“Disciple! Then shall we go train together?”
“Yessir!”
Jurim grabbed his throbbing head and asked.
“Where are you suddenly trying to go?”
“Ah—if you’re asking where, here!”
Kazuki took out a photo saved on his phone.
Though he briefly questioned that preparedness, Jurim, having figured out where this place was, asked back in slight displeasure.
“Here?”
*
In the mountainous regions of the country, there were quite many temples with field-type dungeons.
Field-type dungeons were places that occasionally formed where people were scarce and dense mana accumulated; rather than subspaces taking dungeon form, it meant the surrounding flora and fauna transformed into demonic beasts.
These transformed demonic beasts were generally low-grade and not a great threat, so the vicinity often became a landmark.
One such place was a temple called ‘Yeonhamsa.’
Yeonhamsa was quite popular for temple stays thanks to its splendid scenery and special environment, so today as well, many tourists dressed in monk’s robes were staying at the temple.
“Master!”
Geuru, dressed like a child monk, came running patter-patter to the center of the courtyard.
The group doing the temple stay beamed broad smiles, saying it was cute, and Kazuki took out a long cloth from his inventory and tied it as a ribbon around Geuru’s waist.
“Disciple! Forward roll!”
“Yessir!”
Hahp! Geuru thud—did a forward roll.
“Good! You did great, disciple!”
Having confirmed that the ribbon didn’t come undone even with vigorous movement, Kazuki bumped fists with Geuru, saying he did well.
“Yay—”
“Yessir—”
Geuru and Kazuki continued to do backward rolls and hanging from Kazuki’s arm together.
“…….”
Jurim, who had been watching all of this, let out a sigh.
Kazuki knew well that the master of the 99th floor was in his left hand. It didn’t matter if people found out that Geuru was S-rank, but—
What did that have to do with production-type training?
Rather than an artisan, it seemed more like he was making the child into a Shaolin monk.
Worried that Geuru might get hurt playing so vigorously, Jurim stood with his arms crossed looking thoroughly displeased, when the head monk of Yeonhamsa approached him.
“Would it be alright if Layman Jurim does not change into monk’s robes either?”
Monk Hyeongak gestured with his eyes toward Kazuki.
Kazuki had promptly pulled out one arm from the monk’s robes provided by the temple, saying he wanted to wear them like a samurai.
‘He’s not even a child.’
That appearance looked more like a yakuza than a samurai, so the fact that the temple stay group was slowly avoiding Kazuki was an advantage.
Because no one seemed likely to lay a hand on the child out of fear of Kazuki.
“I’m fine. More importantly, I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly.”
“Not at all. It is thanks to Layman Jurim that this temple is maintained. You are welcome anytime.”
Yeonhamsa had dense mana and many rare flora and fauna, and demonic beasts drawn by the mana would pop out as well.
Therefore, it was one of the places that Hyeonak would occasionally come to subjugate as part of social contribution.
“We are greatly indebted to you this time, so please contact us anytime you need.”
Jurim smiled softly.
Surprised by Jurim’s changed atmosphere, Monk Hyeongak made a surprised expression before wearing a benevolent smile once more.
“By the way, Layman Jurim. Regarding the matter requested by Layman Amakusa… when would be a good time to look into it……”
Jurim’s head snapped up.
“A request? Kazuki did?”
Seeing that he had no idea, Monk Hyeongak subtly turned his head.
“Heheh…… It seems I have said something rather inappropriate.”
‘Could it be……’ Jurim rubbed his face, recalling the curse-type pattern on the thigh he had seen when Kazuki was putting on a strip show earlier.
He had thought Kazuki wasn’t the type to carry such things around, but it seemed to be a bigger deal than he had imagined.
“……It’s fine. I’ll ask you about it later, after the child falls asleep.”
“Yes. Let us do so.”
With that answer, the air grew heavy.
Because Jurim knew well what Monk Hyeongak was famous for.
‘So that’s why he came here.’
No wonder he had immediately settled on a place to train.
The eccentric who had roamed the world like a ghost must have suddenly come to Korea for this reason as well.
Contrary to the suddenly heavy atmosphere, Kazuki, who had been grinning brightly, pointed at the forest.
