Chapter 9

Lee Ji’s eyes widened even more than usual.

“Unni, is this… a smartphone? Really?”

“Yep. You know how to use a tablet PC, right? You’ll learn this in no time too.”

Lee Ji looked like the woodcutter from The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe being tested by the mountain spirit.

Then she shouted a sentence that sounded like something she’d learned during a school debate.

“They say smartphones are bad for children!”

“It’s an inactive phone, so it’s not all that smart right now. I’ll activate it for you later.”

“B-But a smartphone is way too expensive for a second grader!”

“It’s a phone that came out three years ago. The price dropped a lot. It’s fine.”

“…”

After some hesitation, Lee Ji accepted the smartphone as if she had no choice.

Judging by the way the corners of her mouth kept twitching upward, she was clearly happy.

Thank goodness she accepted it.

Originally, Hyun Ji had planned to buy her a smartphone when she reached sixth grade.

That conclusion had come after reading over a dozen papers and books about the effects of smartphone use on children.

But conclusions drawn from documents alone…

Had been blown away by yesterday’s incident.

“Lee Ji. Even an inactive phone can still call 119 or 112, okay? If you’re ever in danger, press here.”

“Okay! Thank you!”

Lee Ji smiled brightly.

“Unni, is the hospital okay these days? How’s work?”

Our Lee Ji was an angel.

At an age when she barely had enough hours in the day to think about herself, she was worrying about her older sister.

But things aren’t okay.

It’s hard for any office worker to honestly say things are okay while working.

Especially lately, with that unidentified critically ill patient who had survived a Dungeon Break…

But Hyun Ji didn’t say any of that.

The child had already been frightened enough. She didn’t want to make her fear dungeons even worse.

“Everything’s fine. I’ll work hard today too!”

“Okay. I’ll study hard at school and—”

“And what’s more important than studying?”

“…I’ll go have lots of fun!”

“That’s right. Have a good day!”

After sending Lee Ji off to school with a smile, Hyun Ji opened her e-book app.

Inside was a summary of her rough journey through parenthood.

• Introduction to Childcare Studies
• How to Become the Perfect Guardian for a Kindergartener
• Why Do Children Cry Even When I’m Right?
• Is My Child Too Mature for Their Age?
• How a T-Type Mom Can Raise an F-Type Child Without Crushing Their Emotions

The books I need right now are… these.

• Preventing Smartphone Addiction in Elementary School Students
• Mastering Delicious and Healthy Snacks

When I carried her yesterday, she felt way too light. She’d probably fall within the bottom fifteen percent for seven-year-olds.

Everything she learned came from books.

But this was the best Hyun Ji could do.

In her mind, she could still vividly hear the words she’d spoken at nineteen.

“Mom, you’re pregnant? Uh… congratulations. But I’m not the one who’s going to raise the baby, right? Realistically speaking.”

The thoughtlessly thrown words had become seeds that sprouted five years later.

No matter how much she regretted them, she couldn’t turn back time.

All she could do now was protect their little family of two as best she could.

* * *

Perhaps because of yesterday’s accident, every class at school today had been replaced with safety education.

After listening attentively, Lee Ji grabbed a textbook during the first break period and ran to a secluded corner of the school.

Not for studying.

He said he’d appear if I opened any book and called for him with my heart, right?

The flying book that had helped her in the dungeon.

After confirming nobody was around, Lee Ji lowered her voice and whispered dramatically,

“O Archivist of the World. Please manifest before me!”

Even she thought it sounded pretty cool.

All that vocabulary studying paid off!

…Though if nothing happened, she’d just look like a kid who studied Korean very hard.

Fortunately, the pages soon began flipping violently.

Then—

Pop! Pop!

Eyeballs burst out from the textbook and stared directly at her.

[You called for me, child?]

“Ah—hello! Yes, um—”

[You may call me Grimoire. But you don’t appear ready to enter a dungeon. Why have you summoned me?]

Lee Ji immediately opened the notes app on her smartphone.

“I have lots of questions! First, how do Hunters make money? Do I need to join the Hunter Association? And dungeon activities—”

Break time was almost over, so she hurried.

Grimoire frowned.

[All of your questions are worldly concerns. Wouldn’t it be better to ask someone else about society?]

“I can’t ask anyone because I’m hiding my identity.”

[Hiding your identity? Why?]

“Because I’m a magical girl.”

[……?]

He clearly didn’t understand.

Apparently this person didn’t know much about magical girls.

As Lee Ji struggled to explain, Grimoire let out something resembling a sigh.

[I’ll at least give you a hint.]

A moment later, the textbook—with its eyeballs now gone—fell into Lee Ji’s arms.

On the open page were the words:

wifi ID: chamsaecho—01

password: asdf1234!!

