-Hey, Zombie. Do you know what's most important when being tutored?
"I'd like you to first stop calling me Zombie."
-It's the tutoring fee.
We finished our business in the Sangryun headquarters and left. It was right in the middle of the day, and the streets were bustling. Retired hunters were busily serving customers in restaurants and cafes.
There were a lot of completely empty stores among them as well. The owners of those stores were sitting blankly with their mouths gaped open. People who succeeded would succeed, and those who didn't would not. It was cruel, but it was an unchangeable fact of both Babylon and the outside world.
–And you just got the tutoring fee. Let's see, so what's next?
"Mm. A good tutor?"
–Nope. There's already one in front of you.
Bae Hu-ryeong spoke shamelessly. Without even the slightest change in his expression.
–A good reference book! You need a textbook that'll help you grow faster.
"A textbook…"
–Yeah. Like a skill tome or an elixir. But there's no way you'll understand a skill tome even if you get one, k? So the only answer is to get those fucking expensive elixirs.
This guy said the right things in such a rude way.
–Also, I don't deal with cheapo elixirs. Why, was it the Alchemy Castle? There was a guild that doctors and pharmacists were registered in. Get the elixirs made only by their skilled masters.
"Ek."
–I know where the store is, so don't worry. There's somewhere that grandpops Marcus used to go. If we get all the elixirs there…
"W–Wait a minute."
–Hm? Why?
I lowered my voice because some people were walking by me.
"…Aren't those elixirs ridiculously expensive?"
–Of course they're ridiculously expensive. If you hear the price, your jaw will drop.
Bae Hu-ryeong snickered.
–Should I tell you how much it is?
"Let's hear it."
He whispered in my ear. My eyes widened after hearing the price. It was an astronomical amount.
"Even if I pour everything I have, I only get four?!"
–Heehee. If we buy it in bulk we can get a discount and get five. They know how to run a business. This is why doctors who know the taste of money are the scariest.
"I–It's too expensive…"
Goodness. I would become poor again. I thought I would be able to live comfortably since I got the 1st-place lottery ticket.
–Well. What can you do about it? It's because you lack skills. Just think of it all as your fate… humph!
Bae Hu-ryeong's face hardened.
–Gong-ja. Hide.
"What?"
–Quickly.
His voice turned serious. I found myself behind a trash can at his words. It was a trash can that a restaurant used to throw away food waste. I crinkled my nose. ꭆἁ₦о𝔟È𝐬
"Why are you telling me to hide suddenly?"
–Be careful. It's grandpops Marcus.
"…"
I held my breath. Carefully, I peeked above the trash can to see the street. An old man with tied-back white hair—current world Rank 1 with Detective's Insight—the Sword Saint, was walking far away.
'If I get caught it'll suck.'
My heart pounded. Maybe because my nervousness transferred, the too-much-talking Bae Hu-ryeong shut his mouth for a while. Both of us hid behind the trash can holding our breaths, looking at the Sword Saint.
"…Again… shut up…"
Thankfully, he didn't seem to have noticed us. He muttered to himself like always and headed somewhere.
–Sheesh.
Bae Hu-ryeong grimaced as the Sword Saint entered a building.
–Tsk! That's the best shop.
"The best shop?"
–Elixirs. I'm talking about elixirs. The best creator set up their shop there. Ugh, seriously! Everyone else is just a drug dealer. We have to buy it there…!
Bae Hu-ryeong tapped his feet. This was the first time I'd seen this ghost actually mad. I was lost in thought next to him.
'Using the same store as Sword Saint is too dangerous. But a good store for elixirs…'
I searched for the top rankers on my phone. The list started from first place.
Rank 1. Sword Saint / Affiliation: None
Rank 2. Black Dragon Witch / Affiliation: Black Dragon (Guild Master)
Rank 3. Count / Affiliation: Merchant's Union (Guild Master)
Rank 4. Heretic Questioner / Affiliation: Ten Thousand Temple (Guild Master)
Rank 5. Venomous Snake / Affiliation: Chen Mu-mun (Guild Master)
Rank 6. Babel's Linguist / Affiliation: Manhak (Vice Guild Master)
Rank 7. Kwangyeok Messenger / Affiliation: Golden Newspaper (Vice Guild Master)
Rank 8. Crusader / Affiliation: Civil Militia (Vice Guild Master)
…
…
"It's not here."
I muttered to myself. Bae Hu-ryeong reacted immediately.
–Hm? What's not here? Your luck?
"No. The opposite, actually."
I was overflowing with luck.
"It might not cost as much as I thought."
–What?
"We'll only have to spend a penny to get the best elixir."
I grinned.
"Because I know a really good pharmacist."
…
We entered a dark alley.
It was a poor neighborhood. People here lived there because they couldn't earn enough money. It was a Harlem-type neighborhood. The hunters looking our way had abnormal gazes in their eyes.
–…There's a skilled pharmacist here?
Bae Hu-ryeong complained, like he didn't believe it.
"It's not a skilled pharmacist, but the best pharmacist in history."
–Take it easy with your lies. Why would someone like that stay here?
"Ah, don't believe me if you don't want to."
I heard someone clicking their tongue from some corner. It seemed the hunters looking at me had turned away. They probably thought I was a psycho seeing me talk to myself. Even though people in this Harlem were the worst, they didn't touch mental patients. I smirked to myself.
'What's gonna happen if they know my wallet's filled with gold coins?'
It was obvious. They would run at me like wolves.
Of course, I didn't plan on telling my wallet's business to others. Smelling the scent of rotting corpses, I entered deeper into the alley. It was then that I heard the sound of something ripping.
"P-Please, just don't touch my experiment materials!"
A young voice.
After that, someone spoke in a rough tone.
"You've done this more than once now? What kind of bullshit are you spitting out!"
"It's already half a year since the due date. You have to pay the price now."
I headed toward the voices. In the middle of the twisted streets, there was an empty store. That was where the people were fighting.
"Ut. I–If you take all the tools… I really can't make a living…"
"Let's go, there's nothing to see anymore. Take everything!"
Gangsters with big bodies loaded machines onto their rear carts. A young woman looking to be in her mid-20s grabbed onto them, pleading.
"One week! Please just give me one more week. No, five more days…"
"That one week became one month, and that month became half a year now!"
As the gangsters drove away, the store owner collapsed to the floor. She reached out a hand toward the rear carts even as her knees scraped against the ground.
"There's… there's still incomplete liquid medicine…!"
"Ugh. Why did we get caught by this crazy pharmacist? Lady! I'm advising you—don't ever make medicines again!"
The rear carts creaked and disappeared. Only the despairing woman remained.
Including me, all the neighborhood people had come out to watch. They whispered among themselves.
"Tsk tsk. I thought that store would fail."
"The medicine is too expensive. Why is a single health potion 40 gold?"
"She thought business was easy because she's young…"
Perhaps she heard the whispers. The despairing store owner whipped her head toward them.
"E-Expensive? I only sell it at the original price!"
She looked pitiful. Her hair was stuck to her head like she hadn't washed it in days. Her glasses looked ancient. Even her voice was cracking.
"Only our store sells these kinds of medicines at this price in Babylon! Y-You should actually be grateful that I set up my store here! Yeah!"
"Aw, she's still not living in reality."
"Sheesh. Does she think she's better to say that…"
The onlookers shook their heads and dispersed.
The store owner, looking like no one would like her, still sat there.
"Oh… W-Wait. Since you're all here, how about a bottle of health potion…? With my special potion, even an almost dead hunter can flop back to life."
"I—I won't buy it, I won't!"
She tried to grab the onlookers, but it was too late. They cursed and disappeared.
"It has really good effects… it's not a lie…"
She plopped onto the ground.
–Hey.
Bae Hu-ryeong muttered after seeing that unpleasant scene.
–Is the 'historical pharmacist' you talked about… that loser?
"What are you going to do if it is?"
–I'm going to sincerely worry about your welfare. Thinking, ah, this kid's brain must've gone weird after dying 4000 times. And then I'll introduce you to the best therapist in Babylon.
I snorted.
"You should've worried about my welfare when I started to see ghosts. That owner is definitely the historical pharmacist, so don't worry."
–That's not a historical pharmacist, that's a historical loser! You crazy bastard!
He yelled, but I ignored him. I walked toward the owner sitting on the floor.
"Excuse me."
"Uuh..?"
She looked up at me. She looked even more pathetic up close. Her clothes were too big for her, but her white coat made it clear she was a pharmacist and not a beggar.
"Store owner-nim. You're still selling, right?"
(TN: Store owner-nim = respectful address)
Of course, this person wasn't a beggar.
She wasn't an ordinary pharmacist either.
"If you're still selling, there's something I want to order."
Lord of Alchemy Castle.
She was a pharmacist who would rise to Rank 5 in the future.
Right now, she was outside the rankings, but she would definitely succeed.
"It's alright if it's a bit expensive."
"Ah, yes. Yes! Of course! I can make you anything!"
The color returned to her face. Her store had been on the brink of bankruptcy, but here was a customer wanting expensive medicine.
"Uh, but… how expensive are you talking about…?"
"Hm."
In the future, she was a pharmacist I couldn't even dream of buying from.
But this time was different.
"I want to buy about 20,000 gold worth."
"…"
Her mouth dropped open.
So what if she looked pathetic?
To me, she looked like a goose that laid golden eggs.
And 100% pure gold at that.
I smiled.
"What are you doing? You need to take the order, Store owner-nim."
I would be her sickening regular now.