Chapter: Beloved Caregiver Management
Guru opened up the blueprint for the new factory.
A holographic schematic of the factory unfolded before her eyes.
It was a bit more complex than the potion factory, but still well within her ability to build.
Following the blueprint ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) piece by piece, Guru began assembling it with LEGO blocks.
Clack-clack—once assembled, the colorful toy-like machines lined up around a central workstation.
Each station—head, wings, eyes, torso—was connected in a square by conveyor belts. From a distance, it almost looked like a rocket manufacturing facility.
'Well, it’s actually a drone factory!'
Next to it, she had built a gacha machine made of transparent plastic with a lever and a dispensing chute.
Inside the plastic dome were round cotton puff balls. When the lever was pulled, the machine converted the puff into a projectile and launched it through the chute.
When Guru tested it by pulling the lever, a system message popped up asking if she wanted to spend [Filial Piety Points].
She pressed confirm, and with a soft clatter, a round aluminum chick pellet with angry eyebrows shaped like horns rolled out—an Angry Chick.
“Joaa!”
Guru let out a triumphant huff through her nose.
The mass production of chick drones!
And with them, the age of auxiliary weapons!
This was the ultimate goal of Guru, the girl who had become a game-changer.
She summoned Bear One, Two, and Three, who had been lounging around the potion factory, and deployed them to the drone plant.
“Hooop!”
Then, at last—she pressed the launch button!
[※ Caution! Due to the complexity of the product, producing one unit will consume 10,000 [Filial Piety Points].]
[Proceed with production?]
“T-Ten thousand?!”
Guru’s shoulders trembled.
“H-How much f-fiwo do Gwuu even got......?”
The massive cost made her vision spin.
But a kid destined for greatness had to know how to spend, too.
She had to try making at least one, right?
“Let’s do... thwee.”
[※ Caution! Quality may decrease in mass production. Proceed anyway?]
“Uh, o-okay.”
Now that the fork was pulled, Guru wasn’t backing down.
Zeeeeeeeng—
Soon, the conveyor belt started moving. Bear One, Two, and Three busily scurried around, beginning the assembly.
The drone parts being manufactured looked noticeably smaller than the original.
Was that the quality drop?
She wondered for a moment.
Then, a chick drone revealed its majestic form atop the workstation.
“Hoohoo. Kuhoohuhuhu!”
Guru giggled wickedly and picked up the drone.
“Gwuu not a poor baby no more. Gwuu is weawwy woaded now... Hm?”
Did she read that wrong?
She rubbed her eyes and opened the info window again.
[Mephisto Series Prototype mk.2 (B-)]
“B-B minuss?!”
The grade dropped that much?!
She opened her <Kid-Friendly Crafting Assistant> app and scanned the drone. A few changes had been made.
[Mephisto Series Prototype mk.2 (B-)]
※ Quality has decreased due to commercialization.
Power reduced by 20%.
Recognition range reduced by 20%.
“Humm.”
So this was the quality drop... Guru rubbed her chin in deep thought.
There’s a difference between handcrafted and mass-produced, and that’s fine... but still...
It was disappointing.
Would people like these as much as the handmade ones?
'Would dey stiww wuv dis one too?'
It would be nice if she could test it in front of others.
Guru sneakily checked the app.
Even using the [Filial Factory] seemed to increase her proficiency—her mercury thermometer gauge had gone up a bit.
'15 degrees!'
Compared to potion crafting, making items like this seemed to raise proficiency way faster.
'Good.'
Anyway, if she poured all her [Filial Piety Points] into raising proficiency, she’d be able to make even better items later.
She fiddled with the [Filial Factory], determined—only to glance up with teary eyes at Mephisto and Veilach.
“Gwuu got no mowe fiwo pointies.......”
[Filial Piety Points: 0]
Zero!
Why were they never enough, no matter how much she tried?
“Hiiing.”
So upset.
Guru banged her forehead against the floor in frustration. Veilach patted her with a hand no bigger than a grain of millet, and Mephisto rubbed his head against the crown of hers.
“Piiiiiiii.”
Then, he pointed his beak toward the air.
A quest window opened right in front of Guru.
“Fuuung?”
Sniffling, she lifted her head.
[Caregiver Quest]
[Let’s turn ‘Serhi’ into a beloved caregiver and earn [Filial Piety Points]!]
[Reward: Earn [Filial Piety Points] based on how much people like Serhi.]
[Heat up the cold mercury thermometer!]
“Gwuu had dis quest?”
She didn’t remember seeing it before.
Thinking about where it might’ve come from, she clapped her hands.
“Da day we bought da watch!”
“Piiit!”
Mephi chirped in agreement like she was right.
That day, as she clung to Serhi and came back home, something had popped up.
But at the time, she was too annoyed at Serhi for not helping her school friends and had just hit “Yes” at random.
“Hummph.”
Guru puffed her cheeks.
She wasn’t fully over it yet with Serhi.
But she needed [Filial Piety Points], and...
'An’ weawwy, Gwuu do hope Oppaw Seowhi gets wots of fwiends.'
Honestly, she did.
Everyone—Jurim, Gidan, Siwon—they all knew that Serhi kept a wall between himself and others by only speaking English at school.
Jurim was the type to let him be. Gidan laughed, saying it was just because he was shy. But Siwon? Siwon secretly wiped away tears with a worried face.
'Hung-sam Uncwe......'
A little brother he finally found, and that brother was a grumpy loner?
'Poor Uncwe.'
“Dat why Gwuu gotta hewp!”
Guru scurried straight across the central garden of Yustitia International School and ducked behind a tree.
She was watching Serhi head back to class after eating lunch alone in the cafeteria.
“Yo, Serhi! You going solo again? Wanna stop by the store with us?”
“No, thanks.”
Serhi briskly turned down the offer and resumed his sluggish walk. Guru pulled a notebook from her pocket.
[Serhi Observation Log]
Super mega loner. Awways goes awone.
Weawwy onwy speaks Engwish. Hates it when fwiends talk to him.
As a group of classmates approached from afar, Serhi turned away entirely, heading toward the empty parking lot.
He was trying to avoid being seen.
'Why he go dat faw?'
On her first day, Guru had gotten contact info from kids in the next class over. As an extrovert, she just couldn’t understand.
'Can Gwuu even compwete dis quest?'
Was she just saying goodbye to her [Filial Piety Points]...?
That terrifying thought had barely settled when—
Serhi’s gaze shifted somewhere
'Oweng?'
Guru turned her eyes and spotted a familiar face.
At the end of Serhi’s line of sight stood Lee Taemin, clutching his head.
“Taemin, come on. I’m doing this all for your own good, you know that, right?”
Guildmaster Choi Hyunwoo of Chase spoke to him pleadingly.
“I know. Of course I do. But still... ha—”
Taemin ran a hand roughly over his face.
“But I’m not your avatar meant to live out your dreams for you.”
“...What?”
Choi Hyunwoo’s face flushed red.
Taemin seemed to realize he’d gone too far and shut his mouth tightly.
“You little...!”
Hyunwoo raised his hand, and Taemin closed his eyes.
'He’s gonna hit him!'
Guru reflexively bolted out.
She meant to jump between them so Hyunwoo couldn’t hit Taemin—
SMAACK—
A sharp crack echoed from the slapped cheek.
Guru looked up, dangling midair.
The one who had scooped her up just in time was Serhi.
And because he pushed Taemin away at the same moment, the one Hyunwoo ended up hitting... was Serhi.

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