You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿-Chapter 102

"When are you going to stop crying?"

"I'm not crying."

Even though she said that while sniffling, it was clear she wasn’t convincing anyone.

Lee Pyeong-hwa had been like this ever since Seol Mae was handed over.

She had cried so much that we couldn’t just leave; we had to sit on a small bench in front of the office and wait for her to calm down.

After all, even during basic military training, she had grown attached to her comrades, so how much more attached could she have gotten to a poor child she found in the dungeon?

"You really gave her both a tablet and a phone. There’s nothing to worry about."

"Right. I've already contacted the local guild, and if anything happens, they’ll let us know. If you want updates on Seol Mae, just talk to me."

I looked at Han Jae-young, who was trying to comfort Lee Pyeong-hwa.

"Talk to me?"

It was quite kind of Han Jae-young.

Of course, Lee Pyeong-hwa also had potential A-grade abilities and was quite famous in Korea, but he wasn’t the kind of person who would casually contact the head of the HP Guild, Han Jae-young.

Still, Han Jae-young, being a fairy and not a demon, had a fairly kind nature.

But if you thought about it, Han Jae-young always prioritized his own well-being.

In other words, he would only be kind if he thought it was worth it.

So, why was he being so kind to Lee Pyeong-hwa?

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Han Jae-young noticed my gaze and grinned.

"Are you worried I’ll eat Lee Pyeong-hwa Hunter?"

"I think you «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» might. What’s up?"

"Well, it’s not really a secret, but I suggested to Lee Pyeong-hwa Hunter that he join our guild."

"Ah..."

Lee Pyeong-hwa awkwardly rolled his eyes at Han Jae-young’s words.

It was a bit unexpected. Did Han Jae-young think so highly of Lee Pyeong-hwa to recruit him to the guild?

"The offer was appreciated, but I’m still thinking it over. To be honest, I never considered taking a break for social service..."

"After experiencing this dungeon, you’ll realize it’s better to join a guild and work with mages to handle different dungeons rather than dealing with low-level dungeons in the military during mandatory service. Of course, I won’t force you."

"...Yeah, I’ll think about it."

"It’ll be a tough decision, but I’d like to hear your answer when we get back to Korea. Things will get busy then."

Han Jae-young didn’t push further and backed off. He seemed like he wasn’t desperate about it, and I guess that was fair.

"Oh, I have an appointment with the guild, so I have to leave quickly. You two can return to the hospital on your own, right?"

"Are you going to the guild you made the agreement with? Are you going to talk about Seol Mae?"

"Yeah, that’s part of it, but..."

Han Jae-young briefly asked for Lee Pyeong-hwa’s permission before walking a little further away with me. Then he whispered in a low voice.

"We need to bid on the dungeon where we got stranded."

The dungeon Han Jae-young was referring to was the one and only dungeon.

The one connected to my past life world, the one with the foolish statue.

Both Korea and the US had adopted a system where guilds bid on and manage dungeons.

Actually, Korea had probably just modeled itself after the system used by the US.

"Looking at the trends so far, there’s probably a dungeon connected to that world in Korea too, but it’s a good idea to secure the entrance in New York as well. To bid on that dungeon, cooperation with the local guild is essential. After the bid, our guild will send people to manage it."

Even though HP Guild had a high reputation, this was still the US.

They wouldn’t just hand over a dungeon conquest bid to a foreign guild without some pushback.

"Did the guild you made the agreement with not ask why you wanted to bid on it?"

There was no way I could explain in detail about what happened when we were stranded in that dimension.

There’s a magician who survived for hundreds of years by using others’ souls as batteries.

And there are people who can communicate with other worlds connected by dungeons.

"Of course, Han Jae-young doesn’t realize yet that we’re continually being drawn to specific dimensions because of me and Yoo Han-ul."

Just that information alone could cause a stir if it became public in society.

And it’s easy to see how it could be misused.

Leaving aside other information, the fact that a magician survived by using other people’s lives as a price for immortality for hundreds of years...

"Such information would be difficult to release prematurely."

