Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Throwing Weight Around
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Flash!
The one who caught my falling body was Han So-hee. Right behind that, I could see crimson flames surging as if they were about to burn the entire world.
"You fucking bastard, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
...This one's got a longer delay than I thought.
But the signal was finally coming in. I put some strength into my voice to calm down the Crimson Flame Witch, who looked ready to incinerate everything right then and there.
"Hey, calm down."
"Huh? D-Dickhead, you're not dead?"
I nearly died, but fortunately, the gaping hole that had been punched clean through was slowly sealing up.
You have received a critical hit.
[Desperate Revival] has activated.
Desperate Revival: Once per day, nullifies and reverses a fatal blow.
The ability I'd gained by soul-binding the [Ring of Great Demon Lord Arken] was instantly restoring the damage I'd taken.
Trials like this one didn't let you drop your guard until the very end.
That's why a healer was essential—one with overwhelming recovery power, at that.
If you couldn't manage that, bring multiple healers. If even that wasn't an option, stock up on top-tier potions.
'Still, with traps everywhere that can one-shot you like that one just now, you need someone on the level of the Saintess to boost your survival rate.'
Or carry a ridiculous item like mine that nullifies damage.
"M-Min-jun!"
"Oppa!"
Anyway, the moment I came back to life, the women swarmed me. The Saintess was bawling her eyes out, Isera clung to me sobbing, and Han So-hee put on a stern face, pretending to be angry.
And Shin Seo-yeon glared at me before abruptly turning her head away.
"M-Min-jun, you're really alive, right? Right?"
"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine."
The Saintess, who kept touching my face and casting recovery spells over and over, looked deadly serious and utterly shocked. Honestly, she seemed like the one who needed healing more than I did.
"Did you know this would happen from the start?"
"Hm?"
"I'm asking if you knew your heart would get pierced—and that you wouldn't die from it."
Han So-hee, who had been supporting my upper body from behind, asked coolly with her eyes darkened. Shin Seo-yeon was glaring daggers right beside her, so I couldn't exactly lie.
"Uh, yeah, something like that."
"Then you should've said something beforehand."
"Felt like no one would've been cool with it if I did."
"Of course not!"
See? Told you. The Saintess yelled about how obvious that was.
Han So-hee's gaze grew even colder than before. She held back her emotions and unleashed a lecture.
"Even if it means I get chewed out, I have to say this. Your actions were selfish. If you think about the people who trust and follow you, you absolutely can't do that. If you just up and leave like that, the ones left behind... how are they supposed to... how..."
She trembled.
Unable to finish, Han So-hee gritted her teeth.
...Come to think of it, our chaebol heiress had already gone through that kind of pain.
That's what led to her [Star of Fate] blooming, wasn't it? She had every right to be mad. I felt sorry, belatedly.
Seeing Han So-hee actually cry up close like this was a first. As the tears dripped onto my face, I finally realized my actions might've been a bit selfish.
'But it's a habit, so it doesn't go the way I want.'
In my first run, I had to thoroughly hide every thought, action, and intention.
To survive.
Even if we had a party-level plan, each person had their own separate schemes within it.
That was how you survived at the bottom.
Once you hit the higher trials, everyone partied in guilds. Bottom-feeders like me had to stick with other bottom-feeders.
Backstabbing and using each other as scapegoats was everyday life.
So even when I had a plan, I'd hide it until it showed in my actions. I'd rationalize it so much that I'd even question if I had such a plan at all. Hiding became routine.
...Honestly, teaming up fixed like this and partying back-to-back was a first for me.
'But it's time to change now.'
"Promise you won't do this again. Hurry up."
"I'll try."
My answer wasn't satisfying, so Han So-hee and Shin Seo-yeon glared at me like they wanted to devour me whole. But seeing my serious face, they soon nodded in understanding.
I soothed the Saintess and Isera, who were stuck to me, and got back on my feet.
'Anyway, that confirms the ring's performance.'
I'd been curious. Could it really nullify an attack that close to instant death?
And if it took one, what was the delay like? How fast did it recover?
I needed to know it all. That way, I could exploit the function without mistakes in critical moments.
'The feeling of ribs cracking and my heart getting ripped out sucked, but at least I got concrete data on the ring's effect.'
When else would I test this with the Saintess right here in a rest area?
Plus, if there was profit to be had from pulling this stunt, there was no reason to hesitate.
'Man, getting my heart yanked out hasn't happened in forever.'
