Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Chick Turned Into a Little Girl!
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The chick turned into a little girl!
The next morning.
Morning sunlight filtered through the thin, faded window, illuminating the worn-out linoleum floor.
A musty moldy smell tickled the nose, accompanied by the raucous engine noise of a motorcycle delivery guy outside.
It was the usual morning in Sinrim-dong.
Everything was just as it always was.
But today, my mood was different.
On the cheap folding table in the middle of the room sat the [Employment Contract - Annual Salary 100 Billion] that I'd stamped with Seo Hwa-rin yesterday, proudly displayed.
At 8 a.m. today.
I'd hop into the VIP dedicated sedan from Ghost Gate coming to pick me up and head off to the Cheongdam-dong penthouse, bidding eternal farewell to this godforsaken rooftop slum life.
"Mmm... slept well."
I was just stretching luxuriously, savoring the sweet leisure that capitalism brought, when it happened.
My body wouldn't move as I wanted.
My solar plexus felt as heavy as if a massive boulder was crushing it.
Every breath brought a dull ache pressing on my ribs.
'What the hell? Sleep paralysis? Or did Pepper climb on my stomach while I was asleep?'
Rubbing my bleary eyes, I barely lifted my head and looked down.
I nearly screamed and bit my tongue.
"......?!"
On my stomach wasn't Pepper, but some little girl sitting cross-legged, staring down at me intently.
She looked about eight or nine years old at most.
What first caught my eye was her jet-black hair, so dark it seemed to swallow all light.
Lustrous black locks with a subtle blue sheen, like crow feathers, cascaded down to her tiny waist.
She'd apparently stolen a drab black short-sleeved T-shirt from my closet and was wearing it like a loose dress, three sizes too big for her.
One shoulder had slipped down, exposing creamy pale skin, but she acted utterly indifferent, with an air of haughty nonchalance.
Peeking through that dark mane like a shadow was the only thing that shone: vertically slit reddish-gold eyes, like a beast's.
They burned fiercely from deep within, as if two tiny suns had been embedded there, flickering with inner fire.
My mind went blank for a moment.
I'd locked the door triple-checked after getting home last night.
The windows had security bars too.
How the hell did this kid get into my cramped, dingy rooftop room?
With trembling hands, I pulled the blanket up to my chin and spoke as calmly, politely, and firmly as I could.
"Um, excuse me, little miss. Who might you be, coming into someone else's home without permission? If you're lost, I can call the police for you, so could you please get off my stomach first..."
As I tried to lecture her with some adult authority(?), her reddish-gold eyes narrowed in pity.
"......You foolish cart-puller. Have your eyes gone blind now that it's time to leave the nest?"
The voice was clearly that of a young, clear-voiced child.
But the arrogant tone and oddly archaic word choices only made the situation more bewildering.
She poked my nose tip with her small white finger.
"You can't recognize your master even with your eyes open. Maybe I should just burn you up."
Whoosh―
Suddenly, golden flames burst from her tiny lips.
They singed the tips of my bangs before scattering into the air like heat haze.
The room's temperature shot up like a midsummer desert in an instant.
"Hot! Hey! You just breathed fire from your mouth... wait a sec."
Golden flames.
Arrogant speech looking down on people.
And above all, the yellow cushion that should have been next to my pillow was gone.
"You... you're Fry, aren't you?"
"How many times must I tell you not to call me that vulgar name! I am the master of the sun and ruler of the skies..."
"It's Fry alright! Holy crap, the chick turned into a girl! Wait, were you originally human?!"
I freaked out and scooted to the corner of the bed, pressing my back against the wall.
"Tch." (Shut up.)
The girl clicked her tongue with a habitual "tch."
Her appearance was lethally cute—a cool black-haired little girl—but inside, she was still that foul-tempered, beef-obsessed glutton.
"How did this happen? Just a few days ago, you were a yellow chick the size of my palm! Why'd you suddenly evolve into a human beyond your species?!"
"When did I ever say I was a chick? I merely lost my power, shrinking my shell pathetically."
Fry stood up on the bed, flapping the loose T-shirt hem, and looked down at me with arms crossed.
"The reason is simple. That ridiculously overflowing pure spiritual power of yours kept pouring out beside me. And yesterday, when you explosively repelled that beast's yokai energy, the shockwave must have stimulated me. My broken core mended just a tiny bit."
