Chapter 133

〈 Episode 134 〉 Episode 133 – Just an Empty Dream.

*

We diligently ran the Chicken Skewer Tycoon until the end of the preliminary round.

Not just chicken skewers, but to diversify the menu, we tried various dishes like grilled corn, grilled squid, and fried noodles.

Is there a sizzling, charcoal-grilled food next to us when we’re slightly hungry?

Even a saint can’t resist that.

Naturally, students who are far from being saints could not escape from this temptation.

The resolve of the students melted away like cotton candy dropped in water, replaced by cravings and desires for food.

As a result, from the first day, some students who experienced Hyeji’s spicy salesmanship grumbled and bought food from us.

“I didn’t want to eat… Fck, just give me one!”

“You wicked bastards. I’ll buy this once, but I won’t eat it again!”

“Ahhhh!! I can’t stand it!! Just bring everything!!!”

At the same time, we bought large drinks from the snack bar and sold them little by little.

When we were stuffing ourselves with food and a bit of it got stuck in our throats, the carbonated drink that went down our throat was truly like a demon’s seduction.

Delicious food and carbonation.

This is the best combination given by the God.

Thus, while others were sweating buckets for the preliminary round, we were able to gain some small profits.

[Did everything small perish!! I wouldn’t sell like this even at the mountain peak!!]

‘Since we only made this much, it’s not profiteering but a trivial gain.’

There were also some shameless students eyeing the niche market following us.

They were like hyenas waiting for a chance in the long line.

However, we had the all-purpose weapon, Hyeji.

Just Hyeji’s presence was enough to deter students from even attempting to target the niche market, causing them to retreat quickly.

Symbiosis wasn’t allowed.

Only infinite competition existed.

We overwhelmed the fierce competition with overwhelming power.

Thus, we were now in a complete monopoly over the academy’s market.

“Money doubles!!!!!!”

“Husband! We are going to be rich!”

“Shinwoo! Should we quit being hunters and go into the food business?”

Hyeji, Elcia, and I couldn’t hide our smiles as we looked at the increasingly piled up safe.

However, Jeong Ahyeon was not pleased with our demeanor.

“Do you think such unfair trading will be tolerated!”

Jeong Ahyeon protested against us with a displeased expression.

I then glanced at Jeong Ahyeon while eating food that Elcia accidentally dropped on the ground.

“How can a student lose sight of their purpose and indulge in such vicious actions for money!”

“Jeong Ahyeon, so you want to be excluded from the calculation?”

“Don’t cut in line and stand straight!”

In an instant, Jeong Ahyeon changed her attitude and managed the line.

Whenever it seemed we’d have a shortage of sales, Hyeji would walk through the students, and suddenly the students would want to eat, lining up neatly to order food.

Elcia was diligently preparing the food, and I was helping her while ensuring that the flow of ingredients was not interrupted.

Jeong Ahyeon took on the role of controlling the chaotic market.

It was truly a perfect division of labor.

Before we knew it, all the prepared ingredients had been exhausted.

We decided to take a short break.

While Elcia briefly left her position, Hyeji, Jeong Ahyeon, and I sat side by side, wiping our sweat and eating ice cream.

“Shinwoo, this feels super rewarding!”

“Indeed, people should work hard and sweat.”

“…You guys sweated, but the students are shedding tears of blood.”

This guy?

You say that while controlling the students?

“Do you want to keep poking at me?”

“Thanks to you, the students learned how to survive in the world. Truly a Master and young lady.”

“Indeed, you need to listen to Korean till the end.”

[You all just get hit by lightning and die peacefully together.]

Before long, Jeong Ahyeon was completely rationalizing her stance.

Just then, Elcia returned to our side.

While preparing to restart sales and grilling food, new guests arrived.

It was none other than Saintess Caressy and the Leader Holy Knight.

“What are you doing here, meow?”

“Want to eat one? We only accept cash.”

“Then just give us 4 chicken skewers, meow.”

“Saintess! Their words are not worth your consideration!”

The Leader Holy Knight stepped forward, slammed his shield down on the ground, and glared at us.

Then, pointing at us with the hand holding the shield, he shouted.

“How dare you conduct unauthorized sales in the sacred educational space! Are you not ashamed?”

“……You Fcking cat, are you really saying that while chowing down on chicken skewers?”

“Ah!”

Even while delivering those noble words, he was swiftly snatching and devouring the freshly grilled chicken skewers before we even noticed.

Caressy, seeing this, banged the Leader Holy Knight’s head with her paw hard.

One bang for every exclamation point.

“You first! Fck! That’s why! Holy Knights all look like that!!”

“I said I wouldn’t disturb even a cat while eating!”

“You’ve already devoured it all, and now what nonsense are you talking, meow!!”

“But honestly, it’s really delicious!”

Even amidst getting hit, the Leader Holy Knight bravely finished all the chicken skewers.

I approached the squished Leader Holy Knight and held out my hand.

“Hand over the money. Money.”

“Wanting money while doing such illegal activities! You have no conscience!”

