Chapter 169
But it wore a distinctly unenthusiastic expression. Han Yaseong was curious.
"Yadori, what is it? What's going on?"
Even so, Yadori—blessed with those sharp teeth—didn't answer and just went back to tearing into the meat. Han Yaseong knew better than to keep pressing when it got like this; the beast never budged. Still, something was clearly up, and it gnawed at him with curiosity. Was it some fruit that granted Superman-level strength? Or maybe a weapon of some kind? He itched to know, but with Yadori staying mum, there was no way to find out. All he could do was wait for the beast to spill it on its own.
Han Yaseong kept gnawing at his meat, idly wishing for something like Spider-Man powers. Superman's abilities would be ideal, of course, but that felt like too much to ask. Spider-Man or Batman levels seemed more realistic. This was another world, after all—a planet where one-eyed giant apes roamed with clubs in hand. It stood to reason there'd be something wondrous and mysterious lurking about. Clinging to that faint hope, Han Yaseong attacked the terror bird's leg alongside Yadori, chomping away aggressively.
Until lunchtime, he lay curled up, digesting. Ever since spotting that massive ape, even the will to train had evaporated. A hundred years of training wouldn't make a dent against something ten meters tall and weighing over five tons. Training suddenly felt utterly pointless. Ordinary workouts wouldn't cut it for venturing out onto the plains anymore.
So Han Yaseong lay on his bedding, curled up tight, racking his brain for alternatives. Maybe head to America and snag a machine gun or bazooka? With gear like that, he'd at least stand a chance. He envied Americans for how easy it was to get firearms. Hell, they gave kids guns as birthday gifts—about as casual as grabbing a burger at a fast-food joint.
But Korea? No dice. Word was, you had to shell out five million won—five million—just for a basic handgun. Something that cost a measly hundred bucks, or about a hundred thousand won, back in the States went for over fifty times that here. And illegally, at that. You could easily get scammed, too—pay up and get nothing in return. Victims couldn't even report it to the cops without risking punishment themselves. Pure money down the drain.
Han Yaseong pondered how to kill a giant ape. No matter how he turned it over, nothing short of a machine gun seemed viable. No way could he take one down with a longsword, hand axe, or crossbow. Sure, he might scratch it up, but inflict a fatal wound? Forget it. It was impossible.
"Can't explore the plains, huh..."
A deep sigh escaped him. It sucked, but what could he do? In his current state, it was out of the question. He'd figured the vast plains teemed with massive predators, but a King Kong-sized ape? Never crossed his mind. Even ten years of training, and stepping out there would be suicide—like diving into shark-infested waters.
Without some game-changing item, plains exploration was on indefinite hold. The thought drained him further. Sticking around for training felt meaningless now. Screw it—head home, round up Senior Choi Yujin and Senior Euna, and fuck like rabbits. Licking their pussies might finally lift his spirits. After holding out for over a month, his sexual frustration had hit fever pitch. In this state, he could probably stack them one on top of the other and go all night, biting and sucking to his heart's content.
Han Yaseong decided to portal out tomorrow morning. He called over to Yadori, still slumped dejectedly in the corner.
"Yadori, I'm heading back tomorrow. Chin up, buddy—don't mope."
The pep talk didn't seem to help; Yadori didn't stir. Han Yaseong was just as deflated, so he rolled over, facing the wall. The dream of becoming a trillionaire was crumbling. World domination slipped further away. If only there was something revolutionary... like ancient magic. In novels, protagonists snagged that stuff in other worlds all the time. But not here, apparently. This place felt like primitive prehistoric Earth—no humans, no humanoid aliens. The ruined temple hinted at intelligent life once, but maybe they'd gone extinct eons ago. Like Mu or Atlantis.
With another sigh, Han Yaseong closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
A couple of hours later, he woke to find Yadori gone. Probably taking a dump. Yawning hugely, he shuffled up and chugged some water. No training meant nothing to do. Time dragged endlessly. Time for a bath, he thought, grabbing his toiletries and heading to the stream.
At the stream, he stripped naked and started washing. Dousing his head with cold water sharpened his senses. Brushing his teeth, he wandered the area like it was a stroll. The forest was peaceful. Only small critters like Yadori scampered about. This place was safe—no ferocious beasts, no dangers. Compared to yesterday's nightmare plains crawling with giant apes, it was paradise. Those plains were hell. He never wanted to go back.
Finishing his bath, Han Yaseong toweled off and noticed his dick twitching hard. Too long without action, and it was pissed—standing at full mast. He couldn't wait to get home and ravage Seniors Choi Yujin and Euna. Some lingering aftereffect from those black fruits still simmered in his veins, it seemed. As for the green ones, separated out for a reason, he had no clue what they did. He'd ask Yadori today. Tomorrow was homeward bound.
Imagining their naked bodies, tits, and pussies made his cock throb even stiffer. It was so huge he considered jerking off, but save it for tomorrow's hot session with them, he decided, holding back. He dressed and returned to the shelter.
Come evening, he pulled out a terror bird thigh and set it to boil. Skewer-roasting over the fire was tasty, but boiling in a pot made it like succulent boiled meat—perfect wrapped in kimchi like bossam. So he dumped the whole thigh in a big pot and simmered it slow.
Yadori still hadn't returned by the time it was ready. Probably wandering the woods, heart heavy. Bound to come back hungry, Han Yaseong figured, and started in on the boiled terror bird, wrapped in kimchi. Chewing the spicy, meaty bundle was pure bliss. He munched some greens too—lettuce-like leaves, perilla, mugwort varieties aplenty in the forest. He picked them fresh often.
He scarfed down a bunch of bossam wraps until he was stuffed, then quit. Outside, night had fallen pitch black. Inside the shelter, the campfire glowed red, but Yadori was still AWOL. Han Yaseong stretched out on his bedding. Freshly bathed, belly full, back warm—the post-meal drowsiness crept in. No training anyway; sleep was all there was. Just get to tomorrow and home, he thought, eyes drifting shut.
Suddenly, rustling came from outside. Yadori? Still half-asleep, he didn't stir. Footsteps—thud, thud—approached, and the beast entered. Han Yaseong meant to keep sleeping, but pity stirred for the late-night wanderer. Groggily cracking one eye, he looked over, about to say, "Finally back?"
But Yadori's state was weird. Covered head to toe in dirt, minor scratches bleeding all over. Looked like it'd been in a scrap somewhere. And clamped in its jaws: something thick and golden.
Still foggy from sleep, Han Yaseong squinted and asked,
"Yadori, what the hell? What've you been up to?"
Without a word, it spat the thing out with a thunk. A gleaming golden object—longish, rectangular. No idea what it was.