It was the faculty Wi-Fi password.

And an extremely fast one at that.

Thanks to that, Lee Ji spent every break period searching for information.

There were countless people online asking the same questions she had.

The answers were all similar, making it easy to summarize.

Q. I became a Hunter. How do I make money?

A. Go to dungeons.

Q. How do I get into dungeons?

A. Join a guild and ask your guild master.

Q. What if the guild exploits me because I’m a beginner?

A. Then enter a wild dungeon alone and die.

“Exploit…?“

She’d have to look that word up later.

In any case, there was only one conclusion.

I need companions!

That’s right.

The magical girls in cartoons fought alongside friends.

So did the dinosaur warriors.

During the final break, Lee Ji asked Grimoire:

I want companions. Is there a way?

Perhaps Grimoire could introduce her to other magical girls.

Fortunately, this time Grimoire didn’t sigh.

And after school—

Grimoire drew an arrow across the pages and guided Lee Ji somewhere.

A corner of a shopping complex attached to an apartment building near the school.

“…Mr. Grimoire. What’s this?”

[The entrance to a dungeon.]

Seeing blue mist swirling inside a bankrupt barbecue restaurant, Lee Ji’s jaw dropped.

“But they said government workers find and eliminate dungeons!”

[It’s simply too weak to have been discovered. …Why are you taking out your smartphone?]

“They taught us to report wild dungeons to the police if we find one.”

She hadn’t expected to use something from today’s safety lesson so quickly.

At that moment, Grimoire floated directly in front of the phone.

[I found this dungeon specifically for you. Why would you report it?]

“Huh? …There’s a companion inside?”

[Hm? Didn’t you ask how to make money? This is the answer.]

Lee Ji thought back.

Her first question in the notes app really had been about earning money.

“Thank you, but making companions is more important. That’s the conclusion I reached after careful study.”

[If you earn money, companions will follow.]

“…”

[You may also grow stronger inside. Those with power obtain companions far more easily.]

That sounded exactly like the logic villains used in cartoons.

But reality wasn’t a cartoon.

Still… I do need strength.

Her current skills alone weren’t enough to survive in the world.

After a brief moment of consideration, she asked the practical question.

“Can I go in alone?”

[It is a safe dungeon. Even if something happens, I guarantee your safety.]

Is this really okay?

Lee Ji swallowed that thought.

Hadn’t she become a magical girl because of Grimoire?

Grimoire is my first friend as a magical girl.

If she couldn’t trust Grimoire, how could she trust future companions?

“Okay! I’ll go in!”

With determination, Lee Ji leaned past the silver ventilation duct of the barbecue restaurant.

…

Her courage vanished in half a second.

There was no ground beneath her feet.

W-WAAAAAH!

She was so startled that no scream even came out.

You said it was safe! You said it’d be fine!

Beside her, Grimoire flapped his pages and shouted,

[Calm yourself! There is no problem.]

I’m falling!

Are you Newton or something?!

Wasn’t that apple-dropping guy trying to prove…

That everything in the world falls toward the ground?

Apparently so.

Looking around, Lee Ji realized she wasn’t the only thing falling.

A luxurious armchair.

A basket of cookies.

A giant lantern.

Everything was drifting downward.

Not falling quickly, but sinking slowly, as though underwater.

What is this place?

She grabbed the lantern and held it high.

She had definitely entered through the restaurant’s silver exhaust pipe.

Yet brick walls surrounded her at first, and before she knew it, those had become earthen tunnels.

A protruding carrot root poked her in the side.

A rabbit that had been eating nearby jumped in surprise and ran away.

That rabbit is wearing pajamas! What a lazy rabbit.

The fairy-tale-like scenery eased her nerves.

Soon, the not-fall finally came to an end.

Soft earth touched her feet.

“Haa…”

[You have arrived safely. Now follow that path.]

Beyond a short corridor, a narrow trail stretched forward where Grimoire pointed.

Grass swayed gently in a pleasant breeze.

It was a peaceful scene.

Then, as if welcoming a guest, a message appeared.

You have entered a dungeon.

Clear Condition: Participate in the Tea Party

A tea party? That sounds fun!

But the moment she thought that—

Like black ink spilled across paper, a dark stain began spreading from the corner of the message window.

The stain rapidly consumed the text and overwrote it.

Clear Condition: Protect the Tea Party from the Attack of the Black Rotten Dragon

Even after waiting…

Even after fanning the message window with her hand…

The text didn’t change.

“…Mr. Grimoire?”

[Do not burden yourself with the clear condition.]

“What does ‘rotten’ mean?”

[Ah, was that the problem? It means decaying.]

“I don’t think that’s the only problem here.”