As we exited the dungeon with the adventurers, reporters and dungeon officials rushed toward us.
Why did we struggle so much in a mere fifth-tier dungeon?
Why were there casualties?
Amid the barrage of chaotic questions, I almost felt dizzy. With Jung Yu-na’s help, I managed to return to the container.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah...”
At the entrance to the container, Sophia greeted me.
Though she could’ve asked what had happened, all she did was pat me on the shoulder, saying I’d done well.
“You must be tired. Get some rest.”
“Yeah...”
Maybe it was because I’d exerted so much energy, but I was really exhausted. I collapsed like a domino, burying my face into the mattress.
'I caught fifty horned rabbits on my own.'
It’d be nice if I could sell just ten of them.
Wait... didn’t I forget to recover all my arrows?
As I recalled the events of the recent battle, I slowly closed my eyes. I really needed to rest, just as Sophia had suggested.
---
*Screech–*
In the darkness, I heard the sound of rusty hinges. Slowly, I opened my eyes, meeting Yeoreum's gaze as she quietly entered the room.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, I was just about to get up…”
Rubbing my eyes, I looked out the window to see that the sun was already setting.
How long did I sleep?
Just as I tried to look up at the clock with my tired eyes, Yeoreum sat down next to my mattress.
“You saved my life, Gyeoul.”
“We all did it together.”
As I spoke, I glanced at Yeoreum’s abdomen. She had been impaled by the giant horned rabbit, but now she moved as if nothing had happened. It seemed I didn’t need to worry about her condition.
“Gyeoul, do you want anything?”
“Want something?”
“Yeah, you played a huge role in clearing the dungeon this time.”
Honestly, it was a team effort.
I forced myself to swallow the words that were about to slip out. There was something I wanted from her.
“Well, can you answer a question honestly?”
“...Do you have something you want to ask?”
“Yes, there’s something I really need to know.”
I looked at her with a seriousness I had never shown before. Realizing that I wasn’t joking, she erased the smile from her lips.
“Alright. I’ll answer anything I know.”
Anything.
It was exactly what I wanted to hear from her.
“Why did you make me a beast-kin?”
“Well...”
“You’ve been avoiding this topic for a while. I need to know the reason now.”
Yeoreum was kind enough to save my life, even risking her own.
But the fact that she hadn’t told me everything left a lingering distrust. If I were to trust her fully, I had to know the whole truth.
“...If you really want to know, I’ll tell you.”
“Yes, I want to know.”
Seeing my resolute attitude, Yeoreum sighed deeply. After a moment’s hesitation, she cautiously began to speak.
“At the time, there was only one way to save you.”
“And that was...?”
“By reconstructing your body from the beginning using the Blessing of the Beast Spirit.”
The Blessing of the Beast Spirit.
That must have something to do with the god of the beast-kin, I figured.
“Thanks to the blessing, I’m able to use mana now, right?”
“Yeah, and potions work on you too.”
She had gone to great lengths to save me. I was grateful, but my questions weren’t fully answered yet.
“Then why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“Well...”
“Well?”
“That item is really expensive... I didn’t want you to feel burdened...”
Expensive?
The word alone made my heart sink.
“H-how much are we talking about...?”
“Well, uh... Wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t know...?”
Her hesitation and avoidance made it clear.
This wasn’t just any ordinary item—it was worth an astronomical amount of money.
“Can I at least have a rough idea of the cost...?”
“Do you really need to know?”
“Yes.”
At my insistence, Yeoreum seemed to reach a decision. She leaned close and whispered in my ear.
The number she mentioned was a sum I couldn’t repay even if I worked my entire life.
“Ugh...”
“Huh?”
“Uuugh...”
I had been dreaming a happy dream. A dream where, by working hard, I could live a better life.
As my income increased and my skills improved, I thought I’d soon be able to live like an ordinary person.
But the sudden astronomical debt crushed that hope, leaving me in deep despair.
“Ugh...”
I was doomed.
A debt so huge that I couldn’t repay it even if I worked like a slave for the rest of my life. I couldn’t even begin to grasp how to solve this problem.
