The smell of food wafting from the depths of the mansion was extraordinary.
Kim Taejin said he would bring food out to the garden, but there was no way it could be better than eating inside.
“Sunbae-nim, your house is really amazing.”
As you could tell from the outside, the inside of the mansion was incredibly spacious.
Kkoribyul’s dorm was also so luxurious that you’d never call it small after stepping through the front door, but even that paled in comparison to Kim Taejin’s home.
Kim Chan’s eyes went wide as he let out a sound of awe.
It looked like a house you’d see in a famous drama or movie.
“Did you really make all of this yourself, Taejin-ssi?”
Even PD Shimjun couldn’t hold back his amazement.
Every little thing—sofas, chairs, even the paintings—looked like they would make anyone gasp, but the biggest reason was the food that filled the Dining Room table to the brim.
“When I’m not actively working, I mostly spend my time cooking.”
Kim Taejin smiled as if it was nothing special, but what unfolded before them looked as if a catering service had just come and gone.
Korean, Western, Japanese, Chinese, even Southeast Asian cuisine.
There was nothing missing.
“Then shall we all eat together first, including the production crew? Please don’t hold back. I’ve set everything up buffet-style so it’s easy for everyone to eat.”
Kim Taejin gestured with his eyes to the staff avoiding the camera angles.
This explained the near thirty-person serving of food.
“Bbihee! Bbit!” (I’m so excited! So happy!)
The first to move was Ber.
Wiggling his bottom, Ber soared up, grabbed a plate with his beak, and settled at the end of the table.
“I’ll serve you. Don’t get hypnotized by the food.”
As Ber tried to grab the large serving spoon in the plate with his wings, Roy moved to help.
Ber had gotten pretty good at using tableware, but he was so excited by all the delicious food that he seemed likely to make a mistake.
“I’m glad Ber is enjoying it.”
Kim Taejin smiled contentedly at Ber.
Then he brought over a large bowl and began dishing out food for the spirits playing in the garden.
The meal proceeded in a warm, lively atmosphere.
Roy and Ber, in perfect sync, were demolishing the food on the table more eagerly than anyone else.
Just then, as Kim Taejin elegantly raised a champagne glass and met PD Shimjun’s gaze, he asked lightly,
“Aren’t you going to tell me how the filming will go?”
“Of course not. We have to be fair to everyone appearing.”
But Shimjun skillfully dodged Kim Taejin’s question.
“Is this tom yum goong? Isn’t it hard to make?”
He even changed the topic altogether.
“I was hoping to mentally prepare myself, but it looks like that won’t be possible.”
Even for Kim Taejin, joining this shoot with PD Shimjun was quite a determined challenge.
Partly due to a busy schedule, but also because he thought it wasn’t good for his image to be exposed in the media too often, so he refrained from TV appearances.
But then he appeared on ‘Vote for Your Hunter Idol!’ and rediscovered the fun of being on television after a long time.
It was a decision he made because he wanted to film together with the Kkoribyul members with whom he’d formed a pleasant bond through that program.
“Jaeri-ssi is really persistent. My phone’s still buzzing. See?”
Since Shimjun had come to film Kim Taejin in person, he’d sent other PDs to the other members.
During the recent program meeting, he’d exchanged numbers with Yoo Jaeri, but he hadn’t expected her to use it like this.
Seeing ‘Yoo Jaeri’ pop up on the screen, Kim Taejin laughed lightly.
“Jaeri does have a persistent side. She’ll probably keep calling unless you block her.”
The vibration really didn’t stop.
Shimjun hurriedly sent a text to the PD with Yoo Jaeri, telling them to give her a surprise mission or something to distract her.
“I’m in your care. I’m half excited, half nervous since it’s been a while since I’ve done variety.”
“Oh, I should be the one asking for your favor.”
Kim Taejin got up from his seat, extended his right hand to Shimjun, and bowed low enough to seem overly polite.
Shimjun, caught up in the mood, pushed his chair back too.
Watching the two shake hands, Roy nodded in approval.
Both of them were at the top in their respective fields.
Yet, though confidence was evident, you couldn’t find even a hint of arrogance or condescension.
{I guess that’s the secret to lasting a long time.}
What Roy just thought, Earth said aloud.
‘Yeah. By the way, I wonder if Heis and Charles are doing alright.’
{They’re… managing, in their own way.}
***
The Heis and Charles that Roy was suddenly worried about were currently clinging to a cliff, their whole bodies grimy.
“Geez, why is the terrain so rough here?”
“For that, you’re sticking on pretty well. I thought you were Spider-Man.”
Joel—or rather, Earth, who was using Joel’s body—looked at Joel’s trembling arms and seriously considered giving up.
Heis was groaning, but he was hanging on so firmly, it looked like not even a typhoon could shake him off.
‘Why are you doing this to me? Give me back my body!’
To keep Joel from completely breaking down, Earth would exit him after a certain amount of time.
