Translator: Nox
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Hidden Nest
“That’s quite the devoted fellow. Most monsters don’t have any attachment to their offspring.”
Cheon Dowoon stroked the toad’s back. The green spider silk, the sticky substance he used to build his house, flowed from his palm.
He applied a thin layer of it on the toad’s back and placed the egg pouch on top. The sticky silk held it firmly in place.
“Grurrr.”
The toad rolled its eyes in confusion. It looked back and forth between the egg pouch on its back and Cheon Dowoon, tilting its head.
“Judging by your skin condition, you’ll probably molt around the time the eggs hatch. The spider silk should fall off naturally then. You’re free to go now.”
As he spoke, Cheon Dowoon smiled inwardly.
Saving a monster like this—maybe it was Nari’s influence. Perhaps they were all starting to affect each other in small ways.
When Dowoon released the thread, the toad slowly backed away. After putting some distance between them, it leapt further away in large jumps.
The toad paused after a while and turned to look back.
“That toad uncle is looking back at us.”
“Yeah.”
“He just lowered his head. I think he’s saying thank you.”
That was probably just a crouch before jumping again. Cheon Dowoon thought so but didn’t say anything.
With the prior occupant gone, it was time to mine the glowstone.
He jumped back down into the crater. Nari and Guu followed after.
They landed on the rock shelf where the toad had been. There, embedded in the wall, they could see the glowstone.
“Let’s start with one.”
Cheon Dowoon grabbed the most protruding piece of glowstone. With a wiggle, the wall cracked and the stone came loose.
It was shaped like a large teardrop, easily over 50 centimeters long.
“This is bigger than I expected. Just one might be enough…”
He trailed off mid-sentence. Inside the hole left by the glowstone was something else.
“Uncle, what’s that?”
“It’s an egg. Looks like there was a nest behind the glowstone.”
Cheon Dowoon examined the contents of the hollow.
So many eggs today. He peered into the crevice.
“Are there more inside?”
“No. Just this one. Looks like the nest’s been abandoned for a while.”
It wasn’t unusual. Most monsters just lay their eggs and leave. The toad earlier had been the exception.
Nari tilted her head.
“There’s a crack on the egg.”
Just as he was about to put the egg back, Cheon Dowoon paused.
Looking closely, he saw a hairline fracture.
‘It’s recent. Did that just happen now?’
The wall around the egg must’ve collapsed when the glowstone was removed, and debris likely fell on the egg.
It hadn’t broken due to its hardness, but the impact caused a crack.
“Guu, do you know what kind of egg this is?”
“No clue. I’ve never seen one like it.”
“Not even you, who’s from the volcano zone?”
Perhaps it was a rare special species, like Guu himself.
As Dowoon mulled over it, Nari tugged on his sleeve.
“Uncle. The thing inside is hot. I think it’s because of the crack.”
“How do you know?”
“I scanned it. It’s circling inside trying to get away from the heat.”
Still staring at the egg, she answered.
Dowoon used mana to examine the interior. Sure enough, a creature inside was writhing.
The shell was its only protection. With a crack, the volcanic heat was seeping in.
‘If I leave it here, it’ll die.’
He summoned mana and formed a protective barrier around the egg. Then he purified the toxic gases seeping into the film.
The creature stilled in surprise. It sensed a pure mana it had never felt before.
Not fear, but joy. Relief. It had survived.
Through the cracked shell, it peered outside. Though the protective film blocked its view, it could sense a friendly presence.
“Uncle, that egg... I think we should take it.”
Nari tugged at his clothes.
“We don’t even know what’s inside.”
“Still, we should take it. If we leave it here, it’ll be roasted. It’ll turn into a blackened hard-boiled egg. That’s too sad.”
Compared to before, Nari’s ability to express herself had improved. Dowoon smiled faintly at the sight.
“Alright. Let’s take it. I’m the one who dislodged the glowstone. I’ll take responsibility until it hatches.”
Nari beamed at that.
She was overjoyed to have saved a small life. And the fact that her opinion was accepted gave her confidence.
Warm emotions filled her heart one by one.
‘It feels nice being with Uncle.’
She searched for a word to describe this feeling from her limited knowledge.
The answer came easily. She had seen someone like Cheon Dowoon on TV long ago.
‘Uncle is like a dad. Just like the dads on TV.’
If she became his daughter, would he give her piggyback rides like in the movies?
‘And hold my hand at the amusement park…’
She hoped that day would come.
Kim Nari kept her thoughts to herself and tucked them away deep inside.
* * *
B+-Class Hunter Nam Ki-seok.
After returning to the human world using a return stone, he spent three days recuperating.
