The Blood-Stained Contract

Baek Hee-do was sitting on the edge of the bed, meticulously drying his hair with a towel. As he brushed his long hair aside, I could see the muscles of his back marked by a fresh wound from the recent battle.

Once he finished drying his hair so it wouldn’t drip, he began applying a potion to the long gash that stretched from his flank to his back.

“……Want me to do it?”

“What?”

“The wound on your back…….”

Most of the injuries were closing up, but a few were still jagged and open—cuts in places his own hands couldn’t quite reach.

Baek Hee-do seemed to contemplate my offer for a moment before handing the potion bottle over. However, his reason for giving it to me was not what I expected.

“Forget it. You drink it.”

“What?”

“I said drink it. Stop hovering around looking like death warmed over.”

I was stunned; it was a nearly full, high-grade potion. It was certainly a much more refined gesture than his usual method of gagging me with a handkerchief.

I didn’t refuse. I swallowed the potion in large gulps. Almost instantly, though not entirely, the dull, throbbing ache in my chest began to subside.

Baek Hee-do coolly opened another bottle for himself, wiping away the remaining scars on his stomach and chest. Feeling like I could finally breathe again, I lay back on the bed and watched him.

“What are you looking at?”

Baek Hee-do asked grumpily. His bare skin made me a little uncomfortable, but I hid it and replied.

“I was actually useful back there, wasn’t I?”

“I thought you were just looking for a place to die.”

“Be honest. With debuffs like mine, I’m not exactly baggage, am I?”

I was confident he would finally concede, but when he turned around to face me, his words were a cold splash of water.

“Is this desperate need to prove your worth because of Yoo Se-rim?”

“…….”

It felt as though my throat had been seized; I couldn’t utter a single word. Seeing my expression, Baek Hee-do’s brow furrowed.

“Why are you making that face again?”

“……I’m not making a—”

But he leaned in anyway, placing his hand near my eyes. I tried to swat it away, but I lacked the strength, so I just let him be. Baek Hee-do pressed firmly against the corners of my eyes a few times before asking me, his voice tight.

“Did you love him? Yoo Se-rim.”

“…….”

It was a question, but it sounded like a conviction. Again, I couldn’t answer. I felt a hollow, sinking sensation in my chest.

Baek Hee-do curled his lip as he watched me struggle for words. It wasn’t a smile. It was something closer to contempt.

“You have terrible taste.”

“……It’s none of your business.”

“It’s irritating—seeing you still bound to Yoo Se-rim while you’re trying to rub shoulders with me.”

“…….”

I stared at the cold-eyed Baek Hee-do. He watched in silence as I forced myself up and moved close, stopping just inches from his nose.

“I’m the one who’s going to kill Yoo Se-rim. If that’s obsession, then so be it. Are you satisfied now?”

Baek Hee-do stared back at me for a beat before saying something utterly ridiculous.

“I was getting my fist ready because I thought you were about to try and kiss me.”

I looked at him with pure disdain.

“You are absolutely not my type.”

“I suppose not. Your standards are low enough to like someone like Yoo Se-rim, after all.”

“……Hah. I told you, that’s not it. And even if every other person on earth died, it would never be you, so don’t worry.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

With that final jab, we turned our backs to each other and lay down on the bed. I felt a simmering mix of indignation and resentment.

[“It’s been a while~!”]

After a two-week recovery period, I rejoined Yoo Se-rim’s party.

The first to greet me at the rendezvous point was Ahn Hwa-young, who spotted me first from her position floating in the air.

“Hmph. Why is the lowest-ranked member always the last to arrive?”

Pyo Yu-jeong muttered, making sure I heard her.

“Welcome back!”

Then there was Seong Gyu-rim, who had no idea she had escaped death in the last dungeon and was now facing a new destiny.

“…….”

Scritch, scratch. Kim Jae-ho gave a small nod before returning to the task of sharpening his axe.

“You’re here.”

And finally…… there was Yoo Se-rim.

I felt a small wave of relief seeing him act like his usual self. The sharp, cold tension from our last parting had been weighing on my mind. I subtly ignored his greeting and moved closer to the other party members.

In truth, I had planned to tell Yoo Se-rim today that I was quitting. I didn’t mind the idea of partying with Baek Hee-do from now on. I even considered snatching a few strands of Yoo Se-rim’s hair for a curse before making my escape.

But a special artifact blueprint Baek Hee-do had obtained from the Fire Spirit Cult held me back.

‘It’s called the Blood Armor. I couldn’t steal the core component, but I got the blueprints.’ ‘Blueprints?’ ‘There are materials needed to craft it. You’re going to help me collect them. If I get stronger, it’s good for you too, right?’ ‘…….’

His arrogant tone made me scowl, but he wasn’t wrong. He had also added:

‘The Blood Armor is like you, Exorcist.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘It’s an artifact that requires a sacrifice. Once it’s finished, maybe only someone with a class like yours can use it.’

Baek Hee-do had promised that if that were the case, he would willingly yield the ‘Blood Armor’ to me. He didn’t look like he was lying. Furthermore, he promised that even if I couldn’t use it, he would provide a guaranteed reward for my help. That was how I ended up as a collaborator in his quest.

[Would you like to join the ‘Blood Armor’ Crafting Quest? (1/2)] — Reward: Blood Armor — Priority: Baek Hee-do

Baek Hee-do had shared the quest with me to prove he was serious. By sharing it, I could see the required materials and the progress.

I pressed [Accept].

[Ghenau’s Horsehair: 0/10] [Fragments of Noah’s Coffin: 0/10] [Bakra’s Harp Strings: 0/10] [Isis’s Torn Bible: 0/10] …

The list was daunting, but there was one material that caught my eye—one I knew I could get. Fragments of Noah’s Coffin. I had cleared the [Noah’s Coffin] dungeon before. And if my memory served me correctly, the next destination for Yoo Se-rim’s party was that very dungeon.

I had told Baek Hee-do I would collect the fragments—while staying in Yoo Se-rim’s party.

‘You’re staying with Yoo Se-rim?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘…….’ ‘It’s more efficient if we move separately.’

Baek Hee-do had scowled as if something about that deeply displeased him, but when I stared back, he simply gave a strange, dismissive, “Do whatever you want.”

…It’s not like he’s sulking because I won’t party with him, right?

‘Does he just hate Yoo Se-rim that much?’

I kept the thought to myself. I didn’t want to get close enough to Baek Hee-do to start asking about his personal feelings.

And so, here I was. Once I arrived, Yoo Se-rim began the briefing for the dungeon as if he had been waiting for me.

“Noah’s Coffin is known as an A-rank dungeon. The thing to watch out for is the traps; if you fall into one, you’ll be trapped in a narrow coffin until the boss monster, Noah, is defeated.”

Ahn Hwa-young’s face went pale at those words, but the others didn’t seem to notice. I watched her secretly, debating whether or not I should save her.

‘It would be good to have her owe me a debt…’

But this was an A-rank dungeon. If I made a mistake, I could end up trapped in a coffin myself without gathering a single material.

I decided to play it by ear and stood quietly behind Ahn Hwa-young as the briefing continued.

CRACK—BOOM!

[Noah’s Coffin] was located at the peak of a mountain. As we drew closer, we were set upon by monsters called ‘Orcus,’ which looked like twisted, animated trees.

“[Will-o’-the-Wisp]!” [Eat your vegetables, yum yum yum!]

Since the Orcus felt no pain, there wasn’t much I could do to stop them.

“[Darkened Pupils]!” [Failed.]

“Dammit….”

Their magic resistance was high. I had to fire off a curse twenty times just to get one to stick. I was exhausted from spamming the same skill dozens of times. Occasionally, when a few were finally blinded, Kim Jae-ho would step in and efficiently harvest them with his axe.

Whish—Thud!

Watching Yoo Se-rim effortlessly rip Orcus out by their roots with his whip made a surge of anger rise in my chest.

‘……Calm down. You’re just using him to get items for Baek Hee-do.’

I suppressed my frustration by focusing on the promise I had made, and finally, we stepped inside the dungeon: [Noah’s Coffin].