The Price

After telling the kids all about his shameful past,
Yu Seha had some time alone.
He stared at the blinking information window before his eyes.

The count steadily decreased, as definite as a death sentence pointing to his end.
Before he knew it, only one hour remained.

“Hm…”

Yu Seha pressed his temple gently.
He sighed slightly,
And opened all the logs he’d hidden.

[Executed the contract with the ‘System’.]
[The execution time for the ‘contract’ is approaching.]
[Remaining time 60:00]
[You have already delayed too long. Time cannot be extended by any external factor.]
[‘King of Demons’ asks you not to be petty and to give a few more days.]
[‘Tyrant’ says that despite having much, you should be generous and give more.]
[Denied. Be grateful you even indulged their ridiculous stubbornness.]

“…”

Yu Seha propped his chin and, roughly speaking,
began reading the letter he’d left, a sort of will.

A slightly different message appeared.

[‘King of Demons’ says he is truly sorry.]

Yu Seha snorted with a laugh.

“Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who’s grateful…”

He meant it.
He was deeply thankful that, by whatever means, power had been given to him.
If he hadn’t unlocked [Complete Devouring], surely something horrific beyond imagination would have happened.

“…If that had happened, I don’t think I could have forgiven myself.”

[‘King of Demons’ says it was all possible because of your absurd talent and potential. Since it’s your power anyway, there’s no need to be thankful—]

“-But whatever the case, you helped me. Thank you, truly.”

There was one more thing he was grateful to ‘King of Demons’ for.

“…And on top of that, the reason it’s been delayed so long is because you slipped some extra money to buy time, right?”

The price had been continually postponed—for a whole week.
The <System> is fundamentally lenient toward Awakened ones,
that is, registered owners.
It’s a power based on the concept of a shared mind.

But it doesn’t show favoritism to this extent.
If that were possible, anyone and everyone would pay the ‘price’ and reap only benefits.
Originally, he would have paid it without any mental preparation.

“Thank you once again.”

[‘King of Demons’ says he doesn’t deserve thanks. From the start he—]

“-Ah, never mind. We’ll talk about your identity later—if I’m still alive.”

Waving his hand away, Yu Seha looked at the moonlight.

He had intended to tell the kids he’d soon pay the price, but…

This matter was so uncertain that he couldn’t help feeling afraid.

He got up from his seat.
Turning his body this way and that,
He changed into the clothes he’d prepared.

It was a special protective suit designed to absorb any fluids that might seep from his body as cleanly as possible.
He’d had some trouble acquiring it without being noticed by anyone.

“…Hmm, I hope I don’t end up looking too horrific…”

[‘Tyrant’ suggests having a cup of herbal tea when he opens his eyes again.]

“Oh, by the way, you said you can taste what I eat, right? What do you call yourselves again?”

[‘They’ are called ‘Transcendents.’ From birth they are beings ‘from outside’—foreign gods, deities, demigods, Demon Kings, or transcendent species like themselves—and the great ones who have ‘ascended’ or ‘transformed’ like ‘Yokai King’ or you…-]

“-Too bothersome—I’ll just call you old fogeys.”

[‘Tyrant’ screeches, “You bastard! I’m still a youngster at only 22,891 years old,” he says.]
[‘King of Demons’ comments that his dentures smell.]
[‘Tyrant’ is shocked that someone would say such a thing to a young man he respects.]

He was now somewhat used to the banter between the two transcendents.
Yu Seha snorted and walked over to the bed.
He went to bed much earlier than his usual sleep time.

That night,
late at dawn.

Squeeeze-!

A soft yet springy, flesh-made pressure pressed down from all around.

At the sensation, as if wearing a restraint suit, the cute, beloved black furball snapped her eyes open.

“…Mueang?”

A small “muaaa” escaped.
What could it hide?
The furball was Ma Hana.

Ma Hana wiped the drool from her mouth and blinked.
Her brain filtered the situation briefly.
Soon she realized her memory cut out because she’d been drunk.

She looked out the window,
and the full moon shone unusually pale and cold like a mirror.

“Meow.”

Ma Hana tried to get up.
But, like the two thick, ample buns of a hamburger,
She realized plush chests were pressing her down, leaving her unable to move.

“M-meow?”

Ma Hana glanced to both sides.
On the left was Ju Na-young’s fiery bread pouch,
on the right was Moon Bora’s magic bread pouch,
both grandly swollen, blocking her view.
A literal spectacle of plushness.

“M-meow…”

Ma Hana struggled to free herself from the plush hell.
But the two of them, like cuddly dolls,
had positioned Ma Hana squarely in the center and were wriggling their bodies against her.
They added pleasant little noises as they tightened their hold even more.

“Yonghehe, Yu Seha… huh? Do you like my chest that much? Want to touch it?”
“Hongeoong… Se-Seha… not yet. Later… I’m yours anyway… um.”

At their sleepy babble, Ma Hana puffed her cheeks.

“…Mueang.”

Confessing now,
She’s by no means small.

Well, when she first met Seha,
She had barely hit a B-cup—pitiful in size—
But now she could press between a C and D cup.

‘Meow, I’ve grown!’

At this rate…
she’s larger than the average woman!
It’s just that her frame is small,
not that these aren’t big!

