Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Power of a Thick Root Slam
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At the mention of a villa, Cheon Doun opened his bag.
“I had something I wanted to ask anyway, and you just reminded me. Do you remember where you got this ore?”
What Cheon Doun took out was a yellow ore bracelet.
“I want to use some of it to build a fence. But I have no clues other than that it's in the sea.”
“A fence?”
“I'm expanding my house these days. I'm going to make a fence with this stone. I'll place luminous stones underneath so the whole fence gives off a gentle glow.”
It would surely look amazing once it was finished, Cheon Doun added.
It was indeed a magnificent scene, even just to imagine. In contrast, the Yu siblings were at a loss for words.
Their joke about not being surprised if he built a villa had come back as reality.
‘Well, we built a house too, but…’
In their case, they simply had no other choice.
The fact that he, who could come and go outside the Gate just fine, was deliberately trying to build a full-fledged villa-like house here made them laugh in disbelief.
He was a guy whose thoughts were completely unpredictable. But it wasn't all bad, since that same unpredictable thinking had saved them.
“Yu Jia. You got that ore when you followed the sea fairies, right?”
At Yu Beom's words, she nodded. The sudden mention of fairies made Cheon Doun look puzzled.
“There are fairies in the Demon World?”
“Ah. 'Fairy' is just a name we came up with. They're just deep-sea monsters. You'll see why we call them fairies when you see them.”
Yu Beom said, pointing to the sea.
“Dawn is their active time, so they should be out soon. Watch closely.”
How much time passed? Yellow lights began to appear here and there in the sea.
A feeling of them slowly rising from the deep. It wasn't just one or two. Thousands, tens of thousands of small lights filled the entire sea as they ascended.
Plip, plop. Plip…
One by one, they revealed themselves above the water's surface.
Pure white seahorses, twenty centimeters in size. A yellow light flickered from their tails like fireflies.
Flapping their large fins like wings, the seahorses flew above the water.
“They're originally deep-sea creatures. At dawn, they all come up to breathe. They don't have gills. What do you think? They really look like fairies, don't they?”
“Uncle Sparrow is right. This really looks like a fairy.”
The reply came from behind Cheon Doun. Kim Nari, awakened by the bright light, was looking around with a surprised expression. When she held out her hand, a seahorse landed on it.
“This is a seahorse fairy. It is pretty. I like this.”
“They taste good, too. You especially enjoyed them, kiddo.”
Struck by the sudden comment, Kim Nari froze. When she looked at Yu Beom with a shocked face, he looked back as if to say, ‘You didn't know?’
“You didn't know? That's what you ate the most of earlier. I had some dried ones for snacks, so I grilled them too. Ah. Maybe you didn't recognize them because I removed the wings and head.”
Kim Nari's eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck. She looked back and forth between the seahorse on her hand and Yu Beom.
A pretty, white seahorse fairy with a sparkling tail. Kim Nari squeezed her eyes shut.
“You, you guys… were delicious. I am sorry. You were too delicious…!”
“Right. Appetite over childhood innocence, as expected… Oof!”
Yu Beom only shut his mouth after his sister jabbed him in the side. Having silenced her clueless brother, she looked at Cheon Doun.
“Around sunrise, these seahorses will return to the sea. You can follow them then. Their habitat is a zone covered in that ore.”
“Really? That’s a great guide. It’ll be easy to find them that way.”
It was a good thing he wouldn't have to search the entire seabed. Kim Nari, who had been listening from the side, shot her hand up.
“Mister. I want to go too. Can I go too?”
“If you can hold your breath. How long can you stay underwater?”
“About three hours is no problem.”
Kim Nari answered with a confident expression. Cheon Doun smirked slightly at that.
He wondered what kind of face she'd make if he told her humans can't stay underwater for that long.
Of course, he had no intention of telling her. Since she was trying so desperately to act human, he planned to play along until she confessed on her own.
‘Still, I might need to impose some restrictions.’
If he left her be, she might fire up a jet engine from her back the moment she entered the water.
Kim Nari, shooting off like a high-speed torpedo the instant she submerged.
[Wooooo! Mister. I am fast! I am going!]
Wouldn't she disappear beyond the sea with such an unidentifiable cry?
‘Seems plausible.’
It was a thought meant to be funny, but he couldn't laugh. In human world terms, she might shoot off all the way to somewhere around the Pacific Ocean by herself.
[I miss Mister.]
Kim Nari, now a lost child of the sea, would fire up her jet engine again to find Cheon Doun. He could picture her zipping all over the Demon World's ocean.
‘This also seems plausible.’
It was a definite possibility. Cheon Doun looked at Kim Nari with a serious face.
“Once we're in the water, don't go more than fifty meters away from me. If you can promise that, you can come along.”
“Got it. Fifty meters. I will remember.”
Kim Nari nodded immediately. After getting her confirmation, he turned back to the Yu siblings.
“Could you watch my house while I go get the ore?”
“Your house? We don't mind, but why all of a sudden?”
“I think it'll take some time to mine the amount I want. If I leave the house empty for too long, monsters might swarm it, thinking I've abandoned my territory.”
He had no desire to see his hard-built house destroyed. There was also the risk that the Mandragoras he'd planted in his garden would be dug up and eaten by other monsters.
“Alright. Just give us the general location. It'll be quick to find from the sky. We'll watch your house until you get back with the ore.”
Two beings with disaster-level power had volunteered to be guardians.
Now, there was nothing to worry about. Cheon Doun smiled brightly at his "My Home," which was slowly taking shape.
* * *
Hanbit Chimera Research Institute. In this legally operated, government-approved facility, researchers were gathered.
“The request to find the Machine Lifeform… has anyone contacted us?”
“No. They all just took the GPS pads, but no one has shown any results.”
A brief silence fell. One of them spoke up with an anxious look.
“About the Hunters who come to take the request. Over 80% of them are… suffering from hair loss. Is this really okay?”
The researchers' expressions soured. Faced with a fact they had been trying to ignore, their faces grew pale.
“I-It should be fine. The reward is substantial, isn't it? Surely they wouldn't trade their hair for several billion.”
“But this person here. The B+ rank Hunter, Nam Giseok.”
A researcher pointed to one of the photos on the table.
“It's not publicly known, but this man, Nam Giseok… is the son of the GoGo Chicken Company's chairman.”
At the unexpected words, the researchers' eyes widened.
The GoGo Chicken Company, a name everyone knew. The national chicken company said to have expanded its business everywhere, from Diamond City to the slums.
The very same company with countless branches overseas.
“This man is the son of a total tycoon. The reward we offered is probably just pocket money to him. I wonder if it's really worth trading his hair for…”
“Hey! Why are you telling us this now! If you knew, you shouldn't have given him the GPS pad!”
“I-I only found out yesterday! He never says a word about his family! And the GoGo Chicken Company is extremely secretive about their family relations. I only found out by chance through some high-level intel.”
The researcher said, sounding wronged.
They looked at the photos on the table. Photos of the Hunters who had taken the GPS pads to find the Machine Lifeform.
Most of them had thinning hair. What was this ominous feeling? The researchers groaned with dark expressions.
“Everyone, don't worry. This thing our department made this time!”
One of the researchers placed a glass box on the table. Inside, a single, dried-up root, the thickness of a pencil, lay limply.
-Huuu…
A root resembling a Mandragora. But its color was different. From root to leaf, it was entirely silver, as if it had been plated with metal.
“Behold! A Chimera-type Mandragora! Mixed with liquid metal, this should be able to find the Machine Lifeform. It will follow the scent of its own kind.”
All eyes were drawn to his confident words.
Liquid metal was a rare mineral they would never be able to acquire again. There had been much opposition when that department asked for even a tiny amount.
But now that they had combined it with a Mandragora root and produced results, there was nothing more to say.
The researcher took the machine Mandragora out of the glass tube.
-Huuu…! Huu, huuuu…!
The dried-up Mandragora's resistance was fierce. It flailed its fine roots with vicious momentum.
Thwack. The researcher who was hit on the finger scratched the spot and said.
