As the zipper slid open, a lump of bright red cotton candy popped out like some kind of internal organ.

It looked like something out of Halloween.

While Jurim found himself newly doubting his daughter’s aesthetic sense, Guru stepped off her bike and approached the desk.

Still wearing her ugly teddy bear costume, the child rested her arms on Jurim’s lap and twitched her eyebrows as she spoke.

“It’sh shooo kyoot, wight?”

"...?"

Which part?

Guru mistook Jurim’s speechless pause for agreement and went on.

“Dis fwuffy wumpfy cotton candy not onwy kyoot, but it’sh a A-gwade buff item.”

Then, with her bear paw, she tore off a chunk of the red cotton candy.

“It’sh a wot more innovativuh dan da owd buff itemsh!”

“...Innovation? In the shape?”

Well, the grotesque look of the cotton candy was definitely new.

Most buff items were in the form of thick potions, after all.

“It’s unusual that it’s not a liquid.”

“Wight! When you dwop a potion, da ground shuuucks it aww up. But dis fwuffy candy got da ‘thwee-second wuwe!’ So if it fawws, you pick it up befo’ thwee seconds pass, it’sh nawt gwoss!”

For a moment, Jurim felt dizzy.

That’s your innovative advantage?!

“What the hell is the three-second rule? Did Gidan teach you that?”

“Dani did teww me dat. How’d yoo knooow?”

Jurim shut his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

“If it falls on the floor, just throw it away. You didn’t actually eat it, did you?”

“Didn’t eat it. Not yet......”

“Yeah, don’t. It’s dirty.”

“Uuuuuh......”

Guru drooped, nodding dejectedly.

Her mighty “three-second rule innovation” had just been shot down, and with it, her momentum crumbled.

Jurim was seriously considering forbidding her from hanging out with Gidan anymore, when Guru suddenly clenched her tiny fists and lifted her head with determined eyes.

“Dat’sh onwy da fiwst innuvayshun!”

“...Is that so?”

What would the second one be? Jurim answered with a bit of dread.

Unbothered, Guru held up the pouch, the one that looked like it had its guts spilling out.

“Now Gwuu gonna show off da weaw vawue of dis fwuffy cotton candy. Dis one didn’t faww on da fwow. It’sh cwean.”

“Okay.”

“So it’sh nawt gwoss!”

With pride in her voice, Guru popped the bright red cotton candy into her mouth and began chewing.

A crooked smirk curled on her lips.

“Scawed of enemy attawks? Buff itemsh not stackin’? Is dat twoubling?”

The moment she finished speaking, a cloud like the fluffy cotton candy enveloped her entire body.

“...?”

Leaning his chin on the armrest, Jurim blinked in surprise.

“Fwuffy cotton candy sowves aww dose pwobwems.”

This cotton candy wasn’t a potion-type buff that applied directly to the user.

“AoE buff?”

“Yesh! If yoo stay inside da fwuff, yoo get 10% mo’ attawk and 10% mo’ agiwity!”

Rather than affecting the user’s body, the buff formed a radius around them.

That reduced strain on the body and allowed stacking with potion buffs.

“Hmph...”

Jurim let out a soft exhale of admiration and nodded.

Excited, Guru wiggled her index finger side to side.

“Dat’sh nawt aww!”

Then she toddled backwards and bounced herself into the desk.

Tonk! Boing!

Guru, wrapped in the cotton candy, bounced back a step or two—and at the same time:

Thunk!

The desk took physical damage.

Jurim’s eyes widened.

“Damage reflection?”

Grinning wide, Guru declared triumphantly:

“Dis fwuffy cotton candy absowbs hawf da damage fwom enemy attawks and bounces da west back!”

Now genuinely impressed, Jurim stepped closer and pressed a finger into the cotton candy.

Guru bounced away.

She toddled back, and Jurim poked her again. They repeated the process a few times while Jurim thought to himself.

'Its durability’s not bad either.'

On the surface, it looked ridiculous and cute, but sure enough—it really was innovative.

He’d scoffed at the “three-second rule” as just another childish idea, but damn if she hadn’t brought him something impressive.

