Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 35

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 035

 

 

One of the discarded products given as a gift by Product Development Team Manager Lee Won-woo during the field study.

 

That’s now in my hands.

 

I picked up the long, long tag wrapped around the MP3 cord.

 

And quickly read through the text.

 

 

*Reason for disposal: Created for external communication with a research base intended to be installed inside C0520, one of the company’s underground dungeons, but decided for disposal due to unexpected side effects and functional issues.

*Usage: Select one of the contacts registered in the MP3 to make a call (select the target and wear the earphones).

*Precautions: Confirmed that contacts not registered by the research team have been registered (cannot confirm where they connect to)

After use, unexplained bleeding occurs (nosebleeds/hemoptysis)

*Made by extracting the frequency of S-rank Spatial Movement Awakener H.

*PS. According to rumors circulating within the research team, calling ‘SOL 15’ in the phone book can get you advice or relief supplies perfectly suited to the caller’s situation. (But it’s just a rumor. I searched through the entire phone book and couldn’t find it.)

 

After reading to the end, I pressed the file-shaped icon on the MP3 screen as if entranced.

 

Then the screen switched and a list of contacts appeared in a row.

 

And at the very top of them was…

 

-Registered Phone Book.

-0) SOL 15

 

“…!”

 

[ Press it! ]

 

“W-wait a moment.”

 

The lengthy tag bothered me too much to press it recklessly.

 

I read the text written on the tag once more, chewing over it. Then there was one phrase that particularly caught my eye.

 

-Calling ‘SOL 15’ can get you advice or relief supplies perfectly suited to the caller’s situation.

 

And next to it, in crossed-out handwritten text…

 

-(But it’s just a rumor. I searched through the entire phone book and couldn’t find it.)

 

I squeezed my eyes shut once and opened them.

 

The MP3 screen in my hand remained the same.

 

-0) SOL 15

 

‘Then what is this?’

 

[ Press it! ]

 

Nabi’s urging and the urgency of the situation made my heart race.

 

I quickly steadied my breathing and moved my finger.

 

-Click.

 

‘Right, I don’t have any other proper methods anyway.’

 

Whether this is a rumor or ghost story, what can I do? If I can just get out of here, I’ll do anything.

 

Indeed, it was behavior befitting a ‘debtor’ who had sold both his present life and afterlife to a monster friend with just the desire to survive.

 

Following the instructions, I plugged the earphones into my ears and waited.

 

Then, with a cheerful notification sound, a guidance voice flowed out shortly after.

 

-Ding-ti-ding-ding~

 

-Hello, happy SOL citizens. This is SOL Community Center Building 1.

 

-Press 1 for civil complaints, 2 for move-in registration, and 3 for other matters.

 

‘Community center?’

 

Confused by the typical community center guidance voice, I eventually pressed 3.

 

-Yes, other matters are as follows. Press 1 for emergency dispatch, 2 for advice/relief supply requests.

 

-For emergency dispatch, a separate service fee will be added. The fee is 1.5 Makeron.

 

-Would you like to apply the Earth exchange rate?

 

Rather than the unfamiliar currency unit and the ominous choice of words “Earth exchange rate,” other words stuck in my ears.

 

‘Emergency dispatch!’

 

If we could call someone here to help us, wouldn’t that be a more certain escape method than the advice or relief supplies written on the tag?

 

I answered without hesitation.

 

“Yes.”

 

Unless it was ridiculously expensive, it wouldn’t be a waste even if I considered it the price of my life.

 

But then….

 

-Applied based on Earth/current location Republic of Korea Seoul.

 

-1.5 Makron = 1,500,000,000 won

 

-Would you like to call for emergency assistance?

 

“…What?”

 

I opened my mouth before I could even finish counting all the zeros.

 

“No. That won’t work.”

 

…Now I’ve counted them all.

 

1.5 billion.

 

Has the exchange rate gone crazy, seriously.

 

 

***

 

After much deliberation, I took out one earphone and whispered quietly to Moon Chae-yeong.

 

“Team Leader Moon.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“By any chance, in your bank account…. Do you have 1.5 billion?”

 

Moon Chae-yeong’s lips, which had been slightly upturned, crashed down.

