chapter_0549

549 – I’m Going to Be in the Red

549 – I’m Going to Be in the Red

The research facility was designed so that when a monster escaped, the Mana Barrier would automatically drop.

Thanks to this, monsters never left the research area.

“Can we just go in?”

“Yes. The barrier doesn’t block people.”

I crossed the Mana Barrier with the children.

Perhaps because they were unsure about our ability to catch the monster, I could hear the disappointed voices of the researchers from behind.

“Did you only send the kids from Dawn?”

“Yes. I’m not sure if they can handle catching a Winglet.”

“Let’s just watch for now. There’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

Thanks to maximizing my senses to catch the Winglet, I could hear all of their conversations.

They seemed disappointed that a strong adventurer from Dawn hadn’t come.

‘I feel a bit sorry.’

I could fully understand why they felt anxious.

After all, the Winglet was said to boast incredible speed.

But speed was one of the areas I was most confident in.

I needed to catch it quickly to prove my skills and reassure them.

I scanned the area around the lab using all my senses.

Swish, swish—!

I heard something quickly scuttling behind the lab building.

It climbed up the building, then back down again.

It climbed up a tree and then dashed across the grass.

At maximum acceleration, it was said to be faster than a rifle bullet.

It was definitely an incredible speed.

‘It moves quickly without making a sound, almost no noise at all.’

Is it using Mana to move?

The ears of the Beastmen, which could catch even the slightest sounds, felt truly impressive.

“Hey, shouldn’t we start going inside the lab soon?”

“No, the Winglet is outside the building.”

“Where outside?”

Just as the researcher asked, the Winglet began to run toward us at an incredible speed.

I immediately used my slow-motion ability to observe the Winglet.

‘That is…’

It looked like a fluffy white cotton ball with black eyes.

Its body seemed semi-transparent, which appeared to be the Winglet’s unique skill.

‘Did it think we wouldn’t see it if it ran fast?’

It was darting around us at an incredible speed, observing us.

I deliberately avoided making direct eye contact with it.

Looking into its eyes would only raise its wariness.

Instead, I pretended to look around as if I knew nothing.

Swish, swish—!

As I pretended not to notice the Winglet, it seemed to gain confidence and started to come closer.

-Swish!

-Swish, swish!

It was hopping around our feet.

Carefully pulling one foot back, I extended my leg as it came toward me, kicking it like a soccer ball.

Thud—!

“Chirp!”

Even though it wasn’t a very strong kick, it rolled on the ground with a plump sound.

I pointed at the limp Winglet and turned to the researchers.

“I caught it here.”

“……?”

“Yes…?”

The researchers seemed taken aback, not expecting me to catch it so quickly.

After a moment of confusion, they looked at the fallen Winglet and showed expressions of delight.

“Was the Winglet near us…?”

“Yes. It was hopping around everywhere.”

“Oh…”

“I couldn’t even see it.”

A mix of admiration, shock, and relief washed over the researchers as Gaeul ran over.

“Chirp! Chirp!”

Gaeul stood next to the fallen Winglet, poking it with her Wooden Caliber.

Despite poking it all over, the Winglet did not get up.

“Chirp! Chirp! Wake up! Wake up!”

Ding!

Gaeul’s eyes widened.

It seemed she thought the Winglet was dead.

“Eeek, Ee-keh…”

Gaeul picked up the fallen Winglet and moved to a nearby flowerbed.

Then she began to dig into the ground with her bare hands.

“Gaeul, are you digging a hole?! You’re doing it with Levinas!”

“Hek…!”

Thud, thud—!

As I listened to the sound of the children digging, I poked one of the nearby researchers.

I wanted to hear about the Winglet’s disposal.

“Um, what will happen to the Winglet now?”

“It will probably be disposed of.”

“Disposed of? Is that what happens when it escapes from the research facility?”

What a terrifying system.

Looking up at the researcher with wide eyes, they gave a wry smile.

“Actually, it’s the opposite. It was about to be disposed of but managed to escape.”

“Oh… Can we take it with us then?”

“The Winglet?”

Hmm…

Since it was Dawn, and we caught it easily.

Muttering to myself, the researcher eventually nodded.

‘Thank goodness.’

Gaeul looked sorrowful as she stared at the fallen Chirp.

I approached Gaeul to share the good news.

Gaeul was putting the Winglet into the hole she had dug with a sad expression.

“Gaeul, the Winglet isn’t dead yet. No need to make a grave.”

“Is it not dead?”

“Yeah.”

Gaeul poked the Winglet in the hole.

Just then, the Winglet opened its eyes and trembled as it looked up at us from the hole.

They said it was a non-dangerous monster, but it seemed to be quite timid.

