Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Ways to Make Money (3)
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Kang Cheol-su had kept every word he'd said and every promise he'd made to me.
Tearing off all four limbs of the Fallen devotee... but not killing him.
But rather than granting mercy, that promise was only making the Fallen devotee suffer even more.
"Please, please just kill me...!"
"Hm, I'd love to smash your head in right now, but my student asked me not to."
Kang Cheol-su said that as he pulled a recovery potion from his subspace ring.
"Ah, no...!"
The Fallen devotee reacted violently, like a kid refusing a shot.
But with only his torso left—like an abalone—he had no way to resist.
"No, no..., grrrgh...!"
In the end, the recovery potion was shoved straight into his mouth.
Gulp, gulp.
Every time the potion slid down his throat, the spots where his limbs had been torn off began to heal.
Proportionally, his face filled with despair, pain, rage, and all sorts of negative emotions.
Seeing that, I realized the reason he'd begged to be killed wasn't the limb-tearing pain.
It was the potions.
The things that could pry open a mouth clenched tight against the agony of dismemberment.
...These potions in this world are way too scary!
'That said..., is it because my mental strength has gone up?'
Even looking at this guy with his limbs ripped apart didn't faze me at all.
Before possessing this body, I couldn't even watch brutal movies.
But now? The metallic tang of blood wrinkled my nose a bit, but my stomach didn't churn, and it wasn't hard to look at.
It felt totally numb, like staring at a mannequin.
'No way, did I turn into a psychopath?'
At that thought, I recalled all the horror and thriller movies I'd seen.
And the moment a scene popped into my head of a serial killer murdering someone...
'Ah, yeah, this one's a bit much.'
My stomach twisted instantly.
Then I looked back at the Fallen devotee getting his potion torture.
And just like that, the nausea vanished.
'Ahh..., so that's how it is.'
It wasn't that my high mental strength made me unaffected.
Whether consciously or subconsciously, I just didn't see the guy as human to begin with.
Exactly like Kang Cheol-su—I viewed him as trash that needed to be wiped from this world.
Once I sorted that out, my mind cleared instantly, like a stone dropped in a lake calming the ripples.
'Worried for nothing.'
Relieved I hadn't lost my humanity, I approached the Fallen devotee.
His gaze, fixed on Kang Cheol-su, shifted to me.
"...Ju, just kill me..."
The potion's effects must have been pure agony, because his plea sounded even more desperate.
I crouched down in front of him and smiled.
"You want to die?"
"...Kill me..."
Unlike Kang Cheol-su, I actually responded, and a faint spark of hope lit in his eyes.
The hope that his suffering would finally end.
"Got it. I'll kill you."
"...!"
"But only if you tell me one thing."
Hope always comes at a price.
So spill it.
Your object of worship, the Fallen one.
Greed.
How long has he been active?
&
Maybe because it was backstory you couldn't learn from the game...
The info the Fallen devotee spilled was incredibly useful.
First: learning that the named Fallen influencing the academy from early in the story was Greed.
Second: he'd made contact with the devotee a month ago, and issued orders through the symbol of corruption.
Third: he'd chosen the academy's busy entrance exam period to link the mock rift with a double rift.
With those three pieces of intel secured, I figured I'd done what I came for and left.
The Fallen devotee wailed behind me, "You have to kill me before you go, where do you think you're going?!"
But I had no more business with him, and I hadn't personally promised to kill him myself.
He'd just assumed and spilled everything.
And I hadn't lied.
He'd get his wish and die.
After Kang Cheol-su vented a bit more.
With that, I entrusted the rest to the instructor and headed to the Production Department.
Now that I had money, no need to keep using rubber bullets, right?
So I planned to meet the production instructor Kang Cheol-su had mentioned last time and commission real ammo.
Of course, tomorrow was a rest day too, so I didn't have to handle everything today.
But since I was already moving, better to wrap it all up, even if it got busy, and rest easy.
Following the building directory with that in mind, I arrived not at a shabby office like Supply, but a full factory.
And true to the Production Department name...
Weeeeng, clank, clank.
Rumble, ruuumble!
It was incredibly noisy.