Now it made sense.
The massive spiritual power leaking uncontrollably from my body had abnormally accelerated this mysterious monster bird's growth.
"It's still eons before I regain my full firepower, but this shell is far better for conversing with you and slicing meat. I was sick of pretending to be a featherless chick."
Fry proudly swept back her black hair.
"Haha. A spirit beast polymorphed into a human. It's like a fantasy novel."
I let out a hollow laugh and rolled my stiff shoulders.
"Well, whatever. At least now we can talk. Hey, Fry. Hungry? Before I move, bro can grill the sausages left in the fridge..."
Roar―!
I absentmindedly reached to pat her jet-black hair.
Threatening flames surged like snakes from her entire body, trying to coil around my wrist.
I flinched and yanked my hand back; she glared fiercely and growled.
"How dare a lowly human touch my noble form so casually? And 'bro'? Did you eat your age backwards? I'm older than your family patriarch's grandpa. Just how old do you think I am?!"
"Uh... around ten? So how old are you exactly?"
I asked incredulously, and Fry snorted, puffing out her chest.
The loose T-shirt flapped as her tiny shoulders squared up.
"Ahem! Well, counting fleeting years numerically is meaningless for a divine beast. But in human terms... I've been soaring the skies of this land as master of the sun, cracking the skulls of arrogant ancient yokai for over five thousand years. Since before Dangun's grandpa was born, I've ruled this land's sun!"
"F-F-Five thousand years?!"
My jaw dropped.
Not Joseon era—alive since the mythic age before Gojoseon. A living fossil.
I immediately knelt and clasped my hands politely.
"Oh my! I opened my eyes yet failed to recognize the master of the sun and spoke insolently! No wonder, even shrouded in yellow fluff, your dignity and elegance were extraordinary!"
As I pulled a sycophantic courtier act from a historical drama, Fry's lips twitched.
She tried maintaining her dignity, but couldn't hide her pleasure at the praise.
"Hmph! Well, at least you finally recognize my greatness. I knew you had some sense, but you've got a pretty useful silver tongue."
Fry snorted but nodded, cheeks faintly pink.
Cute.
Really cute.
A 5,000-year-old sun crow inside, but puffing up at a few compliments like a total kid.
"Great master of the sun. Now that you're awake, you should have breakfast. Though this humble abode lacks premium Hanwoo, shall I grill some Vienna sausages?"
"Very well. I'll permit it specially. Score them and grill till golden."
I quickly fried the sausages, slathered ketchup, and served.
Fry speared them with a tiny fork and munched happily, cheeks bulging.
I couldn't help but grin like a dad.
After devouring three in a flash, she wiped her mouth and looked up at me seriously.
"Human. Did you feel nothing seeing that beast yesterday?"
"Sa-hyeon? That he's a foul-tempered pervert who sniffs people?"
"To miss even that! He's no mere pervert—he's an evil tiger."
"......What? A tiger?!"
My eyes bulged.
That psycho Sa-hyeon was a real yokai?
"So what if your spiritual power overflows? Your body's brittle as a twig—one real strike with killing intent, and your head would've flown before you could defend."
It hit like a bone-chilling fact.
Recalling how his arm hadn't budged when I pulled it yesterday, my neck prickled.
"The only reason I'm sticking by you is this: your stupidly massive spiritual power pouring out is the perfect food source... er, nourishment to fully restore my yokai power."
Fry stood on tiptoes, grabbed my collar, and yanked.
Her reddish-gold eyes brimmed with a millennia-old ruler's sticky obsession and fierce possessiveness.
"I can't let my precious spiritual power dispenser get munched as tiger chow before regaining full strength. You're my nest, my food, my exclusive property."
"Uh... your lines sound kinda dangerous, little elder."
"Bind your soul to mine. Not mere energy sharing—an absolute bond. My sacred flames will temper your flesh tougher than any beast's, and I'll mark you so no other yokai steals you."
Honestly, no reason to refuse.
Knowing Sa-hyeon was a yokai meant I couldn't get digested in his gut before spending my 100 billion salary.
Plus, a 5,000-year-old ancient divine beast as my personal bodyguard?
I grinned and bowed deeply to Fry again.
