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CHAPTER 08…………………………………………..
Mana stones. In other words, monster core stones.
Just as humans have hearts, monsters move using the power of core stones. Monster hunters earn money by defeating monsters and extracting these cores to sell them.
Once processed, core stones can be used to perform various kinds of magic—for example, creating fire, producing light, or transmitting sound over long distances. The signal exchange between Calion and Sennes had also used this.
‘So it’s basically like mana stones or magical artifacts that usually appear in fantasy settings.’
Come to think of it, Sennes’s bag had a light green gemstone embedded in it. Calion’s bag had something similar as well. Maybe that’s also what allows them to carry so many items like an inventory.
“Monsters are creatures that prey on humans, yet it’s strange that mana stones are useful to humans.”
“Long ago, there were divine beasts that were close to humans and friendly to them. But those divine beasts went extinct, and the remaining mana stones became the cores of monsters.”
So basically, it’s a kind of post-apocalyptic worldbuilding. I nodded after hearing Sennes’s explanation.
It was still a world I didn’t fully understand, but learning something new was interesting.
“Even forgetting basic common sense like this… I wonder what’s even left in your head.”
…No, actually, it wasn’t good.
This rude bastard suddenly had a tongue as sharp as a blade.
“Well, if my younger brother was desperate enough to send an emergency signal, you must have been quite troublesome. Weak body, no stamina, looks like you have no willpower—like spinach that’s been frozen and thawed three times. And now you’re saying you don’t even have basic knowledge? You’re probably slow and clumsy too. I can tell just by looking.”
“Hey, wait a second.”
“Obviously. Even when Calion told you to stay somewhere safe, you probably ran out impatiently and got spotted by monsters. You couldn’t fight them, couldn’t even run properly, and clung to Calion for help. While he fought, what did you do? Probably just screamed the whole time, right?”
His annoyingly accurate guesses made me hesitate for a moment.
Does he have a surveillance camera on me or something? How does he know all this?
But he was missing the most important part.
I didn’t run out of the cave because I wanted to—it was because of that damn system window. Encountering monsters was due to a sudden quest. And screaming near Calion wasn’t because I was useless—it was to apply a speed buff!
And I even healed wounds!
I wanted to refute every word he said, but I kept my mouth shut.
There was no guarantee my explanation would even work, and even if it did, it wouldn’t benefit me much.
─ “It’s best to hide your ability to heal through physical contact.”
I understood why Calion had warned me.
A healer is essential in party play, but this place wasn’t just a game—it was a reality-like world.
Meaning there was no guarantee of fair play.
Revealing my healing ability here would be like strapping dynamite to my back and running into a fire.
I might get kidnapped or forced into labor.
And the activation condition required contact—who knows what people might try?
‘Better to just endure the insults and ignore them.’
The problem was that if I hid my ability, I would look like a useless burden or a nuisance.
Calion was kind-hearted, so even if I seemed like trouble, he still took care of me. But I couldn’t expect others to do the same.
Especially not that rude bastard.
“I’ll properly recover you and send you to the village, so stay put like luggage and don’t interfere any further.”
“……”
What textbook-level rudeness.
I hesitated.
Should I stay silent after hearing this?
Was this the karma of collecting only trashy favorite characters while being a 2D fan?
‘No, I never liked outright rude characters.’
The characters I liked were polite on the surface but secretly insane. Normal people on the outside.
That contrast was what made them appealing.
Anyway, I only liked toxic personalities in fiction. In reality, I preferred polite and kind people.
Meaning this rude guy was completely my type.
Of course, his striking appearance—sharp eyes, strong jawline, collarbones, lean waist, perfectly symmetrical abs, and well-defined muscles beneath glowing skin—was noticeable.
But that was all.
His moving muscles radiated raw masculinity and instinctive energy, but it didn’t draw me in.
Even his strong wrists, large hands, and neatly trimmed nails gave him a refined impression—but I didn’t care.
Even if he looked like a living sculpture when he moved his arms—
It didn’t matter.
Because he was still rude!
