Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Episode 9. Ingredient Hunting

Even though it was daytime, the inside was dark.

It was a space that looked as though a low-ceilinged underground parking lot and a collapsed tunnel had been forcibly stitched together.

Broken tiles and pieces of rebar lay scattered between half-shattered concrete pillars, while the damp walls gleamed black here and there.

From far away, the sound of metal scraping overlapped with people’s voices and echoed through the space.

“Everyone, keep moving and follow us! Do not leave the controlled route!”

An Association field agent shouted from the front.

The entry team naturally split into several groups. Those with decent equipment stayed toward the front, those who looked experienced stayed in the middle, and the on-site registrants wearing yellow bands stayed in the rear.

Jinho stood at the back as well. No, he had no choice but to.

The yellow band stood out. Even without anyone deliberately pushing him back, people did not want him in the front row.

Doyoon stood at the very front. After all, he was skilled enough to be sent for external cooperation.

He looked around as though everything were a nuisance, then spotted Jinho and raised the corner of his mouth.

“Make sure you keep up from back there, field-trip student.”

Jinho did not answer. Doyoon was not what mattered right now.

‘I need to make sure I get at least one Iron-Hoof Boar.’

But slipping away on his own would be insane. He had enough judgment to understand that much.

“Watch the front! Pack of Iron-Tooth Rats!”

A shout erupted from the vanguard. Immediately afterward, low noises burst out from every direction.

Kiiik, kiikik.

Small shadows poured out from beneath the wreckage of collapsed vehicles. They were too large to simply be called rats. Each was as big as a fully grown dog, rusty iron-like protrusions grew from their backs, and their front teeth gleamed like metal.

The Association agent shouted.

“Lower F-Rank specimens! Don’t panic, form groups and take them down!”

Before he had even finished speaking, Doyoon sprang forward.

“Move.”

His short sword cut through the air.

The first Iron-Tooth Rat’s head snapped sideways. The second was slashed across the waist, and the third was kicked into a pillar.

His movements were fast and precise. Apparently, his reputation was not empty; a few small fry like these did not seem capable of putting up a fight against him.

The people around him let out quiet sounds of admiration.

Doyoon flicked the blood from his sword and scoffed.

“They called people out here to deal with things like this? What a waste of time.”

At those words, the expressions of several low-rank hunters stiffened. But no one openly argued with him. They had just seen what he could do.

Jinho had watched Doyoon’s movements as well. He was strong.

At least compared to Jinho as he was now.

Jinho’s gaze shifted to the dead Iron-Tooth Rats. The flesh beneath their fur, the protrusions along their backs, the tendons inside their ankles...

[Would you like to dismantle them?]

[Your current skill levels are ‘Appraisal Lv.1,’ ‘Purification Lv.2,’ and ‘Dismantling Lv.2.’]

Jinho shook his head. There was no need to do anything that would attract attention.

By then, the entry team had finished regrouping and started moving again.

More small monsters appeared along the way. Two Iron-Tooth Rats, one Stone-Shell Mole, and a swarm of palm-sized metallic insects.

Each time, Doyoon stepped forward.

“People in the back can just watch. Don’t get hurt trying to butt in for no reason.”

After cutting down a few more, he became even more openly arrogant.

“So it really is an F- to E-Rank gate. Why would any guild bother bidding on a place like this? You wouldn’t even cover labor costs.”

Several members of the public entry team turned their heads with uncomfortable expressions. Beside Jinho, Taesik muttered quietly.

“He’s even more exhausting than I imagined.”

“He is strong, though.”

“Being strong and underestimating a gate are two different things.”

Taesik answered briefly. Jinho flinched.

‘Doesn’t that apply to me too?’

Come to think of it, had he not forced his way into a gate while wearing a yellow band just because he wanted some Iron-Hoof Boar meat?

Even now, look at him.

As they followed the passage, Jinho’s steps faltered.

Something resembling red moss clung to the bottom of the wall. Unlike ordinary moss, the tips of its leaves trembled almost imperceptibly, and when he brought his palm close, he smelled a sharp, grassy scent.

A small system window appeared.

[Red-Vein Moss (Grade F)]

-One of the most common weeds

-Effect: Can be used in small amounts to remove unpleasant mana odors

Jinho’s eyes changed.

No one around him paid it any attention. Someone merely stepped on it while passing by.

It was not a monster byproduct, a mana stone, or equipment material. To them, it was no different from the weeds growing on the walls and floor.

Jinho lowered himself as though he were falling behind.

He scraped off a little moss with his fingertips. Then, pretending to fiddle with it, he pushed it into his inventory. The Red-Vein Moss disappeared into his inventory without a sound.

‘It works.’

His heart beat a little faster.

After that, many other things caught his eye. Gray crystals collected in cracks in the concrete, dried root-like lumps hidden beneath broken tiles, black salt powder that had fallen from damp walls...

The system classified all of them as ingredients or auxiliary ingredients.

[Blackrock Salt (Grade E)]

-Salty. Tastes like salt mixed with pepper.

-Effect: Suppresses unpleasant odors

[Dried Dungeon Root (Grade D-)]

-Has a strong earthy smell.

-Effect: Tenderizes meat.

[Iron Powder (No Grade)]

-Are you planning to eat this?

-Effect: Inedible

Jinho kept pace while secretly picking up anything edible.

If he had gathered things like this from the front, someone would inevitably have noticed. But the rear was chaotic. Everyone’s attention was focused on the monsters ahead and Doyoon’s swordplay.

Taesik glanced at Jinho once. Jinho turned his head as though nothing had happened.

“Don’t fall too far behind.”

“Understood.”

When the entry team reached the first wide area, the Association agent raised a hand.

“We’ll take a short break here. Signs of Iron-Hoof Boars begin on the floor below. Individual rank ranges from upper F to lower E. We’ll only deal with specimens separated from the herd, and we won’t go too deep.”

People drank water or readjusted their equipment. Doyoon leaned against a pillar and grumbled.

“We kill a few boars that got separated from the herd and we’re done. It’s funny that they dress this up as a government project.”

Someone asked cautiously.

“But why didn’t any guilds bid on it? If it’s F to E Rank, the danger level is low.”

Doyoon scoffed.

“If the danger is low, the profit is low too. Even if you go through the trouble of winning the bid, your manpower gets tied up, the byproducts aren’t worth much, and if there’s an accident, all you get is liability. So the Association and local government run it under the pretense of giving low-rank hunters experience.”

The people who had come here were people who needed even that low profit. But Doyoon did not seem interested in such things.

‘He’s not going to rise very high.’

Jinho shook his head. Instead, he looked around more carefully. Partly because he wondered if there were any more ingredients nearby, but also because he simply did not want to be near Doyoon.

However, that action produced an unexpected result. Not far away, he discovered deep, wide hoofprints.

“There are some kind of tracks over here.”

At Jinho’s words, the field agent came over and checked the floor.

“These are tracks from a lone Iron-Hoof Boar. Looks like one broke away to the side.”

Doyoon immediately stood up.

“Then let’s just kill that one and move on.”

“It’s outside the planned route. We should first check the main path on the lower floor...”

“You said it’s F to E Rank. Is there any reason to drag this out?”

Doyoon was already adjusting his grip on his sword. The Association agent looked troubled.

It was difficult to completely ignore support personnel dispatched by a guild, and it was also difficult to leave traces of a lone specimen unchecked.

In the end, he made a decision.

“Only a small reconnaissance group will go. Everyone else will wait here.”

Doyoon smiled.

“I’ll lead.”

Several people followed him. Taesik moved as well, carrying his spear. Jinho naturally blended in behind them. The Association agent frowned when he saw him.

“Yellow band stays behind.”

Just as Jinho was about to stop, Doyoon spoke mockingly.

“Let him come. He said he needs meat, right? We should at least let him smell it from the back.”

Laughter leaked out from around them. The Association agent warned him with a displeased expression.

“Do not come forward from the rear under any circumstances. And don’t touch the loot.”

Jinho nodded.

The air became even damper as they entered the narrow passage. The sound of their footsteps struck the walls and echoed loudly.

The hoofprints were clear. But there was something strange about them.

For something supposedly made by a single Iron-Hoof Boar, the hooves had gouged far too deeply into the floor. There were also dents in the walls here and there. Rather than signs of it crashing into them while fleeing, it looked as though the beast had been agitated and rammed into the narrow passage.

Jinho furrowed his brow.

