Hanguru felt his heart drop. The guild master’s reaction wasn’t normal.
He didn’t know exactly what had gone wrong, but Hanguru was the kind of child who could instinctively sense when he was about to get scolded.
Was he going to be taken to the police station?
Wee-woo, wee-woo.
Gavel bang, bang, bang.
Goodbye, twenty million won!
As he imagined onions sprouting wings and flying away, Hanguru felt like his soul was leaving his body.
He had to get out of this situation somehow.
Fortunately, Hanguru had picked up some survival know-how from his time in the orphanage.
He opened Onion Market on his kid’s phone, went to My Page, and held it out with both hands.
"Here! I give everything to Guild Master!"
His small arms trembled as he offered up his entire fortune.
"Take it. Guru can make more."
Jurim had no idea what the kid was talking about. He took the kid’s phone and glanced at the screen.
20 million won.
That was a pretty hefty sum for a kindergartener. He wasn’t sure why Hanguru was handing it over, though.
“...Is this a bribe?”
Bribe? Like... drinking straws?
Hanguru’s mouth fell open.
“Yes!”
He just agreed again. Honestly, it wasn’t that far from the truth anyway.
Jurim rubbed his forehead.
"If you give this to me, how are you gonna make more money?"
"Find some on Onion Market. Join a guild, and make more...."
"...What guild?"
"Any guild!"
Hanguru quickly scrolled through the guild recruitment listings and randomly picked one with a cute-sounding name.
"This one, maybe?"
Turnip Flower Field.
A newly-formed guild, created by two D-rank hunters.
The fact that they were advertising on Onion Market said it all—this was the kind of group willing to do anything as long as it paid.
And right in front of him sat an S-rank kindergarten student who was ready to walk into such a guild with his own two feet.
This clueless little kid had absolutely no idea how the world worked.
“Guild Master, bathroom is over there.”
“...I don’t want to go.”
“Yes!”
Jurim was starting to experience complete mental whiteout.
As the silence dragged on, Hanguru checked the time on his kid’s phone.
‘10 PM!’
This was bad.
Like a nervous little puppy, Hanguru started fidgeting and whining.
“Guru has to go to bed now....”
"......."
Of course. A kindergarten kid would have a bedtime.
Jurim ran a dry hand down his face before standing up.
"Go to bed for now. We’ll talk about the rest tomorrow...."
He lifted Hanguru from the desk and placed him gently on the floor.
"Yes!"
With a bright smile, Hanguru dashed out of the storage room.
Jurim silently watched the child’s small figure disappear into the main building.
The moment Hanguru was out of sight, he pulled out a cigarette.
“...This is insane.”
The real problem wasn’t even Hanguru’s illegal activities.
Whether he reported it or not didn’t matter.
The real issue was what would happen to an S-rank kindergarten kid with no parents or family.
South Korea would put him on a pedestal, celebrating him as a prodigy.
And then, greedy adults would manipulate him, using him like a tool in their power games.
The kid needed a guardian.
Haa—
Jurim exhaled a stream of smoke.
But did that mean he had to take responsibility?
No..
Could he even raise a kid properly?
Hell no.
Looking back, Jurim’s family history was filled with nothing but tragedy and failure.
He didn’t know how to be a good family.
And he probably never would.
Yeah. That’s it.
Not taking the kid in was a perfectly reasonable excuse.
Jurim crushed the cigarette under his boot.
The Next Day
A P Motors sports car pulled up in front of the orphanage playground.
As a tall man in a sleek suit stepped out, the children playing in the yard all turned to look at him.
He took off his sunglasses and read the signboard once more under the morning sun.
[Milal Orphanage]
In the end, he had come.
His fierce internal debate was still ongoing, though.
With long strides, he avoided the front gate and leaned against the orphanage wall.
Should I just turn around before I do something I’ll regret?
The kid was cute. Surely, there had to be at least one kind-hearted guardian in Korea who would want to take him in.
If so, then this was nothing but unnecessary meddling.
Just as Jurim was fumbling through his pockets for a cigarette, still lost in his last moment of hesitation—
—he heard arguing from the other side of the wall.
