[Spirit Crystal]

Grade: Rare

A snack that spirits enjoy. Increases their strength. 

The description was short, but it was enough for Seo Jun-Ho. 

‘A Spirit Crystal!’ 

After creating a contract with Frost, he had done a lot of research on Spirits once he returned to Korea, including research on Spirit Crystals. 

‘It’s an all-powerful stone. Not only is it the Spirits’ favorite snack, but it also makes them stronger.’ 

Of course, this also meant that it was a favorite among Spirit-users because their power relied on their Spirit’s strength. 

“Ah, the statue truly does shine in five different colors. I feel healthier just from holding it…” Hakan was focused on praising the statue, so Seo Jun-Ho took the chance to look down at his shoulder and speak to her. 

He grinned. “Isn’t this great? You can eat it once we get back.”

“...” For some reason, the Frost Queen had a strange expression on her face. He had expected her to be excited, but she shook her head. “Contractor, I am a queen. Even though I have become a Spirit, how could I eat a rock?” she said curtly. 

“What? It’s good for you though. Just try it.”

“I refuse. A simple cup of tea is all I need to maintain my health.”

“...” 

He suddenly felt like a parent with a picky child.

***

The two men went straight to Hakan’s house once they returned to the city. 

“Sophia!” he cried.

“Cough, cough… Honey?” Sophie slowly sat up. She had been bedridden for about a month now. 

Hakan hugged her. “It’s all over now. I got the Five-Colored Goddess Statue!”

“How…” She trailed off. She seemed to have a lot of questions, but she didn’t say anything else and simply patted her husband’s back. Hakan had held back his tears the whole time they were in the Dungeon, but he couldn’t keep it together in front of his wife. He looked nothing like the veteran mercenary Seo Jun-Ho knew as he started to sob in his wife’s arms. 

“This is nice,” Seo Jun-Ho muttered. 

“What do you mean? It’s gross,” Ply grumbled as he approached closer. 

Seo Jun-Ho glanced at him. “You used quite a bit of money. I saw that you hired two nurses and even bought expensive medication.”

“I would’ve never heard the end of it if you guys came back with the Five-Colored Goddess Statue and something had happened to her.” He saw Jun-Ho smiling at the couple, which made Ply scratch his bald head. “They fed me a few times when I was young, so I was just repaying the favor.”

Seo Jun-Ho smiled knowingly as if he had expected the reason. The couple approached him. Hakan’s eyes were red and swollen as he supported Sophia with his arm. 

“Really… I don’t even know how to thank you,” Sophia said. She hugged the statue to her chest and smiled faintly. She had looked sick and wan, but now, the color started to return to her face. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. For saving him… and for saving me.” Sophia tried to bow, but Seo Jun-Ho stopped her.

“No need for all that. Mr. Hakan has already thanked me enough,” he said.

“But it would bear heavily on my mind if I sent off my savior like this…” 

Seo Jun-Ho laughed as he waved her off. “Really, you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Then, could I at least invite you over for a small meal?” she asked.

“It would be an honor to try your cooking,” Seo Jun-Ho replied.

“Hoho, I’ll try my best to get better, then.” 

Hakan looked at Seo Jun-Ho warmly as he held Sophia in his arms. “Thank you again. If it weren’t for you, neither I nor Sophia would have survived,” he said.

“Jun-Ho-nim, you’re our savior.”

“Haha, you’ve thanked me enough.” Seo Jun-Ho thought that they might start thanking him again, so he dragged himself and Ply away. They stared at the shabby house from the outside. 

“Mr. Hakan’s financial situation isn’t great, I assume.”

“Well…They had made a lot of money when they were mercenaries, but he spent it all on medicine for Mrs. Sophia.”

“Makes sense.” He could still hear their conversation beyond the thin door. 

“Sophia, I’m going to retire from being a mercenary like you said. I’m gonna try to find a job in the city.”

“...I’m glad. Once I recover, I’ll look for a job as well.”

“You’re still sick. Just focus on getting better. That’s all I want.”

Ply didn’t appear to have heard them. He looked at Seo Jun-Ho. 

“Aren’t we going?” he asked. 

Instead of responding, Seo Jun-Ho pulled out all the treasure he had received from Shafirim’s tomb and handed it over to Ply. The latter’s eyes went wide as he checked the goods. 

“Wow… Are you giving this to me?”

“Of course not.” Seo Jun-Ho shook his head and looked toward the old house. “Sell it all and use the money to support them. Don’t tell them that I gave these to you.”

“...It’ll come out to at least 20 gold.”

“That’s a lot. Anyway, just do your job.”

20 gold was around 200 million won, but Seo Jun-Ho’s expression didn’t change. 

‘I’ve gotten all that I can from the Dungeon.’ 

He had leveled up and found 30 gold in addition to the other spoils, along with a Spirit Crystal. 

