[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 98

Ding! Ding!

Bzzzt—Bzzzzt!

[Stamina Lv.7 ▶ Lv.9]

▷Explosive increase in strength [++]

▷Explosive increase in cardiovascular endurance [++]

▷Explosive increase in muscular endurance [++]

▷Explosive increase in agility [++]

▷Explosive increase in coordination [++]

▷Explosive increase in balance [++]

▷Explosive increase in flexibility [++]

Skill level increases with repeated purchases.

[Price: 512 million won]

“Ugh.”

For a moment, I felt my muscles contract, and pain rushed in, but thankfully, it subsided quickly.

[Remaining balance: 1.32025 billion won]

My previously uncontrollable fingers, after two clicks, saw 400 million vanish, and suddenly, they became very well-behaved.

Thud.

When I clenched my fist, I felt a condensed strength that was incomparable to before.

“Whew—.”

Just one more level, and I’ll hit Level 10.

My gamer instincts keep pushing me to level up, but seeing the balance, I naturally become more humble.

If I mess this up, not only will Jia and Jiu have no money for food, but I might starve too, so I feel the need to distribute things wisely.

Ding! Ding! Ding!···

[Pathetic Heavy Hit Lv.1 ▶ Slightly Better Heavy Hit Lv.3]

Instant striking power slightly ▷ marginally increased.

Skill level increases with repeated purchases.

[Price: 160 million won]

[Combat Sense Lv.6 ▶ Lv.9]

▷Explosive increase in visual ability [++]

▷Explosive increase in auditory ability [++]

▷Explosive increase in spatial awareness [++]

▷Explosive increase in balance sense [++]

▷Explosive increase in concentration [++]

Skill level increases with repeated purchases.

[Price: 512 million won]

“Feels like reality is blurring.”

Finally, I upgraded the ambiguously named Heavy Hit two more times, and its name changed from “Slightly Better Heavy Hit” to just “Heavy Hit,” while my money disappeared.

Ding! Ding!

[Slightly Better Heavy Hit Lv.3 ▶ Heavy Hit Lv.5]

Instant striking power marginally ▷ strongly increased.

Skill level increases with repeated purchases.

[Price: 640 million won]

[Remaining balance: 392.25 million won]

In an instant, the money that had surpassed 1.7 billion deflated like a popped balloon.

The fortune vanished like a butterfly, but the stronger me remained.

The result of my past efforts and some luck.

My life has been flipped and twisted, but I don’t regret the path I’ve walked.

It’s the road I’ve taken, and even if I were to go back, it would serve as a guide, like crumbs from a snack.

That’s the story.

“My child.”

“Yes!”

“Send me off.”

“Come back safely.”

“Alright.”

Baekseol waved her cute little paw to see me off.

The swaying of the white fluffball signaled the flipping of earth and sky.

Ding!

Select····.

***

When I came to my senses, I was lying on a bed of wild grass and flowers. Oddly, my head didn’t hurt, but the delicate flowers, which should’ve been crushed under my head, were instead flattened, muttering complaints.

I was definitely standing when I left, but now all I saw was the clear sky and trees towering arrogantly high.

A cool pine breeze, brimming with freshness, swept in as if proud of its own charm.

“What the hell? Where am I now?”

I got up, brushed off the grass stuck to me, and looked around. Everything was covered in thick grass and trees.

It was clearly a forest.

The only thing resembling a path was what looked like animal tracks, with trees scratched by sharp claws all around.

With no information on what to do, I carefully pushed through the tall grass and moved forward.

How far did I go?

In the middle of the forest, I found a path where trees had been cut down artificially, and the grass was flattened as if many people had walked through.

The path stretched straight, so I had to decide whether to go left or right, but both sides were bustling with…

There was nothing but trees.

Ding!

Gulp, gulp.

“Ah, feels good.”

Munch, munch.

—Rustle.

As I sat on a flat rock, unsure where to go, tearing into a chocolate bar, a faint sound of grass rustling reached my sensitive ears.

“Who’s there?”

Even as I spoke, I didn’t expect an answer.

Worried it might be a dangerous wild animal, I heightened all my senses.

Rustle. Rustle.

The sound of grass rustling grew closer, and suddenly, a face popped out from the bushes.

“Ueong?”

“Bear?”

A bear, somewhat large compared to my pet Pposiraegi, appeared.

Compared to Baekseol, nothing would seem big, but still, it was too small for a bear.