“You look weird because of your hair color, too!”
Hair color?
Jurim furrowed his brows, already having a bad feeling about this.
Hanguru stared blankly at the kid picking a fight with him.
The six-year-old Go Youngho was set to be adopted by a middle-aged couple who had visited the orphanage not long ago.
On the day his adoption was confirmed, Hanguru had followed Youngho outside when he secretly called for him at night.
He had thought, heart pounding with excitement, that maybe Youngho wanted to share some toys before leaving.
Instead, Youngho had said there was something he wanted to tell him before he left.
And then, instead of giving him toys—
—he confessed that he liked Hanguru.
He even suggested they date and promised to visit him in the future.
Hanguru had instantly refused, and Youngho had clearly not taken it well.
Ever since then, he had been picking fights with him relentlessly.
“No one’s gonna take a weird kid like you, right?”
When Youngho turned to the other kids for confirmation, laughter erupted all around them.
Everyone at the orphanage knew that Hanguru’s mixed heritage meant he was often passed over for adoption.
Youngho had pointed it out on purpose.
Feeling cornered, Hanguru lowered his gaze and pouted.
He already knew.
Whenever parents came to look at the children, they always said he was pretty and sweet, but they also told the director that he was “a bit different,” so they felt hesitant.
He had been through it so many times that it didn’t even bother him anymore.
“It’s okay if no one takes me. Guru’s gonna find his real mom and dad....”
“What? Who’s coming to get you?”
Laughter burst out again.
“He actually thinks his mom is coming for him.”
“Idiot.”
The sound of the children’s laughter made Hanguru’s throat close up.
He had always struggled to make friends because of his different appearance, but this was the first time he was being bullied so openly.
Anger and sadness welled up inside him, and before he realized it, tears started rolling down his cheeks.
If I could just open a bank account, I could find my mom and dad too....
Not wanting to cry in front of the laughing kids, Hanguru bowed his head and pressed his feet together.
A teardrop fell onto the toe of his white sneakers—
—and at that moment, someone lifted him up into the air.
“I’m taking Guru with me.”
Eyes wide, Hanguru turned to see who was holding him.
The moment he met the familiar sharp eyes, the man frowned slightly.
“Hanguru, are you crying again?”
“...Guild Master?”
Why was he here?
The tears that had been pooling in his eyes fell in big drops.
Jurim wiped them away with the back of his hand.
"Hic—!"
Hanguru held his breath again.
Jurim sighed, patting the kid’s back.
“Why do you keep holding your breath when you cry?” he muttered.
“Whoa! It’s Jurim!”
“No way! Is that the Jurim?”
“What’s he doing here?”
Is this how kids talk these days?
With zero immunity to children, Jurim exhaled a heavy sigh.
More and more kids started crowding around him, buzzing with excitement over the sudden appearance of a celebrity.
“What’s going on? Why is On Jurim here?”
“Jurim’s taking Guru with him.”
“What?! For real?”
“...Are you really taking Guru?”
Amidst the murmuring, a bright-eyed girl looked up at him and asked seriously.
With his eyes squeezed shut, Hanguru clung even tighter to Jurim’s suit.
Jurim, sensing his anxiety, gently patted his back.
“Yeah.”
“Wooooaaaahhhh!!!”
A wave of admiration and envy spread through the kids.
Meanwhile, Youngho’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
Jurim hummed thoughtfully, his gaze landing on Youngho.
So this was the kid who had been bullying Hanguru.
He had no interest in tormenting little kids.
But as he rubbed Hanguru’s tiny back, still feeling the remnants of the boy’s trembling, he let out a short sigh.
Still, a warning was necessary.
Jurim tilted his head slightly and locked eyes with Youngho.
The kid flinched and looked ready to bolt.
“Name.”
“G-Go Youngho....”
“You’re the one who’s been bullying Guru, aren’t you?”
Youngho went completely pale and clamped his mouth shut.
Kids are such a pain.
Jurim sighed, already feeling the headache forming as he opened his skill menu.
[Activating Skill: ‘Fear’]
A skill he had acquired from conquering the Druid’s domain.
A little fear should be fine.

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