220 – Haildo If This Goes On #5
“Mi… Mi….”
Seo Ye-rim hesitated to apologize.
The way she mumbled sounded like a cicada crying.
“Mi….”
What on earth was she trying to say by taking so long?
Given Seo Ye-rim’s personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if she suddenly yelled, ─Mi… that annoying Nymph…! You were the one who did wrong first!─
“I’m sorry…?”
However, to my surprise, Seo Ye-rim offered a genuine apology.
It felt a bit clumsy, but Illinois seemed to graciously accept it, being the broad-hearted, very good Nymph that it was.
“Now, Illinois will accept the apology from Core Ye-rim…! I will even grant the special opportunity to re-adopt Illinois as your companion Nymph…!”
Opportunities like this don’t come around every day.
Seo Ye-rim rubbed Illinois’s chin and head vigorously.
“「Core-Beat, Pet Nymph」…!”
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh swoosh swoosh-.
It was literally a skill for enthusiastically petting a Nymph.
Illinois seemed pleased with the attention and straightened its shoulders.
“Muhuhu, this means a contract has been established…! Now, returns are impossible! Core Ye-rim must ensure the employment stability of their partner Nymph…!”
“That Illinois guy….”
Suddenly, Seo Ye-rim opened her thin eyes and pouted her lips.
It seemed she had something she wanted to say but was holding back.
“So, where is that elixir?”
Lee Jin-A asked.
Illinois then opened a phone app and showed a map.
“It’s located at the headquarters of Nature Group…! When Illinois launched the Great Escape from Nature Company, I left all my luggage behind…!”
Headquarters of Nature Group.
Isn’t that where Han Ju-ryeon works?
Swoosh-.
Seo Ye-rim, having gathered her things, stood up and said.
“What are you doing? We need to go quickly before it gets later. I want to say ride in my car─, but it’s too big. Jin-A, you brought a truck, right?”
“Ah, well, yes.”
Swoosh-.
I climbed into the truck’s cargo area in that manner.
It was a distinct experience to ride in the cargo area as an animal, and it felt peculiar.
# # #
The headquarters of Nature Group was located near a vast rice field in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. Although it was in a somewhat ordinary place for a rising company gaining global recognition, the building was large and grand.
There were also a lot of security guards.
It was not a place anyone could casually enter.
Thanks to Seo Ye-rim contacting Han Ju-ryeon in advance, we easily entered the building. Han Ju-ryeon even personally showed up to guide us.
“This enormous Squirrel Beast is Haildo?”
I see.
Han Ju-ryeon wanted to see in person this amazing event of a person turning into a Squirrel.
In front of Han Ju-ryeon, I stood on two legs and said.
“Kkungkkung-!”
It didn’t have any particular meaning.
I just barked.
But seeing this, Han Ju-ryeon appeared greatly flustered and blushed.
“A person turned into a giant Squirrel… How is this possible…? This is a total animal in its true essence…! Is this really Haildo…? This wild creature…!?”
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh swoosh-.
Han Ju-ryeon kept petting my chin and back. The static electricity felt prickly, but there didn’t seem to be any malice.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh swoosh-.
No, isn’t she petting me too much?
If it were the other way around, where I was petting Han Ju-ryeon at will, it would have probably made the 9 o’clock news.
“I have one question: can I hug you? Of course, I don’t mean anything by it! When else would I see such a large Squirrel? Plus, you’re standing on two legs…!”
As far as I knew, Han Ju-ryeon loved animals “immensely.”
Knowing I was Haildo yet seeing me as a large Squirrel, she probably thought of me as a big teddy bear or a mascot costume that she wanted to hug.
Han Ju-ryeon willingly allowed the visit to the headquarters to find Illinois’s elixir because I had once been revived by her artificial respiration; thus, I granted her request happily.
“Kkungkkung-!”
“…Does that mean it’s okay?”
Swoosh-!
Soon, Han Ju-ryeon pulled me into a hug.
Her body trembled, and her breath was ragged.
“Your fur is so soft! It’s warm and squishy…! I, I’ve never felt this before…! I can’t believe something like this exists…!”
She buried her face in my chest, rubbing it here and there, which was quite ticklish. At the same time, I felt a moment of enlightenment thinking about how cute animals live such relaxed lives.
Just because I look cute, I receive affection from so many people.
“By any chance, can you understand me? A large animal that understands my words…! I know such a thing can’t possibly exist…! Do you understand what I’m saying…!?”
Han Ju-ryeon sniffed my body.
Somehow, I felt a chill down my spine and wriggled to push her away.
Swoosh, sizzle-. The fur on my body stood up due to static electricity, creating an uncomfortable situation.
“Grrr…!!!”
Just then, Seo Ye-rim, who had been watching this scene, quickly tugged on Han Ju-ryeon’s arm.
