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Yeoreum looked down at the sauce that Gyeoul had prepared.
It seemed like a random mix of available ingredients, but could it really be that delicious?
She recalled Gyeoul casually cooking minnows and decided to try the sauce with a bit of trepidation.
Yum~~~
"Hmm...?"
Isn't this surprisingly tasty?
At that moment of pure admiration from Yeoreum, the mana inside her began to surge uncontrollably.
'Huh?'
Her mana amplified, swelling like muscles.
The effect was significant enough to be meaningful in a dungeon.
She estimated the duration to be about a day.
At this rate, her ranking could climb several levels.
'What's this...?'
She had experienced a similar effect when she drank tea with dandelion flowers.
Maybe the food Gyeoul made had some doping effect.
'But when I ate the boiled minnows last time, nothing happened?'
What was the difference between the boiled minnows and the food made this time?
After pondering, Yeoreum came to a conclusion.
The effect of food made for 'survival' might differ from that made for 'rest'.
"Gyeoul, where did you learn to make this?"
"Oh, that, someone taught me before."
Someone taught her?
Was there someone else taking care of Gyeoul?
Yeoreum felt a strange sense of relief at the thought that Gyeoul might not be alone.
"Gyeoul, do you have... friends? Do you meet someone?"
It was an innocent question.
Soon, Yeoreum realized she had made a grave mistake.
"..."
Gyeoul's face turned pale.
She stopped chewing the meat in her mouth and just stared down at the ground.
Yeoreum regretted mentioning the word 'friends'.
Feeling her brain go blank, she hastily waved her hand.
"I-I don't have many friends either."
"..."
She was at an age to be embarrassed about not having friends.
Actually, at any age, it's embarrassing to have no friends at all.
It was a question she should never have asked a child in a difficult situation.
Yeoreum belatedly regretted her words.
"Um, Gyeoul...?"
You have me as a friend, Gyeoul.
Before Yeoreum could say those words, Gyeoul spoke first.
"I do have a friend..."
"Really?"
"Yes..."
Was this friend the one who taught Gyeoul how to make the sauce?
Yeoreum wasn't sure, but she felt relieved knowing Gyeoul wasn't alone.
"Can you introduce me to your friend later?"
"Yes, yes..."
Gyeoul nodded to Yeoreum, thinking to herself.
She had many good friends in her previous life.
Of course, in this life, Gyeoul didn't have a single friend.
After finishing the barbecue, Yeoreum cleaned up and approached Gyeoul.
Gyeoul was diligently cleaning up the remaining trash.
"Gyeoul, I'm going to the guild for a bit, can you rest well while I'm gone?"
"Yes. You mean taking a rest, right?"
"Yeah. Don't exert yourself and rest well, okay?"
"Yes..."
Dandelion tea and ssamjang.
After gathering what Gyeoul had made, Yeoreum headed to the main office of the guild.
She intended to report to the guild master about the abilities Gyeoul might possess.
Doping abilities were coveted even within the Yeomyeong Guild for their rarity, but her report wasn't motivated solely by greed for these abilities.
If Gyeoul's abilities became known, many would try to make contact.
Among them, there would undoubtedly be villains who specifically targeted individuals with unique abilities.
'The Guild Master said not to spare any resources.'
The Guild Master would surely protect Gyeoul well.
Having finished her thoughts, Yeoreum knocked on the guild master's office door.
Knock Knock
"Guild Master, may I come in?"
"Yes, come in."
As Kang Jinho, the Guild Master of the Daybreak Guild, gave permission, Yeoreum opened the door and entered.
She was surprised to see strangers sitting behind the desk in the office she expected to be empty.
'Beast-kin...?'
Occasionally, sentient beings from dungeons cross over.
Among them were beast-kin, like the wolf-eared woman and the man with lizard scales.
It was odd to see two rare beast-kin in the guild office.
"Come in and sit down."
"Yes."
Yeoreum cautiously observed the two beast-kin as she sat next to Kang Jinho.
Normally, she would sit facing him, but due to the beast-kin occupying the front seats, she had to sit this way.
'What's going on?'
As Yeoreum glanced at Kang Jinho, the wolf-eared woman cautiously began to speak.
