Chapter 26: Settlement (3)

Chapter 26: Settlement (3)

I
pulled on Grumpy leash and arm, dragging her roughly.

“Ew!
Why, why are you doing that?!”

“Noisy.
Follow me.”

As
soon as I realized that Grumpy was under the puppet’s curse, I went
to the temple.

–
Would you mind if I periodically check on Mr. Balkan’s blessings in
the future? Of course, for free.

After
listening to Serif’s ‘request’ at the temple, I remembered one of the
small ‘paybacks’ she suggested.

At
least Serif didn’t feel like messing around with blessings or curses,
so I went to the temple to see if I could get a look at the curse on
Grumpy.

“The
temple is closed this week!”

The
news came like a thunderbolt. The temple was closed.

As
I hurriedly arrived at the temple, a large group of explorers were
exiting the temple area, grumbling and complaining.

“No!
Why can’t we go in?”

“I’m
sorry, but it’s an internal matter. Explorers, who have come to have
their blessings and curses assessed, and those who have come for
healing, please come back next week!”

Some
argued, but the priests and paladins guarding the temple were
adamant.

“Those
guys chattering up ahead. How new are they?”

“I
don’t know. Judging by the gear they’re wearing, they’re probably
first or second level explorers.”

“Tsk
tsk. Don’t they know the temple holds a purification ritual once a
year when the New Year approaches? Sometimes it even lasts a whole
month, but they seem clueless about that.”

“We
forgot about it, too, and we came to get our blessings confirmed.”

“Aha.”

The
more experienced explorers sneered at the lesser explorers standing
in the doorway of the temple.

Grumpy,
who had been quietly listening to their conversation, glanced over at
me.

“See,
I told you, the temple isn’t open this week. Didn’t you know?”

“⋯I
didn’t know, I’m new to the Labyrinth City.”

“Eh.
Really? I thought you were at least a second- or third-level explorer
because of the way you fought the goblins.”

“What
the hell.”

I’ve
been nearly skulled by goblins so many times, I still shudder to
think of them. But that’s it.

“You’re
not eating something wrong, are you?”

The
suddenness of the question causes her expression to change.

“What⋯?
Yeah, what⋯?
I mean, I can’t
afford to eat three square meals a day, but I’m not rummaging through
the trash⋯.”

“You’re
not rolling around in some weird place, are you?”

“I
always slept on the stable weeds… it’s definitely a strange place
if you think about it. It smells.”

“Are
you sore or anything?”

“⋯I
mean, are you worried about me?”

Heh.

Grumpy
looked up at me with a small open mouth, and then chuckled.

“Hmph.
I’m impressed. Don’t worry too much, though. It’s just me, Denshi.
I’m a healthy girl who’s never caught a cold in her life.”

She
puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her waist, as if to
announce some great accomplishment.

Maybe
it was the pose, but I couldn’t help but notice her outfit.

A
fashion sense that would make her practically a slut, even by Earth’s
standards.

Her
breasts dangled precariously from a single piece of fabric without a
bra.

Micro
pants that showed her ass, and a black thong that slid over her hips
and didn’t do the slightest bit of panty work.

Admittedly,
it’s a wonder she doesn’t catch a cold while dressed like that.

‘There’s
no way the curse is infectious.’

Afterward,
I asked a few questions, but I still couldn’t figure out how or where
she got the curse.

However,
once she became infected, one theory was confirmed.

‘Outlaw
territory. There must be something there.’

“Hmph.
I don’t know what’s going on here, but did you drag me to the temple
because you’re worried about me, or do you have a sense of ownership
or something?”

Grumpy
laughed nervously, suddenly amused.

“But
I’m afraid coming here has only added to my wounds. Look at this. You
tugged so hard that my neck is red.”

She
lunged at me and lifted the leash slightly.

The
scent of her body suddenly sneaking up on me made me turn to look at
her.

Her
neck was red from the friction of the rough leash pull.

Underneath,
I could see pure white skin, a collarbone line that was nothing like
the reddish neck, and a good-sized chest that revealed more area than
the cloth covered.

“Wow.”

“It’s
similar to the sting, but different, hmph, it’s a fresh stimulus,
this is like this again⋯”

After
entering the labyrinth, I was tired and had a lot of things to think
about, so I didn’t have much libido, but the sudden stimulation woke
me up.

I
immediately slapped myself across the cheeks.

‘Wake
up, Nam Soo-jin. What do you think you’re doing, ogling a girl’s
breasts?’

You’re
in the middle of growing up and have a lot to worry about. If you
can’t control your libido, what are you going to do about it later?
It’s a fact of life that you have to take care of things early on so
that it’s easier later on. You know that. Even in this world, this is
not the time to be concerned with girls, so please look away.

But
it’s not easy.

I’ve
been celibate for a month now. I have a conscience, too, and I
couldn’t indulge my lust at Diana’s inn. It would be like excreting
my libido in her favor. But it’s too much to bear. Only men who can
hold back their lust in the presence of Diana can throw stones at me.

“Don’t
bring your abomination to my brother.”

“Ugh-“

My
chest jerked backward. The next thing I knew, Jeremy had yanked
Grumpy head by the scruff of the neck and pulled her away from me.

I
barely had time to look away.

I
came to the temple to check the curse, but it was closed.

‘For
some reason, it feels like what Grumpy received is more of a blessing
than a curse…Is it the difference between the ten-thousands and the
thousands?’

