If that were truly the case, it would be a very fortunate thing.
But there was no ice cream inside the Cold Boulder.
Even if it looked just like a massive refrigerator, it was the same.
After diligently clearing away the piled-up sand, Jang Dojin finally found the corpse of the Cold Boulder.
“It’s out!”
“It’s… really dead…!”
The Cold Boulder had arms and legs but no head.
Despite its massive size, it survived by nestling its body next to cacti, feeding off their roots as a parasite.
At its feet, there were organs resembling plant roots.
It breathed through several holes protruding from the upper part of its torso.
Those holes were thoroughly blocked by Yuseong with sand.
The suffocated Cold Boulder was nothing more than a cold chunk of stone.
“This thing’s insanely refreshing.”
“It’s cold, that’s for sure.”
Yes, the important thing was that it was cold.
Even though the Cold Skin Camel’s hide was said to be cool, the chill of the Cold Boulder was on another level.
If you touched it for too long, you’d get frostbite.
While the Group of Explorers stared blankly at the Cold Boulder, Yuseong stepped forward.
He lifted his Rose Knife and started tapping the Cold Boulder’s body here and there.
Kam, kam, kam.
He changed positions as he tapped, but the spectators had no idea what he was looking for.
Yuseong’s strange actions continued for a while, until suddenly the Rose Knife struck a spot and a xylophone-like sound rang out.
Tem.
It wasn’t a dull thud but a clear, ringing tone.
A smile crept onto Yuseong’s lips.
“Hey, do you have a canteen?”
“M-me?”
The Explorer who was watching was startled when singled out.
“Yes.”
“I-I do, but…”
“Give it to me. I’ll share a little with you.”
“I don’t mind, but wow…”
As he hesitated, a companion nudged him in the ribs.
“Just give him what he asks for.”
“Wow…”
“That’s Baek Yuseong, you know.”
There were countless Explorers in the world who wanted to taste Yuseong’s cooking.
In the end, the chosen Explorer handed his canteen to Yuseong.
Yuseong unscrewed the cap and poured out all the water.
“Argh! What are you doing?!”
The Explorer who’d handed over the canteen jumped up in shock.
Here, getting water was as hard as picking stars from Heaven.
If you ran out of water, even the toughest Explorer would have no choice but to return to the surface.
And yet, Yuseong had just spilled such precious life water onto the ground.
“Just wait.”
But Yuseong, unbothered, didn’t even look back as he spoke.
The canteen’s owner missed his chance to get angry.
Yuseong carefully tapped another spot that sounded different, then gripped the Rose Knife in reverse.
He put his weight behind it and stabbed the knife in.
Karak!
Instead of striking rock, the Rose Knife slid in as if piercing a radish.
Yuseong carefully brought the mouth of the canteen close and pulled the knife out.
“W-wait, something’s coming out!”
“Is it water? Blood? It’s blue.”
From where Yuseong had stabbed, a transparent liquid tinged with blue began to flow out.
Soon, a cool aroma spread from the center of the Cold Boulder.
The scent was a bit like sour citrus, and a bit like apples.
“It’s Magical Power Water.”
Yuseong explained the identity of the liquid.
If you dissect Monsters, many of them are no different from surface animals.
They’re made of blood, bone, and flesh, after all.
But some are different, and the Cold Boulder was a textbook example.
Its body was made up of only three things.
A very special blue Masok, the Magical Power Water that seeped out of that Masok, and the hard rock that made up its body.
What moved this giant boulder was precisely this Magical Power Water.
It took only about a canteen’s worth of Magical Power Water to move such a massive Monster.
Yuseong’s eyes sparkled with curiosity and greed.
He gently tilted the canteen and tasted the Magical Power Water.
You can’t drink much.
If you do, your insides could suffer frostbite.
Just a little, just one sip.
Enough to wet his lips.
Beneath the blazing sun.
On the endless stretch of Sand Desert.
There, Yuseong drank the Magical Power Water.
The liquid, cold enough to freeze his tongue, moistened his lips.
Just as a strong liquor spreads warmth down the throat, the tingling chill of the Magical Power Water followed down his throat.
[Magical Power increases significantly.]
Even if you weren’t a connoisseur, the Magical Power Water was a tonic that raised magical power.
“…Excellent.”
Jang Dojin and the Explorers alike
Swallowed hard and stared at Yuseong.
“Dojin, prepare some space for the offering with your strength.”
“Yes.”
Jang Dojin was already fully expecting ice cream.
For someone with the Cheonghad aejangsa Gift, smashing the defenseless Cold Boulder was child’s play.
After a few minutes, the Cold Boulder no longer even looked like a Monster.
Its body was hollow, like a roughly-hewn stone bathtub.
“It’s hollow inside.”
“Otherwise, it’d be too heavy to move.”
There was nothing inside the Cold Boulder’s body.
Only some blue Masok embedded here and there.
“Wow, it’s super cold in here.”
Just as Jang Dojin said.
The Cold Boulder radiated cold even from the outside, but the chill inside was on another level.
