"Huff, huff... I almost died!!!"

    Thanks to the quick thinking of the players and Seong’s intervention, Marlen regained consciousness.

    She trembled violently, muttering about how close a call it had been.

    "Wow, I’ve never seen an NPC collapse before."

    "Yeah, was that actually dangerous?"

    "Ha-ha-ha, who dies just from seeing a pile of meat and hides?"

    The players chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

    After all, it seemed absurd that an NPC in a game would faint over a mountain of goods.

    But Seong, knowing the truth, thought differently.

    “It really was dangerous.”

    Marlen’s soul had partially slipped out of her body—a sight visible only to Seong.

    As the commotion died down, Marlen turned her gaze back to the towering pile of hides and meat, still in disbelief.

    “A-amazing.”

    It wasn’t uncommon for outsiders to sell large quantities of rabbit meat and hides before leaving the village.

    But an outsider piling up this much—enough to form mountains?

    Not to mention catching a green stag and a tiger?

    This wasn’t something to be brushed off.

    “I need to inform the village chief.”

    Marlen decided she had to let the chief know that a remarkable outsider had appeared in Hindel Village.

    As she considered this, a question crept into her mind.

    “Wait, how did this magician get access to the Hunter’s Forest so quickly?”

    The Hunter’s Forest was a hidden dungeon only accessible after building rapport with the village’s lone mage.

    But Seong had bypassed that entirely, finding the forest on his own through the guidance of a ghost.

    He had skipped the process and gone straight to the result.

    The village mage was notoriously strict and wouldn’t have granted access in just one day.

    But it didn’t matter how Seong had convinced the mage.

    What mattered was that he had done it.

    Once again, Marlen’s eyes wandered to the overwhelming pile of hides and meat.

    “I thought he was extraordinary, but this... I never imagined this.”

    Despite her initial shock, Marlen quickly assessed the situation.

    "Rabbits... 132 in total. Ten green stags and one tiger. Since you’re a regular, I’ll give you 10 silver per rabbit, 100 silver per green stag for the meat, 300 silver per green stag hide, and 3,000 silver for the tiger hide—though its meat isn’t usable..."

    Marlen’s mental math concluded with a total of 9,640 silver.

    With 100 silver equaling 1 gold, that converted to 96 gold and 40 silver.

    But, since Seong was a valued regular customer:

    "Here you go! A full 100 gold! You won’t find a better deal anywhere else!!!"

    "Oh!"

    Marlen’s generosity left Seong pleasantly surprised, a rare reaction from him.

    "Hahaha!!!" Marlen laughed heartily at his response.

    Though the price had already accounted for him being a regular, she had rounded it up by an extra 4 gold.

    It wasn’t something she would’ve done if she didn’t genuinely appreciate the quality of his goods.

    Seong expressed his gratitude.

    "Thank you."

    "Hahaha! No, thank you! Even with the extra, the quality is so good it’s worth it!"

    [You have sold goods at the butcher shop and earned 100 gold.]

    Marlen’s booming voice and fiery personality were as lively as ever.

    Though she didn’t show it outwardly, she had a warm and kind heart.

    As Seong processed her sincerity, murmurs of disbelief began spreading among the players nearby.

    "What the hell? Did you hear that? 100 gold?!"

    "No way... I’ve seen people try to grind up to 50 gold in the Beginner’s Village, but 100? That’s insane!"

    "I didn’t even know it was possible to earn that much... Where did he hunt the stag and tiger?!"

    "Wait, can a Level 1 player even hunt those?"

    For the average player, these feats were incomprehensible.

    Seong stood in a realm far beyond their reach—a prodigy whose actions they could neither replicate nor fully understand.

    Instead of jealousy, the players watching him felt only awe.

    "Wow, he got the Steel Sword and defeated the scarecrow in one strike, and now this...."

    "Incredible."

    "It’s like watching a future ranker in action."

    "Exactly!"

    The exaggerated chatter embarrassed Seong.

    Despite their compliments, hearing such praise directly was uncomfortable.

    He slipped out of the butcher shop as quickly as he could, much like before.

    Marlen, watching his retreating figure, chuckled softly.

    “What a peculiar mix of greatness and shyness.”

    Perhaps that was part of Seong’s charm.

    But for now, Marlen had more pressing matters.

    Before attending to the next player, she called over Hans, one of her shop assistants.

