A Red Scarf for Jörmungandr
[Hmph, my dear brothers. Without me around, this room has descended into utter chaos.]
[Whoa, whoa, Ddubu—this isn't Hyung's house, it's more like an army barracks—]
[From what this maiden has heard, army barracks are kept in a state of rigorous cleanliness. And yet what, pray tell, is the meaning of this?]
[…We'll clean it up.]
[Choco, you too!]
[Sister's temper, honestly…]
The next morning, Ji-hoon was woken by the ruckus of his overly energetic pets.
"Ugh… why is it so loud in here?"
[Did you just cough, my dear brother?]
"Cough, my foot. You… don't tell me you were watching historical dramas all night."
A remote control lay toppled beside Ddubu, and she bowed her head with the courteous grace of a noblewoman from some period epic.
[In this maiden's absence, it seemed Brother Poppi and little Choco's discipline had grown sorely lax, so I was merely administering a brief lesson.]
"…You can drop the sageuk speech now."
Ji-hoon said that, of course—but the sight of Poppi and Choco panicking, sweat beading on their brows, was genuinely entertaining.
"Pfft."
[Hyung, why are you laughing…]
[Hyung's just as bad as Sister, he is.]
"Ahahaha, no, no."
And so, fully awake now, he idled away the morning chatting with Poppi, Choco, and Ddubu. Then, at some point—
"Hey, Ddubu. Want to take a look at this?"
Ji-hoon pulled this Gate's clearing rewards out of his inventory.
Three pieces of Jörmungandr Shed Skin (S).
The moment Ddubu laid eyes on the items, her eyes narrowed to slits.
[…My dear brother. Don't tell me this is one of your… tastes?]
"They're Gate rewards, apparently…."
[To hand out this maiden's molted skin as a reward—the height of poor taste. Whoever designed that Gate, I know not, but truly, how vulgar.]
"Right? Exactly."
The skin was what Ddubu left behind when she molted. Seeing as it came off an S-rank boss like Jörmungandr, it was rare and versatile enough to fetch a fortune—but for someone who had watched her molt for a hundred years, it was a bit… how should he put it? Like looking at weeds from Hell Farm?
At the thought, Ji-hoon shook his head vigorously. Those "weeds" had been insanely valuable, hadn't they? So this had to be worth even more.
Come to think of it, had Ddubu brought anything back herself?
"Oh, right. Ddubu, did you…?"
[My dear brother—as it happens, this maiden was just about to explain.]
"Ah, uh-huh…."
Here we go again. Once something caught her interest, Ddubu would drone on and on about nothing but herself.
[This maiden shall now recount why I fell into the Gate, and why I was gathering mana there.]
It was the year 0000, in the month 00, on the day 00 of the Demon King's calendar…
"…Cut it out already, seriously."
[What would you have me do, Hyung? You started this, you did.]
"Hey, Choco. You talk some sense into her…."
[Has anyone ever come back out of Sister's belly once she's swallowed them? Didn't think so. Not gonna happen, it won't.]
[How curious that none of you can seem to focus on this maiden's story.]
In an instant—
FWAP—!
"No, no, no, we're listening! Fully attentive! So what happened next?"
[A fascinating tale indeed. Choco and I had lost our minds from the moment we entered the Gate, you see.]
[Sister's amazing, she is. How'd she keep her head straight in that situation?]
Having each deployed their own brand of flattery to smooth over Ddubu's ruffled mood, we pressed on.
[Hmph. Very well. From the top, then. In Hell Farm, this maiden, in order to maintain her flawless appearance—]
"Um, Ddubu?"
In the end, Ji-hoon took one for the team.
"We have to head to the Hunter camp soon, so could you keep it short? Please?"
Ddubu grumbled that he was butchering her climax again and again, but—
[…Very well. I shall give you the highlights.]
Thank goodness. She wasn't completely oblivious after all.
[After this maiden confirmed that Brother Poppi and Choco had departed, demons began arriving in Hell Farm.]
Here was her story.
At some point, the demons of Hell had come looking for Hell Farm, and—scheming something, apparently—they had adopted the farm's monsters away one by one.
"Adopted? You mean sold, right?"
[Lord Abel called it adoption… but I believe sold would be more accurate.]
What the—?
Had they given up on running the farm? Don't tell him it was because he hadn't renewed his contract…?
[It was not your fault, dear brother.]
[That's right, Hyung. The demons are the bad ones here.]
[Right, it is. Hyung did nothing wrong.]
