Chapter 10
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Reason for Coming to the Demon World
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The man lay limp, his face covered in dirt. Drool trickled from his mouth.
Far from scary, his face inspired pity. Kim Nari stared at him blankly.
“So? Is he scary?”
Not at all. The bruise starting to form around his eye made him look like a panda.
“Doesn't seem scary.”
“This guy was using fire. You're still not scared?”
When asked again, Kim Nari nodded.
“He can't use fire now.”
“Why?”
“He's unconscious.”
“That's right. He can't use fire if he's unconscious. If fire is scary, this is what you do.”
If you subdue your opponent, there's no reason to be afraid of their fire. The saying ‘the best defense is a good offense’ exists for a reason.
Kim Nari's eyes widened at Cheon Doun's words.
She had never considered such a thing before. She had been taught not to even entertain the thought.
An education that bordered on brainwashing. A set of rules programmed into her very being.
For the first time, Kim Nari began to doubt those rules. Maybe it was okay to break unreasonable rules.
“Mister, where did you learn that?”
“I didn't learn it. It's something everyone figures out naturally as they live.”
“Everyone? Does that mean me, too?”
“Yes.”
Kim Nari tilted her head, her thoughts seemingly in a jumble.
“Then... if I ever want to put out a fire... can I do it like you did?”
“You can.”
At his firm answer, Kim Nari's eyes lit up. It felt as if a wall that had been blocking a part of her mind was crumbling away.
She didn't know what it was. But an inexplicable excitement pulsed in her chest.
*It won't be easy for her to change overnight.*
That's the nature of brainwashing, Cheon Doun thought with a bitter smile.
Still, there was no need to rush. It was something she could learn as she went on with her life.
“Alright. The problem now is what to do with this guy. You decide.”
Cheon Doun pointed at the unconscious man. Kim Nari needed practice making her own decisions.
“I get to decide?”
“He was after you. What do you want to do with him?”
Kim Nari's eyes darted around. It was still difficult for her to decide something of her own volition.
Fidgeting with her fingers, she glanced around before speaking.
“This mister scared me. So I want to scare him, too.”
“Sounds good. How?”
“I'm going to hang him over the waterfall.”
It was a childlike idea. At the same time, it was merciless.
This was the Demon World. In the pool at the bottom of the waterfall, there was a school of hundreds of fish.
A school of Demon World fish that enjoyed raw flesh. Anyone hung above them, no matter how brave, would be terrified out of their wits.
“That's a good idea.”
Cheon Doun nodded. Encouraged by his response, Kim Nari lifted her head with newfound confidence.
“And we need Guu's opinion. Guu was attacked, too. It's right to listen to what he has to say.”
Kim Nari picked Guu up in her arms.
“Mister, it seemed like you could talk with Guu. Can you understand what he says?”
Kim Nari asked, her face full of curiosity. It was the question Guu wanted to ask more than anyone.
Guu waited for Cheon Doun's answer, tense with anticipation.
-C-can you really hear me?
They had already spoken, so it was a given that he could. He asked anyway because the situation felt so unreal.
Could he really hear his voice?
“Yes, I can hear you. Very clearly.”
Guu's eyes trembled at Cheon Doun's confirmation. He took a deep breath, overcome with emotion.
A wish he thought would never come true had been granted in an instant.
“Mister. Guu is crying.”
-I'm not crying. Who says I'm crying?
Guu replied, biting his lip firmly. He had no intention of crying so pathetically.
That's what he thought, but he couldn't stop tears from welling up in his eyes.
To be able to communicate with someone. To have a conversation. Just that alone made his heart swell.
“Then tell us. Guu, what do you want to do with that guy?”
Guu looked at the unconscious Hunter. Considering the laws of the Demon World, killing him would be best.
But Guu wasn't so twisted as to say such a thing in front of a child.
-I'm also fine with hanging him over the waterfall. Just do what the little one wants.
“That's what he said.”
After relaying the message, Kim Nari grabbed the man's right foot and lifted it. She dragged him along, smiling brightly.
“Let's go hang him up!”
Kim Nari looked happy. Cheon Doun looked happy, too. But the one feeling the most joy in this situation was none other than Guu.
Perched on Cheon Doun's shoulder, his fur fluffed up with delight.
*I finally found him. I found someone who can hear my voice.*
Guu sat on Cheon Doun's shoulder, kicking his horse-like legs in the air. It was a sign of his joy.
Two Chimeras and one Monster. They smiled as if they were out on a picnic.
* * *
A tree grew out of the cliff face. A man was tied to the end of a vine connected to it.
It was the man who had attacked Kim Nari, the B+ rank Hunter, Nam Giseok.
He tried to process his current situation.
Nam Giseok was a man with high self-esteem.
The only son of a wealthy family, with handsome features. He had Awakened at the tender age of eight.
Considering the average age of Awakening was in the late teens, his case was highly unusual.
Having Awakened at a young age, he adapted to his powers quickly. Up to this point, his life was one to be envied.
That was, with the exception of one single flaw.
[Hey, Nam Giseok. Why haven't you been in touch... ah, never mind.]
His hair loss began in his late teens.
[Hey, it's been a while... ah. Um... so, you been well?]
By his early twenties, the crown of his head was bare.
[You should keep in touch. How have you been... ah.]
Once he passed his mid-twenties, he even developed a receding M-shaped hairline.
As his hair fell out, his handsome face lost its luster. As a bonus, it made him look ten years older.
Frustrated, he now shaved his head with clippers and went around bald. It was only a few days ago that he'd found a glimmer of hope.
[This liquid metal is a mineral brought from beyond the Gate.]
Flipping through TV channels, he had stumbled upon a current affairs program.
[I heard that metal has the power to cure baldness. Is that true?]
