“……!”
Flinch. Geuru’s shoulders jumped when their eyes suddenly met.
‘How is the Guild Master here?’
Ah! Geuru checked the smartwatch on his wrist.
It seemed the shock of tumbling around just now had caused the smartwatch to transmit Geuru’s location to the Guild Master.
He stepped on Gidan’s shoulder to pin him down so he couldn’t move, then slowly turned his gaze.
Before anyone knew it, Malikian had disappeared, and the space he had torn open had shrunk to the size of a fist.
Jurim furrowed his brow.
“……Still quick to run away, I see.”
Watching an S-rank monster flee in such an unsightly manner, Geuru’s mouth fell open.
Yeti Boss < S-rank Monster < Guild Master
Dun-dun—
‘The strongest of the strongest!’
He lazily swept his gaze around the field before shifting it to Geuru, who was clinging to the rooftop railing.
“Hic!”
Scawy!
Geuru quickly hid his face beneath the railing.
‘Scarier than an S-rank monster.’
While Geuru hid beneath the railing and trembled, Jurim pressed down harder to stop Gidan, who was thrashing beneath him.
“Let go! Let go!”
“Gidan, you can’t handle this alone. Come to your senses.”
“I’ll kill him!”
But it seemed there was no reason left in him. Gidan couldn’t calm his excitement at all.
Letting out a sigh, Jurim bent down and whispered into Gidan’s ear.
“……!”
As soon as those words ended, Gidan lost consciousness on the spot.
With only his eyes peeking over the railing, Geuru’s shoulders shook.
‘R-run away!’
He tried to crawl away on all fours so he wouldn’t be seen from below, but he didn’t get far before he had to stop.
Looking at the dress shoes blocking his path, Geuru gulped.
Geuru looked up at Jurim, who had approached him.
Perhaps he had rushed out as soon as he received the smartwatch’s signal, because he was wearing only a shirt, with his tie hanging loose.
When their eyes met, Geuru forced a bright smile.
“Guild Mawst—hic!—er!”
With a frightening expression, Jurim asked slowly.
“You said you were going home with Chief Yun, didn’t you? Is this your home?”
“Hic!”
His heart dropped with a thud. Feeling as though the world were spinning before his eyes, he lowered his head and fidgeted with both hands.
‘I’m going to get scolded. Scary.’
“You deserve a scolding, don’t you?”
“Uuuung~”
Geuru stuck out his lips and shook his head.
Jurim seemed about to let out a low laugh, but then his expression hardened again. Firmly reining in his softening heart, he crossed his arms.
“Han Geuru. Is it okay or not okay to act on impulse without telling anyone?”
“Not okay…….”
He knew it wasn’t okay, but…… Overcome with grievance, Geuru pouted.
“But…….”
Geuru had his reasons too.
But he couldn’t explain them right now.
Instead of saying this or that, Geuru curled his body into a little ball and mumbled.
“Geuru did wong……. Hic!”
When he rolled his big eyes around, trying to read the mood, Jurim, whose lips had been parting, wiped a hand over his face.
In the end, Jurim was the one who surrendered at the sight of Geuru trembling like a baby squirrel and sniffing.
He looked the child over by eye and asked gruffly.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No…… hic!”
“You’re not hiding it because you’re afraid of being scolded, right?”
Nod, nod.
Geuru hopped in place to show that he was perfectly fine.
“……Doesn’t hurt at all.”
His pale coral eyes darted between Jurim and the floor. After watching Jurim’s expressionless face, Geuru suddenly raised both arms as if asking to be held.
Jurim looked at the child, whose eyes were brimming as he spread both arms wide, and let out a sigh.
“……Haa.”
Unable to scold him any further, he picked Geuru up.
At that, Geuru hugged Jurim tightly around the neck.
‘He hugged me. Uheehee!’
Thinking he wouldn’t get scolded now, Geuru let the corners of his mouth melt into a grin.
When he rubbed his flushed cheeks against him, warmth quickly bloomed.
‘Warm and toasty.’
As if under a spell that made him feel safe whenever Jurim held him, his pounding heart calmly settled down too.
Then, when his nose began to run, Geuru wiped his snot on Jurim’s collar.
Feeling the dampness on his shoulder, Jurim narrowed his eyes.
