TCBMF 03

Chapter 3

Instead of answering, the wolf swept its tail across the ground once more.

“……Wow.”

Se-hee looked back and forth between the tent and the wolf.

One of the forest’s top predators had settled down right in front of her.

There was no way other monsters would dare come close.

“At least I’ve got reliable security.”

Then she looked at the chopsticks still in her hand and smiled.

The wolf slowly raised its head and looked up at Se-hee.

“What?”

Se-hee spoke to the wolf.

“What else is there?”

The wolf paced around in front of the tent for a while before slowly turning around.

It seemed to disappear a few steps into the forest.

“Hey, wait.”

Before she could even call it back, it disappeared into the woods.

Then, after a short while, it came back.

This time, it was carrying something in its mouth.

“Huh?”

The wolf came right up to Se-hee and dropped its head.

With a dull thud, something shiny rolled across the ground.

A gemstone about the size of a fingernail.

It looked as though it had been dug straight out of the dirt, but the distinctive luster of the gem stood out even in the darkness of the forest.

“What is this?”

Se-hee cautiously crouched down and picked one up, but the wolf did not back away.

Instead, it calmly sat with its front paws together, staring only at her hand.

“Don’t tell me this is payment for the ramen?”

The moment she muttered it jokingly—

[Exchange Notification – Automatic Summary]

• Detected Item: Gemstone Fragment

• Appraisal/Refinement Complete

• Final Acquisition: 150P

Se-hee’s gaze stopped in midair.

The number was changing.

The points that had clearly been at zero just a moment ago—

“Ah.”

The words slipped out on their own.

“Wait, what are you doing? You didn’t even tell me what kind of gemstone it was! Why did it disappear just like that?”

The moment she received it, the transaction had already been settled.

The gemstone itself was gone, while the points remained, but from Se-hee’s perspective, it felt like someone had given her something only to snatch it right back.

“First of all…… thanks for the gemstone. Well, I don’t know if you can understand me.”

As if it understood her, the wolf gave its tail one light flick before turning its gaze away.

Only then did Se-hee laugh.

“So right now…….”

She looked down at the wolf.

“I just made my first sale to a wolf?”

She had not escaped from the wolf, nor had she received help from it.

She had simply sold something and received payment.

If it happened once, it was a coincidence.

If it happened twice, it was business.

“Well, when I think about it, it’s not that different from my company.”

Except that her workplace was a forest and her customer was a wolf.

Se-hee checked the number of points floating before her again.

And that was when she realized.

Maybe this place was not somewhere she simply had to survive.

Maybe it was somewhere she could actually make a living.

She still did not know what the conditions for returning were, but one thing was certain.

The more points she accumulated, the more possibilities she would have.

“But what am I supposed to buy with these?”

The moment she finished speaking, a window appeared before her, as if telling her to check it right away.

[System Shop]

Location: Monster Forest Branch (Neighborhood Supermarket)

“No credit! No points, no soup!”

[Items for Sale]

• [Manseong Tangmyeon (5-Pack)] … 500P [Purchase]

• [Maximum Gold (10)] … 120P [Purchase]

• [Shupam Can (200g)] … 600P [Purchase]

.

.

.

*Choose the products nearing their expiration date yourself. No returns.

“Isn’t this a little too much?”

A hollow laugh escaped her in disbelief.

Se-hee closed the screen and looked at the tent.

“By the way, I’m supposed to live here from now on, right?”

Se-hee looked around inside the tent.

Suddenly, she thought of her bed.

A soft mattress and a warm blanket.

Her phone plugged into the charger every night, and the TV she used to turn on without thinking.

“……Ha.”

In the middle of a forest with no convenience-store late-night snacks and no delivery food.

These were things she would never see again.

The wolf was still sitting there, ears raised toward the forest.

Se-hee watched it for a moment before carefully entering the tent.

The inside was narrower than she expected.

The floor was thin, and she could feel the dampness rising beneath her feet.

“Ha, this is worse than a neighborhood goshiwon.”

Outside, she could hear the wind scraping against the branches.

“If it rains, I’m done for.”

There did not seem to be any water or fire, either.

On top of that, when Se-hee pulled on the tent, it shook much more easily than she expected.

“This is basically just plastic.”

The moment she came to that conclusion—

The inside of the tent suddenly lit up, and a small metal device popped out from the top.

“Huh?”

With a whirring sound, a faint light came on.

[Utility Supply Activated]

A Galactic Standard Reception Antenna will be installed on top of the tent.

*Monthly Usage Fee: 500P (Automatically deducted)

*Automatic inspection and repair of damaged equipment

Then, a faucet appeared beside the tent, and water began dripping from it.

The water was remarkably clean.

Se-hee stared at the empty air and asked,

“What happens if I don’t pay the monthly fee?”

