NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
The moment I popped a hot fried chicken into my mouth.
“Whoa…!”
My breath escaped involuntarily, and my eyes widened.
This ridiculously greasy flavor.
Is this what fried chicken tastes like?
I bit into it, devouring the meat and swallowing it down.
The moment the swallowed meat slid down my throat.
“Ugh! So good!”
I couldn’t help but be moved and amazed at the same time.
No way, could there be food this delicious in the world?
It’s so tasty that I’m on the verge of tears…!
I was completely captivated as I devoured the Gongbo Estate.
“I’m losing my mind, this is insane!”
This food is truly nuts.
Is this spicy fried chicken trying to kill me?
Damn it!
Whoever made this crazy food should be arrested and sentenced to death without a trial! If this serial killer of delicious food is left to roam the world, it’ll plunge us into disaster and misery!
I can’t stop with the chopsticks!
“Ahhh!”
Of course, just meat would be a bit lacking. I had some vegetables and nuts to cleanse my palate.
*gulp*
I sipped green tea to reset my taste buds.
“Ah!”
You need to reset your taste like this regularly to prolong the enjoyment of gourmet food.
So what should I try next?
How about some dumplings?
When I first came to the Martial Arts World, I didn’t know that dumplings just meant bread-like steamed buns. If I wanted to eat the dumplings that Koreans know, I had to order these gyoza.
Anyway.
I picked up a gyoza, dipped it in soy sauce, and immediately popped it into my mouth.
“Wow!”
As soon as I bit into it, hot steam burst out. Yes, this is dumplings. Inside a perfectly cooked dumpling skin lies finely chopped meat and vegetables. The insane juices melding inside drive me wild.
Shall I dip the next gyoza in Gongbo Estate sauce?
It was so delicious to actually eat it that way.
“Ah!”
I’m going crazy.
On a day like this, I need some alcohol.
Honestly, drinking in the Martial Arts World feels like self-sabotaging my health, and I think it’s a waste of money, but even though alcohol isn’t good for you, it does help relieve stress. Human willpower isn’t infinite. Even the strongest of humans have finite mental strength. So, sometimes it’s necessary to relieve that stress.
Of course, I can’t afford expensive liquor, so… yeah. Let’s compromise with the cheapest fire wine at the inn.
“Server! One cup of fire wine!”
“That’ll be 5 coins!”
They serve it by the cup like this.
*slurp*
The wine was served immediately.
“Fire wine!”
This fire wine can mean strong liquor, but in this region, it often refers to cheap wine.
In the Martial Arts World, high-proof liquor is expensive. Only the rich can afford it, but who says only the rich drink? Wine is a beverage for the poor too.
So fire wine is known as a cheap drink that can be had for about 5 coins a cup. It’s not particularly strong either.
I gulped down the fire wine.
“Ugh!”
It’s not strong, but since it’s been a while, I can feel the alcohol sliding down my throat.
Drinking it all at once might make sense, but with this meal in front of me, I can’t just chug it all down. I need to savor it, enjoying each bite together with the food.
I enjoyed the dishes with the alcohol.
“This is pure bliss.”
This is my first time gorging myself on such delicious food since coming to the Martial Arts World. It cost a lot, but what can you do? Everyone deserves a day like this once in a while.
Besides, I decided to graduate from hard labor and dedicate myself to demon hunting. I’ll be able to enjoy this kind of food more often in the future.
“This is just pleasure…”
The greasy flavor seeps into my body. I’m not exaggerating; I really feel it. The nutrients sinking into this body worn down by hardship.
The oil will be my energy, and the meat will restore my muscles. Carbohydrates will help with that bodily recovery.
I’ll lick the plate clean.
“Ah.”
Having cleaned my plate as if I were trapped in an underground labor camp, a pleasant fullness washed over me. At times like this, all you need is a good wash and a solid sleep. I need to rest to recover my body and mind.
It might be early, but that’s fine.
With some alcohol in me, time to get some good rest.
From tomorrow onward, I’ll live in this Martial Arts World with a completely renewed mindset.
* * *
After that day, I alternated between hard labor and pest extermination.
Not that pest extermination happens every day; turns out there are some competitors, so I couldn’t do it all the time. So, on days when there were no demon hunting jobs, I had to stick to hard labor.
Personally, I found it quite disappointing.
[Great Monster (大鼠鼠) extermination request: reward 130 coins]
Then, an excellent pest extermination request appeared. I rushed to grab the job as soon as I saw it.
The Great Monster refers to a rat that has grown fat from absorbing energy. It’s like the leader of the rats, and if left alone, a horde of rats will appear, so they have to be killed on sight.
I hear this Great Monster can grow larger and even stand on two legs while accumulating energy. They call that one the Prince of Rats (鼠鼠太子)… it’s supposedly a pretty strong demon, so there’s no way I’d want to tangle with it.
If it evolves further, it becomes the very powerful Great Demon known as the Great Rodent (鼠生員), but that’s not my concern right now. I ought to let the beasts that look tough just roam freely in nature.
Anyway.
After successfully tackling the last Soseongui extermination request, I’ve dealt with various pests. Be it the Great Cicada or any other pesky demon that shows up in town, it can be assumed their heads will burst thanks to me.
