The Magical Hunter Girl Decorates the Dungeon! - Chapter 39

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

The Magical Girl Hunter Arranges a Dungeon! Episode 39
“Wow!”
Iji gazed down at her wings, now stilled in elegant repose.
‘I can actually fly!’
The spinning motion she’d been doing looked exactly like an ugly top, but… if she stuck pretty stickers on it, it would be fine.
“Anyway, this is it! The Rainbow Butterfly Pendant!”
Rainbow Butterfly Pendant (EX-grade)
When physical harm to the owner or stimuli exceeding a certain heart-rate threshold are foreseen, the Emergency Rotation Mode engages. By visualizing the “Rainbow Reflection” rune—the ultimate defensive posture—the triggering stimulus is reflected back to its source.
Energy Efficiency Grade 1 (Dungeon)
Energy Efficiency Grade 5 (Non-Dungeon)
Grimoire explained difficult terms as they came up.
After the explanation was finished, Iji’s eyes lit up with a question.
“That’s good, right?”
[Incredibly! How on earth did you get something like this? What were the clear conditions for that Dungeon?]
“Something about remembering things? It was all blacked out in a dark box, so I don’t know what it was…”
[Did nothing come to mind at that moment?]
“Well, the old man—Mister—touched my head? Something about it felt familiar, like I’d been through it before.”
Perhaps a memory from right after she was born.
[With a memory that full of holes, I can’t imagine there’s any Dungeon handing out EX-grade items. This isn’t a rigged gambling house, after all.]
“…….”
[Dungeons are places where anything can happen, so you could chalk it up to luck… but something feels off.]
“Should we lock it on the Veranda?”
[Let’s carry it around for now. If we see even a hint of anything strange, we can dispose of it immediately.]
“Okay!”
Iji eagerly laid out today’s spoils on the floor: an Association Ballpoint Pen, a memo pad with the Hunter Association’s phone number, and finally—a pretty butterfly!
‘I need to put stickers on the wings right now.’
It felt like she’d gained a fairy companion.
“By the way, Grimoire. You said there’s a Hunter at the Association who’s contracted with a Grimoire, right?”
[Yes.]
“Well, I saw an incredibly strong girl there.”
That girl with the sea-green hair.
The one who fired a Black Laser even outside the Dungeon.
“Could that girl be your contractor?”
[We don’t discuss information about others’ contractors. Don’t ask further.]
“……Okay.”
When it spoke so firmly, there was no point in pushing.
Iji pulled out a sticker and let her imagination wander.
‘If that girl is also a Grimoire contractor… could two people with magical partners become close friends?’
She’d seen it in manga sometimes.
Girls who became Magical Girls by contracting with magical creatures meeting by fate!
‘At first, they don’t know each other’s true identities. But then one night while fighting villains, they happen to meet and go, “Wait, you’re a Grimoire contractor too!” And that’s how they find out!’
On the third meeting, they compete; by the fourth or fifth, they become allies.
Just imagining it was a magnificent sight.
‘The way that girl uses skills looks different from a Magical Girl—’
But still, if she uses magical-like techniques and has a book flying around beside her, wouldn’t she basically count as a Magical Girl?
‘It would be so cool if we all worked together in Dungeons!’
Grimoire spoke from behind her.
[What are you thinking about that’s got you grinning to yourself like that?]
“……It’s just fun putting on stickers.”
[Hmm. You seem to keep wondering about it, so let me tell you something about how Grimoire contracts work—]
“Oh, yes!”
[We don’t approach people who ignore others’ words, act arrogantly, and—especially—have a particular talent for rubbing others the wrong way.]
“…….”
There was no point in asking why.
Every time she entered a Dungeon, she experienced firsthand what happened when a Grimoire met someone like that.
‘So that’s why that seaweed mister—Jin Si-heon—doesn’t have a Grimoire.’
[That kelp person you mentioned? What kind of hunter is he?]
“Not kelp—sea-green hair! He was really impressive.”
[That’s for the Grimoires to judge. Anyway… let’s meet with Rabbit soon and plan the next Dungeon. Get some rest now.]
“Okay!”
After affixing her most precious embossed rabbit tiara sticker to the Rainbow Butterfly’s wings,
Iji snuggled into bed with excited anticipation, her small body curling up beneath the covers.
Meanwhile, Grimoire couldn’t quite shake the suspicion surrounding this suddenly acquired EX-grade item…
‘If I tense up about every little thing before something even happens, I won’t survive until Iji grows up.’
Besides, anxiety might be catching and spread to Iji.
So Grimoire too closed its eyes and departed once more into the Library of the World.

