Chapter 10 : The Birth of Fist Rice

Gunfire thundered like a storm.

The enemy was wielding an automatic pistol.

Although Yuseong was experienced, encountering such a foe was rare.

A sharp pain pulsed through his twisted left arm.

His head had also collided, blood streaming down.

The injury caused adrenaline to surge uncontrollably.

The pain momentarily dulled.

Yuseong had brought two boxes of Pepero with him. Both were different flavors.

He began to ponder carefully which one to eat.

Which one should he choose?

“Which one… should I pick—”

“Yuseong, br—”

“Ah.”

Chief Choi, whose uniform was bursting at the seams, shouted at Yuseong, snapping him back to reality.

The hormones of endorphins and adrenaline, which mask pain, had clouded his judgment for a moment.

“You need to focus, Yuseong!”

“Right. You shouldn’t choose Almond Chocolate over Mint Chocolate.”

“…Huh?”

“Too many people prefer it.”

Without hesitation, Yuseong placed down a single Pudding Box.

Mint Chocolate Pepero was a rare delicacy since it quickly went out of production due to mixed reviews.

However,

“I can understand it, but I can’t sympathize.”

That toothpaste-like scent…

A flavor he neither liked nor hated.

Still, there was a superior choice, so there was no reason to pick Mint Chocolate.

Yuseong tore open the package of Almond Pepero.

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but I’ll distract them, so get behind the car right now!”

Chief Choi judged Yuseong was not in a normal state and shouted urgently.

But Yuseong silently started eating the Pepero.

The preservation technology was indeed amazing.

The Pepero retained its crispness perfectly.

The smooth sweetness of the chocolate coated his mouth like a soft embrace.

The metallic taste of blood faded.

“Ah, this is delicious.”

“Damn it!”

In the grandfather’s warehouse on the island, there was a variety of sweets.

Among them were some relatively high-end chocolates, but coated chocolates had a different flavor.

And almonds.

The roasted almond’s savory aroma filled the air.

The effect of Tammijuui activated.

[Sweet Chocolate Taste.]

[Wounds are healed, and stamina slightly increases.]

On a battlefield where life and death hung in the balance, it was not easy to savor food.

However, to the one called Zombie Tongue, it was familiar.

Crack, crack.

His twisted left arm straightened by itself.

Some of the blood flowing from his gums stopped.

Yuseong cautiously moved his left hand.

Fortunately, it still worked.

Eating one snack did not completely heal him, but being able to move was enough.

“Did… did you heal?”

Seeing Yuseong recover, Chief Choi was astonished.

“No, not exactly. Hm, it’s dangerous.”

“It’s fine when I’m alone, but my Ma Power is running low. This gift won’t last much longer.”

Yuseong clicked his tongue.

His eyes fell on the Mint Chocolate Pepero he had just put down.

That might be Mint Chocolate, but perhaps it could still be used.

“Chief Choi, are you a hipster by any chance?”

If Chief Choi could harness the power of Tammijuui…

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

Chief Choi was taken aback by the unexpected question.

But Yuseong’s expression was serious.

“This is important. Are you someone whose taste is a bit different from others? Someone with a strong personal preference rather than the usual ‘everyone likes this’?”

His words oddly stirred Chief Choi’s heart.

“That… seems accurate.”

Every word from Yuseong felt like a personal reflection.

In reality, Chief Choi was someone who stepped away from mainstream tastes.

He preferred designer brand clothing over trendy wear and used niche perfumes from small overseas brands instead of common scents.

He didn’t listen to pop music, but recently enjoyed a Denmark Band.

“In that case, you have no choice but to like this flavor.”

Yuseong finally smiled.

Surprisingly fast, he tore open the Mint Chocolate Pepero package.

Then, he pressed the Pepero up to Chief Choi’s lips.

“Try it.”

“In this situation, and yet this smells like toothpaste… Are you sure this isn’t toothpaste?”

Yuseong shook his head gravely.

