The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 136

Helping a hungry child was an unspoken rule in this world. While the customs of other nations might differ, in this country, it was expected.

Thus, Kwon Arin couldn’t help but feel surprised. The child in front of her was only eight years old.

"I'm hungry."

That single phrase would easily prompt anyone to offer assistance. In a world where appearances often mattered, the child’s innocent look was a powerful asset.

She was, without a doubt, the most endearing child Kwon Arin had ever seen, with a heart so pure it could be compared to that of a saint. Even someone as jaded as herself could acknowledge that. So, it was difficult for Kwon Arin to grasp what Gyeoul was saying.

"No one offered you any food?"

"Well... sometimes I got food from the free meal center."

"The free meal center...?"

"Yes. But I didn’t go often because it felt wrong to take too much."

Gyeoul recalled the times she’d visited the free meal center. She'd avoided going there unless she was truly starving, since she'd often heard people saying, "Young ones shouldn't be relying on handouts."

"So aside from the meal center, no one helped you?"

"No, actually, during the first few years, quite a few people helped."

Not just the Dawn Guild; even hunters at the hunting grounds lent a hand. But over time, as they saw no signs of progress, they gradually stopped helping.

Gyeoul didn’t particularly resent them. It was simply because she didn’t have mana, and without it, there was no way to improve. It was understandable for people not to want to support someone who showed no progress.

"So, they only helped at the beginning? For just a few years?"

"Yes. They tried to teach me how to be independent, but I learn slower than others. I think they got tired after seeing me stuck in one place for so long."

"But…"

Gyeoul was only eight now. A few years ago, she must’ve been around five or six. Perhaps even younger.

Leaving a child just learning to walk because of slow progress? To Kwon Arin, that was incomprehensible.

"Those are some truly horrible people."

A few years ago, she probably couldn’t even speak properly. Just what did they expect from a child that young? Kwon Arin found it repulsive.

"No, the lack of progress was my fault, even though I received help. It’s only natural that they didn’t want to continue. Offering help isn’t an obligation."

"Well... no..."

Isn’t it normal to help a starving child? Kwon Arin wanted to shout this out but held herself back.

*sigh*

She understood now why Gyeoul had spoken the way she did earlier. Gyeoul seemed to have concluded that no one in the world would help someone as hopeless as her former self.

"Still, the Dawn Guild helps me a lot now, and others have started helping again too."

After realizing her slow progress was due to a lack of mana, the guild had even provided her with a mana-enabled body. She was just grateful that the guild had helped her when they didn’t have to.

"Yes, that’s right."

As expected of the Dawn Guild, they had saved Gyeoul, who had once fallen into despair.

Kwon Arin was relieved to see Gyeoul doing well now, but she suddenly remembered that the broadcast was still on and quickly moved to check it.

[Viewers: 500]

"Huh?"

The viewer count had skyrocketed a hundredfold. Why such a sudden spike? With trembling fingers, she checked the chat.

["????"]
["Those people are truly terrible..."]
["How could anyone abandon Gyeoul?"]

Fortunately, the chat was filled with messages of support for Gyeoul. There wasn’t a single negative comment, which was a relief. Not wanting Gyeoul’s unfortunate past to be exploited for views, Kwon Arin quickly ended the broadcast. While the increased viewer count was tempting, she didn’t want to capitalize on a child’s hardships to maintain it.

*I should try to lighten the mood.*

For now, the best thing to do was to continue with the game. With that, Kwon Arin resumed playing with the kids. They ended up cooking with grasshoppers and snakes that Gyeoul had brought, and surprisingly, the taste wasn’t half bad.

---

That evening, after finishing the game, we went scavenging at the recycling center with the kids. It was the same spot where we’d found the mattress, and this time, we were looking for something to replace the broken pot.

"Wow! Wasn’t that game so fun?!"

"Yeah, it was! Saebyeok, what did you think?"

"I liked it too."

It was a relief that both Levinas and Saebyeok had enjoyed themselves. While wagging my tail, my eyes were drawn to a small refrigerator on one side of the recycling area.

"Huh."

The fridge was about my height, the perfect size for the container house. Unlike a large fridge, it seemed practical.

