Chapter: Crimes Deserve Consideration
Guild Hyeonak’s full-fledged recruitment of new members began.
Those who had passed the document screening came and went from the company building one by one for their interviews.
‘Not today either?’
These days, Geuru hid in the hallway every day to check whether Chuen had come, only to turn back.
‘Is Chuu-unni really not coming after all?’
Geuru, who had been looking glum, shook her head. With this many people around, maybe Chuen had been too embarrassed to apply.
To begin with, if it was Chuen, she might be able to join without going through the hiring process, like Serhi had.
Well, there were also people who insisted on going through the hiring process because the guildmaster opposed them.
With narrowed eyes, Geuru looked at the man laughing heartily.
As though he found this situation highly amusing, Kazuki laughed loudly while signing the back of Gidan’s vest.
Behind Gidan, a long line of guild members had formed, all asking for his autograph too.
‘……They’re getting autographs?’
Was it like he was a celebrity…… among Hunters?
Geuru’s eyes, increasingly displeased by the situation, turned triangular.
“Hunter Amakusa! Once ownership of the weapons is transferred, will we be able to see them in Hyeonak too?”
It was probably because of that. The S+ rank Amakusa Series.
“Wow, Gidan’s got guts. Asking him straight-out like that.”
“I was honestly curious!”
“Me too!”
“Me too, me too.”
At the voices chiming in from the side, Kazuki burst into laughter.
“The Amakusa Series is currently owned by the Japanese government, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true…… but I’ll have to bring them over to Hyeonak now.”
“Oooh—!”
“Waaah!”
Startled cheers and exclamations burst out here and there.
Watching everyone react with such delight, Geuru clenched her tiny fists and trembled.
Geuru’s heart was being dyed black once more. It was all because of the jealousy bubbling furiously inside her!
‘They never clung to Geuru like that!’
Of course, what Master had made was the S+ Series, and Geuru’s were prototypes, with somewhat different ranks and uses, but…….
Still, as a fellow crafter-type, she couldn’t help feeling upset.
‘Should I transform into Jjapso and go out there?’
But what if no one was interested in Geuru even then!
Then the heart of Geuru, a terminal attention-seeker, would be torn to shreds.
Just as Geuru was quietly burning with jealousy while peeking out with only half her face showing, the guild members spotted her.
“Geuru, why are you over there? Come here.”
“Our Geuru is wearing such cute clothes today.”
“Oh, Geuru-Geuru.”
As if coaxing a very wary wild animal, the guild members cooed at her and took snacks from their pockets one by one, waving them.
Geuru carefully controlled the corners of her mouth, which were trying to stretch into a grin.
Should she go out? As she was debating intensely, Kazuki suddenly approached and lifted Geuru into his arms.
“Geuru-chan, how does Master look today?”
For the interview, Kazuki had covered all his tattoos and swept back his hair, making him look especially handsome today, but—
Geuru stuck out her lips.
“Not really…….”
“Why?!”
“Just because…….”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Your duck lips are out again.”
Behind them, Gidan approached and asked with a sly grin.
“No, nothing like that.”
Instead of honestly confessing the primitive desire that she was jealous of the difference in treatment between them as fellow S-rank crafter-types, Geuru secretly took an acorn from her pocket and handed it to Kazuki.
“Master, this.”
“Ah…….”
For some reason, Kazuki, who had received the acorn, gave a bitter smile.
“……It’s already fully grown.”
“Hm?”
While Geuru wondered about his complicated tone, Kazuki smiled brightly again.
“Thank you, Geuru-chan.”
Whispering his thanks, he kissed Geuru on the cheek and quickly put the acorn into his inventory.
“Master, you’re not using the acorn?”
“Mm, I’ll use it later.”
Later when?
She wanted to ask, but she couldn’t bring herself to. His face looked strangely dark.
Suddenly, Geuru recalled Kazuki’s Guardian Quest.
[Guardian Quest]
[Guardian “Amakusa Kazuki” is hesitating, unable to make a decision easily. Let’s help your guardian and be a filial child!]
“Huuung……?”
*
As even more people gathered, Geuru jumped down from Kazuki’s arms and headed to Serhi’s office.
Serhi, who had been looking over documents, glanced at Geuru as she trotted in.
For a moment, he thought she had come dressed properly for once.
Then Geuru took out a magic wand and swung it in a circle as though doing a dance, and it rang out with a chime.
“Miracle Change! Trans-formation!”
A cluster of light appeared around Geuru’s body, and with a poof, Half-Made Bear appeared where Geuru had been.