* * *
Hunter Association Guest Room.
A space so immaculate you’d believe someone had just moved in.
From there, Ji-hyeok—who had been staying for half a year—hit play on a video.
It was the top result when you searched “Jin Si-heon” on YouTube.
“Hog the Dungeon clears all by yourself? Well, the real problem is you lot can’t even eat unless you’re running in packs, is it?”
Beside Ji-hyeok, an e-reader floating in midair sighed.
[The man who went missing, eh? His personality is quite something. He’s at odds with the Association itself.]
“It’s astounding he lasted years in Hunter society with such antisocial conduct.”
The entity indebted to the e-reader—Grimoire—clicked its tongue.
[Well. UHD or whatever? Your argument about clearing high-risk Dungeons was perfect for dying young, too. It’s only because the Association elders ignored you that you’re still breathing.]
“…….”
[Are you so eager to announce your existence to the world?]
“No.”
Ji-hyeok’s hands tightened into fists.
“I simply wish to repay the Guild Master’s kindness quickly. Without him, I would have lived as a criminal’s puppet in the Crime-prone Area and eventually become a criminal myself.”
[Physical circumstances aren’t the whole of what determines a future. Which is why I made a contract with you.]
“……Thank you.”
Meanwhile, his phone kept refreshing with recommendations: “Jin Si-heon Profanity Scandal,” “Jin Si-heon Street Fight,” “Jin Si-heon Controversy”—and more. He was the meal ticket for countless YouTubers.
‘What a strange human.’
Grimoire said it sought out people showing signs of heroism. Grimoire would never contract with this man.
A question occurred to him then.
“Can children also contract with a Grimoire?”
[Why would you ask that?]
“When I went to a child counseling event, Grimoire 998 seemed to react strangely.”
[……Weren’t there guardians and instructors there?]
“Ah. I didn’t think of that.”
Ji-hyeok hadn’t entirely missed the meaning behind Grimoire’s brief silence, but he didn’t press further.
[We don’t discuss our respective contractors with each other. We simply work for our own contractors.]
“What if you end up in conflict with each other’s contractors?”
[Ji-hyeok. You keep bringing up aggressive topics. Do you really want to be the Guild Master’s pride?]
“…….”
[Come on. Stop watching videos.]
“……Understood.”
In the recommended video that autoplay shuffled to next, Si-heon kicked over a Hunter who was picking a fight with him—hands casually in his pants pockets, not even breaking stride.
He’d just soloed an A-rank Dungeon Clear and showed not a trace of fatigue.
Why did such strength end up in the hands of such an obnoxious bastard?
Ji-hyeok turned the phone face-down in frustration.
‘I want to become a Hunter the Guild Master can proudly say he discovered himself.’
If Ji-hyeok became famous, those who’d dig into his rough past would surely emerge.
He wanted to become strong enough and virtuous enough that such people would themselves become targets of scorn—a Hunter everyone would wish to have as a comrade.
‘……But why does someone like Jin Si-heon live like that? Even if he’s S-rank, making enemies everywhere won’t do him any good.’
I’ll never become that kind of person. This is a cautionary tale.
Muttering to himself that way, Ji-hyeok firmly suppressed the thought bubbling up inside him as he watched Si-heon’s video—the thought that was, shamefully, ‘……he’s kind of cool.’

* * *
In the dead of night, while Iji slept deeply,
the Rainbow Butterfly slipped free from its bag and shot straight upward.
Soon a Radar beam shot from its antennae touched Iji’s lips.
[Respiration stable. Sleep state confirmed.]
Click!
A hidden switch on its front leg was activated.
[Light Marking, engaging. Upon completion, location-transmission mode will commence.]
From its front legs, a mesh-like blue light began to move toward Iji’s forehead.
But before that blue light could reach its target—
“Shut up.”
[???]
Something the size of a fist crawled out from under Iji’s bed—
and suddenly stretched its body out flat to a height of about one meter.
As a result, the blue light failed to reach Iji and scattered in all directions.
[Marking operation failed]
After intercepting the butterfly and immediately contracting back to size, what emerged was a Slime—one cradling an apple carved into the shape of a rabbit inside itself.
[Anomalous lifeform detected! Analysis required!]
Both sensory organs recognized each other—
and the Slime reached a conclusion first.
“You. Why shoot light? Iji’s eyes get bad!”
The Slime opened its maw wide at the butterfly.

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