The Worm's Gift
They form a bond. They receive a gift.
The unknown is terror.
When a person cannot grasp what something is, they feel a raw, extreme anxiety. Take the sound of something unidentifiable in the dark. The human brain has a habit of inflating dangers it does not understand far beyond the ones it can see. Evolution taught people to fear the invisible something more than the threat standing right in front of them.
And Kang Yul, born human, was no exception.
Wriggle— wriggle—
Until a short while ago, the worm had been a supernatural creature whose next move he could not predict. What it wanted, what it ate, what it thought, what it expected of him — all of it had been a blank, unknowable something.
After he acquired the skill, everything changed.
Wriggle— wriggle—
: It likes its surroundings.
: It feels fondness toward the one who woke it.
: It wants to eat soft soil.
Kang Yul now knew the worm was pleased with this environment. He knew it felt fond of him for waking it. He knew it wanted soft soil to eat.
There's no soft soil around here… Should I step out and buy some?
The worm was no longer something to fear. The simple fact that they could communicate diluted the terror of the unknown, and the moment he understood what was going on inside it, he had no reason left to be afraid.
"I grabbed some from the flower shop nearby for now… Think this'll do?"
Munch— munch— munch……
Of course, the fact that the worm was a B-rank supernatural hazard had not changed. It was still a creature full of unknowns that might turn on him at any moment.
And yet.
Munch…… …Blech!
: The soil is soft, but it thinks it has no taste.
: It wants to eat delicious soil.
"No taste? Ah — because it's ordinary dirt with no mana in it?"
Being able to read its inner thoughts was turning out to be even more useful than he had expected.
Wriggle—!
: It wants you to mix it with the soil nearby.
: It wants to eat delicious soil.
"Hang on. Let me look up the ideal ratio… weathered granite soil forty to fifty percent, horticultural potting mix forty percent, leaf mold or compost ten to twenty…? Wonder if the flower shop even sells that stuff."
Even a supernatural creature was still a living thing. If it attacked, it was almost always because it wanted something — and Kang Yul could now tell what that something was.
"I threw a mix together for now, but I don't know if you'll like it. Want to try?"
Munch… munch…… munch………!
Munch… munch… munch… munch…!!!
: It thinks this is delicious soil.
: It feels deep fondness toward you.
"Hey, slow down or you'll choke. Take your time."
Kang Yul was no longer afraid of the worm. It had been a small exchange, but he had managed to build a relationship with it and raise its affection in the process.
Munch… munch…!!!
It might even be a little cute…?
Of course, if he said that out loud in front of anyone, they would either point at him and call him insane or lock him in a treatment facility for elevated mental contamination. Still, he figured it was only natural to feel a swell of pride watching something polish off a meal you had carefully prepared — even if that meal was nutrient soil.
And the worm felt the same way.
Wriggle…
: It thinks this is delicious soil.
: It feels deep fondness toward you.
: It wants to give you a gift.
"A gift?"
Wriggle— wriggle—!
Perhaps wanting to return the favor in its own way, the worm undulated its tiny body and began slowly crawling closer. It looked like it was approaching to deliver a present. Kang Yul watched it for a moment, then carefully asked,
"Uh… mind if I pick you up for a second? I'll set you on my palm."
At first he considered refusing. But it did not take long for him to realize that turning down a gift in a moment this warm could slash the affection he had built so far.
That's dangerous.
He had no idea how a supernatural creature in a foul mood might react, but one thing was certain: it would not be good for him. So if refusing was not an option, he decided he might as well lean in.
"Can I touch you?"
Wriggle—!
: It feels deep fondness toward you.
"That means yes… right?"
Wriggle—!!!
: It feels deep fondness toward you!
Well… he still was not entirely sure. But it looked enough like permission that, after a brief hesitation, Kang Yul carefully picked the worm up and set it on his palm.
Wriggle— wriggle—
The worm wriggled as if delighted and began roaming back and forth across his hand. Watching it, Kang Yul felt a flicker of fear — and, at the same time, the thought Yeah, it might actually be a little cute…?
That thought did not last long.
Wriggle…?
: It feels deep fondness toward you!
: It wants to give you a gift.
: It is wondering whether it may nibble you lightly.
The worm that had been parading across his palm reared up and looked at him. Then it bent its body into a question mark, as if asking permission to bite.
"Bite me…?"
A chill ran through him. The idea of being bitten by a supernatural creature was more than enough to thicken the fear that had only just begun to fade.
Wriggle—! Wriggle—! Wriggle—!
: It feels deep fondness toward you!!!
As if it had sensed his feelings, the worm swayed side to side, telling him not to worry. Kang Yul wrestled with it for a long time, then accepted the proposal with a silent nod. As he had already decided — crossing the worm was not an option available to him.
