What uncanny timing.
There was no way to know whether it had been intentional or whether the moment of completion had genuinely happened to coincide by chance.
[You have successfully completed the request!]
For the completion message to appear the very moment he handed the bead to Lee Jeonghye.
At this point… I can probably take it to mean that the people up above approve too, right?
[It completed? …That actually worked?]
When Rowoon told her the news, Cheonghwa looked unmistakably surprised as well.
[What has gotten into those old geezers? First, let us check the reward.]
Cheonghwa had understood Rowoon’s choice, but she had still privately regretted the loss of such a precious fox bead.
In the middle of that disappointment, the news that Rowoon had completed the request must have felt like rain after a drought.
“Yes, yes. Let’s go home first.”
A hospital might be a place where people with all kinds of circumstances gathered, but still.
Standing there staring into empty space while looking amazed and startled would be a bit much.
[I wonder what they will give you as a reward. No matter how I think about it, I doubt anything could surpass a fox bead. Tch.]
Grumble, grumble.
Cheonghwa went ahead of him, muttering under her breath in a way that could have been regret or dissatisfaction.
Even so.
“……”
Rowoon turned his head and looked at the firmly closed door of the hospital room.
Beyond it were surely the two people who had finally found each other after traveling the long road of several decades.
Because of that, Rowoon regretted nothing.
Just as someone had once saved him from his own regret, he had been able to save someone else from theirs.
[What are you doing? Hurry up!]
“Yes, I’m coming!”
Rowoon’s steps were light as he turned away.
[Well? Did it finish properly? What about the reward?]
Cheonghwa had been restless all the way home.
The moment they were finally alone, she asked impatiently.
And understandably so. Iho’s request had never been accepted through the normal process to begin with.
I was practically forced into accepting it.
Perhaps because of that.
[Request Name: I Was Always One Step Behind You]
-Request Completion Rate: 200%
-Overall Evaluation: An epic so moving that even the Old Man Under the Moon would be brought to tears!
-Those moved by your good deed rise up, demanding that you be rewarded!
Seeing a message displayed normally like this felt strangely novel.
What’s with “an epic so moving that even the Old Man Under the Moon would cry”? And what’s this about an uprising…?
There were a few puzzling parts, but still.
“It looks like it completed without any problems. I received the Merit too. But……”
Iho had offered Rowoon a staggering 3,000 Merit as compensation.
Unfortunately, because of Rowoon’s Karma, it was reduced to only a quarter of that, leaving him with barely 700.
Even so, that amounted to more than two months, so Rowoon decided to be satisfied for now.
[But? Is there something strange?]
What came next was what differed from usual.
“It says I achieved some kind of feat.”
[Huh?]
And indeed.
Along with a notification he had never seen before, his vision had been dyed in dazzling colors and sparkled brilliantly.
Ding!
[Great Achievement!]
Up to this point, it was familiar.
It was the notification that appeared whenever a request’s completion rate exceeded 100 percent.
But then.
[Feat! You have achieved “The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe”!]
Hm?
That was where things began to change.
A completely unfamiliar notification suddenly appeared.
Ding!
[By achieving a feat, your story and good deeds become widely known.]
[Exalted beings begin to take notice of your existence.]
It was something he had never seen in his life.
And that was not all.
Ding!
[You have achieved a feat worthy of becoming legend. An additional reward will be granted!]
“It says I’m getting a legendary achievement reward.”
[Huh? Legendary? That sounds like the sort of thing that should only be possible after accomplishing some deed worthy of an old folktale. No, wait. Could it be…?]
Before Rowoon could even ask what she meant by could it be, his vision suddenly flashed white.
And then.
Tap!
Something small and round dropped onto Rowoon’s palm.
[Small and Mysterious Inner Core]
-A small and precious inner core created by everyone contributing a little for you, who yielded something valuable for the sake of another.
-When consumed, it has a restorative and invigorating effect, improves the skin, and helps strengthen the blood vessels and bones.
“Hmm……?”
It was considerably smaller than the one Iho had given him, but Rowoon could sense a strange mystical energy from the bead.
Everyone contributed a little?
In other words, this was a reward they had deliberately created for him.
Naturally, its effects were inferior to the fox bead.
But what mattered here was not the effect.
It was the thought behind it.
Honestly, I didn’t even feel that reluctant when I handed it to Lee Jeonghye. I can’t believe they’re taking care of me like this.
He had never expected refusing the reward to come back to him in this way.
“Thank you, everyone. I didn’t know you’d go out of your way for me like this.”
As Rowoon expressed his gratitude, messages from the observers poured in as though responding to him.
[Starlight 230 is moved by your kind heart and wipes away tears!]
[Starlight 918 praises you, saying their heart has not felt this full in a long time!]
[Starlight 340 says beautiful good deeds deserve to be spread far and wide……]
And the rewards did not end there.
Ding!
Another clear notification sounded.
[An additional reward will be granted!]
[Heavenly Fox’s Intuition]
-The intuition possessed by an ancient divine beast known as a Heavenly Fox can sometimes be razor-sharp and can even peer deeply into the innermost thoughts of others.
-It contains the Heavenly Fox’s warm concern and worry that, in this harsh world, a good person may live only to suffer losses.
Rowoon knew instinctively.
This was an additional reward sent by Iho.
Just what kind of person did Iho think I was…?
Even though Iho was nowhere in sight, Rowoon could almost hear his voice.