Watching them comfort him, Ji-hoon cracked a small smile. Seemingly satisfied that he looked somewhat reassured, Ddubu picked her tale back up.
[I was sold as well. But there's something strange about it.]
"Like what?"
[Ever since I was sold… I have no memory.]
"…Tell me everything. Details."
[The moment the seal of sale was stamped, I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was in pitch-black darkness.]
Then the mana there had felt unstable, and thinking she was just about due to molt anyway, she had been gathering mana when she ran into them.
"Nothing else strange? At all?"
[There was one more thing, but I can't tell whether it's genuinely odd… or simply that my time had come.]
"Tell me."
Ddubu gave the tip of her tail a small, almost embarrassed flick.
[While I was trapped in that darkness, I wanted to gather several times more mana than usual.]
"Because of the molt?"
[Yes. The urge to molt—it was overwhelming.]
So she gathered mana.
Hearing her trailing words, Ji-hoon's eyes changed.
"An urge to gather mana… a compulsion… a molt… desire…."
[Dear brother?]
"Poppi. When you first came out of the Gate—did you feel a strong urge to destroy things?"
At Ji-hoon's question, Poppi shook his head.
[No, Hyung. Less destruction—I wanted to throw a tantrum.]
"A tantrum?"
[Yes. With you gone, Hyung, and no way of knowing what had become of our younger siblings at the farm, I was holding my rage in check.]
Now Choco.
[I wanted to scream, I did.]
"Why?"
[Was hungry. So screaming's the obvious move, no?]
Giant Bears had a habit: when hunger struck, they went straight for the hunt. A roar to flush out prey—and then, an attack.
"Don't tell me… the mana inside the Gates amplifies your instincts. Your desires."
A brief silence settled over the room.
All three monsters—
nod—
—affirmed it.
"Whew… okay, I get the picture. Now I know what to do if any of the other Hell Farm kids show up."
[Yes, my dear brother.]
With her story concluded, Ddubu closed her eyes and settled in place.
"What are you doing?"
[Dear brother. Have you nothing more to say to me?]
The look of someone expecting to receive something. Ah, right. He owed her an apology. For the vanishing, too.
"I'm sorry I disappeared on you like that."
[…And?]
"I'm sorry the first thing I did when we reunited was critique your looks…."
[….]
Ddubu whipped her head away. She looked put out, but the storm had clearly passed.
[H-hmph. Very well. Just this once, I shall make an exception—]
"Here. This is for you."
Ji-hoon pulled out something he'd been making while waiting for her anger to cool.
"A gift. The Gate was rough on you, wasn't it?"
[…!]
Ji-hoon wound it gently around Ddubu's neck.
Platinum-lit, pristine white scales. And along the long, graceful column of Jörmungandr's throat—
twice around—
"Hmm! Not bad, right?"
[Ah….]
A red scarf, wrapped snug around her.
"Take good care of that shed skin of yours. Okay?"
[Ye—yes, ah, u-um, yes, that….]
Jörmungandr's face had gone crimson to match the scarf.
Ddubu gave a small nod.
[I-I'll tre-treasure it for-for-ever.]
[It's an honor to fight beside you, Ddubu.]
[Choco helped make the scarf, he did.]
[Choco, all you did was chew on jerky and cheer.]
Such trivial, silly jokes—jokes he'd missed, jokes he couldn't help but miss. Watching them unfold, Ddubu—
[…Pfft!]
"Ah, she laughed."
[She did laugh.]
[Big Sis laughed, she did.]
Even Jörmungandr—sensitive boss, grand champion of sulking—had been utterly disarmed, left with no choice but to burst out laughing.
[Ahaha, ahahaha! Dear brother, do you scold only Choco here in the mortal realm as well?]
[Choco had it coming. Yes, he did.]
[Hyung is really mean, he is.]
"All right, all right, settle down. Want me to whip up some snacks?"
Ddubu slid quietly to Ji-hoon's side.
[Dear brother.]
"…What?"
Her voice was strangely, uncomfortably serious.
[Do you… grant your permission?]
"…For what?"
[Hunting.]
At that single word, the air in the room stiffened.
[For as all the world knows, a true snack—]
Ddubu's pupils narrowed, just a hair, into vertical slits.
[—is at its finest when it is alive, and swallowed whole.]
"…Hey."
Ji-hoon thrust a hand up hastily.
"This isn't Hell Farm."
Ddubu blinked.
[Ah. Quite right. The mortal realm.]
And with that, she meekly coiled her tail back up.
