Magical Hunter Girl Decorates the Dungeon! Episode 012
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‘The price for helping?’
A truth I learned from fairy tales came to mind.
If you help a wounded creature, you receive a reward.
But there was something else I wanted to say.
“Mr. Dragon. Wouldn’t you really like to have a tea party?”
“What?”
“Drink some black tea with me. I have cookies right here!”
“…….”
“They’re super delicious, I promise!”
The last thing the dragon had eaten was a Magic Stone.
I wanted to cover that horrific memory with a joyful experience.
The March Hare shouted angrily.
“Who said you could invite someone to the tea party? I’ve never invited you, or him, either!”
Even as he said that, the March Hare was pushing a few chairs together. It looked like he was trying to make a seat that could support the dragon’s weight.
The dragon was speechless for a moment, then replied in a softer tone than before.
“Child. I am grateful for the offer, but all I wish to drink right now is the wind of the open sky.”
“Mr. Dragon…… I understand.”
“More importantly, is there truly nothing you desire?”
“Nothing. I didn’t do this expecting anything in return.”
I had already achieved what I wanted right then and there.
Saving a suffering animal friend.
“……I see. Just as you have respected me, I, too, must respect you.”
The dragon tilted his head, then plucked a single scale from his body and held it out.
“If we ever meet again, show me this. I shall reward you properly then.”
As soon as I took it, the dragon flapped his wings and soared upward.
The shadow that had covered the sky in an instant slowly shrank, blurred, and…….
Before I knew it, it had vanished completely.
“…….”
Only the hard, black scale in my hand remained.
Would we really be able to meet again someday?
I remembered what the civil servant had said before.
‘Since the core has been destroyed, the Bandage Monster is gone forever!’
Surely, the Black Dragon, a resident of a broken dungeon, must be…….
Just as I was about to feel sad, someone spoke from behind me.
“Little lady! Are you going to put milk in your black tea?”
It was the March Hare.
The Mad Hatter chimed in as well.
“That ribbon in your hair is cute! Why don’t you buy a hat for your ribbon before you go?”
The Dormouse pointed to an empty chair. He was telling me to sit there.
[Ho! It seems those grumpy fellows are willing to accept you.]
Grimoire exclaimed with genuine admiration.
I smiled happily, but shook my head.
“I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Ha! Who said they’d wait for you? The only thing waiting for you at your seat is a floral teacup! A sky-blue floral one, specifically!”
“Thank you! I’ll be back soon!”
I have to make sure I return before the tea gets cold.
Grimoire chuckled as he followed me.
[Are you going back to that Magic Stone fertilizer… no. That Hunter who has no friends? Have you found a way to save him?]
“I’m going to check right now. Status Window!”
The day I cleared my first dungeon.
I gained a skill even when I only received a 0.01% enhancement to my trait as a reward.
The reward I received for clearing ‘Protect the tea party from the Black Rotten Dragon’s raid’ was a whopping 10% trait enhancement.
There must be a better skill now!
Seeing the status window pop up, Grimoire sighed.
[Don’t tell me… you actually thought you might get a skill to help that guy as a clear reward?]
“Yes.”
[Hah! You ran off so confidently that I thought you had some grand plan! You were essentially gambling!]
I didn’t waver, even in the face of his mocking laughter.
“A funny plan is better than no plan at all.”
[……That’s a very fine saying. Did they teach you that at school?]
“It’s common sense. You learn it as you live.”
[Are you really nine years old?]
“I’ve lived for nine years, so that much is— no. Let me focus!”
[…….]
Grimoire’s pages flipped up and down. It looked like he was pouting.
I ignored him and stared at the skill window.
A welcome message appeared.
[Magical Girl Daisy, Transform! (B)]
Additional effects for this skill have been unlocked!
The Magical Girl is affected by new skills during and after transformation!
My heart pounded with excitement.
What could the new skill be……?
[Gardener’s Song (F)]
: The ‘Magical Girl’ can decorate her domain in a way befitting a Magical Girl.
: Remaining decoration points 2/2
F-rank, huh.
I suppressed a slight sense of disappointment and shouted anyway.
“Gardener’s Song!”
A message appeared.
Select an object in the vicinity to decorate your domain
In the vicinity—the object I focused my gaze on was wrapped in a sky-blue light.
‘I think I’ve seen this in garden decoration games!’
It must mean I have to choose a decorative item.
I was a bit excited as I looked around. There were many pretty things nearby.
Scarlet tulips, a green caterpillar as thick as an arm, spotted mushrooms…….
