Chapter 10
Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Out of Place
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Ugh... I’m so tired....”
I’d been rolling around on the mattress for a while, and the sun was already starting to set. I looked it up and found that if I ordered now, it could be delivered by tomorrow morning. I really didn't think going out myself was an option.
“This should be enough, right...?”
ㅡBeep!
I found some decent clothes and placed the order. I used the Rocket Delivery system, which cost a little extra. Back when I was the world's poorest person, a next-day delivery service like this was never even a consideration.
“Mecha-Doggo is great at making money, so it should be fine, right...?”
But now that I’ve acquired a skill with an unprecedented ability to make money just by breathing, things are very different. I now have the financial means to spend as much as I want... well, not quite, but at least I don't have to skimp when I need to spend something.
But I wonder, does Mecha-Doggo ever lose money? The balance in my account just keeps growing. I have no idea how it's so good at stock trading....
“Mecha-Doggo... thank you...!”
ㅡBeep!
None of this would have been possible without Mecha-Doggo. Of course, I'm also grateful to Suri for saving my life, and Minium... for eating the cockroach...?
Or maybe... his moonwalk is also fun to watch. In any case, they are all beings I’m grateful for.
“Haaa. I’m completely drained.”
I'd almost never had a proper conversation with a real woman, and most of the photos of women I saw online were of people who weren't wearing clothes.... So, you could say my knowledge of women's apparel was nonexistent.
Thankfully, after some fumbling around, I managed to order some simple clothes—a plain white sweatshirt and long black pants. Things that would be safe to wear.
Maybe it was because I ran so much outside. Yesterday, I was so exhausted I just passed out, but today, I felt like I absolutely had to wash up.
“This feels kind of like a crime....”
I was sticky all over from sweating so much. I didn't think I smelled, but that might just be my own perception. They say people can't smell their own scent, right...?
I had no choice. For now, I entered the bathroom fully clothed.
I brushed my teeth vigorously with a new toothbrush and toothpaste and washed my face as best as I could.
After that, I showered with my eyes open just 0.0001mm, relying only on faint light and my senses. It was much harder than I expected, probably because I was so much shorter now.
It was only after I was completely soaked and had even washed my hair that I remembered the biggest problem.
“The hairdryer... doesn't work...?”
I needed to dry my now ten times longer and fuller hair, but the hairdryer was broken. This thing... this was the same hairdryer that had electrocuted me.
Since it had taken a dip in the bathtub, of course it wouldn't work properly.
“C-cold...!”
The indoor temperature was a refrigerator-like 13 degrees Celsius. I wasn't expecting much in terms of insulation from a rooftop room in a hillside shantytown, but being soaking wet made it feel so much colder. I felt like frost was starting to form on my hair.
“H-haa... Please, just work...!”
As I cried out in despair, clutching the dead hairdryer, Suri approached me.
ㅡKiiit
“S-Suri...? What is it?”
Minium was perched on Suri's head. When Suri lowered her head slightly, Minium landed next to me and approached the dead hairdryer.
Then, it began to express something with its body.
“Hmm....”
Standing next to the hairdryer, Minium bent its upper body to the right and poked the hairdryer with the fingers on both its hands.
This pose was definitely....
“Fusion...?”
It was the fusion pose from the manga. Why all of a sudden? The hairdryer... and Minium?
“No way! You mean I should turn it into a golem and then fuse them?!”
ㅡKigik!
Minium nodded as if I’d understood perfectly and gave me a thumbs-up. Come to think of it, that's right. Mecha-Doggo is a golem made from a phone, and it can use the phone's functions, can't it?
So, if I turn the hairdryer into a golem first, then fuse it with the fully functional Minium...?
“That's it! So there was a way!”
Minium, who so far could do nothing but the moonwalk, would gain a hot air function!!
“Okay! I'll give it a try!”
I took the hairdryer out of the bathroom and sat on the floor. The room would be a better environment for a golem than the humid bathroom.
“G-Golem Creation...!”
ㅡFwaaah...!
Magic power shot out from my fingertips and quickly spread across the hairdryer's body. The hairdryer floated into the air and, in a similar fashion to when I created Mecha-Doggo, began to crackle and shatter as it changed form.
