Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Otherworld Cheat Harem.

Episode 98: Making Gold (2)

After purchasing various items from Noah, Dojin immediately tested their effectiveness in the dungeon.

“…This is pretty good.”

The items sold by Noah proved to have surprisingly excellent effects. Although he couldn’t test the potions because no one was injured, the effectiveness of the monster bait he purchased was outstanding.

─Growl…

The bait, originally intended for use below the 10th floor where the dungeon’s curtain was lifted, was so effective that it worked even through the curtain, thanks to the werewolves’ keen sense of smell.

All Dojin had to do was take out the bait, apply the drug, and leave it in an appropriate place. After a while, when they went to the baited location, they found a werewolf paralyzed and limping.

It became a very simple task of just stabbing a sword into the neck of the fallen werewolf and retrieving the mana stone.

Watching the scene, Orion let out an exclamation and asked,

“Where did you get this, Leader?”

“From a street vendor.”

“Liar. What street vendor sells something like this? If there is one, I’d like to see them too.”

“Want to go see?”

These were extremely useful tools for the party, especially since Seoyoon wasn’t around.

‘To be able to make something like this…’

Her skill was impressive. Yet, seeing her selling items directly on the street suggested she was quite short on money…

What if he directly supported her? With the power of an otherworldly technician, couldn’t they recreate the marvels of modern science, which were currently unimaginable?

He had plenty of money. So much that he could drown a woman in a sea of gold coins.

“Orion?”

“Yes?”

“Do you need anything?”

“…Why are you asking all of a sudden?”

“Why are you even asking? You’re the one who said we should go find the person who made this, right? That’s why I asked.”

“…Oh, oh! You meant that? I don’t really need anything…”

“Then should I go alone?”

“Yes, please go.”

After that, they quickly hunted today’s monsters. Since they had earned enough money, the group’s goal shifted from making money to improving their skills.

Understanding that the key to skill improvement is consistent daily effort without overexertion, the group pushed themselves to their limits while hunting monsters.

‘It’s lacking, but…’

Dojin looked at the group. To be honest, they were a bit lacking. If they truly gave their all, how could they walk out of the dungeon on their own two feet?

Unfortunately, the dungeon wasn’t a merciful place that would leave those who collapsed from exhaustion alone.

Dojin had some understanding of why the number of skilled warriors decreased as they advanced and why they hit a wall.

For them, it’s truly difficult to encounter something that threatens their growth. Only after battling with formidable opponents, where a minor mistake could lead to death, could they grow even a little.

There’s no need to go through such hardships, as they won’t meet stronger opponents, so they inevitably settle for reality.

Even if they don’t settle, realistically, there are hardly any ways to grow…

Dojin thought about the first item he would ask Noah to make.

‘I should ask for exercise equipment. If possible, I’d like to have immunity to all poisons, but should I ask for a mild poison to be made?’

He also wanted a gun. Isn’t it cool? A lethal weapon that can kill all masters in one shot has always made a man’s heart race.

However, Dojin thought that guns might not be so powerful in this world. Especially since he himself was confident he could dodge a bullet.

‘Unless it’s a nuclear missile.’

That thought made him chuckle. Nuclear weapons, as if fantasy world inhabitants could ever create such things?

“Ah, here… it is.”

After exiting the dungeon, Dojin headed straight to the stall where Noah was doing business. However, perhaps because it was already late, all the merchants who had been selling in front of the dungeon had long since packed up and disappeared.

“Looks like they’ve already gone home.”

“We can come again tomorrow, right? It’s not like it’ll disappear overnight…”

“Probably.”

Though Dojin said that, he felt a subtle anxiety. Wasn’t this a fantasy world, notorious for its terrible security?

It was a world where it was hard to be sure you’d see someone you met today again tomorrow. If someone with such alchemy skills was personally out selling to earn money, their lodging was likely cheap.

And cheap inns tend to have unstable security.

‘There’s no helping it…’

Though it would be nice to have her, she wasn’t an essential talent, so Dojin decided to return tomorrow and headed to the guild.

And there, he found Noah making various complaints.

“No, does this even make sense? Why on earth…?!”

Seeing her here was quite a pleasant surprise. Dojin, who was about to head to the second floor, turned toward the counter where Noah was. The gaze piercing his back was intense, but there was no fool daring enough to openly pick a fight with a high-ranking adventurer like Dojin.

“Hello? What’s going on?”

“Oh, Dojin…”

“Don’t worry about it, just… customer?”

Upon spotting Dojin, Noah’s eyes moved up and down, checking his attire. He was someone who had bought her expensive items without any hesitation.

He was clearly a fairly high-ranking adventurer. The staff addressed him with honorifics, and Noah, having grasped the situation to some extent, quickly clung to Dojin to express her grievance.

“They’re charging me the fee twice!”

“Hmm, so?”

“What? I mean… they’re charging the fee twice?”

“So, what’s the problem with that?”

