Chapter 46

Was that guy the mother yesterday?

Even though it was smaller in build than the one presumed to be the mother, it was quite heavy, causing the branches to start cracking.

Seo-un, holding Matahari, carefully leaned against the tree trunk. The mutant approached, pressing its sharp claws into the branch.

Above the mutant's head, which tilted curiously, feathers swayed like reeds in the wind. After completing its search, the mutant let out a snort and puffed steam from its nostrils.

It opened its long beak, revealing a bead of flame inside. Just a touch of that and you're done for. Instinctively, Seo-un's mouth opened wide.

"Mine..."

As Seo-un opened his mouth, the mutant opened its mouth even wider. Just as the flame from the burning bead was about to burst out,

"Mine sword, roar!!! Violet Rain!!! I'm dead! Cha-haya! Han-don-hee! Kang-san! Yu-chan!"

Boom! A purple flash burst from the ‘Matahari’ engraved on the sword. Kiki! The mutant, spreading its wings, kicked off the branch and flew up.

No way! I can only use it once!

In Seo-un's despairing eyes, the bird, with its belly torn open, spewed out its entrails. Seeing that its legs were also gone, it was clear that Cosmo had properly pierced through it.

Did I kill it?

Damn, the bird, spewing blood and entrails, flapped its wings in the air. Still full of energy, it opened its mouth even wider, and flames shot out.

"Jump down!"

Cha-haya's shout came from somewhere. Rather than being burned to death, Seo-un jumped without looking back. The smell of singed hair made him shudder. If he was lucky, he wouldn't die from this height. Before he could finish that thought, someone caught him.

Seo-un instinctively covered his head and rolled on the ground. Even though someone else had shielded him, pebbles and branches mercilessly pierced his arms.

"Stab its heart before it regenerates!"

Han-don-hee, who had sliced the bird's neck as it tried to fly up, shouted. Thud! The body, which had fallen to the ground, flailed its wings. Kang-san, standing on the wings, stabbed the heart with a knife. Or rather, since they didn't know exactly where the heart was, Yu-chan joined in, hacking at the mutant's body.

Only then did Seo-un check his face and hair. Fortunately or unfortunately, only the hair that had grown long enough to cover his neck was gone.

"Is your hair important now?"

A sigh of disbelief came from Cha-haya.

"Are you okay?!"

Seo-un, who had been lying on top of him, quickly got up.

"Who's saying that."

Relief and tension suddenly drained away, and Seo-un sprawled out next to Cha-haya. His chest ached as his heart swelled and contracted. Then, thud! Matahari was stuck next to his face.

Looking up, he saw Han-don-hee standing with a blood-dripping ore in his hand. The ore he had seen yesterday was a smooth red bead, but this one had cracks running through it, with magma-like material flowing beneath.

"Hey, was that the kid yesterday?"

At Han-don-hee's words, Seo-un, who had been trying to get up, finally collapsed. The delayed onset of muscle soreness hit him all at once. Whether it was from staying up all night or from launching Cosmo, he couldn't be sure.

Han-don-hee also showed the ore he had from yesterday. Cha-haya received the two ores, which were of similar size.

"Right? The one that just died is much heavier."

That meant it was at least a 5th-level mutant, possibly close to a 6th level. Without a scale, the level was usually estimated based on the mass of the ore.

Han-don-hee squatted and tapped Seo-un's forehead. Seo-un, who had staggered, came back like a bobblehead.

"You're a field mouse, right? Do mouse pups launch sword beams?"

He made a slashing motion with his sword, making a "squeak" sound.

"…It seems the sky left me a few ultimate moves."

Kang-san and Yu-chan, who had joined in to finish the mutant, were also covered in its blood. If the mutant was a monster, these guys were devils.

Since they couldn't give up being human, they needed to wash. As Seo-un, with trembling arms, touched the ground, he grimaced. Not only were there cuts all over, but the blood that had flowed down his arms had dried. Fortunately, it wasn't bad enough to need stitches, and scabs had formed on the torn areas.

While Seo-un was trying to stand on his own, Cha-haya handed the ore to Han-don-hee.

"That'll be 50,000 won."

Cha-haya supported him by the arm.

