Chapter 8
Chapter 8
The Magical Girl’s Tutorial Dungeon Has Disappeared
As I loosened my wrist, I began extracting information from Amunis.
Things I couldn’t learn from setting books or bonus rooms. The hidden details I didn’t know.
“Have you been making reports?”
“You mean reports to headquarters? That is…”
“You weren’t?”
“N… I thought Nacht-nim was doing it for me…”
Alright. So this lazy idiot had even been leaving reports to Nacht.
“Then what were you planning to do from now on?”
“Until Nacht-nim finishes the investigation and gives orders…”
“Until?”
“I… was going to sleep…”
Alright. No variables there.
“When is the next reporting date?”
“That… well… um…”
He doesn’t know. Got it.
Then one last thing.
“What about information on magical girls?”
“Huh…? Nacht-nim knows more than I do… Ah, no. I’m sorry. As for what happened during the last incident, I don’t have an accurate grasp either…”
…Why is every single one of them useless?
I have more information than this guy.
“Is that so.”
“Yes, Nacht—”
Thud!!!
“…nim?”
Amunis’ eyes filled with shock, betrayal, and confusion.
My tentacle had pierced straight through his body.
“Nacht-nim… what… what is this…?”
I don’t have any obligation to answer.
Rip!
“Ghk… ugh…”
I pulled the tentacle out of his body, and Amunis glared at me with pain-filled eyes.
“Why… why would you… do this… to me…?”
“You’ve served your purpose. That’s enough, isn’t it, Amunis?”
At my words, his expression changed.
Shock, betrayal, confusion—all gone.
What remained was only one thing.
Rage.
“Why… why…! I only did everything you told me to do…!!!”
Whoooosh!
A massive slime fist shot toward me.
A perfectly straight punch, but it couldn’t harm me at all.
Crack!!
I pierced the arm upward with a tentacle, and instead of just deflecting it, the entire arm shattered.
“Aaaaargh!!!”
In the game, Amunis was an enemy resistant to physical attacks.
More precisely, he only took minimal damage. In simple terms, he had physical resistance.
But in front of overwhelming power, that means nothing.
I only meant to knock his arm away, yet instead of deflecting it, his entire arm exploded.
Squirm…
The shattered arm began regenerating, but I had no intention of giving him time.
Tap!
“Where—!?”
Rip! Crack!!
“Aaaaaaah!!!”
This time, I pierced the other arm.
Unable to withstand the force, it didn’t just get a hole—it completely burst apart.
Ignoring his screams of agony, it was time to finish this.
Crack!! Smash!!
Once both legs supporting his massive body were destroyed, Amunis stopped even screaming.
He just stared at me with hollow eyes.
“Why… why… Nacht… nim…”
“I told you. You’ve outlived your usefulness.”
“Why… why are you doing this… I… only… did… what you told me…”
Even hearing his trembling voice, even hearing his grief-filled cries of betrayal, I felt nothing.
Why?
Had I lost even the guilt that comes with being human after becoming a monster?
No. That wasn’t it.
I did feel a vague sense of guilt. A trace of pity.
But those were just thoughts in my head. Logical conclusions.
What dominated me wasn’t something as trivial and unnecessary as that.
There was a single absolute truth controlling my emotions.
And it made me ignore the anger of what might have once been my subordinate.
“You’re too dangerous… for that child.”
If I leave him alive, if I make even one mistake…
One day, he would endanger Yeoreum.
At worst, he would violate her.
That kind, lovely child—so pure—would be dragged into misery.
“Th-that child…? What… what do you mean…”
“You don’t need to know.”
I gathered all my tentacles into one place.
As they converged, they formed something enormous.
“H… haha… Nacht… nim…”
“You’ve worked hard, Amunis.”
Boom!!!
Amunis was crushed before he could even scream. His core, carefully protected within his massive body, was completely destroyed under my tentacle.
The only mercy I could offer was killing him before he felt pain.
Meanwhile, the slimes began trembling as their master died.
I looked over them.
Not to confirm their fear—but to count them.
Not many. Around a hundred.
That might sound like a lot, but compared to things that could be wiped out with a flick of my hand, it was nothing.
Honestly, bugs might be more annoying. They’re small and hard to catch, unlike these.
“…Lately, you’ve been coming to me far too often. To the point of being annoying.”
“So you’re going to die for that mistake.”
The slimes began backing away.
They must have realized I wasn’t safe anymore.
Not a safe person… a safe monster?
Does it matter? A monster is still… a person, isn’t it?
I pushed aside the pointless thoughts.
Time to clean up these pests.
By the time I finished dealing with all the slimes, it was already 2 PM. School dismissal time.
Normally, it would’ve taken ten minutes, but the slimes hid throughout the sewers, dragging things out.
Detecting demonic energy didn’t help much inside Amunis’ domain either.
It was incredibly annoying.
Still, now that they were all gone, slime outbreaks would decrease, and monster invasions would slow down, even if just a little.
Accidents caused by monsters would also drop significantly.
A good outcome is a good outcome.
I walked quickly back to Yeoreum’s school.
Right on time, she was coming out.
“Yeoreum~”
I waved at her, and her face lit up as she approached.
“Mister, are you off work?”
“Of course~”
I nodded casually, but suddenly she grabbed my arm.
Her tiny hand made me pause—but that wasn’t the issue.
“Mister… your clothes are torn…”
Was it when I chased the slimes? Or during the fight with Amunis?
I wasn’t sure.
“Ah… this? Sorry. I think I messed up while working.”
“You’re not hurt… right?”
Her expression darkened instantly.
I placed my hand on her cheek and gently pressed it.
“Mm…!?”
“I’m not hurt, so don’t worry. Let’s order chicken and eat at home, okay? Or are you too full from school lunch?”
She shook her head vigorously.
So she could still eat.
“I’ll help you eat too, so don’t leave any behind, alright?”
Nod nod nod
How badly did she want chicken to nod like that?
After letting go of her cheek, I naturally held her hand.
With one hand holding hers and the other ordering chicken, I felt her small fingers.
A hand that fit perfectly in mine.
Someday, the owner of this hand might become a magical girl and fight monsters.
That path would be painful.
Filled with suffering.
I won’t let that happen.
I won’t just stand by.
Thankfully, there’s time.
Ten years.
I still have ten years.
There’s not much I can do… but I’ll try something.
But right now, I don’t have the luxury to think about that.
Why?
Because I need to raise this humming, smiling child properly.
What should I do for Yeoreum’s happiness?
Stop her from becoming a magical girl?
Yes, that matters.
But more important than anything…
Is making her happy now.
Cook good, balanced meals.
Help her study.
Walk her to and from school.
Buy what she needs.
Scold her when she’s wrong.
As her guardian…
I have to raise her properly.
That’s what I need to do for her happiness.
But…
I didn’t expect it would include something like this.
While eating chicken, Yeoreum handed me a notice.
In big letters, it read:
Parent Observation Class.
It had only been about two weeks since I became her guardian…
And it was already time to attend something like this.
She didn’t say to come.
She didn’t say not to.
…What should I do?