Even though things hadn’t gone well, I didn’t let it drag me down.

I had a responsibility to look after the ones I lived with.

With the goblin mana stones and the soggy mushrooms Levinas had gathered, I headed to the guild’s trading post, Levinas trailing close behind.

“Um, excuse me…”

Knock knock—I tapped on the desk to call Yoo Sang-ah’s attention. She lifted her gaze from her paperwork and looked over.

“Oh, Winter, you’re here?”

“Yes, I’d like to sell these.”

I showed her the mana stones and the mushrooms we had collected. They were of good quality, but Yoo Sang-ah looked a little troubled.

“Hmm… This is a bit of a problem. We don’t buy mushrooms at the guild.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yes, our minimum trade starts at 10,000 won.”

The soggy mushrooms only sold for about 1,000 won each. According to guild policy, there was no reason for her to buy them.

“Oh no, King! We’re in trouble!”

“Y-Yeah, seems like it…”

I felt bad, not so much because we couldn’t make money, but because Levinas’s hard work was going to waste.

Yoo Sang-ah noticed how disheartened Levinas looked and tapped her desk thoughtfully before suggesting an alternative.

“Did you see the marketplace near the dungeon? They might buy them.”

“No, I thought I could sell everything to the guild, so I didn’t check.”

“Oh… well, it might be a bit of a hassle, but if you go back toward the dungeon, you should be able to sell the mushrooms there.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed, grateful for her help, and made my way outside the guild. As we stepped out, Levinas tugged on my left arm.

“King! King!”

“Hm?”

“Levinas went to a place called a market once! There was an old lady selling greens and sweet potatoes!”

She must be talking about the street vendors. I think I knew what she was getting at—Levinas wanted to sell the mushrooms herself, just like the market vendors did.

It might be more complicated than selling them at the dungeon, but I couldn’t say no. I knew firsthand how valuable the experience of selling something could be for a kid.

“Levinas, do you want to try selling them yourself?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm…”

I was a bit concerned about it being an illegal street stall, but Levinas was just trying to make a little pocket money. It wasn’t like we were selling anything dangerous, and Sofia had already checked to make sure we only collected non-poisonous mushrooms.

After thinking for a moment, I nodded at Levinas.

“Alright, let’s give it a try.”

“Yay! Levinas is a merchant now!”

Levinas started bouncing in place, letting out a strange laugh that made her sound like a villain plotting something.

“Why are you laughing like that all of a sudden?”

“Because merchants can set their own prices! Levinas is going to sell each mushroom for a million won!”

“A million won…?”

At that price, none of them would sell. Did she really think people would pay that much?

I thought about explaining the basics of supply and demand to her, but I decided to let her experience it herself. Hands-on experience would be a more valuable lesson.

“That’s amazing! I thought only the richest people in the world could have a million won! Now Levinas is rich too!”

“Uh, yeah… amazing.”

“Right?! Levinas will make lots of money and give it to the King!”

“Thank you.”

If they actually sold, she really would be rich. I was grateful for her sweet intentions.

---

We set up a small stall by the pond, a place where many people gathered. I found an old mat, spread it out on the ground, and placed the mushrooms in a dented pot.

- Soggy Mushrooms: One for a Million Won.

Levinas had scrawled the price on a cardboard sign in messy handwriting. Her spelling was a bit off, but I decided to let her do it all herself.

“Go ahead and try selling one. I’ll be here to watch.”

“Alright! Levinas will do it!”

Levinas sat down on the mat, swinging her legs confidently. I sat next to her, matching her posture.

“Buy some mushrooms! Levinas picked these herself! Buy a mushroom!”

She was using polite speech—something unusual for Levinas, but I felt reassured that she at least knew the basics of how to address customers.

“Come buy the delicious soggy mushrooms Levinas picked!”

Her confident call attracted attention, and some people in the park began to approach us.

“Are you two selling mushrooms?”

“Yes! They’re a million won each!”

“Oh… that’s quite expensive.”

That’s putting it mildly. No one, not even the wealthy, would spend a million won on a single mushroom. Surprised by the comment, Levinas picked up a mushroom and showed it to the man.

“If you eat this, you’ll grow taller!”

“Really?”

“Yes! Both Levinas and the King grew tall from eating these mushrooms!”

The man glanced back and forth between us. Contrary to Levinas’s claim, I wasn’t very tall. In fact, I felt almost stunted sitting here with my legs stretched out.

