Chapter 438
Chapter 438
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 438
>Chapter Title: Adventure 36-2 "Talking Dried Meat"
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Unruled Zone.
A place untouched by Castreng, the vein of the north. Where异種族, great nature, primitiveness, and bitter cold stretch their limbs.
You have recruited Jian, once a baron of the Council, as your guide and are wandering there.
Without a destination—no, to find out your destination.
Jian, who calls himself Kokoro, is clearly gazing ahead with fervent eyes.
However, he is not truthful and shows no weaknesses, making him hard to trust.
Must you believe him?
The incident that occurred in the middle of the night is also worrisome.
Amid all this, you have arrived at the Kingdom of Triem, stolen by ogres, to deal a fatal blow to the Council's affairs.
As expected, the ogres, who never miss the scent of meat, came rushing in at once.
You must escape them and find the Council's lackeys.
Objective: Encounter the Council's forces infiltrating Triem.
Warning: This adventure is extremely dangerous.
Warning: The situation in this adventure changes from moment to moment.
Warning: Clashing head-on with the Council will begin an epic journey.
Remaining time: "Unknown"
The ogre's eyeballs pondering right in front of Kang Seol's nose.
"Uh... can't I just take one bite?"
"No, I have business with your king."
"The king doesn't talk to dried meat."
"So, I'm a guest."
The ogre huffed and puffed, compressing Kang Seol's words to relay to the surrounding ogres.
"He says we can't eat it?"
"Ooooo! No wayyyyy—!"
"Can't we eat it behind the king's back?"
"The king will get mad... and he's scary when mad."
"I don't want thaaat...."
"We have to take him to the king."
"Will the king share a little?"
"He might give us one."
"That one! The others are tough or small and tasteless. That one's good!"
When the ogre pointed at Sindio and spoke, Sindio shuddered and whispered to Kang Seol.
"W-what are they saying? He just pointed at me."
"...He likes you."
"Whaaat?"
It wasn't wrong.
"Like" could be used in many senses.
"Small! Their houses are super small!"
When Tansia pointed at houses that were markedly smaller compared to the ogres and spoke, Jian replied.
"Triem was originally a human kingdom. If it had been just a bit closer geographically, it would have claimed a seat in the Federation by now."
"But why is no one here?"
"It was abandoned quite a while ago. Because of those ogres."
Tansia looked at the ogres and said.
"They look scary, ogres."
"Kukuku... yeah, that's why everyone hates them. Still, they like Triem so much they never come out."
Sindio shook his head.
"It's misinformation. To be precise, they tried expanding beyond their territory multiple times, but there were clashes with the Unruled Zone's natives. After blood was spilled, the current border became firmly established."
The Unruled Zone was dangerous partly because of natives who survived even with these ogres next door.
In the meantime, the pondering ogre turned around and bent his knees. The lid of the wooden box on his back opened.
"Get in here. I'm taking you to the king."
"...Alright."
As Kang Seol stepped forward briskly, Sindio tried to stop him.
"That's a lunchbox, anyone can tell!"
"So, are you not going in? He says he's taking us to the king. At least about Fatty, he won't lie."
Triem's ogres were top predators, but they feared two things.
One was hunger, and the other was their king, Fatty.
As Kang Seol entered the wooden box, he said.
"You're taking us to Fatty, right?"
"Of course! To Fatty! But it'd be nice if one of you went into our mouths later!"
"Well... if there's a chance."
"What did he say?"
"He says he'll get us there safe and sound."
- Everyone, study languages hard.
- Interpreters aren't always reliable.
- This guide... is no ordinary guy.
Despite the unease, it was an unavoidable choice. If they didn't go with this ogre, others would surely target them.
Finally, with all the party inside the ogre's lunchbox, the ogres began running excitedly.
Thud-!
Thud-!
Thud-!
"F-fa-fast!"
"Kukuku... from the start, if we'd run into them on flat ground, we couldn't have escaped."
The notion that big bodies meant slow was just prejudice, as if the ogre were demonstrating it himself.
"...Lots of bones visible."