But the two of them are on another level…
and being with them made her feel pitifully small.

“Mueang…”

Ma Hana sighed softly, then used the characteristic flexibility of her catkin tribe,
slipping out fluidly like liquid.
She stretched and rolled her body this way and that.

“Meowmeow~”

After some stretching, her drowsiness was gone.
Of course she was still a bit dizzy from the hangover,

Anyway, once the cuddly duo were gone, Ma Hana separated the two who were about to kiss.
She laid them neatly down, unbuttoned a few constricting buttons,
and even covered them with pillows and a blanket.
Finally, she smoothed their foreheads and murmured a soft “sleep well.”

“Meow!”

Ma Hana lifted her own pillow.
She quietly left the room,
And arrived lightly at Yu Seha’s door with quick, catlike steps.

“…”

Ma Hana in her cute pajamas,
Hesitated for a moment, then mustered the courage to knock.

“…Seha? Are you asleep?”

There was no answer.
Ma Hana decided to wait a bit.
After all, Yu Seha wouldn’t fail to hear her voice.

Ma Hana wanted to sleep beside Yu Seha tonight.
Just like the first day she came to this officetel,
she wanted to curl up close to him and warm herself like toast.

The main reason was, of course…
she wanted to feel the warmth of the man she loved.
She thought feeling that would dispel the anxiety in her heart.

‘…If it’s Seha, it’ll be okay.’

Not tonight, but within a few days Ma Hana planned to confess everything to Yu Seha.
The shocking words she’d heard from the Demon King Kazantia…
Even if she couldn’t tell anyone else,
she had to tell Seha.

There was no doubt or hesitation.
To Ma Hana, Seha was someone she could tell anything to, her precious person and the embodiment of hope.

‘If it’s Seha…’

Whether she was a Demon King or whatever,
She was certain he would treat her the same.

Additionally,
Though this was a slightly different matter,
She was worried about him.

“…”

Ma Hana knew well.
She didn’t know exactly what Seha was, but that he’d done something absurd to gain tremendous power,
And because of that he’d had conflicts with the fearsome man known as the Sword Ghost.

This had been told to her by none other than an S-rank hunter and Ju Na-young’s mother.
The archetype of the strongest and most famous hunter Ma Hana knew.
Hunter Ju Yae-young had told her personally.

That he could win to such an extent because he’d paid a sacrifice.
She was told to stay by his side as much as possible.

-If the worst happens, please make sure Ma Hana stays by his side.

‘But…’

Even as time passed, Seha showed no special sign.
There was no trace anywhere of the ‘price’,
that terrifying, meow meow thing Ma Hana couldn’t fully understand.

Then Ju Na-young and Moon Bora said,
it’s because it was Yu Seha.
He was someone who always did absurd things,
Someone who knew the future and prepared as best he could.

They said he must have used some trick again this time…
So don’t worry.

But Ma Hana’s thoughts were a little different.

Thus, everything…

‘…Will this all go smoothly?’

Ma Hana trembled for a moment with various doubts and worries.

By the way…

‘…Why isn’t Seha answering?’

He had an absurd sixth sense.
No matter how deep his sleep, he would respond to her voice,
so it was strange that a whole minute had passed with no reply.

“…Seha?”

Ma Hana slowly took hold of the door.
The door opened far too easily.
It creaked open as if it hadn’t been locked at all from the start.

‘…’

Huh, what?

Ma Hana felt an uncanny sense of dread.
Uncharacteristically, she stepped in rather roughly.

In the dark room she saw a figure under the blanket she assumed was Yu Seha.

Ma Hana felt a small relief.

‘…He must be more tired than I thought.’

He seemed to be asleep so deeply he wouldn’t hear her.

If so, she shouldn’t disturb him.

Ma Hana prepared to turn away and come back later.
If a strange smell hadn’t pricked her nose.

“…?”

Ma Hana sniffed.
That peculiar fishy yet salty scent.
There was no doubt.

Blood.
It was the smell of blood.
And a lot of it…
a vast amount…

“…Huh?”

As if in a trance, Ma Hana stepped forward.

Splash.

‘…Splash?’

She looked down.
Something pooled up to the height of her big toe.

At first she thought it was water,
but the stickiness and smell told her it was definitely not water.

“…”

Ma Hana’s eyes widened.
Her breathing grew rough.

She hurriedly activated her [Night Vision] skill.
She soon realized that on the bed’s floor,
a pool of blood had gathered.

“Ah, ah, ah…?”

Ma Hana was certain.
That all of this was Seha’s blood,
because his scent was strong and unmistakable.

Blood was streaming out of the rolled-up blankets.
This amount of liquid.
Could never be the blood of a single person.

Thud.

Ma Hana dropped the pillow.
She rushed and climbed onto the bed.

“Seha!? Seha!? Seha!?”

She tore the blanket off like ripping away fabric.
And the sight before her.
Ma Hana froze like a stone at the sight.

All color had drained from his face.
She involuntarily fell onto her backside.

“Ah, ah, ah…”

Yu Seha.
Emaciated like a mummy,
in a sallow, darkened state,
he lay as if dead in sleep.

Finally…
his heart,
was not beating at all.