Chapter 88:

Chapter 88:

Chapter 88

The next morning.

I ran into Kwon Jia again as I left early for the world of thoughts.

It was inevitable, since she had already taken over the world of thoughts she was going to, and all she had to do was wait at the entrance.

The entrance to the world of thoughts looked similar to the gate I used when I came to Earth.

A wall-like entrance stood above the frozen space that looked like translucent glass.

The entrance was spinning with thousands of pieces of white letters that seemed to be sucked in like a whirlpool.

Around it, there were only the association staff who checked the entry from a distance and the collectors who came and went from the world of thoughts.

There were hardly any collectors at this early hour, and there were no association people around the entrance, so it could be seen as a place for personal meetings.

“Hello.”

Kwon Jia looked no different today.

She wore a comfortable training suit for activity, and a sword on her back.

And her hair was still unkempt.

She was going to hunt fantasy creatures in such an outfit.

Was she confident in her skills, or did she not care?

‘Well. Hye-rim was like that at first.’

It was funny to say that I was like that back then for something that happened less than a month ago.

I greeted her with a smile.

“...”

As I greeted her, Kwon Jia paused for a moment and stared at me silently.

Her expression was hard to read, but her eyes, which glimpsed through her long bangs, were very intense.

But I felt a difference from our first meeting.

‘Her hostility seems to have diminished a bit since yesterday.’

Judging by her reaction, it was clear that she had some thoughts after I left.

“How have you been since yesterday, Jia? If you’re not busy, do you have time?”

I didn’t expect a positive answer from her when I asked.

Even if I treated her kindly, the only answer I would get from her would be ‘get lost’ or ‘I’ll kill you’.

But her reaction was completely unexpected.

“...”

She didn’t answer at all.

She just kept silent.

I didn’t think she would agree, but I didn’t expect her to refuse either.

Silence.

I don’t know what it implies yet.

But the fact that she withheld her answer meant that, at least, she didn’t think badly of me as much as I thought.

Kwon Jia glanced at me briefly and then passed me by as if running away.

I couldn’t stop her.

Her reaction was definitely different from yesterday.

‘Could it be that she took the bait I subtly threw?’

I already hinted that I was not an ordinary teller.

She must have known that too.

She knew it, so she didn’t direct her hatred towards me like other tellers.

But it felt like there was something else besides that.

[Do you want to leave it like this?]

‘No. I should follow her.’

I immediately followed Kwon Jia and entered the world of thoughts after her.

‘Is this place called Ghost Land?’

World of thoughts Ghost Land.

It refers to one of the three worlds of Samakdo, where hungry ghosts are always suffering and punished.

As expected, the blackened land was barren.

The trees that grew sparsely were twisted and burned black.

The wind with ash dust limited the visibility greatly.

A gray curtain covered all sides, making me feel suffocated.

[It’s quite bleak.]

‘That’s how it is.’

Compared to the other worlds of thoughts I’ve been to so far, this place is like Labyrinthos, where stories based on [mythology] unfold.

Mythology is at the peak of all stories. Naturally, the worlds of thoughts based on mythology are not very common in modern times.

Even if they exist, most of them are not proper myths, so they are out of interest for collectors.

‘I didn’t expect her to come here to hunt.’

The world of thoughts Ghost Land is a place I know well.

Usually, worlds of thoughts give some rewards and by-products even if you just catch fantasy creatures, but Ghost Land is a very barren place.

The Ghost themselves are also disgusting and reluctant to deal with fantasy creatures, and they don’t give much even if you catch them.

It was enough for collectors to avoid them.

[But she came here, so there must be something treasure?]

‘Right.’

I spoke a bit harshly, and she reluctantly accepted it.

I nodded satisfactorily and reached out my hand to her.

“Let’s have a meal.”

“...”

Kwon Jia looked at me with a ‘what kind of teller is this?’ expression.

***

Fortunately or not, Kwon Jia didn’t refuse my offer even though she was incredulous.

We were sitting in a quiet barbecue restaurant where there were no people.

It wasn’t night time, so there weren’t many customers, and we didn’t have to worry about the surroundings.

“Why are we here...”

“I wanted to eat here. Don’t worry. I’ll pay.”

I have more than enough money.

I don’t have much to spend anyway, and thanks to breaking into the secret vaults of those Twilight Curtain guys before, I have a lot of cash.

Even if I just sell the gold bars, I can make tens of billions of won.

Seoryeon would foam at the mouth and faint if she heard that.

Sizzle.

I grilled the pork belly diligently and asked Kwon Jia.

“It’s all cooked, don’t you want some?”

“...”

“If you don’t eat, I’ll eat first.”

I picked up the meat with chopsticks as if someone would steal it from me.

Pork belly was bland by itself, so I wrapped it with lettuce and perilla leaves, and added some ssamjang sauce.

And then I ate it in one bite.

I closed my eyes and savored the taste of the meat that spread in my mouth.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I ate pork belly.

As I focused on eating without saying anything, Kwon Jia couldn’t help but ask.

“Are you... really a Teller?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve never heard of a Teller who fights with a weapon. And more importantly, swinging that sword means you gave up your protection, right? How is that possible?”

“It’s possible. You’re the witness, after all.”

Well, I’m getting tired of this kind of reaction by now.

I know I’m weird.

But that doesn’t mean I can deny reality.

Kwon Jia asked me with a slightly annoyed voice.

“You’ve been eating non-stop.”

“I came here to eat, after all.”

“Don’t you want to ask about the contract?”

“Do you want me to ask?”

“I thought that was the purpose of this meeting.”

“It’s bad for digestion to talk about work while eating.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, really. What do you want me to do? Fine, let me ask you bluntly. Do you want to make a contract with me? I’ll treat you well.”

“...”

“See?”

She still looked displeased as I looked at her expression.

At that moment, I had no choice but to put down the chopsticks in my hand.

“Sigh. Fine. Well, since it’s come to this, let’s talk seriously.”

I pulled out a text from my fingertips and engraved it around us.

The engraving was nothing special.

It was just to prevent our conversation from leaking out by blocking the sound.

When I got serious, Kwon Jia also straightened her posture.

I looked at her and tapped the table with my finger.

“Okay. Where should I start? What kind of contract do you want, what conditions are good, what you shouldn’t do, what you must do. How to distribute the points you earn, how to set the commission. And so on and so forth.”

I held up a collector’s contract in front of her and recited all kinds of lists.

“I don’t need any of that.”

I threw away the contract.

Kwon Jia’s eyes followed the contract that disappeared into thin air and then turned to me.

The emotion in her eyes was distrust.

Yes, distrust.

She doesn’t trust me right now.

If there’s one thing I have to do first and foremost, it’s to give her faith.

And I know the best way to do that.

“Miss Kwon Jia.”

I didn’t hesitate and blurted it out.

“I’m a returnee.”

The secret that only I knew and didn’t reveal to anyone except Baek Ryeon.