Chapter 28 : The Golden Lure

They say that before the Great Cataclysm, each region had its own local specialties.

Jeju Island had black pork, Wando had abalone, and Namyangju was known for its Meokgol pears.

Of course, nowadays, such things have become hard to find.

And Yuseong thought that the Abyss had something similar.

It could also be called the specialty products of each Layer.

Creatures like the Steel Buffalo are hidden and hard to find, but every Layer has certain monsters and plants that you absolutely have to try.

Since the area of each Layer is enormous, it’s impossible to grasp all the information about them.

Still, Yuseong’s mind held clear records of where the tasty ingredients and monsters were.

Of course, even in Layer Seven, there were monsters worthy of being called renowned.

The primary goal in Layer Seven, before even clearing it, was to find those monsters.

“So, you’re saying it’s snakes…?”

“There’s no way that’s all there is. We’re hunting for a rare and expensive monster. The Golden Kakgye.”

What Yuseong was trying to catch was a monster called the Golden Kakgye.

It was an extremely rare discovery—so rare that most explorers never even encountered it once.

Jang Dojin let out a relieved sigh at Yuseong’s answer.

“But why five snakes…?”

“Everything happens in stages. You have to have a lure first.”

In front of them, the golden-tinted Eoksae Field rippled gently.

Though the Eoksae grass was a slightly different species from that on the surface, the view was equally majestic.

“If this weren’t the Abyss, this might be a little romantic.”

“Romantic my foot.”

“Look at those people.”

Jang Dojin pointed with his hand to other explorers.

They were leisurely passing through the Eoksae field as if a gentle breeze had just risen.

Some were snapping photos of each other with cameras, laughing and chatting.

“We should’ve just bought some snake repellent.”

The only reason they could be so carefree was because they’d sprayed snake repellent.

No monsters lived in this vast Eoksae field.

It was only because of the venomous snakes occasionally slithering beneath their feet.

Thanks to the repellent, those who had sprayed it could proceed with their clearing calmly until they reached the forested areas.

Of course, this didn’t apply to Yuseong’s party.

“Here, take this.”

Jang Dojin handed Yuseong a net trap.

“What’s this?”

“We’ll fill this with snakes until it’s packed.”

Yuseong shook the oddly shaped net in his hand.

Jang Dojin’s body stiffened like a long rod.

“Stick close and follow me. Don’t wander off or you might get bitten.”

“L-Let’s go together.”

Without hesitation, Yuseong plunged into the Eoksae field, and Jang Dojin hurriedly followed.

Some explorers watched Yuseong’s actions with interest.

“Wow, he’s going in without spraying snake repellent.”

“That’s Baek Yuseong.”

“So he really is going to catch snakes to eat?”

“Who knows… I heard people used to eat hornets back in the day.”

“Let’s follow him and see.”

Although this wasn’t his first time in Layer Seven, it was the first time they’d seen someone enter without spraying snake repellent.

Even if someone wanted to catch snakes, it would be difficult to find them in the dense, sharp Eoksae grass.

Besides, the venomous snakes here didn’t have proper Masok, so they weren’t even good prey.

But the man in question was Baek Yuseong, currently a hot topic.

Before long, several explorers started trailing behind Yuseong’s group.

Yuseong noticed them following.

“Feels like I’m some kind of celebrity.”

His curious eyes watched them, a feeling he hadn’t really experienced in his past life.

“I guess I have to show them something.”

Yuseong flicked the net trap around his fingers.

A soft snapping sound came from behind.

It was oddly amusing.

“Why did you bring that net?”

“This? You’ll see.”

Soon enough, the net’s purpose became clear.

Yuseong, who had been casually spinning the net, suddenly moved quickly.

“Hey, snake!”

Sssiiik!

He grabbed the net like a spear and thrust it into the Eoksae grass.

Something wriggled underneath, and although there was no wind, the grass shook violently.

To the trailing explorers, it looked like Yuseong was diving headfirst into the Eoksae grass.

When Yuseong raised his arm, a green snake was trapped in his hand.

“Wow, it’s a big one.”

“Eek! Gross!”

What Yuseong held was the Eoksae Flower Pit Viper found in the area.

It was a terrifying venomous snake with bright green scales and floral-patterned markings near its head.

The snake tried to bite Yuseong’s fingers.

“Sssik!”

“Ugh!”

But Yuseong quickly dodged the bite and put the snake into the net that Jang Dojin was holding.

“If you stew this, it’s great for restoring energy. You can even soak it in alcohol. There are other uses too.”

“Sometimes I think you’re over 40 years old, honestly.”

During the relatively short time it took to cross the Eoksae field, Yuseong managed to catch several more snakes.

The explorers behind him were at a loss for words watching this.

“No way, he’s some kind of natural.”

Even when talking with Jang Dojin, Yuseong was running through the field while catching venomous snakes one after another.

“Wow, there are this many snakes in the Eoksae field?”

“Not much different from a hunter.”

“Maybe venomous snakes are used for medicine or something.”

“Or maybe they eat them.”

“Ugh, still, snakes are a bit much for me.”

Yuseong’s strange taste for dangerous creatures had quietly become well-known.

One explorer shuddered just imagining eating a snake.

But his companion’s expression was grim.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just wondering, how do you even catch snakes here?”

“What?”

“You think you could sense a snake crawling at you in a place like this?”

“Uhh…”

The field was thick with golden Eoksae grass.

The constant breeze made the grass sway endlessly, making it nearly impossible to notice anything approaching.

Especially snakes crawling on the ground.

In fact, the explorers had very rarely actually encountered snakes.

Even with snake repellent, if there had been that many snakes, they would’ve sensed something.

“So how…?”

While the explorers muttered among themselves, Yuseong caught another snake.

“Five down!”

“Please stop catching them now.”

No matter how much the explorers searched behind, they couldn’t find anything.

“At least his senses are definitely not ordinary.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Well… um…”

Though the phrase ‘not ordinary’ didn’t quite suffice, the explorers reluctantly accepted it.

As seasoned explorers, admitting inferiority to a newcomer was hard.

***

For Jang Dojin, it was a relief that Yuseong didn’t suggest eating the snakes.

“But it’s a shame. Should we just grill one? They’re kind of like chicken or grilled eel. Tasty, if a bit fishy.”

“No, hyung. We have to stick to the plan.”

Yuseong wiped his mouth and tightened the net’s opening.

Among the many unique monsters he’d eaten before his reincarnation, snakes were actually edible.

If grilled well with spicy-sweet seasoning, they were quite decent.

But now, they were aiming for something bigger.

A little temptation had to be resisted.

Jang Dojin gave the net a disgusted look and waved it vaguely.

“They’re fighting among themselves.”

“Because I only caught the venomous, short-tempered ones.”

Without Yuseong even touching it, blood dripped from the net holding the snakes.

The smell of snake musk and blood was pungent.

“Good.”

The stronger the scent, the better.

These snakes were caught to be used as bait.

“Watch your step.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yuseong’s group left the Eoksae field and entered the forested area.

Yuseong declared they’d have lunch here.

After carefully examining the ground for some time, Yuseong finally found what he’d been looking for.

“Here it is.”

In his hand was a dirt-stained feather.

After brushing off the soil, its original color was revealed.

“Wow, it’s gold?”

“Yeah, this is a Golden Kakgye feather.”

Finding this clue accelerated their tracking.

Soon after, Yuseong found a clear bird footprint stamped on the damp ground.

He touched the print.

The ground was still moist—this footprint wasn’t old.

“It hasn’t passed long. Dojin, turn on the Tablet.”

“Yes.”

Jang Dojin pulled out a notebook-sized Tablet from his pocket.

“Mark these coordinates here.”

“What should we call it?”

“The Golden Kakgye sighting area.”

A roughly drawn map appeared on the Tablet screen.

It was a basic Layer map that explorers updated with their own data.

However, the available map data was very basic.

Most explorers kept useful and important information private as personal secrets.

On the map Yuseong made, information related to ingredients was neatly recorded.

“If I’d known this, I wouldn’t have gotten lost so badly back in Layer Four.”

“You would’ve gotten lost anyway.”

***

After marking the coordinates on the map, Yuseong officially began setting traps.

He pulled out an Aramid High-Tension Rope from his backpack.

