Chapter 7
[Please Choose a Name.]
“A name? What, you mean this bird’s name?”
“Ppi-pi!”
“Chirpy?”
The purification bird, rubbing against me as if to confirm, flapped its wings happily at the name Chirpy and immediately flew up to peck at my eyebrows again.
“Ow, you little brat.”
“Ppi-pi! Ppi-pi!”
“What’s wrong with Chirpy? You keep chirping like that, it’s intuitive and fits you perfectly.”
My head was already a tangled mess.
I’d never once imagined a purification item would hatch into a bird, let alone that I’d have to give it a name.
“Ppi-pi! Ppi-pi-pi!”
The bird continued pecking at me in protest until I finally grabbed it in my hand.
“Ppi-pi! Ppi! Ppi-pi-pi! Ppi-pi-piit!”
It struggled wildly, squirming in my grip as if throwing a tantrum.
‘Noisy little thing.’
Shaking my head, I decided to give this troublesome creature another name.
“Fine, let’s go with Salt.”
“Ppi?”
“You’re as white as salt, aren’t you?”
Except for its black bean–like eyes and red beak, the bird was completely white. White could’ve suited Sugar as well, but with its salty, testy personality, Salt seemed more appropriate.
The moment I let go, the bird quieted down. It fluttered up onto my face and gave my forehead a sharp peck.
The sting was brief—then warmth spread through me.
[The ‘Purification Bird’ has been registered as the pet ‘Salt.’]
[You are now the owner of Salt.]
“A pet?”
“Ppi—”
Now perched on the pillow, Salt raised one wing in reply.
“You’re saying you’re my pet?”
“Ppi—”
Unfazed by my incredulous stare, Salt busied itself preening. That was when I heard the sound of the front door opening.
‘So, Seo Taeju’s home early.’
Given this morning’s incident, I should ignore him whether he came in or not.
“But… I still need him, for now.”
Muttering it like a mantra to brainwash myself, I pushed up to my feet—only to hear a heavy thud from outside.
‘What, is he coming to take out his morning frustrations on me now?’
“Stay here. Don’t come out.”
I warned Salt, who was still fussing with his feathers, and stepped into the living room.
For someone with his bulk, I expected Taeju to be immediately visible, but the space looked exactly as it had when I’d gone into my room.
‘Huh? Didn’t he come in just now?’
Scratching my head, I turned toward the entryway—where I spotted someone collapsed on the floor.
“What the hell… Why are you lying here? Did you get drunk or something?”
I approached, but there was no answer.
‘No smell of alcohol. Did he go into a dungeon and get poisoned? Or overwork?’
Before I could settle on a theory, a system window popped up in front of me.
[Passive skill ‘Diagnosis’ has activated.]
[Seo Taeju – Contamination Level: 94%]
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
This morning, his contamination had been normal. Even if something had happened, it shouldn’t have spiked this drastically in such a short time. Ninety-four percent?
‘What the hell did he do out there to get like this?’
I crouched down to check his condition. His face was ashen, his lips turning blue—the same symptoms Shin Sooha had shown from contamination.
“What the hell happened to you?”
“…Don’t… care… just… get lost…”
His clenched jaw and sweat-soaked face said it all—the pain was excruciating.
‘So he wasn’t ignoring me earlier. He literally couldn’t answer. Idiot.’
In the novel, contamination pain was described as if your organs were being scraped by shards of glass, so unbearable you’d rather die. Taeju’s fists, veins bulging from the strain, proved the description true.
“What did you do to end up like this?”
“Get… lost…”
And with that, he passed out cold.
I grabbed his legs and dragged him across the floor toward the sofa. With Seo Gowoon’s weak arms, lifting his weight was impossible.
After hauling him onto the rug, I hurried back to my room and scooped up Salt.
“Listen. No more chirping, got it?”
“Ppi?”
“Shh. Just purify quietly, understood?”
Without waiting for an answer, I placed Salt on Taeju’s forehead.
“Ppii—”
“Quiet, I said.”
Salt drooped across Taeju’s head like a mochi pancake, sulking, but obedient.
[Seo Taeju – Contamination Level: 84%]
[Seo Taeju – Contamination Level: 74%]
‘That’s fast!’
My eyes widened. Compared to when Salt was an egg, the purification speed was extraordinary. I’d read that the effect increased after hatching, but ten percent at a time? I hadn’t expected that.
I was still watching when a large hand suddenly clamped around mine.
“Let go. This feels disgusting.”
