Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Gulp, Evolution
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Originally, the caves inside gates were places hunters avoided.
“It's pitch black.”
There wasn't a single source of light.
Even among the awakened, not everyone had superior physical abilities. Aside from a few classes, night vision wasn't particularly sharp.
Click!
That's why we had to rely on the beam of our flashlights.
Of course, it wasn't bad at all.
The flashlights made specifically for gates packed quite a punch. They were bright enough to make even ghosts flee with blinded eyes.
………
Something—whether wind, or the cry of a monster—brushed past us.
“Ugh… gives me the creeps.”
Hayoung, walking ahead, shuddered repeatedly. I wasn't much different.
Especially the cave's unique humidity made breathing feel sticky. The clamminess clinging to my airways gradually left me short of breath.
“Let's take it slow. No telling what might pop up.”
Seojin hadn't lowered his sword since entering the cave. Tension radiated from every one of his movements.
That's why his reaction was quick.
Slash!
His greatsword swung toward something in the darkness beyond the flashlight's reach.
“W-What is it?”
Hayoung jumped in place. Her flashlight beam pointed where Seojin was looking, but there was nothing there.
“Be careful. Looks like a Black Centipede.”
I'd heard of it before. Probably a monster that looked like a centipede. I remembered it being B-rank.
“Eek…….”
Maybe imagining being swarmed by centipedes, Hayoung hugged herself tightly in disgust.
Yeah, it did sound gruesome.
Slash!
Seojin swung his greatsword again. The sound of it cutting through the air carried an inexplicable stickiness.
Thud!
Something slimy splattered around us. At the same time, the shoulder of my top began to melt away. Was its bodily fluid highly acidic?
“Watch out!”
“Ack!”
Seojin shoved Hayoung aside with his hand. Amid the shaking flashlight beam, a dark shape whisked by.
“Annoying…….”
Seojin clicked his tongue a couple times. Normally, a B-rank monster wouldn't be a match for him, but this was a special situation.
If he were alone, or in an open space, it wouldn't be an issue.
There were quite a few inconveniences.
That's why Seojin missed his timing.
Scrabble-scrabble!
An unpleasant sound. It came from above. The Black Centipede was dropping straight toward me.
“Danger!”
Seojin shouted. But I didn't dodge.
Because.
I already knew.
I couldn't see in the dark, but Molrang was relaying everything to me.
It seemed monsters could sense each other's mana.
Molrang!
Molrang looked up and opened its mouth wide. What happened next was simple.
Kishaaa…!
A death cry, or perhaps the collective resistance of its dozens of legs—some incomprehensible noise filled the cave.
Molrang……!
Molrang's body stretched out long. Through the red thread, its emotions were transmitted to me loud and clear.
Not… tasty.
“No, Saebyeok… You scared me. If it could do that, you should've said something.”
Seojin let out a hollow laugh. Hayoung blinked in shock.
“Uh……. Sorry. I didn't know it could do that either, ahaha….”
That was pretty much the first and last crisis of our cave exploration.
We soon found the chunks of Moonshadow Stone and exited the gate without further incident.
**
Ding!
[Doorstep delivery completed.]
“You're here. You're here~”
I received the processed Moonshadow Stone from Hayoung via delivery.
A whopping 5kg. Whoa, it's heavy. Almost dropped it.
Rip!
I tore open the box right away. Dozens of small portions of Moonshadow Stone greeted me.
I picked one out. It was about the size of a 500-won coin.
“Alright, Mini, you ready?”
I held it out in front of Mini.
Woo-ee!
Mini puffed out its chest with determination. There was a small groove there, like it had been prepared in advance.
“You want me to put it in there?”
Woo-ee!
Mini nodded vigorously several times. It was raring to go. Life in the flowerpot must have been pretty stifling.
“Here goes?”
I placed the Moonshadow Stone into the groove without hesitation.
Wooong—a hum resonated. Like a magnet, the groove pulled the stone in.
Flash! Light began to emanate. A pale purple glow spread through Mini's body like veins.
The loose sand grains intertwined with each other. The crumbly texture vanished, replaced by a smooth sheen.
Woo-ee……!
A short groan escaped. Mini's arms, propped against the floor, trembled faintly. Teary grains welled up in its eyes.
“…….”
But there was nothing I could do. Even trying to send mana through the thread, something blocked it.
It was similar to, yet different from, the fusion of pudding slimes.
Sh……
Fortunately, Mini's pain didn't last long. The transformation ended in under five minutes.
“You okay?”
Mini knelt on the floor. I placed my hand on its body.
Whoa… hot! Like a blazing fireball. Heat haze was actually rising from the surface.
!!!
Quick-witted Molrang and Molcang swiftly clung to Mini to cool it down.
“Mini, you good?”
At my question, Mini lifted its head. Then it gave a thumbs-up.
“Pfft…! What was that?”
Cheeky thing, must've seen it somewhere.
I'd put a tablet in the flowerpot so it wouldn't get bored, and it had apparently watched all sorts of videos.
“Wanna come out and show off, then?”
And finally, Mini was given permission.
Mini clenched its fists tensely, then lifted a leg.
One leg emerged from the flowerpot. No more sand fell off.
Woo-ee!
At last, Mini was released after its long confinement.
It stood still for a moment.
Thud! Thud!
Then stomped the ground several times with its own feet. It spread its fists wide, thumped its hardened belly.
Woo-ee!
Raising both arms to the sky, Mini ran around the rooftop room with heavy footsteps.
Good thing no one lived right below. If there were tenants, they might've come up complaining.
Thud thud!
Mini was that excited.
I let Mini be for a while. Putting it to work right away felt ethically off.
“Had enough fun?”
About three hours later, Mini came back to me.
Woo-ee!
Just looking at its upturned mouth corners told me it was satisfied.
“Alright then… You know how to do this, right?”
I placed various items in front of Mini. Molrangtori, HC labels, tape, boxes, bubble wrap.
Woo-ee!
Without any explanation, Mini got to work. It had watched me do it from the flowerpot all along.
Stick. First, it applied the HC label.
Perfectly precise movements. The stickers were low quality— even I messed up peeling them sometimes…
Seriously good. Those thick fingers moved with surprising delicacy.
Stick stick!
Mini wrapped the bubble wrap with skilled hands and finished boxing up.
[00:00:31]
“Whoa…….”
Packing one Molrangtori took less than 30 seconds.
Speed: pass.
Felt like facing a factory grind master from those satisfying ASMR videos, shushing through tasks.
Woo-ee!
Mini churned out ten boxes in a flash. Then lifted them all. Five per arm, stacked high.
Incredibly stable. If the ceiling were higher, it could've stacked even taller.
Thud!
Mini neatly moved them to the front door.
“Whoa……!”
100 points. Perfect score.
Worth all that hardship in the gate for you!
Through Mini, I'd finally perfected it.
A perfectly running Molrangtori production line.
With it confirmed operational, only one thing left.
I immediately posted to my gallery.
Tap tap tap.
[Molangtori Round 2 Sales Start!][Author: DragonRaiserWannabe]
Back by popular demand.
This time with an upgraded version that takes functionality to the next level.
Get this: Molrangtori can now combine with each other…!
Sales method and quantities as follows.
1. Molrangtori (Basic) - Total 50 units: 130,000 won each
2. Molrangtori (Combinable) - Total 200 units: 150,000 won each (Max 4 per person due to limited stock)
Sales method: Lottery (Apply for only one type) - (Link for lottery list signup)
Sorry to those disappointed by low stock… Please wait just a bit.
We'll be bringing in tons more soon…!