Chick 232
by Cristae232
When the zipper was pulled open, bright red cotton candy burst out like an organ from a belly.
It had a look more fitting for Halloween.
While Joorim, once more, doubted her daughter’s sense of aesthetics, Groo got off the tricycle and approached the desk.
Still wearing the ugly bear costume, Groo rested her arms on Joorim’s knees and waggled her eyebrows.
—Isn’t it extremely cute?
“…?”
Which part, exactly?
Groo took Joorim’s stunned silence as agreement and continued.
—This fluffy cotton candy isn’t just cute, it’s also an A-grade buff item.
With that, the bear’s paw tore off a piece of the red cotton candy.
—It’s more innovative than the existing buff items!
“…Innovative? In appearance?”
The grotesque cotton candy was certainly innovative in its looks, at least.
Since traditional buff items usually took the form of viscous potions.
“It’s unusual not to be a liquid, I’ll admit.”
—Indeed. The old potions would be instantly absorbed by the ground if dropped, but this fluffy cotton candy comes with a ‘3-second rule.’ If you pick it up within three seconds after dropping it, it’s still good to eat.
For a moment, Joorim felt lightheaded.
That’s supposed to be the innovative feature?!
“What’s the 3-second rule supposed to be? Did Gidan tell you that?”
—Yes, it was Gidan. How did you know?
Joorim closed her eyes tightly and pressed her forehead.
“Just throw away anything that falls on the ground. You didn’t… eat any off the floor, did you?”
—I didn’t. Not yet…
“Right, don’t. That’s dirty.”
Mmmm… Groo drooped, nodding glumly.
The pride in the cotton candy’s ‘3-second rule’ innovation had been quickly deflated.
As Joorim considered that she needed to have Groo spend less time with Gidan, Groo balled her fists and looked up with renewed resolve.
—The 3-second rule is only the first innovation.
“…Is that so?”
And what will the second be? Joorim answered warily, a little afraid.
Regardless, Groo lifted the pouch with the exposed ‘innards.’
—Now, I’ll show you the true value of fluffy cotton candy. For the record, this is a clean one that hasn’t touched the floor.
“Alright.”
—So it’s not dirty.
Groo, as if to demonstrate, popped the bright red cotton candy into her mouth and chewed.
Then a smirk crept up her lips on one side.
—Afraid of enemy attacks? Frustrated because buff items don’t stack?
As Groo finished speaking, a cloud like fluffy cotton candy wrapped around Groo’s body.
“…?”
Resting her chin on her hand, Joorim blinked in surprise.
—This fluffy cotton candy covers those shortcomings.
Fluffy cotton candy was different from traditional potions that acted directly on the user.
“A range buff?”
—Yes! When you’re inside the fluffy cloud, your attack power and agility both get a 10% buff.
When consumed, the effect formed a cloud around the user, not inside the body.
That meant not only did it minimize burden on the user’s body, but it could also stack with potions.
“Hmmm…”
Joorim hummed in mild admiration, nodding.
Encouraged, Groo wagged her index finger from side to side.
—That’s not all.
After saying this, Groo toddled backward and bounced into the desk—thump, thump!
The cloud sent Groo bouncing one or two steps back, and at the same time—
Whack!
The desk took physical damage.
Joorim’s eyes opened wide.
“Damage reflection?”
Grinning from ear to ear, Groo declared,
—This fluffy cotton candy absorbs half of the damage from enemy attacks and reflects the other half.
Now, Joorim, looking genuinely impressed, approached Groo and poked the cotton candy with her finger.
Groo bounced away with a boing!
Groo toddled back, and Joorim poked and pushed her away again, lost in thought.
‘It seems fairly durable too.’
On the surface, it looked silly and cute, but it truly was an innovation.
She’d dismissed the ‘3-second rule’ as just childish thinking, but Groo had brought a genuinely remarkable item.
Just then, as Groo shook out her sling bag, a heap of candy pouches fell to the floor.
