Chapter 43: Deal

Jeon Taeyeon, this woman gets on my nerves.

She’s just annoying.

Irritating.

“Are you not planning to bring your real body here?”

I really might smash her head open.

“My head is precious, and I’m busy right now.”

“Is it a type of clone ability?”

At the Cheonma’s words, my eyes sparkled.

Clone!

Clone ability!

I want it!

If I had that, I wouldn’t just have to look in a mirror.

I could make a clone and feel good just watching it.

Right, it’s not just an illusion.

She’s properly responding to our words, after all.

“I see. Leaving your magical power in a doll or an object and using it as a clone?”

“You’re quick to notice. If I focus on the clone, I can control it similarly to my real body.”

“Hm. Is that so?”

The Cheonma seemed intrigued.

What a shame.

If that were my ability, I wouldn’t have to leave my house ever again.

I’d spend my whole life ignoring the Goddess’s words and refraining from killing.

“So, what will you do?”

Jeon Taeyeon asked with a sweet smile.

At her words, I turned to Battle mage and Cheonma.

“Hmm. What do you two think?”

This isn’t something I should decide alone.

Honestly, I still feel like smashing her head open.

From the start, just the fact that this damned woman dared to show interest in me is reason enough for her to die.

How dare she meddle with me?

“I don’t think it’s bad.”

“It’s not like we have many other options, is it? It aligns with your goal, and cleaning up the floor and processing materials was a hassle, wasn’t it?”

True.

Collecting all the materials from the monsters on one floor was exhausting.

It was a pain to gather them one by one.

At a glance, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal.

In the end, it’s all because the elf got caught, and things turned out this way.

Unless something happens to overturn this situation, accepting these conditions is the best option for now.

Honestly, ignoring the elf is tempting.

But coming all this way and just letting it slide isn’t good for my image as a saintess.

Still, I don’t want to hand over my pension either.

That said, we’ve already taken the lead in this negotiation.

We need to set terms that favor us.

“Alright, then. I have a condition.”

“My head is off-limits. It’s precious. As for the 2 billion, I can’t lower it.”

I want to smash it.

I seriously want to smash her head.

I don’t like her.

How dare she try to keep me in the palm of her hand?

Just wait until we meet later.

She’ll be sent straight to the respawn field.

Then, what the Heavenly King needs to do now is clear.

“Let’s postpone that for later. Instead, just prevent other guilds from intervening.”

“In other words, does that mean no one else can even enter the floor?”

Of course.

Honestly, sweeping the floor and gathering materials afterward is already a hassle.

We don’t know what kind of friction might arise, and there could also be issues related to the holy relic.

“To be blunt, it’s a hindrance. If we’re being honest, we can handle monsters just fine on our own. You saw a little of it yourself, didn’t you? The hunters from the Heavenly King Guild would only get in the way, wouldn’t they?”

Besides, I still haven’t been able to smash her head.

If I can’t do this or that, I might as well mess with her like this.

At my words, Jeon Taeyeon’s face twisted slightly.

Even if those hunters aren’t her main forces, her pride as a guild master must have been shattered when they were insulted.

“Understood. I’ll stake the Heavenly King Guild’s honor on it. And next time, I’ll personally escort the Saintess in my real body.”

Escort me?

For what?

Next time, it’s your head I’ll be smashing.

Is this her way of trying to scold me with a confession since brute force doesn’t work?

“Oh, if you love me that much, forget it. If you’re that eager to get your head smashed, then come along.”

“Haha, that alone gives me hope. Then, on the day you go to the tower, please contact the number on my card.”

Hope?

What nonsense.

I told her I’d smash her head the moment we met.

Is that what she’s hoping for?

In any case, the negotiation with the Heavenly King left a bad taste in my mouth.

The fact that the 2 billion remained untouched was annoying, and the only mildly satisfying part was sweeping away the Heavenly King’s hunters.

That’s about it.

“Then, let’s head back.”

“Huh, just like that?”

“What else do we need?”

