Translator: Nox
Chapter: Chapter 33
The Power of Thick Root Slam
At the mention of a villa, Cheon Dowoon opened his bag.
"I had something I wanted to ask anyway, and this reminded me. Do you remember where you got this ore?"
Cheon Dowoon pulled out a yellow ore bracelet.
"I want to use some of it for the fence. I only know it's from the sea, but that's all."
"Fence?"
"I'm expanding my house these days. I'm going to make a fence with this stone. I'll put Glowstones underneath so the whole fence will glow softly."
It would definitely look great once it's finished. Cheon Dowoon continued.
It was certainly a wonderful scene just imagining it. In contrast, Yoo-beom and his sister were speechless.
The joke that they wouldn't be surprised if he built a villa had become a reality.
'Well, we built a house too, but...'
In their case, they had no choice.
They couldn't help but laugh at the fact that he was going to build a proper villa here, even though he could freely go in and out of the Gate.
He was an unpredictable guy. But thanks to his unpredictable nature, they were saved, so it wasn't all bad.
"Yoo Ji-ah, you got that ore when you followed the Sea fairy, right?"
At Yoo-beom's words, she nodded. Cheon Dowoon looked puzzled at the sudden mention of a fairy.
"There are fairies in the Demon Realm?"
"Ah, we just call them fairies. They're just deep-sea monsters. You'll see why we call them fairies when you see them."
Yoo-beom said, pointing to the sea.
"They're active at dawn, so they'll be out soon. Take a good look."
How long had it been? Yellow lights began to appear in various parts of the sea.
It felt like they were slowly rising from the deep sea. It wasn't just one or two. Thousands, tens of thousands of small lights rose, filling the entire sea.
Plop, plop. Plop...
One by one, they revealed themselves on the surface.
White Seahorses, 20 centimeters in size. Yellow light flickered from their tails like fireflies.
The Seahorses, flapping their large fins like wings, flew over the surface of the water.
"They're originally deep-sea creatures. They all come up to breathe at dawn. They don't have gills. What do you think? They look like fairies, right?"
"Uncle Sparrow is right. They really look like fairies."
The answer came from behind Cheon Dowoon. Kim Nari, who had woken up from the bright light, looked around with a surprised expression. When Kim Nari reached out her hand, a Seahorse landed on it.
"This is a Seahorse fairy. Pretty. I like this."
"They taste good too. You especially liked them, kid."
Kim Nari froze at the sudden remark. She looked at Yoo-beom with a shocked expression, but he looked like he didn't know.
"You didn't know? You ate the most of that earlier. I had some dried ones as snacks, so I grilled them together. Ah, maybe you didn't know because I took off the wings and head."
Kim Nari's eyes shook like an earthquake. She looked back and forth between the Seahorse on her hand and Yoo-beom.
A pretty white Seahorse fairy with a sparkling tail. Kim Nari squeezed her eyes shut.
"You, you were... delicious. I'm sorry. You were so delicious...!"
"Right. Appetite over innocence, as expected... Ugh!"
Yoo-beom only shut his mouth after his sister poked him in the side. She stopped her insensitive brother and looked at Cheon Dowoon.
"These Seahorses will return to the sea around sunrise. You can follow them then. Their habitat is in the area where that ore is laid."
"Really? That's a good guide. I'll find it easily with that."
It was good that he didn't have to search the sea one by one. Kim Nari, who was listening from the side, raised her hand.
"Uncle. I want to go with you too. Can I go?"
"If you can hold your breath. How long can you stay underwater?"
"I can do about 3 hours without a problem."
Kim Nari answered with a confident expression. Cheon Dowoon smiled faintly at that.
What kind of face would she make if he told her that humans couldn't dive that long?
Of course, he had no intention of telling her. She was desperately pretending to be human, so he was going to play along until she said it herself.
'But I might need to put some restrictions on her.'
If he left her alone, she might activate a jet engine from her back the moment she entered the sea.
