Chapter 14 of 100
Chapter 14. Sold Out, Meow.
8 min read1,974 words
Chapter 14. Sold Out, Meow.
"Hey?! It's a traveling merchant."
"Oh my! It's a cat!"
"A cat traveling merchant?!"
"Let's go see what they're selling."
The hunters approached Theo with interest.
"Huh? Cherry tomatoes?"
The hunters who had approached Theo were disappointed when they saw the pile of cherry tomatoes on the mat. They had expected weapons or mysterious potions, but the cherry tomatoes were something they could eat outside, which was understandable.
"Foolish humans, I knew you would react like this, meow. These are not the cherry tomatoes you know."
Sejun, who had confirmed that Theo would follow his instructions when selling items like tumblers, gave very detailed instructions.
"Different?"
"Yes, meow. Check the options once, meow."
Theo emphasized that the cherry tomatoes were items, following Sejun's instructions.
"Options?!"
"These are items?"
The hunters started to check the options of the cherry tomatoes.
"Magic Cherry Tomatoes?"
"Magic power increases by 0.1 for 10 minutes?"
"That's too low."
Indeed, the male hunters' reactions were not good. Their levels were 45-48, and at their levels, the 0.1 increase in magic power was almost negligible when combined with their equipment.
However,
"Eating this can break down 10g of fat?"
"Is this really possible?"
The female hunters' reactions were different. They immediately recognized the true value of the product. There were countless women who wanted to maintain their figures while enjoying delicious food outside.
Moreover, the options written on the item do not lie.
"How much is this?!"
Jessica, one of the female hunters, asked excitedly about the price of the cherry tomatoes. She immediately thought of her younger sister, Anna, when she saw them.
Anna, who had undergone a gastric bypass surgery due to severe obesity, had started binge eating due to depression last year and her weight had risen to 120kg.
To Jessica, who was worried about Anna's health, the magic cherry tomatoes felt like a ray of light.
"1 magic cherry tomato costs 0.05 top coins, meow."
"What?!"
The other hunters were surprised at Theo's words. The price of one cherry tomato was ridiculously high.
"I'll buy half of what you have."
"Huh?! Really, meow?! That's 500, meow!"
Jessica's words made Theo jump in surprise. 500 cherry tomatoes would cost 25 top coins, far exceeding the 5 top coins specified in the contract. This meant that Sejun's crops would have to be sold forever.
"Yes. 500, here are 25 top coins."
Jessica handed over the money. Compared to the costs she had already spent on Anna's treatment, it wasn't a large amount.
"Shouldn't you think about it again, meow? Human, you're making an impulse purchase, meow."
Theo, trying to cancel the lifetime contract, discouraged Jessica from buying instead of taking her money.
However, this had the opposite effect.
'Buying 500 and still being discouraged?'
'There must be something to this.'
'Should I buy a few to give to my girlfriend?'
The hunters became curious when they saw Theo's reluctance to sell.
"I'll take 100."
"I'll take 50."
"I'll take 50 too!"
The hunters started competing to buy the cherry tomatoes. Although the price of one cherry tomato was high, it wasn't a significant amount for elite hunters like them.
They could easily earn that much top coins in a few days of hunting. They were willing to pay to satisfy their curiosity.
The hunters went back to hunting spider monsters after their break.
"Th...This can't be..."
Theo looked at the empty mat and sniffled.
"Wow... Sold out, meow."
The first complete sellout in Theo's life. The legend of the cat traveling merchant Theo was beginning.
***
Day 134 of the ordeal.
"Ah!"
Sejun woke up energetically as usual.
Every time he leveled up, he increased his strength and vitality with the bonus stats, so his body condition was even better now. He felt full of energy every morning. Plus, the farmer's profession characteristic of not getting sick was subtly beneficial.
Swoosh.
Sejun went to the wall and drew a line, a habit, to start the day.
Creak!
Beep!
Beep!
Beep!
The white and black rabbits woke up and greeted Sejun.
"Good morning."
The rabbits started their respective tasks. Sejun washed his face in the small pond and began harvesting the cherry tomatoes.
Tap. Tap.
[Harvested ripe magic cherry tomatoes.]
[Job experience increased slightly.]
[Harvesting skill level 2 proficiency increased slightly.]
[10 experience points gained.]
...
..
.
While harvesting the cherry tomatoes,
[Level up.]
[1 bonus stat gained.]
It had been a long time since Sejun leveled up after reaching level 10. He increased his strength with the bonus stat.
"Is he doing well?"
Sejun thought of Theo. By now, he must have met the hunters.
"How many will he sell?"
Sejun didn't expect a complete sellout. He was worried if the naive Theo could sell them properly.
"Still, I taught him the secret technique. He should sell at least half."
Sejun had taught Theo the secret techniques of free samples and pressing sales. However, Sejun didn't think the cherry tomatoes would sell out in just a few minutes before Theo could even use the secret techniques.
"Once the cherry tomatoes start selling, my name will become known too. Hehe."
Sejun felt proud that his crops were being sold under his name.
At that moment,
Buzz.
A venomous bee entered the cave through a hole in the ceiling.
"Are you here?"
Buzz.
The venomous bee rubbed against Sejun's face, showing affection and marking its attendance.
Then,
Buzz.
It went to the cherry tomato field to collect nectar.
After some time,
Creak!
The wife rabbit started putting dry leek leaves into the fire. It was already lunchtime. Sejun had spent the morning harvesting cherry tomatoes and helping the rabbits water the fields.
Beep! Beep!
