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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Calculation
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[Arcanox Elixir has been absorbed.]
[Magic Resistance has increased by 200.]
"Hehe."
Isaera giggled brightly as she fiddled with her new toy, turning it on and off. Each time, blue sparks crackled and fizzled out with a pzzt!.
A huge grin spread across her face—she must have been really pleased.
"The bracelet suits you well."
"Thanks. Sohee's cloak looks great on her too."
Isaera wasn't the only one beaming. Everyone's faces lit up with joy, and I felt just as good about it.
Now even average spells would just make me scoff.
"Dickhead, why'd you grab two of them anyway?"
Shin Seo-yeon asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion even as she grinned over the new mythic item.
It wasn't a joke—sometimes her sharp jabs sent chills down my spine. I shrugged casually.
"You guys didn't spend all your money, so I used what was left."
"I knew something was off. If it had been exact, you wouldn't have hesitated like that."
Aha, so that's how she pieced it together? Honestly, my hesitation had been a split-second thing, but to our Crimson Flame Witch, that tiny gap must have been crystal clear.
"Anyway, see? Without us, you couldn't have bought two items."
Shin Seo-yeon struck a triumphant pose, hand on her hip and nose in the air.
"You think you and Sohee alone could have made that much money? No way. I helped chase off those flies and gather people, and this kid ran errands too."
"Yeah, yeah."
Shin Seo-yeon chattered on proudly, thrilled to have finally gotten one over on me for once. Then she suddenly lowered her voice.
"Anyway, we worked hard this time..."
"?"
I glanced at her quizzically, but she hemmed and hawed, unable to spit it out.
"What is it? Just say whatever you want."
"Well... you know..."
"Oh, do you want some kind of reward?"
Her face lit up immediately. Glancing around, all the girls' eyes sparkled as if they were hoping to cash in on the moment. I turned back to Shin Seo-yeon.
"So, what do you want?"
"I... I mean, me too..."
"You too?"
Shin Seo-yeon's cheeks flushed as she leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"I want a kiss and a blowjob too."
"Sure, I'll take the thought."
"Hey! You won't even do that one simple thing?!"
"That's exactly why it's not simple."
Her face crumpled in frustration. The Saintess approached and patted Shin Seo-yeon's shoulder soothingly.
"Seo-yeon, you can't ask Min-jun for something so troublesome and difficult."
"...We haven't done that."
She looked like she had plenty to say but swallowed it all back down, our Crimson Flame Witch reduced to silence.
"Putting Seo-yeon aside, what about the other three? Speak up if you want something."
Han So-hee cleared her throat delicately before speaking up.
"I'd like to read some books."
"Books?"
"Meditation alone isn't cutting it anymore. Is there a lodging upgrade for that? If so, I wouldn't mind paying for it."
"Hmm. I think there is... Got it. I'll check when we get back."
"Thank you."
"No problem. That's hardly a tough request."
Man, heiresses from chaebol families really are different. Even here, it's meditation and books... I turned to the other side.
"What about you, Hana?"
"I'd love custom clothes for our harpy. Something cute and pretty!"
Haha, our Saintess was... true to form as the Saintess.
I let out a small chuckle at her perfectly fitting choice.
"And you, Isaera?"
Isaera pondered deeply for a moment before suddenly whipping out her "weapon"(?). Sera?! The Saintess gasped in surprise, but Isaera waved the dick-shaped silicone around wildly.
"I need a custom weapon too. This one's feeling a bit weak."
"...I see."
"Yeah! It'd be great if you could give me some ideas, oppa. I hear there's places that make weapons, but I don't know any. You seem like you would."
I did know the blacksmith scene well enough after years in this world.
"Anyway, got it. Those are all easy requests. Except for Seo-yeon's."
"Hey!"
Seriously, none of them even needed my involvement.
They all said they'd pay with their own money, so they could just do whatever they wanted.
Books, clothes, weapons—all available in the Rest Area.
Yet here they were, asking for my help... or rather, my permission. Like kids asking their parents.
Were they relying on me that much, consciously or not?
"Customers...?"
"Ah, coming."
Unaware we'd stopped in place while chatting, we hurried after the Gap employee.
Click-clack. Click-clack.
We traversed a clean corridor bathed in warm orange lighting. Admiring the now-clearer portraits in the frames, we soon reached the end—the exit looming right ahead.
