Seo Munhyeok narrowed his eyes.
Not believing him was one thing.
But acting as though he hadn't heard a single word?
That, he hadn't expected.
When he fell silent, unable to find the right response, Haran took it as a refusal. Wrinkling the bridge of his nose, he let out a dismissive growl.
"Hand it over."
It wasn't remotely intimidating for someone claiming to be the great archmage.
Then again, he was trapped inside the body of an E-class healer.
"Didn't you say I'd die if I removed this Dragon Heart?"
"You'll just regress again."
"...?"
"What? Was that a lie?"
Haran fixed him with an unimpressed stare.
Seo Munhyeok froze, unable to speak.
Could it be...
Did he actually believe that Seo Munhyeok had been repeatedly regressing?
'So naturally... as if it were the most obvious thing in the world...?'
Before he realized it, emotion welled up inside him.
It had been a very long time since he'd expected anything from another person.
And this might have been the first time anyone had actually met those expectations.
"...You believe me?"
"How could I believe you? Who are you supposed to be?"
"No, but just now..."
"Still, what you said earlier didn't sound entirely made up. I've seen plenty of people with eyes like yours."
Haran believed him.
Or more precisely, he believed the truth behind his secret.
To Seo Munhyeok, that was close enough.
So he decided to trust the young man before him a little more as well.
"To be honest... I don't want time to rewind anymore."
"Then don't rewind it."
"As I told you, the only way to stop it is by saving this world. I have to become the hero acknowledged by the system."
As though it had sensed his resolve, the system responded.
System/ Beco my compa nion
Not "compa nion." It was obviously trying to say "Become my companion."
Ignoring the system's clumsy message, Seo Munhyeok spoke earnestly.
"...Please become the variable that changes my fate. If I have your help, I think I can finally succeed this time."
"Hmm. I don't know..."
"If you help save this world, I'll give you everything I have."
What Seo Munhyeok wanted was a perfect death.
What Haran wanted was the Dragon Heart resting beside his own heart.
If they saved the world, Seo Munhyeok would finally be free.
And since the only thing he desired was death, he could split open his own chest afterward and hand the Dragon Heart over to Haran.
That way...
Both of them would get exactly what they wanted.
"Everything you have?"
Haran's gaze drifted toward Seo Munhyeok's chest.
Seo Munhyeok nodded.
"Even my life."
He was certain Haran would accept immediately.
In fact, he'd already begun planning to pull the S-rank contract stored in his inventory the instant Haran agreed.
But Haran didn't answer so readily.
If anything, he looked dissatisfied with the offer.
The completely unexpected reaction left Seo Munhyeok visibly anxious.
"Why? What's the problem? If there's anything else you want, just name it."
"Really? Then I won't hold back."
"Ahem."
Haran raised a hand to cover his mouth and cleared his throat.
Had the corner of his lips curled upward just now?
Maybe he'd imagined it.
"First, I want payment in advance."
"...The Dragon Heart?"
"Hah. I'd love that, but you just said you don't want to regress anymore."
"Then...?"
"For starters..."
Haran casually gestured around the room with his chin.
Seo Munhyeok followed his gaze.
"This house."
"...Excuse me?"
"As you can plainly see, this place is awful. Until recently, I lived in the Imperial Palace. I refuse to keep living in a dump like this."
Haran shuddered dramatically before pointing one after another at the battered furniture and worn-out belongings.
"And money. I'm completely broke. There's only one pack of instant noodles left in the cupboard. At this rate, I'll starve to death."
"..."
"And finally..."
"Mana."
His finger shifted until it pointed directly at Seo Munhyeok.
Seo Munhyeok's shoulders twitched involuntarily.
"I'm trapped inside this body right now. If things stay like this, I won't be able to do anything."
He explained the plans he'd already come up with.
One option was to cast another dimensional-transfer spell and bring his original body from the other world into this one.
Another was to create an entirely new body capable of functioning much like his former one.
"There are two methods I'll continue researching for now. But research requires experiments, and experiments require mana. I also need mana for everyday life."
"...Is replacing your body really necessary? If you only need mana for daily life, couldn't items or buffs compensate for that to some extent?"
Seo Munhyeok finally voiced the question that had been nagging him.
Haran opened his mouth to answer...
Then simply shook his head.
"Just accept it because I said so."
Seo Munhyeok frowned.
He couldn't even begin to guess what Haran was hiding from him.
"Anyway. Whether it's for my convenience or not, it'll benefit you if I can use magic. I guarantee it."
"Benefit me?"
"Didn't you say all we have to do is kill that Demon King or whatever and save the world? If I regain my former magical abilities, crushing a mere Demon King would take less than the blink of an eye. I'll do everything I can to make sure you can die without regrets."
Haran was far more persuasive than Seo Munhyeok had expected.
