Chick 326
by Cristae326
For the first Parent’s Day, there are several steps one must take to deliver an extraordinary gift.
Step one!
Find out what makes a gift extraordinary!
So, what exactly is an extraordinary gift?
To answer this, we need the help of someone with plenty of experience celebrating Parent’s Day—someone who’s still keeping up with the trends. A trendsetter.
A roulette wheel spun rapidly in On Groo’s mind before coming to a stop.
The right person?
Gidan!
After losing his parents, Gidan began living with his aunt and grandparents, often returning home with gifts on many special occasions.
‘So Dan oppa must be good at celebrating Parent’s Day, too.’
Gidan just seems like the kind of minor who excels at these sorts of events!
Having reached a conclusion, Groo sprang into action.
Click-clack—click-clack—click—
Screech.
Groo braked and came to a halt in front of the First Raid Team’s office.
Perhaps because it was study hour, Sergey was sitting at the desk with Gidan, working through test papers.
Sergey was diligently focused, but Gidan looked like he was practically dying from reluctance.
- Working hard, I see. Excellent. Praiseworthy.
“Groogroo, did you come because you missed oppa?”
“Why do you always go around like that?”
As Fakeclaw entered, both Gidan and Sergey greeted him with their own remarks.
- Today, I have an important proposal, Gidan.
“What is it?”
Click-click-click.
Groo rode his bike all the way to the center of the office.
- Are you preparing well for Parent’s Day?
“Parent’s Day?”
“What’s that?”
- To not know Parent’s Day, Sergey, how ignorant.
Groo shook his head, and Sergey frowned.
- Parent’s Day is a day to express gratitude to those who raised you.
At that, Gidan set his pen down with a sly smile.
“Why ask about Parent’s Day?”
Groo got off the bicycle, cleared his throat, and spoke.
- This is my first ever Parent’s Day, so I want to give Dad an extraordinary gift.
“Ooh—what a filial daughter.”
- Since you’re the experienced one, Gidan, I want your advice. Oh, and since it’s probably Sergey’s first Parent’s Day too, it’d be good if we all prepared together.
“What? Why me?”
- Shouldn’t you also give Team Leader Jin a Parent’s Day present, Sergey?
Sergey let out a deflated laugh.
“Me? Why?”
Hearing Sergey’s incredulous response, Groo clenched both fists and began trembling before shouting.
- You must!
“……!”
- It’s only natural to show filial devotion to your caregiver, who raised you with love!
Groo spoke like a strict teacher, waving his duck clip in the air.
When the sharp duck clip snapped against Sergey’s thigh, he screamed.
“Agh! The beak! Why does it hurt even more now?”
Lately, Groo had upgraded the duck clip so that getting pinched with the beak now doubled the sting.
While Gidan laughed, loving the spectacle, it wasn’t revealed that he too ended up getting clipped—because teasing a friend makes one a bad kid.
“That’s right. Now that Sergey’s a Korean, he needs to become a Confucian boy. For that, he should take advice from me, someone with years of experience.”
Confucian boy? Sergey’s face was a picture of confusion, but Gidan crossed his arms and spoke arrogantly.
“Sergey, in Korea’s hunter community, there’s a tradition: on Parent’s Day, you wear a carnation headband and present your offering.”
Sergey gave Gidan a look that screamed, “Stop talking nonsense,” but Groo interjected with a gasp.
- Oh…….
“Carnation headband?”
Another ridiculous tale? Sergey had been teased so much by Gidan that he wasn’t inclined to believe it, but—
As if already prepared, Groo took a carnation headband out of his bag and put it on.
Sergey dropped his pen, staring at Fakeclaw with the headband on.
“No way. This is real?!”
- Made it at kindergarten.
As Gidan burst into unexpected laughter, Groo revealed he had even more to spare and handed headbands to the two of them.
Sergey’s eyes wavered as he took the headband.
‘Korea—this country is insane, isn’t it?’ His face said it all, but Gidan barely contained his laughter.
If he suppressed it now, there was sure to be an even more entertaining payoff later.
- There are ribbons, too.
Groo took out a large ribbon, of the kind usually adorning wreaths, and fastened it around Sergey’s neck.
It even had writing on it: ‘On Parent’s Day, I’m your gift! ♥’
Wearing carnation headbands and sporting ribbons around their necks, the three grouped together, per Gidan’s direction, for a photo.
Sergey tried hard not to join in, but when Groo and Gidan pressed in on either side of him, there was no escape.
“Alright.”
Gidan, spotting an opportunity for mischief, stretched out his hand.
“Let’s go show our filial devotion.”
Groo huffed, breaths coming out in little snorts.
- Filial piety! Filial piety!
“To the dungeon we go! Confucian guys!”
- Filial piety! Filial piety!
Groo raised his hand up and down in triumphant rhythm.
Next to him, Sergey—with his pretty headband and ribbon—wore the glazed eyes of a frozen fish.
‘Fuck. This can’t be real.’
Gidan quickly found a suitable guerrilla dungeon, and Groo opened the portal with the skill “The Dungeon is an Open Door.”
“We need to be quick, so Yeojin nuna doesn’t catch us.”
- Playing hooky?
“This is practicing filial piety, Confucian girl.”
- Filial piety! Filial piety!
Flame Sector Guerrilla Dungeon.
“Isn’t this supposed to be the Flame Sector?”
Having arrived in the dungeon via “The Dungeon is an Open Door,” Sergey looked around.
Gidan checked the “Knock Knock, Where’s the Dungeon?” app and frowned.
“Flame Sector… it should be.”
“Then why…?”
Sergey glanced around.
In the dungeon, where small craters were spread out everywhere, snow had piled up thickly.
Normally, being a Flame Sector, the craters should have been radiating intense heat.
“Has it mutated?”
Sergey nodded, as if to say Gidan’s words made sense.
Groo, alone in confusion, asked:
- Mutation?
“It means the dungeon has changed. It’s been happening a lot lately.”
- Hmm. Is that bad?
“Usually, yes. If unfamiliar monsters appear, it’s hard to clear, and nowadays, sometimes monsters are labeled ‘Failed,’ and those ones…”
Then, not far off, they saw a group of Hunters kick at the monster they’d slain.
“Another dud.”
“I told you, monsters labeled ‘Failed’ don’t drop mana stones.”
Gidan spoke, watching them.
“No mana stones.”
Groo’s mouth rounded in shock.
The monsters didn’t drop mana stones?!
The biggest reason Hunters hunted monsters was for mana stones.
But if there were no mana stones—
- Doesn’t that make hunting monsters meaningless?
“Exactly.”
Gidan gave a bitter smile, while Sergey, watching the group of Hunters, frowned.
“They just leave them there.”
“There are more parties like that these days. No mana stones, no desire to hunt.”
A serious problem.
If more people started leaving dungeons uncleared like this, it could easily escalate into a Red Gate and cause a dungeon break.
For now, the government seemed to be keeping things quiet to avoid causing alarm, but if these cases increased, it would become impossible to keep things under wraps.
While Groo looked between the worried faces of Gidan and Sergey, he rummaged in his bag and pulled out a magnifying glass, like a little detective.
- Hm.
Groo carefully examined the monster labeled “Failed” through the magnifying glass and spoke.
- If items drop, does that solve the problem?
“It would.”
Through the magnifying glass, he could see a glow where the mana stone should have been.
That meant there was still something extractable.
If so…
- It’s time to bring out a new item.
At Groo’s solemn declaration, Gidan and Sergey had question marks above their heads.
Meanwhile, Groo pulled a toy hoe from his bag.
[Play Hoe]
An item exclusively for farming. Dramatically increases farming success rate.