Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Try Eating It First, Big Shot
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Quantum, one of the five major guilds.
Unusually, most of the gates they owned were D-rank.
They were one of the few guilds in the world specializing in gate theme park development.
A botanical garden utilizing rare mana herbs.
An aquarium containing only monsters that special reinforced glass could withstand, all B-rank or lower.
An amusement park leveraging the unique scenery inside certain gates.
And so on.
They owned numerous tourism-oriented gates around the world.
“Is this for real?”
The guild master of such a guild, S-rank hunter Hyeon Boreum, raised her voice in question. She couldn’t believe the report from her vice guild master.
“Yeah. Why would I lie about something like this?”
The response came in casual speech. A nonchalant attitude, complete with loudly popping gum.
But Boreum didn’t mind much. The two had been friends for ages, thick as thieves.
“Where’d this info come from?”
“An info broker tipped me off. Bought some other intel, and they threw this in as a freebie.”
“…It’s not classified or anything, is it?”
“Who knows. They said a promo video’s hitting TV tomorrow anyway. If an info broker knows about it, it’s probably not some big secret.”
That made sense.
Unless you were S-rank, the info brokers could only hack so much.
“So… they bought the T-4 Gate as part of this plan too?”
“Probably high chance. They wouldn’t buy it if they didn’t think they could milk it for cash.”
Boreum furrowed her brow slightly. If the report was accurate, it sounded like they’d squeeze every last penny mercilessly.
Of course, she had no idea what form Molrangmol’s theme park would take.
However.
‘Showing off a dragon right up close… or something like the old slime show…’
Just imagining it made her heart race. It was a dream tourism product no one had ever attempted.
That’s how rare the monster tamer class was.
Even officially registered S-rank tamers could handle about ten at most.
But Molrangmol seemed to leap past that limit effortlessly. It was almost a shame their rank cap was S.
And they weren’t even tamers—they were summoners?
That made it even possible to pull out ultra-rare monsters and show them off.
“What do you think?”
The vice guild master asked casually.
It wasn’t just about feasibility. She was hoping for more.
*Tap tap.* Boreum drummed the desk a few times, then read the bottom of the report.
[Collaborate with Molrangmol?]
“…It’d be stupid not to propose it.”
“Right?”
Collaboration.
It was a wildly foreign word for Quantum.
Quantum’s whole vibe was ‘neutral.’
They didn’t trade much with other guilds or pick fights.
Each to their own.
Survive on your own terms with what you’ve got.
Of course, that had led to financial crises a few times… especially a big hit a few months back.
But their established scale let them bounce back.
Collaboration for a guild like Quantum?
That’s how enticing Molrangmol’s theme park felt.
“Weren’t they on bad terms with Hwayeon?”
“Yeah. No idea why.”
“If Choi Seong-han attacked personally… there must be some bad blood.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean? First I’m hearing of it.”
“That bridge collapse last time.”
“Oh… so that’s what happened.”
The vice guild master nodded repeatedly, as if it all clicked.
Choi Seong-han’s ability, known to only a tiny few in Korea. Invisible Hand.
Boreum happened to pass near the scene and caught a glimpse.
Of course, she had no intention of blabbing about any hostility…
“So if we team up with Molrangmol, we’re picking a fight with Hwayeon too?”
“That’s kinda scary.”
They’d been creaking lately, sure, but it was still Hwayeon.
A guild with a notorious reputation.
Plenty of guilds hesitated to stand against them.
“But with Baekya and JH in the mix… might be okay.”
“Right. JH’s a collaborator too.”
Add Quantum to Baekya and JH, and nothing in Korea could touch them.
The question was whether Molrangmol would accept Quantum’s proposal.
Best case: help with development, build trust, snag a few monsters later…
Honestly, no clue.
They didn’t know how serious Molrangmol was about the theme park.
“Let’s at least float the idea.”
So, toss out a light proposal. You never know unless you poke the bear.
**
*Crunch!*
With firm resolve, I cracked open the seal on the glass bottle.
[Hyper Digestion Aid! Refresh Your Stomach!]
If regular folks had digestive tonics, awakeners had these.
Straight-up digestion boosters.
No matter how gross the monster, one bottle and you’re good!
Truth is, monsters were kinda like insects in the food chain.
Super nutritious, high protein for sure, but nobody hunted gates just to eat them.
They tasted like ass, mostly.
That’s why only researchers developing monster cuisine chugged these things.
“Gulp… gulp… Phew!”
I downed a bottle in one go, cool and refreshing.
I was sacrificing my body to create mascot snacks for Molrang Park.
“…Tastes like garbage.”
Every bit of it went into digestion power, so the taste was pure trash.
One word: astringent. Face puckering, tongue and lips rotting away.
