I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 7: A Luxurious and Dignified Restaurant

I had always thought horned rabbits were only worth three thousand won, but they were actually ten thousand won each.

Feeling betrayed and empty, I stared at the girl with my mouth agape.

"Aren't you the manager here...? It's not right to swindle money from beginners like this..."

How much had I been scammed out of until now?

I did the math in my head.

Having hunted here for about three years, I had been swindled out of at least a million won.

An astronomical amount I had never managed to save in this life.

"What, I know what you're thinking, but it's absolutely not like that...!"

The girl frantically waved her hands, appearing almost pitiable.

"Isn't it true that you're the manager here?"

"I do manage things here, but I don't take a single penny for it...!"

Working without getting paid?

Was she doing some kind of volunteer work?

With dissatisfaction, I frowned and glared at the girl.

"Why would you work for free?"

"It's more like an investment for the future. It helps discover promising adventurers and creates a good image by contributing to the community."

"A good image...?"

A good image for a witch.

That was as absurd as a tame horned rabbit.

I looked up at the girl with the corners of my mouth turned down.

"Ah, um... sorry. It's definitely my fault."

The girl bowed her head after seeing my expression.

It was clearly a superficial apology to gain a 'good image' from the people around.

Yet, I decided to forgive her.

"Okay. But don't do this again, okay?"

"Ye-yes... I absolutely won't."

The girl showed an awkward smile.

Her shoulders slumped, looking like a person who had lost all her energy.

Putting on an act and then losing energy like that.

She was a truly pathetic woman.

"In return, I'll sell horned rabbits for ten thousand won from now on. That's okay, right?"

"Yes. And I'll get back all the money you haven't received."

"What?"

She's not a loan shark, how is she going to get the money?

Before I could express my doubt, the girl grabbed the horned rabbit and ran towards the trading post.

Whoosh-!

Her speed was monstrously fast, impossible to follow.

I just stared blankly at her retreating figure.

'She's really fast.'

The trading post was about two to three kilometers away.

Despite having not run for long, the girl was already entering the trading post.

It looked incredibly far, yet as clear as if it were right in front of me.

How much had my vision improved?

My tail wagged on its own, influenced by my enhanced physical abilities.

Though my appearance had changed, being stronger now was actually better.

The original appearance wasn't truly mine anyway.

'At this rate, I could catch two horned rabbits a day.'

Two horned rabbits a day meant twenty thousand won.

It was an amount that could do a lot.

If I get money, the first thing I need to do is buy some tape to repair the tent.

As I was lost in my pleasant daydreams, someone approached me.

"Child, are you lost?"

"What...?"

Turning to the side, I saw a middle-aged woman I didn't recognize.

Startled by her sudden approach, I reflexively stepped back.

"I was just worried because it's unusual to see a beast-kin child alone. Is there a guardian nearby?"

"I, I, well..."

Had she approached me out of concern?

After a brief moment of thought, I concluded that it couldn't be.

There couldn't be anyone with such pure intentions in this world.

"I don't know!"

Ignoring the woman, I ran across the wide grassland, fleeing.

Thanks to my modified body, I was faster than usual.

"Pant, pant."

My destination was the forest, rich with trees.

After getting deep into the forest, I hid under a secluded tree and gasped for air.

"Pant."

Why pretend to be nice when you've never seen me before?

Annoyed, I picked up a nearby stone and threw it.

Thud-

The stone rolled on the ground and stopped as it hit someone's shoe.

Startled, I looked up to see a familiar girl's face.

"Ah."

It was Han Yeoreum.

Relieved that she wasn't a stranger, I froze.

I had no reason to feel relieved at the presence of someone who threatened me.

"What are you doing here?"

"…I don't know. I'm not telling you."

I threw another stone to the ground, rudely, making sure it didn't fly towards her.

"I've brought a nice gift for you. Will you tell me if I show you?"

"A nice gift?"

Approaching me, she extended her hand that was hidden behind her back.

In her hand was an unimaginable amount of money.

"What, what is all this?"

"I got back the money you were scammed. There was one bad employee at the trading post."

"Ah..."

She must be talking about the guy who always approached me first to buy the rabbits.

