I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 162: Troublemaker

Sophia and I came down the mountain together.

As I was about to shake off the water, my body moved instinctively.

Shake, shake, shake—

Like a cat shaking off water, my body swayed from side to side.

This instinct only emerged when I was soaked.

"Sophia, were you always that fast?"

"In the water, yes."

"Oh..."

So, she was a shark in the water.

I looked at Sophia as she emerged from the stream.

She looked vibrant, like a teenage girl.

"Are you not using your staff anymore?"

"No, I'll have to use it again once the water dries."

"So, you lose your strength outside the water?"

"Most of us can't even leave the water."

The awakening of her shark instincts seemed to bring a sense of pride to Sophia's voice.

According to her, all fish beast-kin avoided coming out of the water.

"Do fish beast-kin... die if they leave the water?"

"They can survive for about half a day."

"Oh... really?"

But Sophia had always been out of the water.

While others might die, Sophia only grew weaker.

Perhaps she was more extraordinary than I had imagined.

"Sophia, you're amazing."

I looked at her with admiration.

Usually, she would have been embarrassed, but now she radiated confidence.

Her actions were rough, and her voice was fierce, but she was still Sophia.

There was no reason to feel disconnected.

"They should be coming down soon."

"Who..."

Before I could finish, I heard footsteps from up the mountain.

One heavy and one light, two people in total.

"Gyeoul!"

Pushing through the unkempt forest path, Choi Jinhyuk and Kwon Arin appeared.

Despite being covered in leaves, their eyes were fixed on me.

"Are you okay? You came down so fast."

"Oh..."

They must have seen me come down with Sophia.

I was so focused on the speed that I didn't notice anyone around.

"I'm fine. Sophia carried me."

"Sophia did...?"

Choi Jinhyuk and Kwon Arin looked at Sophia.

It must have been strange to see her playing in the water, someone who usually avoided it.

And her demeanor had changed a lot.

"I'm glad nothing happened."

Though she had many questions, Kwon Arin just waved her hand.

I felt that her consideration was growing day by day.

"You came down because of me. I'm sorry."

"As long as you're safe."

Kwon Arin's hand came to my head.

Shake, shake, shake—

She shook the water from my wet hair and ears.

Half-closed eyes under the shaking hair, I looked at Sophia.

"Sophia, I'll carry you back up."

"Are you sure, Gyeoul?"

"Yes. It will be hard once the water dries."

I turned my back to her, offering a piggyback ride.

I wanted to return the favor she had given me.

Maybe it was something like the bond between parent and child.

"I usually ride the water... hmm..."

After a brief hesitation, Sophia climbed onto my back.

In her wild state, she might have refused, but now she accepted.

"Be careful on the steep path. If it gets too hard, put me down."

"Yes."

---

---

The physical strength of the beast-kin allowed me to climb the mountain path while carrying Sophia.

It was more about technique than strength.

Despite the steep incline, I maintained my balance well.

The physical capabilities of beast-kin were truly remarkable.

"Gyeoul..."

"Yes?"

Sophia, on my back, poked me gently.

Her touch felt fragile.

Sophia without her wild instincts.

Looking down, I saw the water had already dried.

"I can walk now..."

Ahem.

Sophia's cough made me realize she was feeling embarrassed.

What was it about wild instincts that could change a person so drastically?

Would I become like Sophia if I was influenced by my wild side?

I imagined a more ferocious version of myself.

Somehow, it didn't seem so scary.

"Sophia, you can't walk without your staff."

"If I use mana, I'll manage."

"Hmm..."

Asking someone with a physical disability to climb a mountain was unacceptable.

There wasn't much left, so I decided to keep going.

"I'll carry you just a little further."

"You... little..."

Thump, thump—

She lightly tapped my head with her fist.

It didn't hurt, but I could tell she was displeased.

"I'm sorry. I'll put you down if you want."

"It's not that I dislike it. It's just..."

"Just what?"

I perked my ears, waiting for her next words, but the children's shouts interrupted her.

"King!"

Levinas leaped down from the mountain.

Saebyeok chased after her.

The kids must have been really worried.

Seeing them made my tail wag in joy.

"King, do you have a bomb?!"

"A bomb?"