-It’s a little awkward to say this when I’m the one who received your help, but after living as long as I have, I’ve learned there are far too many bastards in this world. A rare natural monument like you needs protecting. You’re precious. So don’t go letting anyone take advantage of you.
Wow. This is the first time I’ve ever gotten two additional rewards at once. Just what exactly is a “feat”?
Naturally, Merit and a reduction in his Karma value were standard.
If he counted everything, it was practically as though he had received four separate rewards.
[Why? Did he give you something bad? That thing you’re holding looks pretty decent, at least.]
“Oh. Iho gave me an ability. It’s called Heavenly Fox’s Intuition.”
[For that fellow, he gave you something surprisingly decent. Hmph. Well, of course he should. You gave up such a precious fox bead.]
“But I got two more additional rewards this time. Is that really okay?”
[Why would it not be? You received them because you deserved them. For what you did this time, it would be stranger if they did not give you that much. Do you have any idea how precious that fox bead was?!]
“Come on. I already told you. What’s happening now is more important to me than something in the distant future. I’m already busy enough trying not to waste this precious second chance you gave me, Cheonghwa.”
A rare treasure?
I’m human too. Of course I can feel greed.
But not enough to ignore a future outcome he could already see right in front of him.
Cheonghwa seemed to think Rowoon had yielded the bead only because he did not understand its value, but that was not true.
[You know, I think you’ve grown somehow.]
Cheonghwa suddenly said that while Rowoon merely smiled good-naturedly.
“Really? Did I get taller?”
[No! Not that kind of growth! I mean the depth of your soul seems to have grown deeper!]
“You can see things like that?”
[If you possessed eyes as discerning as mine, naturally you could!]
“Come on. Isn’t that just because you always think the best of me? I bet anyone else would have done the same thing in that situation.”
[Good grief…]
Explaining it would do no good if he refused to understand.
Anyone would have given up such a treasure in that situation?
As if!
Cheonghwa had lived long enough to see all kinds of humans.
Not everyone was like that, of course, but a great many humans were nowhere near as kind as Rowoon believed.
He doesn’t even know why I ended up in this sorry state in the first place. Sigh.
Had human selfishness, jealousy, and greed not all been involved in the circumstances that caused Rowoon to lose his place and ultimately die?
Of course, the Rowoon of the present did not know about any of that.
I wonder if that boy understands just how difficult it is to remain that consistently kind.
Part of the reason was that she wanted to repay a debt of gratitude, but Rowoon was also the sort of person who had made Cheonghwa draw on all the power of her avatars, leaving herself with only barely enough strength to maintain her true body.
Their shared fate was part of it too, but he was simply the kind of person who made her want to stay beside him and help him one more time whenever she could.
Well. I suppose it can’t be helped if he takes a little more looking after. That’s part of his charm.
And yet, even Cheonghwa had felt her heart drop when Rowoon was forcibly assigned Iho’s request.
From Cheonghwa’s perspective, that request, or rather the request that was now finally completed, had effectively had no answer.
How many lingering regrets, tangled misunderstandings, and stories could have accumulated over several decades?
That was why Cheonghwa had thought:
‘We’re screwed!’
The Heavenly Fox was, by nature, unwaveringly devoted to a spouse and prone to becoming deeply attached.
Yet this idiot had not even understood his own heart and had run away out of fear.
Despite that, he had been unable to give up.
Meanwhile, the person he loved had little life remaining and was even suffering from an illness!
Even if everything goes perfectly, we’ll barely break even. If this goes wrong, Rowoon might fail a request for the first time.
Cheonghwa had immediately started thinking.
Fortunately, Rowoon handled things so perfectly that even those stiff-necked old geezers had been satisfied enough to award him Merit generously.
Otherwise, his remaining lifespan might have become dangerously short.
Ugh. If only that damned Karma value didn’t exist!
Whenever she thought about the original body that had accumulated enormous Karma even under the best possible conditions prepared for Rowoon, she could not help putting a hand to her forehead.
I’ll have to find someone offering plenty of Merit whose request can be finished as quickly and easily as possible.
Rowoon, who wanted even the opportunity itself to be fair to everyone, would probably hate that.
But what could she do?
He had to survive first!
Then something astonishing happened.
-Then can’t Lee Jeonghye use this?
Faced with a situation that appeared utterly hopeless, Rowoon had created a path forward on his own and made himself the answer.
Does that boy understand what it means for his name to spread?
He probably did not. That was why he could simply shrug it off with a casual I guess that’s how it is.
From this point on, even the exalted figures of Heaven had begun watching Rowoon closely.
Not because he was a human under Cheonghwa’s care.
Because he was Rowoon himself.
That’s right. Our boy is pretty kind and impressive. Being too kind might be a problem, but… well, that’s something I can take care of!
Cheonghwa could hear them.
[That youngster is impressive. I doubt even the Heavenly Emperor’s sentinels could produce results like these.]
[Aren’t they closer to eliminating the problem itself than solving it the way that youngster does?]
[True. Still, while Merit is unfortunate, it can always be accumulated again with enough time. Once that young one pays off all his debt, however, there will no longer be opportunities like this……]
The voices of the high-ranking old geezers whispered here and there.
After seeing the result of this request, they would clearly gather around him in even greater numbers.
Cheonghwa remembered that at first, it had merely been curiosity.
But now Rowoon had already completed his third request.
She could feel that his standing among those old men had changed completely.
Cheonghwa’s shoulders naturally swelled with pride.
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