Chapter 013
I named the third rotten apple monster Poison Apple. Then I grabbed one that was bound in threads and returned to the shelter.
Passage 5
○ Poison Apple habitat.
○ Vast underground world.
○ Dark portal discovered.
I jotted a note by the passage entrance, then immediately began Taming.
Thirty minutes passed with my hand pressed to the Poison Apple. At the bottom of the red spot etched into it, a tiny discoloration had begun—just a speck, barely noticeable unless you looked closely. You could only see the faint green tint if you peered right at it.
The progress was painfully slow. Far worse than when I'd tamed Jellyfish-002. It must have hated me that much. If someone with the Domination Trait tried to subjugate this thing, it'd betray them the instant it spotted a weakness.
My Helper Trait prevented betrayal, though. Once tamed, they were mine forever. Still, I gave up on this one. It would take way too long. At this rate, even a full day wouldn't be enough. It wasn't worth investing that much time. Poison Apples didn't seem valuable enough, and feeding it with supplies from my Jo-ryeokja would be a waste too.
If I caught a Poison Apple that didn't hate me later, maybe then.
I untied the threads binding the Poison Apple. Right on cue, it summoned fresh apples. When the summoned apples swelled to ten in number, I had Dog Spider-001 restrain it again.
The summoned apples didn't vanish just because the Poison Apple's powers were neutralized. Instead, they fell under Jellyfish-002's fear magic, paralyzed and unable to move.
"Alright, time to try one."
"Gotta eat something. Can't keep asking you guys for food every day."
I couldn't rely on supply drops constantly. The fees were insane. Better to take them sparingly. My Jo-ryeokja weren't chaebol heirs, after all.
I picked up two summoned apples and offered them to the monsters.
"Hey, kids, you hungry? You eat first."
[Siii...!]
[Pii!]
Were they touched by the gesture? Dog Spider-001 and Jellyfish-002 accepted the apples with grateful expressions.
Without hesitation, they brought the apples to their mouths, munching away with blissful faces.
"They're not lil' cuties anymore, y'know."
Dog Spider-001 and Jellyfish-002 swallowed their apples. No ill effects.
No poison, at least...
That didn't mean the apples were safe for me. What was fine for monsters might kill a human.
Just gotta try it. Spit it out if something's off.
Steeling myself, I took a bite. The apple, wriggling desperately in my hand moments ago, went still. Like its lifeline had snapped.
I savored the flavor slowly.
A crisp crunch, followed by intense sweetness wrapping around my tongue. Subtle freshness and complex notes blended in a miraculous harmony.
Gulp.
As the juice slid down my throat, shivers ran through my body. It was exquisite. Fresher and sweeter than any fruit I'd ever tasted.
"What is this... Words fail me."
"Nah. Too good. Were apples always this delicious? I'm speechless."
Believe me or not, didn't matter. As long as I liked it. I devoured the rest of the apple and headed back to Passage 5.
Passage 5
·····
○ Food warehouse.
I added the note. From now on, Passage 5 was my pantry.
Munching the remaining apple in one hand, I sketched a monster compendium with the other. All the while, I mulled things over, organizing my thoughts.
A two-step threat increase doesn't make sense logically, but I've witnessed it twice now, so I can't deny it. Besides, that's just how it worked in that other world.
Why were monster threat levels suddenly rising? Was it happening to all monsters? Would it affect me?
And so on.
Twenty minutes of sketching and pondering yielded a few hypotheses. The most plausible one suggested I wouldn't suffer from the phenomenon.
Of course, they could all be wrong. In that case, I'd just accept my fate and die. I didn't want to, obviously, but there was nothing I could do. No matter how cautious, there were limits.
In the end, all I can do is pray one guess is right.
I didn't note down my conclusions. No certainty yet. One of them felt right, but it was still just speculation. Deeper exploration would turn one into fact eventually.
I finished thinking and closed the notebook. Then I looked at the monsters.
Won't get anywhere asking them.
I considered questioning them but dropped it. Could your threat levels jump two steps too? They wouldn't even understand.
Before afternoon exploration, I checked the remaining time on yesterday's support request. I'd only learned today you could monitor it in real-time. Hadn't noticed at first.
"Thirty minutes left."
"Thirty minutes till the support request vanishes."
Thirty minutes was plenty, but the request was effectively over. Anyone checking in the last 23.5 hours already had. No one would hold off thinking I'll check later. Sure, some might've missed it, but the odds of them seeing it now and clicking out of curiosity? Slim to none.
Whatever. I can send another request later. Bound to get more invites.
I'd take what I had. Two Jo-ryeokja was a blessing. Ppururu and Mysticism. I'd rely on them for now.
"Hey, Mysti."
"Why don't you ever chat? You typed when it was urgent earlier."
"She's plenty helpful. She sent support before you joined."
"5 coins and a kitchen knife."
Twenty minutes into Passage 6 while bantering with my Jo-ryeokja. With under ten minutes left on the request...
RED-rank Jo-ryeokja 'Unknown-003' has appeared like a comet to watch over you.
A new Jo-ryeokja—one I hadn't expected—arrived.
I nearly spat out something crazy like When did I say that, you lunatic? But then...
003 fell for Ppururu's bluff and revealed herself. Ha Yu-mi. I knew the name. Shortly after returning from that other world, a friend had introduced us briefly. She was a psychiatrist—a doctor specializing in mental health.