The Heavenly Demon Goes Looting

The alchemist stood speechless, staring at Neukneuk, who was too massive to fit inside the stable and was instead lying down beside it, waiting patiently. After a long moment, the alchemist turned to me.

“Correct. That fellow is none other than this one’s pet, Neukneuk.”

“That’s not a wolf, that’s the ruler of the forest!”

“Which is why this one told you it was no ordinary wolf.”

When had I ever lied? When this one had said the creature was special, you were the one who scoffed and claimed that even a special wolf was still just a wolf. You were the one who dismissed my words as a joke, so I simply showed you the truth. Why, then, are you getting angry at me?

I let my exasperation show plainly on my face. The alchemist dragged a hand down his own.

“Just how the hell did you tame that thing?”

“Enough chatter. So, can you make its fur soft and fluffy or not?”

That was the only thing this one cared about right now. The only reason I was tolerating his rudeness was because he had a role to play. He should answer whether he could fulfill that role or not.

The alchemist stared at Neukneuk with a dazed expression before finally squeezing out a tiny voice.

“I… don’t know.”

“Pardon?”

You don’t know? The same person who had been bragging just moments ago, saying to leave everything to him with absolute confidence, was now spouting such weak nonsense? Irritation leaked into my expression, and the alchemist panicked, waving his hands frantically.

“No, wait, I mean it is possible! It’s definitely possible, but that thing clearly isn’t a normal wolf, right? So normal materials won’t cut it at all.”

I didn’t know much about magic, so I couldn’t understand every detail of what the alchemist was saying. But if I were to summarize, it went something like this:

Our Neukneuk was a spirit beast worthy of being called the master of the forest, possessing both immense power and intelligence. Naturally, it also had strong resistance to magical power. Therefore, even if one used ordinary magic tools, they would simply bounce off Neukneuk’s inherent strength and become useless. In short, to make its fur soft and fluffy, I would need to create a magic tool far beyond the ordinary.

“I can make it if I have the materials, but the materials themselves are pretty hard to get…”

“So if you have the materials, you can make a proper item?”

After seeing him act like an idiot several times, my faith in him had nearly vanished. When I expressed my doubt, the alchemist shouted back indignantly.

“Who do you think I am? Of course I can make it! I’d bet my life on it!”

“Very well. Then tell me what materials you need to gather.”

Just as he had confidence in alchemy, this one had confidence in martial prowess.

It had been quite a long time since we started playing the game called Thread, so both Enry and Pipi said they were going to take a short break. But I couldn’t do that. The important task of making Neukneuk’s fur soft and fluffy was right in front of me.

The alchemist explained that to create a shampoo suited for Neukneuk’s fur, he would need the remains of various monsters that existed on this island.

‘First, giant’s blood is essential. To kill the magic resistance, we need lich bone powder. And then…’

Pipi, who knew this game well, was horrified as she listened to the list of materials the alchemist called out. They were all items that could only be obtained by hunting creatures that should be called bosses of this island. None of them were obtainable at the current stage of the game.

Of course, that only applied to normal players. It wasn’t a problem for me. No matter how strong they were, in the end they would die if you beat them hard enough, right?

The place I arrived at riding Neukneuk was a small rocky mountain in the southern part of the island. One of my targets, the giant, was sleeping while leaning against that rocky mountain.

“It really is huge.”

If Neukneuk, whom I rode around, was already a giant creature far beyond the scale of normal beings, then this giant was on a completely different level. It looked like it could pick up Neukneuk with one hand. Could normal users possibly kill something like that? The game hadn’t been out for long, so growth was still slow, but it seemed that given enough time, it would gain truly tremendous power.

“Neukneuk. Wait here.”

“Woof!”

It would be troublesome if you got caught up in my fight with that giant. Stay in a safe place and wait. Even if you stayed by my side, you would likely be more of a hindrance than help anyway.

I stroked the head of Neukneuk, who wagged his tail and smiled brightly at my words, then spread out a sleeping bag beside him. They said that if you set up a bed like this, you could resurrect here the next time you died. Since I would inevitably have to experience death to kill that thing, it was better to prepare in advance. I didn’t want to have to run desperately back home carrying the giant’s loot after killing it.

“Shall we make another bet this time? Let’s wager on how long it will take me to hunt that fellow.”

This time I won’t put any restrictions on myself and will go all out, so keep that in mind.

When I said that, the editor who must be watching the broadcast opened the betting window. The very first option written there was “within 30 seconds.”

Hmm. It’s good that you believe in me, but isn’t this faith a bit excessive? Within thirty seconds? Even I need to observe and analyze that giant first. There’s no way I could finish it that quickly.

What was truly surprising was that even after seeing “within 30 seconds,” there were still tons of people pouring their points into it. Hmm. Are they really doing it because they believe in me? Or do they think that investing there gives them a low chance of winning big money? Whichever it is, it seems clear that their happiness and misfortune are tied to me.

“Hmm. So they’re trying to buy points with real money.”

However, it was too much money to refuse. One hundred thousand won. That seemed a bit excessive as compensation for smashing that giant’s head. Originally I had planned to play with the giant a bit and check how strong it was, but now the story had changed. I suppose I can enjoy a luxurious meal today.

I pressed hard on my blood points to send my inner energy into a frenzy, then stepped forward and unleashed my true qi.

The power that started from my feet traveled through my entire body and gathered at the tip of my fist. This was my ultimate technique, the Heaven-Piercing Single Strike. No matter how gigantic that giant might be, it could not possibly be higher than the heavens.

The giant, who had been enjoying its sleep without any defenses, lost its head just like that and fell into eternal slumber.

“I thank you for the donation. Thanks to you, I can enjoy an even more abundant life.”

Hmm. Because I pushed my body to its limit, death is coming quickly. Collecting the giant’s loot after I resurrect should be fine. I can just ride Neukneuk then.

Even as I was thinking that, the chat window was becoming more and more of a mess. It seemed they were unhappy that I had received a donation and then adjusted the result of the bet. However, I had justification as well.

“From the beginning, this bet is decided according to this one’s heart, is it not?”

If I had intended to play with the giant, it would have taken longer. If I found it bothersome and decided to deal with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it in one go, then of course it would end in an instant kill like this.

“Do you understand? This bet is not about how easily this one can deal with those monsters.”

It is about how well you all can predict this one’s heart. In other words, you should have predicted in advance that a donation like that would shake my heart. To explain it in the kind of words you all like these days:

“If you’re mad, why don’t you donate too?”