Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: What Did I Bring Home?
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[...How dare an insignificant worm.]
...Huh?
What was that?
It wasn't coming through my ears—it rang directly in my head.
A strange, beautiful voice that sounded like a child and a dignified queen all at once.
But I didn't have time to question it.
A white silk thread came flying right at my face.
'I'm dead.'
I squeezed my eyes shut.
But then.
WHOOSH!
It wasn't hot.
On the contrary, it was cozy.
Like being buried under a premium goose-down blanket all the way up to my head in the dead of winter.
I cautiously opened my eyes.
And my jaw dropped.
"...What the hell is this?"
A golden curtain hung before my eyes.
No, not a curtain—it was flames.
Fire had burst from my chest, forming a round barrier that incinerated the Giant Silkworm's silk threads right out of the air.
Sizzle.
The yokai silk, said to be tougher than steel, evaporated pathetically the moment it touched the flames. Not even ash remained.
"Peep!"
At that moment, my parka zipper burst open fully, and Fry sprang out.
Instead of falling to the ground, he kicked off the air and soared upward.
Hovering ability that defied belief for a chick's wingbeats.
Heat haze shimmered around his body, and his bean-sized eyes glowed red.
[How dare you touch my master?]
It came again.
That was... Fry's voice? No way a chick was using telepathy?
[Kieeeek!]
The Giant Silkworm let out a grotesque screech.
Furious that its attack had been blocked, it shook the tentacles around its mouth like mad.
[...Stink... Hate... That fire... Out!!!]
BOOM!
The Giant Silkworm lifted its massive body and tried to smash down on me.
The terror of two stories' worth of heavy flesh crashing down from above.
But I couldn't dodge.
My legs had given out.
"Hey! Fry! Get out of there!"
I yelled instinctively at the chick hovering in midair.
But Fry didn't flee.
He snorted and tilted his beak upward.
And then—
He spread his tiny wings wide.
Flash!
In that instant, a massive phantom shimmered behind him.
It wasn't a chick.
Black-burning feathers, enormous wings that held the sun, and arrogant eyes looking down on the world.
If the legendary bird, the Three-legged Crow, existed, it would look like this.
[Die now.]
He cried out briefly and spat a single fireball from his beak.
A small flame the size of a ping-pong ball.
But the moment it touched the Giant Silkworm's body...
KABOOM!
It was like a nuke had detonated.
A bone-chilling roar swallowed the entire orchard.
[Kieeeek!!!]
The Giant Silkworm's scream echoed through the mountains.
Its white body was instantly engulfed in raging inferno.
The flames didn't stop at burning its body.
They spread like fuses along every silk thread it had spewed and every cocoon clinging to the trees.
"Huh? Wh-what?"
I sat there dumbfounded.
The area around me was a sea of fire, but strangely, no heat reached me.
The flames were parting around me.
[Hot! Burns! Sorry...!]
The Giant Silkworm writhed on the ground, but the flames wouldn't go out.
In just 10 seconds.
The house-sized monster collapsed into a charred lump.
Crackle...
The charred remains of the Giant Silkworm scattered like dust in the wind.
An overwhelming annihilation.
Silence.
Only the crackling of embers remained.
Fry elegantly circled in the air before landing lightly on my shoulder.
"Peep."
The usual dumb, cute chirp.
The queenly voice from before was nowhere to be heard.
"Did you... just talk?"
I asked in a trembling voice, but he just rubbed his beak against my cheek, acting cute.
Playing dumb, huh?
"Um... you okay?"
Then someone tugged at my clothes.
It was the glasses guy.
He, who had nearly become a cocoon from the silk, stared up at me blankly.
Surprisingly, he was unharmed.
The white threads that had bound him were all burned away, but his clothes and skin were pristine, without a single burn.
"Bro... what the hell was that just now?"
"Uh, that was..."
I had no way to explain.
You gonna believe a chick breathed fire and saved you?
"Hey! You alright!"
The foreman, who had fled far away, came rushing back, flailing.
He still clutched the useless flamethrower.
He gawked alternately at the ashes of the Giant Silkworm and Fry on my shoulder, eyes wide.
'Shit... I'm screwed.'
I'd been caught.
Showing him straight-on a yokai getting torched—no escaping that.
What if he reports me?
The foreman strode right up to me.
I swallowed hard and backed away.
"Look, this is a misunderstanding. It wasn't me, I..."
"Master!!"
"...Pardon?"
The foreman suddenly grabbed my hand and bowed 90 degrees at the waist.
"Forgive my ignorance! To think a Fire Arts master was in this dump!"
"Fire... what?"
"Come on, it's obvious at a glance. Handling flames like that at your age. Did you train in some famous mountain? Or are you heir to a family secret technique?"
The foreman's eyes sparkled.
No fear. No thoughts of reporting.
He looked like he'd met his savior.
Things were turning weird. This guy thought I was some martial arts master.
"No, I'm just a part-timer..."
"Aw, so humble. Yeah, the real deals these days hide their identities."
He glanced around and lowered his voice.
"Truth is, we're... an unlicensed outfit."
"Huh?"
"We should've reported to the association and hired a proper B-grade exorcist, but rates didn't match, so... we brought cheap part-timers. Didn't expect a real Giant Silkworm."
He wiped cold sweat and continued.
"Without you, we'd all be dead today, and I'd be in jail. You're our lifesaver."