A baby bear, about the height of my calf.

Upon closer look, the bear’s sniffing gaze was fixed on the chocolate bar.

“You want this?”

“Ueong.”

“Your name is Ueong?”

“Ueong.”

“Here you go.”

Munch, munch.

“But can bears eat chocolate bars?”

“Ung ung.”

“Finish eating first.”

Even though it was small, a bear is still a bear. It gobbled up the chocolate bar in one bite, chewed hard, swallowed, and then licked its tiny teeth with its tongue.

“Want more?”

“Ueong.”

With no sense of caution, it plopped down on my lap and started eating.

When did it even see me? Quite a cheeky little thing.

I tried feeding it other animal-friendly snacks and talking to it, but no conversation was happening.

The little one’s cries weren’t language but expressions of emotion.

Just as the little one finished filling its hungry belly and we were resting, I sensed movement in the distance.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

A rough, metallic noise echoed.

“It’s about time they showed up.”

Medieval-looking wooden-wheeled carts, two of them, approached with armored knights moving in perfect unison toward me.

“Whoa, whoa.”

The driver stopped the cart in front of me, kicking up dust. The door opened, and a middle-aged man with a stylish goat beard stepped out.

His gaze first landed on the bear in my arms, then on me, and he looked surprised twice.

“Hoh. I thought you were a skilled hunter for catching a Bauder cub, but you’re quite the uniquely dressed lady.”

The middle-aged man with the sticky eyes scanned my body as he greeted me.

“Who are you?”

“*Ahem.* A commoner, huh?”

His tone changed immediately after my remark.

“I’m here to catch experimental mice. I’ll pay well. Hand over the Bauder cub.”

“Ueong!”

Perhaps sensing hostility from the middle-aged man’s unpleasant gaze, the baby bear squirmed in my arms.

“Ah, good boy.”

I slowly petted the bear, and it finally relaxed.

“Who are you, and what do you need the mice for?”

“You don’t know me? I’m a professor at the Royal Academy. Tsk tsk, this is why commoners are impossible to deal with.”

“Just answer the question, jerk.”

“You’ll come with me too. I’ll pamper you every night.”

“Sounds good.”

I placed the baby bear on the rock and stepped down to the ground.

Clank.

Click, click, click, click!

As soon as I drew my gun, the armored knights behind him unsheathed their swords.

They were well-trained knights.

“What’s that? A wand?”

“Is this a connected world? I thought I’d seen you somewhere—you’re the lackeys of that white-haired brat, aren’t you?”

It felt familiar. These were the knights who showed up when I was plucking the prince’s hair.

The emblem on their armor was the same, so I was sure.

“Isn’t your prince balding at the 9th circle?”

“…Could it be you?!”

“Yep. That was me.”

Even with a gun pointed at people, my mind was strangely calm.

After living an ordinary life for so long…

Seeing that I didn’t feel anything even when I pointed a gun at someone else, it seemed like my head was broken or something was seriously wrong with me.

“Can’t you just leave? I really don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Capture her! She’s a lunatic protecting the demon beast. She might be a witch, so we need to interrogate her. Don’t kill her under any circumstances.”

“F***ing racist.”

Bang!!!

With a huge recoil, the large-caliber magnum bullet flew with a loud noise.

Even though I clearly aimed for the thigh, the guy’s crotch exploded to the size of a baseball, scattering blood and flesh into the air.

It wasn’t like in the movies where there’s just a small hole, and he didn’t even scream in pain.

With his lower abdomen torn apart, he collapsed without even a sound.

Ding!

《A portion of guilt has been erased.》

“Sorry. I thought I was only bad at throwing, but turns out I’m bad at shooting too.”

The goat-bearded guy fell, and the knights who I thought would charge were just standing guard, not moving.

“Aren’t you guys coming in?”

As soon as I finished speaking, one of the knights stepped forward.

“Joseph.”

“I’m a teddy bear demon beast advocate.”

“…The subordinates came without knowing anything. They’re still young trainees, so please end it with just me.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden, with so many of you?”

“I don’t want to push young trainees against a high-level mage who can manifest such powerful magic without a chant.”

Tsk, tsk.

“Whew—. Fine. Just go.”

The knights who were watching from behind finally rushed to the goat-bearded guy whose crotch was gone.

I saw them spraying some liquid from a glass bottle.

“Then I’ll take that as permission and go.”

“Stop right there.”

Joseph, who was about to turn his back, stopped abruptly.

