Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: 37. Preparation of the Mind
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“How was it? The novel.”
Bom answered his question without hesitation.
“I'll give it a bit more of a try.”
Unlike with painting or sculpting, Bom seemed interested in novels.
Maybe in the sixth round, she had finally found something that suited her. If so, she must have been enjoying it diligently. Then Yoo Ji-tae had up and kidnapped her.
“But...”
“Yeah.”
“...Could you help out sometimes?”
Her voice was subdued. He figured she must have been pretty shocked last time, so he asked cautiously, wondering if she'd be okay with it.
Bom nodded nonchalantly.
Just in case, he had looked into it and found out there was a cadet contest at the Lair. The writing category was mostly pure literature or poetry contests, but there was exactly one horror contest per year, with a deadline in July.
“It's real.”
Yoo Ji-tae and Bom looked over the contest guidelines together. 300 manuscript pages. About half a year left. Plenty of time—even a page a day would do it.
“I'll prepare for it. So, um... want to see what I wrote yesterday?”
“Yesterday's?”
“Yeah.”
She handed him the manuscript. Yoo Ji-tae sat quietly and started reading.
Bom leaned against his back, resting her arms on his shoulders, reading along with him.
“......?”
Winter tilted her head at her sister.
A pink flower-shaped pin in her hair. Leaning against Yoo Ji-tae's back. He was sitting hunched over. Bom stood straight.
It felt familiar somehow...
Winter thought for a moment, then turned to the painting on the wall. Gray wilted flowers next to pink ones.
She turned back.
The painting resembled Yoo Ji-tae and Bom.
Bom's brief deviation ended there. After that, she went back to wearing her cadet uniform with a flower pin in her hair. And she attended classes diligently without skipping.
Would she finally find her dream in the seventh round? Yoo Ji-tae decided to watch closely.
That aside. That morning, before the girls headed out to the academy district.
Room 301 felt a bit chaotic today.
“......”
‘......’
The Guardian and the Chick were glaring at each other.
A strange tension hung in the air.
‘I thought feeding it more would fix things.’
The Guardian thought.
Lately, the Chick Pip-yung was devouring half a bag of feed a day. It ate whatever was given, so more was given—and this mess happened.
Overeating wasn't really a problem. Money wasn't an issue, nor was buying it. Seeing it plump up felt good.
How happy would Gaeul be with a giant chicken...?
The Guardian felt pleased just imagining it.
But... the Chick's messes in the bathroom were the problem.
‘Never imagined this.’
Dragons produced nothing no matter how much they ate. Their digestive systems converted nearly 100% of intake into energy.
But spirit beasts weren't dragons. It output as much as it input.
Before, when it ate less, this hadn't happened. The Chick went out often and handled business outside. But now it was different. Smart enough to use the bathroom, but not the toilet.
Cleaning was solely the Guardian's job.
So the Guardian sighed inwardly every time it came out of the bathroom.
“I've endured enough. Time for training starting today.”
“Pip-yung? (What training?)”
“You need potty training.”
“Pip-yung? (Potty what?)”
“Don't you get what I mean?”
“Pip-yung? Pip-yung pip-yung. (No idea. What potty training?)”
The Guardian didn't understand the Chick's words but could tell it was confused.
Hm. Human language doesn't work? The red glow in the helmet flickered.
How about this, then?
“Pip-yung.”
“Pip...... (What's this......)”
“Pip-yung. Pip-yung.”
“...? (??)”
The Guardian chirped in a metallic scrape of a voice. The Chick wondered what was wrong with this lunatic and got scared.
“Now we can communicate. Pip-yung. Pip-yung.”
“Pip-yung! Pip-yung! (No we can't! Speak human!)”
“Heh. Pip-yung pip-yung.”
“Pip-yung? Pip-yung! (Are you crazy? Why?!)”
“Pip-yung.”
“Pip-yung. (I'm losing it.)”
Regardless, the Guardian dragged the Chick through potty training all day.
It understood human speech but not the Guardian's “Pip-yung,” leaving the Chick frustrated all day.
Yoo Ji-tae, watching from the side, was a bit dumbfounded. But he saw no reason to intervene and ignored them.
“Uwaaa...!”
Meanwhile, Gaeul in her cadet uniform wandered the hallway with hands on her head.
She seemed three times more scattered than usual.
“What's wrong, Gaeul?”
“W-what do I do, unni? What do I do?!”
“What's with her?”
“It's group project presentation day today...! I didn't do the research, so I got stuck presenting. It's my first time?!”
“Just present.”
“B-but I'm nervous!”
She clung to Bom, then Yeoreum. And for some reason Winter too. Then she ran to Yoo Ji-tae.
“Ajusshi!”
“......”
“What do I do!? I didn't prepare! Standing in front in a dark place! Everyone staring at me...!”
Then, “Huh? That sounds kinda nice...?” She quieted down.
But only for a few seconds. She started pestering Yoo Ji-tae again frantically.