    "Hans, take this to the village chief."

    "On it," Hans replied with a nod, sensing the importance of the task.

    Without needing further explanation, he headed straight to the chief’s residence.

    Since Hans would likely reach the chief before Seong did, Marlen felt a bit more at ease.

    With that, she returned to her usual self, calling out with her signature booming voice:

    "Next!!!"

    1.

    Seong’s Journey After the Butcher Shop

    Leaving the butcher shop, Seong jogged a short distance before his flushed face began to cool down.

    “Have I ever received so many compliments in my life?”

    Even though he had received praise at the training ground and again at the butcher shop, he couldn’t get used to it.

    Though Seong couldn’t hear the response, the guard opened the door and gestured for him to enter.

    “It’s an honor to meet someone like you. Please, come in.”

    “Thank you...”

    Meeting the Village Chief

    Inside, an elderly man sat in a rocking chair, his long eyebrows twitching as he gazed at Seong.

    Despite the wrinkles obscuring his eyes, Seong felt an unshakable sense of being watched.

    “Hello, my name is Seong.”

    “Welcome. I am Palm, the leader of Hindel Village.”

    The chief’s voice, unexpectedly firm for his frail appearance, left Seong momentarily stunned.

    Palm gestured to a chair across from him. “Have a seat.”

    “Thank you.”

    A Reward from the Chief

    “Word is you’ve dealt with the Hunter’s Forest.”

    “Yes.”

    Seong didn’t ask how the chief knew. It was likely part of the game system.

    Expecting the conversation to end soon, he smiled, eager to move on to the next village.

    But Palm surprised him.

    “It’s a tradition in our village to reward adventurers who handle the Hunter’s Forest. Since you’re an outsider, I see no issue with offering you a family heirloom.”

    “A family heirloom...?”

    Seong hesitated, recognizing the phrase from somewhere.

    Palm continued, “It’s a pair of green stag leather gloves, part of the Forest Hunter set. I’ll tell you where to find them.”

    “Ah.”

    Seong couldn’t admit that he already had the gloves, knowing that the ghost who guided him was likely a former village chief.

    As Palm examined him, his long eyebrows twitched again.

    “Those gloves you’re wearing... they seem familiar.”

    Cold sweat ran down Seong’s back.

    “What do I say?”

    Drawing on Helena’s memories, he quickly formulated a response.

    “It wouldn’t feel right to accept such a precious heirloom.”

    “Hm.”

    Palm nodded, seeming satisfied with Seong’s polite refusal.

    “Very well, then. I’ll offer you something else.”

    “Oh?”

    “Why so surprised?”

    “Well, just a bit...”

    “If the heirloom feels burdensome, it’s only right to offer a suitable alternative. That’s how our family operates.”

    Palm stood, walking steadily to a chest near the fireplace. Despite his frail appearance, his movements were surprisingly robust.

    Opening the chest, he retrieved a staff.

    “This seems fitting for someone like you.”

    Palm handed over the staff with a knowing smile.

    [You have received 『Staff of the Forgotten One』 from Hindel Village Chief Palm.]

    “The Forgotten One?”

    Curious, Seong checked the item’s description.

    『Staff of the Forgotten One』

    → Rare+

    → A staff whose original owner is unknown, as they’ve been forgotten by history.

    → Though little remains of its original power, it is evident that the previous owner was an exceptional dark mage.

    → Slightly increases mana recovery after using dark magic skills.

    → Slightly enhances the power of dark magic skills.

    “Wow.”

    The staff was a perfect match for Seong, who had become a dark mage.

    While the slight enhancements weren’t groundbreaking, they were more than satisfactory for a Rare+ item.

    “It feels like receiving a gift from Santa Claus.”

    A New Direction

    “Where will you go next?” Palm asked.

    Seong, momentarily distracted, quickly answered, “I’m planning to head to Pursville.”

    Pursville was one of the next available villages after Hindel.

    His sister had strongly recommended it, citing the excellent skill instructors there.

    Palm nodded slowly, as if expecting this answer.

    “Seek out Garrick, the caretaker of the cemetery.”

    [You have obtained a clue about the caretaker, Garrick.]

    Palm’s brief remark triggered a message, confirming it as a clue related to a hidden piece.

    “Isn’t this a bit too generous?”

    Even Seong couldn’t help but marvel at how much the game was handing to him.