“Hand over everything you have.”

“…Were you a thief?”

“If you don’t want a firebolt in your crotch, shut up and hand it all over.”

“That was… a firebolt?”

“Ah, you ask too many questions. It’s my homemade 44-caliber magnum firebolt.”

Joseph, looking puzzled, took out a leather pouch from his pocket and handed it to me.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a pouch with my salary. It’s not much, but it should be enough.”

When I opened the pouch, there were a few coins that looked like gold, mixed with silver and copper coins.

“Take off your armor and sword too.”

“Listen, we’re knights!”

“Kidnapping-attempting bastards are acting up. Should I blow up the crotches of those minions behind you, or will you strip?”

The knights, who were watching and cleaning up, threw their swords to the ground as soon as I finished speaking.

“That’s right. If you don’t want your lineage cut off, you better protect your little ones, kids.”

“You’ll regret this.”

Clang!

The sword Joseph threw hit a rock, making a clear sound as it stuck into the ground.

Whack!

The spinning backfist I always practiced on the wooden dummy.

I didn’t hit with all my strength, but the helmet was tougher than I thought.

Still, he staggered slightly from the impact.

Huff.

I paused my breath for a moment, gathered strength in my fist, and—

Ding!

[[Heavy Hit!]]

I strike!

Wham!!!

—Crash!

Joseph, clad in heavy armor, flew and crashed into the cart behind him.

“It’s a stone bullet, you bastard. Where did you get that crappy third-rate trigger?”

As the rising dust scattered in the wind, I saw Joseph buried in the cart fragments.

“Did you think I’d let you go after saying that? Kid, you must’ve watched too many dramas.”

The actions of the trainee knights sped up even more.

Watching them, I took out a new cigarette to replace the one that flew away because of Joseph.

“Whew—. Hurry up and strip.”

While exhaling cigarette smoke and watching the knights, something walked out from the wreckage of the broken cart.

“Thanks for the help.”

“Greetings from Eunhye. I am Lily, the wind blowing high in the sky.”

One of the figures who arrived before me had a rather startling appearance.

The living being was so muscular that it made me wonder if it was even possible, and it seemed to be well over 2 meters tall.

“A monstrously muscular orc?”

“He is not an orc.”

The person who answered me was a little kid who looked about elementary school age.

“He is from the Room tribe.”

“And who are you?”

“I’m Lily.”

“Oh… I see. Want some chocolate?”

The child had her hair tied with what looked like a flower stem and had red dye smeared on her cheeks.

Seeing her appearance, I peeled the chocolate bar and handed it to her, which she carefully accepted.

“Not hungry? That’s food.”

“It’s black.”

“Chocolate… Hmm. Try it, it’s made with honey.”

At my words, Lily licked the chocolate bar and soon her eyes widened in surprise.

“Uncle, you have some too.”

When I handed her the chocolate bar, she opened her palm without hesitation, and the size of it was truly enormous.

The chocolate bar placed on her palm looked the size of a pinky finger.

“Uncle, what’s your name?”

“Room.”

“Cool name. I’m Ga-eul.”

“Gaaa-eul? What a strange resonance. Are you a beastfolk?”

“I’m human.”

After a brief conversation with them, I learned that Room wasn’t captured because he was weak, but because he was trying to save Lily and got blackmailed.

“If he had been captured, he would have become a slave or a test subject. Thank you once again.”

“I will repay the favor.”

“It’s nothing, really.”

“And…”

Lily looked at where Joseph was buried and bowed her head with a sad expression.

“I’m sorry. You had to kill because of me.”

“Huh? I didn’t kill anyone.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Room moved and pulled Joseph out of the wreckage of the cart.

Thud.

“He’s not breathing. He’s dead.”

Lily looked at Joseph lying in front of her and made the saddest face in the world.

“He was trying to kidnap you, so isn’t it a good thing?”

“……”

Tears welled up in Lily’s round eyes.

Seeing a child cry made me feel so sad that it was really hard to watch.

“Ugh.”

I went closer to Joseph and saw that he really wasn’t breathing.

—Bang!

“Ah! What, what are you doing?”

Seeing the punches landing near Joseph’s heart, Lily was startled and blocked the way.

“Wait.”

“You shouldn’t treat the dead like that!”

Whoosh.

“Resurrection!!”

—Bang!

Cough!!

“See?”

“……?”

“A beastfolk grand mage, huh?”