The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Yeoreum’s gaze was fixed on the bottle.

Her mouth agape in surprise at the five spoons of corn flour.

Was this luxurious enough to surprise the wealthy Yeoreum?

Rubbing her lips, she eventually had to admit it.

That she was indulging in tremendous luxury.

Showing off such luxury while she needed to pay off debts.

Perhaps she had become arrogant with her recent increase in income.

It’s not like all the money she made was hers to keep.

“I’m sorry… I’ll only use the flour three times from now on…”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I think I’m spending too much money…”

Fidgeting with her clothes, she cautiously observed Yeoreum’s reaction.

For some reason, Yeoreum’s eyes were rapidly moving back and forth.

“Well, it’s Gyeoul’s money, so it shouldn’t matter how it’s spent, right? It’s not like you’re spending a lot…”

“Really? Even though I use the flour five times…?”

Gyeoul held up five fingers, wondering if she had misunderstood.

But she couldn’t boast about her luxury for too long.

She folded her fingers back, mindful of the people around her.

“Yeah, using corn flour five times is actually saving.”

“Is, is that so…”

Five spoons of corn flour being considered saving.

What exactly was luxury to Yeoreum?

It was something impossible for her to imagine at the moment.

Maybe she would never know in her lifetime.

“You can spend more money, just make sure your meals are balanced, okay?”

“Yes, then I’ll spend an extra five hundred won per meal.”

“Ah, um…”

Did she say something weird?

Yeoreum firmly closed her mouth.

Considering her earlier statement, it was clear it wasn’t about spending too much money.

‘Spending an extra five hundred won.’

Was five hundred won not even considered money to Yeoreum?

Her wealth was nothing short of miraculous.

She would love to see it with her own eyes if ever got the chance.

Seeing someone spend money so freely would be quite the learning experience.

“There’s something I want to ask…”

“A request?”

“Yes. If possible, could you show me just once how you spend a lot of money?”

“Huh? Why so suddenly?”

Because I bluntly mentioned money, Yeoreum’s eyes widened in surprise.

I hurriedly opened my mouth before she could misunderstand.

“I thought even five spoons of corn flour was quite luxurious. But you talked about it like it was nothing, which made me curious.”

“Oh…”

“I want to know what kind of luxury people with a lot of money indulge in.”

After saying all that, I felt a bit rude.

I couldn’t help but lower my gaze.

“Alright, I’ll show you how I spend lots of money later.”

“Ah.”

I thought it was a difficult request, but it was a relief she agreed.

I was already looking forward to seeing what kind of luxury the wealthy indulge in.

<+>

Although I paid for three nights of lodging, the guild provided me with six nights.

Thanks to a perk that you’d normally see at a convenience store with a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

‘Really lucky.’

The price for the lodging was incredibly cheap.

It was practically given away.

I could reduce the work I had expected.

Of course, the fact that I had to work harder remained unchanged.

“Wow! It’s home, home!”

“Ahem.”

Levinas jumped up and turned on the TV.

Sophia sat down as if she was sinking into a massage chair.

Seeing the two of them so happy naturally made me feel good.

It was worth scrimping and saving.

“Hehe.”

Just watching them made my tail wag.

I smiled at them and then moved towards the entrance.

There was still a lot of work left to be done.

“Gyeoul, where are you going?”

“I’m going to pick up empty bottles.”

“Going to work again? Wouldn’t it be better to rest for today?”

There was too much of the day left to end work today.

I firmly shook my head at Yeoreum.

“I can still work more.”

“Gyeoul, you’ll really collapse from overwork.”

“I’m not that tired yet. I didn’t do much today anyway.”

What did I even do today?

Just as I was about to ponder, Yeoreum bent down to my eye level.

“You went to the hunting ground today, right?”

“Yes. I hunted goblins.”

“There was a bad incident at the hunting ground.”

“Right.”

Although I tumbled on the ground, there was no real harm done.

Thanks to the robust physique of the beast-kin.

“After hunting, you also tended to the garden and sold mushrooms yourself.”

“Yes.”

How did Yeoreum know everything about my day?

I inadvertently tilted my head in wonder.

“Just now, you also moved your stuff because you changed houses. If you work more here, you’ll collapse, Gyeoul.”

“It’s okay. I’m just sleepy, not really tired.”

Displeased with my response, Yeoreum pressed her lips together tightly.

The corners of her mouth were turned down, looking dissatisfied.

“Gyeoul, you’re sleepy because you’re tired.”

“Tired, and sleep… Oh, what?”

That’s right.

I was sleepy because I was tired.

