As the adventurers and I emerged from the dungeon, reporters and dungeon officials rushed towards us.
They bombarded us with questions about why we struggled so much in a mere fifth-level dungeon and why there were casualties.
In the midst of the chaotic questioning, with my head spinning, Jung Yu-na helped me escape back to the container.
"Did you make it back?"
"Yes..."
Sophia greeted me at the entrance of the container.
Instead of asking what happened to me, she just patted my shoulder, acknowledging my hard work.
"You must be tired. Rest for now."
"Yes..."
Perhaps it was the exhaustion from using so much energy.
I felt extremely tired.
I collapsed onto the mattress like a domino, burying my face in it.
'I must have killed at least fifty horned rabbits on my own.'
It would be great if I could sell at least ten of them.
Wait, didn't I fail to retrieve all the arrows I shot?
I closed my eyes slowly, replaying the events of the battle, thinking that maybe I should rest a bit as Sophia suggested.
✧✧✧✧✧
Creak—
A rusty hinge noise came from the darkness.
As I carefully opened my eyes, I saw Yeoreum entering through the door.
"Sorry. Did I wake you?"
"No, I was about to get up..."
Rubbing my eyes and looking out the window, I saw that the day was already turning to dusk.
How long had I slept?
Just as I tried to look up at the clock with my half-open eyes, Yeoreum sat down next to my mattress.
"Thanks to Gyeoul, I'm alive."
"We all did it together."
While speaking, I checked Yeoreum's stomach.
Though she had been impaled by the giant horned rabbit, she moved as if nothing had happened.
It seemed there was no need to worry about her physical condition.
"Gyeoul, do you want anything?"
"Want something?"
"Yeah. You played a big part in clearing the dungeon this time."
Honestly, it was a joint effort.
I swallowed the words that were about to spill out because I did have a desire.
"Then, can you answer my question honestly?"
"...Is there something you want to ask?"
"Yes. There's something I really need to ask."
I looked at Yeoreum with a seriousness I had never shown before.
Sensing something unusual in my expression, she wiped the smile off her face.
"Okay. I'll answer whatever I know."
'Whatever I know.'
That was exactly what I wanted to hear.
"I'm curious why you specifically turned me into a beast-kin."
"That's..."
"You've been deliberately avoiding this topic since before. Now, I need to know the reason."
Yeoreum was a good person who would risk her life to save me.
However, the distrust remained because she hadn't told me everything.
As someone who wanted to fully trust her, I needed to know the whole truth.
"Um... If Gyeoul really wants to know, I'll tell you."
"Yes. I want to know."
Confronted with my firm attitude, Yeoreum let out a deep sigh.
She hesitated for a moment before cautiously opening her mouth.
"At that time, there was only one way to save you."
"What was it...?"
"Through the Beast King Benediction, reconstructing the body from scratch."
The Beast King Benediction.
"Is it because of the Beast King Benediction that I can use mana?"
"Yes. That's also why potions work on you now."
She had done her best to save me.
I was grateful, but my doubts hadn't completely vanished.
"But why didn't you tell me about this?"
"Well..."
"Well...?"
"It's a really expensive item... I thought you would feel burdened..."
An expensive item.
Those words sent a shiver down my spine.
"How much...?"
"Maybe it's better not to know...?"
From Yeoreum's evasive attitude, I realized it must be an exorbitant amount.
"Can you at least give me a rough idea of how much it is...?"
"Do you really need to know?"
"Yes."
At my insistence, Yeoreum leaned close and whispered the price.
It was an amount I could never repay, not even if I worked my entire life.
"Uh."
"Uh?"
"Uwaaa..."
I had a blissful dream.
A dream where I thought my life would improve if I worked hard.
I thought I'd be able to live like an ordinary person soon, earning more money and rapidly improving skills.
But then, a sudden astronomical debt plunged me into deep despair.
"Uwaaa."
I'm ruined.
A debt I could never repay, even if I worked like a slave for the rest of my life.
I had no idea where to start solving it.
