Chick 192
by CristaeHunter of the Chick Class Does His Duty! Episode 192
“Disciple! Shall we head off to train together now?”
“Yes!”
Joorim clutched his throbbing head and asked,
“Where are you suddenly trying to go?”
“Ah—where, you ask? Right here!”
Kazuki pulled up a photo from his phone to show them.
Joorim, briefly skeptical of Kazuki’s preparedness, soon recognized the place in the photo and frowned.
“Here?”
There were quite a few temples in the mountains across the country located near field-type dungeons.
A field-type dungeon was a place where, due to the low human traffic and dense accumulation of mana, strange phenomena sometimes occurred: not a sub-dimensional dungeon, but a transformation of surrounding plants and animals into demonic beasts.
These transformed creatures were usually low in rank and thus not considered much of a threat, and the area often became a local landmark.
One such place was the Yeonhamsa Temple.
Yeonhamsa, with its beautiful scenery and unique environment, was a popular destination for “temple stay” programs, and today again, travelers in monastic garb were abound.
“Master!”
Gru, dressed like a young novice, came running into the temple courtyard.
The tourists enjoying the temple stay broke into delighted grins at her cuteness, and Kazuki took out a long strip of cloth from his inventory and tied it around her waist as a ribbon.
“Disciple! Forward roll!”
“Yes!”
Haap! With a solid landing, Gru did a forward roll.
“Yoshi! Well done, disciple!”
Kazuki checked that the ribbon stayed tied even with vigorous movement, then bumped fists with Gru in praise.
“Yeah—!”
“Yeah—!”
Gru and Kazuki followed up with back rolls and hanging from Kazuki’s arm, taking turns performing stunts together.
“……”
Joorim, watching all this, exhaled a long sigh.
Kazuki knew there was a Master of the 99th Floor standing right there at his left. The fact that Gru was S-class wasn’t much of a secret anymore—
But still, what had any of that to do with training as a craftsman?
It seemed more like they were turning Gru into a Shaolin monk than an artisan.
As Joorim folded his arms, uneasy that Gru might get hurt from such intense play, the head monk of Yeonhamsa approached him.
“Layman Joorim, are you sure you don’t wish to change into monastic wear?”
Monk Hyungak gestured discreetly to Kazuki.
Kazuki—insisting he wanted to wear his temple robes like a samurai—had eagerly donned one sleeve, giving himself a lopsided look.
‘He’s not a child…’
He looked more like a yakuza than a samurai, and the other guests at the temple were quietly taking pains to give Kazuki a wide berth—an unexpected benefit.
It wasn’t as if they’d be worried about him bothering the kids, at least.
“I’m fine. Sorry for dropping in on such short notice.”
“No need to apologize. Thanks to you, our temple is kept running. You are welcome here any time.”
Yeonhamsa was rich in mana, attracting rare flora and fauna, and occasionally, mana-touched beasts would appear.
Thus, Hyunak made a point to send teams on monster hunts here as a form of social contribution.
“This time we owe you a great debt. Do not hesitate to contact us whenever you need to.”
Joorim’s smile was gentle as he replied.
Startled by the change in Joorim’s demeanor, Monk Hyungak briefly gaped, then returned a compassionate smile.
“But Layman Joorim, about the matter that Layman Amakusa requested… When would be the best time for us to look into it?”
Joorim’s head snapped up.
“A request? From Kazuki?”
His look was pure confusion, causing Monk Hyungak to avert his gaze.
“Haha… Perhaps I’ve let something slip that I shouldn’t have.”
Surely not… Remembering the cursed tattoo he’d glimpsed on Kazuki’s thigh during Kazuki’s makeshift strip show, Joorim wiped a hand over his face.
He didn’t think Kazuki was the type to be mixed up in such things. Clearly, it was more serious than he’d assumed.
“…No, it’s fine. I’ll ask your favor later, after the child is asleep.”
“As you wish.”
The air grew heavy with his reply.
Joorim knew all too well what Monk Hyungak was famous for.
‘So that’s why we came here.’
No wonder he’d had a training site picked out so fast.
For a legendary oddball who roamed the world, suddenly appearing in Korea like this—it must have been for this reason.
