Chick 230
by Cristae230
Chapter Chick-Class Merchant
“Aren’t you going to tell me?”
At Joorim’s question, Groo, perched atop a kitchen cabinet, lifted her chin, her brows sharply arched with defiance.
She was so deeply dissatisfied that her hands had frozen mid-assembly of a cotton candy machine for children.
Atop her head, Mephisto opened his mouth wide, diamond-shaped with exasperation, and let out a deep sigh.
Frustration was plain on Groo’s small face, yet Joorim seemed determined to press the question.
“The person who gave you the photo card—are you sure he wasn’t someone strange?”
“Yes. If you ask me one more time, it’ll be a hundred.”
“I haven’t asked a hundred times.”
Maybe twenty-three times?
Joorim counted roughly in her head as she replied.
“What I’m saying,” Groo insisted, rolling the sparkling photo card around her neck and tapping the cotton candy machine with her chopsticks in complaint, “is that Dad asked way too many times.”
Joorim felt slighted.
Why would you accept an item from a stranger? And not just any item, but one made from my photo card…
But she swallowed the words; over the past two days, she’d delivered that same lecture about twenty times.
If only Groo would switch the photo card for a new item…
Even though Kazuki had offered to make her something new, Groo stubbornly insisted on keeping her beloved sparkling card, so it was always around her neck.
Joorim rubbed his forehead with his palm.
He poked at the wrinkle between Groo’s brows to change the subject.
“So what are you doing today?”
Groo, bouncing back like a little roly-poly each time he poked her frown, suddenly brightened.
She was happy her dad was interested in her.
“Making cotton candy! Daddy, make it with me.”
Joorim examined the machine, asking how it worked.
“Wrap it like this with chopsticks, make it round.”
Groo handed Joorim a pair of chopsticks.
“Like this?”
“Yeah. About the size of Groo’s fist.”
“That small?”
Just then—
“…!”
In human form, Bailach dashed over and planted himself between Groo and Joorim, as if to block them.
He’d been sprawled out on the sofa watching zombie dramas and scratching his belly only moments before; now, in a flash, he was right between them, leaving Groo and Joorim with question marks floating over their heads.
“…?”
“…?”
The two stared in bafflement at Bailach standing between them.
But Bailach seemed unbothered by their looks, simply folding his arms and letting out a long yawn.
“Bailach, did you want to make cotton candy too?”
“No.”
A candid response.
“Here, take this, put it in, and wrap it around. Make it this small.”
When Groo handed him chopsticks, he clicked his tongue but reluctantly followed instructions—after all, it was a direct order from his master.
Bailach halfheartedly stuck the chopsticks into the machine, glancing sideways at Joorim.
Joorim narrowed his eyes at Bailach’s wary side-glances.
What on earth had caused this sudden change of attitude?
Until now, Bailach had shown no interest in Joorim at all.
Joorim, likewise, found Bailach’s presence irksome, but, with Groo ever watchful, had chosen to ignore him rather than provoke anything.
In other words, the two had regarded each other like cows and chickens—utterly indifferent.
But lately, Bailach’s gaze on Joorim was as if he found his very existence distasteful.
There was simply no reason for it.
In fact, Joorim was a tolerant landlord, letting the “boarder” stream B-list zombie films every day without complaint. Suddenly becoming a target for suspicion made no sense.
He hadn’t even cared until Joorim went over to Groo—then suddenly wedged himself between them.
That could only mean…
Sudden, absurd thoughts sped uncontrollably through Joorim’s mind.
Could it be he has a crush on our five-year-old…?
And is now growing suspicious of those around her…?
Ha!
Joorim glared at Bailach with menacing eyes.
Six-year-old Wooju just barely made the cut as a passable friend, since she and Groo were close.
But this one—absolutely not.
No matter how cute he looked in child form, who knew where this one had come from. He was off limits.
Groo glanced up as their heated gazes clashed over her head.
While the two ignored their cotton candy making, the cotton candy grew ever larger.
“You’re not supposed to make it this big!”
At last, Groo’s scolding broke in, and both of them, chastened, started over with new chopsticks.
Still, the thunderous looks they exchanged continued unabated.
“Ugh.”
“Pii—”
Groo and Mephisto both sighed in exasperation.
Groo gently packed her round cotton candy into a zipper bag so it wouldn’t lose its shape, then tugged on Bailach.