“Gyeoul, it’s okay. You don’t need to repay it, so calm down, okay?”
“No...”
If you owe money, you must repay it.
Those who don’t are scum.
“It’s already been used, so what can you do? I’m fine with letting it go, so let’s just forget about it, okay?”
“N-no, it’s fine. I’ll work hard and pay it all back...”
I clasped my hands together, pleading for more time.
“Haa... This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you...”
“I-I see...”
Now I understood why she hadn’t told me the truth.
It wasn’t for any nefarious reason but simply to spare me from the burden.
'I’m a terrible person.'
I had doubted someone who had spent an unimaginable amount of money to save me. I wanted to crawl into a hole out of guilt.
“I-I’ll definitely pay you back...”
“No, really, you don’t have to.”
“It’s fine... I earn forty thousand won a day...”
I started counting on my fingers, trying to figure out how much I would need to earn daily to pay it back in my lifetime.
Even if I earned a hundred times more than I do now, I wouldn’t be able to repay it in a hundred years.
---
The next morning.
Sophia, upon waking up, found Gyeoul squatting in the vegetable garden with a haggard expression.
“Ugh...”
Gyeoul let out a small noise that could’ve been a groan or a sigh.
Whatever the reason was, it was pitiful to watch.
“Gyeoul, did something happen?”
“N-no. Nothing happened...”
Nothing happened?
That’s hard to believe.
As Sophia glanced around, she noticed Yeoreum lying on the grass with a similar expression.
Something was definitely off about the way Yeoreum was sprawled out like someone who had achieved enlightenment.
“Yeoreum.”
“...Yes?”
Her response was delayed by a full three seconds.
It was as if she had been cursed with slowness.
Sophia could sense that something had happened between the two, without even needing to ask for details.
“What happened between the two of you?”
“Well... last night, I told Gyeoul about the Blessing of the Beast Spirit.”
“The blessing?”
“Yeah. Gyeoul kept asking, so I couldn’t avoid it anymore.”
Oh dear.
Despite agreeing to keep it a secret, Yeoreum had ended up telling her anyway. Sophia could already guess what had transpired between them.
“Gyeoul must’ve said she’d repay the debt.”
“Yes. I tried telling her a hundred times she didn’t have to, but she insists on paying it back... no matter what.”
“Hm...”
Normally, when someone says you don’t have to repay a debt, the proper response would be gratitude.
But why did this kid insist on repaying it?
Sophia suspected Gyeoul might have some trauma related to debts.
Maybe she had been punished in the past for failing to repay on time.
‘Poor thing.’
Tsk.
It was heartbreaking to think that this sweet kid had ended up in such a situation.
“I thought their relationship had improved, but now it’s back to square one.”
“They’ve gone from friends to creditor and debtor.”
“Exactly.”
When money gets involved, even simple friendships can get complicated.
For Gyeoul and Yeoreum, whose relationship was already special, things had become even more awkward.
“Haa!”
*Thud! Thud!*
Yeoreum, lying on the grass, began pounding the ground with her fists, giving up all pretense of dignity. She even yanked out a handful of grass in frustration.
She now regretted telling Gyeoul about the blessing.
She wished she hadn’t said anything, even if it meant distancing herself.
Just then, Gyeoul approached her with quick steps.
“U-um...”
“Hm?”
“I’ve been thinking...”
“Thinking?”
What is it?
Could it be that she’s changed her mind and decided not to repay the debt?
Yeoreum, filled with anticipation, sat up from the grass.
“I thought it’d be good if I sold tea here.”
“Tea...?”
“Yeah, you know how my tea has buff effects. I could sell it to earn money.”
So that’s what she had been thinking about.
Yeoreum wanted to beg her not to repay the debt, but she knew Gyeoul
’s stubbornness too well. Instead, she simply nodded.
“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.”
If that’s the way it had to be, Yeoreum figured they should sell Gyeoul’s tea at the highest possible price.
She now felt like a loan shark, determined to squeeze out every last coin from the debt.
Actually, that wasn’t just a feeling—it was the truth.
Yeoreum began to wonder when her karma would finally be cleared.