Guru clamped her mouth shut with both hands so it wouldn’t open, her eyes trembling.
Why dis wowks...?
And so, with cheeks puffed full of acorns, Guru waddled her way to the storage hut, hauling them all in.
“Bleeaaagh.”
The acorns rolled out of her mouth and scattered across the storage floor with a clatter.
With every acorn that dropped, she felt like she was losing one more piece of her humanity.
Gwuu... why awe you doin' dis...?
At four years old, Guru found herself questioning the very meaning of existence.
Her righteous mission to find Ham Honggi began to fade just a little, as doubt about her current reality bubbled up.
Isn't Gwuu da Sky Squiwwow? Da KING?
The RP Dungeon showed no mercy, not even to royalty.
And so came the third day.
What Guru had come to realize was this:
Dese squiwwows awe... pwehistoric mice?
When Cheche offered to cook a meal and began peeling potatoes with a stone knife, Guru nearly passed out.
The Squirrel Tribe worked hard day and night, but their lives were poor and primitive. And because she had to work alongside them, Guru was forced to live that primitive life as well.
Gwuu can't wive wike dis!
On the morning of the third day, Guru bathed in cold water, scrubbed her face until it was squeaky clean, and pursed her lips in grim resolve.
She was an S-Rank Crafting Hunter born in a modern society. She would never get used to this kind of lifestyle—and she didn't need to.
Den dere's onwy one sowution.
She opened up her [Expand-a-Bag-a-Bag (C)] and rummaged through the contents.
Her thick tail swayed side to side.
“Jit.” (This is bad. At this rate, we might not meet the deadline.)
Cheche straightened her hunched back and spoke anxiously.
Lately, the corrupted land had been spreading too fast, and the lifespan of the Purification Trees had suddenly dropped, throwing the schedule into chaos.
They needed to plant, grow, and harvest the acorns as soon as possible—but even pulling up the expired trees was already a major struggle.
“Jitjit.” (We have to do it. If we can’t deliver the acorns, something terrible could happen. Tribute day is coming.)
Soon, the Snow Leopard tax collector would arrive.
There was still time before the ultimate [Special Purification Acorn] ~Nоvеlight~ was due, but even the regular [Purification Acorns] had to be delivered periodically.
If the collector saw how far behind they were, it could cause real trouble.
Just imagining the Snow Leopard collector made the squirrels droop their ears and tails.
If he ran off to the imperial court and reported the situation, the Emperor might send a squad of terrifying snow leopards to gobble up the squirrels in one bite.
Or order them all dragged to the polluted swamp and thrown into the muck.
As gloom settled over the field, the younger squirrels spoke up.
“Jitjit! Jitjit!” (Let’s stay strong! The Sky Squirrel is here for us!)
“Jit!” (That’s right! We have the Sky Squirrel!)
A few optimistic squirrels nodded in agreement, but the others fell silent, wary of saying too much.
The young Sky Squirrel from another world wasn’t strong, and her cheek pouch capacity wasn’t much to speak of either. She was simply cute and adorable.
Harmless cuteness wasn’t a problem for the squirrels—but for her, it was.
When the harvest was disappointing, the first one the Snow Leopards would scold would definitely be the little Sky Squirrel.
In truth, they probably needed to protect her instead.
And so the mood among the already frail, powerless squirrels grew even heavier.
“Jitjit!” (But if Master returns, even the collector won’t scare us!)
At the mention of “Master,” they all nodded again.
Their Sky Squirrel might still be too young to even hide her ears and tail properly, but Master was different.
He was a full-grown squirrel beastkin, a foreigner from another world just like Guru—but also the strongest male squirrel of them all.
A few days ago, he had suddenly appeared, easily defeated some contaminated monsters, and protected the squirrels. Several in the tribe had seen it with their own eyes.
Then, he vanished just as suddenly, saying he had something to do elsewhere. But since then, the young squirrels had started calling him “Master,” and the whole tribe silently accepted it. He was now their guardian and secret weapon.
“Jitjit! Jijitjueeng!” (Right, there’s still hope! Let’s each focus on our jobs!)
“Jit! Jitjit!” (Yeah! Let’s protect our Sky Squirrel with everything we’ve got!)
Just as the energized squirrels picked up speed again—
Clunk. Clunk.
A dull, heavy rumble rolled across the ground, like something stomping on stone. The squirrels lifted their heads.
The sound was getting closer. Coming straight toward them.
“Jii?”
“Jit?”
The squirrels yanking on tree roots froze mid-motion, their eyes shaking.
What in da wowld is dat...?
It was massive and yellow—and the one pedaling it with rapid spins was unmistakably their king.
Guru came barreling in, spinning the vehicle with a whoosh and bringing it to a crisp stop before them.
She hopped off the saddle and tapped on the side of the machine. The squirrels gathered around, forming a curious circle.
It had a frame just big enough for one person to sit in, long arms attached to it, and at the end of those arms, a yellow shovel with jagged teeth.
The squirrels touched every part of it like blind monks meeting an elephant for the first time.
Everyone’s suwpwised.
In this kind of primitive society, something like this must’ve been a huge shock.
Feeling smug, Guru leaned her back against the machine and crossed her arms, subtly eyeing the squirrels around her.
Ask. Ask what it is. Hurry up.
She wouldn’t speak first—blurting things out before being asked would ruin the dignity of a king.
She pretended her attention was elsewhere, like she didn’t care about playing royalty at all, but truthfully, she was fully immersed in her role as the Squirrel Tribe’s Sky Squirrel king.
The squirrels also kept glancing at her in turn.
His Majesty is posing hard.
She’s waiting for something.
Definitely posing while waiting.
Just as Guru couldn’t take it anymore and was about to blurt it out, the eldest squirrel, Kiki, finally asked:
“Jiiiiiik. Jitjit.” (Your Majesty, what... exactly is that?)
Heh. Guru’s lips curled into a smug grin.
“Ahhh, you wouldn't know. Dis is what we caww... a Pokuwein in my wowld.”
It was part of a line of motorized heavy machinery toys themed after a kids’ cartoon about construction vehicles. This one had originally been a toy excavator—which Guru had modified.
“Gwuu added some stuff to make it bettuh.”
She had hooked up a game controller to act as a control stick, which meant—unlike the default version that was just for show—hers actually worked like a real excavator.
[Tayo! Super-Strong Pokurein (D)]
Strength: Super-Strong!
Guru lifted the controller and revved the excavator, yanking out an entire Purification Tree in one clean swoop. She then tilted the shovel and tossed the tree onto a neat pile.
In the blink of an eye, ten trees were uprooted.
The squirrels stared in awestruck silence.
“Jueeng!”
“Juee!”
The entire squirrel tribe dropped to their knees before Guru.
Heh.
Lifting her chin, Guru brushed her finger across her nose.
“With Pokuwein, yanking tweez is a one-day job!”
Incredible! The squirrels’ eyes sparkled like stars.
Their young king was no longer just the cute and helpless Sky Squirrel—
She was a capable and adorable Sky Squirrel!
Thus began the Squirrel Tribe’s Industrial Revolution—led by their Sky Squirrel King.

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