"Disqualified."
Ding—
It was as if Hanguru had been hit over the head. His eyes trembled violently.
Jurim smirked, clearly pleased with himself.
"Miss Hanguru."
"Yes...?"
Casually glancing at his wristwatch, he added,
"It’s already four o’clock. Time for you to head home, don’t you think?"
"Yes... Goodbwye..."
Hanguru bowed politely and turned around.
As he waddled away, his tiny shoulders trembled. They shook pitifully as he walked.
The sharp glares directed at Jurim practically screamed, How could you bully a child?!
Why am I the bad guy here?
He truly couldn’t understand.
But then Nayun shot him a fierce glare, as if demanding he fix it immediately.
With a deep sigh, Jurim realized something shocking—he wasn’t cold-hearted enough to just stand there watching a four-year-old cry.
Eventually, he got up from his chair, grabbed Hanguru’s shoulder, and spun him around.
A teary, snot-covered face looked up at him.
‘This is hell.’
Jurim was not the type to be kind to children.
Actually, he wasn’t kind to anyone.
But this kid... had the terrifying ability to make people go soft.
"Hanguru, stop crying."
Hanguru sniffled.
"Hngh!"
Determined to hold back his tears, he puffed out his cheeks. But the waterfall of tears still flowed from his enormous eyes.
In a hurry, Jurim wiped Hanguru’s tear-streaked face and pressed a handkerchief against his nose.
"Blow."
"Honk!"
After clearing his nose, Hanguru pursed his lips like a sulking duck.
"I dun kno dat yet! But if I weawn it, I’ww kno! My kinder teachew says I’wm gweat at weawning! I’wm da best in Chick Cwass!"
"Alright. ...Just stop crying."
He was serious.
Hanguru was so frustrated that he hadn’t been able to prove himself that his tears wouldn’t stop.
This was bad.
He needed to show off how amazing he was and get scouted, not cry like a baby!
Hunters wouldn’t want a crybaby!
"Hngh!"
Hanguru held his breath again, puffing his cheeks even bigger.
Jurim watched in silence.
Each time Hanguru fought back a sob, his chubby cheeks wobbled.
Finally, defeated, Jurim turned to Nayun.
"Does the first-floor café sell anything for kids?"
"I think they have cookies."
"Hanguru, do you want a cookie?"
"...Cookie?"
The temptation made Hanguru sniffle.
"What kind do you like? Chocolate?"
Instantly, his mind filled with visions of warm cookies dotted with gooey chocolate chips.
‘That sounds delicious...’
No! If he accepted a cookie here, it would make him look bad. It would definitely be minus 100 points!
"Let’s go."
Jurim tilted his head toward the door.
Hanguru hesitated, shifting his gaze, then nodded.
...It was very sad, but cookies were impossible to resist.
Without hesitation, Hanguru grabbed Jurim’s hand.
Jurim stared at the tiny hand holding his.
After a small sigh, he started walking toward the café.
Following them, Nayun whispered words of encouragement.
"Hanguru, don’t be sad. Even I don’t know what that word meant."
Both Jurim and Hanguru turned to stare at her.
Nayun simply grinned.
Mission Report: Total Failure.
He had cried.
He had gotten a cookie.
Total disaster.
After stuffing a cookie into Hanguru’s hands, Jurim made it very clear—
"Don’t come back."
He even said he wouldn’t let Hanguru in next time.
‘Maybe I should just give up on being a hunter and become Gudetama instead...’
But... he couldn’t.
Gudetama wasn’t real.
Shortly after awakening, Hanguru had learned one painful truth—
Humans couldn’t become egg yolks.
It was a bitter lesson left behind by the system.
Curled up on his side, Hanguru wiped away his tears and chewed on his cookie.
‘...It’s delicious.’
Why did cookies taste best when you were feeling miserable?
