Chapter 19
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Purpose of the Fur Clothes
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‘Come to think of it, Mandragoras have a strong sense of kinship.’
It was rather admirable that it, a young specimen itself, had stepped forward to protect its own kind. Cheon Doun walked over to the Mandragora and stroked its leaves.
“It’s nothing serious, so go back inside.”
-Huuung?
At the scent of its kin, the Mandragora raised its head. Its leaves, which had been standing stiff in a defensive posture, softened.
An adult Mandragora! At Cheon Doun’s appearance, the three Mandragora sprouts looked relieved.
“The ground will shake a bit. It might be noisy, but please bear with it.”
-Huung, huung.
-Huuung.
With an adult Mandragora present, they were safe. Having come to this conclusion, the sprouts went back underground.
They didn't forget to touch each other's leaves, confirming that they were all unharmed.
Seeing this, Cheon Doun chuckled and infused the garden with mana.
“I’ll give you mana often until the construction is done. So please put up with the shaking ground.”
The leaves rustled as if in reply. A humming sound could be heard from beneath the soil. Guu, who was watching from the side, looked fascinated.
-Can you communicate with Mandragoras too?
“Not exactly. They just recognize me as one of their own.”
-Their own kind...? Ah, I see. So that’s why they weren’t running away and were living so peacefully.
Guu looked at the garden, an expression of understanding on his face.
Mandragoras didn’t possess human-like intelligence as Guu did. However, even unintelligent creatures had their likes and dislikes.
The Mandragoras were clearly showing their fondness for Cheon Doun.
After infusing the garden with mana, he returned to his original spot and resumed building the house.
For the sake of the delicate Mandragoras, he took special care this time to work without shaking the ground.
He smoothed the wood until it shone and cut it to size. By the time he was driving posts into each corner, the sun was beginning to set.
Absorbed in the expansion work, he suddenly remembered something and glanced back at the house.
“It seems like quite a bit of time has passed. Is Kim Nari still in the house?”
-Come to think of it, she hasn’t come out. Even if she’s trying on every single piece, it’s taking too long.
Could there be a problem? On the off chance, Cheon Doun peeked inside the house.
Kim Nari was sitting in the middle of the room. A box filled with clothes was placed in front of her.
Far from being organized, she hadn't even taken the clothes out of the box.
She had taken out a couple of pieces, laid them on the floor, and hadn't moved since.
The moment he saw that, Cheon Doun realized his mistake.
This small Machine Lifeform had lived its entire life confined in a research institute. It had never even worn clothes.
Though it looked like a seven or eight-year-old child, its actual mental age was much younger.
‘I forgot.’
This was like handing dozens of outfits to a three-to-five-year-old child and telling them to organize everything.
Worse yet, the recipient had never even worn proper clothes before.
Kim Nari was having a small panic attack in front of the pile of clothes.
Asking Cheon Doun how to fold them wasn't an option for her. He had told her to organize the clothes, and she had confidently said she would.
In such a situation, it wasn't easy to go back out and ask for instructions. At least, it was a difficult task for Kim Nari, who lacked self-reliance.
“Why are you just sitting there?”
Cheon Doun asked, sitting down next to Kim Nari and feigning ignorance.
“Uh, I... well...”
Kim Nari averted her gaze with a flustered expression. Her round eyes trembled.
Her hands, clutching the hem of her clothes, fidgeted endlessly, not knowing what to do.
A useless specimen that couldn't even do one simple task.
If he found out she was useless, would he tell her to leave? The thought made Kim Nari’s face turn pale.
“I-I was organizing the clothes. I’ll be done soon.”
“Really? Then let’s do it together. It’ll be faster with two people.”
Cheon Doun took a shirt out of the box. As if demonstrating, he began to fold it in slow motion.
He folded the shirt in half. Then he folded it in half again, making a neat square. He folded another shirt the same way and stacked it on top.
Next, he folded the pants. He folded them neatly to a similar size and stacked them with the other pants.
As he repeated the process of folding, sorting, and stacking the other clothes one by one, Kim Nari's eyes lit up.
