HDAAD Chapter 142

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

“What kind of buff is on the next floor?”

“Let’s go! Let’s go right now!”

“We’re going right away?”

Unlike the excited hunters, Mei looked confused about conquering the next floor immediately.

It made sense for her to find it strange, as hunters usually only conquered one place per day.

“The floors up to the 15th open when the previous floor is conquered, but from the 16th floor onwards, it takes time to open. For now, it’s better to clear as much as we can. And above all…”

“Above all?”

I let go of the hands of the two people who had been fully purified, and took Michael and Lee Chaewon’s hands.

“The next floor is a floor without monsters.”

“A floor without monsters?”

“Yes.”

When reading the novel, I thought the 15th floor was a service floor to give readers imagination.

‘Though I later learned it wasn’t a service, but a test for the Cradle.’

Everyone tilted their heads as they watched me chuckle.

I let go of Michael and Lee Chaewon’s hands after finishing their purification and took Baigang and Yoon Seokjin’s hands.

Yoon Seokjin tried to refuse because of the blood on him, but I quickly grabbed his hand, rejecting his refusal.

“What kind of floor is the next one?”

“I said it before, didn’t I? That from the 14th floor, it’s like an event dungeon.”

Everyone nodded.

“The 15th floor is a kindergarten dungeon.”

“Kindergarten?”

After letting go of the hands of the two people whose purification was finished, Taeju took out wet wipes from his pocket and wiped my hands that were stained with blood.

“You’ll understand when we enter. Let’s go.”

We moved directly to the 15th floor through the gate of the 14th floor.

“Go-woon. Is there nothing to prepare?”

“No. It’s an event dungeon, we just need to clear the mission like when we stepped on the piano keys during the dungeon break.”

It was something I realized from what Haegeum told me during the dungeon break, but what Taeju experienced on the 15th floor in the original story was a mission.

If we didn’t know at all, it might be different. But now that we know it’s a mission, I thought we could conquer it quickly enough.

“What do we need to do in the kindergarten?”

“Ah. I didn’t mention that. When we enter, we’ll turn into children.”

“Into children?”

“Yes.”

Perhaps because no monsters appear, the 15th floor was briefly described as all party members turning into children, and the conquest being completed when they answered questions given by the teacher correctly.

“We just need to answer the questions the teacher gives correctly. I’m opening the door.”

I opened the door of the 15th floor, which had a bear face drawn on a yellow background, and stepped inside.

A blinding light burst out, and when I opened my eyes after closing them for a moment, I saw a cute building in front of me.

And on the butterfly-shaped sign painted in various colors, the name of the kindergarten was written exactly as described in the novel.

“‘Nemo Semo Kindergarten’. Hm?”

‘The pronunciation is too accurate? Are we not as young as during the dungeon break?’

As I was tilting my head, I realized that unlike then, my line of sight was high.

“What’s going on?”

Just as I was about to check my hands, I felt something tugging at my pants.

When I looked down, several pairs of round eyes were looking up at me.

Among them, a child with black eyes looked at me and said,

“Teacher.”

“Wh-!”

‘Damn! Did everyone turn into kids except me?!’

***

“I am a hero!!”

Taeju, riding on a rocking horse and shaking his body.

“It’s mine!”

“This is mine! Give it back!”

Lee Chaewon, fighting with Mei over a toy sword without being able to communicate properly.

“Waaah. Mommy.”

Mei, continuously crying and looking for her mother.

“Hahaha. You guys are so funny!”

Michael, laughing while watching the kids, finding something hilarious.

“……”

Yoon Seokjin, with his hair disheveled as if possessed, hugging a dirty doll and seeming completely content.

And.

“Aren’t you playing?”

Child Shin Sooha, sticking close to my side.

I pressed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Everyone turning into children except me, I can understand that. The novel didn’t describe in detail how the 15th floor proceeded… One of Taeju’s party members who went to the Cradle might have been an adult at that time.

Right. I understand it all. There have been quite a few unexpected variables so far. But… But!

