The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 174

A lost adult tooth never grows back.

For the rest of my life, this would be a painful loss.

Beastfolk supposedly lived longer than humans, with rare cases like Sophia, who even surpassed the natural limits of life. Would I have to endure all that time without a fang? Smiling would mean revealing an obvious gap for everyone to see.

Drowning in despair, I clutched my head.

“My fang...”

Modern technology had implants, but my teeth weren’t human. Beastfolk fangs were longer and sharper than human ones. To replace my lost fang, I’d need a custom implant that could pierce my gum like a spike.

And regular implants already cost hundreds of thousands of won. A custom beastfolk implant? The price would be astronomical.

Thud.

I collapsed on the living room floor, my hands pressing against the ground for support.

The dislodged fang rolled to Sophia’s feet. She picked it up as though handling a precious treasure.

“You must be very shocked to have lost your tooth.”

“Yes... What should I do now?”

I could taste blood from my gum, the empty spot where the fang had been left hollow.

That tooth had been invaluable, capable of slicing through the toughest meat with ease. I’d only come to appreciate its worth after it was gone.

“Don’t worry too much; it will grow back.”

“It... it will grow back?”

Could a beastfolk’s adult teeth regenerate? Sophia’s words, spoken without a hint of deceit, sparked a glimmer of hope.

“Of course. Didn’t you know?”

“No... I didn’t.”

“Then this must be your first time losing a tooth.”

It was my first time as a beastfolk, yes. I nodded at Sophia, and her face lit up with a joyful expression. She tucked my fang into a small pouch that resembled a lucky charm bag.

“Why are you keeping my fang?”

“Hmm... Keeping it safe will help the new tooth grow in, won’t it?”

Keeping it safe? Was this some kind of fairy tale, like the tooth fairy or a magpie legend?

Sophia’s faint blush hinted that even she wasn’t entirely serious about the tradition. It felt more like she was honoring an old custom.

“Whatever the case, I hope it grows back soon. It’s so inconvenient without it.”

“Don’t worry. Since I’ve kept it in the pouch, it will grow back quickly.”

“Quickly?”

“Yes. Open your mouth.”

As soon as I opened my mouth as instructed, I felt something firm pressing through my gum.

I could feel my fang growing back in real time, sharper and sturdier than before.

Could it really grow this fast?

Wide-eyed, I stared at Sophia’s lucky charm pouch. Maybe it was some special magic unique to this world.

“Did the pouch make my tooth grow?”

“Not only that, it made it stronger as well.”

She was right. The new fang felt so robust and sharp it seemed capable of tearing through steel. If it came to it, I could probably use it as a weapon.

“Wow...”

This world was full of fascinating magic. I looked up at Sophia with sparkling eyes.

“Should I pull out all my teeth and replace them?”

“...This child.”

Thwack.

Sophia lightly bopped me on the head with her staff. It didn’t hurt, as usual.

“Why?”

“How can you talk so casually about pulling out your teeth?”

“But they grow back anyway...”

And stronger too. I gave her a look of pure innocence.

“Okay, look here.”

She swung the coin like a pendulum. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t feel hypnotized at all.

“Oh no, something feels strange.”

To humor her, I pretended to fall under hypnosis.

“Are you hypnotized?!”

“Yes, I’m hypnotized.”

“Wow! Levinas did it!”

She hopped around in excitement, circling me once before placing her hands on her hips triumphantly.

“Then you have to follow Levinas’ orders!”

“Yes, I have to follow your orders.”

What was she planning to command? I wasn’t worried, just curious.

“Then Levinas wants... a kiss here!”

Levinas tapped her cheek with her finger, her face slightly flushed as she giggled.

“Hmm...”

I saw no reason not to comply. I leaned in and kissed her cheek.

“Ahhh!”

Levinas fell back, landing on her rear in shock, overwhelmed by happiness.

“Levinas...”

Before I could ask if she was okay, someone tugged on my sleeve.

Next to me, Saebyeok was staring up at me with expectant eyes.

“Okay.”

I kissed her cheek as well.

Saebyeok, perhaps imitating Levinas, also plopped onto the ground with a dramatic flair.

“What are you all doing?”

Sophia approached, leaning on a new staff she used around the house.

“Levinas hypnotized Wangya!”

“Hypnotized?”

“Yes! Now she does everything I say!”

“...You’re not just pretending, are you?” Sophia’s skeptical gaze pierced through me.

Of course, I was pretending.

But I couldn’t admit that in front of the kids, so I kept quiet.

“Wangya even kissed me on the cheek because I told her to!”

“Hmm... With Levinas’ abilities, it’s not entirely impossible...”

Not impossible? Was magic capable of real hypnosis in this world? No wonder Sophia hesitated to outright dismiss it.

“Levinas, you shouldn’t abuse your power to make people obey.”

“But what if it’s a nice order?”

“A nice...”

Sophia hesitated, her face turning red as she fidgeted with her hands.

“Gyeoul.”

“Yes?”

“Could you... call me ‘Mom’?”

“...Mom?”

That was unexpected.

I tilted my head in confusion.

And when I finally said it, Sophia...

“Ahem, hmm, cough...”

Sophia suddenly seemed very flustered.