Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Choice
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Crunch.
"Gah!! Stop, stop!"
Crunch crunch.
"Arrrgh!"
Joseph's hair scattered in the air.
"Whoa. Ripping it out by force draws blood, huh."
"Why the hell..."
"Why? You bastard who kidnapped a perfectly fine person—did you think your own hair would stay intact?"
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
"Gaaaaah!"
He grabbed handfuls of Joseph's hair and yanked them out like weeds.
"Looks like that's enough. Come forth, almighty meteor pen!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Ding! Scribble, scribble.
He used Joseph's scalp as a canvas and wrote words across it.
"Kidnapper. Perfect. If you don't keep this for a year, I'll come find you and rip out every last pubic hair."
"..."
Thwack!
"Guh!"
"You bastard, answer me."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Even I showed some mercy and left the sides alone, you punk."
Thanks to that, Joseph's head had a highway shaved straight down the middle, with only the side hair left horizontally.
"Now go fetch your boss."
Lily watched with a strange expression as Joseph slumped toward the goat-bearded man.
"Feel sorry for him?"
"No."
I'd thought she'd try to stop me based on the brief glimpse of her personality, but she was surprisingly firm.
"Why?"
"They kidnap us under the pretext of accelerating world development, then use us as labor and for human experiments. Lots of families have been taken."
Anger. Despair.
And the helplessness of being able to do nothing.
A flood of emotions came through Lily's round eyes.
"I see. What a fucked-up world. I love it."
As I chatted with Lily and picked up bits of info about this world, the goat-bearded man approached, supported by Joseph.
"Hi?"
"..."
Click.
"Hi?"
"G-greetings."
"How'd you heal him?"
"I used a high-grade potion I had on hand."
"Whoa."
Lily, who'd been listening, startled me so bad I nearly pulled the trigger.
"What? What's up?"
"I heard a high-grade potion costs enough to save a whole small village."
Goat Beard grimaced at Lily's words.
"What money does an academy professor have? Looks like he made it selling slaves."
"It's a family heirloom."
He must've changed pants, so I didn't know what happened down there, but aside from a slight limp, the potion had him good as new.
"Impressive. Anyway, Joseph, rip this guy's hair out too."
"What did you say?"
"Unless you want your junk vaporized like his, rip out his hair."
"...Baron Jerron. Allow me to apologize in advance."
"N-no!"
Snip.
"Arrrgh!!"
"Rip it good, punk."
Crunch!
"Gaaaaah!!"
"Show 'em with your remaining hair? Yank from the roots."
Crunch! Crunch!
"Grk."
Joseph, who'd sworn to sacrifice himself for his men, tore into Goat Beard's hair more enthusiastically than anyone.
"Lily, wanna try ripping some?"
"No."
"Then have a chocolate bar."
Lily, glancing at me, slyly took the bar from my hand.
"Thanks, I'll dig in."
"Munch."
"A beastkin, huh."
"No, I'm not."
As I protested Room Uncle's weird stare, I spotted Lily wolfing down the chocolate bar beside me.
Pretending otherwise, she seemed starving.
"Lily. Wanna eat?"
"I'm fine."
Grrrrowl—
A small rumble from Lily's belly.
This kid had learned to hide her feelings and refuse like an adult.
For a moment, her precocious demeanor overlapped with Jia's.
"Hey, move."
"H-heck. Heck. Pardon?"
"Move aside."
Joseph stepped back, revealing Goat Beard with hair like it'd been gnawed by rats.
Slap!
"Guh."
I swung my hand, splitting Goat Beard's lip.
"You bastard. Sell people, sell organs—"
Slap!
"Grk."
"I don't give a shit. But touching kids? That's a universal no-go. Got it?"
Even dazed from the slaps, he nodded desperately.
"Fucking hell. Kidnapping and starving a kid? Just die, you piece of shit!!"
Slap! Slap!! Slaaap!!!
Goat Beard's corn kernels scattered into the air.
"Gurk."
Thud.
I let go of his collar, and he finally slumped to the ground.
Staring at Goat Beard sprawled out, I pulled a gun from my subspace.
Bang!!!
Fresh crimson blood leaked from Goat Beard's crotch again.
"Drop everything you have, grab this kid, and get lost."
Joseph and the squires, tense as they watched, hurriedly cleaned up.
Back after finishing, Lily looked up at me with her round eyes.
"Let's eat."
Petting her soft mint-green hair, it slipped between my fingers.
"Lily like meat?"
Nod. Nod.
Seeing her cautiously nod, still uneasy about owing me, I flung open my subspace and shop.
Burner. Griddle. Meat. Even ssam veggies.
Sitting in the forest with its fresh grassy scent—could anything be better?
"Both of you, come sit."
Did they think I was a real mage? They barely blinked at fire sprouting from the unfamiliar burner.
Sizzle.
Samgyeopsal hit the hot griddle, and savory smells wafted everywhere.
