Go Kang scoffed, looking incredulous.
“So this is the first time I’m hearing that On Jurim actually cares about law and order in Korea. There are plenty of others who can go in your place—”
But before he could finish, Jurim flung a blindfold at the director.
“I’m going.”
“—Then get the hell out of here, you bastard! Go!”
As Jurim yanked open the car door, the driver flinched and turned around in surprise.
“Guild Master On!”
The moment Jurim stepped onto the road, a car screeched to a halt with a sharp, drawn-out screech—the driver had slammed on the brakes just in time.
The stunned driver turned to the backseat.
“Are you all right—huh?”
Jurim was already gone. The only thing left was the sound of blaring horns from the irritated cars behind them.
The director shook his head with a displeased expression.
“Forget about that monster. Just drive.”
****
Following the support request, Jurim tracked down the fleeing suspect, but what he saw left him speechless.
“......?”
If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, an oversized, ugly teddy bear was pedaling furiously on a toddler’s tricycle, desperately trying to escape.
Because of its low field of vision, the bear seemingly hadn’t noticed Jurim at all and zipped past him.
“.......”
Jogging behind the tricycle, Jurim immediately pulled out his phone.
“This is On Jurim, responding to the support request. Can you confirm the suspect fleeing the illegal transaction site is, in fact, riding a toddler’s tricycle?”
— “Yes! That’s correct!”
That’s correct?
Still skeptical, Jurim grabbed the teddy bear by the scruff of its neck in one swift motion.
The bear, which had been pedaling like its life depended on it just a moment ago, suddenly went limp—like someone had flipped an off switch.
Jurim shook the thing out, but no matter how he examined it, it was just... a stuffed bear. No hidden devices, no internal mechanisms.
"Just a stuffed animal?"
His brows furrowed. Nothing about this made sense. He needed answers.
Carrying the limp bear by one leg, he sought out the Awakened Crimes Investigation Unit officer who had made the request.
“Guild Master On! It’s an honor. I’m Officer Lee Minwoo.”
Jurim glanced past him at Jang Yeongung, now cuffed and fidgeting nervously, then held up the stuffed bear.
“So... what the hell is this?”
“It’s a well-known distributor of Awakened goods on Onion Market. Goes by IAMGROOT123.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes?”
But judging from Lee Minwoo’s expression, he didn’t seem to know much more.
“Wow, it really is just a stuffed animal. No hidden components, nothing. Whoever’s behind this planned things well. They must have made a fortune doing this.”
Turning the bear over in his hands, Lee Minwoo continued to murmur in admiration.
“Guild Master, don’t you think there’s a big backer behind this? Making something like this isn’t cheap.”
“Hmm.”
A backer, huh?
Jurim scrutinized the stuffed bear with an odd expression.
There were clear traces of skill usage.
Normally, anyone operating on this level would have set up anti-tracking measures, but this was too sloppy to suggest a powerful backer.
It was almost... too innocent, like it had no idea it was in a crime scene at all.
Tucking the bear under one arm, Jurim gestured behind Lee Minwoo.
“You should take care of that first, officer.”
“Ah, right. Of course. Thank you for your assistance. But, um... what about the stuffed bear?”
“I’ll examine it and deliver it to the Awakened Crimes Investigation Unit later.”
The junior officer hesitated, but he wasn’t about to argue with an S-rank hunter. He scratched his head before finally taking off his cap and bowing.
“Yes, Guild Master On. I’ll leave it in your hands... Then, I’ll be heading back now.”
Lee Minwoo bowed repeatedly before leading Jang Yeongung away.
Once they were out of sight, Jurim activated his Hyper Sense. He traced the residual mana flow and quickly picked up on the signal coming from the stuffed bear. It was leading him somewhere.
Not far from here.
Reading the sign of the building that emitted the signal, he muttered:
“Milal Orphanage?”
****
Hanguru let out a whew and switched off the old TV.
