Flesh Golem of the Labyrinth City

Was this thing really dead?

"It's stuck in deep."

I forcefully yanked out the horns stuck in the tree, causing the body to finally lose balance.

Thud.

The massive carcass toppled over sideways. With a hole in its neck, nothing short of a miracle would be needed to see it still alive.

"I caught this..?"

I've made it as an explorer. Now the problem is how to carry it.

"Hmm..."

The huge horns glowing a faint blue caught my eye. Brimming with mana, they could be boiled into a magic potion or crafted into a staff.

They looked more like thin tree branches than wide palm-shaped horns.  

Clang clang-

Of course, they were sturdy. My iron sword rang against them. Super fresh antlers. I know they're good for the body, but...

How do I eat this?. My stamina was nearly depleted from running around the forest for 30 minutes to exhaust the deer.

I needed to recover my strength here, but grain cubes wouldn't cut it. Even if they did, I didn't have an appetite for them. I wanted something tasty.

"Is venison delicious..?"

I figured deer would taste better than wolf. Though it wouldn't matter much since I'd be roasting it over a fire anyway.  

After a few minutes of catching my breath and pondering,

'A presence. Human.'

I sensed someone behind me. Hiding behind a tree. Was I screwed?

In situations like this, it's best to call them out right away and resolve things through words if possible.

"Who's there. Behind that tree."

As I spoke, the presence instantly vanished. Guess they didn't expect me to detect them so keenly.

But as I kept staring, they slowly crept out step by step.

'I'm screwed.'

At first, I only saw one leg, but that alone told me this person was incredibly strong.

Because, fuck, they were wearing metal greaves. To so easily conceal their presence while wearing silver armor covering their entire shins.

'No, it's a woman.'

A woman with bright blonde hair tied up in a bun slowly emerged from behind the tree.

"I really didn't think you'd catch it...."

She carried a huge greatsword on her back that looked extremely heavy at a glance. The blade was as wide as her waist. Her lower attire seemed light... Did those pauldrons have any meaning?

"Who are you? Hiding and watching like a criminal."

"N-no, that's not it! I just... thought it looked dangerous...!"

"Then you should have rushed out to help. Were you planning to help with the funeral after I died?"

"Sorry about that... I had a feeling you could catch it alone...."

"Hmm, I suppose so."

'She's not looking to fight right away. What's her aim? It was likely the deer.'

"The battle is over. I caught the deer."

"Huh? Ah, right...."

I was clearly giving off vibes to leave quickly, but she hesitated and stopped in her tracks. She definitely had business with me.

And I bet, nine times out of ten, it's unpleasant business.

"Are you after the horns?"

"N-no! I'm not that kind of person!"

"Then what kind of person are you."

"No, well, I'm a silver-rank...."

Silver-rank! Crazy!

I'd have to die and be reborn to reach that level. It didn't seem entirely out of reach, though. In fact, when I died to a dire wolf and woke up, my body had become like this.  

"What's your business. Speak quickly."

"I have a request, so hear me out!"

Why would a silver-rank make a request to me? Is it a money issue? Because I caught the deer and will make money?

"What request?"

"Ah, well... that deer...."

The nameless woman kept fidgeting restlessly, opening and closing her mouth while turning her head front, back, left, and right.

"What is it?"

"The deer... will you eat it...?"

"Hmm, I probably will."

"W-will you... eat it all...?"

"Eat it all?"

Even excluding the organs, bones, and other undesirable parts, it's easily 100kg of meat. Of course I can't eat it all.

"No way. I'm not a pig. How could I eat all that."

"I-I see...."

"What the hell. Why are you being like this."

Ah, this person is starving right now.

"Do you want to eat with me?"

"Really! Is it really okay to eat together!"

'Was it that hard to ask??'

* * * * *

There's a pig here.

"No, are you even human? You ate all this?"

"Ish delishush..."

"Finish chewing before you talk. Have some shame, what are you doing."

We made a fire far from the trees and butchered the blue-horned deer.

After some idle chatter, I learned her name was Rubika. She's a bit tall for a woman but looks extremely healthy at a glance.

Amazingly, she single-handedly devoured over 80% of the massive deer meat. I don't usually say this, but she really gobbled it down. Like a dog. Just om nom nom. Damn she can eat. She's a mukbang legend. Is she human? Stop eating already.

"It's the effect of a skill. I have the [Accelerated Metabolism] skill, so my food intake is a bit higher, but in exchange, I can exert great strength."

"A bit? You ate 2 weeks' worth of food for a family of 4 in one meal."

"W-well, that's...."