And this Great Monster is no exception.
What must it feel like to crush a rat’s head?
“I’m here for the Great Monster extermination request.”
“Oh, you’ve come!”
The client welcomed me warmly.
“There’s been a Great Monster appearing in this warehouse, and I think the rat population has increased because of it. We’ve tried blocking up the holes we found, but it hasn’t worked out.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. In any case, it shows up every day, so you need to deal with it quickly.”
“What time does it appear?”
“It should come when it starts getting dark.”
The Great Monster is a rat demon, and like a rat, it begins its activities at dusk. It appears near the grain storage warehouse.
This place is a rather sizable manor, so it makes sense that the Great Monster would target it. Whatever the case, I’ve experienced hunting various demons before. This is my first time dealing with the Great Monster, but with all my previous experiences in hunting demons fresh in mind, I headed for the grain warehouse.
There I waited until it got dark.
“Alright.”
I got up from my spot.
It should be time for the Great Monster to appear soon.
“…”
Of course, this little guy has a brain so it probably will try to hide when it senses a person there. Even though it’s a rat, it’s a demon bearing energy. More intelligent than your average animal.
So let’s devise a simple plan.
*creak*
I stepped on something suitable to climb up and lifted the ceiling section of the warehouse. If I just slide inside and set myself firmly on the support structure, when the Great Monster appears, I can drop down with a zap and smash its head with my Strike Staff to complete the mission.
“Ha!”
Just as I grabbed onto the ceiling beam and climbed up like a monkey.
“Reek?”
“Hm?”
Two ominous yellow eyes greeted me.
Hold on.
“This little bastard…!”
Was it hiding here?!
“Squeak!”
The Great Monster lunged towards my head!
No matter how skilled I am, at this angle!
“Ahhh!”
As I lost my grip on the support beam, my body plummeted. Luckily, there was some cargo below me, so I didn’t get hurt, but if I had missed it by a hair, I would have broken a bone!
“You crazy bastard! You were hiding here! Take this!”
I immediately thwacked the ceiling beams with my Strike Staff, trying to intimidate the Great Monster. How did it manage to sneak up into the ceiling? Is there a hole in the roof or something?
It was just as I feared.
*crash!*
The Great Monster made its way across, and fell out of view at a certain point.
There must have been an escape route that way!
I dashed outside the warehouse door, sprinting toward that direction and sure enough.
“Squeak!”
The massive dark rat, the Great Monster, was scurrying away.
I won’t let it escape. There’s a 130 coin bounty on that head!
“Stop right there!”
“Squeak!”
The Great Monster, about the size of a dog, was running away with gusto. But the path was short. There was a wall right in front of it.
*leap!*
The Great Monster, thanks to its hefty size, showed a considerable amount of agility, leaping while catching the top of the wall with its front paws.
“Igi-eobong (以氣馭棒)!”
I immediately deployed the Staff of Overcoming, launching my Strike Staff like a projectile, hitting the Great Monster square in the torso!
*thwack!*
“Squeak?!”
The crisp sound as it fell showed it couldn’t recover from the shock immediately. So I launched myself forward.
“Dual Power Technique!”
I drop-kicked the Great Monster’s blubbery body, bursting it apart!
*bang!*
With a sound of anguish, the Great Monster let out a final screech, meeting its end.
“Phew!”
Even though it was a Great Monster, it was just a dog-sized, obese rat. A larger hitbox meant it was easier to target. A drop kick executed by a full-grown man weighing eighty kilograms wouldn’t be something it could withstand.
The result was just death.
I picked up my Strike Staff and cracked its skull to ease its suffering; it was the proper thing to do.
*crack!*
It’s a rule to deal with the head first when prepping fish.
With this issue resolved.
“Great Monster… your downfall was your complacency, not anticipating my existence.”
Such minor demons are no match for me now. I think I’m starting to adjust to this Martial Arts World. Look! If you seek a means of survival, you can somehow make a living.
“Hahaha! Aunt! Do you see this? I did it again!”
I wanted to share this joyous news with my aunt.
But I couldn’t see her now.
Anyway, as I alternate between hard labor and demon hunting, I’ll secure days off and take care of my health with nutritious meals.
I should be able to survive this way.
*creak*
I dragged the Great Monster’s corpse away.
Again, selling the byproducts seems a bit much. It’s completely wrecked, so its market value is nearly zero. But the moment I think too much about that, I always end up missing out.
During a fight, you must give it your all if you want to win. I’m not going to make the foolish mistake of losing sight of the essence just to earn a few coins for byproducts.
Anyway.
Having stayed overnight in the warehouse, I woke early and set off with the Great Monster’s body.
Soon, someone came to collect the body.
“Here. I’ve dealt with the Great Monster.”
“Wow, I can’t believe such a big one exists! Well done. Here’s your reward.”
“Hehe, thank you!”
Indeed, there’s no joy comparable to the moment you receive money.
I counted quickly, and it was definitely 130 coins.
Another day of my balance increasing.
But is there a place like a bank around here?
If I want to save money, I think it’d be safer to keep it deposited somewhere.
But can someone like me, with an unclear identity, even open an account?
That’s something to consider.