I had now incurred a debt so large that I couldn’t possibly repay it in my lifetime. But it wasn’t as if I could just give up and stop trying. I didn’t know if I could ever pay it all back, but I was determined to do my best.

‘I’ll have to make my schedule even tighter.’

I’ll start waking up an hour earlier each morning.  
I’ll cut down on meal times by ten minutes each.

While adjusting my schedule in my mind, I picked up a small shovel to dig up some dandelions when Yeoreum approached me.

“Gyeoul.”  
“Y-yes...?”

When I looked up at her, Yeoreum’s presence felt overwhelming.  
I knew she wasn’t someone to abuse her power, but the massive debt I owed her had turned her into a figure of authority in my eyes.

“This is yours.”

Yeoreum showed me what she had in her hand—a large crystal ball with a red orb inside and about fifty mana stones from horned rabbits. Horned rabbits don’t usually drop mana stones, but since we had been in a special dungeon where mana couldn’t be used, it seemed the rules were different.

“What’s all this...?”  
“These came from the boss monster. We agreed that you’d get the mana stones since you helped take it down.”

As she handed over the mana stones, I instinctively stepped back.  
I didn’t think I deserved the boss’s loot.

“We all played a part in taking down the boss. Even if I hadn’t been there, someone else would’ve beaten it...”  
“Sure, someone could’ve, but there would’ve been more casualties. This was the first time anyone had been in a dungeon that blocked mana, so it took a lot of adjusting.”

“The first time ever?”  
Yeoreum nodded at my question.

“Yeah. It’s the first of its kind in the world. Because of this, the guild is even reworking its training curriculum.”

I see.  
That explains why even the best adventurers struggled with horned rabbits.  
It made sense now if no one had ever fought in a mana-blocked environment before.

“Even so, since it’s from the boss, shouldn’t we split it with everyone?”  
“We already did. The boss rabbit dropped other things besides the mana stones.”

Ah.  
So, after everything was divided, my share ended up being the mana stones from the boss.  
In that case, there was no reason to refuse it.

I carefully took the pouch Yeoreum handed me. It was quite heavy with all the mana stones inside.

“But what is this crystal ball for?”  
“I’m not sure.”

“...You don’t know?”  
“Yeah. Detection magic doesn’t work on it. We suspect it might be the source of the mana-blocking effect.”

An item that could block mana.  
To the people of this world, it was a deadly weapon.

“If it really is an item that blocks mana, it must be incredibly valuable...”  
“It is valuable, but I thought it suited you.”

“Me?”  
Why would an item that blocks mana suit me?  
I couldn’t figure it out, so I decided to ask her directly.

“You’re the best at fighting without mana, Gyeoul.”

“Oh...!”

That made sense.  
People in this world weren’t prepared to fight without mana.  
If the situation came down to a battle without mana, I would likely have the upper hand.

‘This really is the perfect item for me.’

I hoped the crystal ball truly had the power to block mana. Hugging it to my chest, I felt a sense of attachment.

“Thanks for the item. I’ll get to work now.”  
“A-already? We just had breakfast.”  
“I have a debt to repay...”

I’ll sell tea, run dungeons, and if that’s not enough, I’ll take on a third job.  
I started scanning the area, looking for dandelions to pick.

“Gyeoul, uh... do you need any help with... the money...?”  
“N-no, just rest. I’ll handle it myself.”

Asking for help from the person I owed money to would’ve been beyond shameful.  
After seating Yeoreum near the campfire, I headed off to find more dandelions.  
With the astronomical debt looming over me, my steps felt heavy.

---

*Thud. Thud.*

Yeoreum sat by the campfire, watching Gyeoul’s back as she picked dandelions.  
The sight of Gyeoul’s drooping ears and tail filled Yeoreum with even more guilt.

“Gyeoul, should I help you...?”  
“N-no... I’m almost done. Just rest, Yeoreum-nim...”

Yeoreum-nim.  
The formality in that title felt so distant. Yeoreum couldn’t help but gape.

“You don’t have to add ‘nim’ to my name.”  
“Then what should I call you?”

“Uh... how about just Yeoreum unnie? It’s easier and nicer.”

Hehe.  
Yeoreum smiled, but Gyeoul grimaced.

“I’ll just keep calling you ‘nim’...”  
“Oh... okay...”

Wasn’t “unnie” supposed to feel friendly?  
Feeling awkward, Yeoreum scratched the back of her head.