Not to mention, I’d never eaten a soggy mushroom in my life. Levinas’s sales tactics were almost… fraudulent. Still, it looked like she had some potential as a merchant.

“Well… but a million won is still too much. How about one for a thousand won?”

“Yes! A thousand won is fine!”

Levinas grinned and handed over a mushroom to the man. Her quick acceptance of the new price was surprising.

“Weren’t you going to sell it for a million?”

“But a thousand won is a lot of money too.”

“That’s true.”

From a million to a thousand… maybe Levinas had a knack for sales after all. As I watched her with amused eyes, a young woman, likely a college student, crouched down beside us.

“Hey, could you sell me a mushroom too?”

“Yes! Levinas will sell you one!”

Levinas offered a mushroom to the woman, who chuckled and pulled a bill out of her wallet.

──

Frog Bank.

One Hundred Million Won

──

It was obviously play money. No one would fall for it—except for Levinas, who, unfamiliar with the world, accepted the fake bill with genuine excitement.

“This is one hundred million won. That’s a lot of money.”

“One hundred million?”

“Yep! That’s a hundred times more than a million.”

“A h-hundred times…?!”

Levinas counted on her fingers a few times, her mouth hanging open in awe.@@novelbin@@

“Here, take a mushroom!”

“Sure, just one is fine.”

The woman chuckled, took a single mushroom, and walked off, leaving Levinas overjoyed.

“King! It’s a hundred million! We’re rich now!”

“Uh, yeah…”

Clap clap.

I clapped awkwardly, which prompted the young woman to pull out a real ten-thousand-won bill from her wallet.

“Here, this is a tip.”

“A tip, too?!”

“Yes, go buy something nice for yourselves.”

She patted Levinas on the head before walking off with her mushroom. Watching her go, I sighed in relief—thankfully, she wasn’t a real scammer.

Levinas would probably be disappointed to learn the truth, but it was harmless enough to be a learning experience.

---

──

【Today’s Beast-Kin Kids Update】

Posted by: Beast-Lover

Saw two kids selling soggy mushrooms at the park. They were charging a million won each.

──

[CatLover: A million won for a mushroom? Lol]

   [└Beast-Lover: But they lowered the price to a thousand if you asked.]

      [└ZZ: Lowering it to a thousand lol]

         [└Beast-Lover: They were so cute working so hard to sell them.]

---

“Selling mushrooms?”

Yeoreum saw the post online and headed to the park to find Gyeoul. She had wanted to see Gyeoul to ease her mind, and there she was, living in the moment with a bright smile.

“Gyeoul, are you busy selling?”

“Oh!”

Gyeoul looked up from the mat, and her tail swayed as their eyes met. Even after everything that had happened, Winter still liked people.

Yeoreum thought it would take ages to restore the child’s trust, but here she was, openly looking up at her with those pure, innocent eyes. Just meeting her gaze filled Yeoreum with a sharp pang of guilt.

“You’re here.”

“Yes. Have you sold many mushrooms?”

It wasn’t Gyeoul who answered but Levinas.

“Yes! I sold a soggy mushroom for one hundred million won!”

“A h-hundred million…?”

“Yes! We’re rich now!”

Levinas proudly showed Yeoreum the fake bill, clearly marked with “Frog Bank.”

“Oh dear.”

It was fake money. These two kids had fallen for a simple prank, unfamiliar with how the world worked. Yeoreum hesitated, wondering how to explain this.

‘Still, seeing her like this reminds me Gyeoul’s just a child, too.’

Winter often seemed more mature than her age, something that sometimes worried her. But showing this childlike side put Yeoreum at ease.

“Um… this isn’t real money…”

“Huh? Why isn’t it real?”

“This is play money.”

Levinas tilted her head, looking confused.

“But it’s real if it’s for playing, right?”

“Uh, well…”

Yeoreum squatted down beside the two, while the people in the park looked on with warm smiles.

“It seems Gyeoul and Lev

inas don’t understand money very well yet?”

“What…? Why include me?”

Gyeoul’s eyes widened in shock, probably because she’d let Levinas accept the fake bill without protest. She’d just been quietly supporting Levinas, thinking it was for her education.

Gyeoul was frustrated, but there was no one to complain to.

Her tail drooped in resignation as she realized she couldn’t explain herself now.

The onlookers and Yeoreum shared the same thought.

It must be disappointing for her to realize it was fake money.