Episode 44
3rd Army Corps Headquarters, commonly known as the Black Giant.
This area is surrounded by forests, except for the well-maintained roads.
The cooks hunt demons in the forest.
While working as a chef, Choi Hyeon-seok drew maps whenever he went hunting.
It was to avoid dangerous hands like the previous Queen Talas incident.
“If you look closely, you’ll see that even the devils have their own territory.”
Choi Hyun-seok said, unfolding the map.
“Of course, not everyone has a territory. Whether it’s an individual or a group, only the extremely strong have a territory.”
“Oh…”
Rachel looked at the map with interest.
“But this map. I have no idea what’s drawn on it. It’s so crude.” “Ahem, it’s okay as long as I can figure it out. Anyway, look here.”
Choi Hyun-seok pointed to a circled area on the map.
“These areas are where the cooks went hunting and suffered great losses. And they said they would never go there again.” “You met something dangerous there?” “Yes. Doras is strong, so it won’t work with ordinary demons. We have to bring in someone dangerous enough to risk our lives.” “Aha! I understand.”
That means, you just have to pick the most threatening demon living in the area shown here and have them confront Doras.
“But the cooks were all stupid, so no matter how much I explained, they didn’t know what they saw. So I wrote down the characteristics.”
As Choi Hyun-seok said, the area marked in a circle was filled with tiny details.
Rachel opened her eyes wide and looked at the letters.
“Is this Korean?”
“Because I’m Korean. But I’m more curious about how you know Korean.” “Korean dramas are fun. I was especially impressed by My Love from the Comet, Goblin, and Miss Sunshine!” “I guess there are TVs and computers in heaven.” “Well, they’re similar! That’s why I studied Korean in my spare time.”
Rachel said, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
I don’t know what you’re proud of or embarrassed about.
“Okay, back to the main topic. We need to figure out what kind of demons these are based on the characteristics listed here.” “By consulting the Demon Encyclopedia, you mean?” “Yes. We need to pick out the ones that could be a threat to Doras.” “Hmm… Let’s see.”
Rachel walked over to the map and read it carefully.
“The head is… big. The teeth stick out. The legs are long… The face is fierce and scary…”
Maybe because it was in Korean, it was a little difficult to read.
Rachel, who was continuing to read the characteristics of the demon, suddenly called Choi Hyun-seok.
“Hero.”
“huh.”
“Did you not go to school when you were young? Did you graduate from middle school? Or elementary school?”
“Why are you arguing again?”
“It’s not a question of right or wrong. It’s the truth. How can you find the devil with such flimsy information?”
Choi Hyun-seok was furious at Rachel’s harsh criticism.
“Shoddy! Do you know how much trouble I put in writing this in my spare time!?” “I say it’s sloppy because it’s sloppy. Where can you find a demon with a big head, protruding teeth, and a scary face? It would be quicker to find a demon with none of those characteristics?”
“Oh… is that so?”
Now that I hear it, that seems to be the case.
If you think about it, there were plenty of those types of people even if you just walked around the Demon King’s barracks, not the demon beasts.
“But it also has the characteristic of having many legs, right?” “Anyway! With this kind of information, you won’t be able to find it even if it takes a hundred days.”
“okay…”
Choi Hyun-seok said in a hoarse voice.
I worked hard to create a map, but it was heartbreaking to find out that it wasn’t of much use.
“For your information, I’m a high school graduate. I’m not an elementary or middle school graduate.”
“yes?”
“No, it’s just that…”
It seems like Rachel’s words a little while ago really bothered him.
“Sir! Stop talking nonsense and listen! I have an idea.”
“What are you thinking?”
“First of all, since you are busy, I will memorize this entire encyclopedia for you.”
“Is it possible?”
“It won’t take as long as you think. We don’t need the bad guys anyway, so let’s get rid of them. We just need to pick out the really strong, threatening ones and memorize them.” “Oh, and then what?” “We’ll go around this circled area and look for the demons ourselves.” “Hmm… That’s a good way to do it, but isn’t it too dangerous?”
Rachel’s plan was the most certain way.
The problem is that it’s too dangerous.
But Rachel smiled as if to tell him not to worry.
“It’s okay. If something happens, you can just throw out some stupid cooks as bait and run away.”
In times of crisis, he runs away, leaving his subordinates behind as a shield.
It was a truly wicked plan, worthy of the warrior’s dedicated fairy.
“Rachel. It just occurred to me.”
“yes?”