“It’s a unique flavor applied to an old snack. Some people dislike unusual scents, but those who know taste—the so-called ‘taste connoisseurs’—appreciate the true value of Mint Chocolate.”

Although ironically, Yuseong himself didn’t know that well.

“Then why did you earlier…”

“I have a more common taste, so I’m a bit picky.”

Every word Yuseong chose shook Chief Choi’s heart.

He often heard that his tastes were peculiar, and he secretly liked that.

The taste called ‘Mint Chocolate’ intrigued him.

“Then, let me try it…”

As soon as Chief Choi gave the okay, Yuseong stuffed several Pepero sticks into his mouth.

At first, Chief Choi was stunned and hesitated.

Then his expression became ambiguous.

Yuseong, now more confident, said quietly,

“It’s a bit hard to get used to, right? Normal people would struggle. I understand.”

“Uh, no, that’s not it.”

“The harmony of the refreshing mint scent and the sweet chocolate flavor is important.”

Yuseong tried to encourage Chief Choi as much as possible.

“Feel it naturally.”

“Uh, um. Ah, I feel it.”

“How is it?”

“It’s good.”

“Really?”

“It’s a unique flavor. Like a French Niche Perfume rather than a famous brand’s scent!”

He didn’t know what that meant, but Yuseong nodded to not kill Chief Choi’s enthusiasm.

Chief Choi truly seemed amazed by the taste of Mint Chocolate Pepero.

Right in front of Yuseong’s face, he burst out in admiration.

“I’m not joking. It’s really delicious. I’ve never had anything like this!”

“Your breath smells like mint now.”

As Yuseong and Chief Choi continued their lively conversation, Gwak Cheongrae suddenly exploded.

“You bastards, right in front of me!”

Brilliant light erupted from his pistol.

The bullet fired was much stronger than any Magic Bullet fired before.

Bang.

Chief Choi was violently pushed backward.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

His shield shattered badly.

Behind him, Yuseong and Shin Jia were pale and trembling.

Gwak Cheongrae smiled triumphantly.

But at that moment, the Blessing of Taste of Tammijuui descended upon Chief Choi.

“Oh, ohhh, strength!”

[You have awakened a new flavor in the target.]

[A taste that satisfies a scent difficult for the public to accept.]

[Temporarily grants the target a ‘Blessing of Taste’.]

Like a refreshing mint breeze, a cool wind blew.

Chief Choi’s Ma Power was replenished, and his shield grew stronger than before.

Suddenly, a whirlwind of shattered car fragments swirled and struck Gwak Cheongrae.

“Ugh, my eyes!”

Gwak Cheongrae covered his eyes with his sleeves as shards flew into them.

“Now!”

At Chief Choi’s signal, Yuseong slammed his foot on the ground.

While putting on his backpack, he grabbed a large rock rolling on the ground.

Sensing his sight was obscured, Gwak Cheongrae wildly fired his gun.

Tatatatatang.

The blind bullets tore through the air.

A few grazed Yuseong’s body.

Sizzle.

A bullet grazed his right thigh, drawing blood.

Pop.

One hit his already damaged shoulder.

The enhanced Magic Bullet only left a fingernail-sized hole as it passed through.

An ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to keep running.

Pain in both shoulders could hardly be borne by anyone else.

But Yuseong kept running as if he didn’t know pain.

Zombie Tongue.

If he had only been famous for eating monsters, he wouldn’t have gotten that name.

As an explorer, Yuseong was only rank 8.

Yet even Seo Ryeon, the top swordsman among explorers, admired Yuseong’s fighting style.

Baek Yuseong fought mercilessly as if he barely cared about life itself.

Even when monster claws slashed his belly and he turned black and bruised from severe poisoning, he kept going.

It wasn’t because he enjoyed it.

If he hadn’t killed the enemies, he would have been eaten.

He fought purely for survival.

That’s why he got the name Zombie.

Because he survived through countless deadly encounters by sheer stubbornness.

