chapter_0632

632 – Let’s Explore the Market

632 – Let’s Explore the Market

Even though my weight had increased, I still felt light, but it wasn’t a completely meaningless ability.

As my weight increased, my strength must have grown as well.

“Ugh.”

I picked up a suitably thick branch nearby.

I was about to strike it down with the edge of my hand to see if I could break it, but just in case, I looked up at Master.

“Sir, if my weight increases, does my strength also increase?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…”

It seemed like my strength had indeed increased, but for some reason, the thought that I shouldn’t strike it down filled my mind.

How should I put it? It felt like I could envision a future where I would strike the branch and end up in pain.

It was a kind of big data formed through my experiences up until now.

“…I think I’ll just skip it.”

Despite my whimsical decision, Master patted my head.

Thanks to that, I was able to return to where the children were with a pleasant step.

“Hey, guys.”

“Gyeoul!”

Saebyeok, who was nearby at the swimming pool playground, greeted me.

She didn’t seem wet, as she had just entered the playground to play.

“Saebyeok, I feel really heavy right now?”

“Did you eat a lot?”

“No, I used an item. Want to see?”

I jumped towards the swimming pool playground.

Splash-!

Normally, only a small amount of water would splash up, but thanks to my increased weight, the water shot up quite high.

“Wow!”

“It’s a water bomb!”

The children approached me as the water from the swimming pool rose high.

It seemed like they wanted to rush over, but due to the buoyancy of the water, they approached slowly.

“Levinas can also make the water rise! Yap yap!”

“Gaeul can too!”

The children splashed around in the water.

The water from the swimming pool had risen high, but it didn’t even reach half the height when I stepped on it.

‘I guess I really have gotten stronger.’

It was a moment that made me feel inexplicably proud.

Saebyeok lightly stomped her foot towards the swimming pool.

Boom-!

The water from the swimming pool shot up to a height that was incomparable to when I did it.

As the water poured down like rain, the children cheered with excitement.

“It’s raining!”

“Saebyeok, keep going!”

“Okay.”

Bang! Bang!

We played while getting drenched in the artificial rain created by Saebyeok.

As I laughed and got splashed with the children, Sophia approached us, leaning on her cane.

“Sophia, you’re here?”

“Yes.”

As she got closer, Sophia tidied my wet hair.

Her pleasant touch made my tail wag, and in that moment, I instinctively shook my body side to side to shake off the water.

As a result, Sophia ended up getting wet.

“I’m sorry, Sophia. This is just a cat’s instinct.”

“It’s alright. By the way, would you like to go to the market together?”

“The market?”

“Yes, I get bored just going back and forth between home and the office.”

Is it like the elders going out for a stroll because they’re bored?

Since I didn’t really have anything else to do besides playing, I had no reason to refuse.

“Sure, that sounds good.”

**

‘The market, huh.’

Thinking about it, I had never been to the market in this world.

I had seen it a few times while moving through regions, but I had never gone with the purpose of visiting the market itself.

“Sophia, but why go to the market when there’s a supermarket?”

“The market is more convenient. It was the norm in the original world.”

“I see.”

Since it was a medieval-like world.

For Sophia, it might be a more convenient place than a large supermarket.

As I nodded in understanding, Sophia cleared her throat softly.

“Still, the younger ones seem to adapt well to supermarkets.”

“Really?”

“Yes, didn’t a convenience store just open in the Beastmen village recently? Now it’s at the point where we can’t live without it.”

“Oh.”

So a convenience store has finally opened in our Beastmen village.

It felt like I was playing a simulation game where things developed without me having to pay attention.

‘I’m glad the village is developing.’

While I was lost in such thoughts, we arrived at the market.

The sight of vendors displaying various goods on stalls was heartwarming.

‘It smells delicious too.’

The market was very different from a large supermarket where the items sold were predetermined on each floor.

Should I say it was exciting to not know what items would be sold at the next supermarket?

As I held Sophia’s hand and walked through the market, Gaeul, who had run ahead, pointed to a corner of the market and stomped her feet.

“Chwing! Pak Kong!”

“Are they selling popcorn?”

“Hek…!”

Is Gaeul craving popcorn?

If she wants it, I should buy it for her.

I let go of Sophia’s hand and followed Gaeul.

When we turned the corner, what we found was none other than a puffed rice machine.

“Eh.”

I smelled corn, but it seemed it was puffed rice, not popcorn.

Once I realized that, the smell was indeed quite different.

Just as I was pushing the differences between popcorn and puffed rice into my mind, I heard a loud voice from the man operating the puffed rice machine.

“Puffed rice!”

With that, an enormous explosion occurred, and puffed rice burst out.

Bang-!

“Yack!”

“……!”

The unexpected explosion was enough to startle us.

I jumped slightly in surprise, and the children’s ears perked up, including Gaeul’s.

