chapter 169
A moment later, the boy whispered, sounding visibly annoyed.
"Master, should I stab him?"
"Idiot. Not yet."
With his eyes trembling, Taemin tried to stop the kids.
"Hey, guys. You can't do this. It's wrong."
"But…"
Right then, the kids were effortlessly lifted up by Serhi.
"Are you out of your minds? What are you, robbers now?"
Guru rolled her eyes.
“W-We might be… wighteous wobbers…”
"What the hell does righteousness have to do with robbery? This is why you always get scolded by On Jurim, huh!"
"…Ssshhhii!"
Guru kept flailing with all her might when—
"Huh. So you actually speak Korean well."
"…"
“Wiar wiar wiar, wiar facey wiar Seowhi.”
Taemin gave a small laugh and turned to walk away.
"Haa…"
As Serhi let out a sigh, Guru offered comfort.
“Seowhi not a wiar. Seowhi Oppaw not good at Kowean, weawwy. Gwuu got ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) woss of typos too.”
“Can you shut up?!”
“Hiing…!”
“What is it now? Why’d you suddenly want that earring?”
“I-It’s not like dat! Dat’s Bayi’s thingy…”
A star-shaped glimmer flickered in Veilach’s eyes.
“What humans possess is originally mine.”
Suddenly, the air turned frigid.
Even sealed, his SSS-Class pressure remained palpable.
'How the hell did she even bring something like that home… Seriously, this kid's nuts.'
Serhi, newly astonished, glanced around and said,
“Enough. There’re people watching… So that thing’s yours?”
“Yes. It is harmful to humans. It’s better not to carry it.”
“Then why are you robbing people?”
“Gwuu told yoo, Bayi’s weawwy an SSS-cwass monstuh and dat’s Bayi’s thing, so it’s fine, wight?”
“That absolutely won’t fly with On Jurim.”
“Den we awe wighteous wobbers!”
It was a warm-hearted robbery!
As if she were a knight of justice, Guru solemnly raised her fork.
Serhi let out a deep sigh. Scratching the back of his neck, he muttered,
“I get it. I mean, yeah, the method sucks, but still…”
“…!”
He understands me!
'As expected of someone from Gnosis.'
The former villain and current villain shared a brief moment of mutual understanding.
Guru beamed and held out her tiny fist.
“Den Oppaw too, wet’s be—!”
Before she could say “one team!”—
“No.”
“…!”
'I thought you understood me…!'
“Once it’s in someone else’s hands, it belongs to them. Quit screwing around and go home.”
'So all that bonding was fake?!'
Guru puffed out her cheeks furiously.
“You bad guy!”
“Shut it.”
Serhi scooped her up like a sack of groceries and started walking.
“If you’re done shopping, we’re leaving.”
Mephisto flapped along through the air, and Veilach followed, lost in thought.
Guru shifted sluggishly into Serhi’s arms, then noticed the dazed look on Veilach’s face. She leaned up and grumbled softly into Serhi’s ear.
“Seowhi’s dumb. Bad guy.”
“Don’t. It tickles.”
Serhi pushed her face away and looked off to the side.
There, like an egg ghost in a hoodie, Ham Honggi was hiding behind a pillar, eyeing Guru warily.
'…? Is that supposed to be hiding?'
Beside him stood a woman who had just removed her sunglasses, staring at Serhi like she was hypnotized.
Ugh!
Romantic attention was always a pain. Serhi grimaced and quickly turned away.
From beside him, Kang Jei watched Serhi’s profile like she was about to lick it, then smacked Ham Honggi on the back.
“Hanghangi, who’s that guy?”
Ham Honggi, who obviously knew exactly who that guy was, scanned him coolly.
“…Hyeonak rookie?”
The new recruit who stirred buzz in the New Year guild intro video. It had even reinforced the rumors that the guildmaster picked recruits based on their looks.
He was supposedly a freshman this year. Which meant he was probably in the same class as Kang Jei, who’d been held back two years.
