Chicken Dreams Come True
"Fuck."
I opened my eyes, and my whole body ached like hell. Probably because last night’s fight was so damn intense. Every muscle felt torn to shreds. But hey, payday was coming soon. Let’s see, it was late dawn. The sun was about to peek over the horizon, chasing away the darkness. Damn, I slept pretty soundly, huh? But the warehouse air was crap—my throat itched, my mouth tasted like ass. And no blanket, so it was cold as balls. The place wasn’t even sealed against the wind. At least inns didn’t leave you feeling like this... Yeah, lodging fees are worth every coin.
"Up we go."
I got up, strapped my staff to my waist, and stepped out of the warehouse. The Little Blue Ghost corpses from yesterday were still there. Eight of them. That’s something to brag about anywhere. As I milled around, someone showed up. Not the old man from before—this was a kid. Right, he said they’d send someone in the morning. Probably a farmhand here at Daeil Farm.
"Hey, check it out. I took care of the Little Blue Ghosts."
"Ah! I’ll go get the manager!"
So the old guy was the manager, huh.
"When’s the manager coming?"
"He usually starts his rounds around now, so he’ll be here soon."
"I’ll wait."
Didn’t take long before the kid brought the old man over.
"Here. Little Blue Ghosts exterminated."
"Oho, you got a ton of them!"
The old man gawked at the corpses, impressed as hell. Good vibes.
"There were so many, man. They all rushed me at once—tough bastards. But I killed every last one I saw."
"Well done! These things are such a pain in the ass!"
Feeling’s mutual. Now, about that pay...
"Here’s the promised reward!"
Clink!
"Ooh!"
The old man handed over a string of coins! I snatched it quick and counted them out. I’m good at numbers, after all. Yep, solid. Two hundred coins.
"Got it!"
Holy shit! I made two hundred coins in one day! Could I be any happier? Overwhelming joy hit me, followed by a solid realization. Yeah. Manual labor’s bullshit. Yokai hunting—that’s the real play. Sure, it was a brutal nighttime brawl, but now I had two hundred coins in my pocket. Money you’d never snag slaving away at odd jobs. I was over the moon.
"Good work. If something like this pops up again, come back, yeah?"
"Heh heh heh, you bet. Oh, one thing I’m curious about."
"What’s that?"
"These Little Blue Ghosts... edible?"
"What? Eating yokai?"
Figured as much. The old man looked at me like I’d suggested eating dirt.
"You planning to eat yokai?"
"They poisonous or something?"
"Nah... nothing like that. You could eat ’em if you wanted, but why choke down yokai meat when there’s good food out there?"
Because I’m broke as fuck.
"Tastes like shit anyway. You ain’t a Beggar Clan disciple. Hell, eating yokai meat brings bad luck."
"Got it."
Info sorted: No poison. Tastes bad. But Beggar Clan eats it. So beggars chow down on yokai meat sometimes. Still, to normal folks, it’s desperate weirdo shit that curses you. Superstition. Me? Kim Geun-hyeop, modern man. I ain’t scared of fairy tales. If it saves on food costs, I’ll scarf yokai meat all day! Sweet! Next time, I’ll try it.
"Thanks for the info."
"No big deal..."
"Anyway, what about the corpses?"
"Take ’em. Sell the hides, skulls, nails—whatever. Makes decent coin."
"Ooh, for real?!"
Jackpot! He said head to the markets; there’s shops dealing in yokai scraps. Armed with that, I bowed to the old man and hoisted the Little Blue Ghosts by their tails.
"Ugh."
No real stench. Blood’s dried, not flaking off. But lugging animal corpses around hours after death? Nasty as hell.
"If another Daeil Farm Little Blue Ghost request goes up, I’ll swing by."
"You wiped ’em out good—won’t see any for a while. Safe travels."
Time to bounce. I headed out of Daeil Farm.
"..."
Walked a bit, and folks glanced my way as they passed. Nothing lingering, just mild curiosity. They figure I’m a yokai hunter heading home. Carrying yokai corpses? Apparently just another day around here.