“Oh, ooh...!”
ㅡThud
A four-legged golem, just like Mecha-Doggo, was created. The problem was, it was waterlogged and didn't move. Its face was a round, hollow opening like the nozzle of a hairdryer, but it remained motionless even when I picked it up and shook it.
If I fuse this with Minium....
“Golem Synthesis! Minium and... the hairdryer!”
In an instant, the two golems shot into the air and began to intertwine. As if saying goodbye, Minium waved at the last moment before merging with the hairdryer golem.
The hairdryer golem, finished in black plastic and much larger than Minium, also changed its form, being sucked into a sphere of blue magical light.
ㅡFlash!
“Ugh....”
After a bright flash of light, what fell to the floor was....
“Gasp...!!”
Minium, now looking incredibly cool as if clad in black armor, was striking a hero landing on one knee.
“M-Minium...?”
At my call, the golem slowly raised its head.
ㅡClank!
ㅡNod, nod
“M-Minium...!!”
It was Minium. The hairdryer golem probably made up at least 70 percent of the mass, but thankfully, Minium's consciousness remained intact.
Overjoyed, I jumped up and down. How cool did it look now! It even had five fingers on each hand, and when it stood up straight, it came up to my knees.
And most of all, this black armor. Though it had a bit of a plastic feel... it was wearing incredibly cool armor with sleek gold lines.
“Sniff... This is great, really...!”
As if to celebrate its own upgrade, Minium performed the moonwalk with even sharper moves. Standing beside it, Mecha-Doggo saw its friend had gotten bigger and started spinning around, yapping excitedly.
And the most amazing part was this.
ㅡClank!
“Eek! W-what is that?!”
A huge gun extended from its right hand. And soon after, what came out of the muzzle was....
ㅡWhirrrrrr....
“Ah, that’s warm.”
The hot air function of the hairdryer.
That's right.
Minium had now become the ultimate, convenient hair-drying knight, here to dry my long hair for me.
“This is seriously amazing...?!”
As I lay on the floor, Minium automatically dried my hair, which was spread out in all directions. If this isn't an S-rank Hunter, then who is?
Do S-rank Hunters have golems that dry their hair? They don't, right? See? They're trash.
“Eheheh... so warm.”
Unlike the cheap hairdryer it was made from, the firepower? Wind power...? was much stronger, and the noise was significantly reduced. This was as good as a Dyson. No, better, because a Dyson doesn't dry your hair for you.
“Haa... I'm so happy.”
After roughly drying my hair, I lay my head on the pillow and let Minium handle the rest. It had been a long, tiring day.
A warm breeze was blowing, and my body was toasty from the bath. Lying on the mattress with my eyes closed, I felt a wave of drowsiness wash over me.
“Suri, do you know how to turn off the lights?”
ㅡKiiit
Hearing my words, Suri flapped her wings and precisely pecked the light switch on the wall with her beak.
“Ooh....”
After the light in the tiny room went out, all that remained was the soft RGB glow from the still-on computer and the faint white noise from Minium's hairdryer.
My stomach was full, and my body was warm. I had worked out hard today, too. The accumulated fatigue hit me all at once, and a huge yawn escaped my lips.
“Hwaaah.... Mecha-Doggo, turn off that light. I'm going to sleep.”
ㅡBeep...!
Sensing it was nighttime, Mecha-Doggo thoughtfully lowered its volume. It was only about 10:30 PM, but who cares? They say good kids go to bed early.
I may be an adult, but my body is that of a kid, right?
“Ugh... I'm so sleepy....”
I needed to turn off the computer, but lying on the mattress, I had no desire to get up at all.
“Suri... do you know how to turn off the computer, too...?”
ㅡKiiit
“Right... Suri is smart....”
I didn't quite understand what she meant, but I assumed it was a yes. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
ㅡDoro-rong
ㅡKiiit
Around 1 AM, long after their master had fallen asleep.
ㅡBeep...!
ㅡClank...!
The three golems were gathered in front of the computer, staring at the screen.
Minium, with its relatively long arms, was on the keyboard. Mecha-Doggo, connected to the bank account, handled payments and identity verification.