 

Maybe it’s because it’s dark, but am I imagining that she looks menacing?

 

‘Please curse at me. I’d rather you did.’

 

“Teacher.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’m a team leader at a large corporation, but I don’t earn enough to have 1.5 billion sitting in my bank account.”

 

“…Yes, I’m sorry for asking such a pointless question.”

 

Feeling unnecessarily sorry, I bowed my head to Moon Chae-yeong and put the earphone back in my ear.

 

In my desperation to escape, I even ran a simulation of splitting 1.5 billion among us….

 

‘If I get out of here, it’ll just be another debt hell.’

 

In the end, I had no choice but to select a different alternative.

 

“Please give me advice and relief supplies request number 2.”

 

Who would have thought the day would come when not having 1.5 billion would feel this heartbreaking.

 

-Yes, advice and relief supplies request number 2 has been properly registered.

 

-We will now perform a scan to assess the overall situation. Please wait a moment!

 

Shortly after, light flashed from the MP3 screen. The light instantly covered the interior of the cathedral in the dungeon and then disappeared.

 

The speed was truly incredible.

 

Except for me…. it seemed like no one else noticed that light.

 

-Situation scan complete. For the caller who has fallen into a ‘Mutant Hole’, we will send the following advice and relief supplies.

 

Mutant Hole?

 

The place I entered should be a dungeon, right?

 

…Then, could it be that the ‘Mutant Hole’ they’re referring to means ‘dungeon’?

 

-Relief Supplies: Pinocchio Lemon Jelly (1 jelly per person) Duration 1 hour.

-Advice: Take an appropriate amount and think about number distribution.

 

-Ding-ti-ding-ding~

 

-Relief supplies have arrived. Check your bag!

 

I immediately rummaged through my bag.

 

‘Found it.’

 

I can feel a square box in the inner pocket of my bag that wasn’t there before.

 

“….”

 

I quickly unzipped it and took it out, revealing a yellow square-shaped box. When I tore along the perforated line to open it, there were several lemon-shaped jellies in cute plastic packaging.

 

[ If you lie, your nose will grow long! ]

 

I read the text written on the door-sized sticker attached to the back of the box and finished tearing off the plastic packaging.

 

-It’s said that calling ‘SOL 15’ will get you advice or relief supplies that perfectly match the caller’s situation.

 

Just as it said, this was truly relief supplies that perfectly matched the situation.

 

A truth and lies game disguised as Confession.

 

Here, this Jelly was nothing short of a cheat key that could immediately distinguish true from false.

 

Of course, I’d have to eat it to know the effect for certain.

 

‘I should test it.’

 

***

 

“I’m bored~ I’m bored~ Can’t I just go in there too? Please?”

 

Noah, who had been holding back until now, clung to me with a whining voice.

 

And not just Noah, but the children around us also began to join in, bursting out with what they had been holding back all at once.

 

“Ahhhhh~ I want to go in there too~~ I’m going~”

 

“Shh, won’t you be quiet? Lee Woo-ju!”

 

“Mom, can’t I go in there too?”

 

“Hey, if you go in there, you won’t get any snacks or anything today.”

 

“Father, I quite like candy too.”

 

“Be quiet, you’re a high school student and still haven’t matured?”

 

It seemed like there was someone mixed in who wasn’t a child…

 

I pondered while looking at the large Glass Bottle placed next to the Platform.

 

‘To think that looks fun to children’s eyes.’

 

The Candy Syrup had now risen to waist level, and the people trapped in the Glass Bottle had turned pale.

 

The adults gave piggyback rides or held up the children who came in with them to prevent them from being submerged in the Syrup.

 

Of course, the children trapped in that Glass Bottle also seemed too busy being happy, unaware of the seriousness.

 

“Mister, please lift me higher!”

 

“Sister, can I touch this?”

 

“Ah, no. It might be dangerous…!”

 

I counted the number of jellies in my hand and spoke carefully to Noah.

 

“Noah, if you go in there, it’ll be incredibly sticky, right? It’ll stick all over your socks and hair and be really unpleasant, don’t you think?”

 

“I can just wash up after playing!”

 

Why is she suddenly getting smart?