"Ugh."
Anyway, mood’s great. Straight to the markets. Sell this shit for extra scratch? Pure profit. Bonus for the risk. My gamble paid off big. Tired, clothes blood-soaked and torn... but bloodstains are normal. Fixing ’em ain’t pricey. And I crashed hard in that warehouse after. Sore, but not wrecked. Win-win. Beats manual labor by a mile.
"Hmm."
Why don’t other laborers do this? Too risky? Locals ain’t as desperate as me—no need to roll the dice.
Lost in thought, I hit the market street.
"Ooh, nice."
Shops everywhere. I scanned for yokai byproduct dealers. Spotted a sign: Muil Miscellaneous Goods.
Worth a shot.
"Hey, boss."
Stepped in.
"Ah, Little Blue Ghosts? Here to sell?"
A rough-looking owner came out.
"Yep. Fresh kills from a few hours ago."
"Lemme check. Eight, huh."
He dumped the corpses on the floor and squatted.
"Looks like you went hard on ’em."
"Fought like hell."
"Heads busted, bones shattered, guts ruined. Hides trashed. Lowest grade."
"Ah."
True. I went all out; of course they’re mangled.
"Next time, bring intact ones. Bones and nails intact, hides whole. Even eight like this? Five coins max."
Only five? Damn.
"Can’t bump it up a bit?"
"Bring pristine next time, sure. Take ’em or five coins."
Feeling ripped off, but whatever. Free money I didn’t expect. Quality’s shit, fair enough.
"Deal."
Took the five coins and handed ’em over.
"How much for perfect condition?"
"Thirty easy. But nobody brings yokai in pristine—battle damage happens."
"Fair... Oh, the meat edible?"
"Guts rotten, starting to spoil. Dog food at best. You into yokai cuisine?"
"Kinda curious."
He grinned like it was the best news ever.
"Next door’s a yokai food joint. Bring good meat, they’ll cook it for the scraps."
"Ooh, seriously?!"
Trade byproducts for a meal? Huge W!
"Name’s Kim Geun-hyeop! I’ll be back!"
"Owner Song O-min. See ya."
Shook hands and headed out.
"Heh heh heh!"
Next time, capture yokai cleaner. These got wrecked, meat spoiled. Fresh? Free meal.
"Ah."
That’s when starvation hit hard.
Grrrrowl.
Stomach raging. Eat now or die. Kung Pao chicken time?
"Order up!"
I bolted to the inn.
"Waiter!"
Stormed in, full swagger.
"Yes, sir!"
Confidence maxed. Two hundred-plus coins jingling! Enough for mains, no judgment.
"One Kung Pao chicken, one plate of dumplings!"
Chicken and pork buns! Weird combo? This is Murim. Screw food norms. Time to grease the belly proper.
"Kung Pao chicken and dumplings! Eighty coins, sir!"
"Here."
Fucking pricey. Sixty for chicken, twenty for dumplings. Burned a full day’s labor wage on one meal. But zero regrets. Gourmet reward after yokai war. Gonna absorb every bit of that experience. Hard work + feast = brain imprint. Lesson for Murim life: Take risks, hunt yokai, live like a human. This ain’t just food. It’s a sacred ritual—sacrifice to myself for survival. And rituals cost.
"Kung Pao chicken and dumplings! Order up!"
Lost in thought, food arrived.
"Ah...!"
I could only gape. No—beyond that. Brain froze, couldn’t process.
"Aah!"
Chicken...! Perfectly fried, tossed in red sauce, steaming hot...! This glistening masterpiece, sprinkled with veggies and nuts!
"Aaaah!"
Couldn’t hold back the noise.
Drip.
Tears flowing. Chicken! I can eat chicken! Happiest day ever! And not just that—eight fat, grilled dumplings!
"Tea to go with it."
"Tea...? Oh yeah?"
Tea came too.
"Green tea with the Kung Pao. Enjoy."
"Dig in!"
Grabbed chopsticks. Mouth watering like crazy!