“When God created you, something really bad must have happened. Like, you got dumped by your girlfriend, or you got a new car and the bumper got scratched that day.” “What are you trying to say?” “What’s wrong with human nature?” “So you’re not going to do this plan?”
Choi Hyun-seok chuckled at Rachel’s question.
“Of course I should! Who cares if the Demon King’s army loses or not!? After all, I’m a hero!” “As expected of a hero!”
However, Choi Hyun-seok and Rachel were aware that they were a party of warriors.
That’s why it seemed like it might be more of a problem.
***
‘Encyclopedia that is useful if you know it! – Masu Edition’
This book is very thick.
It boasts a murderous number of pages, enough to be used as a weapon rather than a dictionary.
“Ugh… I feel like my head is going to explode…”
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Rachel read this thick dictionary in just three days.
After two more days there, he showed off his prowess by memorizing all the information about the major demons.
Of course, it’s not perfect.
What Rachel memorized was only basic information about about 100 types of high-level threat demons.
But it was clear that even that would require enormous effort.
Choi Hyun-seok looked at Rachel, who had dark circles under her eyes.
“Is it okay if we start today? If you’re tired, we can start tomorrow.” “Ugh… It’s okay… I don’t really have to fight myself anyway…” “That’s true, but…”
“Okay, let’s go, warrior. Time is money, right?”
Choi Hyun-seok nodded.
If you say you’re okay, then it won’t matter.
Because it wasn’t like Rachel said, she was the one who came out and fought.
After a while.
Choi Hyun-seok, who arrived at the kitchen, led the cooks and went hunting as usual.
Choi Hyun-seok, who entered the forest, checked the map.
“I think it’s something like this.”
I look back and forth between the map and the forest.
“That’s right. If you go from here in the direction of that tree, you can enter the circle.”
Choi Hyun-seok read the characteristics of the demon written next to the circle.
“Let’s see… First of all, it’s a single entity, and it appears by digging through the ground? It looks like a large earthworm… This seems a bit dangerous.”
Then Rachel took out a pair of red-rimmed glasses from her bosom.
“Ahem! That’s ‘Sirpave.’” “Sirpave? What a curious name.”
Rachel pushed up her glasses and continued her explanation.
“Sirpav comes from an ancient word meaning forest worm.”
“Oh…”
“It’s possible that it’s a similar type of demon, either Morspit or Estunbia, but that’s probably not the case. Their habitat isn’t forests.”
“Oh…?”
“Let me explain further. It’s better to ignore Sirpave. Although he’s strong, he’s timid and not very aggressive. If he encounters someone as strong as Dorath, he’ll likely think it’s dangerous and run away.”
“Rachel! That’s great!”
Choi Hyun-seok was truly impressed.
Because he seemed really knowledgeable, talking like that without even opening the book.
Rachel folded her glasses with a snap and put them back in her bosom.
“If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! I’ll answer them all. I’m now Dr. Rachel!”
Rachel’s nose was lifted up to the heavens.
Choi Hyun-seok also decided to praise her purely this time without finding fault.
‘If I praise her like this, Rachel will study more and be more useful, right?’
It was more advantageous to use Rachel well by coaxing her rather than standing up and striking a quarrel for no reason.
‘Maybe Rachel’s empty mind is what allows her to learn faster than others. I should put that to good use in the future.’
So, for now, let’s get Rachel aboard, even if it means taking a plane.
“Rachel! You’re so quick to learn, perhaps because you have such an empty head!”
“What did you say?”
For a moment, Rachel’s expression crumpled.
Choi Hyun-seok, realizing his mistake, waved his arms urgently.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Somehow, my true feelings and pretense got mixed up.
Originally, I was going to praise him by saying, “He must be smart, because he acquires knowledge really quickly!”
Rachel’s cheeks are puffed out and she is glaring at Choi Hyun-seok.
I thought it would be a good idea to change the subject for now.
“Then shall we go this way?”
Choi Hyun-seok said, pointing to another circle on the map.
“What’s there?” “Let’s see… A huge thing. Scales like steel. It looks like a dragon?” “Hmm, I’m not sure if I can tell just by hearing it. I can think of a few things that look similar, but I guess I’ll have to see it for myself to know for sure.” “Okay. Let’s go over there then.”
Choi Hyun-seok called the cooks.
“Chef. Aren’t you going hunting today? I want to eat meat soon.” “Don’t worry. I’ll be going now.”
Choi Hyun-seok raised his hand and pointed to one side.