“Disciple! Let’s go to the forest!”
“Yessir!”
“My little disciple needs to get lots of sunlight. That way you’ll grow big and strong. This too.”
Kazuki tapped Geuru’s sprout.
Startled, Geuru covered the sprout with both hands.
“Aah! You can’t touch the sprout. It’ll wither.”
“No? It’s lush and green though.”
“Hm?”
Had it become a bit fresher?
As Geuru fiddled with the sprout, Jurim raised his voice toward the two heading for the forest.
“This entire area is a field-type dungeon, so don’t go too far.”
“Wakaru~ Daddy is worrying too much about Geuru.”
“Yeth. Dad is a worrywart.”
“Disciple, try following me. Ooh, worrywart.”
“Ooh- worrywa—”
The two, who had gotten along swimmingly before long, jeered, and Jurim furrowed his brow while the monk burst into a hearty laugh.
Jurim watched the two bouncing away and gripped his car keys.
“I’ll be away for a moment. Please look after the kids.”
The monk burst into laughter again at him calling them “kids,” including Kazuki.
“We will. If you are busy, we could give you a ride to Hyeonak in our vehicle tomorrow.”
“No. It won’t take that long. There’s just something I need to find for a moment.”
“If it is something to find…… is it related to Layman Kazuki?”
Monk Hyeongak replied as if worried he might have stirred up trouble, but Jurim merely bowed and headed toward his car.
Chapter Debuff ‘Paternal Karma’
While Jurim was briefly away.
Geuru ran around with Kazuki looking for rabbits and roe deer, observed spirit mushrooms growing on tree trunks, then sat side by side on the grass in a clearing.
“Master! Geuru, Geuru wants to see Master make something!”
“Good. What does Geuru like?”
“Hmhmm, dolls? Ah, a bicycle!”
“Hm, a bicycle is nice. I’ll make one for you as a keepsake.”
An enormous skull, like a boulder, popped out of the inventory.
‘It looks like a dinosaur!’
“Master, what bone is this?”
“Mm, it’s called Oonamazu (Great Catfish)……”
He laughed saying he didn’t know what it was called in Korean, so Geuru simply nodded.
Kazuki placed his hand on the bone and activated his skill.
[Activating the skill ‘Artisan of Tanabata.’]
Then, the Oonamazu’s skull began to turn into squishy dough.
“Whoa!”
The dough sparkled, with stars studded throughout like the Milky Way, and danced as it moved following Kazuki’s hand motions.
“Did bicycles always look like this?”
Kazuki made a plausible frame for a tricycle.
Geuru looked all around the perfectly crafted frame, made from just roughly remembering the shape, and continuously exclaimed in admiration.
A sleek design minimizing air resistance, like the latest tricycle!
He made hard material into clay in an instant, then created a perfect framework like an artist.
‘So this is S-rank?!’
Ding—!
His head rang with the feeling that he had lost.
‘Geuru’s rival is too strong!’
As Geuru swallowed a groan, Kazuki, who had been checking the bicycle’s appearance on his phone, spoke.
“The wheels might be too hard and hurt you if made of bone. I’ll finish the bicycle before we leave.”
Geuru nodded sullenly, and Kazuki caressed his chubby cheeks with both hands.
“Uncle will make you an even better one. Don’t be disappointed, Geuru.”
It wasn’t that he was disappointed about not getting the bicycle right now, but…….
“Yeth. Geuru can wait.”
“Mmh, good boy, good boy.”
Geuru smiled hee-hee.
“But you know. What does my little disciple want to make that you’re training for?”
“A mana potato! But it doesn’t make well.”
“A mana potato?”
“Yeth. A potato that shoots out mana swish-swish like a magic stone!”
“Ooh, Geuru has amazing imagination.”
At the sincere praise, Geuru blinked his eyes several times.
He probably wouldn’t register as a guardian because he was a rival, but!
‘Still, he’s a good person…….’
Geuru blushed and took out duck clips, star-shaped sunglasses shrunken with bands attached, a chick drone, a bear suit, and more from his inventory, displaying them like a peddler.
A rival is a rival, and praise is praise!
One should take what one can get.