TRPM 289

chapter 289

Unable to make Jin Cheonha give up using sorcery, I eventually sighed and returned home.

“Of course, making someone give up sorcery isn’t going to be easy.”

At first, when Jin Cheonha abandoned sorcery, he did so because he faced reality and let go of his dreams—he gave it up overnight. But the current Jin Cheonha has a clear goal: to land a hit on his bodyguards.

To make him give up sorcery, that goal would need to be erased. Ironically, it’s precisely that goal that drives Jin Cheonha to train diligently. In terms of his growth, it’s better to just leave him be.

“… I don’t like that he’s using sorcery instead of standard magic, though.”

Other kids, seeing me tell Jin Cheonha to use magic, sided with him, arguing that he’d probably switch to magic eventually. But knowing that the Jin Cheonha from before the regression used sorcery to the very end, I could only sigh and shake my head.

“Ugh…”
“Son? Did something happen at school?”
“Huh? Mom, what’s up? Why are you home already?”

When I sighed and entered the house, I saw my mother—who should have been at the office—for some reason standing there.

“I resigned.”
“… Huh? Suddenly?”
“I’ve been preparing because of Shinsegyo for a while. Today, I completed all the handovers and officially quit.”

Ah, right.

Lately, my mother had been stopping by Shinsegyo on weekends to handle matters related to it. Managing both her company job on weekdays and Shinsegyo work on weekends must have been tough. She couldn’t just leave Shinsegyo, which is almost like my uncle’s inheritance, so she decided to quit her job altogether.

“So? What happened at school with you?”
“… Um… how should I explain it…”

I told my mother about what happened with Jin Cheonha. After hearing it, she looked a bit stern and said:

“Son?”
“Huh?”
“If your friend wants to do what he wants, wouldn’t it be better to support him?”

… My mother was siding with Jin Cheonha too. Hearing her opinion, I sighed and nodded. Yes, it’s Jin Cheonha’s life; it’s only right to let him do what he wants.

“Ugh…”

I shook my head, went to my room to change, and then came out to the living room to turn on the TV.

[…Around 2 PM, people gathered at the airport to see numerous kangaroos. Even on a weekday, thousands gathered, causing inconvenience to other passengers…]

“… Huh?”

The moment I turned on the TV, the news made me do a double take. Kangaroos? Here?

“Oh, that’s why so many people took half-days at lunch.”

My mother set a plate with sliced apples in front of me. Apparently, she knew exactly what this kangaroo situation was about.

“Kangaroos?”
“Um… Gunwoo, do you remember going to Australia with Mirae when you were in elementary school?”

Of course I remember. Not only Mirae and I, but Ha Eun also went, along with Arthur and Rachel from England. We stayed at a hotel in Sydney…

“… Definitely, Sydney’s famous for kangaroos.”

The airport kangaroos. The boxing kangaroos. The traffic-control kangaroos in the middle of the street. According to the guide, kangaroos could be found all over Sydney. And the fact my mother mentioned Australia now…

“… Could those be the same kangaroos from Sydney?”
“Yes. Apparently, a druid-class awakened one who could control kangaroos became naturalized in Korea this time.”
“Wow…”

Those kangaroos each had impressive abilities and were responsible for maintaining security in Sydney. If the person controlling them moved to Korea, what would happen to Sydney?

My mother then said:

“At least one kangaroo will be deployed in our neighborhood.”
“Really…?”
“Yes. Just like in Sydney, they plan to use kangaroos to maintain security in Korea.”

She hugged me while saying that.

“That should reduce your burden too, right?”
“… My burden?”
“You said you patrol every night by sending dolls out, right? Now there are kangaroos, so there’s no need for that.”

… That’s true. Some incidents may still require my intervention, but if kangaroos patrol and maintain order, it would reduce my workload. At the very least, I wouldn’t have to patrol when nothing happens. The only problem…

“All good, but what happens to Sydney when the kangaroos come to Korea?”

