NOVEL NEXT Chapter 106
<106 - I Repented>
Myung So prepared himself.
Even for the task of removing Oknodie’s corpse.
It’s right ahead.
The unique musty smell of the fungus monster wafted through the air first.
With firm mental preparation, Myung So stepped inside.
What entered his sight was the Claw Man, with its claws poised against Oknodie’s neck.
“Ah!”
Oknodie screamed.
Myung So’s hand shot out like lightning.
“How dare you!!”
With a face twisted like a demon from hell, Myung So delivered a strike.
Following his hand, the Claw Man’s corpse became a handful of flesh, splattering against the dungeon wall.
Worried about spores spreading, he gathered the surrounding air and with a swift blow, struck Claw Man down instantly.
“Eh?”
Oknodie blinked, unable to grasp what had just happened.
Seeing that pitiful sight, Myung So felt a pang of sorrow.
How much mental anguish has this child suffered, surrounded by vicious monsters?
“It’s okay now. Do you remember me? I’m Myung So, the one who oversaw the first test in the entrance exam.”
“What have you done!!”
“You needn’t worry about spores. I killed it without allowing a single particle to escape, just in case it was in a state of being controlled by the fungus monster.”
So you can rest easy.
His kind smile began to crack under Oknodie’s look of accusation, as if questioning how he could have done such a terrible thing.
“Why did you do this?!”
“…Wasn’t it a crisis situation?”
“Of course not!”
Did I underestimate the group leader too much?
Oknodie showed no fear of the monsters at all.
She was beyond fear, looking as if she had lost a pet in sorrow.
What on earth happened here?
How could she exhibit such a bold attitude?
“What were you doing here?!”
“I was getting a haircut!”
“You were getting a haircut…?”
“Oh, come on. You might be fine with your bald head, but my hair is long!”
“……”
Oknodie.
She had been using Claw Man as a barber.
While it’s common to think that wild monsters ruthlessly kill and eat each other upon making eye contact, surprisingly, there are quite a few who enjoy a symbiotic relationship.
For instance, with Claw Man, who adventurers commonly interact with, there’s a clear hierarchy.
When in a weakened state, it flails its claw blades around like a maniac, but when faced with a stronger monster, it hurriedly proves its harmlessness.
It insists it’s a good monster.
It would be convenient if it wasn’t killed.
The part it appeals to is its grooming services using its claw blades.
“Perfect timing. Cut my hair a bit!”
Claw Man stood blankly for a moment before turning its gaze to the Red Fanged Mushrooms.
The Red Fanged Mushrooms shook their heads in agreement, letting out sighs as if to say, “Just do what it says.”
To them, humans were seen as ‘strong’, which led to this result.
‘After having gathered all the seniors for experiments, it wouldn’t see humans as prey but as predators, right? Absolutely not.’
In fact, monsters are not too different from animals.
If they’re larger, they’re scared; if their cries are threatening, they’re scared, and if their actions or colors are strange, they feel uneasy.
I can guarantee that even if Titosso flickers a light with a lamppost, it could scare 20% of the monsters in the entire world.
Bronze. Top 90%. Village bully.
Silver. Top 50%. Monster.
Iron. Top 10%. Dangerous target.
Gold. Top 1%. Regional evacuation order.
Platinum. Top 0.1%. National disaster.
Diamond. Top 0.01%. World crisis.
Monsters can be roughly categorized into this hierarchy based on percentages.
Among these, the Claw Man stood at the level where it could still be considered a monster, but not too fearsome.
It may be dangerous, but once its power difference is shown, it behaves like a whimpering puppy.
“Cut just another centimeter!”
Snip.
“Hey!! Who told you to cut it like a bowl cut!!”
As it squawked, its shoulders hunched up as it cowered.
Seeing a monster afraid of me, fearing that I might harm it—now that’s classic group-level monster behavior.
“Do you think you can survive in this perilous academy like this? You have to at least cut your hair well if you want to get a job as a beautician. Got it?”
Even monsters can coexist with each other in danger; there’s no reason humans can’t.
Making them cut hair isn’t just because their locks are too long, leading to excessive washing time.
It’s to appeal even the slightest to the academy regarding their harmlessness, getting them jobs.
‘Regular monster reformation might even earn a taming title!’
A good cause for the purpose of achieving titles or accomplishments!
Pure motives aside, it’s beneficial for both sides.
I benefit from gaining bonuses as my stats improve through titles or achievements, while monsters escape their fate as experimental materials for seniors to even receive a salary.
“Ah!”
So they need to cut hair, but these foolish monsters clumsily hacked away without any caution.
Fuming, I shouted, at the arrival of the monk who suddenly burst Claw Man open alive.
That’s the whole story of what I experienced.
“Have you finished writing your reflection paper?”
“Yes.”
In the end, I was dragged all the way to the main building and became a reflection paper submitter.
The reason? For recklessly engaging in dangerous behavior.
It’s a clear violation of rules for a student untrained in specialized taming training to attempt to instruct a monster.
“Making fun of a bald person can lead to a terrible offense that could get you killed at the academy. You should repent more for treating a dangerous beast like a friend.”
“Yes.”
“It’s not enough to just answer well; I hope you genuinely regret it.”
Myung So seemed quite angry, continuing to warn me even after receiving the reflection paper.
I suddenly ended up skipping the second-period lecture on “Adventures of Former Retired Heroes,” but fortunately, thanks to Myung So’s separate contact, I didn’t receive any points off.
“You’ve caused an impressive adventure for someone not an applicant for the Adventure Department.”
The Destroyer professor personally came to the reflection room to have a word.
“Myung So. Can I take this child with me now?”
“Of course. I apologize for keeping the professor’s student.”
“No need. I’ll make sure to give this monk a stern lesson.”
Receiving the handover like a formal transfer of guardianship, Destroyer professor looked down at me while fiddling with his prickly beard.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine. You didn’t really do anything wrong to me.”
“Weren’t you angry?”
“If I got angry over this, Ni’alatotep would have been dead a hundred times over by my hands. That guy was quite a troublemaker.”
“What trouble did he cause?”
“He experimented on whether offspring would inherit the traits of a wing-broken flying monster after breeding it, and ended up creating a Torulong Drake in the rapid cultivation room.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t get too happy. That Drake still eats 1 billion tons of crops annually in the Western grain belt. If that thing wasn’t able to generate a lot of money for the foundation by creating a foundation to pay compensation to farmers, the hero party would have been in serious trouble with national wanted status.”
This iteration’s former hero, Ni’alatotep, certainly seems to be living an amusing life.
But that foundation isn’t the Wiheomhae Foundation, is it?
“My friend has arrived. We’ll suspend the sermon here. It seems you were quite surprised, so comfort them yourself.”
A wonderful adult knows when to step back.
After a short tale, the Destroyer stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and walked away.
“Oknodie!”
“Eeeek-!”
“Do you have any idea how worried I was?!”
“Eeeek-!”
“You even let a monster give you a haircut! No pirate is as crazy as you!”
“Stop shaking me like that-!”
“If you get killed, are you planning to make me feel guilty?!”
“……”
I feel I’m about to get injuries I didn’t even get from monsters now.
My head is shaking so much I think I might get a concussion!
In the corner of the hallway, a student quietly turned away after witnessing the reunion between Oknodie and Jigoku.
“You’re safe too, huh? Be more careful in the future, or you might fall into a drainage.”
“Thank you, Myung So.”
The lower class student smiled awkwardly while receiving Myung So’s attention.
As Myung So’s concerned gaze drifted away, the smile on the student’s face turned cold.
‘What bad luck. I thought it was a perfect chance to score without getting involved.’
Myung So frequently hovered around Oknodie.
Whether it was protection or supervision, I couldn’t determine, but the situation made it impossible to make a move on her while he was watching.
I tried to distract Myung So at the right moment, yet Oknodie returned from the Monster Warehouse without a scratch.
‘The top scholarship student of the foundation is no easy target.’
The anonymous lower class student steadied his disappointment.
Opportunities are abundant.
‘If it weren’t for you, I could have been the most successful scholarship student this term. Whenever the chance arises, I swear I’ll take you down, Oknodie.’
The identity of the anonymous student was a scholarship student from the Wiheomhae Foundation.
A competitor from the foundation targeting Oknodie.
“Wow. It’s fascinating that there’s a student harboring malice toward that child.”
And from the ceiling, the Destroyer, who was walking upside down, was watching that very student.