Kim Nari scanned Cheon Doun's movements, learning the pattern.
‘So that’s how you do it!’
Having figured out how to fold clothes, Kim Nari’s expression brightened.
“I-I will do it too. I can do it!”
Kim Nari began to fold the clothes with clumsy hands.
It was only difficult at first. Once she got the hang of it, Kim Nari’s hands moved without hesitation.
“Mister, look at this. I am folding clothes now.”
“I’m watching. You’re doing a great job.”
“Am I doing a good job?”
“Yes. You have a knack for it.”
“Ooh! I have a knack for this!”
She didn't know what kind of knack, but she was happy. Kim Nari smiled brightly and kept her hands moving.
Working together, they emptied the box of clothes in no time.
“I will organize Mister’s clothes too. I received clothes, so I will work!”
Kim Nari ran outside and brought back the remaining boxes of clothes.
Cheon Doun didn't help. Kim Nari seemed to be having so much fun having learned how to fold clothes that he just watched.
“All done! I am fast. I have a talent for this.”
Kim Nari placed her hands on her hips and struck a proud pose.
She hummed a tune, filled with the satisfaction of having accomplished something. A sense of fulfillment from having worked for the clothes she received also washed over her.
But that was only for a moment. Looking at the large pile of clothes, Kim Nari tilted her head.
“But Mister. If we just stack the clothes like this, it will be hard to wear them. It will be hard to find things.”
“You’re right. That’s why I’m building a dressing room right now.”
“Dressing room? A room for clothes?”
“That’s right. This is a space for sleeping. I’m making a separate area.”
“Ooh.”
Kim Nari’s eyes sparkled again.
“I-I want to help too. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“There is. But not right now. First, let’s change out of those clothes that don’t fit. Pick something you like and put it on.”
“Something I like?”
“Yes. A color or a design. Pick what you want and try it on. If you don’t know how to put it on, call me.”
Cheon Doun stood up, holding Guu.
“I’ll be waiting outside, so come out when you’re dressed.”
When Cheon Doun left, Kim Nari was flustered. She had secretly hoped Cheon Doun would pick out the clothes for her.
Choosing one outfit from dozens was a daunting task for Kim Nari.
That’s why Cheon Doun had left, letting her do it on her own.
“I... uh... something I like... something I like.”
Kim Nari hovered in front of the neatly folded clothes.
With hesitant movements, she rummaged through the different outfits before pulling one out.
“This one... it looked nice when I was folding it. Is it okay to wear it?”
She looked back, but Cheon Doun was gone. With a chagrined look, Kim Nari looked at the clothes she had chosen.
Is it really okay for me to choose like this on my own? The first feeling was fear.
But as she held up the clothes, the feeling of fear slowly faded.
“My clothes...”
She felt a pleasant flutter in her chest. A smile spread across her face. Holding the clothes high, Kim Nari did a little shoulder shimmy.
“These are my clothes. The clothes I chose.”
Kim Nari’s eyes sparkled. Making a decision of her own volition was a joyful thing.
For the first time, Kim Nari felt that clearly.
***
Swoooosh. The sound of water falling echoed coolly through the forest.
Nam Giseok, who was standing under the waterfall, snapped his eyes open.
“Something... I feel like I can almost see a light. Like the wall is about to crumble. Ugh... this is difficult.”
He leaped out of the ravine, hopping across the rocks as if they were stepping stones.
He dried himself with a towel he had prepared and changed his clothes.
‘It’s already evening. I should head back quickly.’
The nights in the Demon World were dangerous. Even for a B+ rank Hunter like him, wandering around alone at night was risking his life.
‘I was so focused I didn't even realize how much time had passed. It’s a good thing there are no dangerous Monsters in this area. To lose myself like that in the Demon World... I could have been killed if I wasn't careful.’
Though he said that, Nam Giseok knew this area was safe. He looked around his surroundings, intrigued.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t encountered any Monsters around here. Did my brother take care of all of them?”
