Chapter: 202
Let’s rewind a bit. Back to the moment when the competition just began.
“I intend to take one of the two.”
After Goma and Hwan left to hunt, I addressed the two chieftains.
“Who do you think you are to take one of them?”
The chieftain of the Tiger Tribe, displaying a hint of displeasure, spat back.
“May I ask why you would do such a thing?”
Conversely, the chieftain of the Bear Tribe replied quite courteously.
Hmm. The attitude of the Tiger Tribe chieftain doesn’t sit well with me… but I shouldn’t judge everything based solely on that.
“I have a particular need for capable individuals, and I thought those two were suitable. It’s for something very important, so I hope for your understanding.”
“Capable individuals…? That child can only fight.”
“He’s a strong contender for the next chieftain. It would be difficult if you took him away.”
Both chieftains presented their reasons, refusing my suggestion.
Well, I kind of expected that. After all, those two are said to be the strongest in each tribe.
There’s no way they’d easily part with someone like that.
“Hmm… I was going to take the one who loses the contest. But if they keep bickering like this, won’t that cause issues after the tribes unite?”
With two individuals of equal strength, if one becomes the victor and the other the loser, it’d be quite a dilemma to keep them within the same tribe.
Unbalanced power tends to breed conflict.
“That’s…”
“Indeed, that’s true…”
The two chieftains couldn’t deny my words. It seems they realized this fact themselves.
“So, I’m going to make you an offer that will be hard to refuse.”
“A hard-to-refuse offer…?”
“Just who do you think you are, to say such things?”
The Tiger Tribe chieftain continued to distrust me.
From his perspective, it must be pretty annoying to see a small fry like me act so confidently.
Therefore, what’s important is to speak through my abilities.
“Let’s just say…I come down from the sky above.”
With a light snap of my fingers, the two chieftains and I were instantaneously elevated high into the sky.
“What is this?!”
“S-so high…!”
“There’s no need to worry about falling. I’m holding you up with my power.”
Watching two middle-aged men flailing their arms in mid-air was quite a funny sight, but I didn’t show any amusement.
Laughing at my potential partners would be unwise.
“Now, I’ll propose once again: How about entrusting the loser of the contest to me? Of course, it won’t be for free.”
I said with a smile.
Floating high above, two middle-aged men had no choice but to accept my offer.
Refusing would be even stranger.
“If you accept my proposal, I’ll grant a blessing to the victor of the contest.”
“A blessing…?”
“A blessing from the heavens…!”
“You can decide what kind of blessing I’ll grant. So, what do you think? Will you accept this offer?”
The two chieftains began to ponder, and after a moment,
“I’ll accept. If I win, that’ll be that!”
“The burden of losing is great, but the rewards of winning are even greater. There’s no reason not to proceed.”
Both chieftains displayed their firm resolve. Winning would lessen the risk of conflict within the merged tribes, and receiving a heavenly blessing would be a tremendous benefit.
As for losing…well, it’s mostly a hefty loss.
Once they lose, the uniting of the tribes would become a distant dream. In such circumstances, what’s the problem with adding a little more to the mix?
In any case, that meant the two chieftains were now gambling heavily on their victory in the contest.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Thus, the two chieftains placed their grand bets on the outcome of their competition.
“1 win, 1 loss…! We can’t afford to lose this last match…!”
“Hang in there, Goma! Everything rests on your victory…!”
With the desperate encouragement of their chieftains echoing in their ears, the two contestants prepared for their final battle.
“The last match shall be a test of endurance.”
“Endurance match…?”
“What exactly does that entail…?”
Well, the whole endurance thing is just an excuse, really.
“Before we start, tell me what food you both hate the most.”
“Huh? What food do we hate the most?”
“Why are you asking something so sudden…?”
“I have my reasons. Ah, and no lying about it. I’ll be able to figure it out.”
Goma suddenly looked a bit flustered by my words. Seems he’s more clever than he looks. Perhaps his dull image is just a façade.
After all, bears are quite intelligent creatures.
“I… um, honestly, I don’t have any food I truly can’t eat. But if I must choose my least favorite, it’d be mugwort. I find the smell kind of unpleasant…”
Mugwort, huh? Good to know I prepared a large batch just in case.
