Chapter 113

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 113

Chapter Title: Where Did My Salad Go?

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It wasn't just the Gourmet who was flustered.

Everyone except Choi Min Hunter stared blankly for a moment at the air raid shelter rising from the table.

'Now I can relax.'

Choi Min Hunter met my smiling gaze and spoke calmly.

"Let's wrap this up within 20 minutes."

With that, she clenched her fist in the air.

Boom!

The explosion served as the signal to start the battle.

The Gourmet twisted its body to dodge the attack, stabbing wildly at the air with forks gripped in both hands.

'Even without those forks, its body alone is a deadly weapon.'

Each time its arms swung back and forth, a heavy gust of wind followed.

A little off-balance, I lowered my stance and prepared to attack.

The moment the status window appeared, the Gourmet's mouth gaped wide.

Green tendrils writhed between its countless teeth, then charged fiercely toward the table.

Crash.

Glass cups fell to the floor and shattered, sending sharp shards flying back toward us.

I raised Ego high and pulled the trigger long and hard. The entire air vibrated.

The plate shards, hit by the wave of sound, scattered like a handful of sand.

The Gourmet began shaking its body back and forth as if it had lost all reason.

Boom!

A shadow hand seized its neck and slammed it down onto the table.

Immediately after, a shower of light-green arrows rained down on it.

The attacks were landing solidly, if only for small amounts.

And since it couldn't eat, its HP wasn't recovering at all.

'Just keep chipping away like this.'

I leaped through the air, dodging the green tendrils while continuously pulling the trigger with my hand.

The Gourmet shook off the Moon Shadow clinging to it and reached for the pepper shaker in the center of the table.

Then it gaped its mouth wide, trying to pour the pepper inside.

"It really eats anything..."

Bang!!

A sound bullet blew off its wrist.

As the pepper shaker and a pale white hand fell to the floor, crimson flames erupted from the Gourmet's mouth.

The Gourmet drooled profusely, its jaw hanging slack as if dislocated.

The longer the hunger dragged on, the faster its HP drained.

The other hunters were diligently landing attacks from their positions.

Just as Choi Min Hunter said, we might actually finish this in 20 minutes.

Even if more food spawned next, as long as we kept it blockaded like this, victory would be ours.

"Shin Ji-ui Hunter!"

"Gasp...!"

Awooo!

Pop!

Before I could even summon my shield, a faint explosion rang out.

I whipped around to see a sharp-tipped green tendril bursting like a balloon under Nokdu's howl.

Nokdu bounded through the air and planted itself in front of me, baring its teeth at the Gourmet.

"Th-thanks, Nokdu!"

'Sis, don't let your guard down!'

'Never thought I'd be the one getting saved by Nokdu.'

I wanted to pet it wildly, but now wasn't the time.

Clink.

Then another pepper shaker appeared on the table.

The Gourmet, its head snapping that way, snatched it up again.

"Damn it...!"

Bang!

I pulled the trigger again.

I failed to blow off its wrist this time, but I hit the shaker dead-on. Powder rained down in a cascade.

The moment the Gourmet lowered its head to catch the falling powder in its mouth, a shadow hand twisted its neck and dragged it toward the chair.

'Hold on.'

The pepper shaker, spinning as it fell onto the table, looked just like a slow-motion video.

And only then did I notice the text on its surface.

Trauma Powder

It was the edible monster we'd fought before entering the nightmare.

The powder inside poured down onto the table like a waterfall.

"Everyone, hold your breath!!"

Pop!

The moment the Trauma Powder hit the table, glittering dust exploded everywhere, swallowing the table in an instant.

'Can't see a thing through this powder...!'

Pink dust billowed up thickly around the table.

"Is everyone oka..."

—Sis, you're coming tomorrow too, right?

—Sorry, Ji-ui. No hard feelings.

—There's a bunker in my basement. Let's head there first.

"Gasp...!"

Moments from the nightmare burrowed into my ears.

My vision spun dizzily, and I lost my balance.

Thud.

Thanks to Nokdu biting my hem and holding on, I didn't fall onto the table, but those words echoed through my mind like an afterimage.

'Get it together. I already dreamed through all those nightmares.'

Splash—

I shook my head violently and dumped a bottle of water from my inventory over my head.

The cold liquid soaked my hair and ran down my face, pulling me slightly free from the despair.

Crunch.

At that moment, Se-bin leaped out from the Gourmet's shadow alongside a black hand, with a limp Han Jin-woo tucked under her arm.

