Chapter 18. Deal with the Association
"Let's see..."
Sweet potatoes increase mana capacity. The boost is only 0.05%, but with consistent consumption, the effects are significant. He would’ve given up if they tasted bad—but thankfully, they were delicious. They could be cooked into meals or eaten as snacks.
“Next up, corn.”
Corn has detoxifying properties. Because it has absorbed mana, it also provides a small mana recovery effect.
“And lastly, mangoes and chili peppers.”
Kim Suho had divided his newly expanded field into three sections—one each for sweet potatoes, corn, and chili peppers. But that wasn’t the end. Outside the field, he had also planted fruit trees.
“Appraise.”
Name: Mango Grade: F Description: A mango grown with the power of the plant king, Mandragora (Cham-ma). Duration: 3 hours Effect: Satiety
He recalled the first time he appraised it.
“That caused a bit of a stir…”
Satiety. The effect literally made you feel full.
When he ate one, he didn’t feel even a hint of hunger for the next three hours. That one mango covered his lunch—despite skipping breakfast. Naturally, his younger sisters went wild.
Because it was the perfect diet food.
“They said this would sell for the highest price.”
All his sisters said the same thing.
Mangoes would be the top seller—and fetch the highest price.
They even called it a revolution.
Shaking his head, Suho turned to check on the last crop—the chili peppers.
Name: Chili Pepper Grade: F Description: A chili pepper grown with the power of the plant king, Mandragora (Cham-ma). Duration: 1 hour Effect: +10% Fire Resistance
Maybe due to the low grade, the fire resistance buff was only 10%. Still, his sisters said chili peppers would be another top-seller—just like the mangoes.
Because they weren’t just for hunters fighting fire-element monsters.
Take firefighters, for example.
Of course, selling them would depend on successful negotiations with the Association.
“Alright.”
Carrying a three-tier lunchbox—cooked food on the top two tiers, freshly harvested crops on the bottom—Suho called out to the aunties cooking in the kitchen.
“I’m off to the Association.”
Suho was tired.
Team Leader Lee Yowon, weary from endless overtime, stared blankly at the delicious-looking lunchbox in front of her.
She slowly raised her head to glance at Kim Suho sitting across from her. A bitter smile formed on her face.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s just that… I’m not really ready to date right now.”
“….”
Suho blinked, tilting his head. Then he shook it, expression flat.
“This isn’t a date. I’m here to ask a favor of the Association.”
“…Oh. A bribe, then? But... it’s a weird kind of bribe.”
Not money—but food?
Strange. That’s why she had tilted her head.
Still, as she peered more closely at the lunchbox, her awkward curiosity turned to genuine interest.
It looked delicious. The kind of food that brought back memories of home.
“…Huh?”
She could sense mana in the food.
She hadn’t noticed at first—probably because of her exhaustion—but the more she stared, wondering why he brought it, the more clearly she felt it.
“…Appraise.”
Activating her skill, Team Leader Lee examined the food.
“There’s… an effect?”
“Yes.”
“Wait… Mandragora?”
The plant king—Mandragora.
Lee turned her head.
—Maa! —Mamamamama! —Maaah!
Three summoned creatures were scampering across the table.
“…Could it be?”
“Yes. That one, specifically—Charming.”
—Maa?
Charming paused mid-jump, arms raised, and looked at Suho.
“It’s okay. Go play.”
—Maaaah!
Charming resumed her gleeful scampering.
“She has a skill that enhances plant growth. With that skill, the crops absorbed mana and gained unique properties.”
“Appraise…”
Lee checked the unprepared produce in the bottom tier of the lunchbox. Her eyes widened with surprise.
Then she looked at Suho with new seriousness.
Kim Suho was an unaffiliated hunter—not part of any guild.
He lived at a group home despite being well into adulthood.
“You want to form a partnership.”
“That’s right.”
“Please wait a moment.”
“Of course.”
Lee stepped away, moving to the corner of the lounge and pulling out her phone.
She made a call—smiling brightly at first, then frowning in frustration, before finally letting out a relieved sigh and ending the call.
Returning to her seat, she eyed the lunchbox again.
“….”
“….”
Gulp.
“Um… You only need the raw produce for appraisal, right? The rest—you can eat.”
“Thanks!”
Lee picked up her chopsticks. She scanned the side dishes quickly, clearly drawn to something sweet. She grabbed a piece of candied sweet potato first.
“Wow… W-Wow…”
Eyes wide, she let out a soft gasp, already reaching for another side dish.
A bite of rice, a bite of side dish.