Wait a second, does that mean Hwan hates garlic?
“I-I hate all kinds of vegetables…”
Ah, I see that wasn’t the case. Garlic hasn’t made it here yet.
One can’t dislike something they’ve never encountered, after all.
“If I had to pick least favorite… it’d be shepherd’s purse. That smell before it’s cooked bothers me…”
Shepherd’s purse? Is that the same shepherd’s purse eaten with meat as a side dish?
Ah, right. Since there’s no soy sauce or anything now, there won’t be any seasoned dishes.
I quickly checked up on shepherd’s purse through my wiki… Huh? Huh?
Mountain garlic? It turns out ‘shepherd’s purse’ is just a nickname, and its real name is mountain garlic?
What’s going on here? So in the end, it’s mugwort and garlic… kind of different from regular garlic, though.
“Then… let’s do an endurance contest by surviving on your most disliked foods inside a deep cave.”
“Eww… is that why you asked about our least favorite foods?”
Goma’s face scrunched up at the thought. Is it that awful for him?
Well, considering how much he can eat, forcing him to eat things he dislikes would probably make him miserable.
“Exactly. The one who lasts longer while eating nothing but their most disliked food wins.”
In the Dangun Myth, they fed the tiger mugwort and garlic… but honestly, that’s just unfair.
Bears are omnivores, while tigers are carnivores. It’s downright impossible for a tiger from the get-go.
So, I’ll prepare the things they each despise!
“Should either of you unendureably leave the cave or lose consciousness, that’ll be considered a loss. Are you prepared?”
With that, both Goma and Hwan nodded earnestly. Their determined gazes showed a firm will.
But before we begin…
“It wouldn’t be fair if you’re both stuffed from overeating. We need to start on equal ground.”
Since both of them feasted heartily in the last match, their bellies were full.
I placed my hands on their shoulders, using my magic to siphon out most of the nutrients in their bodies, leaving only the bare minimum.
At the same time, Goma, who had been plump, suddenly slimmed down… but that’s a minor detail. Yes, a minor one.
“What is this…?”
“We need to ensure the conditions are identical. It must be different from the previous contest.”
“Ah… oh dear…”
Goma stared sadly at his belly, looking as if he missed his roundness. Hmm. Did he prefer his chubby appearance?
To me, he looks way better now!
“Now, let’s head to the cave.”
So, who among the bear and tiger will emerge victorious from the cave?
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Before them lay rice, mugwort rice cakes, and shepherd’s purse, and both Goma and Hwan sighed.
Well, there isn’t much else to eat. For the sake of the contest, they had no choice but to force the food they disliked into their mouths.
To outlast each other.
To endure just a little longer.
As the hours turned into days, they gradually lost all sense of time in the dark cave.
But after surpassing 20 days, their limits finally came to a breaking point.
Perhaps due to their extreme circumstances, Hwan, whose animal instincts began to overwhelm his human intellect, began to reveal his fangs little by little.
Maybe it’s because he’s closer to his beast side than human.
“Grrrr…”
Thus, heedless of pouncing on Goma, who appeared weakened and defeated.
“That’ll do.”
I materialized right above Hwan, landing atop him to subdue him.
“Gah!!!”
“Calm down now.”
Hwan was pinned beneath me, unable to move and merely shouted out.
“First, have some of this.”
I conjured up some nicely grilled pieces of meat and stuffed it into Hwan’s mouth. Normally, feeding rich meat to a hungry individual isn’t ideal, but what Hwan needed right now was mental restoration more than physical.
As the sizable chunk of meat entered his mouth, he instinctively began to chew.
Hmm. Looking at him now… he resembles a large cat.
After devouring that piece of meat, Hwan’s wild eyes began to ease, and clarity returned.
“Now, it appears Goma has won the final contest. Let’s head out now.”
After over 20 days of eating nothing but mugwort rice cakes, Goma let out a pitiful cheer.
Well, not being able to eat what you want is truly a strenuous ordeal.
“Hwan. Now that you’ve come to your senses, let’s leave. The outcome is decided.”
The newly awakened Hwan could only hang his head dejectedly.
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