"It's just a mental skill hit. He'll wake up soon."

Se-bin answered before I could even ask.

Thanks to her mental skill immunity, perhaps? Seeing her unscathed put my mind at ease.

Cha Do-yun Hunter and Choi Min Hunter on the table were surely still lost in their traumas.

A quick way to snap those two out of it...

'...I have one.'

Click.

I immediately raised Ego toward the table.

Then, with the Savior's left eye, I gazed at the table blanketed in Trauma Powder.

I could see their positions.

Strength gathered in the finger on the trigger.

"Everyone, snap out of it!!"

Bang!!

I pulled the trigger with a shout that shook the space.

The white bullet swept away all the pink powder, then split into two streams.

Only after the powder vanished in an instant did the two people on the table come into view.

Their eyes returned to normal.

Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any major trauma.

"Haa..."

Cha Do-yun Hunter let out a deep sigh and drew back the string of Morning Glory.

Pew—

A wind arrow struck the Gourmet's face, leaving a light-green trail.

Boom!!

At the same time, azure flames mercilessly scorched its face.

Choi Min Hunter, who had caused the explosion, flew straight toward me, flashed a quiet smile, then burned both of the Gourmet's shoulders to a crisp.

"Gasp."

"Ah, you're awake."

"Ka-K-Kang Se-bin Hunter...! Uwaaah, I'm sorry!"

Han Jin-woo Hunter had woken up too.

He covered his face with both hands, repeatedly apologizing to Se-bin, then hopped onto Lucky Rabbit's Foot.

His ears flushed red, embarrassed at having been carried in her arms.

"Shall we regroup?"

"Yeah."

Se-bin gave me a nod before leaping high into the air.

She then spun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her blade downward.

Whirr!!

She vertically sliced the bouquet head, but green tendrils burst from within and clashed against her sword.

"Ugh."

"Careful!"

Boom!!

The force of the tendril hurled Se-bin toward the table.

Caught off-guard with no time to erase her presence, she tumbled across the tabletop.

'Damn, can't underestimate this thing.'

The tendrils themselves were threatening, but getting hit meant almost certainly ending up in its mouth.

I pulled the trigger long to vibrate the air first, slowing the tendrils' movements.

But soon enough, they surged toward me even more ferociously.

Bang, bang, bang!

I severed the tendrils with bullets to draw its attention.

The more I burst them, the thicker and sharper new ones emerged, hounding me relentlessly.

"Step back."

Roar—

Suddenly, Choi Min Hunter dove between me and the tendrils, incinerating them.

The tendrils tore away amid thick black smoke.

'Her explosions really land well.'

Maybe because it was fire, but Choi Min Hunter's attacks seemed especially effective.

Swoosh.

At that moment, something pierced the black smoke, hurtling fiercely toward Choi Min Hunter.

My body moved faster than my mind, shoving her roughly aside.

'Please don't pass out...!'

I gritted my teeth, praying the Life Benefactor achievement would activate properly.

Stab—

"Cough...!"

'Not a tendril—a fork.'

I'd expected body-wracking pain, but it felt like the blade halved me, my guts burning away.

My vision flashed repeatedly from the pain, but my life was unharmed.

"Ji-ui!"

"Shin Ji-ui Hunter!"

I sensed several presences approaching me amid the voices.

But with the Gourmet protecting the fork impaling me using its tendrils, rescue wouldn't be easy.

'Don't worry, everyone.'

Click.

By the time I arrived right in front of its gaping maw, I'd reshaped Ego into bazooka form.

'This was part of the plan.'

KABOOM!!

A massive sound shell slammed precisely into its mouth.

Petals exploded outward, flower petals and nameless weeds drifting lazily through the space.

The flustered Gourmet yanked the fork from my body and groped at its half-blown-off face with both hands.

As my body plummeted toward the table, I lightly gripped the sleeve of Iter's robe covering my hand.

'River Styx, activate.'

Drip.

The sound of a droplet that erases all the world's pain and wounds echoed in my ears.

The fishy taste of blood in my mouth vanished completely, and the dizzying agony cleared away like it'd been washed off.

Flutter.

I landed lightly on the table amid the Gourmet's petals.

I looked up to check its status.

Flower petals streamed from its mouth.

Its body heaved up and down violently like it was dry-heaving, its lower jaw flopping with each motion.

"I have full heals too. Too bad for you."