It was as if someone had just switched on an air conditioner.
“It’s like a Natural Ice Cream Maker.”
But soon, even this cold would dissipate.
If they wanted to make ice cream, now was the time.
Yuseong filled a clean, chicken-shaped pot tied around his waist with water.
Because he’d added Essence of Verdure beforehand, it was sweet and refreshing water.
He poured in about three soju cups’ worth of Magical Power Water.
Then he squeezed the juice of two Pilapples he’d brought in advance, on the spot.
And two heaping spoonfuls of sugar.
Holding the strange blue-tinged liquid in the pot, Yuseong jumped into the hollow of the Cold Boulder’s body.
Jang Dojin nervously stuck his head inside the Cold Boulder’s body.
“Are you alright?”
“C-c-c-cold!”
Even for Yuseong, all he was wearing was his silver suit.
His whole body shook from the cold in an instant, but the light in his eyes was still alive.
For delicious food, Yuseong would literally go through water and fire.
Yuseong carefully took out the blue Masok embedded in the Cold Boulder’s body.
The Masok was small.
Maybe about 5th-rank Explorer grade?
But what mattered was its unique cold attribute.
Yuseong grabbed it in one hand.
He scraped a little of the Masok’s surface with his Rose Knife and sprinkled it over the pot.
As shards of Masok fell into the pot, the ice cream base began to freeze.
Srrrrk.
This was the critical part.
Yuseong quickly stirred the pot with a wooden spatula.
It was important to whip the freezing base rapidly enough to make it frothy.
That way, air gets in evenly and the texture becomes smoother.
Shu shu shu shuk.
After about three minutes,
As the base started to freeze, it turned a cloudy sky-blue color.
When he scooped some up with the spatula, it fell in a thick, viscous stream, perfectly frozen.
“Sha-sha-shaved ice… It looks delicious.”
Others might have laughed at how foolish he looked.
Yuseong leapt up holding the pot.
The others stretched their necks like baby birds waiting to be fed, watching Yuseong eagerly.
Jang Dojin had even prepared spoons in advance, waiting for Yuseong.
“It’s done!”
He was impressed by how the contents of the pot had changed compared to before Yuseong jumped inside the Cold Boulder.
It looked like a beautiful sky-blue sherbet, as if it captured the heavens itself.
“Alright, grab a spoon and let’s dig in.”
“Here’s your spoon, hyung.”
Jang Dojin handed over a small plastic spoon.
Yuseong declined it.
“It’s fine. I’ll just eat with this.”
As if he was being extra generous, Yuseong held up the wooden spatula he’d used to make the ice cream.
The spatula was five times the size of a plastic spoon.
Jang Dojin gave him a strange look, but Yuseong ignored him and scooped out a big portion of ice cream.
The others also hurried to scoop up ice cream with their spoons.
Even the Explorer who had almost cried over losing his knife now looked full of anticipation.
Yuseong took a big bite of the ice cream.
“Haa.”
Because he took such a cold bite all at once, a sigh escaped reflexively.
And a sweet and tangy flavor filled his mouth.
The fruity freshness, and the lively sweetness from the Essence of Verdure.
It tasted like the beautiful beaches of the tropics.
“Powerade…?”
It reminded him of the blue-colored ion drink.
Of course, the flavor was far richer and more dense than that.
Just a moment ago, the Explorers were full of complaints, but now their attitudes changed completely.
“My thirst is gone…!”
“Wow, so refreshing.”
Gone was their earlier hesitation; now, with the determination to eat as much as possible before the ice cream was gone, they shoveled in more with their spoons.
Soon, the Explorers clutched their heads and groaned.
“Ack, m-my head…”
“Feels like my head’s gonna split. Was there poison in this…?”
Of course, they’d suddenly shoved a cold treat into their bellies.
“Then I’ll just eat the rest.”
Instead of explaining why their heads hurt, Yuseong simply scooped faster.
As the ice cream in the pot quickly diminished, the Explorers, still clutching their heads, picked up their spoons again.
It didn’t take long for every last bit of ice cream in the pot to disappear.
“Haa, so cool…”
As the Explorers slumped to the ground, they suddenly realized they didn’t feel the heat or thirst anymore.
Usually, if you eat something sweet like ice cream, you get thirsty again soon, but ice cream made from Magical Power Water was different.
[Heat Resistance increases significantly.]
The Explorers were surprised by the sudden message.
In this kind of desert, Heat Resistance was as valuable as treasure, and it had risen quite a bit.
“You probably won’t need to drink water for a whole day.”
When Yuseong said that, the Explorers looked amazed and overjoyed.
“Wow… So the Cold Boulder had that kind of effect too…”
“Th-thank you!”
Only then did they realize how lucky they were.
Just for the price of one canteen, they had received more than enough in return.
Just being able to walk comfortably in this Sand Desert.
Of course, the benefit Yuseong got couldn’t even be compared.
[The refreshing spirit of sherbet in the blazing heat!]
[This is the perfect dish for the situation.]