"M-Min-jun, are you really okay?"
"Yes, don't worry. I'm great."
After reassuring the women like that, I stood up and looked toward the counter. The ancient monster, shocked that I'd survived having my heart extracted, was staring at me with all four eyes wide open.
I brushed my hand over my tattered shirt, now with a gaping hole exposing my chest, and grinned at the four-eyed manager.
"Hey, I said I'd pay the balance, not that I'd give you my heart."
"As you can see, the manual for recovering balances in this shop is posted right here. Thieves are rampant, after all. I apologize for not notifying you verbally in advance."
He pointed to the fine print next to the entrance.
To sum it up: If you don't have cash, we'll take valuables. If that's not enough, we'll take your heart.
"I never agreed to that."
"Entering the shop and picking up the plate counts as agreeing to the terms."
"...Fine. I'll let that slide since thieves are a problem."
"Thank you for understanding."
No, thank you. Confirming it matched the info I knew, I continued.
"Alright, say you followed the rules as posted. But I did have something worth paying with."
"Pardon? What do you...?"
Noctaviel's eyes scanned me and my party carefully. Then he furrowed his brow deeply... basically saying I had no valuables but a big mouth.
So I showed him directly.
"How about this?"
"Th-that's...?!"
I pulled an item from my inventory and set it in his hand. Both beings' eyes went wide. One was the ancient being startled by the log that popped out of thin air, and the other...
"Hey, that's mine!"
Shin Seo-yeon gawked and yelled.
"[Branch of the World Tree]. Worth a whopping 10,000 points. Even selling it at a shop would net 2,000-3,000 easy."
"No way! That's mine! Mine... Mmph?!"
Nice one, Isera. Keep holding her.
"I was gonna pay with this, but yanking out my heart out of nowhere? What kind of service is that?"
"......"
"Oh, is this crossing the line into power abuse?"
At that, he bowed politely.
"...My apologies. My mistake. Please forgive me."
"This isn't something you just apologize for. I'd be dead from that strike if it weren't for me, right? Forgiveness?"
I glanced at my party, and they all chimed in unison.
"Exactly! Pulling that barbaric stunt out of nowhere!"
"How undignified. Shameless, really."
"Yeah, no manners at all."
"Mmph!"
Noctaviel's eyebrow twitched especially at Han So-hee and Isera's comments. The pristine shop, elegant vintage style, sharply dressed staff.
I might've hit a sore spot.
Or maybe I hit it on purpose. Women have always been good at scraping every little thing, right?
"Bullying customers like this and expecting to do business? Way over the line."
"Impressive. Rudeness like that takes skill."
"Feels like we came for a patience test, not service."
"Ha, restaurants like this exist these days? This is basically picking a fight with customers. I'll write it all up in the review exactly like this."
Especially the Saintess's calm fury made Noctaviel's face stiffen.
"That's not..."
"Didn't get customer service training?"
"I did..."
"And this is how you do it? Tanked the shop's image in seconds. Wow, impressive. Guess we need a refund and we're out. What're you waiting for? No refund?"
She was nailing it. As the women took turns hammering him, Noctaviel couldn't even finish a sentence.
After landing all those jabs, they finally let go of Shin Seo-yeon's mouth. Instantly, the Crimson Flame Witch raised her voice and went wild.
"You think we paid top dollar for this kind of service?! Get the owner out here! Now!"
Peak entitled customer. But it worked like a charm.
"Th-that's..."
No one could match the Crimson Flame Witch in full tantrum mode. Once she decided it was okay to go off, she floored it with no brakes.
"Get the owner!"
Shin Seo-yeon bellowed like a drunk, lifting her foot threateningly. Han So-hee quickly grabbed her and pulled her back before she could kick the counter.
Perfect support. Right, no matter how mad you are, violence isn't the answer.
Confirming the women had thoroughly rattled the manager, I stepped forward.
"We came here with high expectations because of the rumors, but this service? Total letdown."
"My apologies."
"I'd like to speak to the owner directly."
"Well, that's..."
"Hm, not possible? Guess we have no choice. I'll have to summon the creator of this place—or the manager—and complain in person."
As I shook the letter envelope, Noctaviel's eyes nearly popped out. He bowed like lightning in apology.
"I apologize for the service failure. The earlier blunder was entirely my fault. Please be merciful and forgive us."
He summoned a small box in the air and handed it to me.
Opening it revealed five scrolls inside. Their name?
[Accessory Enhancement Scroll]
'Finally got these.'