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Park Seol-hwa answered that she could probably make about 500 of them in response to my question.

‘Crazy, at that point, it’s just a potion factory.’

It was understandable why Daehyun Guild was called a one-woman show by Park Seol-hwa.

So, if Park Seol-hwa steps out even for a moment to see me, how many potions’ worth of profit are we giving up?

“How long will it take?”

“About an hour and a half?”

Having checked the quantity and time, it was time to give orders to Factory Head Park Seol-hwa.

A fitting command as the expedition leader.

“Make 50 more potions, and while you’re at it, we’ll wait here and then depart.”

“Got it.”

Even though she said she could make 500, considering the time and all, we probably don’t need that many.

We can always supplement more if we run short after trying them out.

Usually, Park Seol-hwa would whine to her secretary about how bothersome and disliked making potions is, but given the situation, she started alchemy without a single complaint.

This is what being a pro and an adult is all about.

I didn’t rush her. She’d naturally make them at her maximum speed, so there’s no need for me to step in and stress her out.

While watching Factory Head Park Seol-hwa grind out potions, Lee Ha-yoon spoke up with concern.

“But… how are we going to carry 50 of them? None of us have backpacks.”

“It’s fine, we can carry them with telekinesis.”

“Won’t the bottles break?”

“Yeah, I can carry them without breaking.”

“…Won’t it be tiring to carry 50 all the way there?”

Even at a transcendent level, there’s a limit to how many I can carry at once.

Controlling hundreds of artifact-level swords at once would be too overpowered, so maybe it’s a way to prevent such situations. After 20, training doesn’t increase the number anymore.

Of course, I could push it to thirty or forty, but the exponential magic power usage would turn me into a premature hero.

Anyway, that’s not the point.

“If I control each one individually, I’d collapse from magic exhaustion before we even get there. So, I’ll create a form like a box or backpack and carry them all together.”

It’s not like I’m going to fine-tune and scatter 50 potions around, so why apply telekinesis to all 50?

I have no intention of doing such inefficient things.

By tightly wrapping the bottles in a curve with telekinesis, there’s no space for them to shake and break.

Wrapping various contents in a bundle and carrying them like holding something in one hand eliminates worries about magic consumption.

“…You always come up with ingenious methods.”

That’s how you survive in this terrifying world, kiddo.

Hayan is a kid, so I’ll protect her, but I have to protect myself too.

While we were chatting, Park Seol-hwa had already made all 50 potions.

It didn’t even take 10 minutes.

Incredibly fast.

There’s a reason she can single-handedly make potions that spread worldwide.

Although supply doesn’t quite meet demand.

“Let’s head out soon. I’ll take care of the potions.”

With the potions securely packed, I led the expedition team towards the dark valley.

Every 10 meters from the end of the blood trail, I’d drop a drop to rediscover the blood trail.

The stockpiled potions were doing their job splendidly.

How long had we been walking?

When only three potions were left, the blood trail disappeared.

‘Looks like we’ll have to search directly inside.’

The interior of the dark valley is a place that could be considered a lawless city.

Last time, we passed by without entering, so we moved without incident, but entering the city inside the dark valley, who knows what could happen.

Not that I think anything that could harm us would occur.

Our expedition team could, with a bit of exaggeration, destroy a country.

‘…Maybe it’s not an exaggeration?’

Anyway, we entered the city.

The lawless city of the dark valley, infamous enough for Jeong Gyeoul to have heard of it, seemed just like a peaceful city.

It didn’t feel much different.

“It’s more decent than I thought? I was worried about the lawlessness, but it seems it was unnecessary.”

“Right, it feels like a rural village.”

“A rural village… is this what Korea’s countryside is like?”

“There are worse places, areas destroyed by monsters where people live in ruins.”

“It’s the same in England. It’s gotten much better now.”

The expedition members were each sharing their impressions of the city.

Then, a young demon approached us from somewhere.

“…There’s a little demon kid coming over here?”

“Don’t mind it, let’s just pass by.”

Lee Ha-yoon looked at me as if questioning how I could do that, her eyes wide.

The young demon was missing an arm and had a half-severed tail.

It was a pitiful sight, not strange to feel sorry for.

The demon child, now close, reached out its remaining arm to Hayan as if begging.

Its expression seemed to know who among us would pity it the most.

Just as Hayan was about to pull out a snack from Asmodeus’s realm to give to the child,

I reached out and pushed the demon child away.

At the same time, Jeong Ha-yul threatened the child.

“Don’t even think about playing tricks, it’s nothing to slit your neck.”

“…”

The demon child, with frightened eyes, turned back the way it came.

Hayan, who witnessed the whole scene, looked shocked.

‘Ah… I might have brought Hayan along for nothing.’

Each scene like this might be pushing her further towards darkness.

But I couldn’t just let it pass without explanation.

Who knows when such a situation might arise again, and if Hayan were alone then, she might fall for it.

“Didn’t you see its hand? There was a small needle-like thing on its palm. The tip was stained, probably coated with something, not a lethal poison but enough to knock someone out.”

“…Really?”

Lee Ha-yoon looked shocked again.

“That cute kid would do such a bad thing?”

“If they knock someone out first, it’s easy to clean them out and leave. Judging by sending just one, the moving gang’s numbers are probably similar to ours… If Hayan had been knocked out, demons would have swarmed out from somewhere, trying to pick a fight and rob us. It’s common in Afghanistan or Syria…”

“Afghanistan? Syria? How do you know about things there?”

“…Your teacher knows everything.”

Fortunately, my slip didn’t lead to thoughts of deployment.

Lately, I’ve been too careless.

Revealing comments keep slipping out.

Jeong Ha-yul looked like she’d cut off my YouTube if we ever returned to Korea.

“Anyway, even if that kid was a good demon, you shouldn’t give snacks or money. Unless you’re prepared to take responsibility for life.”

“…Why not? It looked hungry.”

“That’s enough for now. At your age, you don’t need to know about such a depraved society.”

“But don’t let your guard down, they might be trying to figure out our group’s tendencies before deciding on a course of action.”

Jeong Ha-yul warned again, and the situation was settled for now.

“It’s desolate, so desolate.”

“Something felt off, they’re not coming out.”

There were demons, but they weren’t coming out, just peeking at us through slightly opened doors or windows from behind.

Some were hiding behind walls.

“They’re extremely wary, doesn’t seem like they’d tell us anything if we asked.”

“Curious about something? Just hit them, and you’ll get your answer. That’s what my sister taught me.”

“…Did I?”

[Curious about something? Just hit them, and you’ll get your answer] – hayul.J

One of Ha-yul’s famous quotes… Seems like she herself doesn’t remember.

Or is she pretending not to?

Ha-yul has grown up now… When she first brought me home, she was a brash girl, but now she’s become a dignified lady.

Is she pretending to forget to maintain her image?

“Sounds like something Jeong Ha-yul would say.”

“…Did I?”

Even Park Seol-hwa chimed in, making her look even more wronged.

Just looking at her expression, you’d think we’re bullying an innocent person.

“But what if you hit someone and they’re a good demon?”

“Maybe the only good demon is a dead one… But seeing someone like Belarus, that opinion has some merit too. Let’s not hit randomly, maybe try fishing?”

“Fishing?”

“Five human women wandering around a dark, gloomy place would be very appealing to criminals, right? Those who show up are definitely bad guys, so just hit them.”

“…That makes sense.”

Makes sense, demons getting beaten up makes sense.

 

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