I thought he was nice, but to be backstabbed like this, a wave of disappointment washed over me.

"Here, it's all yours."

"All, all of it?"

"Yes. All of it."

She handed me the bundle of money.

It was an incredibly thick stack, difficult to simply accept.

"How, how much is this?"

"Three million won in cash. The employee who scammed you was fired on the spot."

"Th-three million!"

I took the money from her, lifted it high into the air, and then began counting it on the ground, bill by bill.

There were exactly three hundred bills.

It was the amount I could barely earn by not eating and working for three years.

'Isn't the reward up to twenty percent?'

It was truly valuable money, but one must repay what they receive.

I separated about fifty bills and handed them to the girl.

"Here."

"What is this?"

"A reward."

I tried to give her the money, but she raised her hand too high for me to reach.

It was a clear sign that she didn't want to take my money.

"You don't need to give me a reward."

"Why not?"

"Because, thanks to Gyeoul, we caught a bad person."

She was fine with it because they caught a bad person.

Meaning, it was okay because she legally got to torment someone.

No wonder she ran like crazy towards the trading post.

Was she happy about having someone new to torment?

A chill ran down my spine at the girl's cruel nature.

"Then, should I buy you a meal...?"

"A meal?"

"Yes. I'll buy you something delicious."

There was something I'd always wanted to eat if I ever had the money.

It was so delicious that feeding it to the girl might reduce her harassment.

"Hmm... Maybe I'll let Gyeoul treat me just for today."

"Yes! It's the most delicious thing in the world!"

How long had it been since I had that?

Just the thought of it made my mouth water.

---

---

"Sigh..."

I lingered in front of a famous burger chain.

I couldn't believe I was about to enter such a luxurious place.

Was it okay to indulge in such luxury just because I had money?

Feeling frustrated, I paced back and forth.

"Gyeoul, aren't you going in?"

"I-I'm going in."

Pushed forward, I opened the clear glass door and entered the chain restaurant.

It was a weekday morning, so there weren't many people.

I looked around the inside of the restaurant and then sat down on a chair in the farthest corner.

Due to my ears and tail, I drew people's attention wherever I moved.

"Have you eaten a lot of burgers, Gyeoul?"

"Ye-yes. I've eaten a lot."

Truthfully, this was my first time in this life.

But I didn't want to act like a first-timer and be looked down upon.

To avoid looking foolish, I confidently raised my hand.

"Ex-excuse me!"

Several customers eating burgers turned to look at me.

However, the staff didn't come over.

Wasn't this how you ordered in a restaurant?

Confused, I just glanced around at the people nearby.

"Gyeoul, you have to go up and order here."

"Oh?"

Now that I thought about it, chain restaurants required ordering at the counter.

Embarrassed, I bowed my head as people around me started snickering.

"Look at the ears drooping. So cute."

"Yeah, cute but why is she dressed like that?"

"She's a beast-kin child. Some of them like the animal look."

Their whispers were meant to be quiet, but my enhanced ears heard everything.

Most were mocking my foolish behavior.

"Ugh..."

Was I really unable to order even a single burger?

As my self-esteem plummeted, the girl tapped my shoulder.

"Gyeoul, shall I order for you? There's a burger with shrimp patty that's really tasty."

"Yes, please..."

Unable to lift my head, I just laid down on the table.

After a while, the girl returned and sat down, having finished the order.

She was holding a piece of paper with a number on it.

"I-I know this. You go and get it when the same number appears."

In an attempt to make up for my mistake, I hastily explained the purpose of the receipt.

Surprised that I knew the answer, the girl's eyes widened.

"Wow, you know quite a lot, huh?"

"Yes. I remember this."

With this, I shouldn't look like someone eating a burger for the first time.

Relieved, I let out a sigh.

"Then, will Gyeoul go get the burger when it's ready?"

"Me...?"

"Yes. You, Gyeoul."

To collect the burger, I would have to talk to someone at the counter.

Conversing with someone working in such a sophisticated and classy restaurant was by no means an easy task.

"I-I don't want to..."

I told the girl without a second's hesitation.

---

Haha I love this girl, but hmm a burger joint being classy and sophisticated..

Author please explain soon.

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