“Oh really?”

The Leader Holy Knight shamelessly said he’d dine and dash like a piece of trash.

But who am I?

I’m a master of cunning.

My hand is faster than my eye.

Before I knew it, I had the Leader Holy Knight’s wallet in my hand, tossing it up repeatedly.

“I’ll let it slide this time.”

“My wallet!!”

Based on its weight, it seemed to have enough cash for at least one chicken skewer.

[What the fck does that look like, lacking even for one! It could buy dozens!!]

Ah, so he’s a dine-and-dash thief, and he’s thinking of taking a settlement amount.

At that moment, the Leader Holy Knight started to laugh slyly.

Simultaneously, someone shouted from where our snack bar’s safe was.

“Captain! We’ve secured it as you mentioned!”

“Good! Let’s make a quick getaway!”

“”Yes!””

The two Holy Knights who hadn’t yet been scolded by the Saintess were struggling to carry the heavy safe.

Hyeji, Jeong Ahyeon, and I briefly lost our minds and considered executing the Holy Knights, but only Elcia placed her hands on her waist and sniffed.

“Hmph! Go ahead and try! It won’t be of any use!”

“Elcia?”

Our actions paused momentarily at Elcia’s shocking statement.

Elcia confidently pointed at the Leader Holy Knight with her left index finger and said, ““We’ve got only a few coins and chicken skewer sticks in our safe, so what will you do?””

“What do you mean do, meow!! You should worry about your future!!!”

“Hey, Fck! What does that mean, you tease!”

Hyeji tightly grabbed Elcia by the collar.

Elcia confidently spoke as if seeking praise.

“Our earnings were what? Where did it go?”

“I exchanged it all for Elf Coins! Don’t worry!”

“Ahhhhh!!!”

Hyeji started tearing her hair out and began manifesting a gun.

I quickly tried to pull Hyeji back.

“Shinwoo, let go! I’m going to kill this btch* today!!”

“Hyeji, kill her somewhere else!”

“Hyeji unnie, calm down! Last time I saw, Elf Coins were rising!”

In that moment, Caressy manipulated her phone and showed us the Elf Coin graph.

“You’re all in deep trouble now.”

“Fck!!!! I’m going to kill you!!!”

“Hyeji, calm down! If you go berserk, this place will turn into a battlefield!”

Jeong Ahyeon joined in, and together they barely managed to calm Hyeji down.

I gently held Hyeji’s shoulders, trying to ease her anger while smiling slightly.

“Hyeji.”

“…….Why.”

“Now you understand how I felt, right? I’m really glad you understand.”

“You’re the one who should die.”

“Oh, fck.”

[Then why provoke me!]

I spoke too recklessly, and Hyeji’s fury turned toward me in an instant.

Hyeji began shooting me with a gun loaded with explosive bullets.

As I tripped and fell clumsily on the floor, Caressy burst in.

“Everyone, stop it!!!”

This was the first time Caressy showed her saintly majesty.

Perhaps slightly overwhelmed by the sight, even Hyeji stopped shooting and looked at Caressy.

Caressy reached out to me as I lay on the ground and kindly said.

“You still haven’t given me 4 chicken skewers.”

“Oh, right.”

We all paused for a moment and grilled some skewers to hand over to Caressy.

Then, as Caressy prepared to pay and leave, the Leader Holy Knight shouted at me.

“You! Hand over my wallet!!”

“You should fcking get hit even more!!!”

“Ugh!!”

The Leader Holy Knight couldn’t retrieve his wallet and ended up getting smacked by Caressy instead.

As soon as the Saintess and the Holy Knight group left, Hyeji’s one-sided slaughtering began again.

“Fck!! That hurts so much!!”

“Husband! Dodge well!”

“Come to think of it, you were the mastermind behind this, right?”

“Aaaaaaah!!! Save me!!!”

This time Hyeji directed the gun toward Elcia instead of me.

This time it was real bullets.

Elcia was using her ability to block Hyeji’s bullets while busily trying to escape.

Just then, Jeong Ahyeon approached me as I lay on the ground.

“Master, hurry up and start selling.”

“……I guess I should.”

At any rate, there’s no helping the lost money.

We have no choice but to squeeze the students’ blood again.

After that, thanks to Hyeji’s active salesmanship, we were able to fill the safe a bit.

However, there was no way that money was coming to us.

On the last day of the preliminary round, we received a call from the National Tax Service stating that we were suspected of tax evasion.

Thanks to that, we had to turn in all the remaining earned money as a fine.

On the final day of the preliminary round, we tied Elcia up in the center of the sparring ground.

After activating the sparring ground system, we stacked firewood at Elcia’s feet and started a fire.

“Elf lives are precious!!!!!!!!”

Without saying a word, we kept watching Elcia as she burned until the fire extinguished and then repeated the process.

Only Elcia’s empty screams echoed through the sparring ground.

It almost looked like a campfire in celebration of finishing our business.

Despite such bright flames, it was an unusually dark night that day.

*