Chapter 9
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Someone to Talk To
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Someone to Talk To
A monster with human-level intelligence.
The round, ball-shaped monster groaned and opened its eyes.
The first thing it saw was a house made of wood. It also saw a young girl sitting beside it.
What was going on? Wasn't I dead? As he glanced around in confusion, his eyes met Kim Nari's.
“Mister. It opened its eyes.”
"It did? Give it some water, then."
"Okay."
Kim Nari tilted a prepared cup of water toward the monster's mouth.
-St-stop. You cruel things!
Startled, the monster flapped its chick-like wings in protest.
-It's obvious if there are humans in the Demon World. You're Hunters. What are you trying to feed me!
The monster pushed the cup away with all its might.
That was its intention, but as the water wet its lips, its body reacted first, and it began to swallow.
-Ah, ahh... I mustn't... Hmph, hmmm. Quite refreshing.
Gulp, gulp. Its throat moved on its own, swallowing the water. Watching this, Kim Nari beamed.
“Mister. It coos like a pigeon.”
“A pigeon?”
“It goes 'guu, guu.' Just like a pigeon.”
Cheon Doun said nothing. What sounded like a pigeon's coo to Kim Nari sounded different to him.
-What do you want with me?
Human language.
-Why didn't you kill me? Are you planning to sell me alive?
What he heard was clearly the coo of a pigeon. But the meaning was delivered to his mind as if automatically translated.
‘This is a first. Could it be... one of those intelligent specimens I've only heard about? I'd heard rumors that such creatures exist, but...’
Among Hunters, it was a baseless rumor, treated like an urban legend.
Even for Cheon Doun, who had traveled in and out of the Demon World for seventy years, this was a new experience.
‘It seems Kim Nari can't hear the voice. I think I'm the only one... Could it be that I have some of this species' cells mixed in with mine?’
The same principle as the Mandragora recognizing him as one of its own. He couldn't think of any other reason why he could understand it.
“Mister, look. It's drinking the water I gave it. Can I give it more?”
“Go ahead.”
Kim Nari tilted the cup again.
The monster turned its head with a resolute expression. It couldn't carelessly drink water that might be laced with something.
-Get that away from me! I won't drink...! Hmph, hmmm... Re-refreshing.
Gulp, gulp. Its body, which hadn't had even a drop of water in months, was honest to its instincts.
Replenished, the monster looked around with clearer vision.
Its gaze stopped on Cheon Doun. Seeing him belatedly, the monster flinched without realizing it.
-You're... you're that guy from before.
The one who peeled off its skin. The man who said they'd meet again someday if fate allowed.
He was right in front of it.
It knew it was alive thanks to Cheon Doun. It knew, but seeing him wearing its own skin made its body shrink back.
-D-don't tell me you caught me for my hide...! Mmph. Th-that's enough. I've had enough wat... Hmph, hmmm. This is refreshing, too.
The water Kim Nari poured was like rain in a drought. The satisfaction made its fluff stand on end.
“Ah, Mister. What's wrong with it? It looks like a pufferfish. Did I give it too much water?”
“No. It's because it likes it. Give it some more.”
Dubiously, Kim Nari tilted the cup. As water poured into its mouth, its chick-like wings flapped.
-Re-refreshing... Mmm... J-just a little more...
“It's true. It seems to like it. Its wings are flapping.”
“Looks like it.”
“Can I name it now?”
“Sure. Have anything in mind?”
“Padagi. Because it flaps its wings, padak padak."
“...”
Cheon Doun closed his mouth. He couldn't bring himself to say it was a good name.
“Mister, you should help me think of a name. It'll be better if we think of one together.”
“Me too? Hmm... How about we name it based on a characteristic?”
“A characteristic?”
“Like its cry. How about Guu? Since it coos like a pigeon, 'guu guu'.”
“That's great! You're good at naming things, Mister.”
Kim Nari's eyes sparkled.
“Let's combine the names we made. I think Padakguu would be good.”
Cheon Doun fell silent once more.
Padakguu. The name somehow brought fried chicken to mind. Again, he couldn't bring himself to say it was a good name.
‘Somehow, I feel like no matter how much we think about it, we won't come up with anything better.’