It was the prototype of the transform item they said would be released as a toy.
“Oh.”
Perhaps the transformation piqued his interest a little, because Serhi paid attention.
“Is that the transformation toy coming out this time?”
—That is correct. Its performance is lacking if used as combat armor, but it is optimized for children who wish to transform.
She added several explanations: a total of two outfits could be preset, the magic wand could be used to transform into the preset outfits, and since its only function was transformation, it did not consume much mana stone energy.
“It’ll sell well.”
Even adults wouldn’t be able to resist that.
—Heh-heh.
Geuru swaggered closer, propped her elbow on the desk, and made a sly proposal.
—O Serhi, is there not anything you wish to request from an S-rank crafter-type?
Watching Half-Made Bear’s drooping eyebrows twitch, Serhi answered immediately.
“No.”
Bzzzt—!
—Think carefully. Geuru may be able to make something cool…… no, something incredibly cool for you, you know?
“I thought carefully. There isn’t.”
It was another immediate answer.
Flabbergasted, Geuru raised Half-Made Bear’s drooping eyebrows all the way to the top of its head.
—Do magic-types not need things like buff weapons?
“Uh, not really.”
—Why? Why not?
“I’m still the youngest on the team, so I don’t really do much.”
Huff, huff.
Was this why Serhi had no interest in Master either?
After huffing repeatedly, Geuru transformed again with another chime, and Serhi let out a small laugh as though he found her cute.
Geuru stuck close to Serhi’s chair, leaned her body against the armrest, and began grumbling.
“Why doesn’t everyone ask Geuru to make this or that for them?”
“Hmm, that’s because…….”
Instead of saying, “Because your dad is glaring at them terrifyingly,” Serhi answered carelessly.
“You’re F-rank.”
If he said something unnecessary and this little thing scampered off to fight the guildmaster, he would be the one to take the blame for no reason.
“Nooo, Jjapso isn’t. And Dani-oppa knows everything, but he still doesn’t do that. You know, Dani-oppa. He’s totally dumb. He even got Master’s autograph. Even though they’re both S-rank.”
“You only realized that now? He is dumb.”
As if Serhi also had something piled up against Gidan, he continued.
“He’s a total psycho. At home, he has, no joke, about five hundred T-shirts signed by baseball players. If you touch them, he goes apesh— I mean, he throws a fit.”
Serhi harshly went on, saying that Gidan didn’t even wear them and just enshrined them, and that even cultists wouldn’t go that far, then added as if baffled,
“He even has the guildmaster’s autograph at home.”
Geuru’s mouth fell open. Dani-oppa had Dad’s autograph at home?!
“But, but why not from Geuru?”
“Why not what?”
“Ask for an autograph.”
“Ah…… of course he wouldn’t.”
Serhi turned his gaze back to the documents.
Huff…….
Was it because Geuru still wasn’t impressive enough?
“Geuru wants to become great like Master too.”
“You’re tiny, but you’re full of desire. Grow up some more first.”
“How much?”
“As much as me?”
If it was as much as Serhi, Geuru would have to grow for twelve more years.
“Hmph.”
Pouting, Geuru peeked at Serhi’s file.
Seeing that it was labeled investigation-related, it seemed he was still helping his older brother, Jin Siwon, with his work.
Geuru read the title written in large letters at the very top of the document.
[Overview of the Unauthorized Conquest of an Unregistered S-Rank Instance Dungeon]
‘Hm?’
[Location Found: Justitia International School]
‘Huuum?’
[Judging by the dungeon’s rank, it is highly likely that the culprit is not an individual but an organization…….]
‘Huuuuum?!’
Geuru’s eyes went round, and she burrowed into Serhi’s arms to read through the case overview file.
The contents were exactly as the title said. An S-rank dungeon discovered at Justitia International School had been cleared without authorization by “vicious culprits (likely multiple),” and an investigation was underway to find those who had cleared it.
Geuru folded both hands over her tightly constricted chest.
The S-rank dungeon that had appeared at Justitia International School.
Wasn’t that the very slime dungeon Geuru had vigorously stabbed with a fork?
“Oppa, what does this mean? Why is it bad to clear a dungeon?”
“If bad people clear dungeons however they please, they might use the items or experience they get from there for bad things, right? That’s why dungeons have to be managed strictly, they say.”
Cold sweat ran down Geuru’s back.
‘I’m in big trouble.’
Geuru clutched her badly shriveled heart.
‘Is Geuru a criminal again?!’