Eventually, Yuseong closed the distance to Gwak Cheongrae by half.

Close enough for the rock to hit its mark.

Gwak Cheongrae, regaining his sight, pointed his gun at Yuseong once more.

“Take this!”

He shouted with a thickened accent.

He pulled the trigger.

Click, click.

But the bullet didn’t fire.

“Did it jam?”

Yuseong gave Chief Choi the signal Blessing of Taste.

Since the pistol had likely sand and wind inside, it was bound to malfunction.

Gwak Cheongrae hurriedly ejected the dud, but it was too late.

Yuseong threw the fist-sized rock.

Swoosh!

Fueled by enhanced strength, the rock tore through the air with a terrifying sound.

Crack!

Gwak Cheongrae’s head snapped back violently.

He flew backward as if hit by a cannonball.

“Phew.”

Yuseong exhaled a long breath.

He hadn’t aimed precisely for the head, but it was a clean hit.

He walked toward the fallen Gwak Cheongrae’s legs.

He was definitely planning to finish him off.

Gwak Cheongrae didn’t move, seemingly unconscious.

At that moment, Chief Choi, protecting Shin Jia, cried out sharply.

“Yuseong! Don’t let your guard down! That bastard…”

But because of Chief Choi’s warning, Yuseong turned his head—exactly the problem.

“Hunja can’t go.”

Relentless malice.

Feigning unconsciousness, Gwak Cheongrae raised his hand.

Without a gun, he formed his fingers into a bell shape and aimed at Yuseong.

Then, from his fingers, he fired a Light Bullet infused with all his Ma Power (>698).

Puh-uck.

A hole pierced Yuseong’s abdomen.

“Nooo!”

Chief Choi screamed and rushed forward.

But it was already too late.

Gwak Cheongrae smirked cruelly.

“A real pro never lets his guard down.”

Yuseong tried to shield himself by carrying his backpack forward, but Gwak Cheongrae’s trick (\※※) couldn’t be stopped that way.

There were two fist-sized holes in Yuseong’s backpack.

Yuseong stood still as if he was already dead.

From the holes in the backpack, blood gushed out like a fountain.

“Krrk, kuhahaha… ha… ha?”

Gwak Cheongrae’s expression twisted suddenly as he laughed while falling.

What poured out was not blood.

Ssslrrk.

The blood was actually black bean-shaped lumps, making clinking sounds as they bounced.

Silent, Yuseong stared blankly.

“My head… no, Black Bean…”

Indeed, the power of Gwak Cheongrae’s Light Bullet was formidable.

It pierced the backpack, punching a hole in the metal-made Boraeng Box inside.

But the Black Beans couldn’t pass through and stayed inside the box.

When Yuseong hastily took out the Boraeng Box, half the Black Beans had already spilled onto the asphalt.

The frozen Black Beans blended with the asphalt’s color, making them hard to distinguish.

It wouldn’t be easy to gather them all.

“Crazy…”

Gwak Cheongrae muttered in despair.

Realizing his situation, he desperately tried to escape.

But having used up his last strength, he couldn’t get up.

Yuseong sneered.

“They say people who waste food go to hell.”

“Wh-what are you saying!”

“That means you’re going to hell too.”

Yuseong carefully put down the Boraeng Box and picked up a handful of Black Beans spilled on the ground.

A cold sensation touched his hand.

But it was not enough to quell the rising fury inside him.

“Do you like bean porridge?”

Gwak Cheongrae, still rampaging weakly, was somewhat sobered by the blow to his head.

The thing approaching him was not just a gaunt, powerless, and young-looking man. There was an unexplainable pressure.

“Answer me. Do you like it or not?”

“Ah… no… I don’t like it.”

“Then try it once and decide!”

Yuseong slammed the handful of Black Beans into Gwak Cheongrae’s mouth.

Impact.

A vigorous blow that smashed the front teeth.

Later, Chief Choi would describe that moment as the origin of Yuseong’s combat technique, ‘Fist Rice.’