"Understood, great master of the sun. I gladly stamp this contract with my life."
"Good! Excellent attitude!"
Fry beamed and grabbed my right hand.
Instantly, dazzling reddish-gold light exploded from her forehead, seeping into my hand's back.
A bizarre yet sacred three-legged crow emblem with black feathers burned vividly like a brand before sinking into my skin.
"Guh...!!"
A refreshing rush like blocked meridians clearing surged through me, intertwined with agony as if my bones and muscles were melting in a furnace and reassembling.
"Arrrgh!"
I rolled screaming on the worn linoleum.
Veins swelled to bursting, flabby muscles tore and reformed tougher, repeatedly.
Black impurities oozed stinkily from every pore.
It was a full-body marrow cleansing straight out of a wuxia novel, right in my room.
As pain whited out my vision and consciousness faded, Fry's tiny mutter seeped into my ear.
"......Thanks for protecting me and that dumb mutt as best you could. You must've been desperate for cash too. Hate relying on a lowly human... but I'm too weak now, no choice."
Not her usual arrogant bark—a small, shy, honest truth.
.
.
.
How much time passed?
The deathly pain ebbed like a tide; I staggered up, gasping.
"Huff, huff..."
Just moments ago, my body felt ablaze; now it was feather-light.
My once-flabby belly was steel-hard abs; clenching my fist unleashed explosive power like compressed iron.
An average 20-something's body upgraded instantly to human weapon level.
"There, contract complete. Now you've got a usable body."
Fry scanned my sweat-and-waste-covered form and nodded satisfied.
I marveled at the changes, flexing my fist.
Then Pepper, wagging at my feet, rubbed her head on my leg.
"Woof!"
Fry smirked casually.
"By the way, that black mutt you raised tossing sausages? She's a Three-eyed Dog, guardian of the underworld gates."
"......What?"
Pepper, lying quietly at my feet, slowly lifted her head.
Not her usual dopey eyes.
Her third eye, hidden in black fur on her forehead, slid open, emitting chilling deep blue glow.
The room grew oppressively heavy, temperature dropping.
A gatekeeper's eerie aura.
But those blue eyes checked my tougher body, then softly closed; she meekly rested her chin on my foot again.
'Master, you look good stronger.'
Like a loyal, taciturn vassal's voice.
My head spun.
A 5,000-year sun crow ruling the sun, a Three-eyed Dog guarding hell's gate.
What the hell was my rooftop—a mythic demon lair?
[Kang Han-gyeol Agent, vehicle waiting on 1st floor.]
No time to dwell in shock—text from Seo Hwa-rin's dedicated driver arrived.
8 a.m.
Time to head to work.
"Uh, uh... gotta wash up and go! Can't be late on first day!"
I bolted to the bathroom like lightning-struck, rinsing black gunk in five minutes flat, changed into fresh clothes.
Clattering down rickety iron stairs, a sleek black luxury sedan waited in the narrow alley, out of place.
"Please, Agent."
The driver politely opened the back door, then gawked at the kid beside me.
"Uh... Agent. This little girl...?"
No wonder he panicked.
Yesterday's paperwork said 'single male, one-person household.' Now a black-haired girl in an oversized adult T-shirt as a dress.
Prime misunderstanding material—or jailbait setup.
"Ah! She's, uh, my niece! Yeah, relative's kid, circumstances mean I'm bringing her to work for a bit. Haha!"
I laughed awkwardly, sweat pouring, pressed Fry's head to bow.
But she swatted my hand and boarded like it was her master bedroom.
I slunk in like a criminal onto the leather seat.
Pepper plopped at my feet; 5,000-year loli elder Fry crossed her legs beside me.
"Depart, coachman!"
Fry haughtily commanded, chin up.
The driver glanced at us in the mirror, then smiled warmly and started the engine.
"Yes, niece. The little miss is spirited. Off we go."
"Who's little?! How dare you to the sun's master...!"
Fry bristled, flames flickering; I panicked, clamping her mouth with both hands.
Incinerating the company car en route? 100 billion salary gone Day 1.
"Mmph! Mmmph!"
'Sigh... earning 100 billion is no joke.'
Gazing at Sinrim-dong's morning scenery whizzing by, I let out a deep sigh.