Chapter 22: Maybe I Can ‘Hunt’ Them

A massive hologram unfolded before Go Nam-tae's eyes.

It was 'massive' in every sense of the word.

[Listed in order: Gyarok, Brokaclutch, Perercut, and Exile.]

[These are only the most common creatures found on the 100th floor.]

Go Nam-tae was lost for words.

'......In what world are those things anything like a chicken?'

Saying they were similar to chickens was like calling a lion a common rat.

The thing called a Gyarok was an iron monster.

Instead of feathers, its shimmering wings were bristling with iron spikes, and every time it scratched the ground, rocks were crushed to dust under its hooves.

The Brokaclutch.......

Its sledgehammer horns were quite impressive.

The description of a Doberman with hammers attached to its head felt appropriate.

The Perercut, the Exile.......

They were all winged monsters.

Crucially, every single one of them was as large as a house.

[All the monsters presented lay eggs and are beasts that live in packs.]

See? Even the description called them monsters.

Comparing them to chickens didn't make sense to begin with.

Furthermore, they were creatures that lived in packs.

How on earth was he supposed to get their eggs?

And yet.

'Why am I like this......?'

While his reason said it was impossible, his instincts were saying something else.

Images of yellow rolled omelets flashed through his mind, and his mouth filled with saliva.

Moreover, an absurd thought occurred to him as he looked at the screen.

'I think I might be able to use that guy for something......?'

The Gyarok was the most terrifying-looking monster among those Toto had shown.

He coveted the feather-spikes that covered its entire body.

Looking at those sharply curved spikes reminded him of something.

'I'd love to catch just one of them......'

However, even a brush with those flapping wings would likely grind him into mincemeat like a meat processor.

As Go Nam-tae pondered an impossible hunt, Toto belatedly offered some practical information.

['Eggs' can be brought from Earth.]

[More specifically, you can bring fertilized eggs and hatch them.]

"Huh? Really!"

Before he could demand why that hadn't been mentioned first, the explanation followed immediately.

[However, the Boss's Authority is currently insufficient.]

"......Fine, let me know when it becomes possible."

That was the reality.

He was a Boss in name, but his actual position was more like a farmhand.

A farmhand—no, a Boss's job was to expand the farmland.

"Then, I should look for a place suitable for creating a large paddy field."

At that, Ha-eul spoke with sparkling eyes.

'I know a place! There's a river nearby, and it's very wide.'

"Really? Should we head there today?"

'But it's not entirely within the Boss's territory yet.'

[Once you cultivate it, it will immediately be included in the Boss's territory.]

Work, work. He was being pushed to labor.

......Wasn't that just the life of a farmhand?

"Alright, let's go!"

The sudden cultivation unit began to move.

'This is my first time coming this way.'

The direction Ha-eul was leading was the exact opposite of the beach.

They headed toward the place where the Great Earthworm Escape had occurred.

Would it look like this if one were hit directly by an earthquake?

The ground was split, thrust upward, and covered in crushed marks everywhere.

Even the hill that had formed a small forest had collapsed completely, with trees and soil tangled together.

A pit to one side, a sudden cliff right in front.

Ha-eul was leading the way through the treacherous path where even maintaining a direction was difficult.

When he asked how she knew the way, she said it was where she used to live.

'You crossed a place like this to get here?'

His heart ached as he thought of Ha-eul crossing this path while carrying corn the size of her own body.

He scooped up Ha-eul, who had slipped while trying to leap upward, and tucked her under his arm.

"Ha-eul, you just point the way."

Boom!

With a single swing of the pickaxe, a path over dozens of meters long was cleared wide open.

It might take some time, but he would have to use this road to return anyway.

Boom, boom!

The human bulldozer—no, the Boss bulldozer paved the way forward.

After a long time spent cutting through the road that looked as if a giant had made a mess with a poker.

After the mana bar repeatedly fluctuated across the orange zone, they were finally able to arrive at their destination.

Peep peep peep!

'We're here, Boss!'

"Whoa......!"

Before Ha-eul could announce their arrival, an exclamation escaped first.

Just as Ha-eul said, there was a river and it was vast.

To be honest, he thought it was only big and wide in Ha-eul's eyes.

But the river was so wide the horizon was visible, and the land stretched out until the distant skyline.

It was vast and massive.

Consequently, the river was too far away.

Farmland would be included in his territory as he expanded it, but the distance to the river was a problem.

If he built a paddy field here, there was no way to connect a waterway.

"The river is too far. Is there a water source nearby we can use to supply the fields?"

Peep peep peep peep!

'There's a creek over that way!'

Ha-eul had all the answers.

Toto activated a map behind Ha-eul as she scurried away.

That creek was a stream connected to the creek in his front yard.

Not long after following Ha-eul, the sound of gurgling water reached his ears.

Clean water, shallow depth, and lush grass.

It was the perfect place for predators to live.

"Do crawfish live here too?"

Peep peep peep peep!

'Slippery Dragons live here!'

[It refers to the Labyrinth Water Lizard.]

[Besides the water lizard, many natural enemies of white weasels, such as freshwater snakes and salamanders, live here.]

It was then.

Splash, thud!

Ha-mu and Ha-gi, who had approached the creek, were suddenly dragged into the water.

Water sprayed everywhere, and simultaneously, a dark and massive shadow crawled up.

By the time Go Nam-tae threw himself forward, it was already too late.

Swoosh!

In an instant, the two of them were snatched away and disappeared into the water.

"No!"

With a scream, Go Nam-tae jumped straight into the creek.

He stopped his pickaxe mid-swing as he was about to frantically strike the creek.

If he did this, the little ones might get hurt.