At least...
He was convincing him.
'The explosion he caused outside earlier was already impressively powerful considering how quickly he cast it. And he said he can use all kinds of different magic... He'd be an enormous asset.'
Having reached his decision, Seo Munhyeok asked how he should transfer his mana.
Seeing such willing cooperation, Haran grinned and stretched out a hand.
"Tsk. Stay still."
Stopping Seo Munhyeok just as he instinctively tried to step back, Haran quickly intertwined their fingers.
His thin, bony fingers slipped between Seo Munhyeok's firm ones.
"...!"
Mana flowed smoothly out of Seo Munhyeok's body.
With his free hand, Haran pointed toward the shattered front entrance where the cold wind was blowing through.
Hummm—
Mana circulated.
The air vibrated.
Fragments of the broken door and scattered wall began trembling before floating into the air.
An instant later...
They flew back into place.
The entrance and wall were restored so perfectly that not a single crack remained.
Startled, Seo Munhyeok looked down at the hand Haran was holding.
He could clearly feel his mana being steadily drawn away.
"Whenever I want to use magic, all you have to do is offer me your hand. I'll take whatever mana I need myself."
"So..."
"You want me to become your mana battery?"
That was a first.
He had just offered Haran everything he possessed.
And yet what Haran truly wanted was nothing more than a steady source of mana.
"That part is non-negotiable. The house and the money aren't negotiable either."
Haran raised an eyebrow decisively.
The way he looked at Seo Munhyeok...
It was exactly how someone in a position of absolute power looked down at someone beneath them.
'...I'm an S-class Hunter.'
Since becoming an S-class Hunter...
No one had ever looked at him like that.
* * *
Once things had finally settled down, the two sat across from one another at a wobbly table whose legs weren't even level and began drafting a contract.
Seo Munhyeok wanted Haran's assistance.
More specifically, he wanted him to join Eclipse Guild and help save the world from the being believed to be the final boss—the Demon King.
In return...
Haran wanted a house.
Money.
Mana.
And once he'd fulfilled all of Seo Munhyeok's wishes, he would receive the Dragon Heart.
After organizing all of those conditions into the contract, Seo Munhyeok began discussing the finer details.
"First, I'll need to arrange housing and financial support for you."
"Good. I want out of this place as soon as possible."
Haran ground his teeth in disgust.
As if on cue, a huge black cockroach about the size of Seo Munhyeok's thumb crawled out from the corner and began scurrying across the room.
"Look! Look at that! What kind of unsanitary environment is this?!"
Haran shrieked and leaped away like a cat that had spotted a cucumber before darting over to Seo Munhyeok and sitting right beside him.
Grabbing Seo Munhyeok by the collar, he shook him frantically.
"Do something about it!"
"...Hah."
Thanks to Haran's constant shrieking, Seo Munhyeok felt as though one of his eardrums would rupture before long.
Pressing a hand to his forehead, he briefly wondered whether he should reconsider this entire contract...
Even so, he dutifully sliced the cockroach cleanly in half.
"Throw that dagger away while you're at it. And clean up that insect too."
Honestly...
He sounded exactly like a nagging mother-in-law.
Muttering to himself the whole time, Seo Munhyeok still did everything Haran asked.
Only much later was he finally able to resume writing the contract.
"Since you've come from another world, everyday life must be difficult for you. Can you cook? Clean?"
"Of course not."
"...I thought as much. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much."
"How insolent."
"Right. Then I'll need to arrange both a new home and a housekeeper to take care of your daily needs."
Tap. Tap.
Seo Munhyeok lightly tapped the table with his pen.
Everything about Haran—his attitude, his speech, his behavior—ran through his mind.
'...To outsiders, Pyo Haram would look seriously abnormal.'
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with a better solution.
Well...
There was exactly one.
He simply didn't like it enough to pretend it hadn't occurred to him.
"...Sigh."
"Why are you sighing like that?"
Seo Munhyeok glanced toward Haran, who had already sprawled lazily across the room again after the cockroach incident.
Without Seo Munhyeok even noticing, Haran had hooked his little finger around his and was quietly siphoning off more mana.
Clink—
Splash—
Whoooosh—
A chipped cup floated gently up from the sink.
Clean water filled the previously empty cup before it drifted over through the air.
Haran casually caught it, took a drink, then said,
"What are you staring at? Pour your own."
"...I'll pass."
There it was.
The great archmage from another world possessed absolutely zero social skills.
Neither his speech nor his behavior resembled anything remotely normal.
There was no way Seo Munhyeok could dump someone like this on an unsuspecting ordinary person.
That innocent civilian had done nothing to deserve it.
'Though, to be fair, neither have I.'
In the end, Seo Munhyeok proposed the one solution he disliked the most.
"...Come stay at my house."