She only stopped when two men walked into the lounge.
She put down her chopsticks and stood up.
A middle-aged man with glasses and an older gentleman with a gentle expression.
She was about to greet the younger man, but when she recognized the older one, she immediately bowed.
“President Park, sir!”
“Thank you for your hard work, Team Leader Lee.”
“N-Not at all!”
President Park Taejin—the head of the Hunter Association—patted her on the shoulder, then turned to Kim Suho.
“Hello. I’m Park Taejin, the head of the Hunter Association.”
“…It’s an honor to meet you, sir. I’m Hunter Kim Suho.”
Suho was stunned. He hadn’t expected the Association President himself to appear, even for a rare mana crop partnership.
The Ghost Town raid had been highly unusual.
The entire gate was assigned to a single hunter—Kim Suho.
Curious, President Park had personally reviewed the raid footage.
At first, he had been skeptical. But after watching the video, he changed his mind.
It was possible.
That Hunter—Kim Suho—could take down Ghost Town solo.
He signed off on the mission and added Suho’s name to the list of rising-star hunters.
“Crop sales, huh?”
“More precisely, a crop sales partnership.”
“….”
President Park reviewed the effects of the crops floating before him.
Sweet potatoes and corn were clearly useful to hunters.
But mangoes and chili peppers?
Those had wider appeal—even to the general public.
“When can you begin selling?”
“Not right away.”
“Because it depends on that child’s growth.”
“Yes, sir.”
The appraisal descriptions were clear. These crops were nurtured by the power of Mandragora.
So right now, supply was limited.
But as the Plant King matured, they could potentially be mass-produced.
“Hunter Kim Suho.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why did you choose the Association?”
“I needed someone to watch my back.”
Even treasures need protection to hold value. To someone without power, a treasure is just a deadly poison.
“I understand. But—why the Association specifically?”
“…Ah.”
Park wasn’t asking why Suho wanted a partnership—he was asking why he chose them over all others.
“To be precise, you’re asking why I trust the Association.”
“Yes.”
“There’s no real reason.”
“No reason?”
“Well… if I had to give one—it’d be Team Leader Lee.”
Both President Park and Department Head Kim Gisu turned toward Lee.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“What did I even do?”
“You were the first one to approach me. It wasn’t about mana crops at the time, but still.”
“Oh…”
Team Leader Lee had first contacted Suho through the Gate Management Division.
After forming a contract with the Plant King, Charming, Suho must have been looking for a safe and legal way to sell mana-infused crops.
“You already had a contract with Charming when we met.”
“Yes.”
“Wow… the timing was incredible…”
With senior executives watching, Lee quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment.
President Park chuckled, then turned back to Suho.
“So it was just coincidence.”
“Yes.”
“If that coincidence hadn’t happened—what would you have done?”
“…I don’t know.”
Reaching out to the nation’s top officials? Impossible.
Maybe he would’ve tried a major guild?
No—meeting their leadership wouldn’t have been any easier.
After a brief thought, Suho gave a sheepish smile.
“I probably would’ve just waited.”
“Waited?”
“Yes.”
“…I see.”
Nodding, President Park looked at the lunchbox again.
Not bad. Actually—very good.
Mana-infused crops were incredibly rare.
Without a known cultivation method, they could only be found inside gates or deep in isolated mountains.
But with Suho, the Association could now regularly purchase them.
Deep in thought, President Park tapped his fingers on the table.
“Hunter Kim Suho.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What’s your current harvest rate?”
“About 50 of each crop per week.”
Truthfully, it was more than that—but after setting some aside for family and personal use, 50 was the amount he could consistently sell.
“We’ll donate land to the Sky’s Home Orphanage. Right near the facility. Let me ask again—what would your harvest be then?”
“About 200.”
“That’s still not much.”
“I need Charming’s power to grow them. And it’s not like one skill use instantly matures the crops.”
There were limits—her power, growth time, and more.
Park asked one more question.
“If you grow as a hunter, will your harvest increase too?”
“Yes. If my level and skill rank go up, Charming’s power grows with it—and so does my mana pool. As I grow, both the quantity and potency of the crops will increase.”
“I see. Then—what do you want from the Association?”
“I’d like support with sales, security, and information control.”
“You want us to handle all sales?”
“Yes.”
“You’re okay with the crops being distributed only within the Association?”
“I don’t mind. Though I doubt it’ll stay that way.”
Even with strict information control, word would eventually get out.
Once his supply increased, the Association would likely extend distribution to trusted external parties too.
Smiling, President Park nodded at him.
“Understood.”
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