Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: How Do You Trim a Dragon's Nails?
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"......"
"......"
An awkward silence hung between Yu So-jeong and me.
She held a nail clipper snapped in two at the hinge in her hand, while my nail didn't have so much as a scratch.
How hard are my nails, exactly?
"My apologies. Please wait just a moment."
Yu So-jeong set down the broken nail clipper and headed off somewhere.
When she returned, she carried a massive tool bag in her hands.
She approached me and opened the case. A strange tension filled the air.
Click.
"Wait, wait, wait a second!!"
Inside the case lay an array of menacing tools. Nippers, pliers, a grinder, a hacksaw... It was like a hardware store had come to life in all its terrifying glory.
"It's fine. I hold certifications in woodworking and masonry."
"No! I'm not fine!"
I fled from Yu So-jeong as she advanced with the metal implements, scampering away in a panic. I plastered myself against the wall and spread my wings, at which point she finally stopped.
"You can't let your nails grow forever. You'll have to deal with them eventually."
"No way! Uh, okay! I'll handle it myself! What if I just bite them off with my teeth? That might work, right? So...!"
At my words, Yu So-jeong's expression grew even colder.
"Bitten nails look unhygienic and sloppy. It's better to mind how others perceive you."
She closed in on me, cornered against the wall, one step at a time. Three steps away, two steps, one...
"Eeeek! Nooo!!"
But the tools didn't come crashing down on me right then. Miss So-jeong gently took my hand instead.
"In that case, let's discuss some options together. I do have one idea in mind."
The tools vanished behind her back. Only then did I start to relax a little and return to the living room.
"What kind of method?"
"Miss Yi Da-yun's body is as hard as diamond or titanium alloy. Ordinary tools simply can't process it. I was planning to infuse mana into those tools from earlier to cut the nails."
"...What if you mess up? Won't that make me bleed?"
"I could confidently say the chance of failure was extremely low."
...Doesn't that mean I'd bleed if it did fail? A sudden fear of Yu So-jeong welled up in me, but I decided to hear her out for now.
"However, if we process it not with mere mana infusion but with 'Aura,' we can cut the nails reliably. In other words, use an Awakened who can coat a nail clipper with Aura."
"Heh..."
A nail clipper and Aura. It was the strangest combo I'd ever heard. But it sounded plausible enough.
"Not every Awakened can do it, but some can apply Aura not just to weapons but to various tools. We have agents like that in the Management Bureau. How about calling one in for a test?"
It was a hundred—no, a thousand—times better than a mana-charged grinder. I nodded right away.
"Let's give it a shot!"
The moment I agreed, Yu So-jeong made a call somewhere.
"Yes, this is Yu So-jeong. Requesting a summon. Yes, come right away."
The brief call ended, and just three minutes later, the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, a man in a black suit stood there, sweating as if he'd rushed over.
"I'm Park Min-soo. I heard you called for me."
"Ah! Come on in!"
The man seemed to radiate some inexplicable pressure that was hard to put into words, but work was work.
"Have a seat over here!"
Park Min-soo sat where I pointed, following orders regardless.
"But... what did you need me for...?"
He asked, clearly not grasping the situation.
Yu So-jeong quickly explained.
"We need to trim Miss Yi Da-yun's nails. Please coat the nail clipper you'll be using with Aura."
"Pardon? On a nail clipper?"
He looked flustered, as if he'd heard something absurd, but nodded soon enough.
"Understood."
Yu So-jeong handed him a fresh nail clipper. He took it, took a deep breath, and a faint blue Aura bloomed around his hand.
Vmmm—
As the Aura enveloped the clipper, the ordinary stainless steel tool began to glow faintly blue.
Aura enhanced cutting power and momentary tool durability. It had to work.
"Ooh..."
I let out an admiring gasp at the novel sight of a nail clipper with Aura.
Park Min-soo took my hand as delicately as if it might shatter, positioning the clipper at my pinky nail.
"Here we go."
He applied force to the clipper.
Snip.
The blades closed, but my nail remained uncut.
"...Huh?"
A dazed voice escaped Park Min-soo. I checked my nail—no scratch, not even a tiny mark.
"This isn't working.... Whew...."
He tried a few more times, but the result was the same. The clipper kept stopping short every time.
"Hmm. No need to keep trying."
"Sorry. My rank must not be high enough."
"What's your rank, anyway?"
Park Min-soo scratched his head sheepishly and answered.
"C-Rank."
C-Rank. Not a rank that bowed to just anyone, but it had bowed to my nail.
"Good work. Return to your duties."
At Yu So-jeong's words, Park Min-soo gave an awkward smile and stood. He left, but my problem persisted.
"Am I just gonna have to let these grow forever?"
"No. The Management Bureau has higher-rank agents."
Yu So-jeong picked up her phone again.
"Yes. We need a B-Rank Aura user. Summon."
Five minutes later, the door opened again, and a sturdy-built man entered.
"You called?"
The new B-Rank agent sat precisely where I indicated, movements sharp and disciplined. He nodded at Yu So-jeong's explanation and took the clipper.
Vmmm—
"Here we go."
He positioned the clipper at my nail, and the work began amid rippling blue light.
The clipper's hinge moved, veins bulging on the agent's arm.
Scrrrt...!
Instead of snapping, the clipper began to bend, screeching like it was in agony.
Grrrind...!
Thick tendons stood out on the agent's arm, but my nail was unscathed.
"Hoo..."
The agent soon released his strength and set the clipper down.
"Not working?"
He nodded at Yu So-jeong's question.
"Yes. Any more force, and only the clipper will break. It's already bent all to hell."
In the end, this method failed too...
With the two agents gone, I sank into deep thought, staring at my overgrown nails.
What now? Should I just craft an S-Rank nail clipper or something?
But I couldn't waste a precious Treasure Creation skill slot on something like a nail clipper. Levels were getting harder to gain—squandering one on this would be a waste.
As I fiddled with my hair, at a loss for ideas, Yu So-jeong spoke up.
"There's one more method left."
"Huh? There's more?"
"Yes. There's a hunter in Korea with the most precise Aura control."
Korea's best—now that was a credible title.
"Who is it?"
"Hunter Sung Ji-yoon."
"...Pardon?"
Sung Ji-yoon, Korea's top hunter? Calling the No.1 just to trim my nails? That was like deploying an anti-air gun to swat a mosquito.
"No, that's too much! How could you call her for something like this!"
I waved my hands frantically in protest. Even as an SSS-Rank Awakened, this defied common sense. Every minute of Sung Ji-yoon's time was priceless; I couldn't monopolize it for nail trimming.
But Yu So-jeong countered with logic.
"No. Miss Yi Da-yun's body is harder than any known Awakened. Analyzing its hardness and workability is for the nation's assets. Hunter Sung Ji-yoon's Aura is the only means for that experiment."
"Still..."
"Of course, your will is paramount, but I'm saying it's highly useful."
After some thought, I nodded. If it was for the nation, not just me, then no helping it.
"...Alright, I'll give her a call."
The line connected after just a couple rings, a calm voice answering.
"Yes, Sung Ji-yoon speaking."
"H-Hi! It's Yi Da-yun."
"Miss Yi Da-yun? What's up?"
She sounded pleased to hear from me.
I explained everything, and she accepted readily.
"Nail-hardening ability, huh... Yes, shall I come over right now?"
"Yes! I'd be so grateful!"
The short call ended, and ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Sung Ji-yoon had arrived, dressed in training clothes with sunglasses and a mask.
"Come on in! Want something to drink? What do you like?"
"Anything's fine. Let's look at the nails first."
She carefully lifted my hand and examined the nails from every angle.
"I think I can cut them. Miss Yi Da-yun, is it okay to try now?"
"Yes. They're so long, it's really inconvenient."
Yu So-jeong handed her the last prepared clipper.
Sung Ji-yoon took it and straightened her posture.
Vrrrrm—
An overwhelming blue Aura rose from her hand, far denser and more vivid than the previous agents'—a haze of mana beyond compare.
As the Aura wrapped the clipper, the plain metal tool glowed blue like a weapon from legend.
And then,
Crack!
The clipper shattered, unable to withstand the mana.
"......"
All three of us were speechless. Even Sung Ji-yoon seemed caught off guard, staring silently at the debris.
"Looks like the metal couldn't handle the Aura."
"...Yeah, seems so. Haha."
Sung Ji-yoon gave a troubled smile.
In the end, even this method failed. We'd mobilized Korea's No.1 hunter, and still no solution. Was there truly no way?
"Sorry. I just wasted your time."
I apologized in a dejected tone, but she patted my head reassuringly. Her hand, callused from training, moved with precise control.
"No need. It was an intriguing experience for me too. Coating weak, small tools with Aura... I'll have to practice separately."
Her comfort didn't lift my spirits.
The last resort was making a clipper with my skill and scales.
I'd gone to fetch the ziplock bag of stored scales when,
As I opened it, something snagged on my nail.
"Hm?"
But there was no visible object. It just felt like something loose was caught in the nail.
Like a tooth on the verge of falling out, the tip of my nail wiggled.
Curious, I pinched the tip with my other hand and twisted lightly.
Pop.
"Huh?"
Without resistance, the outermost layer peeled off like a shed shell. Beneath it lay a fresh, short, smooth new nail.
"......"
I alternated stares between the shed nail husk and my pristine nails.
So... my nails didn't grow straight; they layered like a cat's claws, shedding the outer shell when the time came.
I slowly turned around.
Behind me, Korea's No.1 hunter and the Management Bureau's elite agent gawked at me in bewilderment.
And what I'd done after dragging them all here...
"Ah..."
If there'd been a mouse hole, I'd have dove in without hesitation.