Kim Nari, shooting like a super-fast torpedo as soon as she dived.
[Woo-hoo! Uncle. I'm fast! I'm going!]
Wouldn't she disappear beyond the sea with such an unidentified cry?
[I miss Uncle.]
Kim Nari, lost in the sea, would activate her jet engine again to find Cheon Dowoon. He imagined her stirring up the Demon Realm sea like that.
'That's plausible too.'
It was entirely possible. Cheon Dowoon looked at Kim Nari with a serious face.
"Don't stray more than 50 meters away from me when you're in the water. If you keep that, you can come."
"Okay. 50 meters. I'll remember that."
Kim Nari nodded immediately. After getting confirmation, he turned to Yoo-beom and his sister.
"Can you watch my house while I get the ore?"
"Watch the house? I don't mind, but why suddenly?"
"It'll take some time to get the amount I want. If I leave the house empty for too long, monsters might think I've abandoned my territory and flock to it."
He didn't want the house he had worked so hard to build to be destroyed. There was also the risk that other monsters would dig up and eat the Mandragora he had planted in the garden.
"Okay. Just tell us the approximate location. It'll be quick to find from the sky. We'll watch the house until you get the ore."
Two beings with disaster-level power volunteered to be guards.
There was nothing to worry about anymore. Cheon Dowoon smiled at his My home, which was gradually taking shape.
* * *
Hanbit Chimera Laboratory. Researchers gathered at this legally operated facility with government approval.
"Any news on the request to find the Mechanical Creature...?"
"No. Everyone took the GPS pads, but no one is showing any results."
Silence fell for a moment. One of them opened his mouth with an uneasy expression.
"About the Hunters who come to take the requests. More than 80% of them are... bald. Is this okay?"
The researchers' complexions worsened. Their faces turned pale as they were forced to face the fact they had been trying to ignore.
"I-It'll be fine. The reward is big, isn't it? Surely they wouldn't trade their hair for billions."
"But there's this person here. B+-Class Hunter Nam Ki-seok."
The researcher pointed to one of the photos on the table.
"It's not publicly known, but Nam Ki-seok is the son of the chairman of GoGo Chicken."
The researchers' eyes widened at the unexpected words.
Everyone knew GoGo Chicken. The national chicken company that had expanded its business from Diamond City to the slums.
The very place that had countless affiliates overseas.
"This guy is completely from a wealthy family. The reward we're offering is just pocket money for him. I wonder if it's worth trading his hair for..."
"Hey! Why are you saying that now! If I had known, I wouldn't have given him the GPS pad!"
"I-I only found out yesterday! He doesn't say a word about his family! GoGo Chicken keeps their family relationships a complete secret too. I just happened to find out this high-level information."
The researcher said, looking wronged.
They looked at the photos on the table. Photos of the Hunters who had taken the GPS pads to find the Mechanical Creature.
The majority of the photos showed people with thinning hair. What was this ominous feeling? The researchers groaned with dark faces.
"Don't worry, everyone. This is what our department made this time!"
One of the researchers placed a glass box on the table. Inside was a dried root, about the thickness of a pencil, lying limply.
-Hoo...
A root that resembled a Mandragora. But the color was different. It was entirely silver from the root to the leaves, as if it had been plated with metal.
"Look! It's a Chimera Mandragora! If we mix this with liquid metal, we'll be able to find the Mechanical Creature. It'll follow the scent of its own kind."
Everyone's attention was drawn to his confident words.
Liquid metal was a rare mineral that they would never be able to obtain again. There was a lot of opposition when that department asked for even a small amount of it.
But they had combined it with a Mandrake root and produced results, so there was nothing more to say.
The researcher took the Mechanical Mandragora out of the glass case.
-Hoo...! Hoo, hooo...!
The dried Mandragora's resistance was fierce. It lashed out with its Rootlets with a ferocious momentum.
Pop. The researcher, who was hit on the finger, scratched the spot and said.
"We'll lend this to a trustworthy Hunter. It'll track much better than a malfunctioning GPS, won't it?"
