“My master often said that his teachings weren’t all that kind.”
“From the start, I was a naturally talented genius, so it must have been quite challenging for him to teach someone with such petty skills like mine.”
“‘Just because you have no talent doesn’t mean there’s no way. As long as magic power resides in your body, you will be an eternal being. Time is yours.'”
“Hmm…”
“As the one connected to Yeon-hee, I wondered if I really am an eternal being, but those stray thoughts quickly faded, and I was engrossed in Pawilrun’s teachings again.”
“This is fun… it feels like the pieces I learned from my master are falling into place one by one.”
So, days, weeks, and eventually… years passed.
“Gah?! Wait a second… how much time has really passed?”
“Um? Have you finally come to your senses? Phew… I can finally rest. To think I’d see a being without limits in mental strength! Have I ever seen such a monster? Hahahaha, you’ve done well during this time. It was really enjoyable.”
“Wait, hold on-”
Before I could express my gratitude, Pawilrun smiled brightly and dissolved into thin air.
*
Before I could even grasp the flow of time, my surroundings changed, and I hurriedly looked around.
“Tap…”
Fortunately, the beastmen and my minions were all still there.
The only thing that changed was the heavy scale leather in my hands.
‘How contradictory it is that I’ve absorbed the being who taught me…’
The bright smile of Pawilrun at the end somewhat offset those negative thoughts.
‘…’
– Your remarkable concentration and limitless mental strength have combined, and the effect of ‘Dragard’s Teaching’ has reached its maximum!
– You have absorbed the essence of martial arts from the honorable 1st-class warrior ‘Pawilrun’ of ‘Marshall Dragard.’
I didn’t even need to see the message to feel it.
‘I can fight better.’
That certainty brought a significant change.
‘Pawilrun’ was the best instructor for me, and I had completely absorbed that.
Even if someone has better physical abilities than me, I gained the confidence that I could technically overcome them.
A blessed aura gently wrapped around my fist.
‘I want to show my master this as soon as possible.’
Would they praise me, or just react indifferently? I was looking forward to it.
“Didn’t Alpha just turn their head?”
“It looks like they’ve awakened…”
“Boss, should we ask?”
“Shh— let’s wait a moment.”
The beastmen whispered among themselves.
Without waiting, I raised my hand to signal that I had regained consciousness.
[How long has it been?]
As I switched to writing, the beastmen tilted their heads for a moment but quickly responded.
“It’s been four hours since you faced Dragard!”
‘Four hours, huh…’
That means it’s almost midnight.
Of course, that’s our biological time; the dungeon hasn’t lost a bit of that light.
‘Anyway, I assumed I wouldn’t be able to return for several days. I might as well see the end of this hunting ground. Helping those beastmen might lead to unexpected benefits.’
To be honest, I also hoped they would let me tag along to the place called ‘Beastmen’s Nest.’
Wouldn’t I need a skilled guide when going there?
‘Whatever happens, I need to help them recover their stamina first before we continue hunting.’
“Phew— my memory is a bit hazy, but it was undoubtedly incredibly tough.”
“Me too… I feel like I can’t even move a finger. Will we even be able to complete our mission?”
“I’m about to die. My spirit is high, but my stamina is at rock bottom.”
“Nevertheless, growth is certain… I guess that’s why everyone praised Dragard.”
‘…’
My relationship with them is merely a temporary alliance.
It was clear they were worried they couldn’t even keep up with me.
Thud thud thud——!
From the Dark Space, I summoned stones and built my igloo-shaped house again.
“Wow…”
“That’s the skill we saw earlier.”
“That stone… it doesn’t seem like a material that exists on Earth, and I couldn’t find a proper explanation when I touched it. All question marks.”
‘To let the smoke escape, I need to make a small hole in the ceiling.’
As I stepped inside, the beastmen timidly followed me in.
[Let’s restore our stamina a bit before we move on.]
“Ah! Yes!”
“We’ll prepare the meal—”
[I’ll take care of the cooking. You all just rest.]
“What?! No, we’ll do it! We may not have much prepared, but we brought a lot of new products—”
As Arang fumbled through her words, I summoned cube-shaped stones and lined them up in front of them.
Thud!
Then I laid out the cube-shaped stones to make a makeshift cutting board.
Swish—
I pulled out a sharp knife made from bone.
Ka-boom—!
I picked one that seemed usable from the Blue Manatees and placed it on the cutting board.
Chop— chop—
Since it was massive, I cut it into sizable pieces, peeled off its scales, and split it open to remove the innards.
Splash──
These creatures thrive in the ecosystem of the ocean.
Small organisms that gave off a foul odor poured out from its belly.
I threw the waste, including the innards, directly into the [Sanctuary of Vigilance].
Whoosh—
The Sanctuary digested the by-products in an instant.
Each time I made a move, I could hear “Wow—from the audience behind me.
‘The Sanctuary is such a great ability. I feel like I want to thank Bin Chi-seung.’
It’s good for use as a trash can and can also serve as a last bastion of safety.
My primary goal is to combine the dark stones and sanctuary to build my own castle.
– The value of the materials you’ve input is extremely low.
– To enhance ‘Escape Prevention,’ please input something of greater value.
Given that I practically threw in food waste, the reaction was predictable.
Still, even if it’s minimal, it’s not unhelpful for enhancing.
As I cleaned up around the cutting board, I remembered the message that popped up after defeating Dragard.
– Trait [Thievery] is activated.
– You have acquired Skill [Abyss Slam]!
– Achievement [Pioneer] has been activated!
– All Attributes have increased by 1!
Abyss Slam
– Slams the opponent powerfully with water-type energy to deal significant damage.