 

It was such a clear answer that I couldn’t say anything more.

 

I checked the 5 jellies in my hand and smiled awkwardly at Noah.

 

‘If we could just go Home and wash up, it would be incredibly fun tactile play.’

 

That is, if we could just go Home.

 

I hoped that the speed at which the Syrup filled that Glass Bottle would be slower than the speed at which we cleared the Dungeon.

 

‘The confirmation is done, let’s move.’

 

I silently moved to the very end seat of the Bench.

 

Between the Benches.

 

I carefully observed the wide-open Virgin Road leading to the Platform.

 

‘This should be possible.’

 

Just when I thought I could roughly figure out the angle.

 

‘It’s started.’

 

-The time for Confession has arrived.

-We will bring forward one priest and one believer.

-You have been selected as the priest.

 

“Hey! Just lie! You get what I’m saying?!”

 

-You have been selected as the believer.

 

“What?”

 

“Damn, if you have to say something anyway, just lie! Then I can just say that Mister only lied!”

 

The people caught this time were a male student wearing a school uniform and a dazed-looking man in his 50s.

 

However, what was quite surprising was that the male student recognized he was caught in Confession and made that judgment at the same time.

 

“Oh, he used his head a bit.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“But it probably won’t work.”

 

At Moon Chae-yeong’s words, I nodded with a regretful heart.

 

‘I thought of that too.’

 

A rigged game.

 

If both the believer and priest arm themselves with only truth or lies, there would be no reason to get it wrong.

 

Whether it’s lies or truth.

 

But…

 

The voice clearly said this.

 

-The believer will now confess sins ‘randomly’ with only lies or truth.

 

It said.

 

Moreover, seeing that there was no will in the believer’s statement, it seemed even the believer could only know after speaking.

 

Whether they lied or told the truth.

 

Since the situation moved quickly, it was a part that could easily be missed.

 

So, that trick wouldn’t work.

 

Then… I should do my job assuming there are no surprises.

 

“Mister, you understand, right? Just lie no matter what!”

 

Passing by the male student being dragged to the platform while earnestly pleading, I stared at the man slowly but gradually approaching from behind.

 

‘His expression looks really bad.’

 

And just before the man passed in front of me.

 

I quickly handed something to the man.

 

This one was the believer, right?

 

“Eat this now. Chew it thoroughly and swallow.”

 

Pinocchio Jelly.

 

“Yes, yes?”

 

“Quickly! Quickly!”

 

“Ah, yes. Yes!”

 

Unable to resist my gaze and urging, the man popped a jelly into his mouth and chewed.

 

The man kept looking back at me even while being dragged to the platform.

 

‘Hey, you’re not looking at me like I’m some crazy person, are you.’

 

-The believer shall confess sins and repent.

-The believer will now confess sins randomly with only lies or truth.

 

I could feel sweat flowing down my back.

 

It begins.

 

“Uh, I didn’t fold the laundry this morning before leaving. My wife asked me to fold it but I was too busy so… Huh, the words are really coming out on their own?”

 

The man looked flustered by the words coming out regardless of his will.

 

However, the man was almost ready to faint at what happened next.

 

“Huh? Eh? My nose?”

 

His nose was growing longer while he spoke.

 

“What is that now.”

 

Ignoring Moon Chae-yeong’s muttering beside me, I quickly shifted my gaze to look at the male student on the opposite side.

 

He was about to shout “lies” but saw the man’s growing nose and closed his mouth again.

 

‘He’s shaken.’

 

But I was certain.

 

‘That kid knows the answer.’

 

Actually, this was impossible not to know. Anyone who properly graduated elementary school in the Republic of Korea would naturally think of one fairy tale.

 

The world-famous fairy tale, Pinocchio.

 

“The reason the nose grows longer is….”

 

-The priest must determine whether the believer’s words are true or false.

 

At the same time as my muttering, the Male Student opened his mouth.

 

“Bullsh—”

 

?

 

“Ah, no! False! He lied!”

 

That’s right, kid. False. You should use nice words.

 

-Faith has been proven.

 

“Hah….”

 

I sighed in relief. I hope he got the hang of it with this one time.