"Hey, careful over there!"
"Oi, grab the impact wrench! ...No, not that impact driver, the impact wrench!"
"Who the hell made this? The bolts aren't even tightened right!"
And incredibly busy.
In that brutal scene, I didn't dare step inside the factory.
Couldn't bring myself to grab anyone and ask, either.
As I pondered what to do outside...
"...? What're you doing just standing there?"
A husky female voice came from behind.
I turned to look.
"What're you? Uniform says first-year. Skipping class?"
A woman stood there, slouched, puffing on a pipe and eyeing me.
She looked just like..., a lion.
Bright yellow eyes, bright yellow hair.
Her hair was even wild and thick, like a lion's mane.
And that ferocious tool pouch even her work clothes couldn't hide.
Definitely the production instructor Kang Cheol-su mentioned.
Just to confirm, I called out to her.
"Are you..., the Production Department instructor?"
"Yeah, that's me. Who're you?"
Spot on.
"Good morning, Instructor. I'm Lee Yoo-jin from Class 1-A."
"...Lee Yoo-jin?"
She pulled the pipe from her mouth at my introduction and stared at me intently.
Then she blurted,
"Gun?"
"Pardon?"
"Where's your gun?"
She was looking for my gun.
A bit flustered, I pulled the pistol "Holy Gun" from my inventory and showed her.
She grinned like it was amusing and said,
"This guy's actually shooting real bullets, huh?"
True to Kang Cheol-su's word, she was into firearms—her eyes sparkled as she glanced between the gun and me.
"Here for real ammo, right?"
I nodded.
"Instructor Kang Cheol-su said to come to you..."
"Yeah, good call. Follow me."
She tapped my shoulder with her pipe and walked into the factory.
The conversation clicked somehow, but also didn't.
Like meeting an eccentric master craftsman.
Thinking that, I followed her.
"Instructor, you're here!"
"Good morning, Instructor!"
"Kids! Instructor's here! Everyone, come greet her!"
At someone's shout, the busy workers dropped everything and rushed over.
They lined up on either side of the production instructor walking ahead of me and bowed deeply, shouting in unison,
"Instructor, you're here!"
...Did I walk into the wrong place?
This is definitely Production Department.
Why does it feel like I'm seeing yakuza...?
Whether I thought that or not, the Production Department folks politely greeted their instructor and rushed back to work.
That noir scene continued until the instructor and I entered one particular room.
Clack.
Only after stepping into what looked like her personal workshop did the rowdy greetings fade.
"The kids are pretty respectful, huh?"
"...Y-Yes. Very respectful."
Satisfied with my answer, she chuckled, stuck the pipe back in her mouth, and held out her hand to me.
"...?"
I puzzled over what she meant for a second, then figured she wanted the gun and offered it.
Bingo—she took it, spun it around, and inspected it closely.
After a moment, she took a long drag on the pipe.
"Fwoo..."
She exhaled into the air and set the pipe on the workbench.
Then, eyeing the gun like it was fascinating, she said,
"This gun's not just any gun—it's an item, huh?"
"...Ah, yeah. It's an item. Is there a problem...?"
"Nah, no problem. Just been ages since I saw a gun-type item."
I gave her a puzzled look.
A production instructor seeing a gun-type item for the first time in ages?
...Don't tell me this world focuses on cold weapons, so firearm items are rare?
Right as I thought that, she nodded.
"Spot on. Exactly what you're thinking—gun types..., well, firearm items in general are pretty rare."
"...Was it on my face?"
"Yeah, work on that poker face. Your thoughts show right through."
She handed the gun back as she said that.
"Anyway, you're here for real ammo, right?"
"Yes, that's the reason."
"Alright, hold on a sec."
She stuck the pipe back in her mouth, pulled something from under the workbench, and set it in front of me.
It was an ammo box, like the one for rubber bullets.
But..., it was empty?
"Um, Instructor. It's empty."
I pointed out.
"It will be soon."
She closed the ammo box she'd opened.
Then..., tapped it with the pipe in her mouth.
"There, done."
And opened it again.
What I saw...
"Wait, what...?"
Was the box packed full of real bullets.