– Pushes the opponent back significantly at the moment of impact.
– This skill has a very short cooldown.
‘Hmm… I’ve only managed to steal a skill.’
To take other traits or skills, there might be additional conditions, and it seems I need to face a few more before I can figure it out.
The newly acquired ‘Abyss Slam’ doesn’t seem drastically different from other slam-type skills based on the description, but the short cooldown is a great merit.
“Uh… should I sit down for now?”
“Isn’t this something you gave us to sit on?”
“Seems like it.”
“Is this the atmosphere for waiting…? I’m so embarrassed.”
“It seems so. We should be the ones doing this…”
“It looks like you’re planning to cook the Blue Manatee, but you know it might be poisonous, right?”
“I heard that eating it wrong can permanently decrease your stats.”
“Shh— shh— please be quiet. It’s a nice gesture.”
‘… Just wait a bit. I’ll send you to a world of flavors.’
I’m not an amazing cook, but with Irmana’s water used just right, I can explode flavors, something I’ve already confirmed with Yeon-hee and Wang-wang.
After thoroughly draining the blood, I last grabbed and eliminated the squirming parasites inside the Blue Manatee.
Recognizing them is the hard part; getting rid of them is a piece of cake.
– This is a material with appropriate value.
– To enhance ‘Escape Prevention,’ please input something of greater value.
‘Oh…?! Appropriate value? Those parasites turned out to be better than expected?’
The parasites of the Blue Manatee hold more value than common monsters. This was an unexpected harvest.
When I get the chance, I should prepare and invest them all into the sanctuary.
The previous preparations, once complete, left me with nothing else to do.
Since there were no thorny bits, it’s easy to peel.
Swish—
After peeling off the main thorns, I wiped the droplets that scattered during the process with a clean cloth.
Then, I poured in Irmana’s water.
Glug glug glug—
“Oh… that water.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I don’t know; it just feels like the same water you gave me earlier.”
I poured Irmana’s water into a massive bowl carved from stone, and the Tiger Beastman Nam Ho-yeol noticed it well.
‘Nam Ho-yeol seems to have a different talent than Sang-gun.’
Rather than physical abilities, he seems to have a knack for other abilities. I wonder how he thinks about that.
I submerge the prepared Blue Manatee into the bowl filled with Irmana’s water.
‘I don’t think I need spices like onions or garlic.’
The ingredients themselves boast exceptional flavor. Pure essence is always best.
After about a minute, the fish was already fully infused with Irmana’s aura.
It shone like a fish blessed by a goddess, radiating vitality as if it could spring back to life at any moment.
Having become such a noble being even in death, it would surely find satisfaction.
Afterward, I removed the moisture once more and placed the fish on the preheated magic power grill.
With a sizzle, the gentle smoke began to rise.
I set out some salt and pepper for them to sprinkle according to their tastes.
‘The aroma is divine.’
Gulp—
The beastmen’s mouths and noses began to moisten with anticipation.
They say hunters with beastman traits have an appetite far greater than that of ordinary folks.
Just looking at how much Ah-rin usually eats is evidence enough.
“Wow… the smell is wonderful!”
“Um, it’s hard to confirm whether the poison has been removed by smell alone…”
I gestured for the beastmen to come closer.
When I instructed them to touch it, they gently rested their hands on the cooking fish.
– This is a thoroughly processed ‘Blue Manatee’ devoid of lethal toxins.
– This food is fully blessed by the Goddess of Water. If consumed enough, it will grant unexpected positive effects.
“Whoa? Really?!”
“What is this? The toxins are actually gone?!”
“Alpha, how did you do this? I thought hunters with cooking traits could never grow in combat type!”
I shrugged my shoulders once again and began slicing the grilled Blue Manatee, skewering pieces onto bone sticks to hand out one by one.
Thud—
As soon as they received the meat, the beastmen eagerly began stuffing their faces.
───?!!
With their mouths full of fish, they stared at me with eyes wide open.
Not even a child eating chicken for the first time would look that gleeful.
‘Is it really that delicious?’
While I could smell it, the unreasonable curse that took away my sense of taste made it impossible for me to tell.
Nom nom—
The beastmen munched happily, wearing pure expressions of joy, warming my heart a little.
Just one Blue Manatee can fill the bellies of ten ordinary folks with ease.
‘How much could they eat?’
After consuming seven of them, the beastmen finally began to sit down one by one. Their appetites are truly terrifying.
‘Is there… any change?’
I had already observed their stamina rapidly recovering while they ate, but I was curious if there would be any additional effects as stated in the message.
───?!!
Then, as if on cue, the beastmen suddenly stirred.
They bounced around, making a ruckus, shouting something at me.
They were so shocked they could hardly articulate.
“All attributes increased by 10% for ten hours?!”
Though temporary, there was a boost in physical abilities for some.
“When fighting underwater, the damage received has permanently decreased by 0.1%… Is this a dream?”
Arang received a permanent damage reduction effect.
“I-I… I can use ‘Sphere of Aquatic’ two times now!!”
The most amazing part is that, though limited in usage, they could use water magic. An Awakened One completely clueless about water properties could use magic? Even the Snake Beastman is a healer!
‘The effects may be random, but they’re all astonishing… how is this possible?’
It was just a grilled fish, but the effects seemed excessive.
‘Hmm…’
I thought quietly.
In the water-themed dungeon, with the world’s one and only minor incarnation of the Goddess of Water, I prepared the notoriously difficult-to-remove poison fish and made food bursting with the Goddess’s energy using special stone materials.
‘… When I consider those conditions, it does make sense for the food to have such effects.’
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