“Today, we’re all moving over there together.”
Everyone tilted their heads because it wasn’t an order to capture the demons by platoon as usual.
“i get it.”
“Let’s go quickly. I’m hungry.”
But are we a people who are born without the ability to think deeply?
The cooks urged Choi Hyun-seok to move quickly.
“1st Platoon over there. You take the lead.”
The 1st Platoon Leader tilted his head at the words to take the lead.
“Cook. It’s dangerous up ahead.”
“I know.”
“Why is the 1st Platoon in front?” “The 1st Platoon will eat the most meat.” “We will leave right away.”
The 1st Platoon started running, excited at the news that they would be eating the most meat.
“From now on, I will kill all the demons I see! I don’t need to capture them alive, so just wipe them all out!”
“Wow! This is exciting!”
“The chef is hot! You don’t have to work hard today!”
Not knowing what kind of disaster was about to unfold, the cooks were busy just talking excitedly.
***
How long had it been since we moved into the forest?
In the meantime, the group encountered quite a few demons.
“Meat! Meat! Meat!”
“I didn’t know he was dead!”
“Take good care of the body, we’ll have to eat it later!”
There was quite a bit of damage in the meantime, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to usual.
Because instead of moving by platoon like before, the entire company was moving.
Moreover, since the objective changed from capture to killing, the damage was bound to be extremely minimal.
Thanks to that, the cooks were excited to an unprecedented degree.
“I’ve caught a lot of devils.” “I think I’ll eat a lot today!” “Every day. I hope it’s like today. The chef has become smarter.”
In contrast to the excited soldiers, Choi Hyeon-seok was quite impatient.
‘Why doesn’t the devil come out?’
It’s about time for an unknown demon to come out.
It’s almost time to return to the unit.
If he doesn’t come out like this, today will be a waste of time.
“I don’t know! Just light a fire! It’s a party!”
“Wow!”
Choi Hyun-seok decided to grill the meat first.
If we delay any longer, the cooks will have to return without having eaten the meat.
Then a real coup might have occurred.
‘I wish the smell of grilling meat would make the demons swarm…’
Choi Hyun-seok ate the meat while making sounds that would terrify other cooks.
“Tsk tsk! Hunting and eating meat is the best.” “Newbies, know what you’re doing. Today is the best day ever.”
The cooks also sat on the dirt floor and ate meat frantically.
And so the party gets underway.
Before I knew it, it was time to return to the unit.
‘In the end, the devil didn’t come out.’
Choi Hyun-seok let out a small sigh.
At that time, I was thinking that today was not the day and was organizing things.
Boom! Boom!
The ground began to shake.
At the same time, Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes also shined.
‘come…!’
I don’t know what it is, but something incredibly huge is approaching.
Choi Hyun-seok guessed that the source of the vibration was a strong demonic force that was the target.
“It’s strange. The ground is shaking.”
“Something is coming.”
Soon, the devil appeared, knocking down the tree.
“Kuaaaah!”
A giant body that reaches 5 meters in height.
The head is shaped like a dragon, and the entire body is covered in black scales.
Choi Hyun-seok immediately put on the combat power measuring device.
[ Combat power: Unmeasurable ]
“Okay! Combat power passed!”
Next is Rachel’s turn.
“Hero! That’s a demon named ‘Nidrak’!”
“okay!”
While Choi Hyun-seok and Rachel were checking the situation, the cooks scattered in panic.
“Eww! A dragon has appeared!” “No! You have to run away with the meat… . Ugh!”
In the midst of the chaos, one of the cooks who was trying to collect meat disappeared into Nidrak’s mouth.
“Kkaaaak!”
The cooks are dying in real time.
The number of cooks who entered the mouth of Sai Nidrak or were trampled to death exceeded ten.
“Chef! It’s a monster! Help me!”
Several cooks flocked to Choi Hyun-seok.
However, since he was a chef, he had the strongest force in this place.
Choi Hyun-seok made a solemn expression as he watched his subordinates gather.
“Everyone, wake up!”
“Well, is there a way?” “I’ll start running to the kitchen now.”
“…?”
Now that we’ve achieved our goal, there’s no reason to stay here.
“Survival is first come, first served. Those who are late die.”
“…”
“Then that’s it.”
Choi Hyun-seok, who had been speaking at a rapid pace, started running.
“Uh uh…”
Choi Hyun-seok, who had moved far away in the meantime.
As expected from a chef, his running speed was unrivaled.