Not that it was anything special—just eating well and sleeping at home. When he had time, he focused on circulating mana through his mana hole to purify the demonic energy that had built up in his body.
Even with just that, his complexion visibly improved.
While resting, he occasionally read through cookbooks.
He even signed up for a crash course in cooking to learn knife skills and how to handle ingredients.
‘You never know when I’ll be asked to cook. I, Nam Ki-seok, am a prepared man. At this point, I might as well get an actual cooking license.’
That way, it wouldn’t be a lie, and he was dead serious about it.
After two more days of learning, his condition had returned to normal.
“Finished the 5-day crash course. Time to get ready to visit hyung.”
Nam Ki-seok drove to the supermarket.
First, he grabbed green onions and eggs for the essential green-onion-egg-drop ramen. Those were top priority.
He also picked out various types of ramen and tossed them into the cart.
‘Even though I took the course, all I learned was chopping and prep. I should avoid serious cooking for now.’
There were plenty of ways to buy time.
3-minute curry, instant pasta, canned food, seasoned seaweed—he loaded every kind of instant food he could find into the cart.
He added chopped garlic and beef to suit their tastes.
As long as he stored them in the long-term preservation box used during extended expeditions, these ingredients would last.
After finishing his shopping, he headed to the Hunter Association.
He lived in Gold City, an affluent district full of wealthy families—a stark contrast to the slums where Cheon Dowoon had been born.
Nam Ki-seok parked his car in front of the Association and entered.
Passing through the marble-floored lobby, he approached the reception desk where a staff member greeted him.
“Welcome. How can I help you today?”
“I’m here to schedule my promotion test.”
He handed over his Hunter license. The receptionist’s eyes widened at the B+ Class designation.
Even B-Class alone was impressive.
A B+ meant he was a potential A-Class Hunter—a promising prospect.
Rarely seen, the receptionist composed herself.
“Let me check for you… Oh?”
She paused at the screen. Nam Ki-seok immediately knew why.
‘She must’ve seen my six-year streak of failed tests.’
Most give up after three tries.
Anything beyond that is clinging. In life, you have to know when to let go.
Holding on for six years could be seen as pathetic.
The receptionist glanced at him subtly, clearly thinking the same.
“You have about a month left to register before the deadline. What date would you like to book?”
“Make it the last possible day.”
Hunters could only apply for the promotion test once per year.
Nam Ki-seok had 35 days left.
He wanted to delay it as much as possible so he could learn more from Cheon Dowoon.
“Registration complete. I hope it goes well for you.”
As he turned to leave, the receptionist whispered to her colleague.
“Hey, look at this. That guy’s failed the promotion test six years in a row, and he’s applying again. This’ll be his seventh time.”
“Nam Ki-seok the B-Class Hunter? He’s well known in the field. I heard he used to be hailed as an A-Class prospect. Honestly, you should know when to bow out gracefully. The guy’s clinging so hard—it’s pitiful.”
They whispered, unaware that a B+-Class Hunter’s hearing could pick up every word from behind closed doors.
Nam Ki-seok’s face turned red with shame.
He’d known people mocked him behind his back, but hearing it directly hit differently.
He could walk back in and knock them out easily—but that would only prove their point. So he held back.
‘Just watch. I’ve got an amazing mentor now. If I just follow his teachings, I’ll pass this time for sure.’
He would become an A-Class Hunter and silence everyone who ever ridiculed him. That would be the ultimate revenge.
“Let’s go, hyung.”
Clenching his fist, Nam Ki-seok walked out of the Association.
* * *
Back at home, Cheon Dowoon placed the egg inside a drawer.
A dark space with a hard, rocky surface—it was the perfect makeshift incubator.
The species that laid the egg typically abandoned it after laying, so no extra care was needed.
He closed the drawer, leaving a slight gap for airflow.
“When the time’s right, it’ll hatch. Now, time to work on that light fixture.”
To clean the luminous stone he’d collected, he’d need to visit the waterfall valley.
As he stood up, a blue gate opened near the house.
“I’m back!”
With that cheerful voice, Nam Ki-seok stepped out of the gate.
Three full boxes of groceries. A huge camping bag on his back.
“Hyung, I’m back! What are we doing today? Just give the word—I’m ready for anything!”
Hearing that booming voice, Cheon Dowoon smirked.
The ultimate laborer had returned, arms full of food.
“Perfect timing.”
Nam Ki-seok had great potential. If he could just be taught how to use his abilities, he’d be a valuable help for the house renovations.
“Let’s turn him into a real worker.”
It might be a bit of a Spartan training regime—but if he kept up, Dowoon was confident he could turn him into the best assistant around.
Grinning, Cheon Dowoon walked out to greet him.
