Chapter 45 – Sleeping Under the Newspaper

Just then, the nameless seed she had planted in a corner of the dungeon vegetable garden came to mind.

Although Hee-won was watering it diligently and putting all his sincerity into it, there was still no news of it sprouting.

“I don’t know. Maybe Oppa doesn’t have the aptitude to be a farmer.”

Mumbling softly, she shuffled toward Kang Jin-hyun, who was still in dreamland. Her legs, completely drained of tension, trembled like a newborn fawn.

“Oh, goodness, man. Wake up a bit.”

Hee-na rolled the S-class Hunter, who was wrapped in the sleeping bag like a bagworm, on the ground. Kang Jin-hyun slept so soundly, as if he didn’t even feel dizzy.

Indeed, since he hadn’t blinked an eyelid while the boss mushroom and Hee-na were making that ruckus, there was no way he would wake up from this.

“Ah, I need to go find the gate…”

Unable to overcome her fatigue, Hee-na finally lay down next to Kang Jin-hyun.

The gray sky came into view. Since her body felt a bit chilly after sweating so hard, she snuggled close to the side of the sleeping bag.

‘It’s cold.’

Still, the cold did not fade, so she unfolded and covered herself with the SSS-class Useful Newspaper she had pulled out earlier. It might have been a psychological effect, but her body felt a bit warmer just by covering herself with the newspaper.

Of course, lying on the bare ground covered in newspaper was a miserable sight, but…

‘I’m tired.’

Hee-na was too tired to care about such things. It was a fierce battle with a boss monster that she had thought she would never experience in her lifetime. It was more than enough to drain all her energy.

Not long after, a soft snoring sound began to drift from beneath the newspaper. Hee-na fell into a sleep so deep that she wouldn’t have noticed even if someone carried her away.

* * *

It felt as if someone had beaten her whole body.

“Ugh… uuuugh.”

Hee-na opened her eyes along with a terrible muscle ache.

“Are you awake?”

As soon as she barely lifted her eyelids, a familiar voice was heard. It was Woo Min-ah.

“Min-ah… Unni?”

“Yeah. It’s me. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

Woo Min-ah strode over and examined Hee-na’s complexion.

Hee-na looked up at Woo Min-ah with a tearful face.

“My whole body hurts so much from muscle aches…”

“Oh dear. I treated all the bruises by applying potions, but I didn’t think of muscle aches.”

With that, she quickly put a small bottle to Hee-na’s mouth. Hee-na widened her eyes and gulped down the liquid coming from the bottle.

“Mmph!”

At the same time, an intense astringent taste struck the tip of her tongue.

‘Argh! It feels like my taste buds are burning!’

As if expecting such a reaction, Woo Min-ah covered Hee-na’s mouth.

“Swallow it, swallow. Don’t spit it out.”

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”

“Yes, good job, Hee-na. Gulp.”

Hee-na swallowed all of the mysterious liquid under Woo Min-ah’s passionate encouragement.

“Ughhh…”

Tears welled up due to the astringent taste filling her mouth. Woo Min-ah stuck a lollipop into the mouth of Hee-na, who was sticking her tongue out.

“Wash it down with this candy.”

“Wha ih thih?”

Hee-na rubbed the sweet candy against her tongue and asked, ‘What is this?’

My goodness, it was the first time she had tasted something so horrible.

“This? An A-class recovery potion.”

Woo Min-ah said as she threw the torn candy wrapper onto the floor.

Because she said it so casually, Hee-na almost thought nothing of it at first, thinking, ‘Ah. It’s an A-class recovery potion.’

A few seconds later, after regaining her senses, Hee-na pulled the candy out of her mouth and sprang up from her spot.

“W-Wait! Unni! A recovery potion? A-class?”

No wonder the terrible muscle ache suddenly melted away and her whole body felt refreshed! It had not been an illusion!

Generally, potions commanded a huge price no matter how low the grade. This was because they resolved mana, physical strength, and fatigue in an instant. In particular, potions were very useful during battles where one could not take a break.

She had heard that even a D-grade potion cost as much as a decent car, so if it was an A-class recovery potion…

‘It’s scary to even imagine the price.’

Hee-na trembled as she imagined the breathtaking amount.

She had temporarily forgotten the fact that she was already using magic stones worth tens of billions of won as a substitute for a generator.

Seeing Hee-na’s pale face, Woo Min-ah snickered.

“Hey, I will never tell you to pay for it, so don’t make that face. It’s free.”

At the kindness beyond her imagination, Hee-na stammered.

“W-What is this? Unni, did you do something wrong to me? Or is there something you need? By any chance, do you need an organ donation?”