"Since I'm a regular, can you introduce a loyalty system?"

"Sir, if I do that, I won't make any profit."

Without arguing, Seo-un, who was piggybacking on Cha-haya, grabbed his hair and let go. Cha-haya, even with his hair pulled, only laughed once. Among them, Seo-un was the cleanest, but Cha-haya, covered in the mutant's bodily fluids, soon joined the ranks of the devils.

Since it was their first time, they had no idea where to find a stream to wash. The only method was to blindly push through the bushes and wander around.

After being carried for a while, Seo-un felt embarrassed to be seen by the others. Just as he was about to say he would walk on his own, he closed his mouth. Since they had no concept of consideration, he would only fall behind. Moreover, he didn't want to slow down the search for the stream because of him.

He unintentionally got to ride on Cha-haya's back, but the discomfort remained. He kept thinking, "If it were before, I could have walked side by side and still had energy to spare," reminiscing about the past.

Cha-haya changed direction, saying he heard water nearby.

"Guild leader, in what order did you call us?"

Yu-chan, who was following, asked casually.

"…What?"

"Earlier, when we were fighting the mutant, you called us."

Seo-un looked surprised.

"But why am I last?"

"Yu-chan… Usually, the most important person is called last."

Although he didn't remember the order, he tried to smooth things over since Yu-chan said he was last. Despite being simple, Yu-chan seemed uneasy. Fortunately, they soon saw the stream, and Yu-chan ran to wash.

"Was I the first one called, so I'm the least important?"

Cha-haya asked jokingly.

"Why are you the same as Yu-chan?"

"Cha-seo-un, I take the best care of you, so I should be first."

"Hey, make Cha-haya first."

He laughed, saying, "If you change your mind, I'll grab your nose."

Water from a small waterfall flowed into the stream. The natural pool was about waist-deep, and the water was clear enough to see the stones and pebbles.

Seo-un, who had regained some energy from riding on Cha-haya's back, dipped his feet into the stream while still wearing his clothes. Splash! The cold water hit him as the others jumped in. Cha-haya also submerged himself, going under up to his neck.

"You need to prepare to get in, or you'll get a heart attack."

Seo-un, making excuses, splashed water on his arms and belly. Cha-haya, chuckling, splashed water from below.

"I told you not to?"

"Want me to warm it up like hot spring water?"

Seo-un's eyes widened. How? he wondered, but he soon figured it out. It was possible because he could manipulate elements. Of course, he hadn't thought it could be applied like this.

"Cha-haya, you're a genius."

"Praise won't lower the price."

"How much?"

"A bit expensive."

"So, how much?"

Seo-un, unable to submerge like Cha-haya, stood and asked.

"100,000 won."

"Deal, quickly, right now."

Cha-haya, chuckling, emitted heat, warming Seo-un's calves.

Seo-un, drawn to Cha-haya like a magnet to a hot water outlet in an indoor pool, approached. His face, now looking like he could survive, had a healthy glow.

Seo-un submerged his head, covered in dirt, in the warm water. The occasional cold from the waterfall soon turned warm.

Feeling good, he involuntarily let out a sound, and one by one, the others gathered around Cha-haya.

"Hey, if you're coming, each of you has to pay 50,000 won."

"Why?"

Kang-san, groaning, submerged himself in the warm water.

"Cha-haya says it's 100,000 won for usage."

"We should get the money for helping him improve his skill level."

Han-don-hee, splashing water, approached.

"I've been maxed out for a hundred years."

"Hey, use this chance to transcend."

The four heads, with Cha-haya in the middle, floated.

"Are we hot spring monkeys?"

Ukki, Yu-chan and Kang-san jumped around in the water like monkeys.

When will that uncontrollable energy disappear? Seo-un, submerged up to his neck, was hit by the splashes from the others. He closed his eyes gently, thinking it was time to float, but was hit by another wave of water as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Cha-seo-un, should we also start learning elemental skills?"

When they lived in Korea, they had no inconvenience in food, shelter, or clothing, so they never had to be homeless. Moreover, as long as they had strength, they could survive in the underworld. But now, encountering this absurd tunnel, Han-don-hee was unusually serious.