The baby flying squirrel spun dramatically, her skirt fluttering behind her.
She walked a few steps with solemn dignity. Then, her pace turned to a hurried scurry—Guru’s speed gradually increasing.
To be honest, if the conditions had allowed, she would’ve relished this wise and glorious boss-squirrel life to the fullest.
But—
[Mana Insufficient! Title delegation from Caregiver ‘Mephisto’ is terminated.]
[Warning! Mana exhaustion in 00:01:31...]
A warning alert blinked across her system view.
With just over a minute and a half remaining, the numbers ticked down with each second.
Though the delegation had ended, its effects still lingered. The mana, which should’ve drained out in an instant, was instead leaking slowly.
Whether Mephisto had somehow delayed the depletion by substituting his power, the white baby bird was now passed out on top of Guru’s head, swaying slightly in sleep.
Thanks to that, she hadn’t collapsed immediately—but Guru was now experiencing exactly what a mana leak felt like in real-time.
If all of my mana leaks out like this...?
She’d run out of mana once before—when she fought Malikian.
Gwuu gonna go aww hewonghewong again!
Guru quickly pulled out syrup from her bag and took a swig.
But the most syrup could refill was about 5% of her mana. It bought her a little more time, but not meaningfully so.
Gwuu gotta go to da swamp!
She had to meet Siwon and deliver the acorns before Gnosis sabotaged the dungeon strategy.
Which way should Gwuu go?
According to the quest description, the contamination was flowing from the swamp. That meant the swamp should be...
The start of da canal!
Guru was just making her way upstream along the canal.
Then—a man’s voice stopped the frantic steps of the baby flying squirrel.
“How... did you do that?”
Flinch.
Guru quickly stepped back.
The man’s eyes were unfocused. His approach was cautious, but the desperate edge to it made it feel like he might grab her at any second.
“That’s it, right? The Unmeasurable Item.”
Who was this weirdo...?
“It’s that, right? Huh?”
Naohyeong was muttering frantically. He didn’t seem remotely normal.
His pitch-black pupils, inside narrow eyes, gleamed with raw greed.
He’s weird.
A chill ran up her back.
“Whatever it is—just give it to me—”
[Warning! Mana exhaustion in 00:00:30...]
“Give it to me, okay?”
Guru’s eyes trembled.
Scawy...
Her body was starting to stiffen from the mana loss.
Her brain, on the verge of going hewonghewong, registered nothing but fear.
This time, she really had no way to defend herself.
[Warning! Mana exhaustion in 00:00:10...]
Thud.
Her legs gave out beneath her.
At that moment, Naohyeong lunged forward, face twisted like a demon, arms outstretched.
“Give it to me!”
No! Guru desperately pulled back, avoiding his hands.
But—
[Warning! Mana exhaustion in 00:00:05...]
—her vision was going dark.
A rush of icy terror surged from her fingertips to her heart, as if her insides were freezing.
If this kept up...
[Warning! Mana exhaustion in 00:00:03...]
She was going to collapse.
No...
And then—
[Skill ‘Deep-Rooted Attachment’ has detected the Primary Caregiver.]
Just before her consciousness slipped away, she heard the sound of slow footsteps approaching from behind.
“Huh?”
Naohyeong froze mid-motion
Why?
Guru followed his gaze—and turned around.
[Attachment level with Primary Caregiver exceeds required threshold.]
[New function of ‘Deep-Rooted Attachment’ is unlocked.]
The man approaching stopped just a few steps in front of her.
[Skill ‘Happiness in Togetherness’ has activated.]
—When with their Primary Caregiver, the child feels happiness. A happy child maintains peak condition.
“Ah...!”
Suddenly, the mana that had been leaking out started to refill.
It was a cozy, weightless sensation—like floating on clouds. Like the warm and firm feeling she had when Jurim hugged her.
Naohyeong, who had been lunging toward her, slowly lowered his arms.