The screen had started shaking, as if someone had grabbed his teddy bear. Sensing danger, he’d immediately cut the connection.
He should’ve disconnected the moment he saw the police. But instead, he panicked and fled.
So this kind of thing happens when you run a business, huh...
Piyo-piyo is scary.
Calming his racing heart, Hanguru stood up. It was bedtime.
If he stayed up too long, the caretakers would come looking for him. And if they found out he had secretly set up a workshop in the storage room, it’d be game over.
But just as he was about to leave—
He felt himself being lifted off the ground.
“Huh?”
Just like the stuffed bear that had been grabbed by the scruff, his own vision suddenly rose high into the air, dangling midair.
“...Hanguru?”
“Oh?”
That voice—
Still suspended, Hanguru blinked in surprise.
Flailing his arms and twisting around, he finally caught sight of a familiar face. His eyes lit up in delight.
“Guild Master-nim!”
Jurim glanced at the cheerful child in his grasp, then shifted his gaze to the workshop—the rundown storage room.
The place was littered with traces of reckless skill usage.
“Guild Master-nim, did you come to see me?”
“......”
Hanguru tilted his head in confusion.
Why did Jurim look like he was holding in a massive dump?
“Guild Master, bathroom over there.”
Hanguru cheerfully pointed at the restroom.
Jurim, who had no idea why the kid was pointing at the restroom, ignored it and gently placed Hanguru on the desk.
“Hanguru, let’s be honest here.”
Sitting neatly on his knees, Hanguru nodded.
“Yes!”
Jurim opened his inventory and pulled out a Half-Made Bear (Large).
“Is this yours?”
“Ah! That’s Guru’s!”
Hanguru took the stuffed bear with both hands and hugged it tightly, burying his face in the soft, fluffy fur before bowing his head.
“Thank you for finding it.”
“......”
There it was again—that expression.
Once again, Hanguru pointed to the right with his index finger.
“...? Bathroom’s over there.”
Jurim sprang to his feet.
So he did need to go to the restroom?
While Hanguru watched curiously, Jurim took a single step and reached the bathroom, opening the door and inspecting everything inside.
But there were no signs that anyone else had been here.
“Hanguru, are you alone?”
“Yes.”
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Jurim moved toward the bookshelf, glancing at the neatly lined-up bottles of sugar stars and syrup. Every single one was an awakened item.
“What about your parents?”
“Don’t have any....”
“Then was it the orphanage director?”
“Huh? What?”
“Did they tell you to stay here?”
“Huh?”
Jurim trailed off, but the kid just blinked at him with an innocent face, looking genuinely clueless.
As he was reminded once again how difficult children were to deal with, something the investigation team member had said suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
“They’re a pretty famous distributor of awakened goods on Onion Market. Goes by the name IAMGROOT123.”
If his imagination wasn’t suddenly going into overdrive, then after putting the clues together, there was only one logical conclusion.
“IAMGROOT123?”
“...Ah.”
There was no need to wait for an answer.
The kid’s face turned completely white.
It was only now, holding onto the bear, standing in this place, that Hanguru finally realized why he had it and why he had come here.
Now, Hanguru was the one who looked like he needed to go to the bathroom.
Jurim lightly grabbed Hanguru’s wrist.
As he did, a status window popped up in front of him and started scrolling automatically.
Hanguru’s eyes rolled from top to bottom, following the information.
And as Jurim skimmed through the skills, he muttered under his breath, as if speaking to himself.
“...Legendary...?”
— * * * —
“...I’m sorry.”
Jurim sat in front of Hanguru, arms crossed and legs folded, staring at him with an intimidating gaze.
“So, the reason you wanted to join Hyeonak... was to engage in illegal transactions, tax evasion, and money laundering?”
“Uuum... Yes.”
To be honest, Hanguru didn’t really understand most of those words, but he figured agreeing was probably the right answer.
The older girls at the orphanage had told him that saying I understand was already half the battle.
But that answer only made Jurim sigh even deeper.
He pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand.