Resurrection Money
1285 Words
"H-Hey!" A middle-aged man in a red jacket suddenly yelped, his voice cracking with panic. "He’s getting up!"
The other man also shouted, quickly stepping back to put some distance between us.
Ah, now they were just being too loud.
As I pushed myself up onto my feet, I realized something strange—I felt lighter, almost weightless.
I felt… good.
Who would have thought that resurrection could feel like swimming through a cloud made of milk and honey?
I clenched my fists, then opened my hands wide, carefully watching them to confirm they were working properly. I stretched my joints one after another, then tilted my head side to side until my neck cracked in a satisfying way.
For a brief moment, I ran my hands across my back and stomach, half-expecting pain or bruises.
There was nothing.
There was not a single ache left in me. That could only mean the resurrection had healed me completely… because I was almost certain my spine had snapped just minutes ago.
I ignored the two terrified men for the moment and allowed my eyes to scan the area. I was no longer on the road, understandably, since I got slammed.
Behind me stood a bent electric pole, the metal squeezed inward as though crushed by some great force. And a short distance away, the bag of medicines lay scattered across the ground.
With the evening breeze brushing against my body, chills crept up my skin.
'Yikes. The last thing I need was to catch a cold right after coming back to life.'
Quietly, I walked over, gathered the medicines, and bundled them again inside the wrecked plastic bag. It was a blessing they had not been ruined by the accident.
"Uhm… I think you should probably see a doctor or something," one of the men finally spoke. He had a bald head and looked even more middle-aged than the one in the jacket.
Turning toward him, I narrowed my eyes.
"Don’t worry, I won’t report you or anything," I said firmly, standing up straight and turning my back to them. "I don’t need anything from you."
"No, that’s not the point!" the man in the jacket quickly protested. "You must be in pain after that accident. Please, let us help you. At the very least, allow us to cover the bills, since we were reckless."
...Bills?!
I immediately turned back and strolled toward them, the soles of my feet splashing the shallow puddles spread across the road.
"Alright, let’s do it this way," I said, straightening my posture to look serious. "Give me the money for the medical treatment, and I’ll go right away."
The looks on their faces said it all; they clearly thought I had lost my mind. But after some hesitation, they finally agreed.
And to my surprise, they handed me 500,000 rals.
'Oh God, this is incredible! What a business opportunity. I could just casually get hit by cars, then demand payment for the bills.'
This amount alone was enough to cover our rent for five whole months. Not that I was stupid enough to actually spend all of it on rent. With this money, I could also buy some much-needed food for the house.
They say when one door closes, another opens. They weren't lying, it seems.
I had a feeling the gentlemen could have been pushed to give even more, but I did not have the confidence to admit that I was drowning in debt with the bank. So instead, I asked for cash and left it at that.
By the time I headed home, I had already forgotten about the disgrace, the pain, and even the fact that I had literally gotten into a road accident.
All I could see in front of me was hope.
Reaching the house, I carefully and quietly pushed open Najimi’s door, only to find her asleep.
I do not know why, but a strange feeling filled me. I felt like something different was about to happen.
If such a miracle had happened to me, perhaps it could happen to her as well. Miracles exist, after all.
"Big bro…?"
Oops. I had woken her up.
Wait a second... wasn’t Najimi a little too sharp for someone sick?
"Sorry for waking you," I said, walking over to her bedside. "I just wanted to recharge myself by looking at your mysteriously cute face."
"…"
She stayed silent, only staring at me through sleepy, half-lidded eyes.
"What? Why are you staring so hard? It's making me embarrassed." I darted my eyes away playfully.
But what the hell? Was she still half-lost in her dreams?
"Big bro… are you… alright?"
Eh? What kind of question was that? How was I supposed to answer something like that?
"Uhm… why do you ask?" I probed, genuinely puzzled.
She yawned a little, and damn, it was the cutest thing I had seen all day. "Somehow... you seem different. I do not know how to explain it."
"Fine, fine. Maybe it is because I am smiling like an i***t," I said, scratching the back of my head, actually grinning this time, not faking it.
I gave her a short version of what happened: I did not mention the recorded twerking or the accident, though. I just made up a story about some guys almost isekai-ing me with their truck, then handing me a handsome sum to make up for it.
"...Wow..." She managed a weak smile. "So does that mean we can finally pay Mr. Shin his rent?"
"And starve? No way." I chuckled, "But we can pay him a little to shut him up, then use the rest to survive. Then I will go find another driver to almost kill me and apologize with a handsome sum."
"Stop. That's not funny," she frowned. "Even as a joke, I don't want Big Bro to get hurt."
"Okay... I hear you... now go back to bed."
She nodded and I patted her head.
But... Wow. She falls asleep fast.
*
CLANG. The lock clicked and I sat on the edge of the bed, hands laced together like some mastermind plotting nothing at all.
"...So... what in the world are you again?"
{Understood. I am a System Assistant assigned to the Hero Candidate Ryū Jin.}
"Okay..." Hearing Hero made it sound like I was turning into some kind of superhero. "I have a lot of questions, but let us start here. I died a few moments ago, did I not?"
{Affirmative. The Hero Candidate Ryū Jin perished from being crushed by a vehicle 21,000 seconds ago.}
"You don't have to go into such detail." I frowned. "And only my spine got crushed. Also, why are we acting like resurrection is a normal thing?"
{Allow me to explain. There are three stages of death in the world: vessel death, spirit or soul death, and complete death. The individual known as Ryū Jin experienced a vessel death, something that can be even healed by an experienced mage. It is nevertheless an act that demands a colossal cost. The individual Ryū Jin paid some of his life force and his ability to acquire Divine Skills, excluding Magic skills and techniques.}
"......Hm? Sorry. You lost me at 'allow me to explain.'"
{...Let me rephrase: Resurrection is not possible by normal human means. Sacrifices were necessary for you to come back to life.}
"Again, what the hell are you talking about?" I flopped onto the bed. "When did I make any sacrifice? Weren't you the one who asked if I wanted to live? I said yes and woke up. Now you are saying I made sacrifices. Is this some kind of scam?"
{......Now listen here, you Master of mine-
- Writer