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
Taeju sat up, and Salt startled, flying off.
‘What’s with that expression?’
The sight of his scowling face sparked irritation in me. I save his life, and this is the thanks I get?
‘Hold it in. He’s still necessary.’
I forced my temper down. Getting on his bad side now would ruin everything.
‘He’s just another annoying citizen lodging a complaint. Smile, endure, don’t escalate… or it ends up on the national hotline.’
Reciting that mantra, I plastered on my brightest police-officer smile.
“You collapsed, so I moved you here. What exactly did I do wrong?”
“Bullshit, that’s not what I’m asking! What the hell did you just do to me?”
‘Bullshit? What the hell—’
My temper snapped.
“You looked like you were dying, so I made you more comfortable. Is that really a crime worth cursing me out for, you ungrateful bastard?”
His eyes went ice-cold.
‘What, glaring at me? I can glare right back.’
I met his gaze with the same chill.
“……”
The silence stretched until Taeju broke it.
“Are you deliberately dodging the question? What nonsense are you spewing?”
“The only nonsense here is coming out of your mouth. You’ve got some nerve.”
‘Did he realize he was being purified while unconscious?’
I bit my tongue. I couldn’t know what exactly he sensed, but it was inconvenient.
‘Should I just play dumb? He won’t let this go, though.’
As I debated, Taeju kept staring me down.
“What are you glaring at?”
I called Salt back, and he landed on my head, chirping noisily.
“If you’re that sick, go to a hospital. Don’t take it out on me.”
I tried to leave, but Taeju yanked my wrist.
“What are you doing? Let go.”
“Tell me what you just did. Right now!”
“Why the hell are you pissed at someone helping you? Was moving you to the sofa such a crime? Or do you hate me so much you can’t stand the sight of me?”
“Cut the crap! That bird—what the hell is it? And this aura I feel from you—what the hell are you up to?!”
“Aura? What the hell are you talking about—”
Aura? No way…
Meanwhile, his contamination level was plummeting rapidly.
[Seo Taeju – Contamination Level: 54%]
[Seo Taeju – Contamination Level: 34%]
‘Wait… is Salt purifying him through me?’
Taeju, thinking I’d been caught out, pressed harder.
“Tell me what the hell you did. If you don’t, I’ll cut off all support.”
I almost laughed. In my situation, his “support” meant nothing. If I needed money, I could just sell off Seo Gowoon’s stockpile of luxury goods.
‘This kid thinks that’s a threat? Maybe I should just ditch him and gather others instead.’
His snarling, defensive posture reminded me of myself as a kid, bristling at everyone.
‘He’s only like this because Seo Gowoon screwed him over so much. He’s not a bad person at the core.’
“Let go. You’re pissing me off.”
Even cops couldn’t interrogate this aggressively without breaking the law. And I hated being the one in handcuffs.
“I said, let go.”
He dragged me to the sofa and forced me down. His contamination level had already dropped to zero, yet he still wouldn’t release me.
“Stop being annoying and let me go.”
When I yanked hard, he finally scowled and shoved my hand away, then sat opposite me.
“You really know how to make a guy curse.”
I rubbed my aching wrist, glaring. Taeju, now slightly calmer, pointed at Salt.
“Talk. What is that thing?”
“Ppi!”
Salt, offended at being called “that thing,” dive-bombed and pecked Taeju’s hand. Taeju ignored it, eyes still fixed on me.
I picked Salt up and set him on my lap.
“Ppii! Ppi-pi! Ppiiing!”
“Quiet.”
“Ppi…”
Finally silenced, I sighed.
“Fine. Simply put, he’s a Purification Bird. His name’s Salt. His ability is to cleanse contamination. You just got purified.”
“Contamination? What the hell are you talking about? What contamination?”
Right now, the world hadn’t yet fully defined “contamination.” Officially, it was still thought of as a side effect hunters sometimes suffered.
“In simple terms, high-ranked hunters accumulate contamination every time they fight monsters. Salt clears it away. That ‘aura’ you felt—that was purification.”
“And how the hell do you know this? Where did you even get that thing?”
“…I found out by chance. And I got him by chance too.”
In the novel, Taeju’s contamination didn’t rise much until later, so I’d never considered having to explain Salt to him this early.
I couldn’t exactly say, I’m a transmigrator who read the book.
So I leaned on the word chance.
“Chance, my ass. Where’d you steal it from?”
I froze for a second—forgetting he had absolutely zero trust in me.
That bastard.