‘I hate mushrooms!’
Selection canceled
Grimoire sighed.
[What a trivial skill.]
“It’s not trivial! Especially because a Magical Girl needs flowers or light to look like a real Magical Girl.”
[I still don’t understand the concept of a Magical Girl. Regardless, it’s a useless skill for now, isn’t it?]
“If you mean for now…….”
[I mean for rescuing that Magic Stone fertilizer guy.]
By then, my footsteps had brought me to the crystal.
Beyond the thick crystal.
Small bubbles rose from the corners of Jin Si-heon’s painfully twisted lips.
He was definitely alive.
“Mr. Hunter…….”
[Even if you can’t save him, don’t feel guilty. He wouldn’t expect anything from a child anyway.]
“…….”
[You should just focus on the Magic Stone at your feet—]
“Gardener’s Song.”
[Digging for…… what?]
*Zap, zap, zap.*
The sky-blue light that followed my gaze touched the crystal—
And scattered with a crackling sound.
The range is too wide
“Gardener’s Song!”
I focused on Jin Si-heon.
It wasn’t easy because his body looked distorted through the crystal.
The light, which had been flickering, finally managed to wrap around Jin Si-heon’s body.
Do you wish to proceed?
“Yes!”
But the light scattered once again.
A perplexing message appeared.
Not a suitable target
“Huh?”
Even when I used the skill again, the light scattered in vain.
Not a suitable target
I lifted my head to try one more time, but—
“……H-huh?”
For some reason, I felt dizzy.
Grimoire clicked his tongue.
[That’s because you used the skill in rapid succession.]
“…….”
[You might collapse, so stop now—]
“Grimoire, what exactly does ‘suitable’ mean?”
I had seen the word during my awakening, so I knew the general meaning.
‘It must be short for “suitably qualified,” right?’
But now, I wanted to know the exact meaning.
Grimoire grumbled.
[Do I look like a dictionary to you?]
“You’re super smart, though!”
[……It means ‘to fit or match a certain standard’.]
“Thank you! ‘Gardener’s Song’!”
[Wait! Why are you repeating a meaningless action, Shin Iji!]
No, it’s not meaningless.
‘It will work this time.’
I swallowed my reply. I didn’t have the energy to explain because I was focusing on Jin Si-heon.
The description for the ‘Gardener’s Song’ skill is:
‘Can decorate your domain in a way befitting a Magical Girl.’
The error message from earlier meant ‘not suitable,’ meaning it didn’t fit the criteria of the domain.
‘I know why that message popped up.’
Flowers and cute animals are all things that fit a Magical Girl.
It wouldn’t be strange for them to be by a Magical Girl’s side.
But this handsome man is—
‘Absolutely not!’
It’s possible for a dark, handsome man to appear in a Magical Girl manga.
But the place he belongs is the headquarters of the Legion of Evil.
If he were to approach a Magical Girl…….
‘It’s an emergency! If a scene like that happens, the Magical Girl always gets kidnapped or turns evil in the next episode!’
It’s common sense.
Once I realized the problem, the answer came quickly.
Not a suitable target…… Target, image, conversion
Calculating conversion probability…… Confirmed, 72%
Please generate the desired image specifically
……Approved
The light flowing from my fingertips wrapped around the crystal, then slowly seeped through to reach Jin Si-heon.
Grimoire’s pages trembled.
[Iji, don’t tell me……! Have you found a way?]
“Yes.”
I gritted my teeth and shouted.
“You can be cute too, Mister!”
— — —
* * *
Hunters caught in a Dungeon Break usually die.
But Jin Si-heon envied the dead.
After being caught directly in the Dungeon Break.
When he came to, he was trapped somewhere.
Even while unable to move a muscle, his five senses felt too much.
His vision was split into six pieces, reflecting different worlds simultaneously: day, night, a blizzard, a desert whirlwind, and more.
Laughter, curses, and the roars of beasts echoed in his ears all at once. This noise must also be of six kinds.
His body felt cold, hot, stinging…….
How many months had he endured in this bizarre hell?
Only one thought remained clear in his mind.
‘I’ll kill them…….’
The moment he regained his freedom.
He would find the one who caused the dungeon to collapse and twist their neck.
At some point, having completed his revenge in his imagination for the hundredth time.
‘Huh?’
Above his kaleidoscopic, chaotic vision, a pure white light began to spread slowly.
He knew instinctively.
The chance to escape this hell had arrived.
The bewilderment lasted only a moment.
His instincts, honed by a rough life, sharpened like a wolf’s.
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