CHAPTER 08……………………………………..
In this situation, the best response I could give him was to stay as calm as possible.
“What are you interrogating me for? I didn’t steal it. It’s none of your business, so mind your own.”
Even though Seo Goun in the novel is a trashy delinquent, he isn’t someone who steals things.
A coward who can’t even enter dungeons because he’s afraid of monsters—how could someone like that possibly steal anything?
At most, he just used Seo Taeju, the vice guild leader of the Noeul Guild and an SS-rank Hunter, to act out and bully people.
Stealing something would require a level of nerve he simply didn’t have.
‘Even legendary thieves who get caught by the police act cocky for a reason.’
Meanwhile, perhaps knowing Seo Goun wasn’t that kind of person either, Taeju fell silent and stared at me.
The contempt from earlier this morning was gone, but suspicion still remained.
I raised both hands.
“If you’re going to keep staring like that, then fine. I’ll explain simply—this bird is something I legitimately obtained from the Tower.”
“The Tower?”
“Yeah. The Tower.”
“You went to the Tower?”
Taeju snorted after hearing my explanation.
“Cut the nonsense. I’ll believe you when dogs stop eating shit.”
“Dogs eating—just finish your damn sentence… fine, believe whatever you want. This is getting annoying.”
“Whatever. If something goes wrong, I’m cutting off all support, inheritance, everything.”
“Yeah. Do whatever you want.”
He doesn’t understand, but I don’t have time for nonsense right now.
I need to train Seo Goun’s fragile body, save Hunters destined to die, and push people toward climbing the Tower faster than the novel ever did so the “Cradle” doesn’t appear early.
Just thinking about it makes me exhausted.
Perhaps unsatisfied with my calm response, Taeju frowned again and asked,
“…Have you ever shown that bird to anyone else?”
I raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question. He frowned even deeper.
‘What an annoying character. I remember he wasn’t this interested in people before.’
He should just keep acting indifferent like he used to.
“Hey, answer me.”
He didn’t even wait for me to think.
“No. I never planned to show it to you either.”
I hadn’t lied. I only purified Shin Suha with the Purification Egg earlier—Salt only appeared just now.
“Then don’t show it to anyone else from now on. It’s dangerous.”
Taeju, known in the novel for his sharp mind, had already sensed the danger Salt represented after just one purification.
I nodded.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t. You don’t understand what it feels like to be purified.”
What does that mean?
‘So purification isn’t just purification? There’s a feeling to it?’
In the novel, it was described as feeling like sinking into warm water—but it seemed each person experienced it differently.
“What does it feel like?”
“It feels like I want to kill you right now and take that thing for myself.”
For a moment, I saw a familiar glint in his eyes.
That disgusting look—like taking something belonging to others and believing it’s only natural to claim it. The eyes of a criminal.
His gaze sharpened, completely sincere.
‘So even someone who already has almost everything feels that?’
I looked down at Salt, who had fallen asleep on my palm.
“This bird is registered as your pet, right?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Then you’re also at risk. It has homing instincts.”
Bound items can’t be used by others, and pets return to their owner no matter who takes them.
Salt would eventually return to me if stolen.
“Think about it. What would someone have to do to use a pet that always returns to its owner?”
“They’d kidnap you. Even an idiot knows that.”
“Exactly. And they’d forcefully use the bird too.”
I knew very well what “forcefully” implied.
Kidnapping, violence, and in the worst case, irreversible harm.
Someone like that would feel no guilt cutting off legs just to prevent escape.
But I hadn’t taken the Purification Egg just for Shin Suha and Taeju.
There were more people I needed to save.
“I’m not going to save you. If you die or get used, I don’t care. So take care of yourself.”
“Good. Please do. Just leave me alone.”
“I’m not joking. I’m keeping my parents’ last words.”
In the novel, Seo Goun’s parents had left Taeju a final request before dying.
To take care of their immature older son.
Taeju had no choice but to obey.
That’s why he endured everything—even Seo Goun’s crimes and theft.
“I said it’s fine. You don’t have to keep that promise anymore. Are you really still clinging to something so stupid?”
