Good Deeds Always Come Back as Blessings

My jaw dropped open.

I had no idea whether it counted as a lot or a little, but in a single instant my Merit stat had shot up by a full three hundred and forty. As a bonus, even my Spiritual Power and Mental stats had climbed as well.

Was there even a class whose stats fluctuated like this?

When a single curse word had docked me one Merit, I had called the system a petty, stingy bastard. But when it decided to hand things out, it poured them on like a true generous godsend.

And then there was the newly appeared trait.

Pantheon.

To find out what it was, I lightly tapped the Pantheon entry on the panel floating in the air.

Shhhrrrk—!

A window of glittering gold unfurled before my eyes.

I skimmed the system window at a glance and understood at once what I was looking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at.

This… was a shop, wasn’t it?

The categories were framed in the five cardinal colors and reeked heavily of shamanism, but the essence was identical to a game shop system.

And it was a shop that opened for me alone.

Moreover, the fact that a shaman now possessed proper tools meant I could finally handle a certain degree of crisis.

I was saved. I was truly saved.

Okay, let’s see! There’s got to be something I can use right now!

My eyes darted rapidly as I scrolled down.

The first thing that snagged my gaze was the Invisibility Talisman.

A talisman that could hide one’s form, apparently.

With that alone I felt I could walk straight out of this disgusting temple this very moment.

But the instant I saw the price, a hollow laugh escaped me.

Three thousand? Way too expensive!!

The Merit I currently possessed was a mere three hundred forty-six.

In the end I began searching for a cost-effective loadout that matched my means while still playing to a shaman’s strengths.

After checking the list, a good idea struck me.

Right! Why buy finished talismans? I can just draw them myself.

I was a professional shaman who had once cleaned out the wallets of haughty madams in the heart of Gangnam with nothing but talismans.

And not some fraud— a genuine shaman who had received a true spirit descent, a cut above the scammers.

Give me a brush and materials and writing talismans was no problem at all.

I had studied the art of talisman crafting with real diligence.

The only worry was whether the methods I used in reality would even work in this place.

I chose to think positively.

It’ll work. I’m a shaman— saying I can’t write talismans would be ridiculous.

Besides, they were even selling the materials right there.

That itself was proof that any talismans I made would take effect.

I barely had any Merit left anyway, so buying finished products was impossible; there was no other option.

Having made my decision, I entered the materials tab without hesitation and started shopping.

Hand them over already, I don’t have time!

Ding—!

With a cheerful notification chime, a bundle of yellow talisman paper, a cinnabar paste glowing faintly red, and a single brush dropped out of thin air.

Even though this was a world inside a game, the sight was wondrous.

I plopped down on the floor and immediately began grinding the mirror-face cinnabar.

Ssssk, swish.

In the dark prison cell, a brush tip laden with crimson cinnabar raced unrestrained across the yellow paper.

First, the Invisibility Talisman!

Spiritual power condensed at the brush tip, generating a strange ripple.

The talisman was finished in a flash—and a system alert rang out.

“Damn it!”

Apparently every talisman required a different amount of spiritual power.

In the end I had no choice but to try drawing different ones as fast as I could.

After repeated successes and failures, the talismans I managed to produce numbered only three.

An Eungibu that sealed the body’s energy to hide one’s presence.

A Bongeumbu that blocked sound.

And a Pasabu for offense.

Two kinds for escape, one kind for attack.

I could attack by chanting scriptures, of course, but while lengthy recitations packed power, they carried a fatal flaw.

They took far too long.

If I started bellowing scriptures at the top of my lungs right in the middle of the enemy, demon worshippers would come swarming from every direction—that much was obvious.

But talismans were different.

A talisman compressed a shaman’s spiritual power and intent into paper; in gaming terms, it was essentially a pre-cast magic scroll.

If I poured my high Spiritual Power stat into them without holding back and prepared them in advance, I could one-shot enemies without ever opening my mouth.

I concentrated so fiercely while making them that beads of sweat even formed on my forehead.

Yet the moment I felt the divine energy radiating from the finished talismans, the fatigue seemed to melt clean away.

“Perfect! That’ll do!”

This much would be more than enough to get out of here.

No—this was simply the best I could manage.

I tucked the talismans into my clothes.

A great deal of time had already passed since the guards collapsed. I needed to move fast.

If I dragged my feet any longer, other bastards could come storming in at any moment to check on the guards who never returned.

Just as I was about to take a step, a cautious voice rose from behind me.

“Um…”

When I turned, the women who had been cowering in the corner were looking up at me with eyes full of desperate hope.

Well, of course. To them, what I had just done must have looked like the work of a saintess who had crushed black magic.

I cleared my throat once and arranged my face into a serious, resolute expression.

“What is it?”

“P-please help us. We want to get out of this place too.”