"That's how long the history of ruin is here. A day will come when even their descendants forget."
"How did Triem become a land humans can't live in...."
"Civilization's prosperity and fall exist here simultaneously. A regression to barbarism?"
"You're saying something poetic. Interested in history or archaeology?"
"What interests me is survival. Surviving. That's justice and goodness."
"...As I thought."
The ogre carried the party to Triem's center at terrifying speed.
The scale of the old Triem Kingdom no longer mattered. It was mostly lost history now.
And their territory had been thoroughly ravaged by ogres.
Gluttonously devoured, only bones remained sunken in the city.
The ogre didn't tire.
After running a full day at astonishing speed, Triem's castle came into view.
Border guards encountered before the castle.
"Bonnyyyyy! Bone-Grinder! Stop! Hiding food! It stinks!"
"Right! But it's not food for me!"
"What?"
"Going to Fatty. Talking dried meat."
"Dried meat talked? Bone-Grinder, hungry?"
The guard opened the lid of the lunchbox basket holding Kang Seol's party.
Kang Seol, grimacing, said.
"...Close it."
The guard gaped and yelled.
"It talkedddd! Dried meat talked! Take it to Fatty!"
"Got it!"
Thud thud thud thud-!
Ogres, beings without order or system.
Yet they were plenty strong without such cumbersome things.
Before the makeshift throne made from dismantling the castle, the ogre called Bone-Grinder stopped once more.
"Bone-Grinder, what's up?"
"Brought this to show Fatty, dried meat."
"Fatty's full now, go back."
"Talking dried meat."
"Fatty! Talking dried meat's here! Bone-Grinder brought it!"
A majestic voice came from the throne.
"Is it tasty?"
"Didn't try it."
"Show me, dried meat."
Bone-Grinder flipped the lunchbox basket over and shook it, dropping the party into the air.
"Sle... Kyaaaah—!"
"Damn...."
As Sindio and Jian fell upside down, Karen and Karuna stepped up to catch them.
Slap-!
[Using Magpie Bridge.]
[Shaping a structure using summoned creatures.]
Kang Seol's party descended without falling, forming stairs with a flock of crows.
- Cowherd: Moeo... give it back...
- So badass lololol
- Like a demon king entrance lol
An obese ogre sat on the throne. No, more precisely, the throne was too small, so he was straddling it.
"Are you Fatty?"
- Flinch!
- Thought he was calling me and nodded....
- Add the species in front.
Fatty asked with a surprised expression.
"How do you talk, dried meat? Ogre teach you?"
"I've been able to since sometime ago."
"Impressive! Dried meat talking. Too good to put in the pot."
"Too good to eat... but wanna eat it."
"Fatty, can we eat it?"
"What if it curses me from inside my belly? Can't eat it again once eaten...."
Kang Seol looked at the mountain-like massive ogre king Fatty and said.
"Have you seen others like us around here lately?"
"Dried meats?"
"Well... yes."
"Were there? Did we eat them?"
"We didn't eat any."
"Right? Said we didn't eat them?"
"Ah! There were! There were!"
Another ogre, recalling a similar situation, added details.
"Dried meats tricked us! Used magic!"
"Oh yeah. Liars."
Kang Seol asked.
"Did they use your language?"
"No, different from talking dried meat. Magic. Tricks to communicate."
Whether translation magic or telepathy magic, they used something.
Kang Seol relayed this to Jian, who smirked slyly.
"Ask if they requested guidance to the ruins."
Kang Seol posed the same question to Fatty.
"Did they?"
"Yeah! They did! Said full of treasure, carrying it out! Lied!"
"If they came out with treasure, were you going to let them live?"
"Nah? Eat 'em and done?"
"......"
The ogres began getting excited.
"Outrageous! Into the pot!"
"No! Just kill 'em!"
"But wanna eat...."
"Then eat!"
Kang Seol asked them.
"Why didn't you chase them to the ruins?"
"Ruins too small. Won't break."
"Ah...."
That was why the ogres couldn't pursue the Council's minions.
Kang Seol chuckled and proposed.