That was my honest thought.
If Seo Goun hadn’t died in the novel, this guy would’ve been controlled by him his entire life.
Seo Goun might be a disaster now that I’ve possessed him, but Taeju himself wasn’t a bad person.
“What?”
“You’re still sticking to that stupid promise? Because of that, this bastard—no, I—ended up spoiled and turned into a delinquent.”
“What nonsense are you…”
“If you don’t understand, forget it.”
And I knew something else from reading the novel to the end.
Only a few people truly needed to be saved using Salt.
I’d already saved one. The rest could be handled later, like Shin Suha—quietly when the opportunity came.
‘He’s suffered enough. No need to drag him through more. If necessary, I can always replace him.’
Taeju frowned at my words, studied me suspiciously for a while, then stood up.
“Believe it or not, I’m not going to cause you trouble anymore.”
He looked at me the same way he did when I said “dogs don’t stop eating shit,” then walked to his room.
I sighed and sank into the sofa.
‘So tiring. It’d be nice if I just fell asleep and returned to reality.’
I tried to stay positive.
But I already knew—
There was no way I was going back.
“Purify.”
Sitting heavily on the sofa, Taeju held out his hand.
[Passive ‘Diagnosis’ activated.]
[Seo Taeju – Contamination 54%]
Does this guy think I’m his personal purifier?
I stared at him with disbelief, then sighed and called Salt.
“Salt.”
It flew out from my room and landed on his hand, now already familiar with the routine.
Taeju leaned back with a relieved breath.
He seemed to like it—now he came home every day at lunch just to get purified.
But—
[Seo Taeju – Contamination 0%]
“Peep!”
Once purification was complete and Salt returned to me, Taeju left without a word, as if that was all he came for.
‘Is he trying to solo-clear all dungeons in this country or what? Always acting so busy.’
Clicking my tongue, I folded the laundry.
I had told him I’d handle housework myself—to show I was independent and didn’t need his protection.
Taeju had mocked me, saying we’d see how long it lasts.
‘Did he think I’d quit after a day or two?’
My first hobby was shooting. My second was cleaning.
Nothing calmed the mind like cleaning.
And seeing the house become spotless as I moved? Perfect win-win.
This house was huge too—plenty of time to think while cleaning.
“A shiny, clean house… not bad.”
After finishing, I went back to my room and opened the closet.
“I should organize these clothes too.”
Seo Goun’s fashion sense was unbearable.
Bright, loud colors everywhere—it made my eyes hurt.
So I’d been wearing the same dungeon outfit repeatedly: wash at night, wear again in the morning.
But that was only temporary.
If I was going to meet people I needed to save, I needed proper clothes soon.
“Guess I’ll go to a store tomorrow.”
I sat at the desk, thinking of the nearby supermarket I’d seen during morning runs.
Then I opened my notebook.
“Next target was… Michael, right?”
I circled the name: Michael.
Guild master of the Holy Spirit Guild, one of the top three guilds in the country. The most virtuous Hunter alive—and one who could create holy defensive barriers.
“I remember he dies during an early monster wave.”
The problem was I didn’t know the exact date.
The novel only said:
A monster wave appeared in the middle of Gangnam. While saving civilians, Michael ran out of mana and was killed by monsters.
“So I can’t just seal it immediately since I don’t know which wave it is.”
I tapped the diary with my pen.
“How do I save him?”
The wave that killed Michael lasted less than an hour, but caused massive casualties.
The number of monsters pouring out was equivalent to hours-long waves, including S+ dungeon-level monsters.
‘Too valuable to let die.’
Michael had raised a barrier to protect civilians, waiting for other Hunters to arrive.
But the number of monsters over 40 minutes was overwhelming.
Even when backup Hunters arrived and fought desperately, it took time to eliminate S-rank monsters.
‘Wasting him would be a loss.’
Eventually, Michael’s mana was exhausted, his barrier disappeared—and monsters slaughtered everything.
Even the narration called it a hellish massacre.
“Hm… should I drop a hint to Taeju?”
