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Chapter : 31. Predator Trading Company (1)
A trading company that was sloppy in every way, starting from securing a decent spot.
“Which trading company runs things like that?”
Naturally, people’s eyes turned toward the emblem on the side of the carriage.
A large, sleek white wolf.
Poised as if ready to pounce, the wolf roared forward, exuding an aura of power and dignity.
“Isn’t that the White Wolf Count’s emblem?”
“Oh, you’re right! The white wolf crest of the White Wolf family!”
The White Wolf family—a noble house of the Batenberg Kingdom, located at the far northernmost edge of the continent.
Even here in the Free City of Preche, the family was fairly well known.
“Did they come again to sell monster parts?”
The monster parts from the snowfields were known for their excellent quality.
“But…”
“Did the White Wolf family ever run a trading company?”
At most, there had occasionally been wandering merchants from their territory. But never had a full-fledged trading company arrived like this.
As people murmured in confusion, a man stepped out from the carriage.
A delicate, handsome face.
Clear, spotless skin.
Anyone could tell he was a nobleman’s son.
An unfamiliar face, yet merchants—always sensitive to information—knew who he was.
After all, black hair was rare on the continent.
And a black-haired young man from the White Wolf family meant only one person.
“The family’s wastrel?”
Adrian Whitewolf.
He was the heir of the White Wolf family—and infamous as their disgrace.
“What’s that disgrace doing here?”
“I heard his little sister took everything from him…”
“Is he trying to make a living by running a trading company or something?”
Everyone sneered.
Running a trading company wasn’t something just anyone could do.
Even veteran merchants with decades of experience often went broke trying.
So what could a hedonistic fool, addicted to gambling and pleasure, possibly accomplish?
Even if Adrian had some rare merchant talent, it would make no difference.
“What could he possibly sell from the White Wolf territory?”
You have to have goods before you can sell them.
No matter how skilled the chef, if the ingredients are rotten, the food will be garbage.
Likewise, even if someone had incredible talent as a merchant, if they sold trash, it would just be a trash company.
“Not worth looking at.”
“Tch, bound to fail.”
People clicked their tongues and jeered.
But Adrian paid no mind to their stares or muttering.
As the members of the trading company began setting up a street stall, Adrian started taking out kitchen tools and arranging them.
“What’s he doing?”
“Wait, is that…?”
“Meat?”
And not just any meat—it looked quite appetizing.
Soon, Adrian lit a fire and began grilling it.
Sssssss—!
The sound of sizzling meat rang through the air, and the delicious aroma wafted across the plaza.
The Predator Trading Company had set up in a remote, tucked-away corner.
“Hm? What’s that smell?”
“Smells amazing!”
Yet the scent quickly drew everyone’s attention.
Some people, led by the smell, made their way over to the Predator Trading Company.
“Welcome!”
Customer service was handled not by Adrian, but another member of the company.
It was debatable whether they were even worthy of being called a “company,” but still.
“There’s a stall in this corner?”
“We just arrived.”
“Really? Well, I’ll give it a try. What’s good here?”
“Everything is delicious, but personally, I recommend the Alacron belly steak and Demexus hind leg.”
At that, people tilted their heads.
“Alacron belly steak…?”
“Demexus hind leg…?”
“Aren’t those monsters?”
“Yes, they are.”
And with that, the uproar began.
“A-Are you crazy?!”
“Selling monster meat?!”
“Are you out of your minds?!”
“You don’t have to worry—”
“Don’t have to worry, my ass—eeeeek!!”
People leapt back in shock.
They were looking at a shocking sight.
Chomp chomp. Gulp.
Members of the Predator Trading Company were blatantly eating the monster meat.
“As you can see, all the madness within the monster meat has been removed. We only sell safe products.”
The salesman’s words left everyone stunned.
“Wh-What…?”
“You removed the madness…?”
“Yes.”
Even with the confirmation, no one could believe it.
And for good reason.
That was something no one had ever succeeded in doing in all of the continent’s history.
Since the classification of monsters as a separate biological entity, countless scholars and mages had attempted to remove the madness embedded within monster flesh.
None had succeeded.
Great mages written about in the history books.
Magical scholars who advanced civilization by leaps and bounds.
Geniuses beyond compare had tried—and all had failed.
It was deemed impossible.
The madness was imprinted at the cellular level.
A literal domain of impossibility.
“Sir Adrian personally developed the method.”
And now, they were claiming that Adrian—the family’s disgrace—had done it.
That pale young noble grilling meat so casually over there.
“What…?”
“Is this real…?”
It was hard to believe. But also impossible to deny.
They were watching it happen right before their eyes.
The merchants were chewing and swallowing the monster meat—and they weren’t going mad.
They were perfectly normal. Not a trace of madness.
“Could it really be…?”
“Did he really remove the madness?”
Still, most people hesitated to place an order. But there are always those who can’t resist their curiosity.
“I’ll give it a try.”
One brave man placed an order for monster meat.
“The… Alacron belly steak? I’ll have that.”
“Right away!”
The salesman quickly prepared the steak, and the man cut into it with slightly trembling hands.
All eyes were on him.
“Holy sh*t!!!”
His eyes went wide as saucers—then he stopped talking entirely.
Chomp chomp! Chomp chomp!
Like a starving beggar, he devoured the meat with wild abandon. Fork and knife forgotten, he buried his face in the plate.
“Hey, are you oka—”
Chomp chomp! Chomp chomp!
He cleaned his plate in an instant.
“One more! No, two! No—just give me all of it!!”
Still not satisfied, he began placing more orders. Not a hint of madness—unless you counted gluttony as madness.
It was undeniable proof.
Everyone watching swallowed hard.
They may have hesitated at the word “monster meat,” but that luxurious marbling looked insanely delicious.
“Give me one too!”
“Me too!”
Orders began flooding in—an inevitable outcome.
* * *
A day had passed since the Predator Trading Company began business in Preche.
“Hey, have you been to that new meat stall in Central Plaza?”
Rumors about the company were already spreading.
“There’s a meat stall in Central Plaza?”
“It’s run by the new Predator Trading Company.”
“Predator Trading Company?”
“Apparently it’s run by the White Wolf family.”
“Oh, from that northern territory?”
“Yeah.”
But for now, it was just gossip.
Many still hadn’t even heard of it.
But that would soon change.
“I heard their meat is absolutely insane!”
“Meat is meat. How good could it—”
“You don’t know anything!”
“Whoa, what’s with the shouting?”
“You clearly have no clue! That meat is so good, it’s to die for—literally!”
“Really?”
“You poor fool! Come on, I’ll show you heaven!”
“H-Hey, wait!”
Like that, word of monster meat spread like a contagious fever throughout Preche.
* * *
It was now day two of business.
The stall had grown so crowded, there wasn’t even room to stand.
I flipped meat with one hand, moving pans with the other.
I was pretty decent at cooking in addition to butchering.
Honestly, there was almost nothing I hadn’t learned during my time in Special Forces.
Whoooosh!!
“Whoa—!”
“Incredible skills!”
The fiery spectacle drew even more people in.
Even those not ordering food would stop to watch the show.
‘My improved agility is really boosting my dexterity.’
Agility didn’t just mean faster movements.
It referred to the ability of the brain to send signals through the nervous system—essentially, everything that involved nerve coordination.
Which meant dexterity was included.
My agility stat was now 25.
That meant I had the reflexes and hand skill of 25 grown men combined.
As a result, the flavor of the meat had improved dramatically.
Monster meat had evolved with thick fat to endure the cold. That alone made it incomparable to other meats.
Now, combined with my agility, the taste was divine.
Orders poured in.
“Two Demexus hind leg portions over here!”
“Five Alacron belly steaks, please!”
We had become the most popular restaurant and trading company in the Free City of Preche.
Money was piling up fast.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
I had also hunted three more Rex monsters, enhancing my abilities even further.
◆ Promote Metabolism [D]
Activating this skill greatly enhances the player’s endocrine system, boosting metabolism.
Strength -15%, Agility and Stamina +20%.
[Skill can be toggled On/Off.]
[Additional genetic material will further enhance this skill.]
I had upgraded Promote Metabolism from [E+] to [D], a two-tier jump.
Now, the stat decrease in Strength was much smaller, while the gains in Agility and Stamina had increased.
The upsides now outweighed the downsides.
In addition, I had hunted 8 Alacron and 3 Demexus.
That allowed me to upgrade:
-
Toughened Skin from [D] to [D+]
-
Nutrient Synthesis from [C+] to [B-]
Unfortunately, I hadn’t leveled up.
‘The EXP requirements are getting steep.’
Monster hunting alone wouldn’t cut it anymore.
From past experience, quest rewards were the most efficient way to gain levels.
And right now, I had one such quest I could complete.
== [Humble Beginnings, Glorious End] ==
[Objective] – Successfully complete your first trade expedition after founding a company.
[Reward] – Unlocks “Management Mode.”
[Failure] – Banished from the Count’s territory.
I didn’t know exactly what “Management Mode” was, but I could guess it would come with a lot of experience.
As long as I succeeded safely, I’d be fine.
‘At this rate, I’ll sell out soon.’
Calling it “safe” was an understatement.
It was a massive hit.
So I wasn’t worried about the quest.
Instead, it was more important to remember my original goal.
‘I didn’t find Ian in Preche.’
I had searched the city while resting from work. Not a single trace of Ian.
As I had suspected, Ian was wandering the continent trying to find me.
But I didn’t know where he was looking.
‘I need to spread the name of my company.’
That’s why I named it Predator Trading Company.
Predator—my codename during my time in the Allied Forces.
A name Ian had given me.
It wasn’t completely unheard of on the continent, but rarely used.
Especially not “Predator Trading Company.”
So if Ian heard the rumor, he’d notice.
If he learned it was run by the White Wolf family, he’d know.
‘He’ll realize I’m in the White Wolf territory—and that I’ve returned to the past.’
Then he’d come find me.
To make that happen, I needed the name Predator Trading Company to spread far and wide.
That’s why I came to the Free City of Preche.
‘Fame only within the kingdom isn’t enough.’
The White Wolf family belonged to the Batenberg Kingdom.
News from there was easy for me to track. But not so from other kingdoms.
The Free City belonged to no nation.
It was a hub where goods and information from every kingdom flowed together.
And not just for finding Ian.
Imperial trading companies passed through here, too.
With them, I could get into the Empire—even the Imperial Palace.
I could observe the emperor and gather intel.
Even raise funds to rebuild the Allied Forces.
That’s why I planned to make Predator the greatest trading company on the continent.
And the first step was here, in Preche.
‘It’s about time someone takes the bait…’
Just then.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
The long-awaited target had finally taken the bait.
