Hindel Village, where the hero was born and raised and defeated the Demon King, was so popular.
The hero and the Demon King. It was a village that seemed likely to have hidden pieces.
But he had heard that everyone had come up empty, and yet, he had stumbled upon this.
Although there were still those who hadn't given up, this was a hidden dungeon that no one had discovered.
Naturally, he was intrigued.
'Besides, I'm curious to see how well my current skills work.'
Now that he had acquired the talents of the former instructor and the hunter Apic.
He wanted to know how skilled he actually was.
There was no reason to refuse.
Just as Seonghyun was about to accept, the elderly ghost said,
-If you do this for me, I'll tell you where the heirloom passed down in my family is buried!
"Alright."
The rewards kept rolling in.
This was practically giving things away for free.
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]