“What do you mean it can understand? Haildo was known as that clueless human who couldn’t even understand when he was a person. He won’t understand at all! More than that, back off! He doesn’t like it!”
Thanks to Seo Ye-rim, Han Ju-ryeon, who was the cause of the static electricity, let go of me. It was quite fortunate, but thinking of the time Seo Ye-rim had dried my body with a towel felt ironic.
Anyway.
In that feeling, we discovered the dark liquid in the PT bottle that was supposed to be Illinois’s office.
It looked like homemade soy sauce in a cola bottle.
The smell was also salty.
Though it was in a PT bottle, the ability to smell it indicated that my sense of smell was trained and enhanced by the Squirrel’s unique ‘wild sense.’
“Muhuhu, this elixir was made by Illinois by combining garlic and mugwort from Uiseong, Gyeongbuk…! With garlic and mugwort…! It can break most curses…!”
Illinois declared that nothing is better for breaking animal curses than the elixir made from garlic and mugwort.
I had to gulp down the potion that smelled like garlic extract. The spicy and bitter taste tickled my throat and skin beneath.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh-.
I shook my body using my front paws and legs wildly.
It felt as if honey ants were crawling all over me.
━Zzi-?
However, the honey ant Ahn Ahn was sitting on Inoi’s shoulder.
Anyway.
Feeling like an animal undergoing molting, I shook or scratched my body.
About five minutes passed.
“My, my body has returned to normal…!”
I felt immense joy realizing my body had returned to normal. How I missed the ability to freely tap on keyboards and smartphones with my hands!
I also longed to speak with my lips and throat, not just barking!
“I am now complete!”
Swoosh-.
I raised both hands and shouted.
Then, Lee Jin-A blushed and handed me some clothes.
“Put on some clothes first. Before you get caught as a pervert.”
# # #
“Wow, what a great effect. I really turned back into a person.”
“Muhuhu, Illinois’s ‘animal curse dedicated elixir’ that I was making for Kalilnoi was excellent, wasn’t it…? I feel very good!”
“Excellent indeed.”
Swoosh-.
I patted Illinois’s head.
In response, Illinois seemed very pleased and jumped onto the desk, shouting.
“I am a very helpful and useful Nymph…! I am definitely not a Nymph who will be fired or have my cheeks pinched…! I would like a bit more respect…!”
I see.
Illinois wanted to prove its competence.
Anyway.
I thought it would be great if Kalilnoi could also try this “animal curse elixir.”
Bongbong Kalilnoi, too, was originally human but had to live in the body of a tiger owl due to a powerful curse.
With some of the elixir left, I should give Kalilnoi some when I get home.
Thinking this, we boarded the car to return home.
“Hey, Haildo… will you not turn back into an animal again?”
Han Ju-ryeon spoke to me, as I was about to leave the Nature headquarters. Her face was quite red, and her hesitance resembled that of a shy high school girl trying to hand over a love letter.
It seemed she found the large Squirrel quite appealing.
Kunng-kung-.
At that moment, I sensed a savory smell in my nose.
This savory scent was wafting from the left pocket of Han Ju-ryeon’s pants.
“Do you happen to have some almonds?”
“Uh… how did you know?”
“Good question.”
I had returned to being human.
But it seemed that the ‘wild sense’ I had gained when I transformed into the large Squirrel still retained some effect.
Hearing.
Smelling.
Seeing.
Feeling the autumn breeze with my touch.
All my senses seemed to have evolved to a higher level, making me feel somewhat disoriented.
After all, the women in the car all radiated scents like flowers or fruits. It was amazing that people could emit such pleasant fragrances even without perfume.
Of course, even good smells could become dizzying over time. I felt my blood simmering and my senses intensifying, so I steeled myself.
“I need to train to control this at my will.”
I thought it would be great if I could control the raging ‘wild sense’ with magic.
The sensation I was feeling now was the magical power of the Squirrel I had briefly acquired through the animal potion surging.
If I could control it freely, enhancing my abilities in multiple ways wouldn’t be impossible.
“Squirrel Haildo….”
I moved back toward the well, leaving behind the mysteriously distant sound of Han Ju-ryeon calling my name.
Kkungkkung, who had been waiting for me in the yard, approached me against the backdrop of the evening sunset, bouncing along.
━Kkungkkung…!
As Kkungkkung ran towards me, he suddenly darted away.
Soon, a shadow crossed the sky, and Bongbong Kalilnoi swooped in to fill Kkungkkung’s spot.
━Hoo, hoo…!
“Kalilnoi!”
I warmly greeted Kalilnoi.
I had given him the elixir that smelled of garlic extract, which could be quite bitter, and he swallowed it down easily.
“How does it taste?”
I scrutinized Kalilnoi closely.