At that moment, Guru flipped open her sling bag, and a mountain of cotton candy pouches spilled out.

So that’s why she was making so many at home—she was manufacturing these.

Only now did Jurim realize how much labor he’d been exploited for without knowing.

Meanwhile, Guru tapped at the pouches with her bear paw.

“If yoo buuyy now, yoo get a discount! Now’sh yoo wast chance to buy cheap! If da fiwst sawe goesh weww, Gwuu can do weguluh dewivewies too!”

Jurim narrowed his eyes, debating whether to buy them all.

This kid... she’s pretty good at selling?

Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t even that strange.

She’s got experience, after all.

Guru had once roamed all over the Onion Market, pedaling items on her bike like a proper merchant baby.

“What’s the duration?”

“Ten minutes!”

Short, but not too short—if used properly in a boss raid or other key moment, it could definitely be useful.

If there was a downside, first would be: rugged Hunters having to fight inside a cloud of adorable cotton candy.

'Eh, not like I’m the one using it.'

Not Jurim’s problem.

And the second downside...

“You’ve never used it in a real fight, have you?”

He asked casually, but there was concern behind it.

He was worried she might’ve snuck into a dungeon again.

But Guru just blinked blankly and nodded.

'So she didn’t go to a dungeon to test it. That’s a relief.'

Jurim folded his arms in thought.

At that, Guru sucked in a sharp breath.

'Uh-oh... da awm-fowding...'

That was Jurim’s tell—he only crossed his arms when something didn’t sit right with him.

But why now? She hadn’t even gone into a dungeon!

Tense, Guru opened her lips into a tiny triangle and widened her eyes.

'No mattew what Oppaw says, Gwuu gonna fite back! Dis is fow Oppaw too! As a fwaming fiwial daughtuh, Gwuu gonna make dis sawe!'

“Even if you thought it was a good idea based on a desk simulation, real-life use can turn out completely different.”

“...!”

Guru nodded solemnly.

She’d felt that herself recently after receiving reviews.

Even if ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ something had great options and stats, once people started using it, there were always issues—hard to control, tricky to apply, whatever.

“So this is a prototype you’ve never field-tested?”

“Yesh......”

Her voice shrank to a whisper.

“I’ll set some aside for use at the new trainee camp. Keep a few ready.”

“Oooooh!”

“But.”

“...But?”

“Every single person has to give it a good review. If even one person reacts badly, we can’t use it. With consumable items you ingest, safety matters more than anything.”

Thud!

'Ev’wyone?!'

Guru broke into a sweat, mentally reviewing her past star ratings.

Her previous reviews had been extremely polarized. Could she pull off universal praise this time?

'Shoulda made it a weguwuh item instead...'

As she fretted, Jurim peeled off her teddy bear head.

The girl’s eyes darted restlessly. She was clearly worried about the “all-positive” condition.

'She doesn’t need to worry that much...'

He was worried she’d made something terrifying again. Meanwhile, the kid was worried people might not use it in real life.

Jurim smirked, picked Guru up, and glanced at the phone sitting on the desk.

It’s gonna blow up again, isn’t it?

Just thinking about it made his head throb.

“...Hmph.”

Maybe he should just change his number.

***

That afternoon, the Fluffy Cotton Candy was officially distributed as a support item in the new trainee training camp locker room.

“What’s this? That bear’s real ugly...”

“Wait, isn’t this that? Jjapso’s signature?”

“Whoa, this is a Jjapso-brand supply? Hyeonak really is different. I feel all kinds of guild loyalty now.”

“Not bad. Tastes good. Strawberry candy flavor. You guys should try it.”

“Hunter Suhyeon, you got so cute. Haha!”

“Whoa, it’s spawning cotton candy around me. Hey! These stats are actually solid?”

“Wait, for real?”

“Huh?”

“Wait, what is this?”

One by one, the Hunters gathered and began tearing open pouches to try the candy.

Every face that checked the info window was struck by surprise and awe.

“What dungeon were we doing today again?”

“Let’s get going!”

“How long does this last?”

“Ten minutes!”

And just like that, the Hunters stormed out of the locker room in a rush.

Moments later, the Hunter community boards were practically exploding.