‘This is getting tougher than I thought.’

Maybe I should have lied about the cost of the blessing.  
Why did I have to be so honest, knowing Gyeoul’s personality?

Argh.  
As Yeoreum silently screamed and tugged at her hair, Sophia approached, leaning on her staff.

“Are you feeling better now?”  
“Yeah... My body’s fine, but my heart isn’t...”  

Yeoreum sighed, slipping down from her chair until her head was almost touching the seat.  

“I’ve noticed something odd about her.”  
“...What is it?”

“Gyeoul seems to have an obsession with money, almost to the point of compulsion.”  
“Yeah, she does.”

Despite being told she didn’t have to repay, Gyeoul was determined to do so.  
She even shared the goblin mana stones she’d earned, even though she caught them herself.  
The other three beast-kin didn’t need to spend money on much, so they just saved what they earned for Gyeoul.

“Maybe it’s because she’s been on her own for so long.”  
“How does being alone cause an obsession with money?”

“When you have nothing else to rely on, money becomes everything. It’s not surprising she developed some form of compulsion.”

Even though she didn’t make much money.  
Yeoreum’s eyes widened at Sophia’s comment.

“No, Gyeoul had friends she could rely on.”  
“...Silly child.”

*Bonk.*  
Sophia lightly tapped Yeoreum’s back with her fist.  
Yeoreum knew she was being scolded.

“What? Why?”  
“Do you really think she had friends? She probably said that out of shame for not having any.”

“Huh...?”

That couldn’t be.  
There was something Gyeoul had been hiding, but she had sounded so certain when she mentioned her friends.  
Yeoreum was sure Sophia was wrong this time.

“Should I go ask her?”  
“Don’t. It’ll only make things more awkward.”

“Come on, you’re underestimating her too much.”

Even if Gyeoul had a tough life, she must’ve had some friends.  
There were always places like hunting grounds or free meal centers where she could’ve formed a community.

‘But how is Gyeoul going to explain her new body to her friends?’

Yeoreum pondered this as she ran toward Gyeoul, missing the way Sophia clicked her tongue behind her.

---

“Gyeoul!”  

I was so focused on picking mugwort under the tree’s shade that Yeoreum’s loud voice startled me.  
Because I was practicing suppressing my heightened senses, I didn’t notice her approach in time.

“What is it...?”  
I turned around, still holding the mugwort, to see Yeoreum smiling down at me.

Was something making her happy?  
I blinked up at her in confusion.

“You haven’t met any of your friends since your body changed, right?”  
“Friends...?”

“Yeah, you said you had friends.”

I did.  
On another Earth.  
But it wasn’t something I could tell anyone else.

“Yes, I have friends.”  
“Did you tell them about your new body?”  
“N-no...”

To tell them, I’d have to cross dimensions.  
That wasn’t something possible with ordinary human means.

“Then should I help you? It must be hard to do it alone.”  
“It’s okay. I don’t need to tell them.”

“Huh? Can you do it on your own?”  
“No. My friends are... very far away.”

I couldn’t tell Yeoreum that I was from another world, but it was okay to let her know I didn’t have friends here.  
Now that I knew Yeoreum wasn’t a bad person, I wasn’t worried about her mocking me for it.

“They’re very far away...?”  
“Yes, they’re so far that I can’t meet them.”

Well, unless a gate connected, then maybe I could meet them by walking.  
I let myself indulge in that silly thought, and as I did, I noticed Yeoreum’s face growing pale.

“That...”  
“...?”

Yeoreum trailed off, her mouth hanging open.  
Did I say something strange? Why was she acting like this?  
I couldn’t think of anything out of the ordinary I’d said, so I waited for her to speak again.

“...I sent

 a friend far away too.”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah, and there are still times I really miss them. How about you, Gyeoul...?”

Yeoreum gently placed her hand on my cheek.  
Her soft touch felt a bit awkward.

“I’m fine. I’ll meet them again someday.”

“M-meet them again...?”  
“Yes, I’m always ready to meet them whenever that day comes.”

After all, there were gates connecting many worlds.  
I had no doubt that the world I came from would show up one day.  
A person had to stay positive.

To pass through all those gates, I would need to become a top-tier adventurer.  
As I strengthened my resolve and looked up at Yeoreum, I noticed her face had stiffened.  
She looked as if she had just seen a ghost.