The Money Is Always Right!
The morning had been full of various annoyances, but today’s company life had started without a hitch.
I had been listening to class intently when a moment of free time arose in the middle of it.
It was then that I spotted Yoo Yeonhwa, the barrier specialist.
“Oh my, what’s this? You kept dodging me all this time, but now you’ve decided to get close to me?”
“No need to keep your distance.”
The start hadn’t gone well (I’d beaten her up and made her cry).
As the daughter of a chaebol and a talented barrier expert, Yoo Yeonhwa had good connections.
Since we’d already formed a connection, there was no harm in continuing it. Moreover, today I wanted to use her for an experiment.
“Make some barriers for me.”
“Why? What are you planning to do?”
Had the incident from last time left a trauma?
Yoo Yeonhwa flinched like a frightened fox.
“You’re not planning something dangerous, are you?”
“What kind of thing is that to say to someone who punched you in the face?”
“Now that it’s over, it’s fine.”
“Wow, your personality.”
I shrugged lightly.
At the time, there had been circumstances beyond my control.
“I need to test something out. Who else would I ask for such a favor?”
“Huh? Have you finally realized a bit of my greatness?”
Yoo Yeonhwa’s nose was a bit high.
“I only know one barrier expert, and that’s you.”
“…You didn’t need to add the behind-the-scenes stuff.”
“Separately, I know you’re an amazing barrier expert too.”
“Stop pestering me and give me some medicine, will you?”
Among the classmates, there was no one more skilled than Yoo Yeonhwa in barriers.
No, even among active barrier experts, her level was rare.
“Ugh, I called you to this secluded place thinking you’d finally reveal some secret.”
Yoo Yeonhwa let out a light sigh and nodded.
“Okay. It’s not that difficult. Just draw barriers like usual?”
“No, this time I want multiple barriers.”
“Multiple barriers at once? Hmm, even I would find that tiring.”
“Connect them in a way.”
“In that case, I understand.”
Yoo Yeonhwa concentrated for a moment and activated the barriers.
Soon, golden barriers appeared in my vision.
“Done. What do I do now?”
“Just stay still.”
I watched Yoo Yeonhwa’s barriers quietly.
The reason for this request was to test my Instant Death.
Specifically, to see how far it could go.
“Die.”
I activated Instant Death straight toward the barriers.
-Kwajaang!
The barrier in front of Yoo Yeonhwa shattered.
Not just one, but all of them.
“Eh? What is this…?”
Seeing Yoo Yeonhwa surprised, it seemed the barriers had indeed been destroyed.
“It seems that if they’re connected, Instant Death can take them all out at once.”
From the previous curse class lesson, I had realized something when Instant Death only took out the curses spewing from the tunnel.
That is, I could set the range of Instant Death to some extent.
“Killing doesn’t necessarily kill the whole thing. The range can vary depending on the entity.”
This barrier was the opposite of the curse tunnel.
There were multiple barriers, but they were connected.
As a result, they were recognized as one entity, and it was possible to kill all of them.
“Instant Death’s ability has surprising flexibility. It doesn’t have to perfectly fit rigid rules.”
It can kill living beings or anomalies.
And if that entity is connected and judged as one, all can be killed.
In some situations, it was an incredibly powerful ability.
Normally, anomalies or curses interact a lot.
For example, there are many anomalies or yokai that form swarms in the world.
If one of them is Instant Death’d, it might kill the whole swarm.
“This could be used well if…?”
“W-what did you just do?!”
My inner thoughts were cut off by Yoo Yeonhwa running up to me and shouting.
“What are you talking about? I’ve already broken barriers before.”
“That’s different from now! Do you know what it means to break multiple barriers at once?”
Yoo Yeonhwa looked like she’d encountered some monster that shouldn’t exist in the world and grabbed her hair.
“Normally, it should take longer to interpret multiple connected barriers. But you did it in one go? Did you destroy them with overwhelming force? No, but I didn’t feel that much spiritual energy…”
Her face was pouting like a college student about to take an exam.
Yoo Yeonhwa, who usually had a relaxed attitude in games, had a fresh reaction like this.
“Anyway, thanks. It was a good experiment thanks to you.”
“Experiment?! You used the barriers our company is proud of as experimental subjects?”
“If it hurts your pride, I’m sorry.”
“…That apology now hurts my pride more.”
Yoo Yeonhwa looked at me with a teary-eyed face.
“What exactly did you do? According to what I know, it’s impossible.”
“I’ve told you before, if I tell you, I’ll die.”
“Ah, yes~ I believe you.”
Even after hearing it, she didn’t believe it.
But the Instant Death thing is really a secret, right?
If I told her, the world’s shamans would come to kill me.
“Well, okay. After all, I approached you to find out about that. I feel even closer to you now.”
“Wouldn’t it be tiring to befriend people like that?”
“It’s pretty important to me.”
Yeah, since it’s tied to my family’s pillar, I couldn’t just ignore it.
Even the son of a chaebol daughter would find it tough secretly.
“In that sense, let’s get closer from now on? I can make as many requests as you want.”
“Ah, really?”
“The more you fulfill requests, the more I can owe you, and the more clues I’ll have.”
This bold statement in front of the party is Yoo Yeonhwa’s great point.
“Then lend me some money.”
“…….”
Of course, I wouldn’t be outdone by bold talk.
Yoo Yeonhwa looked at me with a desire to punch me.
“Haa… Why money all of a sudden?”
“Because I need it for something. Since we’re at it, interest-free 36-month installment.”
“That’s the same as saying you won’t pay!”
What am I going to do with rich classmates.
This is for urgent needs like this.
“……So how much do you need?”
Even though she said that, Yoo Yeonhwa couldn’t refuse.
Hmm, I seem to have found a pretty good chaebol purse.
****
I safely borrowed money from Yoo Yeonhwa.
Still, my conscience made me not borrow too much.
“If the debt is too much, she might use it as an excuse to ask for something else.”
She’s not a fool in front of me, but Yoo Yeonhwa is quite calculating.
It’s better not to have any weaknesses.
“Right now, there’s no other place to borrow money, so I have no choice.”
The reason I borrowed money from Yoo Yeonhwa.
It was to equip myself with exorcism-only equipment.
As time passed, the story progressed.
Soon, Instant Death alone would become dangerous.
“Still in the protagonist growth phase, so it’s peaceful. Soon, several dangerous incidents will occur.”
Last time, didn’t some anomaly appear in the lecture hall?
It doesn’t always happen with safe events.
It was getting hard to protect just my body with the one-time-per-day Instant Death.
Thinking about the anomalies and shamans I’ll face ahead… I still need defensive means to protect my body.
“Thanks to Yoo Yeonhwa, I have some extra funds. I should prepare some armor with this.”
If it’s the current time, there’s a way to get cost-effective equipment.
Exorcism equipment is generally expensive, and at my level, it’s hard to buy.
So, the place I was heading was a building at Cheonjihae.
<천지해 연구 자료실>
A place where various anomaly information collected by Cheonjihae is gathered.
Although called a research room, its scale was like a decent city library.
The exterior and functions were similar to a library.
Anyone who was a Cheonjihae employee could come and read or borrow materials freely.
“The scent of old books is nostalgic.”
In a corner of the library I found.
A woman was buried in a book, reading diligently.
That person was the one I was looking for.
The named character and classmate, Mi Yeeun.
“…….”
She was engrossed in reading the book.
Her unique atmosphere made it hard to approach, thinking it might disturb her.
“Hey, is this okay?”
Of course, I ignored that and spoke.
Originally, nothing matters when facing death.
“……?”
Mi Yeeun looked up at me.
She asked with just her eyes what was going on.
“Are you Mi Yeeun?”
“That’s the senior. But how do you know me?”
“I’m looking for someone who makes anomaly items.”
Mi Yeeun’s specialty was making anomaly items.
It was also an important character who provided weapons for the protagonist to use.
In the game, she gave quests to the protagonist and made various items as rewards.
“That’s quite a late-game thing, though.”
Her skill was real.
At this point, she was the cheapest talent to hire.
“How did you know I’m an anomaly item specialist?”
“I see you reading books in the library every day.”
The book Mi Yeeun was reading was related to anomaly items.
The reason she came to Cheonjihae was to develop her skill in making anomaly items.
Indeed, she survived to the end at Cheonjihae and was assigned to the production team, recognizing her ability.
“Seeing that, you seem to have quite a bit of skill. Can you make it for me?”
“Hmm.”
Mi Yeeun let out a light sigh.
“What do you want? I can make light talismans if you want.”
“No. Not talismans or something like that.”
If it was that, I wouldn’t have come all the way here to ask.
“Bulletproof vest, right? I want products that contain spiritual power in it.”
Mi Yeeun’s expression changed subtly at my words.
“Bulletproof vest? Are you serious?”
“Yes. It’s more effective to protect with physical force than with something like a normal talisman.”
“…You seem to know quite a bit. I didn’t think you’d get such a request from Cheonjihae.”
Mi Yeeun put down the book, seeming pleased with my words.
“If it’s a bulletproof vest, there’s no problem wearing it under your clothes normally.”
“It can also block flying debris or threats.”
“Yes. Exorcists tend to focus only on spiritual power, but we have to consider fundamental safety too.”
The connection between ordinary items and anomalies.
That was Mi Yeeun’s equipment philosophy.
“I only know the effect because of the game, but.”
With Mi Yeeun, I was confident she could make the equipment I wanted.
The future genius anomaly item maker.
I was buying it from the bottom.
“…But it might be hard to get an order yet.”
“Why?”
“As you can see, I’m still studying.”
Mi Yeeun poked the book next to her.
“Originally, there aren’t enough situations or funds to make equipment. It’s not good to take on work while busy with studies.”
“By the way, I’m thinking of a cost like this.”
“But there’s no better study than real combat. I’ll make the best product.”
After all, in this world, money is the best.
If not, let’s think if money is not lacking.