If there’s anything else you want, go ahead and offer your head for smashing.

“Still, shouldn’t you treat those people over there?”

What a troublesome person.

I cheerfully ignored her suggestion, stepped out of the Heavenly King Guild building, and explained the situation to the orc as well.

“It still feels a bit off.”

“But we should be satisfied with this much. There’s a limit to how far we can push with brute force. From the start, this all began because of the elf.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

The elf had been too foolish.

Too naive about the ways of the world, leading to this outcome.

If we’re being objective, the Heavenly King Guild was just doing its job.

It’s not like we’re trying to pressure the elf’s side with brute force either.

I’m not taking their side, but unless Jeon Taeyeon comes into the dungeon herself, it’s hard to crush the Heavenly King Guild and erase this debt.

“Are we departing tomorrow?”

“Yes, we should.”

Strike while the iron is hot.

Helping the elf has only fueled my determination to conquer the tower.

If I have to hand over 2 billion anyway, I’ll make full use of the Heavenly King Guild under that condition.

Looking at it another way, I can leverage the Heavenly King Guild to block other guilds trying to discreetly meddle with the tower.

That means I can openly taunt them.

Since no one’s going to cling desperately to just one tower, it shouldn’t be a big problem.

I relayed the news to the elf, and she hung her head low.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Back then, I was really out of it.”

Her drooping ears looked pitiful.

I couldn’t bring myself to scold her, and I was the one who said I’d help.

Honestly, if this elf made up her mind and went to the dungeon to earn money, she could make up the 2 billion herself.

“It’s fine. Everyone makes mistakes. Even the Goddess tells me that when I spare my enemies.”

“Really?”

Well, she actually just begs me to spare them, but close enough.

A bit of comforting should be fine for an elf like her.

The 2 billion will be dealt with soon enough.

It’s just that handing money to the Heavenly King bothers me, and my helping her is a whim.

“So, just be more careful from now on, Ms. Elf.”

“Saintess…”

The elf’s eyes welled up with tears, seemingly moved.

Heh, unlike Erin, she has a cute side.

Who would guess this elf was a man in her past life and even gave birth to two children?

“By the way, I might sit out tomorrow.”

Suddenly, Battle mage declared her intent to leave the party.

“Why?”

“I need to head to the countryside. I found someone who helped me in my past life. The tower conquest isn’t a one- or two-day task, so can’t I take a short trip?”

Everyone has their own responsibilities, but her timing is impeccable.

“Hmm, I see your point.”

“There are plenty of people who’d want to join if you post on the board, right?”

“Ah, that’s true.”

If I post about it, I’m sure even more will come forward.

Next time, should I bring that 100-year-aged Centaur?

If I bring the Extreme Centaur, they’ll probably act like some obnoxious adulterous couple’s hiking group.

Then what about a dwarf or someone from the 24th century?

Solinderman could be a good choice.

I’d also love to bring a mermaid or a harpy.

Why are all the returnees so eccentric?

Honestly, I’m curious.

Sirens, slimes, succubi, harpies—what’s their deal?

In the hero’s world, I smashed all their heads.

Could it be that the people in the gallery are the ones whose heads I smashed?

“I might not be able to make it tomorrow either.”

“Why not?”

I couldn’t help but wonder what this orc had going on.

“An older friend of mine set me up on a blind date.”

An orc?

On a date?

“You’ve got to be kidding me. At least say something believable.”

That’s just ridiculous.

“Hey, I’m thirty-five now. It’s time to get married.”

It didn’t seem like a lie, which made it even more surprising.

Honestly, the woman will probably bolt the moment she sees him.

I can already picture that future clearly.

“Then I’ll get ready tomorrow.”

“My wife asked me to do some shopping at the market.”

The elf, despite having her own tasks, seemed to prioritize his wife above all else.

Well, I guess that’s it for today.

Starting tomorrow, we’ll have to head to the tower, and it’s going to be a hassle.

Maybe I should stop by the convenience store.