He had to admit it. Neither he nor Kim Nari had a knack for naming things.
Realizing this, Cheon Doun obediently nodded.
“Then let's go with that name. But we'll call it Guu for short. How's that?”
“Guu? I like it. Guu, your name is Guu now."
Kim Nari smiled brightly. In contrast, the monster watching the situation let out a hollow laugh.
-Why are you changing my name without my permission? I already have a name. My name is...
The monster stopped mid-sentence. Even if he said his name, they wouldn't be able to hear his voice.
In his entire life, he had never met anyone he could communicate with.
Monsters had no intelligence, and humans couldn't understand his words. The thought made him gloomy.
‘If I'd known I'd have to live like this... it would've been better if I'd never gained this ability.’
Mental Resonance. His unique ability to peer into the minds of others.
He didn't know when this ability had developed. He was only aware that the power, once faint, had grown stronger over time.
‘I shouldn't have looked inside the Hunters' minds.’
Learning their language was the problem.
‘Why can't anyone hear my voice?’
Loneliness and desolation.
I just want to talk to someone, anyone, to my heart's content.
The monster, now with the name Guu, drooped his fluff in melancholy.
***
Three days after Guu joined Cheon Doun's home.
Being intelligent, he quickly grasped the situation.
‘These two are friendly toward me.’
Especially that little brat. He liked how she brought him a forearm-sized fish every day from somewhere.
He was content here, not having to worry about threats from other monsters.
The problem was that he couldn't figure out the identity of that man, Cheon Doun, who spent his days carving wood.
Shhhk, shhk.
Whenever he moved his fingers, a fine thread shot out and wrapped around the wood.
The thread moved dazzlingly, shaping the wood.
-That looks like the thread of a Silk Thread Caterpillar. What is he?
He looked human. But the aura he exuded was that of a monster.
The aura of a powerful monster he felt he couldn't have defeated even before he lost his strength.
“Ah. It broke again. Why is this wood so brittle?”
With a crack, the wood Cheon Doun was carving split lengthwise. Seeing this, Guu quietly clicked his tongue.
-That wood is weak against impact. It has a lot of grain, so it splits easily.
“Hmm... Is this type of wood just naturally brittle?”
Hearing Guu's words, Cheon Doun muttered nonchalantly.
Feeling as if they were having a conversation, Guu's down stood on end. His mood lifted, and he spoke again.
-If you're planning to make something, pick a lighter-colored wood. Those are more likely to be hard. That would be better for lumber.
“I should go find some harder wood.”
Cheon Doun dusted off his hands and stood up. Seeing this, Guu's fluff stood on end again.
Being with Cheon Doun felt like having a real conversation. Even though he knew it was a delusion, he couldn't help but feel happy.
-Hmm-hmm, hmm. Hmm-hmm.
Guu hummed a tune he had learned from looking inside the Hunters' minds. Cheon Doun watched him, intrigued.
A monster humming a trot tune. It was a rare sight that even he, having lived for seventy years, had never seen.
‘He's gentler than I thought. I've been watching him for a few days, and he's not aggressive at all.’
Not all monster species were violent.
Some, like the Mandragora, were quiet. Was this monster one of them?
‘I should watch him a little longer, just in case. He might just be hiding his true nature because he's weak.’
If I leave, he'll be alone with Kim Nari.
If he attacks her, thinking she's just a weak child, Kim Nari will subdue him, and that'll be the end of it.
Let's hope that personality isn't just an act, Cheon Doun thought as he entered the forest.
***
When he returned home after cutting down a tree, the house was silent. Cheon Doun spread his mana around.
He had only intended to locate them, but a distant scream sent him running.
‘That sound... They're in a confrontation.’
From the sound of the footsteps, he could tell that Guu was protecting Kim Nari.
By the time he reached the source of the sound, the situation had changed again.
Kim Nari was hiding behind a tree, clutching Guu.
Seeing the scene below a low cliff, Cheon Doun immediately jumped down.
“Mister...!”
-What took you so long? Leaving a child alone in the Demon World. You're a failure as a father.
Though he pretended to scold him, Guu's voice was laced with relief.