When Dojin said this to her, Noah wondered if she had done something wrong and looked at the staff.

The staff let out a sigh tinged with a bit of frustration, then remembered they were in front of Dojin and explained again in a polite tone.

“The area in front of the dungeon is owned by our guild, and the fee for using the stall you used is naturally collected by the guild.”

“Then why the money…?!”

“However, the right to ‘sell goods’ in this city belongs to the Merchant Guild, so a fee is charged to them as well. Didn’t you receive training on this when you purchased the selling rights?”

The guild staff looked at Noah with an expression that they should be praised for doing what she should have done, rather than receiving such outbursts.

Noah realized the reason for the double commission after hearing the detailed explanation. However, it was still so unfair. She thought she had made money selling expensive goods, only to find out it was cut in half.

She had set the price wrong. It was half of what she had expected, so she couldn’t even cover the cost of materials.

The cost of today’s lodging and meals, the materials to make new items, and even the stall rental fee for selling goods tomorrow.

It was a deficit. She worked all day, but more money was going out.

“Th-this is… not right…!”

In the end, tears burst out. It was unfair. There were too many thieves in the city. They just sat and took money like thugs.

Who are they to take a commission just because she sold goods and charge a fee for doing business in front of the dungeon?

The dungeon isn’t even theirs!

“Do you need money?”

“Hic… what?”

“I asked if you need money.”

“Of course… I do.”

She looked up at Dojin as if asking why he was asking something so obvious. Could it be that he was after her body? Noah cautiously stepped back, wary of him.

Unaware of Noah’s thoughts, Dojin took her to the second floor. It was a space accessible only to high-level adventurers, but no one stopped him from bringing someone along.

Unlike the first floor, there was a spacious lobby, a plush sofa, and snacks prepared to eat while waiting. As Noah marveled at the sight, Dojin exchanged mana stones for money at the guild counter and returned.

Jingle.

Noah’s eyes widened at the pouch full of silver coins. She couldn’t even begin to count how many silver coins were in there.

“Cu-customer? What on earth is this…?”

“This is the money I earned today.”

“Oh, just today…?”

“Yeah.”

Tap, tap. Dojin took out a few silver coins and displayed them on the table.

“This is the money I get every time I catch a monster.”

Then, he began stacking dozens of silver coins next to them. Noah swallowed hard enough for her throat to visibly move, but she didn’t even realize it.

“And this is the silver I earned today without lifting a finger, thanks to your bait.”

“Th-this is…?”

How much could it be? Considering she earned just one silver coin a day, it was an amount that would take her months of work to accumulate.

And it wasn’t even earned in a day; it was made using just her bait.

Gulp.

She felt greedy. She hadn’t realized her ability was that good. Didn’t Dojin say it himself? That he defeated the monsters without lifting a finger thanks to ‘her bait.’

Why did he stack the silver coins like that? There must be a reason. It couldn’t just be to boast to her.

‘Is he really planning to give it all to me?’

Noah’s eyes filled with greed. With that, she could make the highest quality potions… Potions she couldn’t even dream of before, and even secure a decent inn for a month.

Not the kind where drunk men rattled the door trying to sneak into her room at night, not in a dangerous back alley slum where anything could happen.

A normal life, the research she dreamed of, all made possible with that money…!

“…Thank you, sir.”

“For what?”

“I’m glad you liked my tools. Does that mean you’ll buy from me again?”

“Ho, you can still say that after seeing this?”

“That’s the money earned by using my tools, whatever you do with the tools once they leave my hands is your ability.”

However, Noah eventually succeeded in overcoming that greed. It was her pride as an alchemist.

It wasn’t something she started for money. She found it fun to handle reagents, to turn weeds from the roadside into medicine, medicine into poison, all with her touch.

That’s all there is to it.

Her customer earns a fortune with their tools? She’s envious, but that’s it. They made money in ways she hadn’t thought of, so it wasn’t hers from the start.

Dojin began clapping as he looked at Noah, who showed no greed even after seeing so much money.

“Pass.”

“…Pardon? Customer, what do you mean?”

“My name is Kim Dojin, and I’m an advanced adventurer. As you can see, I have plenty of money.”

“Uh… I’m Noah Meriel… an alchemist, and today I earned one silver coin, but after spending on materials and everything, I’ll have about five copper coins left…”

“One silver coin? You’d earn more by selling your body.”

“Cu-customer?! What are you saying…?!”

Noah was startled and hugged her chest. It was sexual harassment, but she didn’t intend to break the deal over just that.

Dojin proposed a deal to her.

“Would you like to become my exclusive alchemist?”

“E-exclusive…?”

Exclusive? What on earth would he make her do? The book ‘Lustful Dragonia Maid’ popped into Noah’s head. To her, ‘exclusive’ meant something like that.

Lustful and lewd.

“The salary is one gold coin. Room and board provided, materials provided.”

“I’ll do it.”

But whether it was lustful or lewd didn’t matter. Noah was willing to sell even her chastity under such conditions.