“What to try first…”
A ton of ingredients on the table.
From slime balls to Kendart horns and balloon bat feathers, even a chunk of dragon tail and claws.
Truth be told, some I could skip without issue.
‘Mana concentration’s a bit high.’
Raw monster mana was often poison to normals.
Kendart horn and bat feathers were prime examples.
Both were basically pure mana crystals.
So excluding the Kendart horn—which had zero flavor value anyway—
“Ugh… looks so unappetizing.”
I just had to try these fluffy feathers.
Why bother?
‘Maybe it’s like fugu.’
Poisonous but heavenly if prepped right.
Who knows? Balloon bat feathers might be the same.
I’d soaked them, dried in the sun. No way I’d eat raw feathers, even me.
Worried it’d be bland, I candied and grilled them too.
And so.
*Crunch!*
Super crispy sound. Somewhere between cookie and fried chicken.
Crunch factor: pass.
Taste…
“…What even is this flavor.”
No clue. Total non-taste. Poured sugar on it and still? Original must be void.
Molrang!
*Crunch!*
“…Tasty?”
Molrang!
Seemed perfect for Molrang’s palate, oddly enough.
Fits a pudding slime that chows Darth horns. Gotta feed it these as snacks from now on.
Stomach’s already churning, though.
Wish Ha-young or Jin-ah were here, but nope—not today, they’re off.
They’ve got killer instincts.
“Okay. Next up…”
Steel myself and grab it: a claw from Mir—the dragon I summoned—palm-sized.
Weirdly, dragon claws had almost no mana.
By Korean food labeling, effective mana content: 0.0%!
So for dragons, claws were like shark or croc teeth.
‘Fall out easy, grow back easy.’
One yank, regrows in 6 hours.
Four feet means theoretically 80 a day.
Front claws smallish, perfect for size-based menus.
And! Absolutely, definitely! Not torture to pull dragon claws.
No blood vessels or nerves—zero sensation. Basically like a horse hoof.
Mir feared it cuz it thought I meant teeth.
I hate gore or cruelty… wouldn’t pull if Mir hated it.
Which is why…
‘Couldn’t get much tail.’
Dragons regenerate like champs, tails too.
But dragons aren’t wimpy lizards dropping tails in fear.
Best I got was the callus-like tip.
If it tastes good, breed one specialized for tail meat harvesting.
Not enough? Use scales and horns for that new item I’ve planned forever.
After Molrang Park launches, of course.
Anyway.
“Wonder what it tastes like.”
Picked up the cleaned, dried dragon claw. Not too tough to chew.
‘Good call soaking in softener first.’
Edible softener. Turns tough monster bits tender.
Emerald turtle shell stew or whatever—used in fancy dishes.
Not fully mushy, though.
*Ping!*
Flick it: candy-hard.
“…Here goes!”
Shut eyes, pop one in. Roll it gently on tongue.
Taste: decent… actually good?
Surprisingly cool texture. Like sweet ice.
*Crunch!*
Molars: breaks way easier than expected. No tooth-breaking worries.
“…Oh.”
Nutty flavor blooms.
Straight-up coffee nut. Crispy sweet shell, nutty inside.
Perfect snack. Coat in sugar or chocolate for kids.
Top bingsu or ice cream too?
*Crunch!*
…Addictive as hell.
No gross look either—softener made it chocolate-like.
Pass: dragon claw.
Molrang Park highlight? Dragon riding, mascot-style.
Don helmet from dragon horn, ride dragon, eat claw dessert.
“Heh heh…”
Money stench incoming, thick.
But one more thing to perfect it.
“Can’t hold back on this.”
Dragon tail.
*Sizzle!*
Slapped half the harvested tail straight on the grill.
*Whirr!*
Smoker humming next door. Inside, the other half spins, roasting whole—not sliced like the grill bit.
Sell those chunks as one-person ‘manga steak’ portions. Those thick hero slabs.
‘That’s the romance.’
*Whine!*
“Yeah, yeah. Yours is coming too, Seolbaek—stop shaking! Dizzy here.”
Smells got Seolbaek feral.
No worries—best cuts for her.
Saw a paper: better food speeds kitsune tail growth.
Gonna try dragon heart later. If I can stomach killing my summon.
Seven tails quick then. Beyond? Uncharted, takes time.
Killing time with random thoughts.
*Ding!*
“Oh, finally.”
Smoker done. Grill still going—weak flame.
Look at that juice. Color insane?
*Whine! Whine!*
“Yeah, yeah. Out in a sec—hold on.”
About to pull dragon tail for berserk Seolbaek.
*Ring!*
[Quantum: Hello? This is Quantum Guild Master Hyeon Boreum. Available to chat?]
“…Quantum?”
Message from an unexpected bigwig.