As Jurim placed a hand on his forehead to check whether he had a fever, Geuru asked,
“But, hic! What about Dan oppa?”
He had definitely been different from usual. Especially those eyes that had looked frighteningly sad.
“……Dan is.”
“Is he sick? Hic!”
Jurim patted Geuru’s back as he kept hiccuping.
“His heart hurts.”
After saying that calmly, he soon left the dungeon.
Chapter6 Walk-off Home Run
After returning home, Geuru went straight into the study.
Dan had definitely become strange the moment he met Malikian.
‘Maybe Malikian used some weird skill on him!’
Lying facedown on the sofa in the study, Geuru opened a thick dungeon encyclopedia.
‘Malikian…… Malikian…….’
Finding the page on Malikian was easy. There were newspaper clippings tucked into the paper.
The dates on all the articles were from one year ago.
[Great Dungeonization in Jumunjin, Gangneung; Casualties Being Assessed]
“A Great Dungeonization occurred at a detached house in Jumunjin…….”
Geuru traced the letters with his finger as he read the article.
“Dungeonization” referred to a phenomenon in which an entire nearby area transformed into a dungeon. When dungeonization occurred, monsters poured out and took over the region.
Even worldwide, there had been extremely few cases, and Jumunjin was officially the fourth dungeonization to occur.
The article said it had been a major crisis, with two S-rank monsters emerging.
Fortunately, however, because it had been a sparsely populated area, there had been few casualties.
“The confirmed casualties include a man in his forties, Mr. Gi…… His middle-school-aged son survived…….”
One year ago, Mr. Gi’s middle-school-aged son.
And Gidan’s rage, which had seemed almost abnormal.
Feeling his chest tighten, Geuru opened the next clipping.
[On Jurim Successfully Suppresses Great Dungeon]
[On Jurim Reveals One S-rank Monster Escaped…… Three Major Guilds Join the Search]
[Escaped S-rank Malikian, Still Missing?]
[Two Months Since Malikian’s Escape, Search Officially Ends]
‘Malikian, escaped…….’
Malikian, who moved around while tearing open space.
Gidan had wanted to stand against Malikian, the one who had killed his family.
‘But…….’
Geuru had witnessed Malikian remaining unfazed by Gidan’s offensive.
Gidan’s movements had been sharp and effective, but dealing damage to him had seemed impossible.
‘Is his defense high?’
If Malikian’s defense were lowered, would Gidan’s attacks work?
Geuru took the duck clip out of his inventory. Then windows appeared one after another before his eyes.
[Measuring Filial Piety Points…….]
[Conditions met. Enhancement function unlocked.]
[Items can be enhanced using Filial Piety Points.]
[Filial Piety Points consumed: 500]
‘Enhancement!’
Could Geuru’s duck clip escape being defective?
If so, would it also become possible to inflict a debuff on Malikian?
Countless failures flashed through his mind, but soon Geuru clasped his small hands together.
‘Here I go, enhancement!’
Let’s go! Common duck clip!
[Enhancement successful.]
[Stinging Duck Clip Imbued with Mephisto (Usable)]
‘Usable?’
Geuru narrowed his eyes.
After defective, it isn’t common but usable?
Geuru puffed up his cheeks. Whoever made this had an absurd standard for ranks.
[A hidden function has been unlocked.]
[Absolute Command: The caster’s attack ignores the target’s effect resistance at a somewhat low probability.]
‘Ignore effect resistance!’
The phrase “somewhat low probability” bothered him, but if it ignored effect resistance, it meant he wouldn’t fail to apply the debuff.
‘With this!’
It was as good as having one more method to oppose Malikian.
Using his Filial Piety Points had been worth it.
‘How long did you think you could keep dodging my debuffs?’
With a wicked expression, Geuru lifted the corner of his mouth. Hmph.
‘I want to see the look on that guy’s face when he panics.’
Someday, I’ll be able to show him the power of Guuungjuuung. Kkeukkeuk! It was the moment Geuru was lost in ecstasy.
— With a bumpy, handsome body~ dressed in red~ giving off a sweet-and-sour scent~ the stylish tomato~
When the bell rang, Geuru hurriedly sat on top of Jurim’s study desk. Right in front of him lay the smartwatch Jurim had given him.