The black rabbit, who was practicing with a hammer, called Sejun. It was the time of day when the black rabbit could perform best, so it always looked forward to hunting piranhas.
"Alright. Let's go."
Sejun quickly moved to the pond and swung the torch from side to side.
Splash!
Bang!
A clean hammer strike. The black rabbit was now very skilled at hunting piranhas.
After hunting 5 piranhas, the black rabbit's body glowed for a moment.
"Huh?! Level up?
Nod.
The black rabbit nodded vigorously.
Sejun had seen the white rabbits level up a few times while working in the fields, but this was the first time he saw the black rabbit level up.
"Congratulations on the level up."
The black rabbit looked at Sejun proudly. How about me?
The black rabbit seemed a bit too confident, which worried Sejun. He hoped it wasn't planning to go into the water to hunt piranhas soon.
Meanwhile, the black rabbit ran to the other white rabbits and loudly announced its level up.
Creak!
Beep!
Beep!
The white rabbits congratulated the black rabbit.
Lunch was a bit noisy due to the rabbits' chatter. Sejun finished his lunch of grilled fish and leek with the rabbits' noise and quietly got up. Recently, Sejun had a new pleasure after lunch.
"Hehe. Time for coffee."
Sejun got up and lightly walked to his designated seat to pick up the tumbler.
When Theo left, Sejun had opened the tumbler to use it as a cup.
"Coffee!"
The tumbler contained 10 packets of coffee. It seemed neither the merchant who bought it from Theo nor Theo had opened the tumbler.
A great find. If Theo had sold the tumbler instead of the coffee, Sejun would have paid for it.
Sejun took the tumbler to the small pond and filled it with water to about a quarter.
Tap. Tap.
He held the end of the coffee packet and lightly flicked it with his finger to shake off the excess. He couldn't afford to lose a single coffee granule. After preparing, he tore open the packet and poured the coffee into the tumbler.
Then,
Shake shake.
He closed the lid and shook it to dissolve the coffee granules.
Click.
Sip.
Sejun opened the lid and took a sip of the coffee.
Swish.
The bitterness of the coffee washed away the fishy smell and the sweetness of the leek.
"Ah. Coffee is the best after a meal."
Although he couldn't make it hot or iced due to the lack of tools, the coffee made with cool pond water was not bad.
Moreover,
Swirl.
Sejun added a little honey he had collected in a water bottle.
"Ah, that's good."
The bitterness and sweetness combined to create a new flavor.
The rabbits, seeing Sejun smile while drinking coffee, shook their heads, not understanding.
On the first day of drinking coffee, Sejun had given the rabbits a little to try, but they shuddered after tasting it. The same went for coffee with honey. It seemed the rabbits' tongues were more sensitive to the bitterness of coffee.
Sejun, who had enjoyed a proper coffee as a dessert, started the afternoon farming.
"Hum hum hum."
Sejun whistled while harvesting cherry tomatoes and watering the fields. He felt happy all afternoon after having a cup of coffee at lunch.
He finished the day in a good mood.
Creak!
Beep!
The rabbits greeted Sejun and went into the cave to prepare for sleep.
"Good night!"
Sejun also greeted the rabbits and went to his bed, patting the ground to make a comfortable spot.
At that moment,
Buzz.
The venomous bee was flying busily around the cave ceiling.
"Aren't you going yet?"
Although it had been coming early and leaving late recently, it was the first time the bee hadn't returned by this hour.
"Go to sleep quickly."
Buzz.
The venomous bee ignored Sejun and continued flying busily.
"Alright. I'll sleep. See you tomorrow."
Roar.
Sejun fell asleep as soon as his head hit the dirt pillow.
Buzz.
The venomous bee was busy making something on the cave ceiling.
***
"Why isn't he coming?"
Scaram, the goblin traveling merchant who had cheated Theo, waited for Theo to return. He was sure Theo would return disappointed, unable to sell the items he had given him.
'And then I'll comfort him, tell him about a bigger opportunity, and lend him money.'
From then on, the goblin would work as a slave to pay off the loan, which would grow with interest, for the rest of his life.
"Ha ha ha. It's been a long time since I found a good mark."
Scaram smiled slyly.
While waiting for Theo, Scaram went to the board that displayed the sales rankings of traveling merchants. Checking his ranking once a day and feeling proud was one of his pleasures in life.
[Traveling Merchant Sales Rankings]
...
..
.
999th - Scaram [45.2 top coins] 1UP
"Ha ha ha. Finally in the top 1000."
He had moved up one rank from 1000th to 999th. It was a hard-earned ranking, achieved by outperforming many new traveling merchants.
After checking his own ranking, Scaram looked at the names of the merchants ranked higher than him from the bottom. They were the targets he would step on to climb higher.
At that moment, Scaram's head stopped moving.
"Huh?!"
A name that shouldn't have been there caught his eye.
982nd - Theo [50 top coins] NEW!
"How is this possible? He couldn't have sold them..."
Scaram muttered, unable to understand.
***
Buzz.
Sejun woke up to the sound of the venomous bee's wings. The bee had been flying busily around the ceiling until morning.
At that moment,
"Huh? A beehive?"
Sejun saw a small beehive. It seemed the bee had been making this since yesterday.
"Are you moving in?"
Buzz.
Buzz.
In response to Sejun's question, the venomous bee moved up and down three times and then rubbed against Sejun's face, as if saying, "Please take care of me."
Day 135 of the ordeal, the venomous bee had moved into Sejun's cave, establishing its independence.