Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“Sob, what, what should I do… I’ve become a burden to my benefactor again.”

“Excuse me, can you hear me?”

“I’m truly a hopeless snail, waaah!”

“Hello?”

This marked the fifteenth time I was ignored.

The goblin, less patient than me, couldn’t hold back and slapped the spiritual beast’s cheek. I hurriedly pulled the goblin away, but not before a handprint was left on the snail spiritual beast’s face.

“Agh! Mr. Kim, let go! Isn’t that blockhead frustrating you too?”

“Even so, you shouldn’t hit a person… I mean, a spiritual beast like that. Be patient, Sori.”

No matter what we said, the snail stubbornly continued to sob, pounding the ground. She repeatedly used words like benefactor, ruined, trouble, and repaying kindness like a broken record.

‘It seems she was trying to do housework to repay her benefactor.’

The mess outside appeared to be the result of her efforts as well. She must have thought she was doing her best, but it was closer to making a mess than tidying up. To think there was someone with even worse handiwork than me. No wonder rumors of a haunting had spread.

When the goblin grumbled that she was really unlike a snail, her crying grew louder. At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange if she became dehydrated.

‘I need to stop that faucet first.’

It would have been nice if Shin-ju or Han Cha-hyun, who knew how to handle people, were here. I felt regretful, but now I had to somehow muddle through this myself.

I imagined what those two would have done if they were here.

They wouldn’t have just gently coaxed and comforted. Rather, they would have immediately targeted the weak point. And this person’s weak point is…….

“Benefactor.”

The snail’s shoulders twitched. It was the first response she had shown us since waking up. She seemed more surprised than I expected, hiccuping as her shoulders shook up and down.

“Hic! You know my benefactor?”

As the snail slowly raised her head, a tear rolled down pitifully from her eyes, which were as neat as if drawn with a brush. Just as I thought she was waiting for my answer, she suddenly sprang up as if struck by lightning.

“Are you perhaps my benefactor’s guest? Oh, hospitality! Let me get you something to……”

“No, I don’t know anything about your benefactor.”

Her hand, which had been rummaging through the kitchen as if it were her own home, stopped. Then, as she was about to collapse limply to the floor like blanched spinach, I wrapped an arm around her waist to prop her up.

“But I am willing to help with that ‘repayment of kindness’ you mentioned.”

“Really? Are you truly saying that?”

“Yes, as long as you ‘repay’ me as well.”

The snail’s face, which had brightened at hearing an affirmative answer, took on a subtle expression at my following words. The goblin, seemingly unable to understand as well, was about to intervene when I held up my palm, signaling it to stay put.

“Repay to help repay? What on earth do you mean?”

“It’s called repayment, but I’m not asking for anything grand. I just want you to listen to our story for a moment. Simple, right?”

Even a caught fish deserves a second look. I had achieved my first goal of stopping her tears, but I needed to seal the deal now. I waited for her answer with the kindest expression I could muster.

Fortunately, the snail soon accepted my proposal.

“……Alright. If that’s all it is.”

“Then are you making a promise with us, Cheong-jae?”

“Yes, yes. I promise.”

When I casually called the name Sarome had told me, the snail, Cheong-jae, nodded her head.

‘This confirms that she’s the spiritual beast we’ve been looking for.’

Cheong-jae didn’t seem curious about how I knew her name, she just smiled brightly. I felt a prick of conscience for deceiving such an innocent being, but it was only for a moment.

“I’d rather run a raid than this……”

Although I wasn’t particularly dexterous, having grown up as the eldest daughter of working parents, I knew how to do basic housework. However, the household chores here, without modern conveniences, were more labor-intensive than I had imagined. On top of that, there was the snail who kept creating more work in real-time.

“Ah!”

“Mr. Kim, did you prick yourself again? Be careful!”

Just before the blood forming on my fingertip could drip, I narrowly moved the jeogori away. To think I’d be doing needlework in the World Tower of all places. If I weren’t an awakened one, my fingertips would have been in tatters long ago.

The goblin, who had been helping me despite my lack of interest in sewing, pouted.

“How can a house not even have a thimble!”

“I’m fine. I’ll be more careful from now on… Cheong-jae! I told you to just stay still!”

“But this is my repayment after all. I can’t just sit idly- Waaah!”

Cheong-jae, who had been moving a pile of firewood to the kitchen, tripped over her own feet and fell. The firewood she had been carrying scattered noisily across the yard.

‘What am I going to do with her?’

Judging by her unstable posture as she tried to get up, it seemed she might have sprained her ankle.

I put down the needle and approached Cheong-jae, scooping her up entirely. She kicked her legs in what was supposed to be resistance, but I steadfastly carried the troublesome snail.

“Second benefactor! I’m fine, please put me down!”

“No. You’re a patient now. Don’t you know patients need absolute rest?”

“Snail, you staying still is how you can help!”