I couldn’t understand why I had forgotten such an obvious concept.

Maybe I had stopped thinking altogether to forget the fatigue.

“No, this won’t do. Your task for today is to sleep, Gyeoul.”

“But, I need to collect those bottles…”

“No. Today is a day for Gyeoul to sleep.”

Yeoreum slipped her hands under my armpits.

Lifting me up, my legs dangled in the air.

“Oh…”

This really wasn’t going to work.

I needed to collect those bottles.

Despite my pleading look, Yeoreum only laid me down on the bed.

“Let’s snore today, okay?”

“Yes…”

I’ll pretend to sleep and then sneak out to work.

I lay in bed with my eyes closed.

The mattress was soft, and the blanket was warm and comforting.

To think I could live in a place like this for six days…

<+>

That night, Sophia and Yeoreum were sitting in chairs, talking.

A few hours earlier, they had been discussing Gyeoul’s unusual behavior.

“She didn’t know being tired could make her sleepy?”

“It’s not that she didn’t know; it felt like she wasn’t even paying attention to the connection between the two.”

“Oh dear…”

Sophia murmured, worried. She thought Gyeoul was working too hard.

Was it because she lived so frugally that she neglected her own physical condition?

Thump, thump, thump—

Sophia, feeling the massage chair beating her back, sank into deep thought.

It was a while before she spoke again.

“Yeoreum.”

“Yes?”

“Is there any jobs available at the guild…?”

A job? Was Sophia trying to earn money for Gyeoul? Yeoreum scratched her cheek.

“…Aren’t Encia and Argo already earning money?”

“Gyeoul won’t accept that money.”

“Well, if you put it that way, she won’t accept the money you earn either.”

Gyeoul was extremely reluctant to accept help from anyone, even from Sophia, who was like family.

There was no reason for her to accept money.

“If it’s for contributing to the household, she accepts it.”

“Ah…”

So, not unconditional help, but financial cooperation for living together was okay.

Yeoreum nodded at Sophia.

“Yes. I’ll see what I can find.”

“Thank you. But I hope it doesn’t take too much time. Money is not my priority.”

Sophia always prioritized caring for the children.

The best time would be when the children were not at home.

What kind of job could Yeoreum offer Sophia?

While Yeoreum was pondering this, a groaning sound came from the room where Gyeoul was sleeping.

“Huh?”

Yeoreum and Sophia looked at each other, blinked, and then ran to Gyeoul’s room.

“Uh, ugh…”

“Gyeoul?”

Gyeoul groaned in pain with her eyes closed, sweating profusely, indicating something was wrong.

Sophia quickly placed her hand over Gyeoul’s forehead, but she wasn’t having a fever.

She must be having a nightmare.

“She must be having a bad dream.”

“Should we wake her up?”

“We should.”

“Gyeoul, Gyeoul.”

Yeoreum gently shook Gyeoul’s body from side to side.

Through the hand placed under Gyeoul’s chest, she could feel the thumping heartbeat.

“Uh…”

Gyeoul cautiously lifted her eyelids.

Her breathing was ragged.

“Gyeoul, are you okay?”

“Dream…”

“A dream? Did you have a bad dream?”

Gyeoul nodded her head blankly in response to Yeoreum’s question.

She was still drowsy from sleep.

That feeling of being submerged between the boundaries of dreams and reality.

Yeoreum gently caressed Gyeoul’s cheek.

“Buried alive in the ground… Again… Ah… It was a dream…?”

“What?”

A dream of being buried alive.

It was a terribly horrifying dream.

The problem was the words Gyeoul muttered afterward.

‘An event from the past?’

Did Gyeoul actually experience being buried alive?

The shocking statement from Gyeoul made Yeoreum and Sophia’s hearts drop.

‘It doesn’t make sense.’

She must be confusing a dream with reality.

That had to be the case.

Yeoreum couldn’t say anything and just stayed by Gyeoul’s side.

Gyeoul’s hand, tightly clenched, was trembling.

“Ah, I’m sorry. It seems I had a strange dream.”

“Did you have a scary dream?”

“Yes. It’s something from a long time ago, but it suddenly appeared in my dream.”

Gyeoul looked down at her body hidden under the blanket.

The day she first arrived in this world.

For some reason, she was buried in the ground.

It was only because the soil was soft that she could dig herself out; otherwise, she might have died buried alive right from the start.

‘What could it have been?’

Why did she start her second life underground?

Could it be related to her new life?

With these questions, Gyeoul looked up.

Yeoreum and Sophia were looking down at her, faces pale.