WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Convenience Store Clerk the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 14: A Suspicious(?) Customer Asking for Powder
──────
Sonya sat at the corner table, staring at Kim Mincheol behind the counter for a long time.
She could clearly sense it.
As he mopped the floor, the World Tree's power sparkled at his fingertips, faint as it was.
He'd denied it, but it was definitely World Tree pollen.
‘Does he really not know?’
Not only had he failed to recognize her, but he also seemed completely unable to sense even the waves of Mana.
‘I can't sense any Mana flowing through him either.’
Normally, any being in Taepyeong City would have Mana she could sense, but she couldn't feel the slightest trace from him.
There was no Mana in his heart or in the energy center in his lower abdomen.
‘Someone who can't use Mana managed to get World Tree pollen?’
How?
It was a power he couldn't possibly have obtained unless the World Tree had suddenly fallen out of the sky.
Or perhaps the clerk was so incredibly powerful that even she couldn't sense his strength.
Taepyeong City was vast, and it had plenty of powerful people.
Whatever the reason, though, one thing was certain: he had World Tree pollen on him.
‘It was definitely there. And MooBro's reaction...’
The one who'd eaten the lava fruit had recovered almost instantly.
That kind of recovery was impossible without World Tree pollen.
‘I need World Tree pollen right away to clear the 73rd floor...’
Sonya stared blankly down at the triangle rice ball on the table.
She'd only taken a bite or two.
With so much on her mind, she couldn't get any food down.
‘The 73rd floor...’
The Tower's 73rd floor was her next target.
Its theme was a cursed zone filled with poison slimes.
The key to clearing it was getting through the vast cursed zone a lich had created to protect its laboratory.
Ordinary recovery items wouldn't let her get through it quickly.
It was a challenge she could clear easily enough if she brought hundreds of elixirs.
Whenever the poison reduced her HP by a certain amount, she could drink an elixir and an antidote. That was all it took.
The monsters weren't particularly strong, and the traps weren't anything special either.
Hunters who'd already cleared the 73rd floor had slowly chipped away at it that way before moving on to the next floor.
But Sonya didn't want to clear it like that.
‘It's too wasteful.’
It was unnecessary and inefficient.
She could take her time analyzing a floor before an attempt, but the actual run had to be as efficient as possible.
Her approach was to find the best way to reduce the risk of accidents in the field.
Besides, hunters could only bring up to ten consumables in their inventories when entering Hunter Tower.
Because of that limit, all the advance teams that had cleared the 73rd floor so far had planned on spending at least a few weeks there.
But with World Tree pollen...
She would only need two days.
‘I have to get it somehow.’
Even if she had to bow her head, she needed that World Tree pollen.
“Excuse me.”
“Do you need something? Cigarettes?”
“No. I don't smoke.”
Did I look like a smoker?
At Kim Mincheol's automatic clerk response, Sonya found herself sniffing her clothes.
Just in case they smelled of cigarettes.
“Oh, sorry. People who come to the counter without any items usually want cigarettes.”
“It's not that...”
Sonya scratched her head and sighed.
Having already been turned down once, she struggled to work up the courage.
But she couldn't just do nothing.
“That powder on your hands. Could you spare a little for me?”
“...Powder?”
“Yes, the World Tree pollen I mentioned...”
First the manager, and now this woman.
They both said I had World Tree powder on my hands.
When the manager first mentioned it, I'd more or less let it go in one ear and out the other.
But there was that mysterious light I'd seen when I handed the cocktail to the minotaur suffering from the lava fruit.
And now this customer had suddenly shown up and reacted like this.
There was definitely something going on. I couldn't just deny it.
‘I guess there really is something on my hands...’
Honestly, though, I had no idea how it had gotten there.
“I desperately need it. Soon, I have to get through a very dangerous and difficult place. Without that power, I'll have to risk my life.”
Sonya bowed deeply and pleaded.
“I'll pay a fair price. Whatever amount you want, I'll meet it. Please, just share a little with me.”
“...Well, if your life's at stake, I don't have any reason not to.”
“Really?!”
Honestly, she'd come all this way and was even bowing to me. How could I refuse?
I wasn't that heartless.
There was just one problem.
“But how do I give it to you? I can't even see it. Should I just shake it off my hands?”
Sonya's face lit up.
“Yes! I'd really appreciate that!”
She took a small pouch out of her clothing.
It looked valuable at a glance.
“Please shake it off in here. Just lightly dusting off what's on your hands will be enough.”
She opened the pouch wide and focused on my hands.
As she gulped, I shook my hands over it and rubbed them together.
‘Is this working?’
I couldn't see anything falling.
I glanced at the customer.
“...”
Her expression had visibly darkened.
Clearly, it wasn't going well.
“...I don't think it's working.”
She bit her lower lip lightly and forced a smile.
“I'm sorry. I asked too much of you.”
“...”
It had been a sudden request, but seeing her go from so hopeful to so downcast made me feel bad.
“So it just needs to get onto something, right?”
“Pardon? Well, yes...”
The World Tree powder had worked on MooBro, the streamer, because I'd mixed the cocktail myself.
The powder on my hands had gotten into his drink and passed on its effects.
Maybe direct contact was what made it work.
As that thought crossed my mind, a possibility occurred to me.
If direct contact worked...
I took her hand.
“Excuse me.”
“What? What are you... Eep!”
The moment I took her hand, her tail shot straight up.