I went over to Gaeul and looked down at the Winglet in the hole.

“Winglet.”

“Chirp…”

“If you want to live, follow me!”

**

We returned to the guild with the Winglet.

Gaeul placed the Winglet on the guild desk and was giggling.

“Chirp! Chirp!”

The mouse Divine Beast Chirp and the Winglet.

Was Gaeul happy because there were two mice?

She kept pointing at the two mice with her finger.

“Chirp! Chirp!”

“Hey, everyone, big sister is here.”

“Chirp?”

Gaeul pointed at Hanyeoreum as she entered the guild building.

Then Hanyeoreum placed her hand over her chest.

“Why is big sister’s chest…?”

“Huh?”

Gaeul and Hanyeoreum looked at each other in confusion.

I showed Hanyeoreum the newly acquired animal family, the Winglet.

“Here’s the new Chirp.”

“…a mouse?”

“Yes, yes…”

Now that I think about it, Hanyeoreum didn’t like touching mice.

Surprised, I took a step back.

“Is it a Winglet? Did you bring it?”

“Yes. I brought the Winglet, and it’s very clean… the child is clean…”

Rubbing the Winglet’s back, I observed Hanyeoreum.

Fortunately, she seemed to be lenient about the mouse she was raising.

“Right, take good care of the Winglet.”

“Yes. I will. Winglet, let’s be friends from now on.”

“Chirp!”

Was it because it escaped from the research facility?

The Winglet seemed to be in a very good mood.

I watched the Winglet dancing joyfully and looked around.

Bom, Haneul, and Saebyeok were looking at the computer screen with serious expressions behind the new employees.

‘What’s going on?’

Why do our kids look like that?

I naturally approached the children.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Gyeoul, we’re in big trouble.”

Even the usually playful Bom had a serious expression.

Had something terrible happened?

I swallowed hard in tension.

“What’s going on?”

“We tried to set a budget plan, but it seems we’ll be in the red for the next few months. It might even be over a year of deficit.”

“Uh, what…?”

That couldn’t be true.

Aren’t Divine Beasts supposed to bring in a lot of money?

Surprised, I leaned closer to the monitor to examine the detailed items.

Employee salaries, guild maintenance costs, and supplies…

There were many areas where money was going out, but most of them were manageable for us.

However, the problem was the reconstruction costs for the Beastmen village.

‘What is this?’

The cost to rebuild the Beastmen village was beyond my imagination.

I was left speechless at the astronomical estimated costs.

After all, it takes hundreds of millions just to build one building.

We were in a situation where we had to build hundreds of buildings.

‘If we build the buildings, we’ll also need to furnish them with furniture and basic appliances…’

This is unbelievable.

As I calculated the costs with my fingers, I collapsed onto my seat in despair.

“Ugh…”

I could understand why Gaeul was sounding the siren so often.

That was the only sound I could make.

“Gyeoul, are you okay?”

“Gyeoul, if I reduce the anchovies from now on, don’t worry too much.”

“I’ll save too…!”

Pock—

Haneul pulled out her mechanical arm.

While maintaining a mechanical arm does incur costs, that wasn’t necessary.

As I slowly got up from my seat, Hanyeoreum approached me.

“Gyeoul, is the deficit serious? Do you want me to help?”

“No. This is a problem we need to solve within our guild.”

“Really? Then how about thinking of it as an investment at first? There will be income from the Beastmen village after reconstruction.”

“That’s true, but it’s quite shocking…”

Ugh.

My shoulders, which had slumped, showed no signs of rising.

While I was lost in thoughts about money, Levinas came running to me.

“Wanga! Wanga!”

“Huh?”

“We’re rich now!”

“Rich?”

“Yeah! Come here!”

We followed Levinas outside the guild building.

Outside, the Winglet was scurrying around.

“Look! Ha!”

Levinas shouted and pointed at the Winglet.

Then the Winglet began to run around the park at an incredible speed.

Swish, swish—!

The Winglet started picking up empty bottles at an astonishing speed from all over the park.

It was truly a sight to behold, like the god of bottle collecting.

“Wow.”

In an instant, it earned a thousand won.

As I clapped my hands, Levinas puffed out his chest.

“Wanga, don’t worry about money! Levinas will help Winglet and earn a lot of money!”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

Thanks to Levinas’s encouragement, my previously drooping shoulders lifted again.

Yeah, we’re not incapable.

If we save, we’ll gather money again.

I decided not to worry too much.

A word from the author (Author’s Note)

Thank you so much for reading today, PIA1747014585384!

Thank you for the comments and recommendations! They always give me strength…!

It’s the salty season 2 for Gyeoul…!

───

Thank you for the 20 coins, Department Head Gonggu Seori Beom!