Ch.19White Russian 1

“Well, shall we head out now?”

I carefully packed potions into my chubby backpack.

It’s a merchant’s backpack I bought at the night market for a hefty sum.

<Wanderer’s Tactical Backpack>

Grade: ★★☆

Effect: Reduces the weight of contents by 30%.

Though it’s only a 30% reduction since I’m not well-off yet.

Later, when I succeed, hunters will seek me out on their own.

But to get there, I need to put in the legwork now.

I pulled my hat down tight and put on a black mask.

My destination is Sindorim D-Cube City.

Actually, it’s not a city anymore, but a place that used to be one.

Once filled with department stores and people, it’s now a hideous ruin.

That’s because a Level 3 monster species, Gigas, appeared in the underground.

Most residents have fled, and now it’s fallen to become a hideout for Night Stalkers (wolves).

They usually become active in the evening, so raids typically happen then.

I put on my earphones.

They produce static noise when monsters pass nearby.

I’ll use this to find hunters while taking the safest possible route.

After the sun has completely set.

The ruined city is nothing but black and blue.

As if knowing I would come, a full moon hangs brightly in the night sky.

I walked lightly across building debris, watching dust particles illuminated by moonlight.

“Temperature has dropped to 0 degrees.”

White breath seems to form with each exhale.

That’s when I realize my target is getting close.

The temperature always drops when you approach wolves.

This level of temperature drop means I’m maintaining just the right distance.

I need to be careful, as temperatures can plummet to minus 10 degrees when face-to-face with them.

Carefully hiding behind building debris, I peeked out.

“—!”

Intense friction sounds come from the wide-open space.

The source of the noise is three hunters.

They’re engaged in fierce combat with a pack of wolves, each wielding their weapons.

“Mister, now’s the time!”

A man with a greatsword shouts.

In response, a middle-aged man with a bald head raises his shield high.

“Here I go!”

He slams his shield onto the ground with all his might.

A powerful sound wave resonates widely from the ground.

Startled by the noise, the wolves glare with their yellow eyes and charge at the man all at once.

The man, as if he’d been waiting for this, flips his shield over like a turtle shell.

Then he lies flat on the ground.

The wolves repeatedly pound the shield with their sharp front paws.

But the shield doesn’t get a single scratch—he must have paid good money for it.

“Mister, just hold on a little longer!”

A girl in a cloak climbs onto a broken stone pillar.

Though I couldn’t see her face, I could tell she was a young girl from her voice.

Hot flames flicker at her fingertips.

Indeed, it would be a good strike against Night Stalkers.

But…

A fireball drops where the wolves are clustered.

The wolves simultaneously begin to emit a blue light.

The light converges into a massive barrier,

completely absorbing the falling fireball.

When pack-dwelling wolves cluster together, their magic naturally combines…

It only increased the wolves’ magic resistance.

“—!”

The caster pulls back her hood in apparent shock that her attack didn’t work.

A young red-haired girl’s face is revealed.

The increasingly excited wolves stomp on the shield more violently.

The once-sturdy shell begins to cave in.

“Mister-!!”

She calls out to her companion under the shield.

But the monsters don’t stop.

“…”

I silently observe the scene.

In the end, that tank will die.

Due to a sloppy strategy that only considered the basic matchup between wolves and the girl.

A common misjudgment by novice parties.

Novice party…

Suddenly, numerous memories flash through my mind.

Nostalgic memories.

Perhaps because of those memories, my hand was already reaching for my backpack.

I unzipped it and took out a glass bottle.

For my first customers in a while… I’ll help them just this once.

<Molotov Cocktail>

Grade: ★☆

Effect: Reduces user’s HP by 50%.

In exchange, all physical damage dealt is doubled.

* Creates a sea of fire in the area when lit and thrown.

I took out my lighter and lit the cloth.

Then I threw it with all my might toward the wolves.

“—!”

The sound of breaking glass strikes the silent ruins.

Soon the wolves begin to yelp and scatter.

But it’s not enough yet.

These Level 8 monster species won’t fall to a mere fire bomb.

It’s just a distraction.

The rest is up to those clumsy hunters.

The wolves tried to identify each other through smell and secure an escape route.

But they’re confused by the oil smell and flames.

Thanks to this, the party members could begin hunting the confused wolves individually.

The young swordsman slices a wolf in half with his longsword.

The flame-wielding girl controls the fire from the cocktail, engulfing the monsters like a wave.

The shield man still—remained curled up on the ground, quiet as a mouse.

“They fight well…”

They must be around B and C rank at best.

They could definitely make the cut after building up achievements from this raid.

Of course, the girl is fighting using the flames I created.

But still, it means she knows how to utilize her surroundings.

That’s talent in its own way.

A hunting sense I couldn’t imagine when I was a healer.

I analyzed their fighting style, calculating which cocktails would be good to sell them.

By the time I finished my calculations, the city had grown quiet.

The tank finally lifted his shield to check his surroundings.

Only after confirming the fallen wolves did he dare to stand up.

“What took you so long? I thought I was going to die!”

He yells at the red-haired girl.

She bows her head deeply, apologizing.

“Come on, we caught them, that’s what matters. None of us knew wolves get stronger when they cluster together.”

The swordsman tried to smooth things over with some bluffing.

But the middle-aged man’s face was still flushed with anger.

“This is why I said we shouldn’t use unproven kids. There’s a reason she flunked out of the academy, you know?”

As he raged, the girl’s face grew gloomy.

She looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

Watching her expression from afar, I felt a twinge in my nose.

Because I saw a very familiar man in her.

Perhaps because of that, I rose gracefully from the debris.

And carefully approached them.

“Haha… Congratulations on your successful raid-.”

As I approached with a smile, the hunters were startled and took defensive positions.

They seemed to consider me an enemy with my mask and pulled-down hat.

“Who are you?”

The young swordsman asks me in a cold voice.

I deliberately remove my hat and pull my mask down to my chin to show I have no intention to fight.

“Just a wandering merchant. I thought you might need my help, so I stopped by.”

“A peddler?”

The older man frowns.

Peddler… that feels quite insulting.

“Not a peddler… more like a potion master.”

“Are you a Hunter Killer? I heard they ambush exhausted hunters after raids.”

The older man asks with glaring eyes.

Indeed, approaching isn’t easy.

Actions might speak louder than words here.

I turned my bag around and opened the zipper.

“You there, swordsman.”

I point to his left arm.

“You were bitten on your left arm by a charging wolf, weren’t you?”

The swordsman’s blade wavers in surprise.

He nods hesitantly.

“Hasn’t the wound been itchy and painful for a while now?”

“Uh… yeah. How did you know?”

The swordsman asks, dumbfounded by my accurate diagnosis.

“Wolf teeth contain neurotoxins. If not treated immediately, you might live with tremors for the rest of your life.”

I take out a prepared potion.

Bubbles rise in the drink with fresh mint leaves floating on top.

<Virgin Mojito Potion>

Grade: ★★☆

Effect: Removes poisoning symptoms.

Info: Made with soda instead of rum.

Added mint leaves and herbs for disinfectant effect.

I confidently hand the bottle to the swordsman.

His hand begins to tremble as he receives the potion.

“T-tremors are coming?”

I advise him with a serious expression.

It’s absolutely reliable information.

In the past, Sister Jisoo often injured her arms while hunting Night Stalkers.

Each time, she would make a fuss about getting tremors if not treated quickly.

I remember how cute she looked—I used to grind herbs and mint to apply to her wounds, telling her to stop overreacting.

The pleasant memory makes my lips curl up.

But that smile soon faded back down to my chin.

The disapproving older man was raising objections.

“Hey, kid. What kind of street peddling is this? How could drinking this cure status effects?”

I instinctively shrink my shoulders at his scolding.

His gruffness reminds me of Hyunsu, which is intimidating but somehow familiar.

Thanks to that familiarity, I soon compose myself and approach him.

“Come on, just trust me and try it once.”

I look up at him steadily.

And smile with narrowed eyes.

“W-what?”

The bald man avoids my gaze, seemingly flustered that I approached despite his scolding.

I quietly show him a second potion.

