12 – So-young’s Request (1)
“Yeo-ul, where did you get that?”
So-young pointed to the purple stone that Yeo-ul was holding in his hand with a surprised expression on her face.
“Thanks to So-young, I was able to go out today, but this is something I obtained from the monster I killed on the way.”
“Huh…? A monster…? What is that…”
“A dimensional rift opened on my walk, and a monster came out of it. So I killed it, and this was left in the place where the monster died.”
The more So-young listened to his story, the more she felt confused about what it could be.
“So, you went out today, a dimensional rift opened, a monster came out, and Yeo-ul killed that monster, and this stone was there in the place where it died?”
“Yes. So-young’s words are correct.”
“May I take a look at the stone for a moment?”
“Yes.”
Yeo-ul handed the stone he was holding to So-young.
She took it and examined it from various angles.
The strong scent of magical power emanating from the stone. She was convinced that her thoughts were correct.
As soon as she saw the stone he was holding, So-young knew that it was a magic stone, and a high-quality one at that. It was because of her job at the company that she knew this.
That’s why she couldn’t believe her own eyes even more. To have picked up a high-quality magic stone during the short time between going to work and coming back.
Moreover, the story was even more absurd. A sudden dimensional rift appeared before her eyes, and he killed a demon that had a stone of this caliber.
Could it be that Yeo-ul was the protagonist she saw on the news earlier when she was coming back home?
She had a suspicion that he was a powerful returnee, but…
“Yeo-ul, this is unbelievable, it’s a magic stone.”
“A magic stone, you say.”
“Yes. It’s a concentrated form of magical power that exists inside powerful demons.”
Her explanation continued.
A magic stone is a concentrated form of magical power. It exists inside powerful demons and serves as the core item that allows them to exert their full strength.
And it plays the most important role in modern magical engineering.
On Earth, ten years ago, a mysterious power called magic emerged after an incident. It is similar to the mana used in games and allows humans to manipulate the mysteries they had thought did not exist.
However, it was not suitable as an energy source because it was widely spread in the air. It was similar to solar power generation on Earth, which showed low efficiency.
But with the discovery of mana crystals, humanity gained a new and advanced energy source that could not have been imagined before.
A substance comparable to coal during the Industrial Revolution. Mana crystals were being used as a safe and clean energy source in various fields nowadays.
“So, this is what it does.”
In the world he used to live in, he could not find a substance like mana crystals even if he killed magical creatures. That was why he didn’t know what mana crystals were.
After finishing the explanation, Soyoung hesitated.
“But, Yeowool. I was thinking….”
“Yes.”
“Maybe…. Oh, never mind.”
“It’s alright. If you have something to ask me, please don’t hesitate to tell me. I am in a position to repay a favor to Soyoung.”
When Soyoung saw the mana crystal, a thought came to her mind.
That thought was about the company she was working for.
Due to the immense value and energy it holds, the government was actively managing and purchasing mana crystals.
Magical creatures only appeared through dimensional portals, and those portals could be predicted with considerable accuracy.
Furthermore, the hunting of these creatures was carried out by hunters certified by the government, and after the hunt, the mana crystals obtained would be certified by the government. This made it possible to supervise and manage them.
However, it was practically impossible to supervise all dimensional portals and all magical creatures.
Also, there were cases where unlicensed individuals who were not hunters hunted magical creatures.
Unlicensed mana crystals were also consistently appearing.
There was an emerging black market where those unauthorized mana crystals were being traded secretly between sellers who wanted to monetize them and buyers who wanted mana crystals that couldn’t be traced because they lacked government certification.
And the company Soyoung was currently working for was a hunter company that illegally purchased unlicensed mana crystals.
They would purchase unlicensed mana crystals at a lower price from individuals who wanted quick cash.
Then, they would divide and reprocess the mana crystals as if they were from different magical creatures, and by exploiting loopholes, they would obtain government certification and resell them at a higher price. That was what the company Soyoung worked for was doing.
It was not because Soyoung wanted to work for such a company.
Her personality was already reluctant to work for a company that earned profits through illegal means. But because of the uniqueness of doing such work, all the employees of the company were people with similar personalities.
However, if she left the company, Soyoung would immediately face difficulty in making a living.
Not receiving education on Earth, she was practically an outsider in the job market.
She couldn’t earn money by hunting magical creatures since she couldn’t use magic.
Even trying to find part-time jobs was difficult due to prejudice against her kind.
Until a year ago, Soyoung lived her life barely surviving on the meager settlement subsidy from the government, scraping by on the streets. By a stroke of luck, she started working at this company just before she was about to starve to death, giving her at least a semblance of a job.
If she left the company, she would be back on the streets again.
That’s why Soyoung had deceived her conscience to stay attached to the company.
But she couldn’t help but wonder if she was causing harm to others, while trying to justify herself.
Even though she had gone to such lengths to work at the company, she was currently in danger of being laid off for some reason.
“But, but….”
As far as she knew, Yeoul did not have a hunter license or a returnee certification, so it was natural that the marbles he brought were unauthorized marbles.
And if she could sell this high-purity marble to the company with her intervention, the company would have to think twice about her resignation.
However, if she did that, she would only become a burden to Yeoul.
She had also seen the video of the incident that went viral on the internet.
It was likely that the government’s investigation would begin based on that.
It would be impossible to overlook the fact that a Level 3 dimensional gate demon was hunted by an unidentified person, and it would not be long before it was revealed that Yeoul was the protagonist of the video.
In the place where the demon was hunted, the hunter’s mana residue would undoubtedly remain, and Yeoul also had to register his mana residue to pass the returnee evaluation. Comparing the two would settle the matter.
Yeoul would have to answer the government’s question of how he obtained the marbles….
Although Yeoul didn’t leave any mana residue, Soyoung couldn’t help but think of him as a powerful magician.
“I don’t think so. Even if Yeoul says he’s okay, I can’t be a burden….”
“No. If you have a favor to ask, please tell me. It’s for my sake.”
He would repay the favor as soon as possible.
Lacking emotion, on the contrary, that was Yeoul’s principle to strictly keep what he decided.
Yeoul persuaded her again.
From Noble mtl dot com
“If it’s something I can help with, I would like to hear the story. Isn’t that okay?”
Soyoung hesitated at his words.
Yeah. If it’s just telling the story….
Although she was the type of person who found it really difficult to ask others for help, it was a matter of survival right now, so she had to temporarily put aside her conscience.
“If it’s going to be difficult, it’s really okay to refuse….”
Seeing Soyoung’s words, Yeoul showed signs of hesitation, and Soyoung said nonchalantly.
“I didn’t want to work in a company like this either… Maybe it’s okay to quit this time…”
However, until just a moment ago, her ears and tail, which fluttered slightly, became stiff and rigid, and her pupils also shook uncontrollably.
Yeo-ul had a gut feeling that this statement was a lie.
“It’s not a big deal, but if it helps So-young, I’ll do it.”
Yeo-ul decided to respond to the kindness she had shown him by accompanying her to her company, not knowing what would happen.
Even if something were to happen, it didn’t matter.
He was strong enough to split the earth in half if he wanted to.
Who could blame him and who could harm him?
Fortunately, Yeo-ul knew how strong he was and had no intention of misusing his power.
But if he thought there was a need to use that power.
No one would dare to stop him.