"Uh... what should I say. Sorry about that."
"...Forget it."
In the end, my plan had worked perfectly.
‘That seal is determined by the target’s strength.’
So if the target became weaker, wouldn’t the seal weaken too?
That was my theory.
Which was why I worked hard to make the ultimate junk food.
I may be a seasoned chef, and I could never compromise on flavor—
‘But on health... that I can compromise plenty.’
As long as it tastes good, that’s all that matters!
Thanks to the various ‘achievements’ I’ve accumulated, the effects of all my dishes are doubled.
And that doubling applied to debuffs as well.
The result?
My plan to weaken them enough to lower their seal stage was a complete success...
Though with complications.
"So... do you have any spare clothes?"
"...No."
Because I’d stacked too many debuffs at once, every single one I awakened ended up vomiting blood all over Seohwan and screaming in agony.
"You’re sure this won’t cause permanent problems, right...?"
"Ah. The pain’s temporary. They paid a bit of pain as the price for breaking the seal."
"If you say so, I can’t argue."
Honestly, seeing Seohwan drenched in vomit and blood made me feel a little guilty.
I had intended to pile on the strongest debuffs possible, but I hadn’t expected such an immediate, dramatic reaction.
"I’ve got some spare uniforms in the shadows. Here."
"...I’ll take them."
I handed over the clothes; he changed quickly.
"There were... unpleasant moments, true..."
"Mm."
"But thank you."
His voice trembled faintly.
"I thought they’d never awaken again. That they’d had their souls stolen by the demons that appeared that day..."
He’d fought in that final battle, fainted... and when he woke, the world had already fallen.
He alone remained conscious.
Sniff.
A lone survivor of a ruined world.
His tone was hardened, but his young face betrayed how much fear he’d carried.
"As the youngest of Heavenly Mountain, I thought I had to remain here and protect this place, even if alone."
"You couldn’t go outside?"
"No. I confirmed I could on the first day. But... I feared that if I left, monsters might intrude and desecrate my seniors’ remains..."
I see.
So that was why he had ordered Monk Seungju to provide food.
"I thought I’d live out my life here, waiting in solitude for my brothers who would never rise, until death... sniffle."
"..."
"Thank you. Truly. I never imagined I would speak with them again."
Well.
Gratitude was fine, but...
‘Hard to tell him they’d have awakened on their own in a hundred days anyway.’
Still, bringing that reunion forward by a hundred days was no small gift.
"Our bond began with coercion, so I never saw you in a good light. I only taught your people martial arts to leave something of our world behind. I thought you a villain. And your face looked scary besides."
"What was that?"
"But it seems I was mistaken. My disciples weren’t so bad after all. Hahaha..."
His eyes reddened, deeply moved.
"Ahem. Anyway, you know why I awakened them. To pass a martial art to Gwangil."
"I know. But regardless of your reason, you saved my brothers. I owe you a great debt."
Debt, huh.
"I once said that in exchange for sparing my life, I would give you everything."
He nodded, joyful.
"Now, beyond sparing my life, I must repay this debt as well. I should dedicate my life to you."
"You mean..."
"You should warn your subordinates in advance."
He grinned.
"My instruction will not be easy."
And then—
Ding!
[One individual wishes to join the Iron Legion (1)]
[Beastkin Martial Instructor]
[Seohwan]
I couldn’t help but be surprised at the system prompt.
‘So it doesn’t have to be a human?’
Seohwan was of another world’s beastkin race.
And yet he could join the guild?
‘There was never a line saying it had to be humans only...’
Ariella, being a vampire, remained a secret from most guild members and had never tried joining.
And Kkamang... well, it just got roped into being food and never even considered guild membership.
‘But this guy? He’s never harmed humans, and he’ll be teaching the guild martial arts anyway.’
No reason to refuse.
Actually—perfect.
‘Recruitment of a Trainer NPC!’
According to him, each person took at least three days to learn a martial art.
It wasn’t realistic for my whole unit to travel back and forth here.
If someone stayed with the unit to instruct them directly, efficiency would skyrocket.
And that Trainer NPC had just sworn loyalty to me.
"Then first, let’s handle the matter I’ve been entrusted with."
His gaze turned toward the shrine hall above.
"I will persuade them myself to share the knowledge of the Sealed Hall."
****
"I owe you a great debt."
Following Seohwan to the higher shrine hall, I met the three beastkin I’d awakened with my cooking.
At the center sat the fox woman—Miho, if I remembered right.
‘According to Seohwan, she was of high standing.’
She bowed her head to me.
"And... I must apologize for the disgrace I showed earlier."
"Ah, no. Don’t worry about it."