‘Do Iron-Hoof Boars normally dig up the floor this badly?’

He had never seen an Iron-Hoof Boar before, so how would he know?

At that moment, a low breathing sound came from the darkness ahead.

Hrrng-

Everyone stopped.

Doyoon raised the corner of his mouth.

“There it is.”

He stepped forward without hesitation. An Iron-Hoof Boar emerged from the darkness. Its shoulders stood higher than a person’s waist, black bristles jutted upward, and its hooves and tusks gleamed like metal.

Jinho swallowed.

It was the ingredient for Today’s Menu.

But soon, he noticed something strange.

The creature was breathing far too roughly. There was a deep wound in its flank, and the fur around the back of its neck had been torn out.

It was injured.

Doyoon laughed even after seeing that.

“What? It’s just food.”

At that moment, the Iron-Hoof Boar charged.

Bang!

Doyoon dodged sideways and swung his sword. The blade split open the boar’s flank. Blood sprayed.

The others let out quiet cheers.

Doyoon immediately followed with a second attack. As the beast scraped its hooves against the floor to change direction, he slashed beneath its neck.

The Iron-Hoof Boar let out a horrible shriek.

“See? Things like this are easy if you just get the angle...”

Doyoon did not get to finish.

The Iron-Hoof Boar suddenly raised its head.

A strange sound began boiling up from deep inside its throat.

Grrrrrrrr-

At first, Jinho thought it was a dying groan. But it was not. The sound gradually became longer and lower. It was heavy, as though spreading through the floor of the passage.

Wooooooooong-

Translucent words appeared before Jinho’s eyes.

[The scent of the Iron-Hoof Boar’s blood is spreading.]

[A colony response has occurred.]

‘Colony response?’

Before Jinho could understand the message, the Iron-Hoof Boar struck the floor one last time.

Crack-

Its iron-like hoof shattered the concrete. Blood seeped into the cracks in the floor.

There was a strange smell coming from that blood.

The smell of animal blood, wet iron, and...

A heavy scent of mana that seemed to be calling something.

The Association agent’s face stiffened.

“Wait. What was that sound just now?”

Doyoon flicked the blood from his sword as though it were nothing.

“Probably just screaming its lungs out before it died.”

“No. There’s never been a report of an Iron-Hoof Boar crying out like that...!”

Before he could finish speaking.

Boom-!

A rumble came from deeper inside the passage.

Everyone turned their heads at once.

Boom-!

The second rumble was closer.

This time, it was not simply the sound of footsteps. The floor shook as though something were pounding it from below, and dust streamed down through cracks in the ceiling.

BOOM-!!

And then the third.

Bzzzt-

At the sound of the radio, the Association agent grabbed his communicator.

- Reconnaissance team, prepare to withdraw immediately. An unidentified large specimen is approaching from deeper inside.

Doyoon frowned.

“A large specimen?”

Something appeared out of the darkness.

At first, Jinho thought the wall itself was moving.

That was how large it was.

Its shoulders were nearly twice the height of an ordinary Iron-Hoof Boar’s, and black, iron-plate-like armor rose in overlapping layers across its back. Its four legs were as thick as pillars, and every time its hooves crushed the concrete, they gouged into the floor.

The first thing that caught the eye was its tusks.

Long, thick tusks like curved iron bars stretched out to either side. Old blood, dried dirt, and iron dust clung to their surfaces, hardened into a dark reddish-black crust.

The Association agent swallowed.

“An Iron-Hoof Boar leader...? No, there’s no record of one that size.”

The corner of Doyoon’s mouth rose. His expression held a mixture of unease and pride.

“It’s still just an Iron-Hoof Boar.”

Words appeared before Jinho’s eyes.

[Iron-Hoof Lord]

- Leader of an Iron-Hoof Boar colony

‘Iron-Hoof... Lord?’

As if answering Jinho’s thoughts, the Iron-Hoof Lord’s snout twitched.

It looked down at the dying Iron-Hoof Boar. Then it slowly turned its head.

Its gaze landed on Doyoon.

No, more precisely, on the blood coating Doyoon’s sword.

Grrrrrrrr

The Iron-Hoof Lord scraped the floor.

Jinho instinctively took one step backward.

At that moment, it charged.

Bang!

The narrow passage shook as though it had exploded.