“Ajusshi, none of your friends did group projects!?”
In short, like with the declaration, she wanted shared memories or feelings. He shook his head. No group projects in his past. Gaeul looked crestfallen at Yeoreum.
“Yeoreum unni!”
“Ugh, why, you pig. So annoying.”
“How are you not nervous, unni? You were so natural in interviews!”
Yeoreum snorted.
“Do you get nervous thinking ants are watching you?”
“......?!”
The Red clan's gaze differed so much from the Gold clan's. Even so, an ant...?
Gaeul muttered, then asked Bom.
“What about you, unni? How do you not get nervous?”
“Me?”
“Yeah! You don't panic even when you should!”
“Hm, true.”
Bom thought briefly and spoke.
“You prepare your mind.”
“How do you do that?”
“Imagine upsetting events before they happen. What could go wrong in that situation.”
“For example?”
“Hm...... During the presentation, someone will ask questions, right?”
“Yeah!”
“Predict what questions, what surprises. Prep responses.”
“Ooh...! How many scenarios?!”
Gaeul looked at Bom hopefully.
“About 200 to 500?”
Hope snapped. It sounded like a Green Dragon thing. Imagining 200 surprises was impossible.
Still, better than nothing. Gaeul muttered at her watch, reviewing project materials.
Suddenly struck by a thought, Gaeul turned to Bom.
“Ah, unni unni! But I've hardly seen you panic.”
“Really?”
“Don't you panic if you're unprepared?”
Bom glanced subtly at Yoo Ji-tae down the hall.
“Yeah. I do panic......”
About then, Winter reached for Yoo Ji-tae to be picked up.
“......!”
He lifted her, and her small cheek touched his neck. Soft skin.
She familiarly tugged his shirt collar to check the necklace. He never took it off, so Winter nodded contentedly again today.
She looked between 6 and 7 now, babyishness fully gone.
Come to think of it, around this time last round, she had molted.
「Molting」 meant shedding skin as young dragons grew toward adulthood. Even dragons molted two or three times when young and mana-inept. They got very weak then.
Was it time soon?
Recalling the sixth round briefly, Yoo Ji-tae asked.
“Winter.”
“......?”
“Ever feel itchy anywhere?”
She shook her head.
“Tell me right away if anything feels off. Got it?”
She nodded obediently.
Winter hugged his neck tightly for no reason. It had been rare lately, but now again. Aqua hair tickled his jaw.
“Pip-yuuung!”
Then a shriek from the Chick. Apparently caught between the legs with the Guardian's wet wipe. Curious, Winter wriggled down and ran over.
The Chick was soaked. Winter gasped, snatched it, and glared reproachfully at the Guardian.
“Ah. Little miss.”
“...What are you doing?”
“Conducting potty training.”
“...Why, bullying?”
“B-bullying?! No! Just necessary education!”
“...Demon.”
Demon.
Demon...
Demon...
The Guardian was shocked at Winter's clear word.
Meanwhile, the Chick clung to its savior, cursing the Guardian.
But the situation flipped. Gunk from the Chick's fur smeared Winter's arm.
“......?”
What's this?
Sniff sniff.
Winter smelled it and frowned seriously.
“......”
“See, little miss? Training failed, so this happens.”
The Guardian seized the chance to persuade Winter.
Winter cleaned her arm with 「Cleanliness (B-)」 magic and turned to the Chick.
“Pip-yung pip-yung!”
The Chick realized its lifetime mistake and tried explaining.
But Winter just smiled lightly and petted its head.
“...Study hard.”
The Chick felt the world crumbling. ‘No way! Don't abandon me!’ Winter handed it back obediently. The flapping Chick got leg-grabbed and dragged by the Guardian.
Winter closed the bathroom door on the way out.
“Pip-yuuu...!”
The Chick's hollow wail echoed in 301.
That day, Yoo Ji-tae accompanied Yeoreum. When dropping her early at class.
She really hated the pocket watch. Now it even sent alarms.
One minute later.
Yoo Ji-tae reviewed the updated task list. Low-level dungeon clear: 15 points. Personal duel win: 10 points. Specific professor task: 15 points. Spirit beast taming: 7 points...
All low-reward, nothing appealing today.
One caught his eye.
— 87. B+ Grade Underground Rift Conquest (100人)
Minimum 4-person party conquest / Cadets only, no guardian intervention: Base 20 points + merit-based additional points.
(Guardian intervention = failure)
Base 20 plus combat merits: 30 minimum, 100+ maximum from one task.
Underground rifts spewed monsters wildly. Risky, but the highest reward so far.
Proven when slots filled in under 3 seconds after he picked it.
Yeoreum would have regretted missing it.
“O. Nice.”
Yeoreum checked the task and couldn't hide her excitement, as he thought.
“So we go nuts fighting monsters in that underground hole?”
“Yep.”
“Most kills gets all the points?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, fucking awesome.”
Yeah. Good job.