Chick 335
by Cristae335
Meanwhile, at that moment.
Yurian, trembling in a corner of the dungeon, dashed out the moment the gate opened.
‘They were even crazier than I thought.’
He had suspected these weren’t ordinary creatures, but he had never imagined they’d be able to so easily subdue an SSS-class monster.
If On Joorim hadn’t come and stopped them at the last minute, he might really have witnessed an SSS-grade fried egg feast.
He shuddered all over.
‘No wonder they made me into a Maltese and ride me around.’
Trembling, Yurian suddenly sniffed the air.
‘Powder…’
It was the remains of Theodora Weiss, crushed by On Joorim.
“Grrrr…”
As he growled at the memory of that infuriating Theodora, a lightbulb went on in Yurian’s head.
Theodora had swallowed the Filial Pastry…
So then—
[Skill ‘Spectrum Echo’ activated]
The white powder began to clump together, forming a dough, then shaping itself into a little ball.
‘There!’
[Filial Pastry mk.2 (S+)]
In the exhilarated Maltese’s eyes, the perfectly round Filial Pastry shone.
“Yip!”
Yurian tapped the pastry with his round paw.
“Sniff sniff!”
Was it safe to eat?
He remembered what happened the last time he ate one of these pastries.
If he went berserk and blacked out again this time…
Clutching the pastry between his front paws, Yurian hesitated—is it worth the risk?
“If you eat stuff like this, you’ll be sick.”
A large hand snatched up the Filial Pastry.
Recognizing whose hand it was, Yurian’s eyes widened and his ears perked up.
It was Han Rowoon.
He dusted off the powder and tucked the pastry into his coat.
“Nicely done. This will be very useful.”
Crouching down, Han Rowoon patted Yurian’s head as he whined.
With this, it would be a huge help in crafting a dungeon to hold Shea.
Just as he was smiling at the thought, a long shadow loomed over Yurian’s head.
“Hello there. Excuse me, are you Director Han Rowoon?”
“Yes, I am. What brings you here?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Team Leader Jin Siwon from the Awakened Management Bureau. I have a few questions for you.”
Jin Siwon smiled and extended his hand.
Han Rowoon shook hands in kind and muttered,
“…You’ve got quite a nice vessel there.”
“Excuse me?”
Jin Siwon asked, looking up—and as he did, Han Rowoon’s eyes turned the shade of coral.
At the same time, the sigil of Gnosis appeared in his eyes.
A dungeon had suddenly appeared at Justicea International School, and the children holding the bazaar were rushed to evacuate into the gymnasium.
Thanks to Joorim’s help, Gru managed to slip in with the other children, though she pouted her lips in frustration.
It was because she had just heard from the Chick Class teacher that they were officially “suspended.”
That’s right. Gru had been ordered to cease business.
Selling Filial Pastries counted as “unauthorized sale of Awakened items.”
‘My honor…!’
Gru shook with clenched fists.
The Chick Class teacher let out a sigh and patted her.
Thus, the bazaar was canceled, and Gru’s very first attempt at earning honor was dashed to pieces.
Gru, on the verge of tears as she remembered her thriving stall, soon shook off her grief.
After all, she had managed to make a successful Filial Pastry this time!
As far as she knew, there were no other consumable items above S-grade besides Filial Pastries!
Even S-grade was rare, but S+?
This was the one!
Of course, her masterpiece had been taken away!
Gru’s body slumped in defeat.
“Groogroo, you look all wrinkled.”
“The next bazaar will be soon anyway.”
Gidan and Sergey, unaware of Gru’s feelings, offered her comfort.
The new great dungeon had been tackled by Joorim alone and was resolved.
While the Hunters kept an eye on the children just in case, Joorim was up front talking with the principal.
With the bazaar canceled, Gru and her friends, now sitting in rows in the gym, found themselves the focus of awe as they were surrounded by Orchestra’s first-strike team.
Gidan and Sergey were students at Justicea, but since they were in the high school division, the kindergarteners and younger kids barely knew them.
“That’s the real Orchestra…”
“Wow, Orchestra’s first team!”
“Gidan! I have your photocard! It’s old—now you’re third in the rankings, it’s gotten really valuable!”
“Oh, hold onto it. I’ll make it even more expensive.”
The kids exclaimed as Gidan laughed and bantered.
Afterwards, kids crowded around Sergey too, asking when his photo card would be released and showering him with adoration.
Sergey looked annoyed, but still listened to their requests.
Watching her popular guildmates among the children, Gru felt a proud smile tugging at her lips.
As Joorim wrapped up her talk with the principal, she glanced at Gru, who was struggling to hold her smile, and gave a small wave.
She meant, “Let’s go to the hospital soon.”
Gru instantly brightened and nodded eagerly.
These days, Gru hadn’t seen much of On Ijo; the government was devoting major efforts to readying his public announcement, even preparing an official script for him.
Joorim, seeing Gru’s clear relief, let out a soft chuckle.
Obediently sitting in her chair and following the adults’ guidance, Gru looked utterly adorable.
Then Gru took out her phone and waved it at Joorim.
She was signaling she’d call the hospital soon to say she’d be on her way to visit On Ijo.
As Joorim nodded his understanding—
Two people entered the gymnasium.
Sergey straightened immediately as he saw them.
“…Hyung?”
“Team Leader Jin Siwon is here, too.”
But Jin Siwon didn’t seem to notice Sergey as he passed by the kids.
The principal greeted the two with a bright smile.
“Guildmaster On, this is Director Han Rowoon from our school.”
“Hello.”
Joorim habitually greeted him, then her eyes widened as she recognized Han Rowoon.
“Hello. I’m Han Rowoon.”
He smiled, deep dimples appearing in his cheeks.
Joorim frowned slightly as she scrutinized his face, then glanced at Jin Siwon.
She remembered their phone call, when they’d discussed suspecting Han Rowoon of being with Gnosis. This was the first time they’d met since then.
‘Is Jin Siwon here investigating Han Rowoon?’
Thinking nothing of it, Joorim stepped forward as if to shake hands with the Director, deliberately extending her gloved left hand.
Han Rowoon noticed and let out a quiet chuckle.
After shaking hands, Joorim spoke first.
“We’ve met before, Director.”
The man who had dared chase the Orchestra to steal Shea—
And that man was none other than Han Rowoon, now suspected to be Gnosis.
Such coincidences were too much to be believed.
Narrowing her eyes, Joorim met Han Rowoon’s almond gaze.
“Have we? Haha. Sorry, I must be mistaken—since I lived abroad for so long, recognizing faces is hard for me.”
“I’m not exactly a face one forgets easily.”
Han Rowoon only smiled at Joorim’s brazen reply.
Arrogant though he was, she couldn’t say he was wrong.
“Were you in the middle of a conversation with Team Leader Jin?”
Joorim glanced sidelong at Jin Siwon, quietly gathering her energy—ready to restrain Han Rowoon at a moment’s notice.
“Yes, we haven’t finished our business yet, so we came together.”
At Han Rowoon’s meaningful reply, Jin Siwon slowly lifted his head.
In his jacket pocket, he clutched a small, round, white core.
“Where did Uncle go?”
Meanwhile, Gru—on the line to the hospital—was told On Ijo was out, and her eyes grew wide.
Was he busy with more rehearsals and protocol?
Heroes who return are always busy…
Gru, fidgeting with her hands, tapped in On Ijo’s personal cell number.
‘I was told not to call here carelessly…’
Gru chewed her lips in an anxious pout.