Ah.
So this guy had his own skeletons.
Almost botched an illegal yokai extermination, and I cleaned it up for him?
That changed things. I cleared my throat pretentiously and straightened up.
"Ahem. Well... I just lent a hand seeing pitiful folks in passing."
"As expected of a great hero!"
"But you know this can't get out, right? I wanna live quietly."
"Of course! I'd keep it secret even with a knife to my throat."
The foreman pulled a thick envelope from his inner pocket.
Not the original daily wage one.
A much fatter one, stuffed with extra bills and checks from his wallet.
"Today's pay, hazard bonus... and this is my token of gratitude. For your silence... er, thanks."
The envelope felt heavy in my hands.
A peek inside showed stacks of 50,000-won bills and checks.
Easily over 3 million won.
3 million won. Three months' convenience store wages.
Earned in one chick fire show.
"Then, today's a no-go."
"Yes, sir! Safe travels, Master!"
I helped the still-dazed glasses guy to his feet and leisurely descended the mountain.
On the bus home.
I sat in the back and checked the envelope again.
Exactly 3.5 million won.
"Ha."
A hollow laugh escaped.
Yesterday, seeing 3,480 won in my account had my heart sinking.
Now, a thousandfold in one day.
Life takes such sharp turns?
I looked down at Fry in my pocket.
He was fast asleep, exhausted.
A small, warm, yellow fluffball.
This was the being that torched that monster in 10 seconds?
"Hey, Fry."
"......"
"You saved my life. Thanks."
He nuzzled his head sleepily.
Suddenly, that voice came back to me.
‘How dare an insignificant worm.’
It wasn't a hallucination.
Clear as day.
So he can communicate.
Once he wakes, time for a serious talk.
Not barbecue business—exorcism business.
The moment I got home, I ordered pizza.
Two large ones, no less.
Lavish with premium meat toppings and cheese crust.
"Fry, wake up. Time for a feast."
The greasy, savory pizza scent roused the sleeping Fry right up.
"Peep!"
He flew to the table and stared at the slice on my plate.
"You... can a bird eat pizza? Won't you die?"
"Peep."
He pecked at the pepperoni and bulgogi toppings without hesitation.
Devouring them deliciously.
Yeah, he's no ordinary chick—can't apply human logic.
Stuffed full, I flopped onto the bed.
Eyes on the envelope on the desk, I grinned.
Overage fine of 70,000 won?
Gum money now.
"But... that woman."
Suddenly, Seo Hwa-rin's face popped into my head.
Employee at the National Security Agency or whatever.
Her knowing would be trouble.
'Nah, how would she know about mountain stuff? Foreman said he'd keep quiet.'
I shrugged it off and closed my eyes.
But I overlooked something.
Yokai ashes vanish, but 'traces' linger.
And the Korean government isn't that sloppy.
The next day, late lunch.
I whistled heading back from Da-it-da.
Carrying Fry's food bowl and fluffy cushion.
"Fryyy, bro's home~"
I punched in the door code and opened up.
"......?"
Unfamiliar shoes in the entryway.
Women's shoes.
Pointy heels, sleek black.
No women come to my place.
Not delivery either.
Who then?
"Who's there?"
I slipped off my shoes and entered the living room.
And froze on the spot.
In the middle of my cramped studio.
Sitting at the 5,000-won folding table from yesterday: her.
Black suit.
Sharp eyes.
And on the table: my 3.5 million-won envelope.
Seo Hwa-rin.
She sipped her coffee, eyeing me.
"Welcome home, Kang Han-gyeol."
"You... how'd you get in?"
"Door was locked, so I opened it for official duties."
"What kind of official duties let you pick a lock and barge into someone's home?! That's blatant trespassing! Got a warrant?! I'm calling the cops!"
I fumed, veins popping, but she brushed off my protests.
"Made a killing in one day, huh? 3.5 million won."
"......"
"Yesterday, a D-grade or higher fire energy reaction was detected at the abandoned Bukhansan orchard."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And coincidentally, your phone pinged a nearby cell tower."
Done for.
Is this woman stalking me? Or did she plant a GPS?
"Now, be honest."
She stood and closed in on me.
Tall. Eye-level with me.
She stared straight at me and said,
"I won't pry why a hidden master like you lives in seclusion. Plenty in the biz prefer quiet lives."
"Huh? No, what identity? I was just part-timing."
She smirked faintly at my excuse.
Like she knew I was playing dumb.
"A mere part-timer turns a D-grade Giant Silkworm to ash and pockets 3 million? Too humble."
"......"
"Unregistered wild master. At least B-grade Fire Arts user. Right?"
She's totally mistaken.
Thinks I'm some martial arts expert or super exorcist.
"No! I went to saw wood and got lucky..."
"Denials won't help."
She slammed a hand beside me, wall-bang style.
Strong perfume hit me.
"You know the rules. In Korea, someone with that firepower can't stay unregistered forever."
"What do I know..."
"You've proven your skills, so no more talk. Here's a proposal."
She pulled a business card from her pocket.
Embossed in gold:
[Ghost Gate Special Team 1
Deputy Team Leader Seo Hwa-rin]
And below, in small print:
Salary negotiable. Four major insurances. Meal allowance provided.
My eyes locked on "meal allowance provided."
"Peep?"
My life was veering into uncontrollable territory.