"How about a deal?"
"Deal? Ogres don't deal. Don't need to."
"We'll avenge you on those dried meats."
"Avenge? Avenge?"
Fatty said with a fierce face.
"Won't get tricked twice! Into the pot!"
"Right, lies! Eat!"
To the charging ogres, Kang Seol said one thing.
"You won't lose out. Just have them guard the ruins so we can't escape, right?"
"Hmm... is that so?"
"Is it?"
"Maybe...."
Kang Seol smiled brightly.
"Just guide us to the ruins, and we'll bring those guys' heads."
"What? Really? Got it! We'll guide to ruins! If you avenge us... won't eat you!"
"Oh my god! Fatty's great!"
"But he'll be hungry!"
"Invite to meal too!"
"Yeah!"
Uwaaaaaah-!
Uwaaaaaah-!
Sindio, sick of the howling ogres, trembled and asked Kang Seol.
"Wh-what... how'd it go?"
"It worked out well. For now... we won't end up in the pot."
"Kek... amazing it even talks."
[You had a proper conversation with Triem's ruler, Fatty, for the first time.]
[Achievement 'Avoid the Empty Stomach' accomplished.]
[Acquired first title 「Intact Dried Meat」.]
* * *
Thud...
Thud...
Thud...
The party being transported in the lunchbox basket.
"Ugh... uweeeck... gonna puke."
"The ruins are pretty far."
"There they are."
After another full day of running, they reached a terrain of bizarre rocks.
"Is that the ruins' entrance? Hm...."
"Humans."
"Council guys. See the mark. Kill 'em all."
"...Got it."
Spotting the approaching ogre from afar, the ones camped at the entrance hurried into the ruins.
"Ogre!"
"Into the ruins!"
By the time their distance had grown far and Bone-Grinder reached the entrance, the humans were already gone.
"We'll be here. Bring the dried meat's head."
"Understood."
Swoosh...
The ogre reached out his hand, placed the party on it, and set them down below.
"Wh-what... why not toss us this time?"
"Guess we're not food anymore."
Rumble...
They must have recognized Jian, as they hurriedly sealed the door they entered. Not a single remnant remained.
Fortunately, there were several similar doors on either side.
"...Jian, what's ahead?"
"Ruins, so full of monsters. Traps too."
"And at the end?"
"...A Fragment of Assertion sleeps."
"Not related to the Covenant, then."
"It is. Just not sealed by the Covenant."
"The Fragment of Assertion is important?"
"...Very."
No other explanation needed.
Kang Seol read the inscription above the ruins' door fluidly.
"If you desire courage to face great power, advance united. Otherwise, face great hardship and great reward simultaneously...."
"...Trouble if the Council, stuck here for months decoding, hears you read it right away."
"...This ruins can only be cleared easily through one door?"
Jian shrugged.
"Who knows?"
"Means you don't know exactly?"
"No, your interpretation's right. But I think I know what you're planning."
Then he shook his head.
"Splitting up is too dangerous. Who knows what's inside?"
Kang Seol shook his head for a different reason.
"The ruins itself isn't that powerful. Feel it?"
Karen and Karuna nodded. Tansia stayed quiet, not understanding.
"...What, only you guys sense something? Why?"
"Yeah... I don't get it...."
A pure gap from difference in level. Those who reached the pinnacle could easily gauge the ruins' power wasn't worrisome.
Karen smiled and said.
"Karuna, this feels just like hunting the Earth General Spider, right?"
"...Yeah."
Kang Seol asked.
"Earth General Spider?"
"Guys that build homes underground. When hunting, they harden dirt like rock to block the entrance."
"Hm...."
"But other entrances stay open. So you stuff in burning straw."
"Smoke fills the burrow, and the Earth General Spider crawls out itself."
"Sometimes the tough ones die inside."
He got why Karen brought up the Earth General Spider now.
One door they were targeting was closed, while the other four were all open.
"Well, the decision's yours, Kang Seol. You know the party's strength best."
Jian awaited Kang Seol's decision. Kang Seol said firmly.
"We head to all doors."