It was fire-resistant and very strong, perfect for binding even powerful monsters so they couldn’t move.

He made a noose and laid it in front of a tree, covering it with fallen leaves.

By tying the net trap holding the snakes to the noose, a simple trap was complete.

Even someone with good eyesight would probably not notice the trap was set.

“Wow, hyung, you’re full of surprises. You’re almost like a hunter.”

Jang Dojin admired him.

Though Yuseong was versatile, the skills of catching snakes and setting traps were straight out of a hunter’s handbook.

Such experience wasn’t something all explorers had.

“Excellent explorers are all hunters at heart. Back when the Explorer Federation was being formed, there was debate over the title—whether to call them ‘Explorers’ or ‘Hunters.’”

When the Explorer Federation was established,

its members debated whether those pioneering the Abyss should be called Explorers or Hunters.

Though ‘Hunter’ fit in the sense of killing monsters, ultimately their main role was to pioneer the Abyss.

The official title became ‘Explorer’ in Korea.

“If we called it the Hunter Federation, it’d sound lame.”

“Yeah, that’s a bit awkward.”

Though the Explorer Federation wasn’t very sophisticated, Yuseong thought this way.

“All that’s left is to hide and wait… ah, this spot looks good.”

Yuseong pointed to a steep cliff.

From there, even if the Golden Kakgye appeared, neither scent nor sight would give them away.

Yuseong and Jang Dojin began climbing the cliff.

***

At the forefront of Red Eye’s pioneering team, under orders based on the records, they began re-exploring the lower Layers.

The area they started searching was from Layer Seven, where Yuseong was.

“Nothing here either.”

Cheon Younghun opened his Tablet and checked the map data.

Since information from the On Guild had accumulated, their map data was fairly detailed.

But this Layer Seven map was marked with many × symbols.

All were records of failure.

“There’s no way they’d make drugs in such a crowded Layer.”

“You idiot, do you think I don’t know that? Still, we have to look thoroughly.”

Red Eye was searching for the Parama Camellia Colony, where the Seven Stars produced drugs.

Following the Guild Master’s orders, they began retracing their steps from Layer Seven, but found no clues.

“Lately, living expenses have been tight. I’ve been eating cheap food for days now.”

“The whole guild’s finances are tight due to negotiation fees with the Explorer Federation. Development has been delayed and income dropped since we’re just looking for flowers.”

“Even though this Layer is lower, the supply of Masok is insufficient.”

Go Byeong Jae picked up the corpse of a monster similar to a beetle.

He removed the Masok embedded in its chest—it was obviously a low-grade, one or two-star Masok.

Cheon Younghun complained.

“Take it anyway, kid. You’ve got to earn your meals.”

“Yes…”

They were resting in the forest.

Thanks to climbing the highlands, the air was clear and refreshing, but their hearts felt stifled.

“Let’s rest a bit more before moving out.”

Just as Cheon Younghun said this,

they sensed someone approaching.

It came from the direction of the cliff.

“Someone’s climbing up.”

Cheon Younghun sent out the signal.

Without any orders, everyone grabbed their weapons.

But the face climbing the cliff was familiar.

“Huh?”

It was Baek Yuseong and Jang Dojin.

They looked just as surprised.

Go Byeong Jae awkwardly greeted them.

Though there was some bowing, he had previously tried to recruit Yuseong.

“Ah, isn’t this Baek Yuseong? Hello.”

“Oh, yes. G-Go… Byeong Jae…”

“Ugh…”

Though embarrassed inside, Go Byeong Jae forced a smile.

Still, it was nice to be remembered.

Cheon Younghun interjected.

“I’ve heard of you but this is the first time meeting you, Baek Yuseong.”

Cheon Younghun seemed genuinely pleased to meet the famed Yuseong.

They shook hands and introduced themselves.

“Nice to meet you.”

Yuseong greeted politely.

The Red Eye guild members laughed quietly at his formal attitude.

They had heard from Go Byeong Jae that Yuseong’s personality was somewhat blunt.

Their questions were all answered by Yuseong’s single remark.

“But can you all keep quiet?”

“…….!”

It was as if cold water had been thrown on the previously warm atmosphere.