Although Woo Min-ah was generally kind, she was not such a pushover that she would readily feed an A-class potion to a C-class Homemaker just because she had muscle aches.

And Hee-na tended to believe that there was no such thing as undeserved, groundless kindness.

From ancient times, wasn’t there a maxim saying that when someone buys you chicken or pork, you should eat it gratefully, but when they buy you beef, you should harbor suspicion?

“Ayy. You’re quite quick-witted.”

Moreover, Woo Min-ah even said something scary. Hee-na’s heart shrank.

“W-What’s the matter?”

By the time she imagined, ‘No way, she didn’t change her mind and plan to use me as a smuggling shuttle, right?’ Woo Min-ah spoke.

“It’s not that I did something wrong, I just have a favor to ask.”

“A favor…?”

“Yeah. I think it would be better for you to hear the details from someone else rather than me. In any case, there are people waiting anxiously for you. It’s so obvious that their ears are perked up trying to overhear our conversation.”

Just what kind of favor was it that she would start the conversation after feeding her an A-class potion first?

Woo Min-ah winked at Hee-na, who was wearing a dazed expression.

“Confused, right? You fell asleep in the dungeon covered in newspaper, and as soon as you open your eyes, you get an A-class potion, a favor…”

Only then did Hee-na realize the oddity.

“Oh? You’re right. Wasn’t I in the dungeon?”

Her last memory was falling asleep covered in the SSS-class newspaper. At Hee-na’s questioning gaze, Woo Min-ah explained.

“Since you guys didn’t come out for a long time even though the gate had opened, we formed a search party and went in just in case we were worried. And what do you think we found there?”

“W-What was it?”

“You and Kang Jin-hyun sleeping peacefully. But that bastard Kang Jin-hyun was sleeping in a sleeping bag, while you were sleeping covered in newspaper. What a mannerless jerk.”

“Ha… haha.”

She did not know whether to feel embarrassed about being caught looking like a homeless person, or to be grateful for finding them. She could only laugh hollowly in embarrassment.

Woo Min-ah tossed something toward the smiling Hee-na. It was a bundle of newspaper.

“Take this first. I was going to throw away the newspaper you were covered in, but it turned out to be an item too. C-grade newspaper? Unusual. It’s yours since you were covered in it, right?”

“A. Yes, that’s right.”

Hee-na took the newspaper in a daze and inspected it. The newspaper was folded very neatly without any stains or wrinkles.

Perhaps the newspaper also felt embarrassed, because it hid its unfitting SSS title and bore a C-grade title.

The description stated that it was capable of hiding its grade depending on the situation, and this seemed to be that very function.

Hee-na quickly shoved the disguised newspaper into her inventory.

Woo Min-ah asked as she watched her.

“Nothing else is uncomfortable besides the muscle aches?”

She quickly checked her condition, and it was perfectly fine.

Her body, which had been covered in dirt from rolling in the dungeon, had been washed clean and changed into comfortable clothes, and all the injuries from her fall were completely healed.

“Even the scrapes from falling are gone?”

As she mumbled while looking down at her softened palms, an answer came.

“I told you earlier. I applied potion to those as well while you were sleeping.”

“Gasp.”

“You also had a bit of dish eczema. I cured that too while I was at it.”

“Hieeeek! Treating dish eczema with a potion…”

Another potion. Hee-na’s small-citizen soul clutched the back of her neck and collapsed.

Woo Min-ah giggled and tapped Hee-na on the shoulder.

“I told you I won’t ask you to pay for it. Can you do something about that face? It’s so funny that it makes me want to charge you.”

Hee-na shivered at the terrifying joke. That must not happen.

“It’s a joke, a joke. Why would we be stingy with a few bottles of potions for the person who saved Kang Jin-hyun’s life?”

“How did you know that?”

“There was no one else in the dungeon except the two of you, and Kang Jin-hyun says he has no memory of defeating the boss monster. So, you’re the only one who could have defeated the monster.”

Woo Min-ah seemed to want to know how Hee-na, who was non-combatant with disastrous stats, had defeated the boss monster. Her eyes sparkled with interest.

However, to Hee-na, something else was more important than that look.

“Has Hunter Kang Jin-hyun woken up?”

The man who wouldn’t wake up no matter how much she rolled, shook, or even hit him had finally woken up.

She felt relieved that he had woken up safely, but at the same time, her stomach boiled as she recalled the hardships she had suffered in the meantime.

“Yeah. You look like you have a lot to say too. Since we all have plenty of questions, let’s talk where everyone is gathered.”

The Homemaker of the Dungeon