I asked directly, knowing thinking about it wouldn’t help. My mother answered:

“… Sydney has become half lawless. That’s why many awakened, including the druid, became naturalized in Korea.”
“Sydney?”

I don’t know how Sydney, a major city, became lawless, but if the druid decided they couldn’t maintain security there, moving to another country makes sense.

‘And among so many countries, why Korea? There must have been a deal between the druid and the Korean government.’

Using the kangaroos to maintain Korean security is probably part of that deal.

“Here we are~.”
“Excuse us.”

While thinking about that, Mirae and Sophia came home from the Ironblood Guild.

“Leaving early?”
“We finished work earlier, and the guild was chaotic, so we just came home.”

Mirae said. She normally doesn’t need to go to work, so she can leave whenever Sophia finishes her tasks. But…

“Chaotic? What happened?”

Hearing the guild was chaotic worried me a little. Was it because of the issue two days ago? The copyright law incident where Ji Hyeong-man asked me to wait quietly? If so… sorry.

“Oh, the news is on. About the kangaroos.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t about copyright law.

“The budget for the Ironblood Guild was reduced because of the kangaroos. They’re reallocating the budget to invest in the kangaroos instead of the criminal-specialized guilds.”
“… That will cause resistance.”

The kangaroos’ effectiveness is undeniable from Sydney’s past, but taking someone else’s funding will naturally provoke opposition.

“Of course. Not just our guild; the Night Eagle Guild is complaining too.”
“Ji Hyeong-man must have a headache.”
“Not really. Our Ironblood Guild specializes in criminals but has few skilled members. Many are suggesting using this opportunity to focus on dungeon raids.”

Ironblood can handle that. But for guilds like Night Eagle, specialized in criminal investigation and pursuit, opposition will be strong. They can’t easily switch their activities.

‘From copyright law to this… why can’t politicians just oppose awakened beings?’

This situation can’t quietly pass either. It’s basically taking Night Eagle’s interests. Especially since Night Eagle is the top guild in Korea now… it won’t go unnoticed.

A few days later.

“Oh… is that the kangaroo?”
“… Could it really be directing traffic?”

Kangaroos from Australia were deployed across the metropolitan area. One was even assigned to our neighborhood… and it was a traffic-control kangaroo.

‘But the mutant team that used to patrol our neighborhood isn’t here.’

With the Ironblood Guild shifting focus to dungeon raids, the mutant team was sent there instead.

‘… Isn’t this a loss?’

No matter how strong, kangaroos aren’t stronger than the veteran mutant team. Sure, dungeon raids are increasingly important, but…

“Can I take a picture?”
“The association website says it’s okay, as long as you don’t disturb them or provoke them. Just from a distance.”
“I want a closer shot.”
“Not now. They’ve just flown a long way, so they’re stressed.”

While I admired the kangaroo, most of my classmates began taking photos too. In time, seeing kangaroos in the middle of the street will feel normal, but now it’s extraordinary.

‘… Honestly, seeing a kangaroo direct traffic like this will be hard to get used to…’

It’s actually quite skilled. The intersection isn’t busy, but even so, traffic flows smoothly now… Cars slow down, taking photos, yet the kangaroo manages better than most traffic cops.

“Wow… a baby in its pouch!”
“… I want a closer shot…”

While I marveled at the kangaroo’s skills, my classmates were captivated by the tiny baby in its pouch. They remembered the warnings on the association website and didn’t approach… mostly.

“Hey, Elliott! Lee Doomin!”
“I’ll take a close-up of the baby!”
“Whoa, those muscles!”

The two who usually spar without causing trouble… caused an incident.

“…!”

The kangaroo went on alert as they approached, especially wary of Elliott trying to photograph its baby.

Click…!

The moment Elliott’s smartphone captured the baby…

Whoosh…!

The kangaroo’s fist swung toward where Elliott’s head had been.

“Whoa…! That scared me!”

Meaning Elliott’s head was no longer there—he had dodged it. Stunned, Elliott watched the kangaroo swing again.

Vroom…!

The kangaroo struck again, determined not to miss him.