Chick 302
by Cristae302
Bailach’s expression hardened coldly.
It was the same scent he had detected when he was forcibly stuffed into a human shell.
‘Is that one here?’
This time, he would devour her, he vowed—swearing vengeance in that very moment.
Beside him, Yurian began to growl.
“…?”
Why, though, was this one angry?
“Myu myu?” (There’s something wrong with this one…)
Startled by Bailach’s words, Lucifer raised his head.
Yurian was in a pitiful state, suffering and unable even to open his eyes fully, yet still growling—a sight that made Lucifer’s ears droop.
It must be because of the “Parental Duty Snack of Rage (S+)” taken from him that time.
During that contest in the pool, when they vied to see whether Wooju or Mephisto suited Groo better—
Lucifer had cheered on Mephisto and tried to deliver him the parental duty snack.
But Yurian, noticing this, rushed right over and snatched the treat away.
Lucifer, his snack taken, had wept helplessly, while Yurian merely grinned and scampered off.
But after that, Yurian showed no further sign, so Lucifer had dismissed it as just a passing incident…
Now, watching Yurian suffer in the small bag, Lucifer sniffed, tears trembling in his eyes.
Perhaps the debuff “Outcast’s Rage” from the snack was affecting him.
Because the parental duty snack was an item charged with Groo’s concentrated anger from being ostracized.
Anyone without innate purification abilities who ate it would easily be swept away by its rage. That was why it was deemed too dangerous and sealed away.
It was no wonder, then, that Yurian was left weakly growling in this state…
As Lucifer, weighed down with guilt, sat dispirited, Bailach clicked his tongue.
‘Of all times, during such an important moment, the mount has fallen ill.’
Irritated, Bailach bared his teeth, inhaling his enemy’s scent drifting through the crowd.
No helping it. He’d have to address Yurian’s condition for now, then pursue his nemesis.
“Myut?” (This one…he ate the duty snack he took from you, right?)
“Kkyu…” (Probably…)
“Myu myu?” (Are there any snacks left?)
Lucifer answered by pulling out two from his hands, one in each.
These were all that remained, as Groo no longer made them.
Trying to avoid people’s attention, Bailach whisked Yurian inside.
“Kkyu?!” (Where are you going?!)
Lucifer hurried after them.
Meanwhile, Groo tilted her head in confusion.
Clinging to Joorim’s side like a goldfish’s droppings while greeting grownups, she noticed her bag felt lighter.
Between people’s legs, she glimpsed a tiny hamster dragging a Maltese away in hopping bounds.
Trailing behind was a rabbit with drooping ears in hot pursuit.
“Bail? Fer?!”
“Bbi?!”
Where were they taking Yurian?
Groo glanced up at Joorim. Dad looked busy…
‘Hmm.’
Maybe it was time she gave the little ones a stern lesson so they’d stop running wild.
Groo dashed off after the familiars.
Joorim watched Groo’s departing back in passing, then reached out to shake hands with people greeting him.
A quiet corner in the hangar, filled with the roar of engines and machine sounds.
Bailach felt Yurian’s small dog body, then recoiled in surprise.
Yurian’s entire body was burning hot enough to melt his hand.
Lucifer struggled with both arms, trying to cool him down, but it was futile.
Bailach waved his short arm dismissively, indicating him to stop with the useless attempts.
“Myu…myu myu.” (He’s in a terrible state… He might not be able to withstand the power of the duty snack. So…)
“Kkyu…”
Lucifer checked on Yurian.
He hadn’t been this bad when they left this morning.
Yurian, pouring cold sweat and still sniffing and growling, could not stop.
Then Bailach spoke.
“Myu.” (Let’s give him more.)
Lucifer sprang up in shock.
“Kkyut?!” (Monstrous!)
“Myu myu.” (With the parental duty snack’s buff, he might become stronger and tough enough to withstand it.)
“Kkyut!” (Nonsense!)
Regardless, Bailach ignored Lucifer’s protest and, as he tried to force the snack into Yurian’s mouth—
Yurian’s half-closed eyes opened.
The hamster with stars in his eyes and the rabbit with a sprout on his head appeared before him.
Summoning his strength, Yurian turned his head aside.
‘There definitely was a scent…’
The scent of that woman.
The scent of the lab.
Fragments of memories he wished never to recall flashed through his mind, and his vision flushed red.
At that moment, something entered Yurian’s mouth, fever and all.
Not knowing what it was, Yurian swallowed it instinctively.
At once—
“…!”
A surge of uncontrollable power.
Simultaneously, a searing pain as if his body would burst apart.
“Kh! Kekek!”
Tremors shook his tiny body, racked by the force.
He reflexively triggered a skill to release the power.
[Skill ‘Spectrum Echo (SSS)’ activated.]
-Captures the flow of past time or traces of past energy and turns them back.
[Skill exceeds its threshold and temporarily evolves.]
[Skill ‘Time Warp (L)’ activated.]
At the same time, a blast of light exploded.
Sensing danger, Bailach snatched Lucifer and leapt away, but the small child who had followed was caught in the light.
“Myu?!” (Master?!)
“Kkyu!” (No!)
Groo watched the little hands of the hamster and rabbit reaching for her, gasping.
A sequence of status messages flashed in her vision.
Ding!
[Due to ‘Time Warp’ you are being warped to an arbitrary point in time.]
[Because of (Unknown Title), the skill is transforming.]
[Arbitrary point set to ‘6 years ago’.]
Groo sat slumped in a corridor of cold metal, looking about in confusion.
She felt herself being held—Mephisto, in the form of a child, was hugging her tightly in protection.
“Mephi?!”
“…”
Mephisto’s eyes were closed, his head drooped, giving no answer.
“…!”
Realizing something was wrong, Groo quickly scanned the surroundings.
Behind her stretched a corridor lined with glass doors on both sides; before her, a thick iron door blocked the way.
This was definitely not the hangar filled with engines roaring.
Here, it was eerily silent.
So quiet, so stifling was the gloom, Groo’s shoulders hunched instinctively.
“…Mephi.”
She called Mephisto again, hesitantly. Yet Mephisto remained limp, as if the life had gone out of him.
As though he had spent all his strength.
Groo, tenderly, began to stroke him with concern.
‘…Where are we, anyway?’
Where were Bailach and Lucifer? What about Yurian?
Then—
Ding!
[Urgent! No trace of ‘Temporal Regressionist’ found in the present timeline.]
[By guidance of the ‘System Administrator’, the role of ‘Temporal Regressionist’ is being aligned to fit this timeline.]
[‘Temporal Regressionist’ profile is updated to orphan ‘G-r00’.]
[As you settle from ‘On Groo’ to ‘G-r00’, surrounding ‘Cognitive Recalibration’ will occur.]
Groo’s jaw dropped.
Temporal Regressionist? Orphan? G-r00? What was all this supposed to mean?
The answer came—suddenly, Mephisto opened his eyes.
“Groo…”
Still limp, Mephisto took Groo’s hand.
“Mm?”
“We’ve crossed time.”
“Mephi?”
Groo looked up from their joined hands to Mephisto’s face and asked.
The pale child’s face was drenched in cold sweat.
“What do you mean? Where is this?”
Mephisto struggled to speak.
“…The past.”
Groo’s mouth fell open again.
“We’ve warped into the past.”