Their eyes met over Guru’s small frame.
Naohyeong awkwardly swallowed.
“H-How are you here...?”
Jurim raised his hand.
Naohyeong’s neck snapped backward instantly.
With a flick of psychic force, Naohyeong died without a sound.
And when Jurim casually brushed his hand to the side, the corpse vanished from view.
Guru’s tiny ears twitched atop her head.
Why Oppaw here?
Huh. Guru blinked up at him with her mouth slightly open.
Is dat really Guildmastuh?
Jurim, too, looked down at her as if in disbelief—like he wasn’t entirely sure it was really her.
The black wolf furrowed his handsome brow deeply, staring at the baby flying squirrel.
After a long moment of {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} thought, he sat down in front of her, brushed back her bangs, and gently cupped her cheeks with both hands.
“You’re one tasty-looking squirrel.”
Perk! Guru’s ears and tail shot up.
Is dat fake Guildmastuh?!
Suddenly, she remembered what the dungeon guide had said about how vicious wolf beastmen were—that they’d swallow a baby squirrel like her in one bite.
Run—Gwuu gotta run...!
But just then, a memory of Jurim’s voice floated through her head.
It had been flat and dry—unusually so for a children’s book reading.
“That guy looks tasty.”
“Ah...!”
Guru knew the answer to this one. Her chest swelled with a tingle of emotion.
It was the secret code they shared—born from a memory only the two of them had.
It’s weal Guildmastuh.
The face she had missed so much was right in front of her.
The one who read her books, who patted her to sleep.
That memory always told her: no matter where or when, this was her person.
The certainty that this was the protector who would keep her safe melted the tension from her frozen limbs.
With relief came tears welling up in her eyes. Guru sniffled.
Her throat felt like it was full of ticklish feathers.
Like a herbivore baby dino talking to a carnivore, she said:
“Ah... huff!”
Guru opened her mouth and sucked in a breath.
It didn’t come out right the first time—she wasn’t used to this.
But Jurim patiently waited for her to speak.
Finally, she threw both arms up and shouted:
“Daddyyyy!”
“Yeah.”
Jurim smiled warmly and hugged her small body close.
Jurim stood up with Guru in his arms and began walking toward the base.
The oppressive force from earlier had completely vanished, leaving not a trace behind.
Doesn’t seem like that power was his...
He glanced at Guru, only to chuckle inwardly at himself.
No way. That’s ridiculous.
He was getting carried away.
The RP Dungeon belonged to the system. So it made more sense that the system had intervened—for reasons unknown.
Either way, it was best to get Guru out of here before any greater anomaly occurred.
Jurim held her close and let out a long sigh.
To think she’d followed the scammer all the way in here. The surprise, the panic—and then the relief came rushing in.
He was so lucky he’d arrived in time.
Unaware of his turbulent emotions, the child clung tightly to his neck and smiled in bliss.
Like a puppy reunited with its owner, she radiated pure joy.
Watching her, Jurim let out another sigh.
Maybe this time... I really should scold her properly.
She couldn’t just waltz into dangerous places like this.
Watches didn’t even work here—it had been a reckless, foolish thing to do.
If she’d gotten hurt, he—
“Hanguru.”
“Yeesh?”
Just as he opened his mouth, he found himself replaying the word she’d called him earlier—Daddy.
“Hm?”
Guru tilted her head and smiled again when their eyes met.
Jurim quietly closed his mouth.
His mind felt like it had gone completely blank.
Not right now...
For now, he just needed to stay alert himself...
And next time, he’d definitely scold her properly.
Resolving himself once more, Jurim pushed all his swirling thoughts to the back of his mind and simply watched the swaying of her fluffy tail.
“Why a squirrel? It’s cute, sure.”
Cwute? Guru’s ears perked up.
Uhehe!
“Gwuu is a fwyin’ squiwwew! Fwyin’ squiwwews awe da king of all squiwwews!”

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