In the instant I was about to refuse the plea, a single thought flashed through my head.

Shit… if I turn them down, will my Merit value take a hit?

The odds were high.

I had deliberately left some Merit in reserve for emergencies; losing it to some unlucky jinx would be a disaster.

I stared at them for a moment in silence.

“…….”

These were the same people who had ignored me when I begged for help—but hadn’t I been exactly the same?

Remembering how I had pulled a robe over my head and prayed that only I would be spared, I spoke while looking at them.

“Haa… very well. But you must keep one thing firmly in mind. If we are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠discovered while fleeing, you may die far more wretchedly than if you simply stayed here. You might even be the first ones offered as sacrifices.”

At my words, dozens of women held their breath as one.

“Only those willing to accept that risk should follow me. I have no intention of dragging along anyone without the will to live.”

That was my personal bottom line for the escape.

The women trembled with fear at my warning. Among them, the one who had first spoken to me opened her mouth, voice thick with tears.

“B-but… even if we try to run, there must be dozens of those monsters outside… Can we really avoid being found…?”

I yanked the ring of prison keys from the fallen guard’s belt and pocketed it.

“I don’t know. But if the alternative is sitting still, being violated, and dying, shouldn’t we at least thrash around and try?”

Honestly, escaping alone might have offered better odds.

But I simply could not abandon these women here and leave.

Call it cheap heroics if you want.

In any case, that was how I felt. I knew perfectly well that virtue, once accumulated, eventually returned as fortune.

Well, the system Merit was a factor too, of course.

Resolve began to fill the eyes of women who had been crushed under despair and terror.

“I-I’ll go! We’re dead either way—we’ll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠follow you!”

“M-me too!”

“I’ll come as well!”

As expected, this seemed to be the correct answer for the system as well.

One by one the women staggered to their feet. Clutching their ragged robes, they gathered around me.

Yet many still could not completely overcome their fear; they remained seated and shook their heads.

In the end, the number who stood at my side out of that large group was a mere seven.

I could not force everyone to come. Taking only those who possessed the will to survive was the best course.

“All right. Then would everyone please come a little closer?”

I quickly drew seven more Eungibu and held them out to the women.

“What… is this?”

“A magic item that erases presence. Stick it to your body, stay glued right behind me, and keep your footsteps silent.”

But the women who received the hands holding the talismans began to hesitate and fidget.

“Um… could you attach them for us…? We’ve never used a magic item before…”

“Ah, shall I?”

I looked over the seven women.

Every one of them possessed surprisingly outstanding looks.

Asmodeus really did pick based on appearance, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it seemed—he had gathered quite the handsome lot.

Just as I took their arms to attach the talismans—

“N-not there, on the inside! Please put it on the inside. What if it catches on something and falls off?”

“Ah, you’re right. Then… where should I put it?”

And yet…

Whoosh—

The brown-haired woman who had stepped forward first flung her robe open and thrust out her dangling breasts.

“If you stick it here it won’t fall off!”

The other women immediately followed her lead and began yanking their robes aside as well.

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

An abrupt feast of soft, bare skin unfolded inside the underground prison.

“……?”

Have these people lost their minds…?

Ah… right. I’m in a woman’s body right now, aren’t I?

They were stripping without the slightest shame precisely because they thought of me as a woman.

It was a situation that should have been arousing, but I no longer possessed a dick that could get hard anyway.

Slap—

Slap—

Slap—

Feigning perfect composure, I kindly pressed an Eungibu onto each woman’s chest.

And right then—

Ding—!

An ominous system chime rang out.

Fuck! Wait a second! A Merit drop!?

I’m innocent!! They asked me to stick them on!! I never told anyone to strip!!

Fortunately, the system alert ran completely opposite to my expectations.

?

Apparently the system had decided to count even this behavior of mine as Merit.

Haa… that nearly gave me a heart attack.

Once I had safely attached an Eungibu to every chest, I pressed the remaining one onto my own.

Oh… first time touching my own breasts…. Holy shit they’re soft…?

An elastic softness that put the other women to shame.

N-now’s not the time…!

Snapping back to my senses, I jammed the key I had taken from the guard into the prison door lock and said,

“All right, we’re going. You must follow closely. And absolutely no speaking.”

The women nodded with grim faces.

Clack—

The heavy lock disengaged with a resonant sound.

Creeeeak—

I shoved the massive prison door wide open and surveyed the corridor thick with eerie energy.

Fortunately, no one was there.

And my heart began to pound hard.

Huu… I can do this. I can do this!

I, Han Do-gyeong. Former male shaman, now a fully discharged, transcendentally beautiful girl shaman.

In order not to lose my newly acquired virginity, I absolutely had to escape this damned temple of lust.

Yeah, can this really be harder than hiding from the senior sergeant at the end of my enlistment?

Forcing confidence into myself, I took the first step forward.