[Tower Entry Ticket (50:36)]
There were still two days left before I could reenter the Tower.
That meant a day had passed since I'd cleared the second floor.
Throughout that day, discussions about the 'Proper Clear' on the community forums had shown no signs of dying down.
And what was I, the person at the center of all that attention, doing during that time……?
"Phew. Isn't this even harder than climbing the Tower?"
I was tanning hides.
***
As I'd mentioned before, I'd learned how to skin animals as part of my training in preparing ritual offerings.
Skinning was the process of removing an animal's hide.
One thing you learned when studying how to prepare ritual offerings was that skinning and tanning originally went hand in hand.
Tanning involved removing impurities from a skinned hide and treating it.
─ Of course. Were you planning to offer your Ancestral God hides covered in rotting flesh and congealed blood?
After all, this wasn't the prehistoric era. My Ancestral God wouldn't appreciate receiving filthy hides that had merely been stripped from their owners.
─ It is not as though I am asking for much, is it?
"……I suppose not."
Strictly speaking, tanning was the process of turning raw hides into leather suitable for manufacturing leather goods.
But there was no need to go that far.
I wasn't planning to make anything out of the basilisk hides. I was going to offer them to my Ancestral God.
Since I could skip the later stages of tanning, the process was simpler than one might expect.
Of course, I'd said simpler.
I hadn't said easier.
"Urgh!"
SPLAT.
I carried the salted basilisk hides into the courtyard.
Moving seven hides, each about as large as my entire body, was nothing short of backbreaking labor.
─ You hardly look tired at all.
"That's a little unfair, Ancestor."
─ I merely stated the facts.
Unfortunately, my Ancestral God wasn't entirely wrong.
Although I was grunting and groaning about how exhausting the work was, my breathing remained perfectly steady.
What made it slightly unfair was that this wasn't because the work was easy.
[Passive: Exceptional Breathing]
It was the effect of the passive skill I'd obtained after clearing the second floor.
Unlike active skills, which couldn't be used in the real world, passive skills supposedly retained some of their effects even outside the Tower.
I barely became short of breath, as though I'd been exercising regularly for years.
I was experiencing the greatness of skills firsthand.
"Now that the salting's finished……"
Although I'd learned how to tan hides, it had been a long time since I'd actually done it.
I muttered to myself to clearly recall the tanning techniques my father had taught me.
Salting was the process of covering a hide with salt to absorb its remaining moisture and prevent decomposition.
Normally, a hide had to remain packed in salt for at least three days, but I'd decided to limit it to one.
Perhaps because these were the hides of 'Corrupted' Basilisks, leaving them in salt any longer seemed likely to damage their quality instead.
That wasn't something I'd figured out myself.
It was advice from my Ancestral God.
"Next comes fleshing."
Fleshing was the process of removing the remaining fat and flesh from the inner surface of an animal's hide.
Using a fleshing knife, you had to carefully scrape away the remaining material, bit by bit.
"Sigh."
I plopped down in front of a basilisk hide like a housewife settling in to prepare kimchi.
Scrape—scrape.
I carefully shaved away the scraps of flesh and fat clinging to the hide.
After all, I couldn't afford to damage a precious hide intended as an offering to my Ancestral God.
This was the most difficult part of tanning.
─ This will take you half a day.
"Probably, right?"
I readily agreed with what sounded like a reproach from my Ancestral God.
In truth, removing the flesh from all seven intact basilisk hides would probably take half a day.
It might even take longer.
─ The children of the Pi Family were truly skilled with their hands.
I'd heard of the Pi Family before.
They were a family whose expertise in leatherworking and craftsmanship was second to none.
I'd been told that they had always assisted the Divine Shaman Cheon Family in preparing ritual offerings.
As far as I knew, my Ancestral God had always been pleased with offerings that had passed through the Pi Family's hands.
It was something my grandfather had told me when I was little, almost like an old folktale.
─ Oh, speak of the devil. A child of the Pi Family is coming this way now.
My Ancestral God suddenly said something completely unexpected.
"Pardon?"
I didn't understand what he meant.
Nevertheless, my gaze naturally followed the direction he was looking.
Standing there was the debt collector.
He was staring blankly in my direction.
His face looked just as intimidating as ever.
'His name was……'
Kim Chil-gap.
His appearance had left such a strong impression that I hadn't even forgotten his name.
***
"Uh…… Isn't it still a while before the payment is due?"
Those were the first words out of my mouth.
I had basilisk hides spread out in front of me and a fleshing knife in my hand.
I was so flustered that I couldn't even pretend to clean up the scraps of flesh scattered messily around me.
Had I gotten the date wrong?
If so, this was a disaster.
If I'd mistaken the payment date, I might have to get down on my knees to prevent a touching reunion between that man's pot-lid-sized fist and my face.
And if they still ended up meeting, well, there wouldn't be much I could do about it.