Worried Kang Jei might start flirting with Serhi and drag Guru into another mess, Ham Honggi decided to draw the line early.
“You’re not even in his league, so don’t bother. Look at that face.”
“…I think I just became a fan.”
But Kang Jei’s eyes had already rolled back.
God, she’s insane. Annoyed, Ham Honggi pulled his hoodie strings tighter.
***
Chapter: Variety Show Debut?!
Chick Class Classroom.
While the kids were gathered around a round table, focusing on the teacher’s words—
'Is dis da newest tech?!'
Guru scanned the battery of her new watch using her phone.
She spun the 3D disassembly diagram over and over, then puffed out her cheeks and tilted her head.
'It’s… kinda meh.'
It was definitely lacking.
Guru’s crafting method was so different from other creators that referencing their designs was almost pointless.
Even if two items had the same effect, other crafters would need complex devices, whereas Guru could get there by synthesizing stardrops.
But even accounting for that, the efficiency gap was massive.
While Guru’s mana stone battery hit about 40% energy efficiency, this “latest tech” watch barely managed 5%.
And the mana stone inside was top-tier. It’d honestly be more helpful to just yank it out and use it directly.
'Hmm, should Gwuu twy ‘Yank-yanky!’ on it?'
Come to think of it, she’d never tested that before.
If [Yank-yanky!] could extract energy from mana stones…
‘Mana Stone’ + ‘Stardrop Pulled From Mana Stone’ = Buy one, get one free!
She dubbed it: Double Gwuu Supreme!
In her mind, mana stones and stardrops floated around in bliss. She beamed in anticipation of her glorious future.
Since they were still in class, Guru decided to test the skill later. She finally realized why her [Chick-Class Railgun] had made such a splash.
If the best tech out there only got 5% efficiency, then anyone trying to make a railgun powered by mana stones would’ve ended up with something far more expensive than useful.
Anyway.
Just as Guru was about to tell Woojoo about her Double Gwuu Supreme—
'Hmm?'
She stared fixedly at Woojoo, who looked unusually wilted today.
'Woojoo’s acting weird!'
Meanwhile, Woojoo blinked blearily, watching the teacher up front.
“Eco-friendly %$&(&($(%……”
The teacher was gesturing wildly and even using props, but none of it registered.
His fever hadn’t gone down since morning.
When break time finally came, Woojoo’s head drooped.
Huff, huff. He exhaled hot, feverish breaths—when a tiny hand gently swept over his forehead.
“Woojoo, yoo sick? Wanna go to da nurse wif Gwuu?”
“…No. I have to go shoot now.”
“But yoo sick…”
“I’m fine. Not sick at all.”
Lie. His head was boiling like a stew pot.
“Yoo weawwy hot… Can’t yoo west instead?”
“Today’s Dad’s shoot. I can’t miss it…”
There was no way he could skip his dad’s broadcast.
'Absolutely not.'
Even as he told himself that, Guru tilted her head.
“Yoo Daddy’s da one shootin’?”
Woojoo nodded.
Ten years ago, he was known as the director who created a hit variety show—Seo Unmo.
That tagline always followed Woojoo’s dad around.
Yeah, ten years ago.
His dad had been chasing that glory ever since, working tirelessly day and night.
But that glory never really came back.
He stopped coming home as often.
Woojoo’s mom got sick of it and left, and his dad’s new girlfriend waited so long she began to wither like a dried flower—until she just grew sharper and colder.
Woojoo started juggling school and work early on in that precarious home.
'If I can just get more established…'
If his network grew and he became a celebrity with real ratings power—
'Then maybe I can ease Dad’s worries, too.'
“But, but Woojoo… Yoo weawwy sick, and maybe Daddy gonna wowwy ‘bout yoo.”
“…He won’t. Actually…”
Woojoo hesitated, then finally spoke.
“Dad… would be disappointed.”