Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

“What the hell…”

The harsh words slipped out unconsciously. I quickly shut my mouth, but judging by the looks, it seemed they had already heard everything.

Yun Su-ho, who knew all my mannerisms, didn’t seem to care. But him aside… I glanced to the side and, surprisingly, Han Cha-hyun appeared calm. He must have heard it too. Though he had every reason to be startled, he instead looked concerned for me.

“Gaho-ssi, is there a problem?”

“No. I was just a bit surprised. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about me. Feel free to continue your conversation comfortably.”

Han Cha-hyun nodded slightly, as if understanding. It seemed he had realized I was communicating with Baek-a, even though I hadn’t explicitly said so.

‘This is why I appreciate perceptive people.’

I expressed my gratitude with a slight bow and refocused my attention on Baek-a.

– I saw through him at a glance. Though he reigns like a king, Yeomra is nothing more than a mere spirit. It seems he gained power by making deals with yokai from the world of the living. But the essence never changes.

There couldn’t be two yokai capable of such deeds. It seemed the Three-Headed Nine-Tailed Fox’s influence had extended even to the afterlife.

“The yokai that made a deal with Yeomra, I think I know who it is.”

– Pardon?

“A yokai called the Three-Headed Nine-Tailed Fox is running rampant in the palace under the name Arajin. It’s trying to devour the world of the living, using the king as a pawn. It must be that creature.”

– …So that’s why there was such a strong malevolent aura in the palace. I see now.

The Three-Headed Nine-Tailed Fox wanted the world of the living, while Yeomra wanted the afterlife. They couldn’t have found better trading partners. I shuddered at the fox’s meticulousness.

Despite figuring out this much, there were still unsolved mysteries. What did Yeomra offer in exchange for the power to rule the afterlife and for Sa Mok-yeong? And why did the king and the Three-Headed Nine-Tailed Fox want the lantern?

‘Whatever it is, it can’t be good for us or this floor.’

Regardless of my concerns, Baek-a’s story continued.

– I couldn’t let the lantern fall into the hands of someone like Yeomra.

Cornered by Yeomra, Baek-a had no choice but to use her last resort. She absorbed the lantern’s power so that no one could take it from her.

She thought that would be enough to make him give up, but Yeomra was overjoyed instead.

– That’s when he started demanding a child. He said if he could devour a child that inherited my power, his power, and the lantern’s power, he could rule this Western Garden even without the flower keeper.

“Devour? You mean…”

– Exactly what it sounds like, foolishly. He believes that by eating the child, he would gain its power.

When Baek-a didn’t yield to his repeated persuasions, Yeomra turned her into a scarecrow. Exhausted from the constant pursuit, Baek-a couldn’t resist his ploy.

– Let’s stop playing along. You know all this already, don’t you?

“That’s not it. We really came to take you back, Baek-a.”

– You can say anything with words.

Her voice was heavy with fatigue, and I couldn’t bring myself to respond. It wouldn’t be difficult to offer empty platitudes. But doing so carelessly might cause Baek-a to close her heart completely.

Sensing the delicate situation, Han Cha-hyun carefully approached me.

“Things aren’t going well, I take it?”

“She says she can’t trust us.”

Thinking it would be better to get advice from Han Cha-hyun, who was skilled in dealing with people, I shared the contents of the recent conversation. As expected, he immediately offered a solution.

“If it’s that kind of problem, I think I can help.”

“Really?”

“Of course. While Cha Taeyang Hunter was training, I wasn’t just sitting around idly.”

His clear voice put me at ease. I should have consulted him earlier.

“How can I also communicate with Baek-a?”

“Come here and give me your hand.”

As I extended my hand, Han Cha-hyun placed his on top of mine. His hand, much larger than mine, completely enveloped my palm. He placed his other hand on Baek-a’s shoulder, just as I had done earlier.

‘It might be risky for them to make direct contact.’

Although Han Cha-hyun was a wizard, my mana sensitivity was probably higher. After all, I was in the production class. If I acted as an intermediary, I could quickly block any sudden mana backflow.

‘I’m an adapter, just an adapter.’

Perhaps the self-hypnosis worked. Fortunately, I managed to successfully transmit Baek-a’s energy to Han Cha-hyun without much difficulty. Han Cha-hyun smiled, commenting on the strange sensation.

“Though we’re not in a leisurely situation, we shouldn’t neglect building rapport.”

Rapport? It seemed to be a word with a nuance similar to intimacy. After checking the time, Han Cha-hyun skipped the introduction and went straight to the main point.

“Shall we have a chat, Baek-a?”

– How are you trying to deceive me now?

“Deceive? It’s nothing like that. Among the three of us, I stayed in Cheonsan the longest. I thought I might share some stories about your hometown.”

He then began to recount his experiences in Cheonsan to Baek-a, his voice soft and melodic. It felt almost like listening to a storyteller narrating a fairy tale.

‘So this is how he speaks to unfamiliar people.’

At first, I was intrigued by his tone, which seemed both familiar and strange. But as I listened, I found myself focusing more on the content of his words. His testimony was surprisingly detailed.

For instance:

“On the third day, my legs were sore, so I went down to the middle of the mountain, following the stream. There, where the water split into two branches before merging again, I found something interesting.”

– Is there still a large tree stump there? On top of it…

“If you’re referring to the stone tower, yes, it’s still there. There were names or something written on the stones.”