"Ah, yes. There's still plenty of time."
The debt collector answered politely.
"Phew."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
In that case, there was nothing to fear.
Why should someone who lived with a ghost be intimidated by a frightening face?
"Then what brings you here……?"
"Oh, I just came by to say hello."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"……"
Did debt collectors normally make frequent visits just to say hello?
This was my first experience being pursued by a debt collector, so I honestly didn't know.
"Um, would you mind if I watched for a while?"
"Well, that's……"
─ Tell him he may.
"Ah, yes. Please, feel free to watch."
I'd been about to refuse, but I changed my answer.
My Ancestral God had intervened.
He must have had something in mind.
"Thank you."
The debt collector settled himself down nearby.
Scrape—scrape.
I silently resumed fleshing the hide.
I wasn't particularly good at socializing.
Hadn't I already mentioned that I didn't even have any friends?
Scrape—scrape.
The work continued in silence.
I might not have been sociable, but I wasn't oblivious.
I could tell that the debt collector's attitude was somewhat different from when we'd first met.
It wasn't merely that his voice and behavior seemed strangely friendly.
Every so often, he would let out a deep sigh when he thought I wasn't looking.
His fingers also kept twitching.
I had no idea why.
Scrape—scrape—SKRRK.
Oh, damn.
I'd been distracted by my thoughts, and the fleshing knife had dug a little too deeply into the hide.
"Ah……"
The debt collector let out an involuntary exclamation.
"Is there something you'd like to say?"
"No, nothing."
"Ah, all right."
Scrape—scrape.
I continued fleshing the hide amid another stretch of awkward silence.
After quite some time, the debt collector muttered something.
"……That's not how you do it."
"Pardon?"
It almost sounded like he was talking to himself, but I'd heard him perfectly clearly.
"Phew."
The debt collector suddenly let out a long sigh and rubbed his face with both hands.
Then he continued.
"Give me that for a moment."
"Pardon?"
Before I could properly hand it over, the fleshing knife was practically snatched from my grasp.
SWISH.
The knife swept across the basilisk hide without the slightest hesitation.
"……!"
Because I'd learned tanning myself, I could recognize what I'd just witnessed.
His knife technique was flawless.
He hadn't damaged the hide.
He'd removed the flesh perfectly.
The incredibly smooth surface he left behind, incomparably cleaner than anything I'd managed, was proof enough.
"Incredible."
The work that had taken me thirty minutes was finished with a single stroke of the debt collector's knife.
He looked at me.
Our eyes met.
Nod.
Without thinking, I nodded.
Nod.
The debt collector nodded in return and swung the fleshing knife.
SWIIISH!
The fleshing proceeded at an astonishing speed.
***
SWIIISH!
The debt collector's movements showed no hesitation.
He'd already finished fleshing five basilisk hides.
"Did you used to run a leather workshop or something?"
Tanning wasn't an ordinary skill.
It was a little ridiculous for someone like me, who knew how to do it, to say that, but it was true nonetheless.
"Phew. Believe it or not, I come from a family of craftsmen with a long history."
The debt collector answered with a refreshed expression.
Fleshing was exhausting work.
Yet his expression actually seemed brighter while doing it.
Even his previously intimidating face now looked gentle.
"A family of craftsmen?"
"The Pi Family. We're a family with quite a long history in leatherworking and leather craftsmanship."
"The Pi Family?"
First my Ancestral God, and now this man.
Why did the Pi Family keep coming up?
"But isn't your surname Kim?"
His name was Kim Chil-gap.
I remembered that perfectly.
"I changed my name."
"Ah…… Why?"
I asked without thinking.
Perhaps receiving his help had made me feel more comfortable around the debt collector.
"I kept the given name my parents gave me and changed only my surname."
His name was Kim Chil-gap.
His original surname was Pi.
"……"
Pi Chil-gap.
It sounded exactly like the Korean expression for being covered in blood.
No wonder he'd changed it.
***
The fleshing work that I'd expected to take half a day was finished in just two hours.
Not because of anything I'd done, of course.
It was entirely Kim Chil-gap's handiwork.
Once the hides had been salted and fleshed, the next step was washing.
"You need to wash them thoroughly."
Kim Chil-gap helped with that as well.
Perhaps because he was so strong, the work became considerably easier with him around.
The final step was degreasing.
This involved completely removing any fat remaining in the hide.
Since crocodile hides didn't have fur, there was no particular need for a hair-removal process.
"It's best to use lye made from ashes. There are plenty of good chemicals available these days, such as chromium-based agents, but traditional methods have their own merits."
"Yes, sir."
With Kim Chil-gap's assistance, we finished this stage in no time as well.
***
"Please, have some tea."
The young debtor brought him a cup of tea.
"Thank you."
Kim Chil-gap accepted it without standing on ceremony.
