What should he say?
It was something you needed.
It wasn’t a big deal for me.
Jurim considered a few words before simply smirking and lifting the child into his arms.
“...Did you cry because you thought it was your fault?”
“Uuung?”
“I only did it to chase away someone I didn’t like at the Center. You didn’t know?”
Guru’s eyes trembled as if he had been struck by lightning.
“Aren’t you supposed to be the smartest kid in the Chick Class?”
Ssssssssss.
When he teasingly provoked him, Guru puffed up his cheeks like an angry pufferfish.
“Oh, look at this.”
Jurim pressed down on the inflated cheek with one hand, and a soft poof of air escaped.
Guru flailed his arms like an indignant rabbit, swatting Jurim’s hand away.
As Jurim chuckled and dodged, Guru furrowed his brows deeply, pouting in protest.
“...Still, don’t get sick.”
“Mm.”
Jurim ran his fingers through Guru’s messy beige hair, straightening it. Guru quietly leaned into the gentle touch.
At first, he had thought just bring him here, feed him, clothe him—simple enough.
Maybe he had underestimated it.
Come to think of it, he had almost forgotten that a child was still a thinking, feeling being.
‘This isn’t easy.’
Well... if a guardian suddenly collapsed and stayed asleep for a week, that would obviously be distressing.
Jurim rubbed his thumb over Guru’s soft cheek before checking the date on his phone.
The last date he remembered was the 16th, so logically, it should be at least the 21st by now...
...But no.
It was still the 16th.
‘What?’
A faint frown creased Jurim’s forehead as he looked at Guru.
The only thing that had changed was this little brat.
And the only thing that stood out right now... was also this brat..
He decided to confirm it immediately.
“...Did you do something to me? Feed me some weird syrup or something?”
“Yes! Filial Piety Skill!”
“...What?”
“Filial Piety Skill! Guru went like this and gave you strength, so your mana went whoosh and then boom, Guild Master-nim’s eyes went pop and opened!”
Guru flailed his hands in the air, making dramatic sound effects that explained absolutely nothing.
His face beamed with pride as he looked up at Jurim expectantly.
“...What’s the skill penalty? Do you feel sick? Any debuffs (status reductions)?”
Guru shook his head.
“So you definitely did something, huh?”
“Yes! Filial Piety Skill!”
“...Forget it.”
Jurim exhaled slowly and rubbed his face with both hands.
‘Sigh... I have no idea what kind of nonsense is coming next.’
Having an ability that was too powerful was a problem in itself.
A skill that could instantly restore depleted mana without any side effects?
If this got out, Guru’s safety would be at serious risk.
Seeing that Jurim didn’t quite grasp the concept yet, Guru was about to launch into another round of woosh-boom explanations when Jurim held up a hand to stop him.
“Alright. Fine. For now... don’t tell anyone but me.”
This is hard. Too damn hard.
Do all parents just casually communicate with tiny, animal-like humans like this?
A sudden wave of respect for all parents everywhere washed over him.
To think he’d end up relying on a child who couldn’t even properly explain what he did.
A slight sense of self-loathing crept in.
Still... filial piety, huh?
Jurim let out a short chuckle.
It was a phrase he had never expected to hear in his lifetime.
‘Not bad.’
“...Thanks.”
He ruffled Guru’s hair into a complete bird’s nest before standing up from the bed.
Guru, his mouth hanging open, shook his head and scrambled to his feet, following Jurim as he left the room.
“Did Guru help?”
“A lot.”
‘Guru helped!’
Guru was useful to Guild Master-nim!
As Jurim entered the living room, he grabbed a towel, stuffed it with ice, and pressed it gently against Guru’s puffy eyes.
‘Haaah... So cool...’
Guru melted into the ice pack.
Meanwhile, from across the room, Seojun’s voice drifted over.
“...No, I understand that. But we’re talking about a kindergartener.”
He was on the phone with someone, speaking in a frustrated tone.
Kindergartener?
Was he talking about Guru?
Jurim’s gaze flicked toward Seojun as soon as the word kindergartener was mentioned.
“Yes, I know, I do... I’ll get back to you. Yes, thank you for your time.”
Seojun sighed as he ended the call.
“What was that? Is it about Guru?”
“Guild Master-nim?!”