"Gyeoul. You don't have to pay it back, so calm down, okay?"
"I can't..."
A person who incurs a debt must repay it.
Those who don't are nothing but the dregs of humanity.
"What can we do? It's already used. Let's just forget about it, okay?"
"No, it's okay. I'll work hard and definitely repay it..."
I just need a bit more time.
I clasped my hands together as if pleading.
"Haah... This is why I didn't want to tell you..."
"So, that's why..."
I had wondered why she didn't tell me the truth.
It wasn't for a malicious purpose, but rather for my sake.
'I'm really a terrible person.'
To doubt her after she had spent such an astronomical amount to save my life.
I wanted to hide in a mouse hole out of shame.
"I, I will definitely repay the money..."
"No, really, you don't have to repay it."
"No, it's okay... I earn forty thousand won a day..."
How much would I need to earn each day to repay the debt before I die?
I closed my eyes tightly, overwhelmed with futility, as I calculated.
Even if I earned a hundred times my current income, it would take a century to repay the sum.
✱✱✱
The next morning, after waking up, Sophia found Gyeoul squatting in the garden with a haggard face.
"Uwaaa."
Gyeoul let out a small sound, a mix of a scream and a sigh.
Whatever the reason, it was pitiful to watch.
"Gyeoul, what happened?"
"Oh, nothing. Nothing happened to me..."
Nothing happened?
Clearly, something did.
Sophia looked around to find the reason and noticed Yeoreum, lying on the grass with a similar expression.
Yeoreum lay spread out as if she had reached enlightenment.
"Yeoreum."
"...Yes?"
Her response was delayed by about three beats.
It was as if she was cursed with slowness.
Sophia could sense that something had happened between Gyeoul and Yeoreum.
"What exactly happened that both of you are in this state?"
"...Last night, I told Gyeoul about the Beast King Benediction."
"...Why?"
"Yes. Gyeoul kept asking, so I had no choice but to tell."
Oh no.
She was supposed to keep the item a secret, but she ended up revealing it herself.
Sophia could guess what had happened between them without hearing the entire explanation.
"Gyeoul must have insisted on repaying it."
"Yes. I tried to convince her almost a hundred times that it's not necessary to repay, but she insists on doing so no matter what..."
"Hmm..."
A normal person would be grateful when told they don't need to repay the money.
Why does that child insist on repaying it?
Perhaps…. Gyeoul had some trauma buried deep within.
A trauma related to delayed payment…. Which…. leading to a violent beating.
'Poor kid.'
Tsk.
How did such a good kid end up in this situation?
"I thought our relationship had improved with this incident, but we're back to square one."
"Now it's become a relationship between a creditor and debtor."
"Yeah."
Even in a simple friendship, the dynamics change the moment money gets involved.
For a 'special relationship' like Gyeoul's and Yeoreum's, it was bound to get even more complicated.
"Haah!"
Thump! Thump!
Yeoreum, lying on the grass, abandoned all pretenses and pounded the ground with her fists.
She even tore out a handful of grass in frustration.
She regretted telling her about the Beast King Benediction, thinking it would have been better to become distant rather than reveal it.
At that moment, Gyeoul approached Yeoreum with small steps.
"Um, excuse me..."
"Yes?"
"I've been thinking..."
"Thinking?"
About what?
Could it be that she's going to say she can't repay the debt?
Yeoreum got up from the grass with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"I was thinking, maybe I could sell tea here."
"Sell tea...?"
"Yes. You said my tea has a buff effect, right? I can make money by selling it."
It was a discussion about how to repay the debt.
Yeoreum wanted to plead with Gyeoul not to repay the money, but knowing her stubbornness all too well, she just nodded in agreement.
"Okay. That's a really good idea."
Now that it had come to this, she thought they should sell Gyeoul's buff at the highest price possible.
She felt like a ruthless debt collector, resorting to any means necessary to get the money.
No, not just a feeling – that was actually the case.
Yeoreum seriously pondered when her karma would be cleared.
<+>
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