Hunter Kindergarten, Dolphin Class! - Chapter 78

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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 078

 

“You’ll be fine in just a little bit.”

 

Nam Tae-jae firmly believed what the teacher was saying.

 

And finally, he saw it.

 

Slowly, a new world covering over his pupils.

 

The cave that had seemed gloomy and rainy was now completely transformed.

 

A landscape that looked as if everything was made of clay.

 

The orange lighting on the wall and the dark cave all looked different when seen as a world of clay.

 

It was no longer scary.

 

Because it was a familiar landscape.

 

The children’s cartoon ‘Saedal-i’s Daily Life’ that Grandmother only turned on during breakfast every morning.

 

Except for the characters, it was exactly the same as that cartoon world where everything was made of clay.

 

‘I’ve entered Saedal-i’s Daily Life!’

 

Nam Tae-jae became excited without realizing it.

 

In this cartoon starring the cute cat character Saedal-i…

 

None other than Nam Tae-jae’s imaginary friend Gudal was also there!

 

And amazingly, he was really there.

 

“…Gu… dal? Gudal! You’ve gotten incredibly big!”

 

Unlike what he had seen on TV, an incredibly large Gudal was right in front of him!

 

‘W-wow…’

 

However, it was too early to be surprised. Nam Tae-jae, who reflexively looked around, almost fell backward.

 

Dozens of button eyes looking at him.

 

‘There are so many Gudals!’

 

Gudal, whom he had created, had a bandage wrapped around one eye and injuries here and there, but was smiling brightly.

 

An appearance quite different from the original Gudal in the children’s cartoon.

 

The real Nam Tae-jae’s imaginary friend.

 

Nam Tae-jae felt his heart pounding. Incomparably more than when he experienced potato digging in Gangwon Province with Grandmother.

 

So he was losing his mind to the thrilling scenery before his eyes…

 

But suddenly he snapped to attention at the sound of groaning.

 

“Uhhh…”

 

“Gudal, are you hurt?”

 

Now that he looked, the Gudal sitting in front of him seemed to have trouble with his arm. He could see clay tears falling from the button eyes.

 

“Oh my… you shouldn’t be in pain.”

 

What to do, what to do.

 

‘I can’t use my ability right now…’

 

As he was stamping his feet anxiously like that, a quiet voice came from behind.

 

“Doctor, this ‘Gudal’ seems to have trouble with his arm. Would treatment be possible?”

 

When he quickly turned his head, he saw another Gudal.

 

However… this Gudal was carrying a yellow bag and wearing familiar clothes.

 

“Ah, I’m late with my introduction. I’m Nurse ‘Gudal.'”

 

Ah… Ah!

 

‘I’m the doctor!’

 

And what was in front of him was an injured and sick patient Gudal.

 

“Will it be alright? Doctor?”

 

Nam Tae-jae answered as if enchanted by Nurse ‘Gudal’s’ question.

 

“Yes…”

 

Then he unconsciously reached out his hand to treat the injured Gudal…

 

“Ahh…”

 

Before he knew it, Gudal was waving his completely healed arm and shedding tears of joy as he spoke to him.

 

“Thank you…”

 

My ability has returned.

 

***

 

The time given was exactly 30 minutes.

 

I controlled Tae-jae as if playing a speed game.

 

“Please look over there too! Doctor!”

 

“Yes~ I’m going~”

 

People were bewildered watching our strange hospital play.

 

The child would cry while concentrating on treatment, then suddenly jump up and call everyone he saw Gudal.

 

Several injured people who suddenly became Gudal had to play along with Tae-jae’s questions while looking dazed.

 

“Where does this Gudal hurt?”

 

“…My, my back hurts! I hit a rock…”

 

“Oh my, is that so. You should be careful when playing. How did you hit the rock?”

 

“The rock… just rolled over and hit my back.”

 

“The rock by itself? You’re not lying, are you?”

 

Right after being hit by the fantasy gun, Tae-jae became remarkably cheerful.

 

More precisely, after he started recognizing everyone in the mine as his imaginary friends.

 

Listening to what Tae-jae quietly said, people’s torn and bruised wounds appeared to him like a doll’s seams bursting and cotton popping out.

 

‘Right, rather than seeing that with the naked eye…’

 

The leg of the man who had just started treatment was cut by something sharp, with bone half-exposed through the gaping wound.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Look at that. Even though it’s his own wound, he’s disgusted to that extent.

