Chick 181
by CristaeChick Class Hunter is Showing Filial Piety! Episode 181
That evening, Jurim informed me that Lee Taemin, who had been admitted to the hospital right away, had stabilized considerably in terms of his mana.
There was also that story about someone trailing after him, sobbing and sniffling…
That must have been Guildmaster Choi Hyunwoo. He had tried to rush to Lee Taemin’s side without a thought for his own condition.
Groo suddenly recalled Guildmaster Choi, the same man who had tried to slap Lee Taemin.
It seemed there were many different forms that dwell within the human heart.
Some wounds that hurt, and yet, people still try to draw near, to embrace…
Though it was still difficult for Groo to understand, calling Jurim at that moment had, at the very least, been the right decision.
Had it been any later, Taemin would truly have been in danger.
Groo had saved Taemin, put Serhi’s worries to rest, and neatly wrapped up the Caregiver Quest…
But in the living room, Yeongran, the housekeeper, spoke as she tied on her apron.
“I heard it all from the boss, Groo. No TV, she said. She told me to keep a close watch, you know?”
“Pwwwhh…”
Personally, Groo still faced some serious difficulties.
He whined like a puppy as he hovered in front of the TV.
Beside him, equally plagued by TV withdrawal, stood Mephisto and Veilach, lingering in hesitation.
Right now, it was time for their favorite show, the anime “Zombie Hunter,” to air.
In the last episode, the hunter, now a zombie, was almost unmasked by his companions before the show ended, so the three had long awaited today’s episode…
“Muuu!”
Veilach bared his fangs in defiance, glaring at Groo.
It was a protest: Why did you have to call Jurim and put us in this predicament?
“Bweep!”
At that, Mephisto kicked Veilach with his impudent little face.
Veilach fought back, drumming his tiny fists on Mephisto, and as Mephisto soared up in another attack, Groo grabbed the baby bird with both hands.
“Enough! A-adults must learn to endure.”
Groo snorted vigorously.
“I’ve got too much to do, so I’d better head out. I’m so busy I simply don’t have time for TV…”
With that feeble excuse, Groo, on the verge of tears, retreated to his room, while Yeongran, watching him, let out a quiet chuckle.
It was true—there was work to be done.
[Caregiver ‘Serhi’ Affinity Quest Complete!]
[Caregiver ‘Serhi’ Concern Quest Complete!]
With quests completed one after another, Groo had amassed a hefty sum of Filial Piety Points!
[Filial Piety Points: 75,000]
“So many, so many!”
All these points were thanks to Serhi—and Subordinate #2 (or not).
Immediately, Groo set the Filial Piety Factory in motion and began building a few more drones.
Whirr, clatter.
As he watched the factory putter and pound, Groo checked the hollow chest of a chick drone.
Would they fetch a higher price if he inserted Veilach’s magic stone?
Groo took out the earring that shone like a fragment of the night sky.
[Star of Veilach Shadows (SSS)]
Jurim, who’d accompanied Taemin to the hospital, had left it for him.
Taemin had said to pass it along to the Children’s Bandit Gang…
Not before Groo had promised, no less than ten times, that he wouldn’t use the magic stone recklessly.
Come to think of it.
‘How did they know it was me, just from the words “Children’s Bandit Gang”?’
Groo propped his chin in thought.
‘As expected, it must be because of the top ranking?’
For someone who hadn’t even gone to kindergarten, Groo’s father knew quite a bit.
With his chin in hand, Groo fiddled with the earring.
Veilach had said he couldn’t absorb or create new magic stones for now, either.
‘Because he can’t return to his main body.’
According to Veilach, a magic stone was like the main body’s kidney stone. But since he couldn’t return to his original form, he couldn’t make any more.
‘What was “yoruleiga”…?’
Groo didn’t quite understand, but one thing was clear: this was the only one left.
‘It would be a waste to use something so rare on just anything…’
If only magic stones could grow profusely, like potatoes.
‘Potatoes.’
Suddenly, cloudy thoughts billowed in his mind, and soon potatoes with arms and legs began to sprout.
They were magic stone potatoes, glittering like a starry night sky.
The potatoes sang, “I’m the mighty magic stone potato! Supreme potato!” as they tossed the baby lamb into the air.
‘Potato, potato, potato, potato.’
Before he knew it, potatoes and magic stones had filled his head to bursting.
‘Let’s make them!’
He needed to find a way to cultivate them well.
Reaching for his phone to do some research, Groo tilted his head at a notification.
There was a new message on the KidsNote app from the kindergarten.
It was an announcement urging everyone to attend the upcoming sports festival.
Groo’s face lit up as he read it.
‘There’s going to be a sports day!’
Chapter: The Awakening of the Universe
Knock, knock.
Kim Hyukjoong, principal of Justitia, knocked on the door to the director’s office.
“Come in.”
As he stepped inside, the backlight streaming in made him squint.
“You’ve come at just the right time, Principal. I was just reviewing the sports festival plan you sent me.”
The director grinned, dimples forming prettily in both cheeks.
Han Ro-un.
The director, newly arrived from the UK branch.
With his shirtsleeves rolled up, Han Ro-un looked surprisingly informal—and his physique, visible under the shirt, seemed too robust for a desk job.
His light almond hair and eyes took on a golden hue in sunlight, matching his mysterious coloring. His features, too, were at once Western and Eastern—his appearance radiated an enigmatic allure.
Everything about him—his nationality, apparent age, even his looks—felt inscrutably vague.
“There’s nothing like sports to foster unity among children. Don’t worry about the budget—spare no expense.”
He made it sound generous, but in truth, the festival’s budget wasn’t foundation money—it was funds pried from the Asian Olympic Council.
After sensing a move to recruit Awakeners for the upcoming Asian Games, he’d struck a deal.
He could hardly have been over thirty, but his resourcefulness was remarkable.
Suddenly, a chill swept over the principal, and he glanced to the side.
Someone else was sitting in the director’s office.
A man? When had he arrived?
“Um… Excuse me, Director, but is that a guest? The matter is strictly internal, you see… With all the recent scandals…”
The man set down his teacup and straightened up, then spoke to Han Ro-un in Japanese, a playful note in his voice.
[“Oh, should I go introduce myself?”]
[“Don’t tease me, please.”]
Han Ro-un replied in fluent Japanese, then looked to the principal.
“No need for concern. He’s not fluent in Korean.”
“Ann-nyong-ha-sse-yo.”
The middle-aged man greeted them with a foreign accent, his eyes crinkling pleasantly.
He was so big, the principal wondered how he hadn’t sensed his presence. There was even something oddly familiar about him.
Why?
For a moment, he forgot his manners as he studied the man’s face.
“Principal, may I ask what brings you here?”
“Ah.”
“If it’s not urgent, I can meet with you another time, since I have a guest.”
“No, it’s nothing important. I just wanted to confirm you’d gotten my report on the sports day. If anything else comes up, I’ll speak with you then.”
“All right, then. Have a good day.”
“Yes, yes.”
With a bow, the principal exited the room.
As the door shut, Han Ro-un’s voice echoed softly from behind.
[“Don’t be too harsh, Amakusa-san.”]
Click—
Pausing in the corridor, the principal cocked his head in puzzlement.
“Amakusa…”
Amakusa? That name was familiar.
He tried to recall the man’s face, but his mind had gone blank.
‘Still, if it’s Amakusa… Could he really be that Japanese master…?’
Impossible.
Surely there were plenty with that surname.
Shaking his head, he made his way outside.Chic