And their leader, Suri, watched the screen, orchestrating some kind of secret plot.
“Uuummm....”
The three golems flinched at their master's sleep-talking. Then, the sound of shallow breathing resumed.
ㅡKiiit...
ㅡNod, nod
ㅡDing
A small six-digit number appeared on Mecha-Doggo's screen.
ㅡNod
In the dead of night, when even the birds were fast asleep, an item was ordered to the house address, all without the master, Eve, knowing.
As the morning sun began to illuminate the dark hillside neighborhood, at the early hour of 8 AM.
“Aauuugh...!!”
A refreshing stretch woke my groggy body. Looking back on last night, when I slept so comfortably while being attended to by my golems, I finally felt like a princess.
“Hoo... Mecha-Doggo, you awake?”
ㅡBeep!!
I slept like a log last night. With my mind clear, I knew today was a day for serious preparation.
“Hoo..! Suri, we're going to the gate today. You know that, right...?!”
Suri slowly nodded. It was my first official event since getting this body. And I was meeting someone else.
The other person was Han Do-hee, a famous show-off on the Awakening Gallery and an active B-rank Hunter. She also makes a ton of money. The most terrifying part was that she had a video of my naked silhouette.
“Oh right, I ordered clothes.”
After roughly tidying my messy hair, I slightly opened the door and quickly snatched the delivery package.
It was the tough gray plastic mailer that clothes usually come in. I knew I wouldn't be able to open it with my own hands, but I was a princess.
“Suri? Can you open this for me?”
When I asked Suri, with her sharp feathers, she cut it open cleanly.
ㅡSlice...!
“Great! Thanks!”
Inside were a white top and black bottoms. Just what I ordered....
“Huh... eh...?”
“So, where are we going now?”
“To pick up a friend.”
While driving, Han Do-hee took advantage of a red light to send a message to Eve.
-Han Do-hee: On my way
-Han Do-hee: Can you come out to the main road?
After a short wait, the light turned green and the car started moving again. A reply from Eve popped up on the phone mounted on the dash.
-Eve: Hey
-Eve: I ran into a little problem
-Eve: Is there any way you can come further inside?ㅠㅠ
“This kid... what a pain.”
“Why? What’d she say?”
“She wants me to come pick her up inside.”
Han Do-hee's fellow Hunter and passenger, Kim Chae-ah, looked at Eve's message on the mount and commented.
“Her name is Eve? Is she a foreigner?”
“I don't really know. I haven't known her for long.”
“What? And you’re taking her to a gate? Is that really okay?”
“She doesn't seem like a bad kid. And I'm pretty sure she can fight.”
Han Do-hee glanced at Kim Chae-ah beside her and said.
“Hey.”
“What.”
“If you spill any snack crumbs, I’ll smash all your teeth out.”
“Ah, I think I'm gonna sneeze, hold on.”
“I’ll kill you, seriously?!”
After driving for a while, they arrived near the address Eve had sent. It was a narrow alley in a neighborhood known for being a hillside shantytown.
“This slope is insane. Isn't the bottom of the car going to get scraped? This is a total slum.”
“Hey, the kid lives here. You shouldn't say things like that.”
“I'm saying it because she's not here.”
Though Han Do-hee scolded Kim Chae-ah, she inwardly nodded in agreement.
‘A kid living alone in a place like this...? Something is definitely strange.’
They parked the car on a less steep spot and headed toward the address Eve had given them.
“She said she'd be standing around here somewhere.”
“There are a surprising number of kids around. Do you even know what she looks like?”
“I’ll know her the moment I see her.”
After looking around for a while, they heard a small girl's voice coming from a narrow alleyway.
“H-here...!”
“Huh?”
From between the narrow alley, a tiny hand peeked out, waving.
“Chae-ah, let's go.”
“Is that her?”
“From the voice, I think so.”
Half suspicious and half curious, Kim Chae-ah followed Han Do-hee.
“Oh, Eve.”
Judging by Han Do-hee's reaction, who had run ahead, it seemed to be her. A child called ‘Eve’ was standing there.
“Wow....”
A young girl, completely out of place against the realistic backdrop of rusted, dirty pipes climbing up the old building.
“H-hello...?”