So, a reasonable excuse was necessary.

"I just asked them to bid because we found something interesting in that dungeon while we were stranded. Since the dungeon is located in a poor area, the price isn’t too high. They probably won’t even care about buying the right to conquer it since we already have so many dungeons secured. Wizards are all the same."

"Are you sure? If you’re wrong, it could cause a disaster."

If Han Jae-young himself were to bid on the dungeon, it could draw attention.

If someone else took interest and ended up finding the same people trapped inside the barrier, along with countless bodies...

Han Jae-young shrugged.

"We can’t just not bid on it. If Yoo Han-ul steps in, it’s going to make headlines, and we can’t hand it over to someone else."

"That’s true..."

It was a tough situation all around.

"The danger level of the dungeon is C-grade, so it’s probably not attracting too much attention."

When Yoo Han-ul first entered, the dungeon was unclassified, but after defeating the S-class monster, the foolish statue, on the first attempt, the danger level decreased, and it became a C-grade dungeon.

In the end, the only thing left in that dungeon were the ghosts trapped in the barrier.

"...I understand. Good luck."

"Alright, you two should head back to the hospital right away. I’m in a hurry, so I’ll go ahead. It’s fine, right?"

"I’m not a kid. Don’t worry."

"It would be cute if you were a kid..."

"It’s not worth answering. I’m leaving."

"Make sure you go straight back to the hospital, understand?"

"I told you I got it."

I nudged Han Jae-young’s back, sending him off.

He glanced at me suspiciously a few times, but he must have really been in a rush because he finally hopped into a taxi and disappeared quickly.

I then headed over to Lee Pyeong-hwa, who was still sitting on the bench, sniffling.

Lee Pyeong-hwa looked up.

After crying for a while, his tears had finally started to dry up. Thank goodness, since I’m no good at comforting crying people.

"Is it over?"

"Yeah. Hmm... You should just go straight to the hotel. I’m planning to take a walk around here before heading back..."

"Take a walk? What for?"

Lee Pyeong-hwa shook himself off and stood up. His eyes were red, but his posture was still determined.

"You need to recover quickly. Let’s go to the hospital now."

"..."

I sat next to Lee Pyeong-hwa and pretended to look around for a moment.

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"The weather’s nice, right?"

"The weather? There are dark clouds all over the place..."

As Lee Pyeong-hwa said that, his eyes narrowed.

"What? Let’s leave now."

"Why? Just sit here for a bit and get some fresh air..."

"What’s that in your hand? Isn’t that an item?"

"Damn it."

I clicked my tongue. Lee Pyeong-hwa widened his eyes and looked at me.

"You! You were trying to use an item on me again, weren’t you?"

"...No. It was a mistake."

"Don’t lie! You think I won’t notice you using the same trick?"

It seemed that he still remembered when I secretly amplified his emotions inside the dungeon.

Back then, the tension and long marches had made it easy to sneak by with items, but now, he noticed immediately.

I clicked my tongue again.

"The inspector’s intuition..."

Lee Pyeong-hwa huffed and grabbed my hand, stretching it out.

Of course, the item had already been retrieved, so there was no trace of it, but Lee Pyeong-hwa was already sure.

"You were trying to put me to sleep and run away, right?!"

"What? Run away? No, why are you saying that?"

"Hey, Jeong Da-on. How long do you think I’ve known you? Your special lying face is right there."

"Do I have a habit of doing that?"

Honestly, I was surprised.

"What kind of face is it?"

"Are you planning to practice it? I’m never telling you. So, what’s going on?"

Lee Pyeong-hwa glared at me sharply. If his gaze turned into a solid object, I’d probably be stabbed to death.

"What’s your real intention?"

"...I don’t really have an intention."

However, I did have something to do.

The reason I went out wasn’t because I was particularly interested in how Seol Mae was being treated.

I just needed an excuse to ask for the hospital’s permission to leave, saying I wanted to see Seol Mae one last time.

But I hadn’t expected it to be this hard to separate Lee Pyeong-hwa.