“We'll lend this to a trustworthy Hunter. Wouldn't this be much better at tracking than a malfunctioning GPS?”
“Good. Let's do that. But we must be careful in selecting the Hunter to whom we lend it. It must be someone who would never try to steal the Machine Lifeform…”
Their gazes turned to the photos of the Hunters with thinning hair.
“Let's pick someone who isn't losing their hair.”
Nod. Everyone agreed in unison.
* * *
The scene in front of Cheon Doun's house was warm and peaceful.
A sun-drenched garden. Four Mandragoras planted there.
The largest among them was lying face down in the garden.
-Huuung…
Sunbathing was definitely the right choice. Its bottom, which had stung after having two of its rootlets plucked, felt fine now.
It was about time to finish sunbathing and go back underground. Just as the Mandragora raised its body, it sensed a presence nearby.
“Damn it, is this the right place? The demonic energy is so thick I can't breathe!”
“I know, right? Why is the demonic energy at high-altitude levels? Is there something here?”
Human voices. The Mandragora immediately went on high alert.
“Are you sure we're going the right way?”
“I don't know. Let's just follow it. That machine Mandragora is leading the way.”
“I don't trust that thing either. It keeps stumbling and falling over. Isn't it defective?”
“If it falls, just give it a kick. It gets back up. Just hold on tight to the metal chain so it doesn't run away.”
Along with the murmuring voices, the bushes rustled.
-Hu, huuung!
At the appearance of intruders, the Mandragora let out a warning sound.
Hearing the sound, the other Mandragoras all crawled out of the garden.
Do not approach, invaders. This is our territory. They swung their fine roots with all their might. The Hunters who saw this widened their eyes.
“Hey, isn't that a Mandragora?”
“No way. Why would a Mandragora, which should be in the high altitudes… Whoa! I-It's real! It's a real Mandragora!”
“Good heavens, what a windfall!”
They cheered and rushed forward. In response, the largest Mandragora stood in front of the younger ones.
Formation C. One-on-one individual attack.
-Huuung!
The Mandragora lifted the thick root it used for walking. It slammed it into the ground as if stomping its foot.
Thud—. The area shook. Dirt and rocks from the ground flew up and then settled. The Hunters, who had been charging forward with great vigor, lost their balance and staggered.
Even the Mandragora that had slammed its root was surprised, its eyes wide. Was I always this strong?
The Mandragora looked at the Hunters. They were pale and backing away.
Their gazes were on the Mandragora, or more precisely, behind it.
“Wh-what is that? It fell from the sky.”
“It's an avian-type monster…! It's wearing clothes. Could it be intelligent?”
The Mandragora couldn't understand what the Hunters were saying.
But it understood that its thick root slam attack was shaking them to their core.
-Huuung!
It couldn't lose this momentum. The Mandragora slammed its thick root into the ground once more.
Thud—. Another heavy sound echoed as the area shook again.
“Th-there's another one…!”
Another avian monster, falling from the sky as if it had crashed.
A female-type monster, wearing a horned monster's skull like a helmet, landed beside the first one.
The demonic energy emanating from both was extraordinary. It was clear at a glance that they were not opponents the Hunters could handle.
It was a situation where they had to worry about whether they could even make it back alive, let alone fight.
The moment they met the bright yellow eyes, the Hunters collapsed.
Instinctive fear consumed their bodies. Their entire bodies prickled and trembled uncontrollably. Their legs gave out, and they couldn't stand.
Faced with the encroaching shadow of death, they lost all will to fight.
Seeing this, the Mandragora proudly lifted its head. I won. My thick root slam attack has made the enemy lose their will to fight.
-Huuung!
Victory is mine. We are safe now. It declared its victory to its young kin.
Seeing this, the small Mandragoras excitedly roared along.
-Huung, huung!
-Huuung!
-Huuu... huuu...!
Even the dried-up Mandragora had crawled over to join the celebration.
The avian monsters who had come to watch over Cheon Doun's house, the Yu siblings, looked down at the roots dancing at their feet.
“What is this?”
The weeds that had just saved their own lives. The small roots were holding each other's rootlets, spinning round and round at their feet.