[Then… frozen, please.]
"…Frozen?"
[Yes. Mice. Medium size.]
"Why did you suddenly get so practical?"
[Compromise is the soul of diplomacy, after all.]
Choco, who'd been listening from the side, muttered under his breath.
[Sis is scary, she is.]
[Little brother Choco.]
Ddubu turned only her head.
[This maiden is exercising a great deal of restraint at this very moment.]
"…Ha."
Then she scratched at her scales and said,
"Fine. Let's set some conditions for snack time."
[Speak them.]
"Nothing alive. Ever."
[Accepted.]
"No hunting inside the house."
[Accepted.]
"And if I ever catch you sneaking food…."
[Such a thing will not occur.]
Ddubu answered far, far too quickly.
Hold on.
That was way too fast.
"…Just try getting caught, that's all I'm saying."
[A jest, a jest. Fret not, I pray you.]
"…You just laughed, didn't you."
[Your imagination.]
Sighing, Ji-hoon pulled a frozen feeder mouse from storage. Ddubu looked down at it.
A moment of silence.
And then—
sssslik—
her mouth opened.
[Waaam—]
Gulp.
Before the sentence had even finished leaving his mouth, the frozen mouse vanished without a trace.
[Mmm.]
Ddubu closed her eyes in deep satisfaction.
[Truly, there is nothing quite like swallowing a meal whole.]
"…."
[Would my dear brother care to try one as well?]
"Are you insane?"
Clicking his tongue, Ji-hoon activated his skill.
Magic Beast Feed Production (S)
[And what, pray tell, is this?]
"It's a skill that lets me make feed for you guys. I'll make sure you never so much as think about frozen mice again—so just wait."
That day, he crafted batch after batch of boss-monster delicacies: cheese for Poppi, jerky for Choco, and grilled frog legs for Ddubu.
[Gasp! My dear brother, what are these divinely, sinfully delicious creations?! I am utterly ashamed of myself for ever having eaten frozen mice!]
"Three conditions. One—no raiding the fridge on your own."
nod nod nod—
[This maiden shall eat only what you make for her, I swear it so!]
With Ddubu joining the mix—blending mortal-realm slang with period-drama diction in the most bewildering ways—things somehow got even more chaotic, but…
Still. This is nice.
His Hell Farm family was growing, and Ji-hoon felt his heart lift all over again.
Proficiency of the skill Magic Beast Feed Production (S) has increased.
After all the commotion had died down, Ji-hoon found himself summoned to the situation room at the request of Jin Seo-yoon and a supervisor from the Hunter Management Bureau.
"You actually came?"
"What was I supposed to do, get abducted twice? Huh. Now that I think about it, the abductor's the one calling me in. Ugh. What an idiot. Me, I mean."
Ji-hoon smacked lazily on his jerky. Poppi and Choco yawned. And at the word abducted, Ddubu's eyes went wide and burning.
[You little bitch! How dare you kidnap my dear brother?! I'll chew you to death—!]
"Ddubu, it's old news. Let it go."
Snap!
Poppi's wing clamped over the snake's mouth before the threat could finish leaving it.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
"She says if you kidnap Baek Kang-hyun's errand boy again, she'll kill you."
"Oh my. How terrifying."
"She means it."
"Oh, I believe you. Completely."
That was the scary part—he really did believe it. Jin Seo-yoon shuddered dramatically, hugging herself as goosebumps crawled up her arms.
"So. Someone here was dying to see me?"
"Yes. They'll be here any minute."
BANG—!
The door flew open with a force that rattled the walls.
"At last! I finally get to lay eyes on you!"
A man in white robes, bowing with exaggerated courtesy, head lowered and one hand spread wide as though greeting the floor of a grand ballroom.
"My name is Yoon Do-ha. A pleasure, truly. Hunter Lee Ji-hoon."
"Ah, yes, hello there… whoa!"
Yoon Do-ha dropped to one knee and thrust his face right up close to Ji-hoon's.
Then, sighing in rapturous admiration, he began to murmur, over and over.
"Magnificent. Simply magnificent. Such a frail, insignificant F-rank body! And yet—oh, the majesty, the pressure of S-rank items radiating from it! A mind unshaken by any crisis—ahhh, even now, this noble struggle to maintain composure! What could have forged you into such a being? Please, I beg you—let me extract your brain for resear—"
"…I'm so sorry about this. He's always been a bit of a mad scientist."
S-ranks—why does not a single one of them have a screw loose?
So thought Lee Ji-hoon.