Declaration Of Extra Strike

“What?”

“A customer is here, and the owner is pretending not to know.”

That bastard…! I called for Yeon Seung-yeon.

“Seung-yeon ah! How about closing early today? Send the customers out!”

“Yes, yes?”

Yeon Seung-yeon and Kim Jin-myeong, who were inspecting logistics on one side, turned in surprise to look at me. Seong San-ha, still perusing the catalog, continued with a nonchalant tone.

“Cho yah, have you ever seen another customer come here?”

“Well, no—… San-ha nim, why are you…”

“I’m just worried it might go down the drain.”

In frustration, I also raised my head and shouted, “Seung-yeon! Is it true that Cheon Rang is going to fail? Why is the guild leader so indifferent?”

“Cho yah, please call the owner here.”

“Seung-yeon ah, tell him that the owner is busy.”

“Cho yah, please tell him the taste of the potion is strange.”

“Seung-yeon ah! Tell him that I know you’ve never tasted my potion!”

“Cho yah.”

“Seung-yeon.”

“Cho yah.”

“Seung-yeon!”

***

「You have fallen into a state of mild exhaustion. Rest is needed.」

「The production success rate has decreased.」

「Luck has worsened. The possibility of fainting has increased by 2%.」

I rubbed my head at the status window that appeared before me. Along with the large order from Cheon Rang, I tried to expand the items sold in the workshop, but inevitably, I fell into a state of exhaustion and overexertion.

“I’ll do it just one more time, and then I will go to rest.”

I glanced sideways at Yeon Seung-yeon, who was quietly crafting potions. I tried not to show any sign of distress, but as soon as there was a clinking sound of a glass rod being dropped, he rushed over like a ghost and grabbed my arm.

“Ho-hyun nim? Your face looks slightly flushed. Please take a break.”

“I just need to finish this. I still have to wrap up the delivery.”

“I’ll take care of that. You should focus on more important tasks and take a rest.”

“I’m fine. I can do it one more time.”

I shook off his grip on my arm like a cicada clinging to a branch. 

Yeon Seung-yeon, with bitten lips, rushed off somewhere and came back with a box. When I asked what it was for, upon seeing the label “Emergency Kit” handwritten on it, Yeon Seung-yeon opened the box and replied.

“As your one and only assistant, I couldn’t just stand by irresponsibly knowing that you were overexerting yourself. I prepared this for situations like this. Inside, there are mana potions, stamina potions, status ailment removal potions, and vitality potions! If you take all of them, I won’t stop you!”

“When did you prepare all this…?”

I was about to flatly refuse it as unnecessary, but I hesitated. The fact that Yeon Seung-yeon went to such lengths to prepare this made me feel weird.

“You know, Ho-hyun nim. After being injured, you need stronger and more potent potions…”

Yeon Seung-yeon’s words made sense. I mentally calculated the value of the potions I could make and the cost of the four types of potions that would disappear once consumed…

Realizing that there was no benefit, I gave up and stepped down from the workstation.

“Alright. I’ll take a break and come back. How much is left for today?”

“Ho-hyun nim, there’s nothing for you to handle. We’ve almost finished the Cheon Rang delivery. We just need to make a few samples.”

Yeon Seung-yeon pointed to the workstation behind me. I frowned slightly as I looked at all the low-grade potions.

‘I should look into whether there’s a way to lift Yeon Seung-yeon’s curse.’

Yeon Seung-yeon’s worried nagging fell on deaf ears behind me.

“Please get some rest. Have some food, or I can prepare…”

“It’s fine. I’m leaving.”

I went up to my room and jumped onto the bed. I wasn’t particularly sleepy, so I lay on the bed, tossing and turning for a while. I thought I had rested enough, but when I checked the status window, I saw that I was still suffering from fatigue. No, it had actually gotten worse.

「You’ve fallen into a state of fatigue. You need sufficient rest.」

「You crafting success rate has decreased.」

「Your luck has worsened. There’s a 10% higher chance of fainting.」

I never imagined that just showing signs of fatigue would lead to this. If I didn’t address this now, it could overlap with a severe illness. Eventually, I got up from my seat and went downstairs to the first floor.