In the tent days when there was no electricity, I wouldn’t have looked twice, but now that we had power in the container house, it seemed useful for storing snacks for quick meals between farming sessions.

*Can I take this...?*

They hadn’t complained when we took the pot, but a large appliance was a different story. I looked around and spotted a security guard organizing the area nearby.

"Excuse me..."

I called out softly, but there was no response. Maybe he couldn’t hear well because of his age.

"Excuse me..."

Tippy-toeing, I gently tapped his shoulder. The elderly guard turned to look at me.

"Hmm?"

"Is it okay if I take that fridge over there?"

"Of course, take as much as you need."

His tone was warm and kind. Gratefully, I bowed and hurried to the fridge.

"We can take this fridge!"

"What?! Really?"

"Yeah…!"

I nodded eagerly, my tail swaying with excitement. Saebyeok, realizing it was her turn, lifted the fridge with ease and placed it on the cart. Her strength was impressive, as always.

"Hop on."

With a light tap on the cart’s side, Saebyeok invited us on board. Levinas climbed up and squatted next to the fridge like a little pirate, pointing forward.

"Onward!"

Levinas declared, mimicking a pirate captain. But it wasn’t time to depart just yet.

"Wait, let me check if there’s a pot somewhere."

"Just a minute, then we can go!"

Leaving the kids to wait, I quickly scanned the area for any pots. My keen eyesight allowed me to look around quickly, but there were none in sight. Still, I wasn’t disappointed since we’d found the fridge.

---

Once we got the fridge back to the container, I plugged it in. Although it wasn’t hooked up to an electric grid, I could power it with mana stones.

*It works perfectly.*

I had worried it might be broken, but it turned on without issue.

As I savored the cool air from the fridge, Levinas climbed inside.

"It’s so nice and cool!"

"Yeah. Should we put some food inside?"

"Can I put my stuff in too?!"

"It’s for everyone."

"…!"

With wide eyes, Levinas dashed outside. After waiting a few minutes, she returned with a bunch of vegetables, including carrots, clover, and foxtail grass.

"I’m putting these in!"

It seemed Levinas had brought her favorite plants. After a moment of thought, I decided to add some cornmeal and cleaned fish.

*Phew…*

We stocked the fridge and took a short break. As I idly wagged my tail, sitting inside the container, someone entered.

"So here you are! What’ve you been up to?"

Midsummer approached with a warm smile. The closer she got, the faster my tail wagged.

"Just organizing the fridge."

"The fridge?"

"Yeah, we found it at the recycling center, and it works fine."

I pointed at the fridge. Midsummer, being a cooking enthusiast, gazed at it with great interest.

"Wow, did you stock it with food?"

"Yeah, we put some stuff in there."

"Really? Then maybe I’ll whip up something from what’s inside."

With her sleeves rolled up, Midsummer opened the fridge door, revealing Levinas curled up inside, trembling slightly.

"Don’t cook me…!"

It seemed Levinas was genuinely spooked by the thought of being turned into a meal.

"Oh, I didn’t realize you were in there."

"No rabbit stew…?"

"Of course not! Why would I ever do that?"

Midsummer reached in and lifted Levinas, who sighed in relief in her embrace.

"Do you like rabbit stew?"

"No, I hate it! But I like live rabbits."

"Really?!"

"Yeah."

Levinas buried her face in Midsummer’s arms as Midsummer gently stroked her back while scanning the fridge’s contents.

"What are you planning to make?"

I thought perhaps a porridge could be made with the fish, cornmeal, and vegetables Levinas had brought. I looked up at Midsummer, who seemed slightly perplexed.

"This is all there is?"

"Yes, only the tastiest things!"

"Hmm…"

I’d chosen the best I could find, but Midsummer just kept looking into the fridge, deep in thought.

"This is going to be tricky to make a proper dish with…"

"Can’t we just throw it all in and make a porridge?"

"No, that’s not cooking…"

"Huh?"

Isn’t tossing everything in a pot and boiling it technically cooking? I tilted

 my head in confusion, watching Midsummer bite her lip as she stared at the ingredients.