[Service will be immediately disconnected in the event of nonpayment.]

“I knew it.”

Her life had certainly become more convenient, but strangely, she did not feel any more at ease.

It was because even this comfort came with a price tag.

“Phew…….”

Se-hee sighed and stuck her head out of the tent.

The wolf was still sitting guard in front of the tent.

The traces of broth around its mouth were still there.

“Are you really planning to settle down here?”

Instead of answering, the wolf perked up its ears.

It was not that she disliked the idea, but it would be a problem if customers ran away after seeing a wolf.

“Woof!”

As if it had read her thoughts, the wolf tilted its head and barked once.

It was unexpectedly cute, and Se-hee decided she could probably just leave it there.

“Should I at least give you a name?”

The moment she finished speaking, her stomach growled.

Se-hee paused for a moment before casually placing a hand on her stomach as if nothing had happened.

“I haven’t eaten anything since I got here. Maybe it’s because I finally relaxed.”

After boiling one pack of ramen for each of the wolves earlier, there was nothing left.

“Maybe there’s something inside.”

Se-hee gave the tent a quick look before opening her inventory.

The only edible things she had were two or three chocolate bars.

But that was nowhere near enough to fill her stomach.

“I should’ve saved at least one.”

Se-hee slowly looked around the tent.

Branches, stones, grass.

There was nothing that looked edible.

The forest seemed abundant, yet she could clearly feel that there was nothing here for her.

“They brought me here to run a business, but there’s nothing for the shop owner to eat……?”

At that moment, she heard the sound of footsteps pressing into the dirt behind her.

The wolf suddenly sprang to its feet and headed toward the forest.

A moment later, it returned with something in its mouth, dragging it along the ground.

“Huh?”

What dropped to the ground was a fairly large chunk of meat.

The blood had not even dried yet.

It looked freshly killed.

“Ah.”

Se-hee stopped for a moment as she stared at the meat.

“Meat? You caught this?”

The wolf looked rather proud of itself.

It sat beside the meat and glanced toward the forest.

It perked up its ears as if checking its surroundings, then looked back at Se-hee.

It had the look of someone repaying her for the ramen.

“Yeah. Thanks, but…….”

Se-hee picked up the meat.

The sensation of its blood sticking to her hand was vividly real.

“This needs to be grilled.”

She gathered several branches in front of the tent and started making a fire, but suddenly stopped.

A thought had crossed her mind.

Hand of Destruction.

Cooking Skill F-.

The ramen had been an exception, but this meat had not come from her inventory or the System Shop.

Naturally, she began to worry.

All she had to do was grill it.

She convinced herself that something that simple could not possibly count as cooking.

“Come on, there’s no way it’ll stop me from doing this. Grilling should be fine.”

She muttered to herself and examined the meat one more time for no particular reason.

It only needed to be placed over the fire, yet her fingertips trembled slightly.

Just as she was about to put the meat over the flames—

[Warning]

This ingredient may cause a toxic reaction that is fatal to the human body.

“Wait a second.”

Se-hee looked back and forth between the meat and the window.

“What? Toxic? Even grilling it makes it poisonous?”

For a moment, she remembered making the ramen.

“But you didn’t say anything back then.”

Seeing the system suddenly go out of its way to discourage her from cooking, Se-hee was dumbfounded.

[Warning]

If you wish to survive, cooking is not recommended.

“Then what am I supposed to eat? I’ve never seen a store where the owner is the first one to be put on the ration list.”

There was no way the system would answer.

Se-hee looked down at the meat and muttered,

“Ha…… Did they just bring me here to make me run a shop without thinking about food or anything else?”

With no other choice, Se-hee finally put the meat down.

Seeing this, the wolf tilted its head as if asking why she was not eating it.

“Sorry. It says I can’t eat this.”

Se-hee sighed and checked her points.

150P.

“Then maybe there’s something edible in the shop?”

She casually scanned one side of her vision.

Ramen, instant rice, canned food.

Her eyes stopped on one item.

• [Frozen Pork Belly, 1 Serving] … 1,200P

“……”

Se-hee looked at the number once more.

Then she looked again.

“Frozen pork belly…….”

[System Shop]

Purchase unavailable. (Insufficient Points)

“Ha. I know. I’m short on points.”

Se-hee scanned the list from top to bottom.

Ramen was 500.

Coffee was 120.

And below that, the only things she could afford.

• [Bottled Water (2L)] … 30P

• [Bakgas] … 50P

“……There’s nothing else.”

After thinking for a moment, Se-hee pressed the purchase buttons for both.

She was left with a mere 70 points.

Then—

Rustle―

A very faint sound came from the grass.

A barely audible noise, like someone swallowing their breath.

“……Urgh.”