“Indu! Indua!”

Startled, Gaeul grabbed my hand and ran to the opposite side of the puffed rice machine.

With her other hand, she was holding onto Bomi.

It seemed she thought the puffed rice machine was dangerous and ran with whoever she could grab.

“Chwing Pak Kong, right…!”

“Yes. That’s puffed rice.”

“Ppuntti?”

“Yes. It’s a snack made by going puff! and bursting.”

“Explosive?!”

Is this Gaeul’s first time seeing such a scene?

It is indeed a rare sight these days.

“A snack made by an explosion…!”

“That’s amazing! I’ve never seen an explosive snack before!”

“Me neither…!”

Is an explosive snack really that cool?

The world seen through the children’s eyes was truly fascinating.

“Shall we buy explosive snacks then?”

“Yes! Yes!”

Gaeul answered twice.

It was clear how much she wanted to eat puffed rice.

“Then let’s buy one and share it.”

“Hek…!”

I bought puffed rice and shared it with the children.

The taste was just like ordinary puffed rice, but perhaps because of the title of being made by an explosion, the children ate it quite happily.

“I should make explosive soap bubbles later!”

“I’ll make an explosive transformation!”

“I, I will… um… an explosive cleaning ray…!”

“……”

What is this?

Adding ‘explosive’ in front makes it sound really scary.

It felt even scarier because I thought our children could actually do it.

‘Does it explode when it touches the soap bubble? As for the explosive transformation… does it turn the opponent into a bomb?’

That’s a really terrifying technique.

It was a moment when I swallowed hard.

Levinas covered his mouth and chuckled.

“The snack that touches the bomb soap bubble goes puff! and becomes an even tastier snack!”

“I’ll also make a ray that goes puff! and cleans the house…!”

“Ah.”

So it wasn’t a scary explosion, but rather that kind of explosion.

As I sighed in relief, Bomi looked quite flustered.

“Bomi, what’s wrong?”

“I was thinking of a transformation that turns the opponent into a bomb.”

“Oh…”

That does sound quite scary.

Somehow, it feels like Bomi could really do it.

Just imagining it sends shivers down my spine.

I averted my gaze for no reason, and there I witnessed an interesting scene.

“Wow, why are you charging three thousand won for this much? It should be fifteen hundred won.”

“Oh, then just give me two thousand won. We need to make a profit too.”

“Okay.”

It was a scene of price negotiation that was hard to see in a large supermarket.

In a supermarket where prices are fixed, doing something like that would get you labeled as a nuisance, but in the market, it’s quite common.

Perhaps it was because they were witnessing a new culture, the children were watching with curious eyes.

“Wang! They just negotiated the price!”

“Yes. In the market, bargaining is common.”

“Bargaining?”

“Yes. Bargaining is when the seller and buyer discuss the price of an item.”

“Really?!”

Levinas’s eyes sparkled.

Could bargaining be an interesting culture for the children?

It seemed like it would be a fun experience to try bargaining at the market.

“Shall we try bargaining at that side dish shop?”

“Gaeul…!”

“Would you like to try first, Gaeul?”

“Yes!”

With her fists clenched, Gaeul marched towards the side dish shop.

We decided to watch from behind to see how Gaeul would act.

“Ikku juttae-o.”

“Stir-fried anchovies?”

“Yes.”

“Stir-fried anchovies are… one thousand won for a hundred grams.”

Upon hearing the vendor’s words, Gaeul held up one finger.

We all knew very well what that meant.

“One hundred… no, no.”

Gaeul shook her head as she spoke.

With a face full of anguish, Gaeul showed two fingers.

“Two hundred.”

“Two… two hundred won?”

“Yes! Two hundred!”

“Two hundred won is too low.”

The vendor’s rejection made Gaeul look shocked.

It seemed she didn’t expect to be turned down.

“Angeyo?”

“Yes. Two hundred won is too cheap. It’s a loss for me.”

“Ikku kkaakka… kkaakka juttae-o…”

With her eyebrows furrowed, Gaeul once again pleaded, showing two fingers.

Only then did the vendor and I realize what the two fingers meant.

“Oh, you want it for two hundred won, not that you want to reduce it by two hundred won?”

“Yes!”

“Two hundred won is fine.”

Nodding, the vendor wrapped up the stir-fried anchovies.

Gaeul, who had successfully bargained down a two thousand won side dish by two hundred won, approached us proudly.

“Exham.”

Is it because she bargained down by two hundred won instead of just one hundred?

Gaeul puffed out her chest with pride.

Two hundred won was a significant amount for our Gaeul.

“Gaeul, that’s amazing. You succeeded in bargaining.”

I praised Gaeul for her achievement.

Perhaps because of my praise, Gaeul puffed her chest out even more.

She almost tipped over with how far she leaned forward.