Chapter 212

〈 Chapter 213 〉 Chapter 210 – One Task That’s Not Finished Yet.

*

Finally, the award ceremony was over.

Everyone received their desired rewards, and even Caressy’s bonus was deposited into my account.

Looking at the amount in my account, my hands were shaking uncontrollably.

[That’s quite a hefty bonus for what the Academy gave me.]

‘So all this money came from the Chief’s pocket? The pig that lays golden eggs is right here.’

I wondered how much Elcia, who opted for the government bonus, had received.

And the thought of that money disappearing into coins made my heart ache.

Meanwhile, Ayeon had stepped out to call her mom for a bit.

She probably had a lot to discuss regarding the new venture, [Healing Succubus Korean Branch 2].

[…Is she seriously becoming a major player in Korea?]

‘Korea is… shutting down the service.’

[Eh…?? Seriously…?]

At that moment, Hyeji, who had been checking her balance, turned her gaze towards me.

“Shinwoo, you got a ton of money! What are you going to do with it?”

“Looks like I won’t have to worry about the ceiling for a while.”

“Husband! Instead of that data scrap, invest in reliable currency like Elf Coins!”

“Where the hell am I supposed to rub that coin? I’m about to go pick up a bunny girl soon.”

“You two should just go to the digital world and dig yourselves into a hole.”

Hyeji, who had heard my words, hesitated for a moment.

Then she carefully asked me.

“Shinwoo, are you into bunny girls? Should I wear one for you?”

It seemed she reacted to what I had just said.

But before I could even continue my thoughts,

My mouth inadvertently blurted out something I shouldn’t have.

“You can’t wear a bunny girl outfit. You don’t have anything to wear underneath.”

“……”

[Are you insane! Why the hell are you saying that!]

‘Crazy! This is bad! Why’s my spinal reflex firing off here?!’

Hyeji’s expression dropped instantly.

Seeing this, Elcia and Caressy began throwing harsh comments at me.

“This is all your fault, Husband! Just accept your fate!”

“I’ll consider the compensation as having been given in advance.”

I immediately braced myself to get shot.

Or at least for a body blow or a low kick as a fierce strike.

At that moment, Hyeji coldly spat at me.

“I’ll milk you like a rabbit.”

“……Can’t I just get shot instead?”

– Bang!

“Of course, you’ll get shot too.”

“F*ck.”

Hyeji’s attack came as a surprise, and sadly, it was too effective.

As I clutched my thigh in pain, where I’d been hit with a rubber bullet, suddenly my phone started vibrating.

The caller was none other than the Lizard Beastman.

– “Shinwoo student. Could you come to the last bar for a moment?”

Out of the blue, a request to come to the bar.

But that’s risky.

The Lizard Beastman is pure 100% lizard, but technically she’s still a woman.

“I can’t. I have a girlfriend.”

– “…Don’t misunderstand. I’m just calling you for a quick matter.”

“Not just one, but three of them? If it increases, it’s gonna be a big problem.”

– “……No worries. It’ll be over soon.”

“I’ll get in trouble for talking carelessly with an outsider!”

– “No, f*ck! Just come! I have something important to say!!!!”

The Lizard Beastman tossed aside all formalities and yelled over the phone.

After a deep sigh, she started speaking politely to me again.

– “Huh… then I won’t be providing the compensation.”

“No, f*ck! That’s crossing the line! I’m coming right now!”

I had almost forgotten.

That the Lizard Beastman promised me a reward if this went well.

“Guys, I’ll be back shortly after meeting the lizard secretary at the bar.”

“Don’t you dare look at other girls, you little sh*t. I’ll really kill you.”

Hyeji threatened me menacingly at my words.

Apparently, she didn’t like the idea of me being alone with the Lizard Beastman.

“Hyeji. No matter what, I’m not into furries. Especially reptiles.”

“That person has a chest too. So they’re my enemy.”

“……Are you trying to turn everyone in the world against you?”

Hyeji no longer replied verbally.

Because her answer was represented by her gun and knife.

Seeing this, Elcia hurriedly grabbed Hyeji and tried to stop her.

“Sister! Just bear it! If this keeps up, before you know it, Husband will be blowing some fragrance before cheating!”

“If you let this go now, I’ll let you and Shinwoo spend the day alone together.”

“If I catch Husband, then that’s fine, right?”

“F*ck you ladies.”

“……F*ck, I wasn’t supposed to end up in a story like this. Just going to the animal shelter would have been better.”

Avoiding Hyeji’s attacks and Elcia’s thorny vines, I quickly fled the dormitory.

