Chapter 95

Body:

I told Somtul not to eat the pebble, but…

Ignoring my words, Somtul suddenly gobbled up the rock!

Shocked by this scene, I tried to pick Somtul up upside down to see if they were okay… but they were surprisingly heavy, so I gave up and urgently called for Han Arin’s help instead.

“S-Somtul ate a STONE!”

Hearing my panicked shout, Han Arin rushed over, scanning the situation before confirming there were no external threats, then asked me:

“Rock?”

“Y-yes!”

Thinking about performing the Heimlich maneuver to make Somtul spit out the stone, I hesitated – Somtul’s small size and alien physiology made it too risky compared to humans.

Just then…

“Blip.”

A strange noise came from Somtul, who started happily bouncing around with a satisfied “PeePeeDab” as if they’d just enjoyed a fine meal.

“…?”

Was Somtul a creature that could safely eat rocks? Or was this some kind of lucky edible pebble all along?

Before we could figure it out, Han Arin picked up the cheerful Somtul and began casting various spells, blue and cyan light spreading around repeatedly. While Somtul cuddled contentedly in her arms, Chae-a, Yuna and I anxiously waited for results.

“No major issues.”

To our surprise, Han Arin reported no problems after her examination, though she suggested contacting the researchers just in case. I stretched Somtul’s cheek while nodding in agreement.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it~ Somtul’s family to me too.”

As I thought how fortunate this was, Chae-a suddenly piped up with shining eyes:

“Since Somtul ate the lucky rock… does that mean they’re now Lucky Somtul?!”

“Pii!” (That’s right!)

“Wowww! So kawaii!”

Flapping her arms like a baby bird, Chae-a soon lifted Somtul high and declared:

“Now Somtul is Super Great Somtul!”

“Pii!”

With that, Chae-a stuck her head on the window while placing Somtul atop it, starting an enthusiastic monologue filled with honorifics whenever she wanted to express admiration or request something.

Meanwhile, as I watched this exchange with a smile, Yuna suddenly hugged me tightly, petting my head repeatedly while declaring:

“Haeuni is also Super Great Hae-un! So great!”

Though slightly embarrassed, I didn’t mind the affectionate attention. Watching this, Han Arin smiled warmly and commented:

“Since Yuna looks up to you as an older sister, she takes good care of her younger siblings. I should probably do the same for Yuna then?”

Thus began an inexplicable chain of siblingly affection, with Han Arin petting Yuna, who in turn petted me. As I wondered if this was appropriate, Somtul and Chae-a rejoined us, demanding to be included.

“C-Come on!”

“Pii!”

Smiling, Han Arin gathered everyone into a big group hug, petting all the juniors’ heads.

***

While monsters typically spawned in dungeons or gates, they could also appear in locations meeting special conditions. Worst of these were urban areas.

“Complicated roads, prone to casualties and property damage, and densely packed making it hard to detect hidden monsters.”

Therefore, defense mechanisms preventing monster spawns were essential in cities. However, for unknown reasons, the previously reliable spawn prevention devices had failed, allowing monsters to start appearing.

“While other defenses still existed, minimizing major damage, having our primary barrier breached was a serious issue. The Association has assigned numerous hunters to investigate.”

“Be sure to check places you’d normally overlook, like under vending machines. Report anything suspicious immediately. That’s all.”

Seorin listened attentively while the mission details were explained. Normally, she would have proceeded emotionlessly after noting key points, but thinking about Hae-un, Chae-a and Yuna made her feel unusually subdued.

‘Scattering mana should work.’

By dispersing mana, she could both detect surroundings and pinpoint enemy locations upon contact. Deciding to walk briskly while scattering mana, she suggested this method to her team.

“…Will that work? You’ll run out of mana within 30 minutes.”

“A dungeon or gate might be different, but doing that in a densely populated urban area will likely prevent you from even checking one building…”

They weren’t wrong. Hunters typically had very limited mana with slow growth. However, her mana reserves were abnormally large.

‘Maybe “unlimited” would be more accurate?’

While technically not infinite, she could scatter mana continuously for at least a week without significant issues, so she dismissed their concerns.

“A month? That’s quite exaggerated…”

Their disbelieving smirks continued as someone added:

“Look, Seorin may be an S-rank prospect with great talent, but she’s still a rookie, right? Rather than stubbornly insisting, maybe we should proceed step-by-step…”

From their words, she realized something: they didn’t want to complete the mission properly.

Just as she was about to question them further, someone nearby interjected:

“Stop picking fights with the newbie and just be honest. Seorin, you don’t need to try so hard. Unified missions have fixed rewards, meaning extra effort won’t gain or lose you anything. Just go through the motions.”

The pragmatic yet selfish answer shook her slightly. Back with Hae-un and the others, everyone seemed kind and considerate, but here people only cared about their own gains.

‘This must be reality.’

Recalling how everyone had passively watched violence in the prison lab except Hae-un, she bitterly smiled and replied:

“Then please stay here. I’ll operate alone.”

She preferred solo operations anyway. Just as she was about to leave, someone lightly tapped her head from behind.

“You’ve been hanging out with Han Arin too much. That’s an insult, by the way.”

Turning around, she saw Perseus. He shook his head a few times before saying:

“I’ll take this one. Carry on with your tasks.”

Everyone quickly dispersed after exchanging glances. Smiling wryly at the suddenly empty space, Perseus spoke:

“You don’t need to understand them, but you should comprehend why they act this way.”

Not understanding “comprehend,” she looked at him questioningly. He briefly explained:

“Don’t get hurt.”

At the word “hurt,” she opened her phone, showing a picture of Hae-un, Chae-a and Yuna sleeping together. Seeing this image calmed her as she said:

“I won’t get hurt. As long as Hae-un is here, everything’s fine.”

Perseus smirked at her response before nodding approvingly:

“Hae-un is important.”

Confirming this, she gently stroked her phone screen before regaining determination.

***

Lately, I felt I’ve been playing around too much and decided to refocus on my original purpose.

‘I need to work.’

Reflecting on how complacent I’ve become recently, I resolved to change my messed-up mindset by working diligently.

‘Running errands for Seorin, helping Han Arin, assisting those who ask for help…’

Compared to when I first arrived here, there are countless possibilities now. Though these opportunities come from the kindness of those around me rather than my own achievements, I couldn’t help feeling proud while standing confidently until Han Arin asked me something:

“Oh, Researcher Jeong Jae-hyun wants someone to watch over Somtul while asking Hae-un for a favor. Want to come along?”

Seeing Somtul blipping and trilling happily in front of me, I nodded.

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