Hooks, Chisels, and Settled Debts
A scrawny lion beastkin from the education department snorted derisively. “Friends? Hah, no time to earn money, but plenty of time to play friends with kids your age? The more I think about it, the more infuriating…”
“What’s infuriating isn’t my friend—it’s that foul mouth of yours. Right? When I first heard you, I thought you had a rag stuffed in it.”
At my simple taunt, he seemed to bristle like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way. He released his grip on Karen’s collar and took a step toward me.
“...Why are there so many brainless idiots who can’t grasp their own place and keep mouthing off?”
As he cracked his knuckles, the pop-pop-crack echoed all the way to me.
“Punk first-years acting like hot shit. You think you’re some fairy-tale prince? Get lost while I’m still asking nicely, rookie.”
“I’m losing the will to even talk to you. Let’s cut to the chase. Let go of my friend and scram. Or you might get in trouble.”
“Hah, trouble? For me? What, you gonna tattle to the teacher?”
The lion beastkin sneered mockingly at me.
“Nah. From me.”
“.....”
“You don’t even need to bother the professors. I can tell from your level—this’ll end with me.”
“...Hah, you little shit.”
The grin faded from his face.
“Boss, should we handle this?”
“No. You lot stay put. Don’t move no matter what. I’m gonna turn this bastard into a half-corpse myself.”
He snapped irritably at his underling’s question and bared his claws.
“Yeah, that’s more like it. Why didn’t you drop the act sooner? Suits a beast like you perfectly.”
Good thing he swung first. It was an unspoken agreement to settle this here—with fists.
“You... inferior human scum!!”
He charged at me. And so, I synchronized my consciousness.
The Fisherman Who Reels in the Years, Park Jeonghyeon
“....!?”
His eyes widened at my instantly transformed appearance.
I didn’t miss the moment his movements faltered. With all my strength, I swung the fishing rod.
The line shot out like a living thing, coiling tightly around both his ankles.
“Graaak!”
With a short yelp, he toppled spectacularly.
Watching him flop around like a freshly caught fish, I let out a small chuckle.
“Let’s see... Heh heh, hooked nice and clean, huh? Perfect for a trophy photo.”
I reeled in the line, and his body floated higher and higher.
“You bastard... I’ll kill you!”
His face flushed beet red as he flailed his claws wildly in all directions.
Didn’t he realize that to escape, he needed to cut the line around his ankles instead of just raging?
“This tight bite is a keeper.”
I swung the rod hard to the left.
-Boom!
“Gaaak!”
His body slammed into the wall.
This time, a big swing to the right.
-Boom!
“Kuhk!”
A massive thud echoed, cracking the wall slightly.
Now to the ground.
-Boom!
“Guhk!”
He was flung flat onto the pavement.
“You fucking mutt!!”
“Still got some lessons to learn, huh? High-maintenance youth.”
For the guy still clawing at empty air, I swung the rod vigorously back and forth again.
About twenty seconds into this Fisherman Consciousness amusement ride, he finally seemed to notice something wrapped around his ankle and frantically groped at it.
Only a few seconds left before the line would snap. Time for a change of plans.
I let go of the rod with a flourish and canceled the synchronization.
“.....!”
With the rod gone, he plummeted from the air and crashed in a heap.
“I’ll definitely kill y—!”
-Thwack!
I stomped hard on his head as he tried to rise and synchronized another consciousness.
The Sculptor Who Spurned the World, Park Jeonghyeon
“Parroting the same lines like a damn bird. Got nothing original?”
I mounted the fallen beast whose head I’d just kicked, drew a carving knife from my tool belt, and pressed it to his throat.
“......”
His body went rigid as the blade touched his skin. I pushed it in a little, and drops of bright red lifeblood trickled from his neck.
One good thrust, and he’d be done.
“You bastard, messing with our boss!!”
“Don’t move!! You lot, stay right there!”
His underlings, unable to watch any longer, pulled weapons from their pockets and advanced—but before I could say a word, he stopped them himself.
He must’ve sensed his own lifeline hanging by a thread.
“...I think I got a bit short-sighted there. W-What do you want?”
Facing death, his brain kicked into gear, and his lost manners came rushing back.
“What I want...”
Originally, I just wanted to peel these guys off Karen right then and there. But now, anyone could see I had the upper hand.
No harm in uprooting their connection to her entirely.
“Tell me the amount my friend borrowed from you.”
“S-Sixteen million mihwan.”
As if Karen would’ve borrowed that much.
“I’m asking what Karen actually borrowed from you. Not what you claim she owes.”
“...She borrowed eight million mihwan. Hah, but she didn’t pay on time, so interest—”
I nudged the carving knife closer, and his yapping mouth snapped shut.
“Quick on the uptake—good. From now on, no talking without my permission. Yes or no only. Got it?”
“....Yes.”
He ground his teeth in humiliation, but when I stared him down, he smoothed his expression and blinked rapidly—a silent promise not to push it.
“Good. I’ll pay back the eight million mihwan she borrowed. Interest? That’s covered by your life. Sound fair?”
I murmured coldly to the fully cowed beast.
“In return, never show your ugly mugs to me or my friend again. If you do, I’ll carve up that body of yours and put it on display.”
“......”
His eyes trembled wildly. But his mouth stayed shut.
Still not fully grasping the situation?
“Want me to start carving now?”
I twisted the knife deeper into his nape. Blood gushed from the widened wound.
“Got it, got it! Damn it...”
His face drained white, and he finally yelled his surrender.
“That wasn’t permission to speak.”
“...Yes.”
Perfect. Situation resolved.
“I’ll get your account from my friend, so get lost now. Send your goons out first.”
“....You lot, get out of here.”
“Y-Yes, boss.”
At his order, the underlings bolted from the alley. None were dumb enough to attack mid-retreat.
If one had, the life under my knife would’ve ended in an instant.
I sheathed the carving knife at his throat, canceled the synchronization, stood up, and said to the pathetically sprawled beast,
“You too—scram. Don’t forget my warning.”
“......”
He staggered to his feet, clutching his bleeding neck, and limped out of the alley.
I dusted off my hands and let out an incredulous chuckle.
What kind of twisted conscience thinks doubling a debt with interest is okay?
Karen, who clawed her way up from the bottom, wouldn’t have botched reading a contract that badly. They must’ve tricked her with some scam close to fraud.
Of course, ballooning debt with interest like that was illegal anyway.
Money’s flying out of my pocket today.
No big worries, though. I wasn’t short on cash.
I’d collect the eight million mihwan from Karen steadily. No matter how close I wanted to get to her, handing over that much without a fuss would just make her uncomfortable.
So, I’d tell her to pay it back slowly. Oh, and maybe tack on interest if she skips lunch on me sometime.
With those thoughts, I turned toward where Karen should be.
There she sat on the ground, staring blankly at me with trembling eyes. Legs given out from shock, maybe?
Figuring I should help her up, I approached with a joke.
“Must’ve been real desperate, huh? Borrowing from scum like that...”
Then, a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“....What the hell do you want from me?”
Her voice shook as she asked.