I wondered if it all fit in that slim waist, but the food entering her mouth seemed to lose volume and vanish into a pocket dimension in her throat. It's the final stretch, but there's no difference in speed from when she started eating. Just chomping away like a beast. Damn, seriously.

"Amazing. How do you manage food expenses?"

"I-I hunt my own food, so...."

"You eat anything?"

"I don't eat just anything! I mainly hunt Wild Boars on the 8th floor...."

She said the 8th floor is her main hunting ground. There's a monster called a Wild Boar, a huge wild pig, that she often hunts and eats. I've heard of it. Isn't that meat commonly used in inns, too?

"Then why are you wandering around the 4th floor now."

"I failed hunts in a row. In the end, I became too weak to face the monsters on the 8th floor."

She's kind of like a cheetah. When she fails a hunt, she starves and loses strength. I left Rubika sitting on the ground putting on a 3-hour deer bone deboning show, and took a nap lying on the ground. I watched her eat for 10 minutes after having my fill, but she took too long.

While I slept, Rubika ate four legs, ribs, rump, neck meat, and other miscellaneous parts you can't even find at a butcher shop. The quantity was originally large, so she did toss parts that absolutely couldn't fit in a human mouth, but considering that, it seemed 80% went into her body.

Look at that pile of bones next to her. Looks like a scavenger pack passed through.

"Are you at least full?"

"Mm, it was a sufficient meal."

"It better be. With how much you ate."

The way she takes out a handkerchief to wipe her greasy mouth and hands gives the impression of a beautiful lady knight you could take anywhere. If only I hadn't seen her stuffing meat in her cheeks like a hamster moments ago. Maybe I should have woken up a bit later.

The surroundings had a roughly skinned deer hide, charred black firewood that seemed to have burned for quite a long time, and a mountain-like pile of bones. The uneaten parts were tossed aside.

"What will you do now. Judging by your direction, you were heading to the portal."

"I need to go to the 5th floor. To get promoted to lead rank."

"Oh, so you were still bronze-rank? You didn't seem like it at all."

"There was a situation. I got a bit stronger recently."

"I see."

Rubika got up from her spot and slung the greatsword she had set aside back on her back.

"I'll be heading back now."

"Wait. You're just leaving after eating all that meat?"

"O-oh...."

No way. As a decent person, you have to pay for your meal.

"Do you... want something...?"

"Yes. I do."

"I'll help as much as I'm able...."

"You said you're returning to the surface, right? Then take those horns and sell them for me."

I pointed my finger at the blue-horned deer's head. According to Rubika, leaving the head as it was was best for preserving its value.

"Will that be enough?"  

"Ah, you have to give me the money from selling it. I might be a bit late coming out, so... leave it at the Goat Inn in southwest Callax. Give them my regards too."

"Got it. What's your name."

"Yoo Eon."

"Yoo Eon, why so suddenly... are you going to die...?"

"No. My name is Yoo Eon."

"That's... well, must be an alias. Alright. I'll make sure to deliver the payment."

People often misunderstand like that, but I didn't bother explaining because it's a hassle. It's easier to just let them think that way.

"I'd be quite disappointed if you pocketed any. The rumor might spread of a silver-rank female explorer named Rubika who sat and demolished 100 kg of meat."

"What do you take me for! Of course, I wouldn't do that, so don't worry!"

"Yes. You seem that way."

After watching Rubika's beast butchering show, I feel full. More precisely, my stomach feels so bloated that I lost my appetite.

'She wouldn't eat all the inn's food, right?'

But she ate so much now, maybe it'll be fine.

"Ah, and... this is my personal token of gratitude. You should find it useful."

"What's this?"

Rubika rummaged through her bag and handed me a small ring.

"It's an artifact. I got it on the 10th floor. The quality isn't great, but I rarely have a chance to use it."

As Rubika said, I put the ring on my left middle finger and infused it with mana, causing a huge round shield large enough to cover my upper body to appear. The sensation of the handle gripping directly onto my hand was quite fascinating.

"This is nice. I'll put it to good use."

"Good. I'll get going then. Thanks for the meal."

As she took a step towards the portal and stomped the ground forcefully,

ㅡBoom!

With a loud noise, her body shot forward at incredible speed. Amazing speed. Is that the difference between a silver rank?

'Accelerated Metabolism...'

The blue-horned deer meat didn't smell very strong, but it wasn't tasty enough to call delicious. Does hunger really make everything taste better? She must have been extremely hungry due to her skill.

Moving that fast with such a huge greatsword on her back. I'd like to see her in combat sometime.

"Whew, time to head out."

I slept for about 3 hours. I could feel my body recovering.  

"Let's go to the 5th floor."