And right after that—
Prick—!
A pain like a tiny insect's bite bloomed in his palm.
Wriggle—!
: It feels deep fondness toward you!
: It hopes you like the gift.
"…That's it?"
Wriggle—!
: It feels deep fondness toward you!
: It hopes you like the gift!
…That was it. For someone who had squeezed his eyes shut in pure terror, it was a remarkably anticlimactic finish.
Wriggle—?
"Ahem. No, it's nothing."
Kang Yul cleared his throat a couple of dry times to paper over the awkward moment, then examined the palm the worm had bitten. It had called this a gift — surely there had to be something there.
And there was.
"A gem…?"
He studied the tiny jewel resting on his palm. It was a transparent stone of deep crimson. If you took the amber he had seen earlier and cut it into a gem, it would look exactly like this.
I'm pretty sure it ate the whole thing back then… Did it store some inside its body and share it with me?
A reasonable suspicion. If a worm the size of his finger had swallowed a piece of amber the size of a watermelon, it only made sense that it had some supernatural organ for stashing the excess.
"Thanks, Worm."
Wriggle—!
: It feels deep fondness toward you!
Well — good things were good things. He offered the worm his thanks. He had been disappointed about losing the amber, so having even a piece of it returned was something to be grateful for.
He did not fully understand it, but this was amber that had slept inside Ancient Land - Terra. Factor in that the worm itself had shaped it into a gem, and its value was almost impossible to put a price on.
If I sell this, I won't have to worry about money for a long time.
He wanted to drop it in a box right then and demand gold bars equal to its worth. The cash amount would be so large that taking gold instead felt more practical. Unfortunately, he could not. He had already burned through today's trade limit with questions about the worm, so trading was impossible for now.
I'll just keep it safe.
Looking forward to tomorrow, Kang Yul decided to store the worked amber with care — moving it gently so not a single scratch marred it, ready for the best possible trade the next day.
That plan lasted only a moment.
"?"
The instant he tried to pick the amber off his palm, he felt something wrong. When he lifted the stone, his hand came with it — as if the amber had fused to his skin, as if it had been set into his palm itself.
"No. Seriously?"
He thought he was imagining it. He was not. No matter how hard he shook his hand, the amber stayed embedded in his palm with no sign of coming loose. And by the time he fully registered that fact, a familiar chime had already sounded and a notification window had bloomed in front of his eyes.
You have learned How to Eat Mountains from Mountain-Eating Worm — Bakai.
You can now eat soil.
"I can eat soil…?"
Kang Yul pinched a bit of the leftover dirt the worm had been eating and put it in his mouth. Something rich and faintly sweet spread across his tongue — almost exactly like chewing a chocolate cookie. But still…
"Is this actually a good thing…?"
Back in his penniless days, he might have celebrated the chance to shovel dirt and save on food costs. Now that he could buy real meals without fretting over money… he honestly was not sure what he was supposed to do with this.
"…You didn't give me this just so I'd keep making soil that suits your taste, did you?"
Wri— wriggle—?
: It feels deep fondness toward you.
: It is full, so it wants to sleep.
: It would like you to cover it with soft soil.
The sudden claim of sleepiness made him suspect that had been the idea all along.
"Fine. Let's just sleep. I'm tired too."
It had been an absurdly eventful day, so Kang Yul gave up on pressing the point. Or rather — he gave up because pressing it would not have changed anything anyway. He covered the worm with soil, then turned in early himself.
A worm had been born from amber. He had gained a new skill and heard the worm's heart. With that skill he had won its affection, received a gift, and even become able to eat soil — a day that felt, in hindsight, like some ridiculous fever dream. The next morning—
Ding-dong—!
"…?"
Kang Yul woke to a familiar notification sound.
"What, did I get something else…? Or did the worm do something…?"
He groped at the empty air with half-open eyes, searching for a window that should have appeared — and felt something off when nothing showed up no matter how long he looked.
Ah… that was a text notification…?
Only after checking the smartphone on his nightstand did he realize the chime had been slightly different from usual. A minor mix-up born of keeping his phone on silent and almost never receiving texts.
Anyway.
Who's this from?
He had quit every part-time job he had; there was truly nowhere left that should be contacting him. It was not spam either. Frowning, he opened the message — and found, to his surprise, that it was from the Hunter Management Bureau.
Right… it's already been over two weeks since I registered as a hunter.
He had lost track of time mining in the gate and completely forgotten, but this was about when the call should have come.
Next Monday… four days left.
He still had not put together any respectable hunter gear. He was not sure this would go well. Of course, he would only be assisting exclusive hunters — surplus manpower in all but name, basically just showing up. But there were no absolutes in this world.
I'll prepare as much as I can.
Four days remaining. He would use them to get ready and keep himself safe.