Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

The gleaming wooden floor, neatly arranged household items in each compartment, and the savory aroma of rice—in just half a day, the thatched house had completely shed its reputation as a haunted dwelling.

Cheong-jae’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the modest five-dish meal set on the small folding table.

“It makes my mouth water just looking at it!”

“I showcased my skills a bit. Come on, praise me!” “How can I ever repay this kindness……”

Honestly, when Lee Kang-to had proudly entered the kitchen, I hadn’t expected much. But after tasting a bite of the grilled wild boar he offered me to check the seasoning, I came to trust Lee Kang-to completely.

“To think this Mr. Kim had such talent.”

I wanted to deny it, but Lee Kang-to’s domestic skills were impressive. So much so that comparing him to me would be an insult. It was an unexpected side of him that couldn’t be imagined from his usual behavior, which seemed to have a screw loose.

“I guess we really shouldn’t judge people hastily.”

I felt apologetic and wanted to let them linger a bit longer, but the sky was already starting to turn reddish. It was almost time for the owner of this house to return.

I patted Lee Kang-to’s shoulder as he was imparting his housekeeping secrets.

“Let’s go now.”

“Huh? Already?”

“We may call it repaying kindness, but we’ve essentially broken into someone’s house. If we run into the owner, it’ll be troublesome, so let’s hurry and leave.”

I’d rather not be suspected as a thief. We also couldn’t ignore the risk of Cheong-jae clamming up if we created friction with the homeowner. I was about to say we’d come back at night and to leave quietly, but the goblin beat me to it.

“I think it’s already too late, Mr. Kim.”

It went on to say that it could hear human footsteps nearby. There couldn’t be any other eccentrics looking for a haunted house besides us, so it must be the homeowner.

“That Mr. Kim will see us soon if he has eyes, right?”

“It’s not just about having eyes! My benefactor is an herb gatherer with hawk-like vision. We need to hurry if we don’t want to be caught!”

It was still far from dark, and moreover, we were in an open area by the river. If we tried to escape clumsily now, we’d likely be caught.

“It might be better to hide instead.”

Though I wasn’t sure where we could hide in this three-room house.

As I was pondering, Lee Kang-to, who had been sitting on the porch, pulled out something like a large blanket. It was covered in fake vines, like a ghillie suit from a certain game.

“This is for times like this—a camouflage mask!”

Instead of explaining, Lee Kang-to said he’d demonstrate and threw the blanket over himself. Then his figure smoothly blended into the background and disappeared.

“Wow!”

“Mr. Kim, Sori wants to try that too! Right now!”

“It would certainly be helpful.”

Hearing our exclamations, Lee Kang-to poked his head out from under the blanket. His face, floating in midair with a smug expression, was both strange and comical, making me burst into laughter.

“Don’t laugh, hurry and come here!”

Lee Kang-to, having removed the blanket, scurried over to crouch beside the earthenware jars. As I was about to move, following the excited rolling goblin, Cheong-jae held me back.

“What about me?”

“Let’s go to the kitchen. You can transform into a snail, can’t you?”

Cheong-jae blinked rapidly, as if asking how I could say such a thing. What’s wrong with this spiritual beast? Her mood swings were utterly unpredictable.

‘I even have a little home my benefactor made for me. He’s truly such a kind person.’

Cheong-jae had definitely said this while Lee Kang-to was cleaning. Hadn’t she even mentioned how difficult it was pretending to be an ordinary snail, sitting quietly in a soup bowl?

As tears began to well up in her eyes, I broke out in a cold sweat. I instinctively felt that if that faucet opened again, it wouldn’t be easily stopped.

“If I’m in the kitchen, I won’t be able to see my benefactor’s reaction. Sob, then I’ll have regrets until the day I go to the Western Paradise. No, even there… Waaah!”

“Please, please don’t cry.”

“Mr. Kim, how long are you going to stay like that?”

To make matters worse, a human figure started to become faintly visible in the distance.

With no other choice, I took Cheong-jae under the camouflage blanket. Although Lee Kang-to complained it was cramped, somehow three human figures and one bell managed to fit.

‘We’d be caught immediately if we move even a little.’

Unlike the outside where the inside of the blanket couldn’t be seen, from inside we could see the outside clearly. It was fortunate for us that we could observe the situation.

Sandwiched between Cheong-jae and Lee Kang-to like a sandwich, I stared at the approaching figure of the homeowner.

“Gasp, doesn’t he look bigger than Hunter Yun Su-ho?”

