If the man was anything less than extraordinary…
It baffled me how he could have broken through that waterfall.
Given my specific skills, I think it is possible only after layering several dishes together, barely making it through.
“And yet, it looks like you managed just fine.”
The man hesitated and then began, “Um, there was indeed a monster in that city.”
“I already know about the fish man. Their leader was killed, and the rest perished the moment the dungeon closed.”
“No, I was referring to another type of monster.”
“?”
Slowly, the man continued. “A monstrous creature that consumed both humans and fishman indiscriminately… a cannibalistic monster.”
That revelation was startling. It pointed to why the man had made his way to Young-joon.
* * *
Once I finished up my affairs with the ammunition brigade, I was ready to return.
“Take this one with you!”
“Huh?”
Sang-ah appeared with something resembling a black cotton ball.
Grrrr…
It was the Mac, the creature known for eating iron.
“You mentioned earlier that the beings in the forest protect our base, right?”
“Exactly.”
“There’s no oil here for long-range deployments. But we have tanks and many defenses built by the engineers. If it covers us as it claims, we should be safe,” she explained, gesturing toward the forest. “Over there, on the other hand…”
Despite having more combat-type awakened individuals in Chuncheon, our defenses mainly consisted of temporary barriers surrounding makeshift structures.
Although the engineers were working to reinforce them, there were limits.
“Most materials stored at the base were already fortified.”
“The egineers over there could be short on supplies; I think taking Mac you would be quite useful”
Mac’s abilities extended to enhancing materials, so Young-joon wondered if it would be a good idea to take him along. Listening to the engineers, it sounded like it would be fine.
Sang-ah added, “While it does enhance materials, asking you to take Mac is basically a suggestion for your protection.”
“For protection?”
“You tend to put yourself at risk too much, like before. At this rate, you’ll come to harm.”
“Surely not.”
If it were some times ago, she might have had a point. However, after everything that had happened, he felt confident enough in his combat abilities.
His stats were overwhelmingly high compared to fellow soldiers. Plus, with the upgrades from [Absolute Palate], his cooking buffs layered upon each other.
Still, it seemed her concern persisted.
“Commander, you’re human! Humans can’t be flawless. The world now is one mistake away from disaster.”
“Hmm.”
“Anything can happen. So please take Mac,” she insisted.
Feeling touched, I nodded.
While I was slightly uncomfortable with the attention, it made sense to comply with Sang-ah’s request.
I couldn’t deny that Chuncheon would indeed benefit from enhanced supplies.
Fwink!
Mac jumped joyfully into my arms.
Once they returned, I’d need to whip up a selection of special dishes for him. As he watched Mac, he noticed a vibrant aura surrounding it.
A deep green hue, even richer than Ariel’s and Alraune’s.
“….”
If left to its potential, Mac could be incredibly powerful once fully nourished.
“Here you go.”
Finally, Cheol-wook approached, handing him a small box.
Since Young-joon had already replenished the necessary veggies through his shadow, he was uncertain at first but popped open the box.
Inside were unusual plants he’d never seen before.
Wait, that wasn’t quite right.
“Did they already start growing?”
“Rather than growing, these are species that naturally existed but were on the brink of dying due to lack of magic—thanks to Commander’s fertilizer, they’ve been revived.”
Ah, those strange plants that initially grew around Alraune.
“Isn’t it against the rules to uproot wild plants for cultivation?”
“Ha ha! Did you think I’d act recklessly? I’ve already secured seeds and saplings, so you can use them freely.”
“Nice!”
With that level of capability, it was impressive, reflecting Cheol-wook’s [Farmer] awakening.
“So, when do you expect to return?”
“I’m guessing I’ll focus on stabilizing things there for some time.”
The situation in Chuncheon wasn’t firmly established just yet. They didn’t even have a proper base, merely converting an abandoned building for shelter.
“I hope you stop by whenever you can.”
“Why? It seems to be running great without me.”
“Actually, about what I made, there seems to be a little discontent.”
“Oh?” Young-joon’s eyebrow raised.
“At first, I thought it was just me being sensitive, but those trees seem to hit the ground every so often as if they’re mad. When I tried to take those plants, they got furious.”
“Haha!”
“When I shouted that they were for the commander, they finally settled down.”
“You went through all that trouble!”
“When I first saw them, I was shocked by their appearance, but they possessed a lot of rage. It felt like they missed you. I’d appreciate it if you could come by more often to soothe their anger…”
“I’ll drop by whenever I can.”
Staying a little longer didn’t seem like such a bad idea considering the current circumstances.
However, Young-joon reminded himself he had things to do.
The words spoken by the man in the medical ward echoed in his thoughts.
“The Gourmet Glutton is a monster that eats both humans and merfolk without distinction, and I thought I was dead the moment I encountered one.”
He insisted I should leave the town… to seek help from outside.
Then he blocked the waterfall with his limb, tossing me over it.
Once inside a dungeon, escape is only possible after clearing it.
However, Chuncheon citizens had been trapped when it was transformed into a dungeon—they’d never had someone enter from outside.
If the waterfall could be resolved, it suggested escape was at hand.
This man escaped and somehow found his way to me, needing assistance.
“I made it here through sheer determination because Chuncheon is my home, but fear also drove me.”
“Fear?”
“If I didn’t comply promptly with what that monster said, it would chase after me and eat me…”
A monster lurking around the city, hidden from view until the dungeon was cleared.
‘It’s high time I paid a visit this guy.’
It was evident that he had his own set of questions as well.