Of course, it wasn't that there were no Monsters at all. There were small, non-threatening types, or species with no offensive power like Mandragoras.
He saw those from time to time. They were weak, small species that could be considered ordinary animals rather than Monsters.
When the difference between predator and prey is too great, the latter is often not even seen as food.
Just as a dinosaur wouldn't hunt and eat a mouse, the small and weak Monsters didn't avoid Cheon Doun and lived within his territory.
“Being here feels less like the Demon World and more like some kind of campsite.”
Nam Giseok chuckled at his own thought.
As he ran through the forest, a house wrapped in white thread came into view. Cheon Doun and Guu were sitting on a pile of logs that looked like a construction site.
In front of them, Kim Nari stood with her arms spread wide, showing something off.
The moment he saw Kim Nari, Nam Giseok noticed the change.
“Oh, Kim Nari. New clothes?”
“Uncle!”
Kim Nari scurried over to Nam Giseok.
“Look at this. Mister bought me clothes.”
Kim Nari spread her arms wide, just as she had a moment ago, showing off her outfit.
“I chose these clothes. I picked them out and put them on myself.”
Kim Nari was wearing a white hoodie.
In the center of the shirt was a large print of a yellow chick. Seemingly pleased with it, Kim Nari stroked the chick picture.
“This picture looks like Guu. The wings here look like his, too.”
The chick on the hoodie was in a pose that looked like it was flapping its wings.
“Most of all, this expression is similar. This expression is Guu himself.”
Sharp eyes that seemed to be glaring at something.
The eyes, drawn in a rather comical way, resembled Guu's sharp gaze. At least, that's how it looked to Kim Nari.
“It’s cute. It suits you well.”
“That’s right. I suit these clothes well.”
Kim Nari said, striking her characteristic proud pose.
“From now on, this shirt’s name is the Guu Shirt. It will be my favorite shirt.”
Unlike the excited Kim Nari, Guu wore a complicated expression.
*Do I really look that pathetic?* No one answered his mutterings. Meanwhile, Kim Nari's bragging continued.
“And these pants. I like these too.”
Kim Nari patted her shorts.
“Pumpkin shorts!”
A chick-print hoodie with light brown pumpkin shorts. Kim Nari giggled and looked down at her feet.
“And I put on sneakers. These yellow sneakers are cute.”
A slight smile crept onto the lips of Cheon Doun, who had been watching.
“It suits you. How’s the size?”
“It fits perfectly.”
When Cheon Doun asked, Kim Nari answered with a bright smile.
Of course the size fit. She had adjusted her foot size to match the shoe size, so there was no way it wouldn't fit.
Besides, President Bak at the clothing store had chosen sizes appropriate for a child her age, so major adjustments weren't even necessary.
“Huh? Brother, your clothes have changed too. I didn’t notice because it was dark. Is that fur-pelt training over now?”
“Fur-pelt training?”
“You know, the fur clothes you were always wearing. The caveman-like outfit. At first, I wondered what on earth it was. But after watching you, I understood. The immense toxic aura soaked into that leather.”
Nam Giseok looked at Cheon Doun with an admiring expression.
“To live while wearing something like that. You must have had to constantly circulate your mana to drive out that toxic aura. What did you do when you slept? It's truly a training method I've never heard of. You must be so strong because you train in ways others wouldn't even think of.”
Cheon Doun was silent. Guu was also silent. Only Kim Nari, who didn't understand the situation, tilted her head.
Failing to read the room, Nam Giseok looked around the house and continued.
“And I was also surprised by the glowstones on the ceiling. To deliberately put glowstones inside the house to create an environment where it's difficult to control mana. And on top of that, to wear clothes full of toxic aura to push yourself to the extreme...! I think I finally understand why you're so strong, brother.”
Silence fell once again.
Cheon Doun looked at Nam Giseok, then went inside the house. In his hands were the fur clothes, now washed and neatly folded.
*Why is he bringing that over to me?*
“Bro... Brother?”
*D-Don’t come closer.* An ominous feeling washed over Nam Giseok, and he took a step back.