Cheon Doun looked at Guu and smiled faintly.
A monster protecting a child—this, too, was a sight he was seeing for the first time in his life.
This monster was safe. Having made that judgment, Cheon Doun spoke.
“First, let me correct you. I'm not Kim Nari's father. And she's not as weak as you think. Now, tell me. What happened?”
-I don't know. A Hunter suddenly appeared and attacked...
Guu's voice trailed off. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.
His eyes, looking at Cheon Doun, wavered.
-Y-you... did you just answer me? Can you hear my voice?
Surprise, confusion, doubt, and elation. Countless emotions flickered in Guu's eyes.
If you could understand me, why did you pretend you couldn't all this time? Why didn't you talk to me sooner?
There was so much he wanted to say. The words tangled in his throat and wouldn't come out.
Cheon Doun looked at Guu, then shifted his gaze beyond the bushes.
“I don't think you need to tell me who was chasing you.”
From the direction he was looking, a man emerged. It was the Hunter who had been pursuing Kim Nari.
“Well, look who's here. You're after the kid too, right? Which guild are you from... What the hell? What's with your clothes?”
The man looked strangely at Cheon Doun, who was dressed in animal hides.
“I don't know what your story is, but don't even think about getting a piece of this. I'm the one who cornered her.”
The man created a fireball in his hand and threw it.
“Get out of the way if you don't want to die!”
He had no intention of moving. Cheon Doun calmly extended a hand.
Rapidly rotating the mana in his body. Releasing it outward. Solidifying it so it wouldn't disperse.
A round, dome-shaped barrier enveloped them.
The fireball struck with a roar, erupting into a massive pillar of flame.
“That's strange. Kim Nari was cornered by something like this?”
He's decent, but not on a level where he could do anything to Kim Nari.
As Cheon Doun wondered, Guu approached.
-You'll understand if you see this.
An image flowed into Cheon Doun's mind.
A scene from a research institute. In a corner, a silvery liquid metal sloshed like melted pudding.
It was Kim Nari before she had taken form. This was what she looked like when she was just liquid metal imbued with life.
Just then, the door opened and an old man entered. At his mere presence, the liquid metal squirmed and retreated to the corner.
[It seems a self is beginning to form.]
The old man created a fireball in his hand.
Seeing it, the liquid metal trembled finely, as if it knew what was coming. Each time the metal shook, a low humming vibration, *jiiing*, echoed.
[Nothing to be afraid of. It's what we always do. I'm just testing your durability. Now, come here.]
With a deadpan expression, the old man dropped the fireball onto the liquid metal.
The artificially created fire spread instantly, even on the metal. The *jiiing* sound was like a cry of pain from the heat.
“Stop.”
The influx of memories ceased. Cheon Doun looked at Guu with a hardened expression.
“What was that just now?”
-Mental Resonance. It's my ability.
Guu said, cautiously watching Cheon Doun's reaction.
Depending on how it was used, the ability to rummage through another's mind could reduce a person to a wreck.
It could also be used to simply show or transfer memories, like now.
-It's an ability that doesn't work on those with strong mental fortitude. I usually keep it closed off...
Guu looked at the fire raging outside the barrier.
-When she saw that fireball, the kid's memories started flowing into me on their own. It seems the trauma shattered her mind.
The researcher in the memory and this Hunter are different people.
Even knowing that, the sight of the pyrokinesis ability froze Kim Nari in place.
“Are you afraid of fire?”
Cheon Doun asked. Kim Nari averted her gaze.
The man's fire couldn't penetrate the barrier. She knew that, but she still couldn't say she wasn't scared.
“I see. Then keep watching.”
Cheon Doun dashed out of the barrier. The wind pressure from his movement alone parted the flames, creating a path.
“Wh-what! How are you unharmed...!”
The man was horrified by Cheon Doun, who had emerged from the fire. By the time he came to his senses, Cheon Doun's kick was flying toward his face.
An absurdly quick conclusion.
Cheon Doun attacked only hard enough to knock him out.
The man flew a good distance before tumbling to the ground, not even knowing what had happened.
Cheon Doun dragged the unconscious man back to Kim Nari.
“Look closely. He's just a bald old man.”