"Yeah! It went boom!"

It had been so fast that it seemed like an explosion.

Levinas's imagination was running wild.

"Yes, I set off a bomb."

"Wha! And you're not hurt?"

"Yes, it's a bomb that doesn't cause harm."

"Wow..."

Saebyeok approached with her eyes sparkling, focusing on the bag Choi Jinhyuk was holding.

"Food."

Growl—

Saebyeok's stomach growled.

She seemed very hungry.

"Yes. Let's go up and eat."

A day of just playing and eating.

I never thought I'd experience something like this in my life.

As Yeoreum once said, taking a break wasn't so bad.

---

---

After eating with everyone, we had some time to chat.

I sat quietly, listening to their conversations.

Yeoreum and Kwon Arin were leading the conversation.

"Arin, how's guild life?"

"It's not bad, but they make us do all sorts of training."

Kwon Arin let out a long sigh.

There was a hint of dissatisfaction in her breath.

"What kind of training?"

"Dealing with difficult people."

"Oh, that. I went through that too."

Training to deal with troublesome people.

I could imagine what it was like, having dealt with such people often.

"They asked me to play the difficult person next week."

"Arin, you?"

"Yes. They said I look the meanest."

"Oh... um..."

Yeoreum patted Kwon Arin on the shoulder.

At her comforting touch, Kwon Arin hung her head low.

"Yeah, I know I have a bad temper..."

"Well, you've gotten much better recently..."

The conversation grew heavier.

I decided to join in to lighten the mood.

"What's this training about?"

"It's about handling people with bad temperaments. Difficult adventurers can be quite dangerous."

"Oh... and Arin plays the difficult role?"

"Yes. She has a fierce aura."

Even though she had a good heart.

Yeoreum added.

"Sis, it's not fair. I get angry easily, but I'm not a troublemaker."

Kwon Arin grumbled, tossing a nearby stick into the campfire.

Though she had a short temper, she never picked fights without reason.

She had every right to feel wronged.

"Can I help?"

"You, Gyeoul?"

"Yes. I know a lot about dealing with difficult people."

I've dealt with many people in this world.

Before meeting Yeomyeong Guild, most people had been harsh to me.

Even just recalling a few of the things said to me, they were extremely rude.

"Even if you try, Gyeoul, I bet you won't even get mad."

Kwon Arin laughed and tugged at my cheek.

Honestly, I wouldn't believe it either if I were her.

I had always been so passive.

"I might surprise you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I've seen a lot of rude people."

I thought back to the rude people I had encountered in this life.

Because I often looked dirty, most of the comments were about cleanliness.

Once, someone threw their wallet at my face after I returned it to them, yelling at me for touching it with dirty hands.

And that was one of the more mild cases.

Some people went out of their way to pick fights.

'Wow, there were a lot of them...'

I combined all the rude people I remembered.

I created a persona that would make anyone freeze in their tracks.

"Do you want to give it a try? If you're good, I might learn something."

"Sure, sounds good."

It was amazing how experiences I once hated were now useful.

I picked up some trash left over from our meal.

Receipts, plastic bags, and food scraps.

"Ready?"

"Yes, go ahead."

Laughing, Kwon Arin watched as I threw the crumpled trash beside her face.

Being good at long-distance attacks, I managed to throw it just past her cheek.

"Hey...!"

I should have shouted loudly, but my nature made me yell softly.

Even so, Kwon Arin's eyes widened in surprise.

"...?"

She blinked, her mouth open.

Yeoreum, beside her, had a similar reaction.

I didn't want to overdo it, so I decided to do just one more thing.

"Where does a beggar get off talking? Eat this...!"

I threw food scraps at Kwon Arin's feet.

Regretting it immediately, I picked it up again.

It was dirty, but I could wash it off and still eat it.

"G-Gyeoul...? What was that...?"

Yeoreum spoke up instead of the stunned Kwon Arin.

She seemed very shocked, her hand half-clenched in the air.

"I'm sorry. That's how the rude people I met acted."

"Um... did you... did you experience that yourself?"

"Yes?"

"Did you personally go through..."

Yeoreum couldn't finish her sentence, just hesitating.

Maybe I went a bit too far trying to be helpful.

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