However, no matter how much time passed, Kalilnoi didn’t seem to return to his human form. Seeing this, Inoi spoke.
“It seems the curse is too strong, and perhaps the elixir alone cannot break Kalilnoi’s curse…! The elixir doesn’t seem to activate in the body…!”
Is that so?
That was unfortunate.
At that moment, Seo Ye-rim handed me a piece of paper.
“Hey, Haildo. Are you planning to participate in a variety show?”
A variety show.
Finally, was something coming my way?
I accepted various documents from Seo Ye-rim.
They were broadcasting proposals and contracts.
The smell of ink was strong.
“Do I look happy?”
Thud-.
Lee Jin-A poked me in the side.
Now that I think about it, I was feeling very refreshed and good.
I was in a state of absolute ‘very good’ feelings.
I took the opportunity to tell Lee Jin-A.
“I wanted to say sorry for hitting you yesterday. After hearing your words, I’ve had a lot of thoughts.”
“…Well, since we fought, let’s call it even. Though I did hit you two more times.”
Thinking back, I seemed to have taken two more hits as well.
But right now, I didn’t care about that.
In these past few days, I have realized something.
To achieve my ideals, I need strong power.
Power that can make me even stronger.
Through this “animal potion,” I felt like I had grasped some clues, and I didn’t want to lose this faint sensation I was feeling now.
I want to train quickly.
While I was thinking this, Seo Ye-rim spoke.
“It seems like you’ve caught on to something. You had the same expression when you became the first additional Awakened one a long time ago. It’s an extremely old story, but… Do well.”
With a smile, Seo Ye-rim loaded Illinois into her car.
Lee Jin-A seemed to have something to say, but after telling me to take care of myself, she got into the truck and left town.
The sunset afternoon.
Now, I was completely alone.
A scarecrow set up in an abandoned rice field.
I sat cross-legged under the persimmon tree nearby and began to meditate calmly.
━Kkungkkung…!
━Zzi…!
━Hioong…!
━Hoo, hoo…!
Then, animals gradually gathered around me, curling up quietly to sleep, sing, or preen their feathers.
It was an incredibly tranquil sight, and even if I closed my eyes, their actions vividly played out in my mind like an amplified scene.
Swoosh-.
I placed Kkungkkung, who was curled up beside me, onto my palm. Now I noticed that Kkungkkung was emanating a significant presence and magical power despite its small size.
On normal days when my senses were dull, I hadn’t realized how much presence and magic Kkungkkung exuded.
Indeed, it was the top Squirrel.
“Kkungkkung, I’ll borrow your magic for a moment. Expand my magic.”
Woosh-.
I attempted to spread my own magical force over a wider area, feeling as if I was borrowing Kkungkkung’s magic.
All my senses sharpened and became vivid.
Kkungkkung-.
At my nose, a faint scent of alcohol wafted by. Not just any alcohol smell, but that of medical alcohol used for disinfection.
There was also a faint scent of sweat and sweet lip balm. If I listened closely, I could even hear very faint but warm breaths.
“Who’s there?”
I questioned the air.
“I thought I was just feeling a peculiar presence since I became a Squirrel, but I brushed it off as my imagination. However, that’s not true. Someone has been around me all day.”
Clop-.
I heard footsteps.
They sounded like dress shoes.
# # #
Yu A-ri.
Not long ago, she had rejected the divine summoning and gained a new ability.
It was called “Stealth.”
Not like the Ghost Spider Kkungkkung, who becomes transparent; it involved thoroughly hiding her mana from the world to be recognized as ‘nonexistent.’
That was Yu A-ri’s “Stealth.”
But─.
“Who’s there?”
It seemed that Haildo sensed Yu A-ri’s presence, who was observing him nearby.
Yu A-ri was greatly startled that a technique she had never been detected through before had been discovered.
So─.
Without looking back, she fled.
Swoosh-.
Yu A-ri disappeared at high speed.
From where Yu A-ri had stood, Haildo twitched his nose.
“This smell….”
It was said that Squirrels could gather information and visualize an opponent’s appearance merely by smelling.
That’s why Squirrels could find their mates from far away by scent.
A similar occurrence was happening in Haildo’s mind, as he enhanced his senses by borrowing the magic of the Squirrel.
Her weight was likely around 59 kg.
Not so much that she had gained weight, but she had a balanced and well-conditioned muscular physique.
Her height was 165 cm.
Her shoe size was 230 mm.
Upon synthesizing the information obtained through smell and hearing, she was probably female.
And in Haildo’s mind, two female figures materialized.
One was Yu A-ri.
However, Yu A-ri’s image quickly faded from his mind.
The Yu A-ri he knew was not the type to secretly observe someone all day.
If that’s the case, there was only one remaining suspect.
“…It’s that woman…! The woman in the beak mask…!”