“...Can I ask you something?” Ply asked. 

“What is it?”

“Why are you taking care of them so much?”

“No particular reason. They’re good, honest people, so I’m just hoping that things work out for them.” Seo Jun-Ho explained. 

“Dammit, I should’ve been a nice person too.”

“You really should’ve. Oh, and if I catch you embezzling…”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I, Ply, am a master of money,” he said giddily. 

***

When Seo Jun-Ho woke up, he couldn’t see the ceiling. 

“...What is this?” he muttered. Hologram windows blocked his sight. As he squinted to read them, he sat up in his bed.

“Is this real?” Seo Jun-Ho rubbed his eyes and looked at the messages again. 

[News of your good deeds for Hakan and Sophia have spread throughout Gilleon.]

[The citizens of Gilleon applaud your virtuous character. Fame increased by 10.]

[Captain Max once again regrets being unable to hire you. Fame increased by 10.]

[Emily from the miscellaneous goods store…]

[Telsi of the Adventurer Guild…]

[The merchants of Gilleon…]

…..

“What in the world…?”

Clearing Shafirim’s tomb with Hakan hadn’t been a Quest, but apparently, his name had spread across Gilleon because of it. Thanks to that, his Fame had increased by 520 overnight. He quickly opened his status window.

[Seo Jun-Ho]

Level: 43

Title: Bringer of Spring (+2)

Strength : 157     Stamina : 160

Speed: 157         Magic: 189

Fame: 1,070

“...It really went up.”

He had reached 1000 Fame in a day. According to Gong Ju-Ha, that was the minimum amount of Fame he needed to even try talking to nobles. Of course, that didn’t guarantee a real conversation. If he tried to seek out a noble in his current state, he would most likely be turned away at the door. 

‘I need a way to meet them in a more natural situation.’

He had already had a plan for this.

‘The kobold hunting competition.’ 

If he performed well there, he would have a chance to speak with the city lord when he received his reward. 

“Things are going way better than I thought.” He gave a satisfied smile and got out of his bed. “We don’t need to farm for Fame anymore. I just need to reach level 50 now,” he said to the Frost Queen. 

“Mm, congrats.” She had just woken up, and her eyes were still sleepy. 

“Since you’re up now, how about trying the Spirit Crystal? It’s really good for you if you just have a bite in the morning…”

“No. I’m going back to sleep.” She wrapped herself in tissue again and fell back asleep. 

Seo Jun-Ho glared at her stubborn back. He nodded slowly. “If that’s how you’re gonna be…”

He had no other choice but to be petty like her. 

***

“Fuwa!” The Frost Queen shot up. She tended to sleep in, and if Seo Jun-Ho didn’t wake her up, she would wake up around lunchtime. 

“You’re awake?” Seo Jun-Ho called out from the sofa. He smiled brightly and waved her over. “Come here and eat breakfast.”

“I don’t want to! You’re going to tell me to eat the Spirit Crystal again!” She gagged. He kept nagging her to eat it since yesterday, going on about how good it was for her and how she should just take a single bite. “Contractor, you are disgustingly stubborn. You should know when to give up…”

“Yeah, I know. I finally realized that I was wrong.” He shook his head seriously. Then, he held out a plate of strawberry shortcake and a cup of black tea. “I got you some good tea as an apology, and this cake is from the most famous bakery in the city. Why don’t you have some?”

“...” The Frost Queen was determined not to get out from under her tissue, but she couldn’t help but fly over after hearing what he said. When she saw that it really wasn’t the Spirit Crystal and was simply a slice of cake and tea, she grinned happily. “So you’ve finally come to your senses.”

“Yup. I really regretted it.”

“Then, well… There is no reason for me to refuse.” She held out her hand, and an ice fork formed in her hand. She took a bite of the cake and a sip of tea. Seo Jun-Ho watched her nervously. 

“Mmhm!” she exclaimed. 

“...W-what’s wrong? Is it bad?” he asked carefully. 

She shook her head. “No, it’s delicious!”

“...Oh, really?”

“The cake is so soft, and the strawberries are very fresh. This tea also tastes different from the one I usually have. Where did you buy it?”

“I just got that from the restaurant on the first floor.”

“...Really? How strange. The usual tea is not bad either, but it is not usually this delicious.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter as long as it tastes good, right?”

“Precisely. I feel energized now thanks to this delicious food.” She hummed happily as she finished her meal. There was a victorious smile on Seo Jun-Ho’s face as he watched her eat.

‘I always fell for it when I was younger.’ 

If a child didn’t like eating vegetables, the easiest way to get them to eat vegetables was to sneak them into something like a smoothie or fried rice. The cake and tea she was eating were filled with pulverized Spirit Crystal. 

“Is it good?” he asked. 

“Yes, it is,” she responded happily.

“Alright, eat up~” Seo Jun-Ho said, greatly satisfied.