I should have run out to the streets during that time instead of trying to break Seol Mae’s magical circuit...

"Hey, be honest. What are you really planning to do?"

Lee Pyeong-hwa stared into my eyes. His gaze was serious.

"Then there’s no need to hide anything. If you want me to keep a secret, I’ll do it. What do I need to do?"

"...What?"

"Trust me, Jeong Da-on."

"...."

I couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.

Trust me?

This kid didn’t even understand the meaning of the word.

"I never betray my friends."

Lee Pyeong-hwa’s face was full of seriousness.

The problem was, it was so obvious that he was trying hard to gain my trust.

"Since when were we friends?"

Thinking this, I calculated things in my head.

Should I trust him?

Of course, the answer was no.

I didn’t know this person named Lee Pyeong-hwa. Actually, I’d never truly understood humans as a species.

"Can I trust you?"

When I asked, Lee Pyeong-hwa’s face brightened immediately.

"Of course!"

Of course, I wasn’t planning to trust him.

I was just thinking...

"This would work better if I said it like this."

Even though I didn’t understand Lee Pyeong-hwa, I knew his personality to some extent.

Since we escaped the dungeon, Lee Pyeong-hwa had been looking out for me, and I felt like I might be his ‘bad ally.’

I had also seen how much he cared for those he considered his friends.

‘Having him around won’t hurt.’

Besides, if Orbis’s purpose was to use me to draw in the world from my past life, like before, more events would happen.

In that case, having a prosecutor around who I could always ‘use’ would be convenient.

If Han Jae-young contracts with Lee Pyeong-hwa, it’ll be even more convenient.

‘And if... Yoo Han-ul tries to kill me, having Lee Pyeong-hwa around will make it easy to stall him.’

Yoo Han-ul wouldn’t try to kill me in front of Lee Pyeong-hwa, so...

With my thoughts organized, I hesitated before speaking.

"Actually, recovery is going really slow, so I was thinking of making some potions that would help with stamina. I booked a lab nearby."

"Potions? Why would you make them yourself? You could request them from Hunter Han Jae-young or the hospital..."

"I’m not going to rely on Han Jae-young. There’s no guarantee he’ll always help me."

I said firmly and then added one more thing.

"And even if they’re low-grade, potions are expensive. I don’t have money. The embassy won’t cover the cost of potions I personally request either."

"...That’s true."

Lee Pyeong-hwa nodded awkwardly.

Given my current situation as a South Korean citizen, everyone knew my circumstances, so I didn’t feel the need to hide it.

Of course, in a capitalist society, some people might look down on you once they know you don’t have money, but Lee Pyeong-hwa wasn’t that type.

He’d probably show consideration if I told him I had no money.

In reality, I still had quite a bit of the contract money I received from Han Jae-young, but I kept that a secret.

"Then I’ll pay for it. Let’s just request it from the hospital."

"Do you even know how much potions cost? In America, medical insurance doesn’t cover them. If we’re not careful, it could cost us millions."

"...Millions?"

Lee Pyeong-hwa’s mouth dropped open in shock.

And this wasn’t really a lie.

Even though potions were expensive in Korea, illegal drugs still thrived, but in the US, it was on another level.

"Y-yeah, that’s expensive. But still, making potions without a prescription from the hospital..."

"Lee Pyeong-hwa."

"Uh, yeah?"

"You saw it, right? Even in the military, I got involved in that incident."

At this point, there was no need to hide the details, except for the subject and reason.

"Yeah... That’s right."

"I don’t know who’s targeting me, but I want to protect myself as quickly as possible. I don’t want to drag anyone else into this."

I hadn’t intended it, but Lee Pyeong-hwa had mentioned that I might be the reason Lee Seung-hee died.

"If that’s the case, we need to practice. Completely secretly."

Maybe recalling that, Lee Pyeong-hwa’s face hardened for a moment, and a serious expression appeared.

It wasn’t entirely a lie.

"Got it."

Lee Pyeong-hwa nodded as if making up his mind.

"Where’s the lab? I’ll go with you."