[Magical Power greatly increases from the Cold Boulder’s Magical Power Water.]
[Heat Resistance greatly increases.]
[Fire Resistance increases slightly.]
If only Jang Dojin and Yuseong had eaten the ice cream, the effect of the Gourmet’s Attention wouldn’t have been this strong.
“Well then, we’ll be going now.”
They had come here only for the Cold Boulder’s Magical Power Water and Masok.
Without a hint of regret, Yuseong stood up.
“Where are you going now?”
As Yuseong was about to leave, the Explorers asked.
“To the Salt Desert.”
“There’s nothing there but Operators.”
Apparently, they also knew where the Salt Desert was.
“Well, instead of heading back along the Clear Route, you see that big sand dune over there? It’ll be easier if you go that way.”
Maybe it was gratitude for the ice cream.
The Explorers gave him a shortcut.
Yuseong smiled.
“Thanks.”
With that, he bid them farewell and turned to Kkure again.
Now it was time to head to their target for this Conquest, the Red Salt Mountain.
***
The 16th Layer was vast, and it wasn’t just full of sand.
There were unique places like the Cactus Field they’d just passed.
In that sense, the Salt Desert was the 16th Layer’s signature spot.
Instead of sand, fine salt covered the ground all the way to the horizon—a fascinating landscape.
On that barren plain, only small poisonous scorpions lived.
Because of that, there weren’t many Explorers who visited the Salt Desert.
There were no Monsters to hunt, so it simply wasn’t profitable.
“So, that’s where the Red Mountain is.”
But in the Abyss, nothing is created for no reason.
Even in regions no one visits, there is treasure to be found.
“A salt mine, huh. So you can get salt from a mine, not just from salt pans.”
“Yeah, it tastes different from the kind you get from seawater.”
That’s the Red Salt Mountain.
There are no demi-humans like the Toins on the 16th–18th Layers.
But traces remained, as if there once was civilization here long ago.
The Red Salt Mountain, located in the middle of the Salt Desert, was one such relic.
“But there’s plenty of salt above, too. Why bother coming all the way into the Abyss?”
“Salt has grades, too.”
That’s right.
Salt has grades.
Even before the Great Cataclysm, that was always true.
There’s cheap salt made from impure seawater.
And there’s high-end salt mined from the Himalayan Mountains.
Among the famous high-end salts, France’s Guérande Salt is a luxury line—Fleur de Sel.
That salt could cost dozens of times more than domestic sun-dried salt.
And though he hadn’t told Jang Dojin yet, there was something at the Red Salt Mountain that could be called a legendary salt.
A chunk of rock salt just a bit bigger than a fist.
The Red Salt lump, known as the heart of the Salt Desert, was exactly that.
To Yuseong, it was a legendary salt with an exquisitely tantalizing flavor, and later, it became known to have other effects as well.
Didn’t they say it was the best tonic, greatly raising Heat Resistance and Fire Resistance?
Of course, to Yuseong, its value as a seasoning was greater than as a tonic.
“Seasoning is the foundation of every dish.”
“That place must be quite the treasure?”
“That’s why I got the Cold Boulder’s Magical Power Water and Masok in advance.”
The problem was, the Red Salt Mountain was hellishly hot.
To cross a place where the moisture is sucked right out of you, special preparations were needed.
They’d just finished all those preparations.
Yuseong finally arrived at the Salt Desert region.
Thanks to the shortcut, he arrived sooner than expected.
But there were already guests here.
“Just like those Explorers said earlier, there really are people here.”
Normally, Explorers don’t come to the Salt Desert region.
But several people were walking around this Salt Desert.
They were holding measuring tapes and telescopes instead of weapons.
“Operators.”
A huge salt field in the middle of the desert.
Unlike salt obtained by drying seawater, there’s no owner for salt in the Abyss.
If you can reduce transport costs, it’s like picking money up off the street.
Currently, most of the salt used in energy bars is imported, so the price isn’t cheap.
It’s nothing compared to salt in the past.
After the Great Cataclysm, global salt production plummeted, and small-scale Merchants monopolized the world’s salt supply.
So now, the price of salt has increased dozens of times compared to the past.
On the other hand, from the Gate to here, it only takes about two hours round trip if you use a Cold Skin Camel.
The giant Cold Skin Camel is not only docile, but has tremendous stamina.
If trained well, it could even carry salt.
It’s just like the salt caravans of centuries past, and perhaps it really might be a viable business.
So, it wasn’t just Yuseong eyeing the salt; Merchants were, too.
And the Operators hired by those Merchants had come all the way down here to survey the Salt Desert.
“Well, let’s eat before we think.”
But there’s enough salt here to last the people of Korea a hundred years.
As long as Yuseong could secure the heart of the Salt Desert, he had no interest in the rest.
“So, what are we eating?”
“Scorpion.”
“Huh?”
“Salt-grilled scorpion.”
“…Huh?”
Yuseong pointed at the scorpions scurrying around the feet of the Cold Skin Camel.
Jang Dojin’s face turned pale.