She jumped in surprise.
She stepped back awkwardly, but she didn't really resist.
“I thought direct contact might work.”
“I-is that so?”
“I'm not sure either.”
“...”
“But if shaking it off doesn't work, rubbing it onto you might.”
It was soft.
This was my first time touching a woman's hand.
When would I ever have had the chance?
I'd followed the all-boys middle school, all-boys high school, then military route. It wasn't as if I'd had much contact with women.
Shaking hands with middle-aged men for work was the full extent of my experience.
I'd always thought hands felt rough and coarse.
‘It's really soft.’
It was much softer and smoother than I'd expected.
And strangely hot.
Almost as soon as I touched her, I began to feel heat spreading across the skin of her hand.
Before I knew it, I was gently stroking it.
“U-um... Ah.”
Sonya trembled and stammered in embarrassment.
The black wolf ears sticking up from her head stood straight and quivered. Her tail, which poked out from the back of her pants, was also stiff with tension and showed no sign of lowering.
“I'll make sure it transfers, just in case.”
“Ah, y-yes. Okay...”
Hoping to transfer the powder properly, I carefully pressed my palm against her palm and the back of her hand, rubbing over them.
“Y-you're being so thorough... Ah.”
Her hand kept twitching in little jerks.
Maybe she couldn't stand the embarrassment, or maybe she was flustered by so much physical contact with a stranger.
Her fingers moved without her seeming to notice. Then they began wriggling between mine and stroking them.
The feeling of her hot, soft fingers tangling with mine and caressing my hand was strangely ticklish.
“Oh, did I make you uncomfor...”
“N-no! It's not that...!”
Just as she started to explain, her wavering golden eyes suddenly fixed on my hand.
“Oh?”
I still couldn't see anything, but apparently she could.
“I-it's working... It worked! It really transferred!”
Her eyes widened, and her fingers began moving.
She'd been shy at first, but as soon as she confirmed that the World Tree powder was transferring, she started touching my hand even more eagerly.
Even after I let go, she held on tighter and kept moving her fingers over my hand.
But only for a moment.
“Ah...”
Realizing what she'd done, her face turned so red it looked ready to burst.
“W-well, this... This is...”
Her hand in mine had grown much hotter than before.
It was even damp with sweat now.
“Th-that's enough. I-I think this should be p-plenty!”
She let go, then opened and closed her fists, not knowing what to do with herself.
Above the black mask covering more than half her face, her cheeks and the skin around her eyes were bright red.
She pulled the mask right up under her eyes, avoiding my gaze as she gave a small, awkward cough.
Her upright ears were trembling too.
“S-sorry. I just did that without thinking...”
“It's fine. I was the one who started it.”
“Y-your hands were rougher and firmer than I expec... N-no, please forget I said that. I'm b-bad at communicating.”
An embarrassed silence fell.
“Th-th-thank you! I'll never, ever forget this f-favor!”
Her tongue thoroughly tangled, she hurriedly bowed her head.
“Th-this isn't much, but it's your r-reward!”
Thump!
Sonya pulled a heavy leather pouch out of her pants pocket and placed it in my hand. Then she fled the store like a shot without looking back.
“Excuse me, ma'am?”
Ding!
Only the bell, ringing much louder and more violently than usual, echoed through the empty store.
Inside the pouch...
“What's this?”
There was a gem shimmering with pale green light.
A beautiful gem that smelled like a fresh forest.
Suddenly, I remembered a post I'd seen in the gallery.
-If a customer gives you anything other than money, always take a picture with the appraisal app and check the item.
-Be careful. It could be poison or a bomb in disguise.
-Not that anyone would commit a terrorist attack in such a crazy way.
There had been posts telling people to photograph items and have them appraised.
Was that basic knowledge every convenience store clerk in Taepyeong City needed?
I took a picture.
-S-rank Spirit Stone of Life
-A crystal containing extremely concentrated pure earth Mana and life force.
-Can only be obtained from forest-type boss monsters of S-rank or higher, or from high-ranking spirits.
-A legendary elixir for elves and plant-based nonhuman races, who will pay whatever price is asked.
“An S-rank spirit stone?”
The price field simply read, “Value undetermined (Auction recommended).”
“She left something like this as a reward for holding her hand once?”
Just how incredible was World Tree pollen for her to casually hand over such an absurd item?
I couldn't even begin to imagine.
But my surprise didn't last long.
As I slowly read through the description in the search results again, my eyes stopped on one part.
A legendary elixir for plant-based nonhuman races.
The little World Tree branch in my room suddenly came to mind.
“...It's not like I have anywhere suitable to turn it into cash right now.”
If a convenience store clerk like me casually carried an S-rank item into an auction house or trading exchange, they'd obviously question where I'd gotten it or arrest me on the spot.
Maybe they'd even take it from me by force and throw me out.
Wasn't there a saying about not using things you couldn't handle too carelessly?
“Maybe I'd be better off using it as plant food for that little guy.”
Who knew? It might bring me even greater luck.
A branch that small had already brought me all this good fortune. If it grew bigger...
‘Maybe I'd get an even bigger reward?’
An investment in the future. That didn't sound bad.
“Hmm-hmm~.”
I'd started humming, feeling pleased for no particular reason, when it happened.
Ding!
The door opened, and I heard a familiar voice.
“Hi.”
It was Lumina, the delivery driver.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried