"Are you looking for something?" Oliver asked Kai, assuming that since they met in the Hunters Market, he must be here to buy something.
"No, I just got off work and was feeling hungry. Since the market was nearby, I came to eat some ramen," Kai replied, biting into the tender meat.
"You mean Tom? His ramen is really good. Unfortunately, he's short-tempered."
As Kai mentioned ramen, Omar immediately knew he was referring to Tom. After all, no one else in the entire Hunters Market sold ramen.
"Enjoy."
As they were talking, Anthony brought over the brisket and placed it on the table.
Looking at the spice-covered brisket, Omar excitedly cut into it with a knife. As he sliced it, juices began to flow out—the meat was medium-well, almost well-done.
"This is going to be delicious!" Omar exclaimed, sharing the brisket with Kai and Oliver.
Looking at the brisket, Kai had to admit—it looked amazing. Without further hesitation, he picked up a piece with his fork and took a bite.
The moment it entered his mouth, Kai's eyes widened—not just because it was delicious, but because the meat was filled with Ki.
The instant it entered his stomach, it released a burst of Ki.
"Monster meat?" Kai asked in surprise.
Most monster meat is inedible, as it contains polluted Ki, making it dangerous for consumption.
Monsters whose meat can be safely eaten are rare and extremely valuable. Since such meat is rich in Ki, it fetches a high price.
"Not just any monster meat—it's from Ulk Deer," Omar answered, enjoying the brisket.
Hearing that it was Ulk Deer meat, Kai didn't react much, but Oliver raised his eyebrows and looked at Omar.
The meaning was clear: Ulk Deer meat is expensive. How are we going to pay for this?
However, Omar ignored Oliver's stare and continued enjoying the brisket.
Soon, the brisket was gone—and it was time to pay.
"Boss, check!"
"That will be 1 Gold and 3 Silver coins," Anthony replied, hurrying over to collect the money. On a good day, he could sell 1 Kg of Ulk Deer meat, but today, he sold 3 Kg.
"What!!"
Hearing the bill, Kai was shocked. After all, his monthly salary was only 6 Gold coins. And now, this one meal had cost more than a Gold coin.
"Don't worry. I have 7 Silver coins. You two just need to pay 3 Silver coins each," Omar said.
Originally, Omar had planned to spend all his savings of 1 Gold coin and have Oliver pay the rest.
But now that Kai was here, he decided to save some for a rainy day.
When Omar suggested they each pay 3 Silver coins, Oliver was relieved.
Like Omar, Oliver had brought all his savings—5 Silver coins—but never expected the meal to cost 1 Gold and 3 Silver.
If Kai hadn't shown up, Oliver thought, I would've been left with nothing.
While Omar and Oliver were happy they had saved money, Kai was depressed.
He had only eaten some ribs and a bit of brisket, and now he had to pay 3 whole Silver coins.
He had never spent so much money on food in a single day—let alone on a single meal. Kai reluctantly took 3 Silver coins from his storage bag and handed them to Anthony.
"Next time, I'm not eating with you, even if you're paying," Kai glared at Omar.
"Don't be like that, Kai. You're an Alchemist—making money is easy for you," Omar replied.
Having a habit of trying high-class foods, Omar didn't want to lose someone who could share the cost.
What he said wasn't wrong either. Alchemists could easily earn 4 to 5 Silver coins daily—around 12 to 15 Gold coins a month. And that was in addition to their regular salary.
"I only get 6 Gold coins per month!" Kai refuted Omar's claim.
Although it was true that if he started selling pills, he could earn a lot, a few copper coins couldn't compare to a Honey Point.
By face value, 1 Honey Point was equal to 1 Gold coin.
"If you're short on money, just make some pills and sell them. If you want, I can be your middleman," Omar suggested, without any ill intentions.
As he smiled, he felt that the idea was actually pretty good. That way, Kai wouldn't have to worry about selling the pills, and Omar, as the middleman, could earn a few extra coins.
"Sigh... Right now, I urgently need to undergo my third Heavenly Trial. I'll think about it after that," Kai said.
Seeing Omar smiling like that, Kai sighed internally—it wasn't his fault Omar only thought with his stomach.
"Then it's a deal!" At that moment, Omar was ready to become Kai's most loyal middleman.
After paying the bill, the trio stood up and headed back toward the Candy Complex.
"Kai, I've been meaning to ask—do you know how to make Healing Potions yet?" Oliver asked along the way.
For hunters, aside from having the best equipment, the most necessary item is the Healing Potion.
Healing Potions can help a person instantly recover from minor injuries, which is crucial in battle, where even a small wound can open many doors to the underworld.
Most importantly, Healing Potions are helpful even when someone is fatally wounded.
Since Kai started learning Alchemy, everyone has been hoping he would learn to make Healing Potions as quickly as possible.
It's not because they're expensive—it's because they're in short supply.
Every time a Fairy Alchemist makes Healing Potions, they are instantly sold out.
"Not yet. But after undergoing my third Heavenly Trial, I should be able to make them," Kai replied after thinking for a while.
Although a normal Healing Potion is also a Grade 1 potion like the Strength Potion or Essence Boost Potion, it requires the essence of various herbs, which can take hours to extract using the heat from Fire Stones.
This is why only Alchemists who have already learned [Herb Weaving] attempt to start learning about Healing Potions.
Hearing that Kai needed to undergo his third Heavenly Trial before he could make Healing Potions, Oliver fell silent for a moment.
This was the second time Kai had mentioned his third Heavenly Trial.
Maybe there was some Gift that Kai urgently needed.
"How are your Ki reserves right now?" Oliver asked, hoping to take Kai hunting with them and help him quickly undergo his third Heavenly Trial.
Hunting monsters is the easiest and quickest way to level up.
Even Omar, who doesn't work that hard, has already undergone his third Heavenly Trial, and his Ki reserves are nearing 3,000.
"Around 600. Why do you ask?" Kai wondered why Oliver was asking about his Ki reserves. However, thinking back to how Oliver asked if he could make Healing Potions, he understood.
After all, Healing Potions are a must-have for anyone hunting in the wild.
"Just wondering." Since Kai's Ki reserves were almost 600, they'd only need to take him hunting for two days and he should be able to undergo his third Heavenly Trial.
I should discuss it with Eric, Oliver thought.