“Bailach, come. Mephi, too.”
With that, she slipped into her room, then used “Dungeon: Open Door” to unlock the dungeon gate.
As soon as they stepped through, a well-kept, park-like forest stretched out before them.
Nearby, several toy factories churned out chick-drones and premium syrups.
Entering the dungeon, which looked more like an amusement park, Groo planted her hands on her hips and lectured Bailach.
“Bailach, you can’t eat Daddy!”
Bailach, who had never even thought of such a thing, looked at her, flustered.
“…What?”
Groo had noticed lately that Bailach looked at Joorim with a shadowy gaze.
At first, she’d just thought it was her imagination…
“You want to eat Daddy, don’t you? Isn’t that why you keep staring like that?”
“Nonsense! Just thinking of eating something like that makes me want to vomit!”
“Huh? Then why is it? You keep looking at Daddy like this—” Groo mimicked him, pushing up her eyebrows with both index fingers.
“…It’s…”
As Bailach hesitated, the conniving Mephisto seized the moment to answer for him.
“Pipi—pipi—piit—”
“Mephi, I don’t know what you’re saying…”
It didn’t get through.
“Pit?!”
Mephisto glared, exasperated, at his own two wings. Then he popped up a message window:
[Groo’s dad. There’s a weird smell.]
“Huh?”
Groo’s mouth fell open in confusion.
“Daddy washes every day… Daddy’s clean! Maybe!”
Well, she couldn’t actually be sure he didn’t just pretend to wash in the bathroom!
“There’s! No! Weird! Smell! Dad smells nice! Like a soft breeze or something!”
Groo did her best to defend Joorim.
But Bailach shook his head, clarifying further.
“Shea has devoured too much of On Joorim’s soul.”
What? For a moment, Groo’s heart dropped. She blinked, aghast.
“…Shea?”
“The master of the 99th floor. Our emperor. The thing on On Joorim’s left hand.”
“But the glove… We made a new one.”
“There’s no way humans could stop Shea with something like that from the start.”
“Wait, Bailach… Then, what will happen to Daddy? I mean, what should we do?”
Right now, how to prevent his soul being devoured mattered more than what would happen if it was.
Bailach thought Groo was asking the right question, and answered,
“There are two possibilities. Either fully separate Shea from On Joorim’s left hand and make it a Familiar, or have On Joorim take complete control and synchronize with it.”
That sounds hard!
Groo’s mouth dropped open.
Noticing his master’s confusion, Bailach grabbed a stick and drew on the ground.
He sketched a person with two circles inside.
“Right now, both Shea and On Joorim’s souls inhabit On Joorim’s body.”
“Mhm.”
“Shea’s soul is stronger, so it’s only a matter of time until it devours On Joorim. You think the glove’s been stopping it… but, to be precise, it’s just that Shea’s will hasn’t surfaced until now.”
“So the glove was useless?!”
“It might have helped a bit, but it can’t stop it entirely.”
Ding—!
Groo felt as though a bell had rung in her head. So the black flame dragon on Dad’s hand wasn’t really sealed at all…!
“So, the way is: either pull Shea out, or have On Joorim absorb Shea instead.”
“If we do that, it’ll be okay?”
Bailach watched his master, eyes shining with hope, and replied,
“Yes. In theory, the master could extract Shea and make it a Familiar.”
He must mean Yorang.
Seeing Groo’s hopeful expression, Bailach cut in decisively.
“Of course, right now that’s impossible.”
“W-why…?”
“Master is still a lost cause.”
“…!”
Groo gaped at the abrupt and harsh statement.
“Because Groo’s…lost cause…!”
“Exactly.”
Bailach repeated, “A lost cause.”
“At this level, struggling even to change my own body, it’s never going to happen. Right now, your control is nowhere near good enough.”
It couldn’t be… Groo bit her lip and clenched her fists.
Her heart chilled.
His soul being devoured…
She couldn’t let that happen.
If she wanted to save Dad, Groo had to grow stronger.
But how?
Just then—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Her phone chimed with a string of payment alerts: the proceeds from her recently sold drones.
At the same moment, a popup appeared in her view.
[Cumulative sales amount updated.]
[Achievement: unlocked!]
[Due to the effect of (Unknown Title), 1% of the sale price of every item sold is deposited as filial piety points into your savings box.]