"So, you've already used the Blessing of the Beast God?"
"Yes. It was an item saved by our guild's children."
Our guild's children.
The term conveyed a sense of community, and Yeoreum's shoulders rose with pride.
The wolf woman's expression soured.
"I'm well aware of the rules of this world. Our beast-kin tribe also strives to abide by them."
"Yes. Then you must know that items obtained in dungeons belong to the guild, according to the rules?"
"Yes, I am aware. But the Blessing of the Beast God is different in its significance."
The Blessing of the Beast God.
An item that births the king of the beast-kin.
That such a significant treasure was used by humans, not beast-kin.
The aggressive lizard beast-kin gritted his teeth, but Kang Jinho seemed unbothered.
"I understand it's valuable, but what can we do with something that's already been used?"
"Normally, one would be punished according to the rules of the beast-kin..."
"Rules?"
"Yes. If someone unworthy consumes the blessing..."
The wolf woman trailed off, but everyone in the room understood.
The rule was that if someone unworthy consumed the blessing, they would be executed.
Kang Jinho scoffed at the beast-kin's audacity.
"Go ahead and try."
"Excuse me...?"
"If you think you can, then go ahead."
An indescribable, immense aura rose from Kang Jinho's body.
The young beast-kin were overwhelmed by Kang Jinho's formidable presence.
"Turning the entire beast-kin tribe into enemies-"
"Oh? What will you do about it? You think the entire beast-kin tribe can win against me?"
"..."
The female beast-kin fell silent.
While the other members of the Daybreak Guild were strong, Kang Jinho was on another level.
Even if the previous beast-kin king and the previous one as well were alive and at their prime, the Beast-kin Tribe still wouldn't have been able to defeat him.
"Ah, I haven't finished speaking. May I continue?"
"Let's hear it then."
Kang Jinho's intense aura seemed to soften.
The two beast-kin sighed in relief, unnoticed.
"Normally, we would follow our tribal rules, but we have no intention of breaking the rules of this world."
"And?"
"We would like to meet the one who consumed the blessing and assess if they are worthy of being a king."
The worthiness of a king.
That was unlikely.
Gyeoul was just an ordinary child in extraordinary circumstances.
Yeoreum wanted to object but knew it wasn't her place to speak.
All she could do was silently plead with her eyes to Kang Jinho.
"What if they're deemed unworthy?"
"We will train them ourselves. The child's learning ability must have improved."
So, the beast-kin tribe would help Gyeoul harness the power of a beast-kin king.
It was a decent proposal, but there was one problem.
The lack of trust.
"How can you assure us you won't kill the child afterward?"
"We beast-kin are few in number. We have no intention of making enemies, including you Earthlings."
"I see."
As a minority, they feared provoking the wrath of Earthlings.
The statement seemed somewhat trustworthy.
"Fine. But I'll accompany you."
"Thank you."
Yeoreum watched the wolf woman bow and thought to herself.
She should probably give the ssamjang to the Guild Master.
✱✱✱
"Ugh."
I lay on the box bed, staring at the ceiling.
I was clueless about how to fulfill the girl's request.
-Can you introduce me to your friend later?
Asking to be introduced to a non-existent friend.
Having lied about having one, I couldn't just backpedal now.
'What should I do?'
If I admitted I had no friends, how would the girl react?
I didn't know what she would do, but ridicule was certain.
Maybe she already knew I had no friends.
'Should I say all my friends died...'
Would she believe that?
I turned over, burying my face in a pillow made of old clothes.
The fact that it might have been where the girl rested, leaving behind a pleasant shampoo scent, irritated me even more.
Why has my sense of smell become so sharp?
Annoyed, I shook my legs up and down, and then I heard the sound of multiple footsteps approaching me.
"Huh?"
This place isn't one where people usually come.
Why are there so many footsteps?
Startled, I hastily fled into the shelter.
Please, don't come this way.
I closed the lid of the shelter and prayed fervently, hoping they wouldn't find me.
But contrary to my wishes, the footsteps headed straight toward me.
I picked up the sounds of four people's footsteps.
Such knowledge felt worse than a visit from a wild boar.