No, there was no real reason for him to feel embarrassed about accepting a cup of tea.
After all, he'd provided more than enough assistance to earn it.
"……"
He had nothing to say.
The truth was, he hadn't come here with any particular purpose.
He'd simply followed his heart and decided to visit.
Sip.
"……"
"……"
Kim Chil-gap wasn't particularly skilled at conversation, so silence naturally settled between them.
"Did things work out with that matter from before?"
The young man asked, seemingly having found a topic of conversation.
"Do you know what happened?"
Kim Chil-gap's reply came out somewhat sharply.
After all, this concerned his wife.
"No. I'm not quite that all-powerful."
The young man answered with an awkward smile.
Kim Chil-gap could sense his innocence and goodwill.
That meant the young man had simply helped him without even knowing what he was helping with.
And that help had saved Kim Chil-gap's soul.
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
Faced with such an innocent smile, Kim Chil-gap found himself asking the question before he knew it.
His appearance and imposing physique had always been enough to intimidate others.
That had become even more pronounced after he started working as a debt collector.
Kim Chil-gap believed that the wicked deeds he'd committed had caused him to accumulate an equally sinister aura.
The young man tilted his head.
"Why would I be afraid when you don't harbor any ill will toward me?"
He asked as though he genuinely couldn't understand the reason.
"……"
Kim Chil-gap was a man of few words.
He rarely spoke about himself.
In fact, he couldn't remember ever sharing the little details of his life with anyone other than his wife.
And yet……
"My wife is seriously ill."
Before he realized it, Kim Chil-gap was pouring out the feelings he'd kept buried inside.
"You saved my wife, sir. Let me explain what happened……"
Kim Chil-gap's story continued for a long time.
***
The Ancestral God silently watched as the descendant of the Cheon Family listened to the child of the Pi Family.
─ So our ties have been renewed in this manner.
It was true that he had arranged this encounter.
But it was his descendant who had brought it to fruition.
After all, no matter how miraculous an Ancestral God he might be, he couldn't manipulate every affair in the world exactly as he pleased.
"I've searched everywhere for a way to cure my wife's illness, but I still haven't found anything."
"Ah…… I understand how you feel. My father passed away under similar circumstances."
"I see."
His descendant was listening attentively to the Pi Family man's words.
Listening.
In the Ancestral God's opinion, that was the most important quality of a Divine Shaman.
Since ancient times, Divine Shamans had served as counselors and advisers.
For such people, there was no quality more important than the ability to listen.
It was true that the ability to wield divine power and Spell Power was an innate talent of a Divine Shaman.
But that alone would make someone a sorcerer, not a Divine Shaman.
A Divine Shaman, therefore, was both born and made.
And in the Ancestral God's judgment, the child who had inherited the bloodline of the Cheon Family was growing into an excellent Divine Shaman.
It was a truly satisfying sight.
Now that the bonds of cause and connection had fully come together, the Ancestral God decided to bestow what he could.
─ Descendant.
"Yes?"
─ Tell that child of the Pi Family to bring his wife here. I believe I can treat her.
After all, one bond of fate naturally gave rise to another.
***
"Um, Mr. Kim Chil-gap?"
"Yes?"
I cautiously called out to Kim Chil-gap, who looked somewhat relieved after sharing his story.
"Would you be willing to bring your wife here?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, I thought there might be a chance I could treat her……"
Even as I spoke, I found myself being cautious.
From my own perspective, what I was doing looked suspiciously like something a con artist would do.
"No, I mean, I'm not saying I can definitely cure her or anything. It's just that I thought there might be a possibility, you know……"
Kim Chil-gap considered my words for a moment.
Then the corners of his mouth moved slightly.
I couldn't be certain, but I thought they had curved upward into a smile.
"I'll do that."
I didn't know why, but Kim Chil-gap readily agreed.
***
"Take care on your way home."
"I will."
"Oh, and I think I'll be able to repay the money. You don't have to worry."
Kim Chil-gap was a debt collector.
It was only right that I should tell him something like that.
But I'd said it with a slightly different implication.
For some reason, I had the impression that he was genuinely worried about my debt.
"Have you Awakened?"
"How did you know?"
Outside the Tower, Awakened were no different from ordinary people.
Had he mistaken my Ancestral God's divine power for an ability I'd gained through Awakening?
"I've worked with leather for thirty years. I can tell those aren't crocodile hides just by smelling them."
"Ah."
Of course.
He'd seen the basilisk hides.
"Have you registered as an Awakened?"
"No, not yet."
"Make sure you register. I've heard the government treats Awakened fairly well. It should help protect you from unnecessary trouble."
I had a feeling I knew exactly what kind of 'unnecessary trouble' Kim Chil-gap was referring to.
"I'll do that."
I'd already been planning to register as an Awakened soon anyway.
After all, it was the best way to sell my Magic Crystals and raise some money.