Seojun, startled, bolted toward him like a bullet.
Jurim, looking utterly unimpressed, casually took a step to the side, making Seojun stumble forward.
“How are you already awake?! Why?! How?!”
“Because I—”
Just as Guru raised his hand high, ready to proudly explain what he had done, Jurim blocked him.
Hmph.
He wanted to be praised.
“We’ll talk about that later. Where was that call from just now?”
“Oh—Guild Master-nim, that was the Management Bureau. They said they were too busy today and forgot to inform us earlier...”
“Inform us about what?”
Jurim’s expression tensed.
They weren’t saying he needed to be reassessed, were they?
Seojun hesitated, choosing his words carefully before cautiously speaking.
“Well... You know how there was that ad proposal for the ‘Awakened Special Law Amendment’ campaign a while ago?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
Jurim frowned slightly and nodded.
From what he heard, they had initially wanted °• N v l i g h t •° Gidan as the model.
But, in true Gidan fashion, he had refused outright, saying he’d rather run another dungeon in that time. The promotional team had practically clung to Jurim’s legs, begging him to convince Gidan, but to no avail.
“The call was about that.”
Seojun sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“If Guru-yang wants to get a Hunter License, he has to clear a dungeon.”
Jurim, who had been processing the words slowly, wrinkled his forehead in disbelief.
“...A dungeon?”
At the mention of the word, Guru perked up, tilting his head.
“Dungeon?”
Chapter 4 – Let’s Go to the Dungeon!
The Awakened Management Bureau’s webpage was playing an introductory video on the mandatory three-hour training for prospective hunters.
📺 “And one more thing you must remember! To obtain an Awakener’s License, all candidates must now clear an F-rank designated dungeon selected by the Hunter Bureau.”
The practical test for a Hunter License had been officially introduced at the end of last year.
It was meant to:
Prevent Hunter IDs from being misused for university applications or corporate hiring advantages.Weed out fraudulent cases and ensure only the truly qualified received licenses.Prevent newbie hunters from recklessly entering dungeons and getting themselves killed due to inexperience.
In the video, the host smiled and raised a fist enthusiastically.
“Fighting!”
Guru, watching intently, clenched his tiny fists and mimicked them.
“Fighting!”
Meanwhile, Jurim, who was on the phone with the Management Bureau, massaged his temples.
“No matter what, you should at least grant me dungeon entry privileges.”
It seemed like he was speaking directly to the Bureau’s director.
The conversation wasn’t going anywhere.
Jurim was too high-ranked to enter an F-rank dungeon, and he was arguing that he should be given a special permit to accompany Guru.
Otherwise, he was going to break in.
By law, hunters weren’t allowed to enter dungeons two ranks below their own.
Apparently, the Bureau Director was getting fed up with Jurim’s constant pestering, because his voice suddenly blared through the phone.
“Then just find someone to bus him! I’m busy, so hang up already!”
📞 Click.
Bus?
Guru tilted his head.
Jurim, deep in thought, ended the call.
The Day of the Dungeon Raid
Morning arrived.
Sitting on the Guild Master’s office sofa, Guru sipped the choco latte that the secretary had brought him.
He stared at Gidan, who was lounging on the backrest of the couch, conducting his final dungeon survival lesson.
“ROOAARRR! You’ve encountered a terrifying monster in the dungeon! What do you do?!”
Guru put his choco latte on the table, stood up, and narrowed his eyes menacingly.
“Scatter! Thousand Cherry Blossoms!”
He pulled out a dried twig from his backpack—one that Gidan had given him—and shouted a famous line from an old anime while activating a skill.
✨ [Petals in the Wind (A)] ✨
Effect: While the user is within the range of the scattering cherry blossoms, all physical attacks are evaded for 12 seconds.**Defense power increases by 100%.Durability: (1/5)
As glimmering cherry blossom petals filled the air, Gidan burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“PFFT—HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
The sofa shook from how hard he was laughing.
Meanwhile, Jurim, who had just returned after prepping the transport, took one look at the scene and immediately scowled.
Gidan was on the verge of collapsing from laughter, while Guru stood in the middle of the swirling pink petals, completely immersed in his anime moment.
“...Gidan, what the hell are you teaching the kid?”

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