Rotten Mana Stone Terror
It's not bullying or anything. No way I'd be scared of something like a mana stone, right? That's what I thought, but honestly, I couldn't be entirely sure. After all, no one knew better than me the changes that had come with this new body. My senses had sharpened, and I'd started craving fish more than before. If my tastes had shifted like that, it wasn't impossible that I might fear something new too.
"Nngh."
Still, I hoped I wouldn't be scared of mana stones. I let out a quiet sigh inwardly as I followed Han Yeoreum down to the basement of the guild building.
"Where... where is this?"
"The mana stone warehouse."
"Warehouse?"
It was about the size of the logistics warehouses I'd seen in my previous life. Who would've thought a place like this existed underground in the guild building? I looked around with curious eyes, and countless baskets came into view.
"Whoa."
Each basket was filled to the brim with mana stones. If you sold all these, you'd probably crack the top hundred richest people in the world, right? There were that many.
"Wait here a sec? I'll grab just one mana stone for you, sis."
"Just one?"
"Yeah. Too many, and you might faint like with that rabbit buddy earlier."
"Ah... Okay."
I watched Han Yeoreum's back as she walked off into the distance, then turned to inspect the nearby mana stones. They ranged from fingernail-sized ones to head-sized behemoths. The ones I'd never seen before were so fascinating that I poked at them with my finger without thinking.
...It's hard.
These crystal-like mana stones were packed with some unidentified energy. It was a different kind from what I'd felt in small goblin mana stones. Was this what they called mana? As I closed my eyes to savor it, a gruff voice came from behind me.
"You shouldn't touch the mana stones carelessly."
"Y-Yes sir...!"
I yanked my hand away and whipped around. A man in work clothes was staring down at me with a blank expression.
"It's my job, so please, just don't."
"Ah..."
I'm not an idiot. Of course you don't fiddle with the merchandise. Maybe I'd gotten a bit arrogant from getting chummy with Yeomyeong Guild folks. The foolish assumption that it was okay to touch because I knew people here.
"S-Sorry...!"
I apologized to the man and bolted toward where Han Yeoreum was. There were plenty of workers in the warehouse, but I'd memorized her footsteps from the start, so I found her easily.
"Y-Yeoreum...!"
"Huh?"
She turned at my shout, and in her hand was a baseball-sized mana stone. It was a type I'd never seen before, but I could instinctively tell from the mana wafting off it—what it was from a feline monster.
"E-Ew..."
Something felt creepy. I skidded to a halt mid-run, braking like a car. My body slid a bit from the momentum, but my beastkin physique kept me from falling.
"Huh?"
Han Yeoreum blinked, glancing between me and the stone in her hand. When she hid it behind her back, the creepy feeling started to fade away.
"It does feel kinda creepy, yeah."
"Really? Bad enough you can't look?"
"No, not super scary or anything. Just... weird feeling, I guess..."
She held out the mana stone from behind her back again. My heart thumped watching it, but it wasn't like Levi Nas freaking out.
So there is some change.
Still, it didn't feel like a fellow cat-kin or anything. More like staring at a living heart. Unsettling, sure, but I wasn't immune to gore either. I studied the mana stone a bit more, then handed it back to Han Yeoreum.
"It really feels like a heart."
"Yeah. Technically, it is one."
"Right."
No way I'd be terrified of a mana stone. Relieved, I turned to head out—
That's when I spotted a woman approaching with a huge bag on her back. I'd seen her once at the guild counter, buying mana stones.
"Oh, Yeoreum. And little Gyeowol too?"
"Ah, Ms. Sang-ah."
I gave an awkward nod to the woman called Sang-ah. A massive backpack was slung over her shoulders.
"What's that?"
"All defective mana stones. Red cat ones spoil so easily."
"Ah... Just gonna toss 'em in the generator?"
"Yeah. Gotta save on electricity bills."
The woman showed us the contents of her backpack. Mana stones the size of baseballs, just like the one Han Yeoreum had shown me—but for some reason, just looking at them sent chills down my spine.
