Chapter 15
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Hidden Nest
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“Quite a special one, aren’t you? Most monsters don’t have much attachment to their offspring.”
Cheon Doun stroked the toad’s back. The same mucous substance he used to build his home, a green spiderweb, flowed from his palm.
He applied a thin coat to the toad’s back, then placed the egg sac on top of it. The sac stuck fast to the sticky mucus.
-Grrrrk.
The toad rolled its eyes at the unexpected situation. It glanced back and forth between the eggs on its back and Cheon Doun, tilting its head.
“Judging by the state of your skin, you’ll shed once around the time the eggs hatch. The web I attached will fall off then. You can go now.”
As he spoke, Cheon Doun chuckled to himself.
Saving a monster… was this Kim Nari’s influence? Perhaps they were starting to rub off on each other a little.
Once Cheon Doun released the threads, the toad slowly backed away. When it had put some distance between them, it began to leap away.
After hopping for a while, the toad looked back.
“It’s looking at you, Mister Toad.”
“So it is.”
“It just bowed its head. I think it’s saying thank you.”
It was just a preparatory motion before a jump. Cheon Doun thought so but didn’t say it out loud.
Now that their visitor was gone, it was time to mine the luminous stones.
He jumped into the crater. Kim Nari and Guu followed.
Upon landing on the rock face where the toad had been, he saw a luminous stone embedded in a suitable spot.
‘Should I try taking just one out for now?’
Cheon Doun gripped the most protruding luminous stone. As he wiggled it back and forth, the wall cracked, and the stone came loose.
The luminous stone was shaped like a teardrop and looked to be at least fifty centimeters long.
“It’s bigger than I thought. Just this one should be more than enou—”
Cheon Doun stopped mid-sentence. There was something inside the hole where the luminous stone had been.
“Mister, what is that?”
“It’s an egg. Looks like there was some kind of nest behind the luminous stone.”
Cheon Doun said, pulling out what was inside the nest.
Why was he having so many encounters with eggs today? Cheon Doun examined the nest in the hole.
“Mister, are there more eggs inside?”
“No. Just this one. The nest looks like it’s been abandoned for a while, too.”
It wasn’t unusual, as many monsters simply lay their eggs and leave. If anything, the toad that tried to protect its eggs was the exception.
Looking at the egg, Kim Nari tilted her head.
“There’s a crack in the egg.”
Cheon Doun, who was about to put the egg back, paused. At Kim Nari’s words, he took a closer look and saw a fine hairline crack.
‘It’s not an old crack. This… could it have just happened?’
The impact from removing the luminous stone had caused the nest’s wall to crumble. A piece of rock had fallen on the egg.
The egg was hard enough not to shatter, but the impact had still cracked it.
“Guu. Do you know what kind of egg this is?”
-I do not know. I have never seen such an egg.
“Even you, a native of this volcanic region, don’t know.”
Perhaps, like the intelligent Guu, it was a rare and unique individual.
As Cheon Doun was lost in thought, Kim Nari watched his face.
“Mister. The thing inside the egg is hot. I think it’s because the egg is cracked.”
“How do you know that?”
“I scanned it. It’s spinning around inside the egg because it’s hot.”
Kim Nari said without taking her eyes off the egg. Cheon Doun used his mana to inspect the egg’s interior.
He could definitely feel a life form struggling inside.
The eggshell was a baby monster’s only defense. With a crack in it, it was only natural for the crater’s heat to seep in.
‘At this rate, it’ll die even if I put it back in the nest.’
Cheon Doun drew upon his mana.
He formed a mana barrier around the egg and purified the toxic gases that had seeped through the membrane.
The baby monster, which had been writhing in pain, stopped as if surprised. It looked around, sensing the pure mana it had never felt before.
Not fear, but elation. Joy. The relief of being saved.
The monster peeked outside through the crack in the egg. It couldn’t see clearly because of the membrane, but it sensed that something was helping it.
“Mister. The egg… um, that. It would be good to take it with us.”
Kim Nari said, tugging on the hem of Cheon Doun’s clothes.
“We don’t even know what will hatch from it.”
“Still, it would be good to take it. It’s dangerous to leave it here. It will be roasted black. It will become a roasted egg. That is pitiful.”
Compared to when they first met, Kim Nari’s expressions of her will had become much clearer. Cheon Doun smiled faintly at the sight.
“Alright. Let’s take it. This happened because I pulled out the luminous stone. I suppose I should take responsibility until it hatches.”
At his words, Kim Nari beamed.
A wave of joy from saving the small egg washed over her. A sense of confidence that her opinion could be accepted grew within her.
These warm feelings piled up, one by one, in her heart.
‘Being with Mister feels good.’
Kim Nari searched through her knowledge for what to call this feeling.
The answer came easily. A long time ago, she had seen someone on TV who was similar to Cheon Doun.
‘Mister is like a dad. He’s just like the dads on TV.’
If she became the mister’s daughter, would he give her piggyback rides like the dads in the movies?
‘Holding hands and going to an amusement park, too.’
She hoped a day like that would come eventually.
Kim Nari pushed the thought down, careful not to let it show.
***
B+ Hunter, Nam Giseok.
After arriving in the human world through a return stone, he spent three days recuperating.
Recuperating wasn’t anything special.
