Episode 18
After looking at Kurken.
Choi Hyun-seok headed to the kitchen.
The warm sun was already shining.
It was soon time for the cooks to go hunting, so we had to get there before then.
“Whew… Thank goodness I’m not too late.” “Oh, Choi Hyun-seok! Come quickly.”
As soon as I entered the kitchen, Kulkan greeted me warmly.
“Yes. Did you have a good night’s sleep, Kulkan?” “I’m always the best! By the way…”
Kulkan stared at Choi Hyun-seok.
“What is that weird thing you’re wearing on your head?”
I forgot to take off my combat power meter because I was in such a hurry.
Choi Hyun-seok made a vague excuse.
“Ah… I bought it because it looked cool and was something another Demon King was wearing.” “I see? You have unique tastes.”
Kulkan passed by without paying much attention.
Choi Hyun-seok let out a small sigh of relief.
‘thank god.’
Then suddenly something occurred to me.
‘How strong is Kulkan?’
Kulkan is the chef.
That means he is the strongest of all the cooks.
Choi Hyun-seok raised his head and looked at Kulkan.
Tiring ringing ringing ringing!
The numbers on the lens began to rise rapidly.
Beep!
Choi Hyun-seok was embarrassed by the number that finally stopped.
‘Three…thirty five thousand…?’
Kulkan’s combat power has exceeded 35,000.
It was twice the number of other company commanders.
Choi Hyun-seok, who felt something was strange, quickly checked the fighting power of the other cooks.
[ Combat power: 1960 ]
[ Combat Power: 2620 ]
[ Combat Power: 2350 ]
[ Combat Power: 2100 ]
‘The average is over 2000… What kind of monster group is this?’
The cooks were generally in the mid-2000s in fighting power.
The numbers are clearly different from the Demon King’s army outside.
Even the weakest-looking cooks were over 1000, and some were even over 5000.
‘They were some great guys…’
If you think about it, it wasn’t that strange.
Because the cooks fought the demons every single day.
If it wasn’t strong, it would be strange.
‘I’ve grown this much in just ten days… Considering that period of time, I might actually be weak.’
This is a good thing.
Because the fact that the cooks were strong was an advantage for Choi Hyun-seok.
‘I have to work hard to grill the meat today.’
This place is a gathering place for crazy people who risk their lives to eat.
Having already tasted the meat, they would give up their liver and gall bladder if it was Choi Hyun-seok’s word.
‘Before we go hunting, should we talk about sparring?’
Choi Hyun-seok approached Kulkan, who was preparing to hunt.
“Kulkan-nim. I have a favor to ask!”
“Huh? What is it?”
“I want to spar with the chefs!”
“Daria?”
“Yes. I was so impressed by the way the cooks fought against the demons! I wondered if I could become like them if I was taught…”
“Hahahaha!”
Coolkan laughed pleasantly at Choi Hyun-seok’s words.
“Choi Hyun-seok. Don’t be so impatient.”
“yes?”
“You’re getting stronger at a rapid pace. You’re already quite strong for a human. So, don’t worry.”
Choi Hyun-seok made a regretful expression.
“Ah… I can’t help it.”
“huh?”
“I brought some grilled meat to show my appreciation for teaching you today… I guess I’ll have to eat it next time.”
Choi Hyun-seok pretended to put back the meat he had taken out of his backpack.
chin.
Then Kulkan grabbed Choi Hyun-seok’s wrist.
“Let’s get started. Who do you want to fight?”
***
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Preparations for the match proceeded quickly.
Choi Hyun-seok chose an orc named Golbakkeum as his duel opponent.
The reason I chose Golbakkeum among the many cooking bottles was simple.
First of all, his opponent was an orc like Kurken.
Among the cooks, Golbakum seemed to be the most stupid.
‘But still, the combat power is a whopping 2500.’
Compared to Choi Hyun-seok, this figure is almost twice as high.
To be honest, I don’t think we can win.
‘But we still have to win.’
The image of Kurken, displaying incredible strength, flashed before my eyes.
The orc in front of you is a much weaker opponent than Kurken.
If he can’t even beat this guy, Kurken won’t even dream.
“What’s going on? It’s almost time to go hunting.” “Choi Hyun-seok and Golbakkeum are sparring.”
The cooks gathered at the news of Choi Hyun-seok and Golbakkeum’s duel.
“Sparring? What is that? Are we fighting?” “Tsk tsk. Don’t you know that? We’re killing each other.” “What!? That means Choi Hyun-seok is going to die!”
The stupid cooks were talking with serious expressions on their faces.
“Hey! If Choi Hyun-seok dies, who’ll cook the meat!?” “No…! We can’t live without that meat anymore…” “Let’s kill Golbakkeum first.” “That’s a good idea.”