As he played his favorite video, "Gudetama: Rolling Around Looking for Mom," on his kid’s phone, a familiar scene played—
A baby chick named Shakipiyo saved Gudetama from being eaten by a restaurant customer.
His pupils dilated.
Just like Shakipiyo... Gudetama wanted to see his mom too.
"Mama..."
Tears welled up again just as a notification popped up from Onion Market.
[IiiiIIIiiII: Available for trade?]
Checking the nickname against his transaction history, Hanguru recognized it immediately.
It was the C-rank hunter, Jang Yeongung, who had left him a review before.
Hanguru couldn’t make big money with just guerilla sales.
Most of his revenue so far came from repeat customers.
So, when Jang Yeongung placed another order, Hanguru wiggled his way through the storage vent.
He picked out the syrups Yeongung wanted, stuffed them into Teddy’s belly, and activated the remote control.
Teddy Bear got on a bicycle and started pedaling.
Hanguru opened a portal.
[Skill ‘Dungeon is an Open Door’ Activated.]
Creak. Creak.
The bicycle entered Dobongsan Dungeon.
The place was an abandoned mine with minimal supervision—perfect for business.
As Teddy biked through the winding tunnel, Hanguru checked the old TV screen attached to the controls.
He tilted his head.
There were voices in the distance.
"You’re here for an illegal trade, correct? This is Lee Minwoo from the Awakener Crime Investigation Unit. Please show me your Hunter License."
"N-no, it’s not like that! I was just passing by to see if—"
"No more excuses. Hand over your license. If you refuse, I’ll add obstruction of justice to the charges."
Creak, creak.
As Teddy biked closer, the voices grew louder.
"Hunter Jang Yeongung? You, of all people, should know better."
"I—I’m sorry! Please, just let it slide this once!"
"This isn’t what it looks like—"
Pedaling happily, Hanguru finally saw them.
‘Huh?’
Jang Yeongung was arguing with someone.
That uniform— police.
A die-hard fan of 24-Hour Police Task Force, Hanguru recognized them instantly.
Not just any unit—the Awakener Crime Investigation Team.
‘A crackdown?’
Was it because Yeongung had gone in and out of dungeons too much?
From what Hanguru had learned from watching 24-Hour Police Task Force, this situation could only mean one thing.
Illegal.
Police station.
Wee-woo wee-woo!
Guilty. Bang, bang.
Goodbye, my 2 million won.
DUN DUN!
Hanguru immediately put Teddy in reverse.
He could NOT get caught!
The tiny tricycle screeched as it frantically pedaled away.
The sound made the officer turn his head.
Seeing the small figure escaping, he yelled in alarm.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Lee Minwoo almost ran after the mysterious tricycle but froze when he turned back.
Yeongung had tried to sneak away, then quickly pretended to stand normally.
He couldn’t let the buyer get away either.
Minwoo pressed his radio and sent an emergency request for backup.
“This is 12042. Requesting support near Dobongsan Dungeon. Suspect is attempting to flee during an illegal awakened goods transaction. This is 12042. Requesting backup.”
Meanwhile, Inside a Passing Black Sedan.
A black luxury sedan cruised down the highway near Dobongsan.
In the backseat, the Director of the National Management Bureau, Go Kang, was rambling to a man wearing a black eye mask.
"Hyeonak was the one who wrecked the Gongdeok Station Dungeon a while back, right?"
Jurim, arms crossed, mask on, seemed asleep—but he had been in this situation before.
Go Kang kept talking, knowing full well Jurim was listening.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop interfering with unregistered dungeons? Would it kill you to go just one day without causing a mess?"
Then—
Bzzzt.
A notification buzzed in Jurim’s pocket.
Backup request nearby.
Slowly, he removed his eye mask and checked his phone.
The map flashed.
The request came from right next to their current location.
With half-lidded, sleepy eyes, Jurim monotonously read aloud.
"Oh no, the police need help. As a proud Hunter of South Korea, I simply cannot allow criminals to disrupt public order."

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