“Juin. Your expression doesn’t look good. Are you hurt?”
“Waaah! Calion!”
A handsome face suddenly appearing beside me made me let out a startled scream.
“Calion. The water?”
“Here, brother.”
Calion naturally handed Sennes a water flask. Sennes poured it into a pot over a fire. A hiss sounded, and a delicious aroma spread instantly.
I stared in surprise, and Calion explained calmly:
“My brother is good at cooking. You can look forward to it.”
No. I don’t want to.
This couldn’t be happening.
“……”
“Juin. Does it suit your taste?”
There’s no way something that starts with a rude confrontation, followed by pulling cooking tools out of nowhere and cooking in a mountain, should produce a normal result.
‘So this should be wrong.’
And yet—it was unbelievably delicious.
‘No way.’
It felt like my tongue was crying tears of gratitude.
Soft, buttery eggs melting on my tongue felt like tasting heaven itself.
Even my fatigue seemed to melt away.
This was true healing cuisine…
The dried meat Calion gave me was good quality too, but homemade food was on another level entirely.
Who would’ve thought I’d eat freshly cooked food in a mountain like this?
Even if this was a game-like world, cooking in a monster hunting map shouldn’t even be possible.
Just as I thought that—
A new window suddenly appeared.
[Sennes] has used the skill [Feed to Recover!]
Stamina has been restored.
For 2 hours, stamina recovery speed is doubled.
Accumulated fatigue has been reduced.
For 2 hours, fatigue will not accumulate.
You are immune to poison, curse, and fear status effects.
For 2 hours, resistance to poison, curse, and fear is increased fourfold.
※You are not currently in a party with this person.
All effects are reduced by 50%.
“……”
I wasn’t surprised that a recovery skill existed—but I was surprised that it was triggered through cooking.
It didn’t heal wounds like my healing skill, but if there were no injuries, Sennes’s ability was far more useful, even including status resistances.
‘And it works even outside a party.’
Even though I wasn’t in a party with him, I could feel my fatigue clearly fading. My body felt light and refreshed.
People really do need to eat.
There’s a reason “you live to eat” exists. Eating comes before living.
I reopened the window I had pushed aside.
Current waiting members: (1/1)
A party invitation is pending. Do you accept?
I hesitated.
Should I accept it or not?
Setting aside the skill effects, Sennes’s cooking was so good it almost made you lose your will to fight.
‘Think of it like eating at a rude grandma’s restaurant and just ignoring the insults…’
Maybe a temporary truce would be fine.
I shifted my gaze from the empty dishes to Sennes.
“What are you looking around for? If you’ve eaten well, at least say thank you. You lack common sense and manners. What do you even have?”
“……”
I smiled brightly at Sennes.
A truce? Not a chance. I would never party up with that rude bastard.
After finishing the meal, we descended the mountain again.
Since there were two monster hunters, I thought we could just take a shortcut, but Calion suggested taking a safer route in case we ran into another monster group.
I could only provide speed buffs anyway, so a safe route was better.
Arriving quickly wouldn’t necessarily improve anything.
The problem was that the sun was already setting, and it would be hard to find shelter for all three of us.
If it were just two people, we could squeeze into a narrow cave or rock crevice—but three made it difficult.
And Sennes was even bigger than Calion.
‘I wish we could find a cave.’
Just as I thought that—
Another system window appeared.
[Skill Tree Opened!]
There’s a skill tree too?
They didn’t even tell me what skills I had, and now this?
[Fortress Construction Lv.1]
You can create a shelter that is immune to monster attacks.
This shelter becomes your base.
Monsters cannot enter within a 50m radius of the base.
Base defense is determined by the vitality of you and your allies.
Condition 1: No monsters within 10m radius
Condition 2: At least one ally within 10m radius
Condition 3: Only one base can exist at a time
If conditions are not met, the skill is canceled.
Create base / Cancel
“…?”
They’re giving me exactly the skill I need?
Did the system’s missing conscience finally come back?
A 50-meter monster-free zone is insanely good.
I quickly pressed the “Create Base” button.