 

So Tae-jae cheerfully treated the injured people one by one…

 

Finally, he stood in front of the ‘Gudal’ with the injured back.

 

“…”

 

I forcibly swallowed a sigh and looked down at the man sitting roughly on a rock, showing his back.

 

A hunter from the Product Development Department’s Emotion Team… The person who tried to grab and drag Tae-jae away.

 

Lee Ju-shin was glancing at me nervously.

 

‘Now isn’t the time to be watching me.’

 

If he’s going to watch anyone, it should be Tae-jae.

 

Lee Ju-shin, looking between my sharp glare and Tae-jae treating his back, spoke with difficulty.

 

“…I was the one who suggested coming here.”

 

It doesn’t seem like he said it for Tae-jae to hear… It was meant for me.

 

“I insisted to the people we evacuated with that we go to A District Mine. All the mines here are connected to each other.”

 

What am I supposed to do with him explaining the backstory to me.

 

“When I came to work today, I heard in advance that a healing-type hunter would visit the dungeon in the morning… Based on the timing, I thought they’d be in A District, so we came here.”

 

Lee Ju-shin clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

 

“…But I never imagined the healing hunter would be such a young child. Everyone was hurt and confused…”

 

“…”

 

I withdrew the disgusted expression I’d been maintaining and irritably pushed back my fallen hair.

 

Sigh… Right, honestly, I can’t say I don’t understand his feelings either.

 

In a suddenly erupted disaster situation, he led the injured people and came this far trying to survive somehow.

 

Considering that he was the one who suggested coming here, the sense of responsibility and equally intense urgency must have been considerable.

 

‘He probably panicked momentarily, thinking “what if we can’t get treatment after coming all this way.”‘

 

I understand. I understand, but…

 

“I trust that’s not an excuse for trying to forcibly drag a child away.”

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

Lee Ju-shin couldn’t lift his head for quite a while after that.

 

He only raised his head again when Tae-jae had finished all the treatment and called out to Lee Ju-shin.

 

“Gudal. Your back was badly hurt. Did it hurt a lot? I treated it, so you’ll be okay now.”

 

“…”

 

Tae-jae probably doesn’t know.

 

Just a moment ago, what kind of person the target he healed was.

 

As Tae-jae smiled gently with his swollen eyes, Lee Ju-shin’s face crumpled and he spoke in a voice now thick with tears.

 

“I’m sorry for grabbing your arm without permission, for asking such a thing of a young child like you… And.”

 

“…?”

 

“Thank you. It must have been scary, but you healed everyone.”

 

Tae-jae looked at Lee Ju-shin with puzzled eyes.

 

That wasn’t all. The humans who had received healing from Tae-jae all looked ashamed and in the end each uttered words of apology and gratitude.

 

…If it were me, no matter how much I heard such words, my anger wouldn’t have been easily appeased.

 

However.

 

This child smiled brightly and answered without a moment’s hesitation.

 

“Yes.”

 

***

 

Nam Tae-jae is not a fool.

 

While healing people, he could infer the current situation from the voices he naturally overheard and the somewhat unnatural circumstances.

 

At first he was too excited to notice but…

 

The numerous Gudal-i moving right before his eyes were actually…

 

Not the real Gudal-i.

 

Nam Tae-jae’s imaginary friend ‘Gudal-i’ actually cannot speak.

 

Since the characters appearing in ‘Saedal-i’s Daily Life’ never speak at all.

 

However, even knowing this fact, Nam Tae-jae was not disappointed.

 

Because the ‘Gudal-i’ here had spoken to him.

 

 

 

Their true feelings that would suddenly slip out even while playing along like the real Gudal-i.

 

Nam Tae-jae didn’t miss these things. And soon, with his exceptional mind, he reached a conclusion.

 

‘The adults in the cave have turned into Gudal-i.’ Or ‘appear as such.’

 

And finally, after the healing of the ‘Gudal-i’ with the injured back was finished…

 

 

When he heard these words.

 

The illusion disappeared.

 

It was the moment when the promised 30 minutes of the Fantasy Gun’s effect had passed.

 

Nam Tae-jae saw an adult who looked ready to cry at any moment.

 

One by one.

 

The words of gratitude and apology that had accumulated comforted the loneliness that the 7-year-old child had quietly swallowed alone in the past.

 

So Nam Tae-jae could not help but forgive this adult.

 

So he answered.

 

“Yes.”

 

No longer to Gudal-i, but to Lee Ju-shin.

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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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