Taking advantage of Cheong-jae’s dejected state after the goblin’s words, I removed her shoes. Then I pushed her into the room and rolled her up in the blanket, trapping her. The goblin cackled, calling her a snail kimbap.

“You wouldn’t want to dirty your benefactor’s blanket, would you?”

Cheong-jae, who had been rolling around trying to unfurl the tightly wrapped blanket, quieted down at my single sentence. I patted her head lightly and was about to leave the room when something caught my eye.

In one corner of the room, there was a flower-shaped ornament made of thin paper pasted on wooden ribs. The goblin must have noticed it too, as it fluttered over to the flower.

“It’s a floating lantern for the night of the new moon.”

“Are you referring to the night when the soul butterflies depart?”

“Yes, you know well. Floating lanterns down the reversing Cheonhwa River to send off the soul butterflies is an old custom and promise of On.”

She said that after the plague set in, the number of lanterns gradually decreased, and now they’re rarely seen. Cheong-jae smiled gently, saying her benefactor was truly extraordinary for still remembering the promise.

“I wish I could have shown you both that sight. It was so beautiful that once you see it, you could never forget.”

“That’s a shame. But… what is this promise you mentioned?”

“On the day Cheonsan rose, humans voluntarily made a promise with the Supreme God. They said they would float lanterns every new moon night for those who willingly vacated the land of On!”

‘A symbol of gratitude, something like that.’

This was a story I hadn’t heard from Sarome. Well, it wasn’t particularly important information in this situation, so there was no need to mention it. Still, for some reason it bothered me, and before leaving the room, I absently brushed the floating lantern.

“I’ll come back when the general cleaning is done. Rest until then.”

“Yeeees.”

Ironing clothes, organizing haphazardly stuffed items, scrubbing the messy cauldron clean. Even with one troublemaker gone, there was still an abundance of work to do.

“Ow, my bones. I don’t know how people in the old days managed.”

It was only when the sun had reached its zenith that I finally had a moment to straighten my back. As I patted my shoulders, I looked around the now much cleaner house. Seeing it like this, I felt a sense of accomplishment…

But the biggest mountain still remained.

“Above all else, I want to prepare a delicious meal for them.”

“That’s right! Even Diamond Mountain is best viewed after a meal!”

As expected of someone of Korean origin, the goblin clapped its hands at the mention of food.

On the other hand, my worries deepened. Aside from having to use a hearth, there weren’t enough basic cooking utensils or ingredients. For someone like me who could only manage basic cooking for living alone, this was too high a difficulty.

I had entered the kitchen but was hesitating to move when I heard a presence. Before I could look outside, the goblin in the yard screamed.

“A wild boar monster…!”

Monster? Could it be that the yokai had crossed the city walls? If so, there was no time to waste. I summoned my bow as I turned around. As I was drawing the bowstring, I saw a familiar green head.

“Hunter Lee Kang-to, how did you get here?”

“I deliberately made noise, but you call me a monster. What a rude bell indeed!”

Lee Kang-to, with a wild boar slung over his shoulder, stamped his foot as if protesting. Because of the backlight and the beast he was carrying, which was three or four times his size, the goblin must have mistaken him.

Then Lee Kang-to deliberately made a loud noise as he threw the wild boar to the ground.

“Hunter Yun Gaho, you’re too much!”

“Pardon? Me?”

“You said we’d meet up at lunchtime, but you didn’t contact me once until now! Do, do you know how much trouble I went through to find this house?”

His already narrow eyes became even fiercer as they focused on the arrow aimed at him. I quietly lowered my bow and checked the time to find it was well past two o’clock. No wonder he was angry.

“Ah, it’s already… I’m sorry. I was so preoccupied.”

“Never mind the apology. Did you meet the spiritual beast?”

As I approached him without answering, Lee Kang-to tilted his head. You can’t let your guard down for a moment with this rubber ball of a person. I watched him closely as I opened my mouth.

“She’s inside, but…”

Sure enough, I grabbed Lee Kang-to’s tricolor sash as he was about to dash in.

Although I didn’t think Cheong-jae would run away at the sight of Lee Kang-to, it was obvious that disaster would strike if these two extremely self-centered individuals met. Lee Kang-to, oblivious to my thoughts, looked down at me with displeasure.

“Let’s eat first.”

“Eat? What nonsense is that now?”

“Well, you see……”

I explained to Lee Kang-to what had happened with Cheong-jae. When I reached the part about repaying kindness with kindness, Lee Kang-to suddenly shuddered and shook his head vigorously.

“Repaying favors in a circle? Hwangya Hunters are truly one bizarre bunch after another!”

“……”

This was the last thing I wanted to hear from Lee Kang-to of all people. Not content with that, he delivered another straight punch to me.

“And you’re saying this is what you cleaned up? I can’t believe it!”

“Is there something wrong with it?”

“How can you even ask that? From top to bottom, it’s all not beautiful at all!”

Lee Kang-to, with his chin raised high, declared solemnly.

“There’s no helping it. I’ll show you all my true worth!”