*Who would fall for such an obvious sales pitch?* Nam Giseok thought, unimpressed.
Having tried every medicine on the market, he had reached a state of resignation.
[That's right. It has a hair-growth effect. See my hair? Isn't it lush?]
This was a classic routine.
[I was accidentally doused in this liquid metal during an experiment, and this is what happened in just three days. Hahaha.]
The doctor on screen ran a hand through his thick hair as he spoke.
[This is a picture of me from a month ago.]
The photo the doctor produced showed a bald man with not a single hair follicle left, smiling.
*It's all a marketing gimmick. An exaggerated ad to sell a product.*
Even as he thought that, Nam Giseok's hands were already searching on his phone.
【Liquid Metal】
【Hair Growth】
【Liquid Metal for Hair Loss】
The real-time search rankings were already filled with terms related to liquid metal.
*If it's a mineral from the Demon World... maybe it really can cure... The reservation page is...*
*Is a cure finally being released?* Even the TV anchor's eyes sparkled as he asked.
[Then, Doctor, you'll be creating the world's first cure for baldness.]
[No.]
The doctor on screen shook his head with a resolute expression. Nam Giseok, who had been searching for the website, froze.
[The amount of this metal is extremely small. It must be used for the public good rather than for a hair loss drug.]
[The public good?]
[We are in the process of creating Chimera Hunters. We'll make an android's frame with this metal and mix it with creatures from beyond the Gate. Subjugating Monsters is for the good of the world, is it not?]
“No!”
Nam Giseok slammed his fist on the table.
The five-million-won table couldn't withstand the Awakened's strength and split in two, but he didn't care.
“Make the hair loss drug! That's what's for the good of the world!”
Nam Giseok clutched the TV and sobbed. A month passed like that.
Then, breaking news about the liquid metal appeared.
[A Machine Lifeform that escaped from the research institute has jumped into a Gate...]
“Oh, God!”
Nam Giseok threw his arms in the air and cheered. The laws of man didn't apply in the Demon World.
Once it was outside the government's jurisdiction, it was finders keepers.
*I'll find that Machine Lifeform no matter what. I'll melt it down and pour it over my head.*
A week of scouring the Demon World with a resolve fiercer than anyone's.
That's when Nam Giseok spotted a young girl running around the Demon World as if it were her local playground.
*There's no way a child would be in the Demon World.*
That must be the Machine Lifeform.
He had already learned that it could change its appearance at will, so there was no room for doubt.
“Found it...!”
A menacing glint appeared in Nam Giseok's eyes. And so he began his attack, which led to his current predicament.
“Ugh... Bleegh.”
Nam Giseok dry-heaved as he dangled in front of the waterfall. Hanging from the vine for hours had made him motion-sick.
*I can't even use my abilities like this...!*
He was a pyromancer. If he used his fire carelessly in this situation, he risked burning through the vine.
*If I fall, I'll die.*
Three meters below, he could see the massive waterfall basin. He could also see a school of fish splashing around in the water.
As thick as a man's forearm. Jaws more powerful than a piranha's.
Noticing the prey above the water's surface, the fish would occasionally leap out.
For three hours, he had flailed about, lifting his feet each time to avoid being bitten. Even for an Awakened, it was exhausting.
“Ughh...”
Nam Giseok groaned. Was wanting hair such a great sin?
“Please let me down...”
He'd tried cursing. He'd tried threatening them, asking if they knew who he was. Each time, the only response was the child pushing his body with a long pole.
“Mister, look at that. He's swinging.”
The giggling child looked delighted.
“You're right. It's like he's on a swing.”
The man next to her also looked amused.
“A swing! That's right. I'm pushing the swing.”
The child gave Nam Giseok's body a long push with the pole. Every time his body swung, the tree growing from the cliff creaked as if it were about to be uprooted.
“Sob, I was wrong. I'll be good from now on, please let me down, sir!”
Finally, after thirty minutes of begging.
There was no reply. The pair, who looked like a father and daughter, opened a bag they had brought with them.
“It's about time for lunch. Should we make some ramen?”
“Ramen! I love ramen. I'll go catch a fish. We can put it in.”
*Splash.* Kim Nari jumped into the water and caught a fish.
Fish swarmed from all directions and bit her all over, but Kim Nari didn't even flinch.
“Mister. Look at this. I caught too many.”
One fish was in her hand.
Eight more fish had latched onto her and were pulled out along with her.
“Let the rest go. That way, we can eat again next time.”
“Okay.”
Kim Nari kept one and pulled the rest off, tossing them back into the water.
*What the... Isn't that a B-rank aquatic Monster?*
Nam Giseok's jaw dropped as he watched her catch and rip them off with her bare hands. Meanwhile, Cheon Doun took a portable gas stove out of the bag he'd brought from home.
Nam Giseok was dumbfounded by the sight of them acting as if they were on a picnic.
*What's that now? Are they really going to make ramen in this situation? How can they even think of eating ramen with a man hanging right here?*
*I can understand the child, since she isn't human. But what is that man's deal, being so relaxed in the Demon World?*
He looked normal enough. His features were handsome. In contrast, his attire was that of a caveman straight out of a picture.
*He's even barefoot. It doesn't look like he's wearing any protective gear, either. What is he? Maybe he's in the middle of some kind of training?*
Once the question arose, a flood of others followed. Above all, something had been bothering him for a little while now.
Why did they catch a fish to make ramen?
The words about putting the fish in the ramen flashed through his mind. *No, it can't be. They can't possibly be planning to put that in the ramen.*
Weren't those things famous for their awful, fishy smell, enough to make the list of the ‘Top Ten Most Disgusting Monsters’?
*No way. There's no way you can eat that. Why would they put it in?*
*I must be misunderstanding something.* Nam Giseok watched Cheon Doun, his expression tense.