She was talking about the way they’d vomited blood upon waking.
Though that had definitely been my fault.
"There’s no need to call it a debt. I did it in exchange for something."
"In exchange?"
"Your youngest will be working like a dog in my unit. We’ve got too much to do."
They might have been angry that I had taken their junior without consent.
But—
"That was his choice."
She glanced at Seohwan.
"Seo-ah, you don’t regret it, do you?"
"No, Senior Sister."
"Then it’s fine."
She smiled gently.
"And even if it was in exchange..."
"...?"
"A favor received is still a favor."
Foxes were supposed to have a cute image, but she gave off poise and refinement.
‘They say their martial arts also cultivate the mind.’
If all of them were further along the path than Seohwan, no ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ wonder they were more composed.
"Perhaps it is shameless of me to ask after such a favor..."
"Hm?"
"Could you awaken the other brothers as well?"
Ah. I knew that was coming.
"That would be difficult."
"Why? If you need compensation, I could, like the youngest, offer my—"
"If only it were that simple."
I scratched my head.
"Frankly, it’s because my ability isn’t enough."
"Excuse me?"
The process required lowering their stats, reducing their hazard rating, and breaking the seal.
But that method only worked for the three of them.
"You must have realized it. To break the seal, I had to place a heavy curse on you."
"Ah... the crushing sensation I felt upon waking. That is what you mean."
"The problem is that my curses have limits."
No matter how many debuffs my cooking could inflict, there was a ceiling.
I couldn’t drop a hazard rating of 9 down to 0.
"I see... that is regrettable."
"But."
"...?"
"In time, maybe."
The timers were already ticking down on their own.
And my cooking was improving daily.
"Impossible now, but later—"
"Even that much is more than we could hope for!"
"But with one condition."
"Name anything!"
Before I could speak, Seohwan stepped forward.
"Senior Sister."
"Hm? What is it, Seohwan?"
"Before he names his condition... I must confess my sins."
"...?"
Seohwan began recounting everything between us.
Including the promise to teach our unit their martial arts.
"You promised to spread our arts...?"
At that, Miho’s gentle face darkened.
The other two beastkin widened their eyes in shock.
To Seohwan, alone in a ruined world, it was a way to preserve their heritage.
But to them, it sounded like betrayal.
"So the ‘exchange’ was for us to forgive this theft of our arts."
"In part. Also, one of my comrades needs the Sealed Hall’s art."
"The Sealed... you want the sealed martial art?"
Her frown deepened.
Seohwan rushed in.
"Senior Sister, please. I beg you."
"Seohwan..."
"He does not seek it for selfish gain. One of his comrades suffers, and it is for him..."
Well. Strictly speaking, it was selfish—strengthening Gwangil helped me most.
But Seohwan pleaded on my behalf.
Miho lowered her head, deliberating.
Then at last—
"Very well. The Sealed—"
"Nonsense!!!"
A furious voice cut her off.
The pig beastkin.
"Senior Brother Jeochil?"
Jeochil.
"You dared give our arts to outsiders without permission?!"
"I-I’m sorry, Senior Brother."
"And now you would serve this alien being? And even share the Sealed Hall’s art?!"
Bwoooar!
He roared, hefting a massive axe.
"Calm yourself, Jeochil."
"You too, Senior Sister! Favor? What favor! This otherworlder deserves none!"
His glare fell on me.
"Strong, I admit. That shadowed aura is fierce. Enough that the youngest could never face him alone. Even I might struggle. But with the three of us, plus the youngest—we could crush him easily!"
"...!"
"If we kill him, Seohwan can return to us. Isn’t that right?"
I scowled at his words.
"Jeochil... without him, how would we break the others’ seals?"
"Hmph. With the three of us, we can find a way. No need to cling to this one."
"Enough..."
"Let’s drive out the nearby monsters, and then claim this world as our own! Our world is gone, but we can rebuild Heavenly Mountain here! Think of it—we might even seize a throne like an empire’s!"
Caught up in his own fervor, Jeochil raised the axe high.
"Sorry, but you’ll be our first step!"
The axe came down toward me.
And I thought—
‘Talks too damn much.’
I stood still, watching.
Then—
"Forgive me, Senior Brother."
Seohwan’s voice, behind me.
He leapt forward.
Senior and junior.
Seohwan, whose seal broke on day one.
Jeochil, deemed strong enough to remain sealed for a hundred more days.
The difference in level was obvious.
But the result—
"Guwaaargh!"
Jeochil’s body, struck by Seohwan’s staff, blasted through the shrine hall wall and slammed into the distance.
"...!?"
"S-Seohwan...?"
Miho and Woojin stared, their eyes trembling violently.