He ate well and slept well at home. When he had time, he focused on circulating his mana core to purify the demonic energy built up in his body.
Just doing that made his complexion noticeably better.
Even while resting, he diligently read cookbooks.
He had also signed up for a crash course at a cooking academy to learn knife skills and how to prepare ingredients.
‘I don’t know when or where he’ll ask me to cook. I, Nam Giseok, am a prepared man. At this rate, I’ll actually get a chef’s license.’
That way, it wouldn’t be a lie. He was desperate.
After another two days of learning to cook, his condition returned to normal.
“The five-day crash course is over. Should I get ready to go see Sir?”
Nam Giseok drove his car to the supermarket.
Green onions and eggs for *pasongsong gyerantak*. He made sure not to forget those two items, putting them in his cart first.
He also picked out various types of ramen and added them to the cart.
‘I’ve been to the academy, but all I really learned were knife skills and ingredient prep. I need to avoid any real cooking for a while.’
There were plenty of ways to buy time.
Three-minute curry, instant pasta, pre-packaged seaweed, and canned goods.
Nam Giseok grabbed every instant food he saw and tossed it into his cart.
He also added minced garlic and beef so he could enhance the flavors to his liking.
He could store seasonings like these if he brought them in the preservation box used for long-term subjugations.
After finishing his shopping, he headed to the Hunter Association.
He lived in Gold City, a district dense with the wealthy. It was the complete opposite of the slum where Cheon Doun was born.
Nam Giseok parked his car in front of the Hunter Association and went inside.
As he crossed the marble lobby, a receptionist at the counter greeted him.
“Welcome. How may I help you?”
“I’d like to schedule a promotion test.”
Nam Giseok presented his Hunter license. The receptionist’s eyes widened when she saw his B+ rank.
Even a B-rank meant a considerably skilled awakened being.
The ‘+’ mark meant he was a promising candidate to become an A-rank Hunter.
At the sight of the rare rank, the receptionist cleared her throat.
“I’ll check for you right now. The deadline for Mr. Nam Giseok’s promotion evaluation is… huh?”
The receptionist paused while looking at her computer screen. Nam Giseok knew instantly why she reacted that way.
‘She must have seen my record of failing the evaluation for six years straight.’
Generally, people gave up if they didn’t pass after trying for about three years.
Anything more than that was just wishful thinking. A person needed to know when to give up in life.
Wasn’t it pathetic to cling on for six years, unable to accept it?
The receptionist thought, glancing at Nam Giseok.
“You have about a month left before this year’s application deadline. What date would you like to schedule your evaluation for?”
“Please schedule it for the last day of the period.”
Promotion evaluations could be taken once a year per individual.
Nam Giseok had 35 days left.
The reason he scheduled it as late as possible was to receive Cheon Doun’s teachings during that time.
“Your registration is complete. I wish you the best of luck.”
Nam Giseok turned to leave as he heard the receptionist’s farewell.
After he left, the receptionist showed the computer screen to her colleague next to her.
“Hey, look at this. That guy failed the promotion test for six years and just applied again. This will be his seventh year.”
“Ah, the B-rank Hunter Nam Giseok? He’s famous in these parts. I heard he used to be revered as a promising A-rank candidate. A man should know when to leave the stage while the applause is still loud. It’s kind of ugly to see him clinging on like that.”
The receptionists whispered to each other, looking at the door Nam Giseok had just exited.
What they didn’t consider was the physical ability of a B+ rank awakened being.
Nam Giseok heard every word of their gossip from beyond the closed door.
His face flushed with shame. He knew people mocked him behind his back, but hearing it directly was a huge blow to his morale.
He had the strength to go back and beat them up. But that would be nothing more than a pathetic act, so he held back.
‘Just you wait. I’ve found an incredible mentor. If I just follow his teachings, I’ll definitely pass the promotion evaluation this time.’
He would proudly become an A-ranker and make sure they could never say such things again. That would be the best revenge.
“I need to get to Sir quickly.”
Nam Giseok clenched his fist and left the association building.
***
Arriving home, Cheon Doun placed the egg inside a drawer.
A dark environment and a hard surface like a cliff. The inside of the drawer was the optimal environment for an artificial incubator.
Since it was a species where the parents laid the egg and abandoned it, there was no need to do anything more.
Cheon Doun closed the drawer, leaving it slightly ajar for air circulation.
“The egg will hatch when the time comes. Now, shall I make a fluorescent light?”
He needed to go to the waterfall valley to wash the luminous stone he’d brought back. Just as he stood up, a blue Gate opened near his house.
“I’m back!”
With a cheerful voice, Nam Giseok stepped out of the Gate.
He was carrying three boxes of groceries and had a large camping backpack on his back.
“Sir, I’m here! What should we start with today? Just give me an order. This Nam Giseok is ready for anything!”
Hearing the booming voice from outside, Cheon Doun grinned.
The perfect worker had returned, laden with food.
“You’re back at a good time.”
Nam Giseok had high potential. If he was taught how to use his abilities properly, he could be put to work on the upcoming home interior construction.
“Shall I try turning him into a proper worker?”
It might be a bit of a spartan regimen, but if Nam Giseok could keep up, Cheon Doun was confident he could mold him into a top-tier worker.
Cheon Doun grinned as he went out to meet Nam Giseok.