So, all that cotton candy made at home had been for this?
Joorim, only now realizing she’d unknowingly been exploited for labor, nodded in understanding.
Meanwhile, Groo, tapping the mound of pouches with the bear paws, said,
—If you buy all of these now, I’ll throw in a discount. It’s the perfect time to get a deal. And if our first transaction goes well, I can commit to regular deliveries too.
Joorim narrowed her eyes, debating whether to buy them all.
This kid sells pretty well, doesn’t she?
But it wasn’t exactly surprising.
‘She’s a seasoned merchant, after all.’
Groo had raced all over Onion Market on her tricycle, peddling items like a true little traveling seller.
“How long does the effect last?”
—Ten minutes!
It was short, but if used at the right moment in, say, a boss raid, it was more than enough.
If she had to name downsides, the first was that burly hunters would have to fight inside that cute cotton candy.
‘Well, I’m not the one who’ll use it.’
It wasn’t Joorim’s concern.
And the second drawback…
“You’ve never actually used it in the field, right?”
The question was subtly probing.
She worried Groo had snuck into a dungeon again.
But Groo only nodded blankly.
‘So she didn’t test it in a dungeon. Good.’
Joorim crossed her arms in relief.
At that, Groo gasped.
‘There it is… arm crossing.’
That was a gesture Joorim made whenever she was dissatisfied with something.
But she hadn’t been to a dungeon… Why?
Nervous, Groo made her lips into a tiny triangle and stared anxiously.
She’d refute whatever was said. This sale was for Dad, after all. As a fiery filial daughter, she was obliged to succeed!
“Even if it looks good in simulation, an item can perform very differently in real use.”
“…!”
Groo nodded.
She’d felt the same when gathering product reviews recently.
No matter how great the options, when people actually used the items, there were always comments about them being difficult to handle or inconvenient.
“So, it’s a prototype that’s never been thoroughly field-tested?”
—That’s right…
Groo’s voice shrank.
“At the next recruit training, I’ll prepare for it to be used in the field—so set some aside.”
—Ooooh!
“But.”
—…But?
“Everyone must give positive feedback. If even one person has a problem, it’s disqualified. Consumables taken by mouth need to be safer than anything else.”
Thunk—!
Everyone…!
Groo wiped sweat as she recalled the review ratings so far.
In previous reviews, the ratings were all over the place. Could she really get unanimous praise this time?
‘Maybe I should’ve just made it a regular item…’
As Groo worried over the unanimous approval requirement, Joorim pulled off her costume’s head.
The girl rolled her eyes, clearly anxious about meeting the condition.
‘She probably doesn’t need to worry so much.’
Joorim herself was more concerned their little one had created something terrifying again, while the girl was only worried it might not do well in the field.
Joorim chuckled, lifted Groo up, and glanced at her phone on the desk.
Would it start exploding with calls again?
That thought made her head throb.
“…Hmm.”
Should she change her number?
That afternoon, the fluffy cotton candy was distributed to the newcomer training locker room as support items.
“What is this? That bear looks so ugly…”
“Isn’t this that thing? The signature product of Jjapsso?”
“Wow, is this Jjapsso brand support gear? As expected, Orchestra is different. I’m already feeling loyal.”
“Not bad. It tastes good, too. Strawberry candy flavor. Try it, everyone.”
“Hunter Suhyeon, you look so cute! Haha!”
“Huh. There’s cotton candy forming around me. Oh! This option is better than I thought!”
“Oh? You’re right.”
“Huh?”
“Huh? What is this?”
One by one, the hunters gathered to open the pouches and sample the cotton candy.
Their faces showed surprise and admiration as they checked the information window.
“What dungeon was today’s training for again?”
“Let’s get moving!”
“How long does this last?”
“Ten minutes!”
Right away, the hunters streamed out of the locker room.
And soon after, the hunter community exploded with excitement.