 

-The believer, please continue your Confession.

 

The voice echoed, and the Man opened his mouth again.

 

“My Daughter entered High School this year and practically lives at the Academy, but I didn’t like that, so just for one day I secretly called the Academy behind my Daughter’s back…. I said she was sick today and couldn’t come.”

 

-The priest must determine whether the believer’s words are true or false.

 

Looking at the Mister who was touching his elongated nose with tears welling up, the Male Student spoke without hesitation.

 

“That’s real. That’s the truth.”

 

-Faith has been proven.

 

The Man’s nose didn’t grow longer during the second Confession.

 

The Male Student had accurately caught the meaning of that.

 

-The faithful priest and believer, please return to your seats.

 

“Wow, crazy wow! Mister! We did it!”

 

“Yeah, you did well, student. But my nose….”

 

“Hey, is that important? Let’s hurry and go to our seats!”

 

Patting the back of the dejected Man, the two people warmly returned to their seats and sat down.

 

Moon Chae-yeong, who had been watching that scene intently, approached me with a strange expression.

 

“A nose that grows longer when you lie, it’s just like Pinocchio…. Don’t you think so, Teacher?”

 

I avoided her strangely excited gaze and answered in a deliberately innocent tone.

 

“Yes, that’s right. What’s going on.”

 

I naturally had no intention of explaining those results to Moon Chae-yeong in detail here.

 

‘And she might get dragged into this too.’

 

Even though it was given by the BOND Product Development Team, it was a result obtained from unverified Discarded Products.

 

Even if the result of my judgment turned out to be the worst, I had no intention of dragging Moon Chae-yeong into this.

 

For now, since she found out, becoming involved would be unavoidable anyway.

 

“Well, is this an unexpectedly sloppy Dungeon?”

 

“….”

 

“Still, it’s good. Look. The clear progress rate is already about half full. At this rate…. If we just repeat this a few more times, it’ll really be cleared.”

 

It really was.

 

But….

 

Now the Syrup level had risen up to around the solar plexus.

 

‘We need to finish as quickly as possible.’

 

-The time for Confession approaches.

 

However, I was only anxious but no longer afraid. Because there was a definite solution and a created situation.

 

Everyone below the Platform had watched the previous situation. So even if they couldn’t specifically think of Pinocchio, they would be able to infer enough.

 

That the changes happening to the believer’s body were the answer.

 

So, if I just gave the selected believer the Jelly properly….

 

‘We can all get out safely together.’

 

If we just repeat this a few more times without accelerating the Glass Bottle’s water level any further.

 

Fortunately, the situation progressed faster and more stably than I had expected.

 

While going through several Confessions through the Jelly, I developed the spirit to give each believer walking up to the Platform a piece of Jelly and even cheer them on.

 

“Oh, there’s really not much left now.”

 

Now the syrup was sloshing up to the adult woman’s chin. Even so, the adults were holding on by lifting the children above their heads.

 

“No way. No way. It can’t get in my mouth. I’m on a diet, I tell you.”

 

“Please! I’m going to die from all this sweetness… Ugh.”

 

Quickly. Quickly.

 

-The time for Confession approaches.

 

And finally.

 

“Teacher, I think this is the last one.”

 

Nod.

 

‘Let’s do well, this is the last one.’

 

-We will now invite one priest and one believer forward.

 

-Click.

 

The lights went out and after a moment.

 

Light poured down on my right shoulder blade.

 

Glitter powder right next to me… next to me?

 

“…!”

 

“Huh? Wooooah! It’s my turn now, right? I’m going in there now, right?”

 

Noah…

 

Had been selected for Confession.

 

I silently watched the child jumping up and down.

 

This is a disaster.

 

But there was an even bigger disaster.

 

My clenched fist gradually opened until it was completely open, but…

 

There was… nothing there.

 

‘I used up all the jelly.’

 

In an instant, a sentence flashed through my mind like lightning.

 

-Advice: Take an appropriate amount and think about quantity distribution.

 

I hadn’t thought about the quantity at all.

 

Wow.

 

Wow, what do I do about this.

 

-You have been selected as a believer.

 

“Yes! Teacher, I’ll be right back!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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