– I carved those. Praying that the spiritual beasts would be able to return someday.

As the conversation continued, Baek-a’s attitude noticeably softened. By the time Han Cha-hyun started sharing his conversations with Sarome, Baek-a was actively engaging.

The peach that Han Cha-hyun produced was the final nail in the coffin.

– A heavenly peach? How did you get that?

“Sarome gave it to us. He said we could take as many as we wanted, so I helped myself.”

– …Did Mother really say that?

Baek-a brightened up and asked Han Cha-hyun if she could have the peach. All her defenses had crumbled at the sight of this familiar food from home.

“This peach is mine, so I can’t give it to you.”

But Han Cha-hyun flatly refused Baek-a’s request. It was the most resolute I’d ever seen him.

‘Surely he’s not doing this out of greed.’

I squeezed his hand, intending to suggest he hand it over, but Han Cha-hyun pretended not to understand and said something unexpected.

“The heavenly peaches ripen most fully on the night of purification, don’t they?”

– Yes, they become more fragrant and sweet than any delicacy in the world. On the night when flower petals and soul butterflies mingle and flutter about, taking a big bite of a heavenly peach brings unparalleled happiness.

“There are barely two days left until the Month of Purification.”

Ah, so that was his intention. Belatedly understanding Han Cha-hyun’s motive, I relaxed my grip. He then tapped the back of my hand with his index finger. The gesture felt like he had read my mind and was confirming my understanding.

“There’s no need to covet my peach.”

– No need…

“Even now, there’s a peach branch waiting for you in Cheonsan. Sarome cherishes it so much that he even forbade us from approaching it.”

Having set the stage, it was time to tie up the loose ends. Han Cha-hyun released my hand, silently entrusting me with the conclusion as he gazed at me.

This really isn’t my strong suit.

“Sarome is still waiting for his greatest blessing to return.”

– …

“And we’ve come to end that indefinite wait. Please believe us, Baek-a.”

Baek-a didn’t respond. She simply lowered the defenses she had raised against me. Seeing her mana channels now wide open, without anything hidden or blocked, I clenched my fist.

“Thank you.”

Whispering softly, I injected my mana into Baek-a’s mana channels. Unlike before, the unobstructed mana surged powerfully, following Baek-a’s energy.

Without saying a word, we clearly understood what each of us needed to do. It’s no exaggeration to say that simply breaking down one wall instantly resolved the situation.

“We make quite a good team, don’t we?”

The tiger-shaped energy tore at the spell, while my mana followed, ravaging the area. As my sharply honed mana penetrated the bindings, the swiftly moving tiger burned away the remaining debris.

Assaulted from within and without, even the formidable spell couldn’t withstand our onslaught.

Finally, as we shattered the spell that had transformed Baek-a’s appearance, the seemingly eternal, solid bindings crumbled away.

The face, patched together from stained cloth, gradually transformed into fair skin. Then, the eyelids that had barely been able to twitch lifted, revealing intelligent brown eyes. Even within the tattered clothes that had been flapping uselessly around a thin frame, a body of flesh and blood took shape.

“You really were here to help me.”

The child wiped her tear-stained eyes with hands that had been twigs just moments ago.

“You were crying earlier too. I understand how you feel, but you’ll hurt yourself if you keep this up.”

“I’m fine.”

“Your eyes are all red. Use this.”

Han Cha-hyun took care of the child in my stead. Not only that, but even Yun Su-ho, who had been watching from a distance, stepped forward to offer a handkerchief, causing Baek-a to smile shyly.

It was a heartwarming scene, but I couldn’t view it with unmitigated pleasure.

‘Did Sarome tell us something wrong?’

She looked smaller and younger than I had expected. Influenced by Sarome’s attitude, I had been treating her like a child, but counting the years, she should be twenty this year. Even with a generous estimate, she looked no older than a middle school student.

Then I suddenly remembered the time difference between the world of the living and the afterlife. Applying that, her age roughly matched up.

“If you’re done wiping your face, have this.”

“Huh? I thought you said you wouldn’t give me the peach.”

“I changed my mind. If you really don’t want it, I’ll eat it myself.”

“No! I’ll eat it. Give it to me quickly!”

Unlike me, Han Cha-hyun seemed to have anticipated this situation. Just look at that composed face. I let out a hollow laugh, recalling his unusually gentle tone.

At the same time, my disgust for the king and Yeomra deepened. What had they done to this young child? My resolve to not get emotionally involved, which I had repeated to myself countless times, evaporated easily.

‘The World Tower is frustratingly realistic in the most unnecessary ways.’

Well, we’ve achieved our goal, so I suppose it doesn’t matter now. With Baek-a here, we’ve practically completed the hidden quest. There was no need for bitter thoughts when I should be purely happy.

I deliberately rubbed my face roughly and approached the child.

“Baek-a, can you open a portal back to the world of the living?”

“Not right away. Let me rest, just for a little bit.”

She said she had expended a lot of energy breaking free from the bindings. Since we had come this far, there was no need to rush, so we decided to take a short break, sitting on the hillside.

Not knowing that we should have left Yeomra’s domain immediately.

“Yeomra…!”

“You insolent vermin! Did you think you could steal my possession and escape?”

The enemy we least wanted to encounter had seized upon our small moment of carelessness and appeared.