"You've arrived."
And there, standing imposingly where nothing had been before, was a new presence waiting for us.
"M-Min-jun..."
"What the hell is that...?"
It radiated an aura that screamed anything but ordinary.
Its black, gloomily purple-tinged skin evoked images of a Gloom Ghost, but the four sharp eyes on its face gleamed with unmistakable intelligence.
...Not a single thread attached to its body.
Everything moving here had threads, but this one had none.
In other words, it was a being of entirely different quality from the puppets we'd seen. And I knew exactly what it was.
Ancient Watchman.
Dwellers of the Dimensional Gap, kin of the ancient gods tasked with guarding and maintaining the rifts.
Shrouded in mystery, they occasionally emerged to serve their masters.
Name: Noctaviel
Especially this place's overseer, Noctaviel—the most well-known to humanity.
"I hope you enjoyed your meal."
And now, I had to negotiate with this monster.
Whew. I stepped forward, mentally reviewing my plan before speaking calmly.
"It wasn't bad."
"Oh dear, 'not bad'... I should have put in more effort. If there were any shortcomings, please leave a review here. We'll reflect on it next time."
Noctaviel tapped a sheet of paper that materialized on the nearby counter.
"Let's settle the bill first."
"Ah, excellent point. Allow me to assist with the checkout."
Noctaviel bowed politely. Its tailored suit fluttered as gloomy mana coalesced, and numbers appeared on the display above the exit.
203,200 points
"The total comes to 203,200 points."
"What?"
"Huh?"
"How...?"
"?!"
The girls' eyes widened in unison. No surprise—they'd probably expected around 100,000 at most.
"Hey, Dickhead! What the hell is this? We didn't get scammed, did we?!"
"Scam? We would never deceive our customers. We acknowledge any honest mistakes, but please refrain from unfounded accusations."
Noctaviel maintained courtesy but stiffened, a hint of displeasure showing. I pulled Shin Seo-yeon back.
"Everyone, calm down. It's fine."
"...You sure?"
"Yeah."
Only then did Shin Seo-yeon, her face tense, step back.
Her sharp instincts might have picked up on the monster's power, the bizarre turn of events, and the potential bad outcome ahead.
But if my hunch was right, it'd wrap up smoothly.
I stepped forward and extended my hand to the overseer.
"Paying all at once?"
I nodded.
A pitch-black hand faintly shimmering purple gripped mine firmly. A strange sensation—definite pressure on my palm, yet like clutching empty void. Not pleasant.
"Hm?"
Noctaviel's four eyes widened slightly.
"Customer, you...?"
"?"
"...I see. Confirmed. We'd heard a distinguished guest might visit, but to grace this humble place... Still, the payment must be exact."
Noctaviel bowed with genuine respect now.
What had been salesman's false politeness shifted to sincere deference.
Probably a perk from my resident status. Sure enough, Noctaviel glanced over my shoulder and spoke a familiar phrase.
"As a special privilege, 50% discount applied."
"Whoa!"
"Jackpot!"
"Dickhead, you're awesome!"
The group cheered. But it was too early.
"203,200 points at 50% is 101,600 points. However, you're short by 1,352 points."
Short 1,352 points
The display flickered off and on, now showing the shortfall. Faces hardened again as Noctaviel bowed politely to me.
"Insufficient funds, sir."
"I'll pay the balance later."
"There is no 'later' in our establishment. All debts and responsibilities must be settled on the spot. That is the rule of our founder ■■. No exceptions, even for valued guests."
The four-eyed monster straightened and asked.
"Who will cover the balance?"
"..."
...So it came to this. With a short sigh, I rolled my shoulders and answered.
"I will."
"Received."
In that instant, a blur streaked past, and something heavy pierced my body.
Fast. So fast that even with my Agility over 100, the whoosh reached my ears a beat late.
A sharp, burning sting exploded across my chest.
Drip. Drip.
Glancing down, there was a hole in my chest. Blood poured from the empty cavity, soaking my clothes red and pooling on the floor.
"Thank you. Balance confirmed paid."
Lifting my gaze, I saw the four-eyed monster holding my heart, placing it on a tray atop the counter.
"Uh...?"
"O-Oppa?"
My head spun, and my body crumpled. Even with my specs, no heart meant no strength.
"M-Min-jun!"
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