Before leaving, I shot off a vague “I’ll be back soon!” and dashed to the bar.

[Please just die! If you die, maybe I can change jobs!]

‘I’m freaking out. I almost died for real here.’

As I enhanced my legs and took off running, I soon arrived at my destination, spotting the Lizard Beastman waiting for me at the bar entrance.

Honestly, the bar was completely wrecked during the Animal Enthusiast incident, but now it was all neatly repaired.

It seemed they must have spent a fair amount of money on it.

Just as I approached, the Lizard Beastman acknowledged me.

“You’ve arrived, Shinwoo student. It’s been a while.”

“How much will you pay me as a reward?”

“……At least please accept my greeting first.”

The Lizard Beastman wore a slightly injured expression.

But I had my reasons to hurry.

“If I don’t hurry, my girlfriends will kill me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re making a bad joke.”

Waving her hands, the Lizard Beastman slightly smiled.

Though she didn’t seem to fully believe it.

“My girlfriends are Hyeji and Elcia, you know?”

“……I’ll just cut to the chase.”

She quickly reacted to my serious expression and words.

I was curious about what kind of reward she was going to give me.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man appeared next to the Lizard Beastman.

A body that was fit with muscles but had a prominent belly. A scraggy beard to top it off.

He looked like your typical bar owner.

I pointed at the man and questioned the Lizard Beastman.

“Who’s this guy?”

“He’s the bar owner.”

It seemed to be true based on my assessment.

However, there was one oddity; the bar owner I knew usually had a warm impression.

But the middle-aged man in front of me looked somewhat angry.

“Why is he here?”

“Do you remember the incident where you caught the animal enthusiast last time?”

I couldn’t forget it.

I’d seen those jerks in the mountains before.

Most importantly, it would be strange to forget those crazy bastards.

“Yes, you said you’d pay me for that.”

“I’ll give you the reward. However.”

“However?”

The Lizard Beastman fell silent for a moment.

That silence felt eerily unsettling to me.

“You broke up the bar too much.”

“Ah.”

That uneasiness was always right on the money.

And once again, it proved itself true.

“It was a bit broken.”

“Shinwoo student, you don’t casually say something was ‘a bit broken’ when it was completely destroyed.”

“Compared to what Hyeji did, it’s just a little bit, right?”

“……You’re not wrong.”

Hyeji definitely wrecked the bar.

However, the extent of what Hyeji broke was something I could easily handle.

There was no problem up to this point.

“And Shinwoo student.”

“Yes?”

“Did you happen to break a lot of the owner’s collection as well? They say it’s not even comparable to the bar price.”

“……”

Now it started to become a problem.

Sure, I used the bar owner’s katana as a makeshift weapon during that fight.

A few of them had quickly broken during that process.

I couldn’t understand why they were that expensive, considering their clearly low durability.

I immediately turned my gaze to the bar owner and opened my mouth.

“From the looks of it, you got scammed regarding durability?”

“……From a collector’s standpoint, those are precious items. They’re not meant to be used as weapons.”

“Bullsh*t.”

“Only a few genuine swords can be used as weapons from there.”

[Now I feel the moment when it’s about to go bad.]

‘Damn it. I’m screwed.’

I looked at the Lizard Beastman with desperate eyes, and she simply shook her head.

It was truly a pity.

But she couldn’t help me.

“As previously mentioned, I will provide your reward. All of it for five people.”

“Are you giving it to me right now?”

“Yes, I’ll give it to you right now.”

Soon, she opened the banking app and indeed, I had received money from the Lizard Beastman as promised.

Compared to the bonus, it was small, but still a considerable amount for a student.

However, I couldn’t relax.

Because by now,

The Lizard Beastman was handing me a piece of paper.

“And this is the invoice.”

“……”

“The amounts are detailed for each category, so please check them thoroughly.”

A detailed invoice filled with numerous items and amounts.

I had no choice but to accept it with trembling hands in silence.

Let’s summarize the situation so far.

I had a decent haul at the festival.

I also apprehended the animal enthusiasts and the drug addicts trying to act up.

Thanks to that, I had built my public image and even received an award.

Along the way, I also inflicted profound physical and social damage to the Chief.

It was indeed a series of very sweet situations.

If the sweetness I experienced could be compared to cake.

It was so overly sweet that it felt like my teeth were going to rot away.

But even the sweetest candy starts to feel bitter after eating too much of it.

Sooner or later.

And the sweetness I was tasting seemed to have exceeded that limit.

“Shinwoo student. Now you need to pay compensation for the damage done to the bar and collection.”

“F*ck.”

Finally, the bitter moment had arrived.

*