'Ah, there was something useful for times like this......!'

As he hurriedly scanned through his skills, Go Nam-tae finally found it.

[Emergency Rescue!]

But strangely, the [Emergency Rescue] slot remained inactive.

Could there really be such a useless skill?

A skill that didn't respond when it was actually needed!

In a rage, Go Nam-tae was about to dive in while clutching his pickaxe.

Pop, kaboom! Splash!

A pillar of water erupted from the downstream area where the little ones had been dragged.

As the water column, more than a man's height, broke, something rolled onto the riverbank.

"Ha-gi, Ha-mu?"

However, what fell wasn't the children.

Slippery scales, a pitch-black tail, ......it was an unidentified reptile.

The water surged again, and something was swimming rapidly through the surface toward him.

The shadow soon revealed its identity.

Plop!

The two who poked their heads out of the water shouted proudly.

'We caught the Slippery Dragon!'

It was only natural that [Emergency Rescue] hadn't activated.

The skill didn't trigger because they were never in danger in the first place.

Thinking back, Ha-eul and Ha-byeong had remained calm as well.

Of course, he had thrown himself in before realizing that.

Even so, Go Nam-tae's shock didn't just vanish.

"......You rascals. You scared me!"

Peep peep peep peep!

Peep peep!

'We're sorry!'

'But Boss!'

The little ones poured out explanations frantically.

They said they knew as soon as they approached the creek.

That they had now become the predators to the enemies they used to have to run away from.

So, they had conspired to catch it.

It was the Slippery Dragon's habit to snatch things standing near the creek.

They pretended to be caught, and once in the water, they punched it a few times and dragged it up.

While they bragged with sparkling eyes, Ha-eul and Ha-byeong shook their heads.

Go Nam-tae let out a small sigh and looked at them.

"Alright, I've heard the explanation. But you know it's time for your punishment, right?"

'......Pardon?'

The little ones didn't understand why they had to be scolded, but they eventually had to stand with their front paws raised in punishment.

There was an additional penalty.

"You two won't have any missions until today's work is finished. Therefore, no snacks until we go back."

Flop.

The despairing pair had tears in their eyes, but the punishment actually increased.

Whack, whack!

A lump rose on each of their heads.

It was the handiwork of Ha-byeong, who 'did what needed to be done.'

Indeed, mothers were great.

There had been a small accident, but he at least learned that the vicinity wasn't a dangerous place for them.

Toto brought up the cultivation roadmap.

[This creek water will be sufficient for the paddy fields for the time being.]

[You may create a canal to connect the creek and the river later.]

[However, you must be careful once connected to the river.]

"Why? ......Ah, because it's not my territory? Do dangerous predators live in the river too?"

There was something that provided the answer even before Toto could.

Pshh, boom!

Between pillars of water that surged high enough to touch the sky, a massive octopus flew through the air.

Calling it an octopus was a bit...... it had a very unique appearance.

It wore a rock helmet on its head, and dozens of legs were adorned with shields small enough to be called cute.

No, scratch the word cute.

They only looked small because he was seeing them from a distance; each one was likely as big as a house.

"......Is it that thing?"

[It is one of the river's predators.]

[In this vicinity, the Otot-ring, Gyarok, and Kwarul compete for power.]

[The octopus you just saw is the Otot-ring, and the Kwarul is......]

As if Toto's explanation was unnecessary, that being revealed itself directly as well.

Rising from the opposite side was a massive bird with shimmering silver scales.

The very bird Toto had just shown in the hologram, the Gyarok, rose into the sky while biting something like a long rubber band before being flung back and falling.

Looking again, it wasn't a rubber band but a frog's tongue.

The thing with a turtle shell on a frog's back was the Kwarul.

Seeing it, he immediately understood why things like frogs couldn't enter his paddy fields.

Kwaaaaaek!

Watching the Gyarok, which had been knocked away, roar and soar upward, Go Nam-tae shook his head.

Hunting such a thing...... it was too ambitious a dream.

Compared to those things, the Labyrinth Shark would be treated as nothing more than a mere playmate.

Crash, bang, boom, kaboom!

A fierce battle began.

They were engaged in a three-way war, each targeting the others.

However, perhaps because it was a one-on-one-on-one fight, no side had a clear advantage, as they were only in a war of attrition, chipping away at each other.

'So that's why it's a three-way struggle......'

While it was interesting at first, their fight quickly became tedious.

Perhaps they had been fighting like this for a long time, as they eventually dispersed after half-heartedly dealing with each other.

But the aftermath was not small.

Even from a distance, the riverside area where the three had fought was devastated as if a bombardment had occurred.

Compared to them, the Labyrinth Shark splashing water was truly light play.

"Still, those things won't come here, right?"

[The Boss's territory is instinctively treated as a place they must avoid.]

"Ah, like the Earthworms?"

[Yes, that is correct.]

[However, as the Boss's territory expands, they will also become more wary.]

[In places where the density of the Boss's territory has decreased, entry is possible even for them.]

[Inside the territory, their strength will be reduced, but the Boss's power is currently too weak.]

"......Got it. I'll be careful."

Even so, he intended to make everything up to that riverside his territory.

By then, wouldn't he be able to exercise his power as a proper Boss?

Then, he might be able to 'hunt' those things.

Go Nam-tae still hadn't given up on hunting the Gyarok.

Crash!

Rumble!

A small earthquake began to plow the peaceful land.

In an instant, an area the size of two soccer fields was cleared away.

Though he had to pay the price.

'Uh...... I didn't mean to do it this way.'

Dizzy.......

The sky turned yellow.

Flicker, flicker.

His eyes began to close.