Each time that happened, Joel, regardless of his own will, would collapse into a dead sleep, but on rare occasions, he’d regain consciousness and cry out to Earth.
Of course, Earth just let it go in one ear and out the other.
“…I should’ve trained my body more. At this rate, I’ll turn into jerky.”
Earth swallowed dryly as he looked down the dizzying drop below.
Worried Joel might get funny ideas, he hadn’t restored the abilities Joel had lost upon coming to this world.
Even if someone were to die falling here, it would be Joel and not him, but since it wasn’t easy to find another usable body with so much left to use, he wanted to make this one last as long as possible.
“If it’s tough, I’ll give you a hand.”
Seeing Earth’s face drenched in cold sweat, Charles casually made the offer.
Like Heis, Charles looked like this was a piece of cake for him—he didn’t seem to be struggling at all.
“Hoo, hoo… I can still handle it for now.”
But Earth’s pride was strangely stung, so he shook his head.
Occupying and moving a human body let him experience senses he never felt before, but the heavy fatigue weighing on his mind was still unfamiliar.
“Have you found any tracks? You said they led this way.”
If they had Ris, who could fly, it’d be different, but no matter how strong the three of them were, they had to move using their own hands and feet.
“There’s mud stuck here. It’s different from the soil in this area.”
Heis raised his right hand, pointing diagonally to his left.
From where Earth was clinging, he couldn’t see that spot at all.
Rumble—
They were climbing the cliff, not exactly fast, when the whole cliff shook so much it made their bodies tremble.
“What is this? What’s with the vibration?”
Startled, Earth gripped hard. He was holding onto a jagged rock jutting out from the cliff, but for a moment, his grip almost gave out.
“Just grab onto my back instead, or you’ll fall.”
Seeing Earth look anxious, Charles drove his hand into the cliff and came closer.
“…Then, if you don’t mind.”
Pride aside, if that vibration happened again, he’d probably fall all the way down this time.
Earth climbed onto Charles’s back, wrapped his arms around his neck, and gripped Charles’s thick waist with his legs.
Even though it must have been uncomfortable, Charles, if anything, looked relieved and swiftly moved up next to Heis.
“Friends.”
“Why are you lowering your voice?”
Heis spoke in a rare low tone, making Earth look up in confusion.
“…Don’t tell me those are rolling toward us? Please say no.”
“I think they are.”
From rocks as small as a human head to ones big enough to hide Charles’s massive torso, boulders were tumbling down the cliff above them.
“Looks like we’re in the right place.”
It was too suspicious to think this was a naturally occurring phenomenon.
“Yeah. I can feel magic in the rocks. Dodge them as best you can. See you up top.”
Heis, left hand dug into the cliff, drew his sword.
His footing wasn’t on solid ground, so his stance was unsteady. Still, he wasn’t so poorly trained as to be endangered by this level of threat.
“Damn, the director made this outfit by hand.”
Heis glanced down at his clothes with a regretful face.
The rocks splitting on his blade crumbled like soft tofu as they passed him by.
The problem was, the fragments and dirt completely covered Heis from head to toe.
Not to mention his clothes.
He’d already rolled on the ground several times getting here, so the fabric was wearing thin.
“He’s stronger than I thought.”
When Heis first found signs of the Mud Magician, he’d thought they’d meet the guy soon.
Heis and Charles were both quite skilled at pursuit.
During the war, they’d chased enemies down as part of the pursuit team with Roy more than once or twice.
“But he’s not showing himself. What’s he up to? I’d like to at least see his face.”
Even legends didn’t say much about the Mud Magician’s appearance.
They just briefly described him as being so covered in flowing mud that it was impossible to make out his features.
“You said you were struggling, but you’re keeping up pretty well.”
Heis glanced at Charles and Earth.
“Ahhhh! My head! There’s a rock above my head!”
“…Please, just quiet down a little. You’re giving me a headache.”
The chatty Earth and taciturn Charles actually made a pretty good pair.
Charles was stoically smashing falling rocks with his fists.
“Bleh! Ugh. I got dirt and rocks in my mouth.”
Charles had quietly asked him to be quiet, but Earth looked up with his mouth open and caught rock debris right in his mouth.
With his tongue sticking out, he looked just like a mischievous kid.
“I should just go up first.”
Looking at the situation, it seemed like Charles would take some time to carry Earth up.
He concentrated his magic into his legs.
Suddenly, he remembered the time Kairus had overpowered him and he’d been locked up in a cell like a hunk of meat.
He realized again how good it felt to be able to use his powers in his own body.
Feeling exhilarated, sword energy burst forth brilliantly from Heis’s blade.
Whoosh—Whoosh—
With his toes dug into the cliff and his sword hand swinging, Heis shot upward at high speed.
He thought for sure they’d meet the Mud Magician this time, but when he reached the top, what he found was…totally unexpected.
“…What is this?”