Chapter 95: Hot Springs (2)

Chapter 95: Hot Springs (2)

The lives of most mercenaries in the Labyrinth City of Lartania generally follow a similar pattern.

During the day, they form parties or enter the Labyrinth individually to hunt fervently, then come out with Magic Stones to exchange for money after a while of diligent hunting.

Then, with that money, drinking a beer at a tavern or taking a nap at an inn comprises the basic life routine of most mercenaries.

Of course, recently, due to the newly introduced Magnifying Glasses in the Lartania territory, some mercenaries have altered their routine slightly, but most still fundamentally adhere to it.

Naturally, Allen and Tuska were no exception.

“Did you draw anything good today?”

“No. You?”

“Me neither.”

“Tsk.”FOlloow newest stories at no(v)el/bi/n(.)com

Allen, who has been consistently spending on 2-3 Magnifying Glasses daily since the ceiling system was introduced, and Tuska, were lamenting their utterly failed gacha draws over a beer at the tavern.

“You really should open ten Magnifying Glasses in a row, right?”

“The odds are similar anyway, why open ten in a row? It’s not like the odds significantly increase if you open ten consecutively.”

For a while, the two aimlessly debated the pointless topic of ‘how to draw good items with a Magnifying Glass’ over their beers.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Suddenly hearing a voice, they turned their gaze.

Soon, both saw a woman with rogue-style black hair casually waving her hand and pretending to sit in front of them.

Although she had a scar near her eye, her refreshing smile and cat-like face left them momentarily dazed.

“...? Why that reaction?”

“...Could it be... Saul?”

Soon, they snapped out of their daze and responded to the woman’s words.

“Of course it’s me. Who else would it be?”

Saul countered and joined them at the table naturally.

However, both couldn’t take their eyes off Saul’s face.

That was because the Saul they knew had the appearance of a ragged thief, not a beautiful woman with a cat-like face.

Therefore,

“...Weren’t you... totally a bandit-looking man?”

“It was almost like you had been hit by a bomb.”

Allen and Tuska bluntly evaluated her appearance.

“What did you guys say?”

Quickly changing their tune at Saul’s frowning and serious expression,

“No, we meant before, before. It’s true you used to wander around all dirty, right?”

“We mean, you look pretty now.”

“......”

“Anyway, why did you suddenly get so tidy? You used to not even wash and wander around.”

“Damn it. Like I said before, it’s not that I didn’t wash, it’s just that there weren’t proper facilities to do so!”

“The inns have enough facilities for washing, don’t they?”

“But it’s only cold water. Plus, monster fluids don’t just wash off.”

“That’s true... Anyway, how did you get so tidy then?”

At Allen’s question, Saul finally smiled slyly and said,

Only then did Allen and Tuska notice that some of the mercenaries in the tavern looked remarkably clean.

And then.

“...Oh, and it seems like a rumor from the Lord, but it seems that entering the hot spring might increase the chances of getting good items from the Magnifying Glass?”

Following Saul’s comment,

“Let’s go.”

“We must go.”

The two mercenaries, obsessed with the magnifying glass, got up without hesitation.



About three days later.

“...Today alone, the hot spring made 6,800 Gold Coins...”

Kim Hyunwoo smiled broadly upon hearing the report from Elena, who had brought the guard’s report.

Initially, no one visited, but as Kim Hyunwoo actively spread the word, the hot spring started making money at an incredible rate each day, making him think.

‘Indeed, this was the right move.’

In fact, what Kim Hyunwoo did was nothing extraordinary.

All he did was drastically reduce the entry fee for the hot spring, which is considered a very expensive cultural activity in this world, and slightly embellish its promotion.

‘Actually, it wasn’t necessary to lower the hot spring prices this much.’

The reason Kim Hyunwoo lowered the prices of the hot spring to this extent was due to the characteristics of the territory.

Currently, most of those engaged in economic activities within Lartania were mercenaries farming the lowest or low-grade Magic Stones.

From Kim Hyunwoo’s perspective, targeting the abundant mercenaries in the territory for business was a much better strategy than branding the hot spring as a luxury.

And as if to prove Kim Hyunwoo’s decision right, the income from the hot spring was increasing drastically with each passing day.

“I really should thank the heavens.”

Kim Hyunwoo mumbled with a smile, as if thanking for the sudden fortune that had fallen from the sky.

“Ah, My Lord. Are you planning to maintain the hot spring in its current state? I heard from the guard’s report that there’s no space in the hot spring, preventing mercenaries from entering.”

Following Elena’s words, Kim Hyunwoo said,

“First, since we still have leftover materials, we’ll use them to further expand the hot spring. Once we finish the additional expansion, then we’ll start making things to sell at the hot spring.”

“...Items to sell at the hot spring?”

“Yes, for example... like cool beverages.”

Kim Hyunwoo smiled as he spoke, envisioning the new business plan.

While he was deep in thought in the territory,

on a hill outside the territory,

“Hey, hey! Let go!”

“The hot spring, it was I who created it...! You idiots!”

“What are you talking about...! I was the one who dug the ground up with magic!”

As Kim Hyunwoo, who genuinely appreciated the creation of the hot spring and even smiled, thought, the three heroes who were trying not to get caught by him were grabbing each other’s hair, each claiming credit for the creation of the hot spring.

“......”

Went Giral and Loriel, who were supporting those heroes.

And then.

“Please, stop using my body... My head-!!”

Adria, watching the absurd fight of the three heroes, was sighing.