I had accrued a debt so large that I could never pay it off, even if I worked my entire life.

But that didn’t mean I could just slice open my belly and give up.

I wasn’t sure if I could pay off all the money, but I was determined to try as hard as I could.

“I’ll have to pack my schedule tighter.”

I decided to wake up an hour earlier in the morning.

And to reduce my meal times by ten minutes.

As I was adjusting my schedule and picking up a planting spade to dig up dandelions, Yeoreum approached me.

“Gyeoul.”

“Yes, Ye-yes?”

Looking up, the figure of Yeoreum was quite intimidating.

I knew she was a kind person, but the huge debt I had transformed her into an authoritative figure in my eyes.

“This belongs to Gyeoul.”

Yeoreum showed me the contents of her pocket.

It was a large crystal orb containing a red bead, and about fifty horned rabbit mana stones.

Horned rabbits usually don’t give mana stones.

It’s either because it was a special dungeon where mana couldn’t be used, or because the horned rabbits came from the dungeon, that they produced mana stones.

“What’s all this…?”

“This is from the boss we defeated. We agreed that Gyeoul would get the mana stones since it was thanks to you that we caught the boss.”

As she approached to hand me the mana stones, I instinctively stepped back.

I didn’t feel worthy of receiving the spoils from the boss, even if I didn’t know about the horned rabbit mana stones.

“But we all played our part in defeating the boss… Even without me, surely someone else would have caught it…”

“Maybe, but there would have been more casualties and injuries. It was our first time in a dungeon where mana was blocked, so adapting was quite difficult.”

“Was it really the first time?”

Yeoreum nodded at my question.

“Yeah. It’s the first in the world. Because of this, the guild is planning to revamp its curriculum.”

I see.

No wonder even the most skilled adventurers were struggling.

“It’s still from the boss, wouldn’t it be better to share it?”

“We’ve already divided it up. There’s a lot more to share from the boss horned rabbit aside from the mana stones.”

Ah, I see.

So this was my share from the boss horned rabbit.

There was no reason for me not to accept it.

Cautiously, I took the pouch Yeoreum offered me.

The pouch, filled with mana stones, felt surprisingly heavy.

“But what’s this crystal orb for?”

“Not sure.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yeah. Detection magic doesn’t work on it. We’re guessing this might be the cause of the mana blockage.”

An item that blocks mana…

In this world, it was like a deadly poison for humans.

“If this item can block mana, wouldn’t that be extremely valuable…?”

“It’s valuable, but I thought it would suit Gyeoul.”

“For me?”

Why would an item that blocks mana suit me?

I tried to think of a reason, but nothing came to mind.

I decided to hear it from Yeoreum.

“Fighting without mana is what Gyeoul does best, right?”

“Ah…!”

Indeed.

The people of this world weren’t prepared for situations without mana.

In a mana-less situation, I had a higher chance of winning.

‘This really is an item meant for me.’

I really hoped the crystal orb had the ability to block mana.

Holding onto that hope, I embraced the crystal orb tightly.

“Thank you for the item. I need to get back to work now.”

“So soon? You just had breakfast.”

“I have debts to repay…”

Making tea, running dungeons.

If working two jobs wasn’t enough, I’d even consider a third.

I hurriedly looked around for dandelions.

“Gyeoul, um… about the money… Can I help in any way…?”

“No, no, just rest. I’ll handle everything.”

Asking for help to repay a debt felt like an act of utter irresponsibility.

After seating Yeoreum near the campfire, I moved towards the dandelions.

My steps felt heavy, weighed down by the astronomical sum I owed.

—

—

Thud! Thud!

Sitting near the campfire, Yeoreum watched Gyeoul’s back as she dug up dandelions.

The drooping ears and tail of Gyeoul only deepened Yeoreum’s guilt.

“Hey, Gyeoul. Can I help with something…?”

“No, no… I’m almost done. Please, just sit and rest, Yeoreum-nim…”

Yeoreum-nim.

Such formal address created a sense of distance.

Yeoreum’s mouth fell open in surprise.

“You don’t have to add ‘-nim’ to my name.”

“Then what should I call you?”

“Um… how about just Yeoreum-unni? It’s easy and sounds friendly.”

Hehe.

Yeoreum smiled with her eyes, but Gyeoul seemed repulsed.

“I’ll just stick with ‘-nim’…”

“Ah, okay…”

Wasn’t the word ‘unni’ friendly and nice?

Yeoreum scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

‘It’s like climbing a mountain only to find another.’

I should have lied about the price of the blessing.

Knowing Gyeoul’s personality, why did I speak the truth?

Ugh.

As Yeoreum silently screamed and pulled at her hair, Sophia approached, leaning on her cane.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes… My body is fine, but my heart isn’t…”

Yeoreum slid down in her chair in despair.

She slid down so much that her head touched the part of the chair where she should be sitting.

“I’ve always thought it’s strange.”

“What is?”

“Gyeoul is almost obsessive when it comes to money.”

“Yes, she is quite meticulous about that.”

Even though I told her she didn’t have to repay, she insists on doing so.

She shared the goblin mana stones she caught alone with everyone.

And the beast-kin, despite having no particular need for money, had to save what they received from Gyeoul.

“Maybe it’s because she’s been living alone for so long.”

“Why would living alone cause an obsession with money?”

“Because money was the only thing she could rely on. It’s not strange for her to develop some kind of obsession.”

She hadn’t earned much, though.

Yeoreum’s eyes widened at Sophia’s words.

“No, that’s not true. Gyeoul has friends she can rely on.”

“…You silly girl.”

Thump.

Sophia lightly punched Yeoreum’s back with her fist.

Yeoreum knew she was being reprimanded.

“Why, why?”

“Does she really have friends? She probably said that because she was embarrassed to admit she had none.”

“Eh…?”

That couldn’t be true.

There was something she was hiding, but she sounded certain when she said she had friends.

Yeoreum was sure Sophia was wrong this time.

“Should I go ask her?”

“Don’t. It’ll just make things more awkward.”

“Are you underestimating Gyeoul too much? Even someone who’s had a hard life like her can have friends.”

In places like hunting grounds and free meal centers.

There were environments where she could have built a community.

‘But how would Gyeoul explain her transformed body to her friends?’

With these thoughts, Yeoreum ran towards Gyeoul, unaware of Sophia clicking her tongue behind her.

—

—

“Gyeoul!”

Focused on digging up herbs under the shade of a tree, I was startled by Yeoreum’s loud voice.

I was practicing blocking out my heightened senses, so I hadn’t noticed her approach.

“What is it…?”

Turning around with a mugwort in my hand, I met Yeoreum’s smiling gaze.

Did something good happen?

I blinked and looked up at her.

“You haven’t met any of your friends since your body changed, have you?”

“Friends…?”

“Yes. You said you had friends.”

I did.

But they were on a different Earth.

A fact I couldn’t share with others.

“Yes, I have friends.”

“Did you tell them about your body change?”

“No, I didn’t…”

To tell them, I would have to cross dimensions.

An impossible task for a mere human.

“Then, should I help you? It must be hard to do alone.”

“It’s okay. I don’t need to tell them.”

“Huh? Can you do it yourself?”

“No. My friends are in a very distant place.”

I couldn’t reveal that I was from another world, but it didn’t matter anymore if they knew I had no friends here.

I had realized Yeoreum wasn’t a bad person.

She wouldn’t tease me for not having friends.

“A very distant place…?”

“Yes. So far away that I can’t meet them.”

Well, if the gates were properly connected, maybe I could walk there?

As I entertained such impossible thoughts, Yeoreum’s face began to turn pale.

“…That…”

“……?”

Yeoreum stops mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open.

Did I say something strange?

Why is she suddenly acting like this?

I couldn’t recall saying anything unusual, so I decided to wait quietly until she spoke again.

“…I’ve also had to send a friend far away.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I often miss them. How about you, Gyeoul…?”

Yeoreum placed her hand on my cheek.

Her touch, gently caressing, felt somewhat awkward.

“I’m fine. I’ll surely meet them someday.”

“Meet them?”

“Yes. I’m always ready to meet them.”

Since various worlds were connected through gates.

I had no doubt that someday, the world I lived in would appear.

One must always live optimistically.

To travel through various gates, I would need to become an outstanding adventurer.

As I made this resolve and looked up at Yeoreum, I noticed her expression had become very grave.

She looked as if she had seen a ghost.

—

3/5 Enjoy the chappy!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep