Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Meat and the Hunter
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What is the unique advantage of a rooftop room?
It's high. The highest spot in the building. A place where you can feel the unfiltered, perfect sun and sky.
The view is great. Whether it's in the middle of a dense cityscape or a lush forest, each has its own charm.
That's why a rooftop room carries a certain romance.
And that is...
"...barbecue, of course!"
Meat grilled in an open space was a truth no human could resist.
I've never traveled abroad.
But I knew for a fact that this truth held across East and West, ancient and modern.
Clatter!
I pulled firewood out from inside Molrangtori.
They were the ones I'd bought on moving day, thinking they'd come in handy someday.
I gathered the logs together. Even with over ten already stacked, it still felt like it wasn't enough.
For the ultimate barbecue, firepower was key.
Clatter!
So I dumped in more logs without holding back. Something I couldn't do in my old rooftop room.
Thick, blackish smoke would rise high, and fire truck sirens would blare.
Koreans really have that reporting spirit dialed up to eleven.
So right here, I was going to do everything I'd always wanted to but couldn't because of real-life barriers.
In this rooftop room, I was king.
Ui!
"You want to give it a try?"
Ui!
Mini picked up a log with her hand. She deliberately grabbed the rough bark side instead of the smooth part.
Her expression was bright. Mini was enjoying the texture.
Hands are like that. They're the organs that let you touch and feel, discovering the world's mysteries.
For Mini, who'd never touched raw wood before, this was a brand-new experience.
So no need to dismiss that enthusiasm.
"Yeah, go ahead and do what you want."
Ui!
Mini charged toward the pile of logs stacked as high as her.
She lifted the top one with her thick fingers and started building a new tower beside it.
Thud!
Surprisingly precise construction. Like she'd seen it somewhere, a rectangular structure was taking shape.
Squish!
Molcang jumped into the empty space inside the structure.
Did she find the increasingly enclosed space fun?
Molcang bounced around inside. Thanks to Molcang acting as the central pillar, Mini stacked the logs even more precisely.
And Molrang...
...
Was stretched out limp under the blazing sun. Because she had the wild boar carcass inside her.
Probably didn't feel like running around lazily.
Pudding slimes' storage ability transcended the laws of the world, but they weren't entirely unlike humans.
Stuff yourself full like a human would, and you'd feel bloated.
Of course, Molrang wouldn't suffer indigestion or anything, but there must've been some discomfort.
"Alright, I'm counting on you?"
Ui!
Barbecue was planned for evening anyway.
The rooftop temperature was currently 41 degrees. The feverish Earth was properly venting its irritation at humanity.
So I decided to leave the firewood prep to Mini. She'd have more fun with that than me playing with her.
Creak...!
Before heading back to the first floor, I stopped by the rooftop room.
Ryu...
Not as much as Seolbaek, but her fluffy black fur swayed faintly.
Dart was sleeping soundly under the AC.
Not that he was the odd one out—summer heat was murder to him.
"Seolbaek, aren't you hot?"
Kkiing!
Seolbaek on my head shook her tail vigorously. Cool energy wrapped around my nape.
She had a built-in resistance to high temperatures.
Amazing.
Aren't arctic foxes supposed to be cold-resistant, not heat?
Magical beast friends were unpredictable like that. That's what made them fun.
Step.
I descended the stairs to the first floor. Way over there, Hayoung was working.
The broken window was already perfectly repaired.
Yet her hands didn't stop. She seemed intent on replacing every window in the factory's first floor with that special glass.
I was so grateful I didn't know where to put myself.
So I had to make sure the barbecue was extra delicious.
By the way, no need to worry much about monster edibility.
Monster mana often acted like poison to ordinary humans.
Humans couldn't handle mana, so they couldn't digest it.
But to Awakeners, it was basically a tonic. Unless it was from an ultra-venomous monster, anything went.
Just look at Jina eating eye candy.
If she could eat eye candy, what's a bit of wild boar meat?
Screeech!
"Whoa... gotta replace this too."
The crumpled iron door resisted opening fiercely. Damn boar bastard—why'd it have to ram the front gate of all things.
"Argh."
Gave up on the main door in the end. Too tough for my lack of strength.
I slipped out the side door instead. Hid under the eaves' shade to avoid the sun and rummaged in my pocket.
What I pulled from the inner pocket was a sharp claw. Sharp enough to pierce my palm if gripped tight.
"Seolbaek, if you would."
I raised my hand above my head.
Sniff sniff. Seolbaek smelled the mana residue on the claw.
Kkiing!
Her tail started spinning right away. Whirr whirr whirr, the sound buzzed in my ears.
Could she really fly with that tail someday?
Two seemed too weak still. And short.
Kkiing!
Whoosh, mana particle mist spread out like before. But denser this time.
Makes sense—the target was different.
Giant pudding slimes were low-rank monsters. Their only trait was size.
The claw I'd given Seolbaek belonged to a Bloody Wolf.
Bought it for a whopping 500,000 won on the trading gallery.
Damn, it was expensive as hell.
Considering Bloody Wolves were A-rank, the price made sense.
Kkiiing...!
My scalp grew faintly warm. Seolbaek's body, unaccustomed to heat, was filling with it.
Was two tails too much after all?
Handling her vast mana with just two was tough.
Like crossing the ocean on a raft.
So I lent a hand.
I channeled my mana through the red thread connecting me to Seolbaek.
Ordinary monsters' mana came from mana stones.
But my summons' mana rooted in mine.
"..."
The same essence flowed along the thread into her.
My perfectly controlled power mingled with the raging torrent inside her, calming the flow.
Drip.
A bead of sweat fell.
From me? Or her?
Didn't matter.
Boom!
The mist burst out like a smoke bomb. For a moment, it even blocked the summer sun.
Seolbaek spun once in midair, riding the momentum.
Growl...
Soon, a Bloody Wolf bared its fangs before me.
"Good job."
Grr!
Confirming my nod, Seolbaek took off running. Her distinctly longer red tail scattered crimson particles.
The particles floated like spores on the wind, settling into the ground and taking root.
Territory marking.
Like telling deer a tiger's been here by leaving shit around.
Using Bloody Wolf mana to ward off mana stone-attracted monsters.
This should do it.
Anything below A-rank wouldn't dare approach.
But what if an A+ bursts in?
'All the better.'
Kill it on sight, sell the materials. Think of it as a lottery from the sky. Even if it's just second prize now.
Why pass up free rice?
Growl!
Exactly ten minutes later, Seolbaek returned.
I'd told her to cover a pretty wide area, but...
A-rank speed? She was fast as hell.
"Good work. Now drop the transformation."
Boom!
At my words, Seolbaek reined in her mana. White fur and tails reappeared before me.
"...What's that?"
But there was this white-and-red thing. Transformation wasn't fully undone.
Something in Seolbaek's mouth.
White, but speckled with pathetic red...
"Rabbit?"
Kkiing!
She'd caught a mountain rabbit in the meantime. But... why?
As I puzzled, Seolbaek kindly cleared it up.
...
It was small, but the rabbit vanished from my sight in an instant.
Okay. Got it.
Seolbaek, you're a proper hunter too.
Good call deciding on barbecue.
Would've broken her heart if we'd tossed it.