Why, unlike during the dungeon break, are their minds turned into children’s too?!

“Teacher, are you hurting somewhere?”

Taeju, who had somehow come to my side, looked worried.

“No. Teacher isn’t hurting. I’m fine.”

As I smiled faintly, Taeju took my hand and put it on his head.

Wondering what he was doing, I tilted my head, and Taeju smiled brightly and said,

“They say if you pat your head, you feel better.”

“…Who said that?”

“The teacher did.”

I don’t remember saying such a thing, I wonder which teacher said that. Is this perhaps a story from when Taeju was in the orphanage in the past?

“Teacher is fine-!”

Just as I was about to lower my hand saying I was fine, tears welled up in Taeju’s eyes, and I hurriedly patted his head.

“Ah. As Taeju said, it does make me feel better.”

“Hehe.”

As Taeju smiled brightly as if he had never cried, I forced a smile too, and then Shin Sooha, who was sticking close to me, tugged at my sleeve.

“Hm?”

“Me too.”

“Huh? You too what?”

Shin Sooha lowered his head and presented it to me.

‘Don’t tell me he wants me to pat him too.’

After hesitating, I patted his head.

As I stroked the silky hair on both sides, I suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

‘Right. I just need to clear the mission. Since I’m the only adult, I might be able to solve the mission faster without unnecessary explanations.’

The decision was slow, but the action was quick.

I removed my hands from both of their heads and got up to look for the mission.

“Where are you going?”

“Teacher will be right back.”

I had come inside to stop the kids from running off somewhere, but the kindergarten was as quiet as if no one was there.

If there was anyone in the kindergarten, I might get some hint about what the mission is, but since there was no one, I couldn’t figure out what to do.

“Can I go with you?”

“No, you can’t.”

There were no monsters, so it would be fine to take them along, but I thought it would be difficult to find the mission if I took a child prone to sudden actions.

“Stay here.”

“Waah.”

“Crying won’t help.”

I firmly cut off the whining, like the childcare expert I had seen when working part-time at a restaurant, and Taeju pouted.

“Teacher will be right back. Play with the other children.”

As Taeju nodded as if he didn’t like it but understood, this time Shin Sooha shook my sleeve and said,

“What about me?”

“You can’t go either.”

Instead of saying “would you be able to?”, I rejected him as gently as possible, and Shin Sooha lowered his head as if disappointed.

“Both of you play with your friends.”

I placed Shin Sooha and Taeju in front of Mei and Lee Chaewon, who were now rolling on the floor fighting, and opened the kindergarten door.

The corridor, decorated with colorful ornaments that children would like, felt eerie without the noise that should naturally be there.

Without the noise of children chattering in the classroom now, it was enough to remind one of a scene from a horror movie.

Ignoring the goosebumps rising on my skin, I opened the door of the Lark Class, which seemed to be the nearest classroom.

“Hmm.”

I saw a classroom scene no different from the one where the kids were staying now.

I thoroughly searched the classroom, turning over toys and drawers, but there was nothing interesting that looked like it could be a mission.

The next classroom, and the one after that, were the same.

Not just the classrooms, but even the teachers’ lounge that seemed to be a space for teachers to rest, I searched, but there was nothing that looked like a mission.

“Should I go up to the second floor?”

The kindergarten had a total of three floors.

There was nothing on the first floor, so I had to go up to the second floor, but I felt strangely anxious.

‘The kids are oddly quiet?’

Although I was far from the classroom where the kids were, I had occasionally heard their shouts.

But now, there was no sound at all.

“I should go check.”

They were all children, and even if they caused trouble, everything would reset when we left, so it didn’t matter, but I felt uneasy because it was so quiet.

I walked quickly back to the original classroom and opened the sliding door.

“…What are you doing?”

The kids, who had spread small blankets they had found somewhere all over the floor, were rolling around.

“Teacher! We’ve prepared everything for nap time.”

“Nap… time?”

Suddenly taking a nap in the Tower? Do kids originally take naps?

“Teacher, come lie down quickly too!”

“That’s right! Lie down!”

