Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Evolution, Definitely Effective
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“Whoaaaaa...!”
Is it actually evolving or what?
A blindingly bright light poured from Seolbaek’s body, an intense pure white glow that completely enveloped the surroundings.
That made a sudden thought cross my mind.
...What if its appearance changes?
From a general perspective, a change in form during evolution was inevitable.
Of course, evolution was the ultimate form of growth across all aspects, so it was something most people welcomed.
But still, a change in appearance was a bit...
There were plenty of people who avoided evolution because they didn’t like the idea of their appearance changing.
It wasn’t just monsters—even people raising regular animals probably felt the same way.
Animals were cutest as babies. Just hearing them squeak made your heart melt.
Sure, they might be adorable as pups, but there was no guarantee they’d stay cute after growing up.
That’s why there’s that phrase about turning ugly after maturity.
There were quite a few cases where they shed their skin or something and ended up looking rugged.
Especially with monsters.
Ziiiiing...!
Which only made me more worried.
What if Seolbaek’s appearance changed?
Kitsune generally stayed small their whole lives...
...But that was for lower-grade kitsune.
They said the more tails, the higher the chance of the body growing accordingly.
That American hunter’s kitsune with seven tails, ranked number one in the world, was already fully grown.
So, would Seolbaek end up the same?
...I liked my “little Seolbaek just for me” the way it was now.
It was perfect for perching on my head, and I loved how it snuggled right into my arms at night.
But it was too late to take it back now.
It’s not like a game where you could just click a button to cancel the evolution.
In the end, all I could do was pray silently.
Please, don’t grow up.
Shaaaaaa...!
Finally, the glow began to fade, replaced by a sky-blue mist.
Seolbaek’s signature stabilized mana particles. Some of the fine dust settled on the back of my hand—
“Nyaaah!”
What the—why does it sting so much...!
The insane burning sensation made me hop in place. I didn’t even know I had that kind of jump in me.
“Saebyeok, you okay?”
...Not okay at all.
“I-I’m fine... Just startled, that’s all. Hehe...”
I forced a smile at Seojin while blowing on the back of my hand to cool the lingering heat.
Even with the Molrangtex on, it felt like this.
Well, yeah. That’s what made it S-rank... maybe even beyond.
It was the most perfectly realized summon among all the monsters I’d called forth.
Paaaa...!
Soon after, smoke exploded out like a smoke grenade had gone off.
Touching that would hurt—a lot.
“Might be a bit dangerous.”
Seojin must’ve thought the same, because he slammed his Molrangtail into the ground with a crunch and scattered his mana.
Wooong. A barrier formed by the Molrangtail cleanly enveloped us.
Oh, a new technique. Did Seojin pick this up while prepping for his A-rank promotion?
The sturdy-looking barrier shielded us from the mist.
Craaack...! Crack!
Unfortunately, it couldn’t fully block the violently erupting fog.
Zzaaang!
But it succeeded in protecting us right up until it shattered.
“......”
Even so, Seojin looked a little sulky.
I got it, I really did. His full-power barrier had been smashed by mere mist.
But what could you do?
Innate talent gaps weren’t easy to overcome.
If anything, Seojin deserved applause for it.
A guy whose natural limit was B-rank had broken through and blocked an S-rank monster’s attack.
“Thanks.”
I gave him a warm smile, then turned my eyes back to Seolbaek.
The fluffy mana particles slowly dissolved into the air.
The evolution was finally complete, and we could see Seolbaek’s new form.
Kiiing!
“...Seolbaek!”
And thankfully!
Contrary to my fears, Seolbaek’s appearance hadn’t changed.
Well, precisely, it had changed a little.
Kiiing!
Its three tails had become a whopping six.
A six-tailed fox. Six tails.
Jumping straight to three more tails was an impressive feat.
Still, a tiny bit disappointing.
I’d hoped for seven tails, making Seolbaek the world’s top kitsune.
Kiiing!
Seolbaek wagged its six tails gracefully and leaped toward me.
Just like always, aiming to snuggle into my arms.
Come here, buddy!
I spread my arms wide to welcome it.
Our tearful reunion, so full of emotion...
“Hyaaaaah!”
Ended immediately amid excruciating prickling pain.
Felt like hugging a porcupine.
No, not even that—this sting was way beyond a mere porcupine.
What was it called? Hedgehog?
It felt like a deep embrace with one of those terrifyingly spiky beasts.
Kiiing...?
Seolbaek looked up at me with sad eyes, wondering what was wrong, if I was rejecting it now.
It took a step closer, trying to hug me again.
