The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 58

The taste of shabu-shabu, which I was trying for the first time in this life, was truly shocking.

The meat melted in my mouth like snowflakes, and it was certainly no ordinary cut of meat.

“How is it?”

Yeoreum looked at us expectantly, her eyes full of anticipation.

Levinas was the first to respond.

“It’s delicious! But this chili sauce is too spicy!”

“I agree as well. It’s tasty, but a bit too hot.”

“Really? Maybe it’s too spicy for beast-kin?”

Yeoreum glanced over at me, clearly wanting to hear my opinion.

Was it because my body had grown younger?

It was a little spicy for me as well, but not unbearable.

“I’m fine with it.”

“Really? You handle spicy food well, Gyeoul? Should I make it even spicier?”

“Oh, no! I think this is spicy enough.”

Any spicier and my tongue would only feel pain.

Possibly even my internal organs.

I didn’t enjoy food that was painful to eat, so I quietly avoided Yeoreum’s gaze and focused on eating the carrot.

The taste of the carrot we had grown ourselves was absolutely fantastic.

“I guess vegetables grown with care come with a buff effect, huh?”

“Really? I didn’t notice.”

“It’s probably because you’re not used to handling mana yet.”

That was true.

I had only just started learning how to control mana.

Curious, I closed my eyes and tried to sense if the carrot had absorbed any enhanced mana, but all I could feel was its taste.

That naturally sweet flavor was simply wonderful.

“Gyeoul, you’re eating your vegetables really well! Most kids would be complaining and refusing to eat them.”

I’m not some child.

Complaining about vegetables?

Her comment was so out of place that I just shrugged in response.

“I don’t have picky eating habits.”

“Impressive.”

Yeoreum giggled and then stood up.

She picked up the bottle of chili sauce and waved it at us.

“I’ll head to the kitchen for a bit. I think I need to tone down this sauce.”

“Okay.”

I kept munching on the carrot, watching her as she left.

Just then, I heard someone open the front door.

*Huh?*

Two sets of footsteps.

My ears perked up instinctively, and soon, Choi Jinhyuk and Jung Yu-na appeared in the doorway.

“You’re here?”

“Uh, yeah...”

“Yeoreum told us to come for lunch.”

I see.

We were going to have lunch together with everyone.

For some reason, that thought filled me with a sense of joy, and my tail wagged slightly.

“G-Gyeoul... is Yeoreum here?”

“She’s in the kitchen.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll go have a word with her.”

“Me too...”

Both of them had strange expressions on their faces as they looked at me.

It was as if they were shaken by something, their eyes trembling noticeably.

What’s going on with Jung Yu-na and Choi Jinhyuk?

I pondered as they moved toward the kitchen.

As I watched them leave, my tail continued to wag lightly.

But the moment they disappeared from sight, my tail stopped all on its own.

It’s part of my body, but it really has a mind of its own sometimes.

---

Yeoreum was humming a little tune in the kitchen.

Jung Yu-na hated that she had to break her cheerful mood.

“I see. Then let’s postpone the task for now.”

Was I disrupting their plans?

Panicking, I quickly waved my hands.

“It’s okay! I can go alone.”

“No. Your safety comes first, Gyeoul.”

“That’s right, Captain! Your life is the most important!”

Were they both really worried about me?

Argo may be a bit rough, but he had a warm heart.

I had no choice but to nod in agreement.

“Then, I’ll be on my way...”

“No, you’re not imposing at all.”

“O-Okay...”

With that, we all started heading toward the dungeon.

The goblin dungeon wasn’t far, so we decided to walk.

As we walked, I glanced back.

The Master was following right behind me.

Why is the Dawn Guild’s Master following me?

I’d heard Yeoreum say he was the strongest in the world.

I was a little scared, but I wasn’t in any position to tell him what to do.

I let him follow.

“I’m going to take down ten goblins today...”

“I see.”

“We’re almost there...”

“Hmm.”

I tried to make conversation to ease the tension, but he only responded with short answers.

*...Is he just not talkative?*

Or maybe he didn’t like me?

I wasn’t sure, but I knew it was beyond my ability to keep trying to talk to him.

So, I just walked quietly toward the dungeon.

“Here we are...”

We finally arrived at the goblin dungeon.

For some reason, there weren’t many people today.

I noticed there was no line at the counter as I approached the dungeon manager, Kim Min-jun.

“You’re here, Gyeoul?”

“Yes...”

Maybe because I visited the goblin dungeon so often,

I was able to have casual conversations with him.

The counter he sat behind was too high, so I had to stand on my tiptoes to talk to him.

“Who’s your guardian today?”

“Encia, Argo, and the Master are with me...”

“The Master?”

“Yes. Over there.”

Kim Min-jun’s gaze followed my pointing finger.

A short distance away, the Master stood with his arms crossed, watching us.

His fierce eyes made it look like he was glaring at us.

“Whoa...!”

Kim Min-jun gasped in shock.

His mouth gaped open so wide it looked

like I could fit my whole fist in there.

Though, I do have small hands.

“...The ‘Master’ is just what our guild members call him.”

“Oh...”

Right.

I wasn’t a formal guild member yet.

Realizing my mistake, I shrank back in embarrassment.

“Just call me ‘Uncle.’”

“U-Uncle?”

*Uncle?*

Wasn’t that even more disrespectful?

I hesitated, unsure what to say, and Kim Min-jun let out another startled gasp.

“Whoa...!”

It seemed he was just as terrified of the Master as I was.