In contrast to the now-weighty mood, Kazuki chuckled and pointed toward the woods.
“Disciple! To the forest!”
“Yes!”
“My little disciple needs plenty of sun so she can grow big and strong. Here, too.”
Kazuki tapped at Gru’s sprout.
Startled, Gru covered the sprout protectively with both hands.
“Ah! Don’t touch the sprout! It’ll wilt.”
“No it won’t. It looks healthy and green.”
“Hm?”
Was it maybe a little fresher?
As Gru poked at the sprout, Joorim called loudly to the duo heading toward the forest.
“This whole area is a field-type dungeon, so don’t go too far!”
“Understood~ Daddy worries too much about Gru-chan.”
“Yes. Daddy’s a worrywart.”
“Disciple, try it: ‘Ooo, I’m a worrrrywart’.”
“Ooo—worrywart—”
The two chided him in perfect unison. Joorim’s brow furrowed, and the monk burst into hearty laughter.
Watching the pair hop away, Joorim grabbed his car keys.
“I’ll step out for a bit. Please watch over the children.”
Referring to them both as ‘children’—even including Kazuki—drew another laugh from the monk.
“Of course. If you’re busy, we could drive them to Hyunak tomorrow ourselves.”
“No, it won’t take long. I just need to look for something.”
“Something to look for… Is it related to Layman Kazuki?”
Monk Hyungak sounded worried that he might have made things worse, but Joorim only bowed and headed for his car.
Chapter Debuff: ‘Paternal Karma’
While Joorim was away.
Gru and Kazuki scampered about searching for rabbits and water deer, inspected lingzhi mushrooms sprouting on tree stumps, then finally sat side by side on a grassy clearing.
“Master! I want to see you make something, Master!”
“Sure. What would Gru like?”
“Hmm—A doll? Oh, a bicycle!”
“Hmm, a bicycle’s good. I’ll make one for you as a keepsake.”
From his inventory, Kazuki produced a massive skull, as big as a boulder.
‘It looks like a dinosaur!’
“Master, what kind of bone is that?”
“This is called a ‘Oonamazu’…”
He laughed, unsure what it was called in Korean, and Gru simply nodded.
Kazuki rested his hand on the bone and activated a skill.
[Activating the skill ‘Potter of the Star Festival’.]
The Oonamazu skull began turning pliable, like soft dough.
“Wow!”
The dough sparkled as if stars were embedded within, glittering like the Milky Way, and danced beneath Kazuki’s skilled hands.
“Is this what a bike looks like?”
Kazuki quickly fashioned the frame of a tricycle, accurate in every detail.
Gru, recalling only the basic shape, circled around the near-perfect body, exclaiming in admiration.
A state-of-the-art tricycle, streamlined for minimal air resistance!
He’d rendered durable material malleable like clay in an instant, sculpting it with the perfection of an artist.
‘So this is S-class?!’
Ding—!
The thought of defeat echoed like a blow through her mind.
‘My rival is too strong!’
While Gru stifled a groan, Kazuki—looking at his phone for reference on bicycles—spoke up.
“If we make the wheels out of bone, they’ll be too hard and dangerous. I’ll finish the bike before I leave and give it to you then.”
Gru nodded, looking glum, and Kazuki gently cupped her chubby cheeks in his hands.
“Uncle will make it even better, don’t worry, Gru-chan.”
She wasn’t truly disappointed just because she wouldn’t get the bike right now, but still…
“Okaaay. Gru can wait.”
“Good, good.”
Gru giggled.
“By the way, what is it you want to make by training, little disciple?”
“Mana potato! But it’s really hard to make.”
“Mana potato?”
“Yes! A potato that pours out mana like a magic stone!”
“Oho, Gru-chan, you’ve got a wonderful imagination.”
The genuine praise made Gru blink several times in surprise.
She’d never register her rival as a caregiver—but!
‘He’s a good person…’
Blushing, Gru began pulling item after item from her inventory—duck-shaped clips, a banded, miniaturized pair of star-shaped sunglasses, a chick drone, a teddy bear suit—laying them out like a merchant on display.
A rival is a rival, but praise is praise!
You should take what you can get.