Whoa, whoa. Stay back.
My legs instinctively backed away.
My whole body felt like its fur was standing on end.
Utterly startled, I bristled an imaginary tail and struck a wary cat pose.
Kiiing...
Facing my rejection for the first time ever, Seolbaek looked even sadder.
Then...
Kiiing!
It seemed to realize its mistake, spreading new mana around its body.
It shook itself off like a wet dog after a swim, then extended its right front paw to me.
“......Now it’s safe?”
Kiiing!
Okay. I’ll trust you once.
I steeled myself, but my arm trembled as it reached out.
That’s why learned fear is so scary.
Plop.
Of course, my fears proved unfounded—nothing bad happened.
The soft pink jelly of Seolbaek’s paw pad met my palm, filling me with bliss.
“Seolbaek!”
Kiiing!
Our proper embrace at last.
I’d worried we might never hug like this again, so my eyes were stinging a little.
“But I didn’t expect this much power even with six tails. Does six tails make it A+ rank?”
“Not just A+. Our Seolbaek’s destined to be a gumiho.”
“Oh... Yeah, that makes sense. Doesn’t a gumiho transform into a human?”
Hmm. Pretty convincing.
What’s a gumiho?
A wicked yokai that disguises as a human, seduces people, and eats their livers.
Wouldn’t be weird if Seolbaek developed something similar. Though I’d never heard of a kitsune turning human before.
Anyway.
With the evolution complete, time to get to work.
We’d fed it a 200 billion investment, after all.
Gotta squeeze every bit of value out of it, right?
“Seolbaek, let’s go!”
Kiiing!
Its six tails began wagging independently.
The graceful sway was as smooth as ever. Mana particles flowed out alongside like a surging tide.
...Oh?
They wove into threads that stretched out and wrapped around my body.
Felt like I was turning into a mummy.
Not unpleasant, though. The threads were transparent, practically invisible.
I just sensed them, knowing that’s what they must be.
Kiiing!
Soon, my entire body was covered in threads.
That it?
Nothing special, huh.
“How do I look?”
I asked Seojin to gauge the effect properly.
Am I properly disguised now?
“Whoa... Whew. Looking good? Yeah. It’s perfect, Saebyeok.”
Thankfully, Seojin was impressed.
“Specifically, what do you see?”
“Well, I know you’re there, right? But... that’s it. Can’t recognize you at all. Like a glitch in the reality engine.”
Oho.
Human test passed. Now for the machine.
Click!
I pulled out my smartphone and snapped some selfies. About ten, nice and generous.
Tap tap.
Checked the gallery.
“Muhehe...”
There I was, perfectly satisfied.
Simple terms: I looked like a pictogram person.
Definitely human-shaped, movements discernible.
But gender, age, specific features? No clue.
“Seolbaek, one more time.”
Kiiing!
To check if it worked on others too, I extended threads toward Seojin.
Passed with flying colors, naturally.
‘Nice. Perfect. This is six-tailed power.’
All that hunting paid off.
**
“Fwaa... So tired.”
“Good work.”
“You did great. Fwaaaawn...”
We rode the motorcycle for over two hours and arrived at the gate entrance.
Could’ve been faster, but the terrain slowed us down.
The perception interference magic was still active.
No need to drop it—we’d ride Mir back anyway.
As we exited the gate...
...Who’s that?
Someone was sitting inside the gate barrier who hadn’t been there this morning.
Just a regular-looking guy.
An S-rank hunter visiting the gate like us?
Nah.
No S-rank aura.
His clothes suggested staff. Name tag on his right chest confirmed it.
Name... Baobao? Puobao?
What’s it say?
If you’re gonna label it, make the English big.
Chinese blasting huge, English tiny—what gives?
And this is Korea—why no Korean?
Whatever.
The guy named Baobao jumped up the moment he saw us emerge, like he’d been waiting.
Good thing we kept the interference up, or we’d be in trouble.
Which explained his pretty flustered expression.
Still, he approached us undeterred.
“Uh, excuse me... Got a quick question...”
Awkward Korean with that distinct Chinese accent.
The kind you hear in occasional voice phishing scams.
But no need to engage.
Looked like he was fishing for my identity.
What a shady jerk.
Still, kinda grateful.
Confirmed Seolbaek’s magic worked on outsiders too.
“H-Hey! Wait a sec...!”
We brushed past him cleanly and headed out.
Mmm! This fresh air!
Did outside air always taste this good?
A pretty natural sentiment, really.
After all...
Project Molrangmol Phase 1 had been a resounding success.