Lee Chaewon patted the space next to her, and Taeju glared at her before patting the space next to him.

“Teacher. Lie down here, not there!”

“No! Teacher should sleep with me!”

“No! With me!”

“Hey! You?!”

Lee Chaewon, as if unable to control her anger, puffed and grabbed Taeju’s hair.

Not to be outdone, Taeju also grabbed Lee Chaewon’s hair.

“Ow. Ow. Let go!”

“You grabbed first!”

“I don’t care! Let go!”

As the kids started fighting, holding each other’s hair with both hands, Michael clapped.

“The winning side is our side! Win! Win!”

“Kids?”

As Lee Chaewon and Taeju rolled on the floor fighting, the rest of them surrounded them as if making an arena, watching the two.

“Teacher.”

Shin Sooha, who was the only one who chose me instead of watching, smiled brightly and said,

“I want to sleep. Hug me.”

Is that what you say when there’s a fight going on over there?

Swallowing the sigh that was about to burst out, I approached the two who were throwing cotton candy punches while yelling “stupid poop dog anemone” with their hair grabbed.

“Both of you, stop it.”

I was about to separate the two with adult strength, but they were holding each other’s hair so tightly with their small hands that I held back, thinking someone might get hurt if I forcibly separated them.

“Both of you, stop. If you keep fighting, you won’t be able to sleep with teacher.”

Despite my words, the two violently entangled.

The sight of them struggling to hit each other even once more looked just like twins.

‘Ah. Fuck my life.’

After a moment of lamentation, I blocked the flailing hands of the two and said,

“If you keep fighting, teacher will go home.”

The two stopped and looked at me.

“What do you want to do? Should teacher go? Or do you want to sleep with teacher?”

Taeju raised the hand that wasn’t holding hair and shouted,

“Me! I want to sleep with teacher!”

“Me too!”

“Then when I say one, two, three, let go of each other’s hair at the same time.”

Lee Chaewon and Taeju nodded with faces that were uncharacteristically serious for children.

Perhaps due to the purification, the two who looked like they would wait for delicious meju to be made even if I said I was making meju with red beans, stared at me intently.

“One. Twoooo.”

Looking at the two who seemed tense as if this was something big, I said,

“Three.”

My words fell, but the hands holding the hair did not loosen.

“Why aren’t you letting go?”

“Why aren’t you letting go either?”

“Because I can’t trust you!”

“I can’t trust you either.”

Signs of a second war breaking out were visible.

‘These brats don’t let go when told to and fight again? If it’s like this, there’s no choice. I’ll have to use force.’

Perhaps because they had turned into children, they weren’t using their abilities, but their fists looked quite sharp.

“Didn’t I tell you both not to fight?”

“But he/she-!”

“No! He/She-!”

Just as the two children were about to shout out their grievances,

-Ding dong dang dong.

“What’s this sound?”

As I looked around at the sudden sound, a gentle voice came from the speaker attached to the front of the blackboard.

[Announcement. We will now begin the Nemo Semo Kindergarten Golden Bell Quiz. Children who want to participate, please run to the gymnasium behind the kindergarten.]

Suddenly a Golden Bell? What kind of kindergarten has a Golden Bell…

“It’s the mission.”

If this were an ordinary place, maybe not. But this is the 15th floor of the Tower. The Golden Bell mentioned in the broadcast was clearly the mission.

It seemed that if we passed all of the Golden Bell, we would succeed in conquering by clearing the mission.

I clapped my hands to focus the children’s attention.

“Good children who want to participate in the Golden Bell, raise your hands!”

The children who were continuing to fight, the children who were busy playing with each other, and even the child lying on the floor doing nothing, all just stared at me without answering.

‘I see. You don’t want to participate just like that, huh? Alright. Then I’ll give you a reward.’

“The person who comes first in today’s Golden Bell^[1] will get a big hug from teacher.”

The children’s eyes sparkled for a moment.

1. Golden Bell is a famous variety show in Korea which invited mostly school students to participate in quiz games[↩]