There
was no way I could dig deeper into the curse without any special
tools at hand.

We
eventually headed back to the Explorers’ Alliance. On the way, we had
a quick update.

“Anya
can survive.”

Jeremy
said she’d spent a fortune casting an incorruption spell on her
skull.

She
didn’t look happy, as if she’d lost a lot of money but her eyes were
shining with hope.

“I’ve
heard rumors that a miracle of resuscitation sleeps on the 19th
floor.”

It
seemed that Jeremy had finally gotten her hands on the information
after her dogged search.

The
information might be true, but his⋯
no, her⋯
purpose would be the 19th floor.

“Master.
Please sign!”

As
soon as we arrive at the Explorers’ Alliance and sit down at the
table, Grumpy hands me a piece of paper.

I
glanced at it and realized it was a slave contract. The space for the
master’s stamp was blank.

“This
used to have Deluna’s thumbprint on it. It’s gone because she died.”

The
paper used for slave contracts is special, and when a party dies or
the contract is canceled, the signature or imprint disappears.

The
slave entry below still had Grumpy’s stamp.

“As
long as my name is on the slave line, I’m still a slave, and I’d
rather be your slave a hundred times over than to be enslaved by
those bastards again.”

I
looked at the document and felt a strange sensation.

How
could I, a modern man, treat people like slaves? This is immoral and
inhumane.

‘Fuck
you.’

[Currently
Owned Slave: Denshi (LV.7)]

I
glanced at the status window once more.

Even
though she was beaten in the past, and even though she’s a stubby
slave with a strange new curse I don’t recognize, I’m pretty sure
that won’t be the case now.

“You
are my slave⋯”

As
Grumpy touched the slave contract with the charm she had prepared, a
strange glow emanated from the paper, and it expanded into two
sheets.

The
paper shimmered and stretched into two sheets, one for each of us.

“Hmph.”

With
a puzzled look on her face, she hugged the papers tightly.

That
was the end of the situation.

“Now,
let’s settle the bill.”

Their
ears perked up at the mention of money. After all, money is the one
thing that humans are bound to pay the most attention to, especially
for lowly explorers like us.

One
silver coin and six copper coins for slaying goblins.

Deluna
was a rehabilitated explorer, but she proved to be a bad one who fell
back into lawlessness, so we were rewarded with 4 silver for
capturing her.

This
time, the harvest totaled 5 silver coins and 6 copper coins.

“I
admit, I don’t have much of a stake in this, I didn’t fight Deluna’s
party, and I only helped them out a little at the last minute to get
out of the Labyrinth, so I’m afraid I don’t get to keep it!”

Grumpy
took a step away from the table, her eyes never leaving the silver
coin, a look of lust on his face.

“I⋯”

Jeremy
kept her mouth shut, even though she already seemed to be struggling
with money.

“I
can’t say I’ve done the same as my brother, and I’ve been nothing but
a nuisance from the start, so I’d be⋯
grateful for a minimal share.”

I
shook my head, took a step back, and offered an 8-to-2 ratio. Of
course, I was the 8.

I
stared at the money on the table in silence.

Honestly,
this labyrinth. I think I carried it from start to finish.

I
definitely deserve this money all to myself.

‘But
will it be the same for the next labyrinth, and the next, and the
next?’

Why
do most mid- to high-level explorers travel in parties? The reason is
simple.

Going
alone will inevitably get you stuck at some point, whether it’s a
trap gimmick that can’t be disarmed alone or a powerful beast.

If
you don’t stick together as a party, the going gets tough.

‘It’s
not a bad idea to invest a little bit of money for those times.’

Yes.
It is an investment.

An
investment in a spearman with an experience efficiency buff and a
bowman/guide with a +25 overall stat potential for some reason.

I
don’t have a lot of money, but I have money from Zelvin and money
from the inn.

‘And
the classic investment is to buy low.’

You
have to buy it when it’s a little bit cheaper. And this stock is at a
low right now.

The
help you get when you’re successful doesn’t mean much, but the help
you get when you’re begging stays with you until the day you die.

We’re
looking a little further into the future here⋯

“You
guys. Be good later.”

I
redistributed the money with an unnecessary grimace.

“Ugh.

“Hmph.
I’m pretty sure I’ve got one good eye on my master, huh?”

Jeremy’s
goofy voice, followed by Grumpy’s confident voice, echoed around
the table.

***

~East
Explorers’ District~

The
masked woman walked from the line of fancy weapons shops, like a
department store, and entered a dingy weapons shop that only
attracted flies.

“Hey,
owner.”

“Yes?
What’s going on?”

As
the woman rummaged through the crates of cheap, unshelved weapons,
she realized something was amiss and called out to the shopkeeper.

“Did
you happen to see a clunky-looking Great Helm in here?”

“What?
Mmm⋯
ah, you mean the
cheap Great Helm?”

“⋯What?
No, I said clunky, when did I say cheap-“

The
woman’s voice turned sharp at that moment.

Her
jaw dropped at the owner’s next words.

“…Really?
It got sold? Do you know who bought it by any chance?”

“Hmmm.
Well, it was a tall man, with a frighteningly good body. I couldn’t
make out his face because he was wearing a helmet, but his walk was
that of a novice explorer⋯But
why do you ask?”

The
woman stared at the owner, then sneered.

“No,
I don’t know who he is, but he bought it for a bargain.”