I quickly picked up my clothes and took a step back.
It was because of his intimidating demeanor in my dream.
“I heard someone had their clothes stolen, looks like this guy was the culprit.”
Grrr-
Annoyed by the groaning thief, Choi Jinhyuk grabbed his face with his large palm.
The thief dangled helplessly in his grip, looking somewhat pitiful.
Well, people in this world probably wouldn’t die from that.
“By the way, why are you here at night?”
“…I was on duty.”
“Ah…”
Even great adventurers like Choi Jinhyuk take turns standing guard.
I nodded and stood there blankly.
Unsure of what else to say.
“This guy will be taken care of by the guild, go back and sleep. It’s still night.”
“Thank you for your help.”
“Yeah. There won’t be any more danger, so don’t worry and get some rest.”
“Alright…”
I nodded gratefully to him and headed back to the container.
Maybe Choi Jinhyuk, like me, is also trying to become a better person.
Otherwise, there was no reason for him to help me like this.
‘Everyone wants to become a better person.’
Realizing this, the Choi Jinhyuk from my dream no longer bothered me.
✧✧✧✧✧
The next morning.
Stretching and rising from the mattress, I noticed someone’s presence near the container.
“Hmm…”
The distinctive, cautious footsteps were familiar.
It must be Yeoreum.
I rubbed my eyes and walked out of the container.
“You’re here…”
“Oh, did Gyeoul wake up?”
Yeoreum approached me, holding a coffee in one hand.
I admired her diligence for being up and about so early in the morning.
“You came early this morning.”
“Yeah. I heard about the thief at Gyeoul’s place yesterday. So, I came early.”
“Ah.”
I wondered what had happened to that thief.
Looking involuntarily towards the tent, Yeoreum tapped my shoulder.
“Here, this is what the thief stole from Gyeoul.”
“Oh!”
It was the outfit I treasured the most.
I hastily took the clothes from her and held them up to the rising sun.
‘Thank goodness.’
There were no tears or additional dirt.
It was just as I remembered it.
Though I thought I had let go of my attachment, seeing it again made me unexpectedly happy.
“I got everything back from the thief last night. I did well, right?”
“Yes, thank you. But why did that person steal my clothes? They aren’t even clean.”
“…Well, he was trying to sell them.”
The thought of selling these dirty clothes was shocking.
“Why would anyone buy such dirty clothes?”
“Well, hehe…”
Yeoreum showed an awkward smile.
I understood it was something she couldn’t tell me.
‘Surely it’s not what I’m thinking?’
No way.
It couldn’t be.
My body is that of a child, it’s as flat as a board, there’s no flesh of a mature woman anywhere.
I shook my head, trying to dismiss the suspicion, but doubt lingered.
“Maybe that person was a pervert.”
“…Where did you learn such a word?”
“I just know…?”
Isn’t it a word that’s not too difficult to learn?
Looking up at Yeoreum, confused, she patted my shoulder.
“Beast-kin are rare, so it seems things like their clothes can be sold at high prices.”
“The clothes?”
I looked down reflexively at what I was wearing.
How much could it possibly be sold for, to make it worth stealing?
My curiosity was piqued.
“Just to be clear, you shouldn’t sell them, okay? Bad people might use them for the wrong reasons.”
“Yes…”
Wrong reasons.
I knew well that she meant sexual reason.
I didn’t want it either.
“Let’s end this topic here. Talking too much about bad things is not good for mental health.”
“Okay.”
As if the body follows the mind, that kind of meaning.
It wasn’t exactly wrong, so I decided to change the subject.
“But you’re carrying a weapon today?”
Yeoreum had a sword strapped to her waist.
Seeing her usually unarmed, it felt quite out of place.
“Today I’m going to a dungeon.”
“A dungeon?”
“Yes. It’s a new gate that appeared yesterday, and it’s a high level. Ah… It might be a bit scary for Gyeoul.”
Yeoreum scratched the back of her head.
She looked somewhat apologetic.
“Why?”
“Well, I heard that the monsters coming out from there are horned rabbits.”
“From a high level dungeon…?”
“Yes. It’s strange, so I looked into it, and it’s really just a dungeon with only horned rabbits. Usually, when this happens, there’s something hidden, but I’m not sure what it is.”
Something hidden.
I was suspicious, but couldn’t be certain.
Maybe to someone ‘without mana’ like the old me, a mere horned rabbit dungeon could feel like a high level dungeon.
But surely that wouldn’t be the case.