In the Name of God - Chapter 8.1
Honestly, I could not fully grasp what ‘worse than death’ meant, but I understood that I absolutely had to be careful.
-Do not worry. People will not immediately suspect you are someone else just because your speech or habits have changed.
Echo raised its mouth in what seemed like a reassuring smile. Its fluffy cheeks puffed up as a result.
-And if suspicion arises that could have a major effect on Master, the system will send a warning first. So no sanctions will occur without Master realizing it.
That was enough.
There is a big difference between being informed in advance and being caught off guard.
I nodded at Echo for its diligent explanation and moved forward.
I entered the inspection room and faced the inspector sitting at the desk. He flinched at seeing me but quickly smiled as if nothing had happened.
“The inspection has been completed normally. Thank you for your efforts in the dungeon conquest.”
I nodded once and asked a question I had wanted to ask since learning that four members of Seong Do‑yoon’s party had already died.
“Regarding the completion reward, four members of our party are already deceased. I do not even know if the remaining three survived or died. How does the reward work in such cases?”
“Oh, you went through quite an ordeal. Please accept my condolences.”
The inspector explained calmly, with a genuinely sympathetic expression.
“Regarding the reward, when you accepted the quest, the contract specifying distribution was already submitted to the Association. Therefore, the reward will be distributed to everyone according to the agreed percentages.”
Seong Do‑yoon had checked and signed the distribution percentages in the contract.
He had not written down individual accounts at that time because the Association issues temporary virtual accounts for each party member. The reward is deposited into those accounts according to the percentages, and later each member can transfer it to their real account.
“However, if the reward is not claimed in the virtual account within a week, the Association will investigate the situation, including survival status. If the investigation confirms that an Awakener has already died, the unclaimed amount will be evenly distributed among the surviving party members.”
Honestly, I did not feel particularly bad about this.
Even though it was before I possessed this body, four of the party members dying was not a pleasant memory.
But they were also the same people who treated Seong Do‑yoon as a pack mule and sang songs mocking him as worthless.
Remembering all the contempt and ridicule they had thrown at Seong Do‑yoon, I could accept the extra reward from their deaths as a kind of compensation.
I had never been the most virtuous person anyway.
“When will the deposit be made?”
“It will be credited within ten minutes.”
Oh, that was fast.
Seong Do‑yoon had only been awakened for a month and had entered a dungeon just three times. Each time he had been dragged along as a low-ranking party member, treated like a doormat. He had only earned a tiny amount of money.
At least this quest had an evenly distributed contract, otherwise he would have gotten almost nothing.
‘You cannot live so naively. People need sufficient money first.’
It was funny that someone with less than a week to live was saying that.
“Um…”
As I was about to leave the inspection room, the inspector looked at my expression and spoke.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Huh?”
“You look quite pale.”
I touched my cheek with my hand. My face felt slightly warm and there was cold sweat on my forehead. I must have looked frail enough to worry him.
My body was weak.
Since synchronizing, my whole body ached, and even a little combat made my arms and legs tremble. If I let my guard down, I could collapse on the spot.
But it was not unbearable.
On the battlefield, even when my limbs were broken and my organs were torn, I had to survive by sheer will. I had no time to whine about pain; I had to take one more step to kill the enemy to stay alive.
Compared to that, this level of discomfort was nothing.
I thanked the inspector for his concern and left the room.
“Echo.”
-Yes, Master.
Echo, lying across my shoulder with its white belly spread flat, perked up its eyes.
“How can I extend my lifespan…”
Ding-
As I tried to ask how to extend my lifespan, a short notification sounded in my ear. My phone vibrated at the same time.
Although the screen was cracked, the message about the deposit into my virtual account appeared. As the inspector had said, the quest completion reward had already been credited.
I stared quietly at the system window that appeared before my eyes.
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