Lee Kang-to was right. Though his chest was slightly narrower than Yun Su-ho’s, he was taller. Considering Yun Su-ho was in the early 190cm range, this man seemed to approach almost 2m.

“Is he really an herb gatherer?”

The closer the man came, the more doubtful I became. This wasn’t just a big body that was all show. If not for the bundle and staff, I would have believed him to be a hunter, no, a military officer.

“Cheong-jae?”

When no answer came, I turned my head slightly to see flushed cheeks. Cheong-jae, with her chin resting on both hands, was too busy staring at the man to notice me calling her. There was no doubt that this was the face of someone in love.

‘Repaying kindness, my foot. It was self-interest all along.’

The blanket shifted due to Cheong-jae’s restlessness. As the homeowner had almost reached us, I poked her side to signal her to stay still.

“I’m back.”

The man entered the yard, greeting to no one in particular.

Perhaps sensing something had changed, his head tilted slightly to the right. Seeing him, Cheong-jae held her breath. I became curious about how he would react to the meal set out in the room.

But the man didn’t move as we expected. He suddenly threw down what he was carrying and rushed urgently towards the kitchen. Then, after a series of loud clattering noises, the man trudged back out to the yard.

It might be inappropriate to say this about someone of his size, but somehow he looked like a child who had dropped his candy.

“My benefactor is acting strange. Something’s wrong……”

“Shh!”

I managed to cover her whispering mouth, but couldn’t stop Cheong-jae’s fidgeting feet. Even though it only caused the blanket to shake lightly a couple of times, the man didn’t miss it.

The man, wiping away his forlorn expression, looked directly at where we were.

“Who’s there?”

The man asked in a voice so low it gave me goosebumps. He picked up the staff he had put down and walked straight towards us. The impatient man asked again.

“Do I really need to strike for you to reveal yourselves?”

The staff was swung silently, stopping right in front of my forehead. Although it was an ordinary wooden staff without any special processing, the aura it carried was extraordinary. I unconsciously moistened my dry lips.

‘This person is no ordinary individual.’

Cheong-jae, seemingly aware that we were caught because of her, trembled and shed tears. Seeing this, even the slight annoyance I had felt disappeared. Despite my complaints about the hassle, even if we were mistaken for thieves, we could just run away.

But for Cheong-jae, the weight of this misunderstanding was entirely different.

‘She put so much effort into this, even with her lacking skills.’

I wiped Cheong-jae’s eyes with a handkerchief I took out from my inventory.

“How can you meet the benefactor you’ve been longing for with tear-stained eyes?”

“Huh?”

Cheong-jae echoed incomprehensibly at my whispered words. Instead of explaining further, I stood up while holding her hand. Naturally, the blanket covering us slipped off.

Although we must have seemed to appear suddenly to the man, he didn’t show any sign of being flustered. Rather, as if he had been waiting for this, he immediately asked a question.

“Did you see the tora on the kitchen counter?”

‘What’s with this out-of-nowhere question? I thought he’d ask about our identity.’

And tora, what? It was a word I’d never heard before. Unable to come up with an expected answer, I stammered, but Cheong-jae whispered to me in an excited voice.

“My benefactor must be looking for me!”

“Is tora the name this person gave you?”

“Of course not! It’s another name for a snail. Sob, I’m so touched. To think my benefactor would care for me this much.”

Cheong-jae wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Although the man must have heard our entire conversation, he remained silent as if waiting for an answer.

‘In that case, it’s time for a change of strategy.’

While Lee Kang-to was tidying up the house, I had been forcibly subjected to stories about the homeowner from Cheong-jae, trapped with her in the room. The man often used Cheong-jae as a conversation partner, and the most frequent topic was his sister.

‘They say everyone knew Sa Mok-yeong of Dongjae Valley!’

Sa Mok-yeong was such an exceptional physician that even high-ranking officials would personally seek her out. At the same time, she was a righteous person who couldn’t turn away the sick. They say she treated both the noble and the lowly without discrimination, which gives an idea of her character.

That’s why I had initially planned to use his sister as an excuse. I thought if we said we came to repay the kindness we received from his sister in the past, we might at least avoid being treated as thieves. But now that I knew the man cherished the snail, that is, Cheong-jae, there was no need for that.

There are times when telling the plain truth is more effective.

‘He might be shocked to learn his pet animal isn’t actually an animal… but what can we do if that’s the truth.’

Offering a silent apology to the man in my heart, I pushed Cheong-jae towards him. In front of the large man, Cheong-jae’s trembling figure looked like a reed before an old tree.

“This woman is your tora.”