"Good. Let's do that. But we need to be careful in selecting the Hunter to lend it to. Someone who would never steal the Mechanical Creature..."
Their gazes turned to the photos of the Hunters with thinning hair.
"Let's choose someone without hair loss."
Nod. Everyone agreed wholeheartedly.
* * *
The scenery in front of Cheon Dowoon's house was warm.
A sunny garden. Four Mandragora planted there.
The largest Mandragora was lying on the garden.
-Hoo-oong...
Sunbathing is always right. The stinging butt, where two Rootlets had been torn off, was now fine.
Let's finish sunbathing and go back into the ground. Just as the Mandragora was getting up, he heard a noise nearby.
"Damn it, is this the right place? The Magical energy is so thick I can't breathe!"
"I know. What kind of Magical energy is this? It's like a high-altitude area. Is there something here?"
Human voices. The Mandragora immediately went on alert.
"Are we really going this way?"
"I don't know. Let's just follow it. That Mechanical Mandragora is leading the way."
"I don't trust that thing either. It keeps staggering and falling. Isn't it defective?"
"If it falls, kick it once. It'll get up. Just hold the iron chain tight so it doesn't run away."
The bushes rustled with murmuring voices.
-Hoo, hoo-oong!
The Mandragora made a warning sound at the appearance of the intruders.
Hearing that sound, the other Mandragora crawled out of the garden all at once.
Don't come closer, invaders. This is our territory. They swung their Rootlets with all their might. The Hunters' eyes widened at the sight.
"Hey, isn't that a Mandragora?"
"No way. Why would a Mandragora be in a high-altitude area... Uh-huh! I-It's real! It's a real Mandragora!"
"God, what a windfall!"
They cheered and rushed forward. The largest Mandragora stood in front of the young ones.
Formation C. 1-on-1 individual attack.
-Hoo-oong!
The Mandragora raised the thick root he used to walk with. He slammed it into the ground as if stomping on the floor.
Thud-. The area shook. The dirt and stones on the ground flew up and then fell. The Hunters, who had been rushing in with great momentum, lost their balance and staggered.
The Mandragora, who had slammed the ground with his root, was also surprised and his eyes widened. Was I this strong?
The Mandragora looked at the Hunters. They were pale and backing away.
Their gazes were directed at the Mandragora, or rather, at what was behind him.
"W-What's that? It fell from the sky."
"It's an Avian monster...! It's wearing clothes. Does it have intelligence?"
The Mandragora didn't understand what the Hunters were saying.
But he realized that they were shaken by his Thick root slam attack.
-Hoo-oong!
He mustn't lose this momentum. The Mandragora slammed the ground with his thick root once more.
Thud-. Another heavy sound rang out and the area shook.
"A-Another one came...!"
Another Avian monster fell from the sky as if crashing down.
A female monster wearing a horned monster bone like a helmet landed next to her.
Both of them exuded an unusual Magical energy. It was clear at a glance that they were not opponents they could handle.
It was a situation where they had to worry about whether they could return alive, let alone fight.
The Hunters slumped down the moment they met the bright yellow eyes.
Instinctive fear consumed their bodies. Their whole bodies bristled and trembled. Their legs gave way and they couldn't stand.
They lost all motivation in the face of the approaching shadow of death.
Seeing that, the Mandragora raised his head triumphantly. I won. The opponent had lost the will to fight with my Thick root slam attack.
-Hoo-oong!
I have won. It is safe now. He declared victory to his young kin.
The small Mandragora, seeing that, roared excitedly together.
-Hoong, hoong!
-Hoo-oong!
-Hoo... Hoo...!
Even the dried Mandragora crawled out and joined the celebration.
The Avian monster, Yoo-beom and his sister, who had come to watch Cheon Dowoon's house, looked down at the roots wriggling at their feet.
"What is this?"
The weeds that had saved their lives. The small roots were holding each other's Rootlets and spinning around at their feet.