"...!"
My ears and tail bristled straight up. My heart pounded wildly on its own. It felt like gazing at grotesquely twisted, rotting human hearts. And there were dozens of them in the bag.
"G-Gyeowol...?"
Han Yeoreum waved her hand in front of my frozen eyes. But the massive shock kept me from moving.
"U-Uwaa...!"
Did I black out from the shock? When I came to, we were already back at the container house.
**
Han Yeoreum carried the rigid Gyeowol back to the container. She moved to open the door right away, but Sophia was sitting by the bonfire, so she approached her first.
"...Why's the kid like that again?"
"Ah... She saw some spoiled mana stones and fainted standing up."
Han Yeoreum laid Gyeowol on a nearby mat, then pulled the spoiled mana stone—the one that had terrified her—from her pocket.
"Aigoo."
Sophia gave the mana stone a quick once-over and rubbed her face. She glanced at Gyeowol with pitying eyes.
"Sophia, do you know why Gyeowol's like this?"
"Yeah, she must've been really shocked by the spoiled mana stone."
"The mana stone?"
Why would a spoiled mana stone shock her? Han Yeoreum tilted her head in confusion.
"Young beastkin often mistake the mana emanating from mana stones for that of their own kin."
"So she thought the red cat mana stone was a body of her own kind?"
"Exactly. And the one you brought was spoiled, wasn't it? It must've felt like a rotting corpse of her kin."
"Ah..."
Like showing her dozens of decaying bodies. Yeah, that'd be horrifying. Only then did Yeoreum understand why Gyeowol had frozen up.
"She saw dozens of these right in her face."
"...I see."
Sophia's gaze turned to Gyeowol, her expression full of understanding. Had Sophia been through it herself? Yeoreum wanted to ask, but Sophia spoke first.
"Don't worry too much. It's something all young beastkin go through."
"Ah, okay."
She hoped no trauma stuck. As Yeoreum thought that, Gyeowol cautiously lifted her eyelids from where she lay on the mat.
Yeoreum hurriedly tossed the spoiled mana stone into the bonfire so Gyeowol wouldn't freak again.
"...?"
"Gyeowol, you're awake?"
"Y-Yeah..."
Gyeowol sat up and rummaged in the pouch at her waist. She pulled out a small trowel and tottered off toward the vegetable patch.
"G-Gyeowol...?"
"Yes?"
"M-Maybe rest a bit first?"
She'd just gone through something horrific and now she was off to tend the garden without a break? What kind of mindset was that? Yeoreum glanced at Sophia for backup, but she was just staring at the crackling bonfire.
"I'm fine. I have to work to pay off my debt."
"No, that's..."
It was money she didn't need to repay. How to explain it so Gyeowol would get it? As Han Yeoreum crossed her arms and stared at the ground, a bombshell dropped from Gyeowol's mouth.
"Once I pay off the debt, I can go see my friends."
"F-Friends?"
"Yeah. I don't wanna leave with debt hanging over me."
She wouldn't even think of dying until the debt was paid? Han Yeoreum bit her lip without realizing.
The debt was huge, but if Gyeowol grew into an outstanding hunter, she'd pay it off quick. Especially since the item she'd consumed was the Beast God's Blessing. Guided right, she could become a top-tier hunter.
Maybe keep her from paying it off...
Stunt her growth a bit, make excuses to keep the debt piling. It wasn't a great method, but better than pushing a kid toward death. Yeoreum's thoughts reached that point—
She let out a deep sigh. Either way, it wasn't good for Gyeowol.
Need to keep her from paying it off in a good way...
Buy her expensive gear saying it'll help her earn more, push investments for business expansion. That was the best Yeoreum could think of. In the end, it'd all benefit Gyeowol anyway. Growth and higher income. Sure, she'd spend more as she grew, but still.
Alright.
Every time she earned, nudge her to spend. Han Yeoreum clenched her fists with resolve. It might look like bullying, but it was all to keep Gyeowol alive. Buy time, then plant reasons for her to live.