*

“Mom, look over there. That lady has huge boobs. Why are yours so small?”

“That’s all surgery.”

On my way home, I overheard the conversation between a mother and daughter.

Admittedly, this size isn’t something you’d often see in a Korean.

Honestly, I don’t even look all that Korean to begin with.

Still, when women criticize my appearance, it only means one thing—I’m pretty.

I’m someone who feels happy just by looking in the mirror.

Because of that, it doesn’t even make me mad.

If you think about it, it’s just the envy of inherently inferior beings.

That’s all there is to it.

That woman probably couldn’t help herself, especially with her daughter there.

As for the rest…

“Wow, is she a model?”

“She’s insanely gorgeous.”

“She probably has a boyfriend.”

Well, men say those kinds of things among themselves.

I decided to take my time heading back.

Though I wanted to get home quickly, there was something I wanted to check out first.

I stopped by the convenience store near my house.

“Hello.”

“Ah, w-welcome!”

As always, the convenience store clerk’s face turned red.

I shot them a look of disdain.

It annoyed me. Who do they think they are, blushing when they see me?

The only being who can admire, praise, and whisper love to me is myself.

In that context, the gaze of strangers—even for a saintess—feels irritating.

“Should I grab some ice cream?”

These days, convenience stores carry a lot of tasty desserts.

As I picked out a few, I noticed it wasn’t just the earlier pair of strangers whispering about me.

“Hey, look. Isn’t that the famous saintess from recently?”

“Yeah, she really looks like her.”

“Should we ask for her autograph?”

“She’s not even a Hunter, though.”

What’s this?

Have I already become famous?

Well, considering the commotion I caused, it’d be strange if they didn’t know about me.

People really do judge by appearances.

If they knew about all the people I bashed with my mace, they should be afraid of me, right?

Yet, instead, they call me pretty or say other flattering things.

Think about it.

What if it weren’t me?

What if it were someone else?

What if it wasn’t a beautiful woman like me, but a middle-aged, pot-bellied man wielding a mace and beating people up?

-Isn’t that the creepy guy from the community forum?

-That criminal pig lives around here?

-If we catch him, wouldn’t there be a reward?

The thought made me laugh.

It proves once again: looks are everything.

I gathered up my desserts and went to the counter to pay.

“Your purchase is complete.”

The convenience store clerk, who seemed desperate to strike up a conversation, received one more glare from me before I left.

I sat on a nearby bench to eat my tiramisu.

The leisure and peace of this moment!

This is so much better than that other world.

There was no room for this kind of relaxation over there.

The Hero’s Party was practically a cancer.

-Is it good?

“Yes, it’s delicious. Mmm.”

After finishing the tiramisu, I opened a mint chocolate ice cream.

“Ah, that refreshing taste in my mouth!”

The flavor was peculiar.

It felt like eating toothpaste and chocolate together, but the refreshing sensation made it taste good.

When I looked up, I saw the blue sky with clouds drifting by.

This peaceful, ordinary life isn’t so bad.

Who would guess this is a world that underwent a great upheaval?

“Time to head back.”

After tidying up my trash into a bin, I got up from the bench.

And as I headed toward the officetel near my house, I casually slipped into an alleyway.

I walked slowly.

Step by step, as if luring someone in.

Dark, shady places like this aren’t so bad.

Especially when it comes to dealing with stalkers.

Who would’ve thought there’d be someone targeting me since before I even went to the convenience store?

It’s not like I wasted time eating snacks outside for no reason.

I wasn’t sure at first, but he kept waiting.

While I was walking, a man suddenly appeared in front of me.

“Long time no see, huh?”

A guy with blond hair, looking like he thought the world of himself, stood there.

Who’s this?

“It’s me, Kim Hyeongjin. Remember? The one who saved you from that scumbag?”

His eyes suddenly gleamed, his pupils dilating before spiraling into some bizarre pattern that reflected me.

I don’t even know who this guy is.

Is he some kind of eye-damaged weirdo?