Just before the death sentence is handed down for poor cook Golbakkeum.
Kulkan stepped in and mediated.
“Shut up, you idiots!”
“…”
“Sparring isn’t about killing each other. It’s simply about testing your strength.”
The cooks murmured at Kulkan’s words.
“Are we going to arm wrestle?” “Maybe we’ll play tug-of-war.”
“ha…”
Kulkan decided to just leave the idiots alone.
“Listen carefully.”
All Choi Hyun-seok’s sparring partner, Golbakkeum, needs to do is understand the situation.
“You must never kill Choi Hyun-seok. Fight him, but be lenient. Do you understand?”
“Okay…! Okay, I understand.”
The orc Golbagum answered with a stupid face.
The sight of him scratching his head with his eyes wide open is not very appealing.
“But don’t be too gentle. Just hit him hard enough that Choi Hyun-seok really hurts. Got it?” “Ugh… hmph…! Got it…” “If possible, make sure he doesn’t break anything.” “Ugh… Sparring is really hard.” “Yeah, yeah. When we’re done with this, I’ll give you more meat, so cheer up.”
At that moment, Golbak-like eyes lit up at the word meat.
“Just leave it to me, Chef!”
Golbakum suddenly started speaking fluently and strode forward.
“Choi Hyun-seok. Let’s start the sparring.” “Yes. Please take care of it.”
Golbakkeum and Choi Hyeon-seok stood facing each other with some distance between them.
Kulkan, who was the referee, raised his arm in their midst.
“Ready… Start!”
The match begins as soon as Kulkan’s arm falls off.
Golbakum took a stance.
‘Hmm… I have to make sure it doesn’t hurt too much.’
Choi Hyun-seok is a person who grills meat.
I didn’t want to hurt you.
Tadadadadada!
Choi Hyun-seok ran at full speed from the start.
Golbakum raised his arm.
‘Lightly… just enough to crush the face.’
A heavy arm was pulled back.
The muscles of his entire body were tense.
‘Go…!’
It seemed as if he had already forgotten that he had thought of not hurting Choi Hyun-seok just three seconds ago.
It was literally a goldfish-level memory.
Phew!
A fist as big as a bone was extended coolly.
‘huh…?’
But contrary to expectations, Golbakkeum’s fist did not reach Choi Hyun-seok.
Just cutting through the air.
At the same time, Choi Hyun-seok’s kick was seen flying in.
Wedge!
It’s almost like I can hear the sound of the wind cutting through the air.
‘Big shoes…?’
The mud-covered soles of my shoes were gradually growing larger.
‘Oh, that’s right.’
puck!
That was Golbakum’s last memory.
***
The forest located behind the 3rd Corps headquarters.
Even though the devil had not yet been seen, Choi Hyun-seok was very excited.
‘I got stronger.’
Although a long time had passed since the training, the aftereffects still lingered.
‘I sent down an orc with twice the fighting power in one blow.’
Honestly, I didn’t expect to win.
I just thought about gaining experience.
But contrary to expectations, Choi Hyun-seok knocked Golbak unconscious with one head kick.
The faces of the guards looking at him in shock were still vivid.
‘This incident has made it clear that combat prowess isn’t everything.’
The difference in fighting power between Choi Hyun-seok and Golbakkeum was as much as 1000.
Nevertheless, Choi Hyun-seok knocked down the goalkeeper in one go.
This was a very good sign.
‘You can win.’
It means that it is worth fighting even if the difference in combat power between you and your duel opponent, Kurken, is overwhelming.
Of course, Kurken is much stronger than the Golbak we fought today.
Because he showed off such brute strength that he could be called a monster.
But he also became stronger.
And it will only get stronger in the future.
‘There’s still a long way to go, but if you keep growing, you’ll definitely be able to fight Kurken.’
I promised myself that I would hunt harder today.
‘Okay. Whatever it is, just come out.’
Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes sparkled and he gripped the huge kitchen knife he was holding even tighter.
“There are Talas pups ahead.”
Finally, the long-awaited words were heard.
I peeked my head out and saw a spider-like creature.
‘That’s Talas.’
It was quite large for a pup.
It was larger than an average large dog.
However, among the demons, this size is considered cute.
Even a child could understand it well.
“How many?”
“Seven.”
“Hmm, that’s strange. There wasn’t a Talas group around here originally…”
Kulkan, who would have ordered an immediate assault if it were normal, was somehow struggling.
Choi Hyun-seok approached Kulkan’s continued silence.
“Is there a problem? Is the Talas meat not tasty?” “No, Talas meat is quite tasty. The chewy Talas bone marrow in particular is a delicacy!”
“Then why…?”
“Talas lives in groups. If you do something wrong, they come out as a group.”
“ah…”
“Especially the mother. Queen Talas has strong maternal instincts, so she’s even more troublesome. If you mess with her young, it could be a big problem.”