<Old Fashioned Potion>

Grade: ★★★☆ (Epic)

Effect: Recovers 25% of user’s HP.

Increases movement speed by 25% for 5 minutes.

Info: Increased whiskey amount and added one more sugar cube.

The sweet and refreshing taste of an “adult.”

“Uncle-.”

I politely offer him the glass bottle with both hands.

Then I pretend to whisper in his ear.

“I specially gave you a higher grade one.”

The man clears his throat with his hand covering his mouth.

His face flushes, perhaps unaccustomed to being called “uncle.”

“Hmm, at least you can tell who the party leader is.”

The middle-aged man takes the cocktail potion I offered.

His mood seems improved as he puts the bottle to his lips without hesitation.

“…”

“How is it?”

I ask, tilting my head.

The man’s face wrinkles intensely.

“This is…”

Everyone waits for the man’s reaction.

I swallow once and clasp my hands together.

“It’s delicious! Tastes like some kind of medicinal tonic.”

He laughs heartily, his expression softening.

Phew…

Fortunately, his grimace was a positive reaction.

“You guys should try it too. I really feel lighter.”

He lifts his shield with a flourish.

Then he starts running around energetically with it mounted on his back.

It seems this is his first time experiencing a movement speed buff.

Well, hiring a support class that provides buffs would cost a lot of money, so it’s probably not easy to experience.

Seeing the grumpy man bouncing around like a child, the swordsman also starts drinking his potion.

He empties half the bottle at once and makes an ecstatic expression as if he’s taken drugs.

“Really… the itching is gone? How is this…”

The young man swings his arm vigorously.

I proudly fold my arms and watch my customers intoxicated by the potions.

If reactions continue like this, I’ll pay off my overdue rent in no time!

“—.”

While thinking this, someone tugs at my jacket sleeve.

I turn to the owner of that touch.

“Um… big sister. Do you have a potion I could buy too?”

She asks shyly, pulling her hood down.

Her cuteness makes the corners of my mouth twitch upward.

“Is it… because I wasn’t helpful enough to be worth giving one to…?”

The girl mutters in a dejected voice.

My face freezes at those words.

Not helpful.

Not worth it.

Words someone often used on themselves.

And I know who that someone is.

“How old are you?”

“I’m… seventeen.”

Perhaps it’s because I’ve met someone at eye level after so long.

I feel a sense of kinship.

“Your name?”

“Seah. Im Seah.”

Hyunsu would have been quick to scold such a party member, like the shield man did.

But Sister Jisoo wouldn’t have.

If it were her…

What would she have said to this child?

I gently removed Seah’s hood.

And stroked her flattened hair.

“You don’t need things like this. You’re still plenty capable of becoming stronger on your own.”

That was the best I could come up with.

It’s not as good as what Sister would say, but I hope these words give the girl strength.

“Really…?”

The girl’s black eyes widen.

Her clear, moist eyes ask me again and again.

“Yes. So don’t be so intimidated. Even rankers make mistakes sometimes.”

I recalled Anna slicing through the red sand with a single stroke.

Though that might have been because she let her guard down thinking it was a dummy.

“There’s no point regretting mistakes that have already happened.”

“Just try not to repeat them.”

“And I’m sure that’s what your teammates want too.”

I wiped the black soot from her cheek with my finger.

Seah’s face gradually turned red.

The red-haired girl covered her mouth with her hand and lowered her head.

Then she says quietly.

“Thank you…”

Seah’s shy gratitude warms a corner of my heart.

Though I haven’t received any money yet, her glistening smile is beautiful, as if I’ve already been paid.

I decided to give her a gift.

Very secretly, I handed two glass bottles to the girl.

“What is this…?”

“My secret weapon.”

<Molotov Cocktail>

“If some real jerk bothers you, use this.”

I carefully place the bottles in her hands, as if handing over bombs.

Come to think of it, they are kind of like bombs.

Seah hugged the glass bottles to her chest as if receiving precious jewels.

I looked at her and clenched my fist firmly.

The girl smiled broadly and clenched her fist too, imitating me.

My final words weren’t inspired by thoughts of Sister.

They were simply the words of someone who had always been weak and intimidated.