“Damn it, this is frustrating.”

Yeon Seung-yeon would be extremely surprised if he saw me, so I secretly drank the status ailment removal potion I had made as a sample. As soon as I drank the potion, a refreshing feeling enveloped my body. 

The system window appeared in front of me. I expected the notification that the fatigue had been relieved, but I was startled and bewildered when my face was suddenly illuminated by a flashing light.

“Huh? Wait, hey!”

I reached out awkwardly. Naturally, my hand passed through the quest window into thin air.

In the past, I would have been excited, but now the situation is different. To create the first S-rank potion, I needed to discover previously nonexistent recipes and ingredients. However, I lacked both the recipe skill <Cheonji Bogam> and the ingredient appraisal skill <Flamel’s Pending Issues>. Nox, who would support me until I succeed, was also absent.

I sighed, looking at the quest window as if blaming it. What could I do? It told me to make a potion.

“Why did it appear just now? Is it because I drank the potion? Now that I think about it, it was the first time after leaving the center…”

Muttering complaints, I realized I had a renewed determination to create a new potion. My body must have recovered. I stood up, preparing to go out. It was just wearing a robe and pulling the hood down, but that was the end of it.

Putting on the hood, my head felt heavy, and the obscured vision was stifling. Until when did I have to hide like this? At least it was essential not to be exposed to Tae Jae-heon. Given that sneaky bastard, I was sure he wouldn’t let me go easily.

“It’s only items, not a robe.”

Unfortunately, items that changed appearance were ridiculously expensive. Moreover, if caught by high-grade insight skills or items, my original appearance might be revealed, so hiding required purchasing at least an S-rank item, which was quite costly.

In the past, money was useless to me, but now everything was about money. Feeling a bit down, I kicked a stone under my feet.

“I was called handsome Park Myung, but it does not really matter if it is Tae Jae-heon or the center. Anyway, I can’t touch my perfect face, so I need to get some items.”

While contemplating various things on my own, I found myself wandering to unfamiliar places. I had ended up reaching the western workshop village, far beyond where I intended to go to Wolgye Bridge. This was where I almost built my own workshop. 

Looking around, I noticed that the atmosphere here was quieter compared to the central streets. It seemed like the real estate agent’s words about people buying houses but not moving in were true.

‘I think our workshop is better than here.’

Someone tapped my shoulder as I looked around with my arms crossed. The slow rhythm made me wonder for a moment. When I turned around, there he was.

“You’re really….. Can I give you a slap?”

“Taking a stroll on your own?”

It was Seong San-ha again, with his hair and eye colors changed, just like before. Perhaps because I had been thinking about items earlier, my attention was drawn to Seong San-ha’s altered appearance.

‘He only changed the colors, but no one recognizes him. He must have some other ability, right?’

As I stared, Seong San-ha tilted his head to show his face better and smiled charmingly.

“Why? Do you think you fell in love again?”

“…Get lost. What’s your business here? Are you stalking me? Well, what is it?”

In response to my sharp question, Seong San-ha suddenly burst into laughter. After laughing for a while with an amused expression, he wiped away imaginary tears and spoke.

“I’m here for a reason too. But then I heard my puppy was nearby. By the way, our puppy has grown a lot, hasn’t he?”

“What’s your business?”

“You don’t need to know about that. Just try not to come around here as much as possible.”

I snorted at the soft but firm rejection. I was not curious about Seong San-ha’s business, nor was it any of my concern. It’s much better not to get involved by asking unnecessarily.

“There won’t be any reason for me to come. Just mind your own business.”

I turned away and headed back towards the main street, but I could hear footsteps following closely behind me.

“Are you going to Wolgye Bridge?”

“You don’t need to know either.”

“Fortunately, I just finished my work. I think I can make time for a date tomorrow.”

I grimaced at the disgusting sound, then sighed and shook my head in resignation. Dealing with Seong San-ha’s eccentricity was too much for a normal person like me to handle. For the sake of peace and tranquillity, I had to endure it.

“Well, suit yourself.”