Choi Hyun-seok looked surprised at Coolkan’s explanation.
‘You’re thinking normally, you Demon King’s Army!’
I never thought that there would be anyone in the Demon King’s Army who thought normally.
“But the Talas meat is delicious, so I guess I should just catch it.”
Kulkan said calmly.
Choi Hyun-seok nodded with an expression that said, “Of course, that’s true.”
“It’s not often that the queen comes out of the nest anyway, so it’ll be fine.” “Then let’s go right away!” “All right! Everyone, charge in! Today’s snack is Talas Marrow!”
“Wow!”
The cooks started running with shouts.
Choi Hyun-seok also diligently moved his legs so as not to fall behind.
‘The number of enemies is not large.’
There are seven Talas in total that can be seen in front of you.
In contrast, the number of running cooks is in the hundreds.
In this situation, if you are too greedy, you may not be able to hit the target at all.
‘Don’t be greedy and aim for the final blow.’
Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes lit up.
If you can hit even one last hit, you will definitely be able to level up.
“Surround them so they can’t escape!” “Don’t hurt them too much! All the delicious fluids will drain out!”
The cooks quickly surrounded the Talas group.
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Keeeek!”
The Talas pups cry out pitifully, saying that they are a threat, but it is no use.
“Kuuuuu… I heard that if you tear off a leg and suck it, it tastes really good.” “When it comes to Talas, isn’t it the marrow of the body?” “That’s for the executives. If you mess with it wrong, it could end up on your dinner menu.”
To the eyes of the muscle machos who were obsessed with food, Talas was nothing more than a well-prepared meal.
Of course, warrior Choi Hyeon-seok was also among them.
‘Hehehe… The final blow is definitely mine!’
Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes sparkled with madness.
‘Experience… experience…! Hehehe…!’
It definitely didn’t seem normal to be laughing while holding a kitchen knife.
“Kill them all cleanly!”
Then Chef Kulkan shouted.
The cooks rushed to Talas at the same time.
“Wow!”
A situation where butchers wielding giant knives are running from all directions.
The poor Talas horde couldn’t even put up a proper resistance.
In it, Choi Hyun-seok desperately swung his kitchen knife to strike the final blow.
“The final blow! The final blow! The final blow!”
Some time passed like that.
‘Okay! I succeeded!’
Choi Hyun-seok cheered.
They succeeded in eliminating two Talas.
It was the result of a crazy obsession and focus to level up.
[Level up!]
Choi Hyun-seok cheered as he heard the level-up notification.
‘Khuh! This is it!’
The level up isn’t that great compared to the beginning, but that can’t be helped.
This is because the final blow was struck when the level had already risen considerably.
Rather, it could be said to be a very generous reward compared to the effort put in.
‘The start is going smoothly. Let’s keep going like this!’
At that moment, Choi Hyun-seok was checking the status window while laughing.
Thump thump thump thump…!
The ground began to shake with a tremendous noise.
“What, what!?”
Choi Hyun-seok looked around in confusion.
What was surprising was that even the cooks looked bewildered.
Thump thump ……!
Gradually increasing noise and vibration.
Stop.
It suddenly disappears like a lie.
At the same time, the surroundings suddenly became dark.
It’s because a huge shadow was cast.
“Uh… Lord Kulkan…?”
Choi Hyun-seok quietly turned his head and looked at Kulkan.
“Is that your mother?” “Queen Talas, to be exact.” “Aha, but you said earlier that the queen rarely comes out…” “Things don’t always go as planned.” “Ah… I see…”
Queen Talas’s torso alone was larger than that of an average elephant.
There are thick bridges stretching out in all directions, each of which appears to be over ten meters long.
It didn’t seem like I could possibly win.
Choi Hyun-seok used the combat power meter just in case.
[ Combat power: Unmeasurable ]
Choi Hyun-seok asked while looking at the letters floating on the lens.
“Kulkan, what do we do now?”
Queen Talas’ eyes were fixed on the dead cubs.
Obvious anger.
The cooks who were cutting off the limbs of the baby Talas were already half-conscious.
“Umm…”
A tense moment.
Chef Kulkan leisurely stroked his chin.
“There’s nothing I can do.”
Kulkan took a step forward.
‘Surely… you’re showing it…’
Either way, Kulkan is a strong man with a fighting power of over 30,000.
Maybe here we can see his true self.
Tadadadot…!
Kulkan ran at incredible speed.
A few seconds later.
Pass by Queen Talas as is.
“huh…?”
Coolkan gradually moving away.
He shouts with all his might, having put some distance between them.
“Let’s live and meet!” “I, that dog is …!”
Even while cursing the fleeing Kulkan, Choi Hyun-seok’s legs were moving faster than anyone else’s.