The two, hovering awkwardly beside me, scrambled for seats.
"Ung."
"You too?"
"Ung? Beastkin..."
"I'm not."
I ignored Room Uncle's fixation on weird stuff and got serious about grilling.
Sizzle.
Samgyeopsal browning perfectly.
When it looked done, I snipped the long strips with scissors. Lily stared, mesmerized.
Plenty left to cut, but I topped plump meat with ssamjang on greens and wrapped it.
"Ah."
"...Ahh."
Lily gaped wide at the size, but it was still small for her mouth.
I slipped it in. She chewed the mouthful happily.
"Tasty, right?"
Nod. Nod. Nod.
She nodded nonstop—must suit her taste. Seeing it lifted my mood too.
"Meat on veggies, see this sauce? Add it together."
Teaching Lily as I went, a giant face loomed beside me.
"Ah."
"Yes?"
"Me love meat too. Ah."
Room Uncle's antics drew a dry laugh. I stacked double greens into a tower of meat.
"Here, ah."
"Aaah—"
The over-2-meter giant opened wide like an abyssal cave.
Lily's tiny mouth to this—total mismatch.
"Good, right?"
"Delish!"
"Ung!"
"You eat raw."
Circling up for meat always felt great.
"Lily, you're good with chopsticks."
"Fun."
"Hard."
"Room Uncle, use a fork."
His chopsticks were like toothpicks.
He stabbed and lifted meat with them.
Lily, tiny hands precise and skilled—talented kid.
—Rooooaaarrr!!
"Shit, startled me. What the hell."
"Ung!"
Mid-meal, a roar boomed out of nowhere.
Birds fled the trees in panic.
Room Uncle, lost in meat, hardened his face.
"Boulder."
"Boulder?"
My gaze naturally dropped.
Recalled Goat Beard mentioning Boulder cub or something.
"Mom's here looking for you?"
"Ueng."
"Not normal."
"Why? Just send it off."
"Adult Boulders are monsters. Even big ones avoid them."
Thud! Thud! Thud!!
—Boom!!!!
No sooner had Lily spoken than ancient trees shredded like paper. A presumed mom bear appeared.
—Rooooaaarrr!!!
"Damn, gonna bust my eardrums."
One look at the Boulder explained why Lily called it a monster.
An 8-meter behemoth.
Mom bear shredded trees with massive claws, advancing slowly.
—Grrrrowl.
Low growl thick with hostility.
Her eyes fixed on the cub in my arms.
"Ung, do something. Your mom's pissed. Fucking scary."
The building-sized beast approaching with malice—mind-numbing pressure.
Now I felt it.
This wasn't my kind Earth.
"Ueng ueng!"
Then the cub leaped forward from my arms.
It reared up, seeming to explain to mom.
No language, so Truth or Insight didn't help.
"Ueng! Ung ueng."
—Grrrrowl.
"Good boy. Explain harder."
I'd thought myself strong, but delusion.
One bear in this insane world, and my heart pounded wild.
Now I got it.
Whenever I asked why I had to do this, Baekseol always said the same.
You have to get stronger.
I have to get stronger.
"Ung!"
Good thing—it seemed to work.
Hostility faded from mom's eyes as she lowered her huge torso.
"Krueng."
"Yeah, uh, sure. You're Krueng. Misunderstanding cleared?"
Her head lowered till it nearly touched ground.
Flattening fully—apologizing for scaring us?
As I approached, Lily grabbed my hem and shook her head.
"It's fine."
I patted Lily's head and slowly neared mom.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Ding! "Wild native honey infused with bee blood and sweat."
Sniff sniff.
Smart or good nose? She opened her maw as I neared with the honey.
I poured a jarful into her huge mouth; she smacked her lips savoring it.
"Badass, right?"
"Krueng."
"Yeah, better than people."
As I dumped honey in, Lily and Room Uncle approached.
"As expected of a beastkin archmage. Taming a Boulder—amazing."
"Ah, come on. She's just begging to be spared."
"Boulders can't be tamed; they're terror incarnate. First time seeing an adult this close."
"I said no."
I had to clean up and send the cub to mom.
"Time to go to mommy."
"Ung!"
Sensing it, she clung to my leg, refusing to budge.
From first meeting, claiming my lap—no fear at all.
"Now I get why you're so fearless. Your mom's a beast."
"Ung!"
Raised under that protection? Makes sense.
"Alright, time to part. You to mom."
I pried off the clinging cub and handed her over. Looking around, knights prepped to head left.
"Hmm. Left for me too?"
Scanning the long forest path, I felt presence below—Lily gazing up.
"Ga-eul-ssi."
"Sis, right?"
"...Sis."
"Yeah?"
She called but just stared silently. I offered my hand.
After staring at it awhile, Lily finally took it.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ <Tutorial: Choice> <Cleared!> Finally childlike, Lily beamed up at me.
Like a flower bursting into bloom.