Chapter: 13
“Ku, Kkurung……?”
Minhyuk looked back and forth between the group of meerkats and Kkurung with a confused expression.
No matter how he looked at them, they were identical.
‘Am I still half-asleep and seeing things……?’
The same cute face as Kkurung.
Soft, fluffy fur.
A body that was subtly long.
No matter which way he looked at them, they looked alike.
If they were not about one and a half times larger than Kkurung and there were not seven of them, he would not have been able to tell them apart.
“What are these guys……? Where did they suddenly come from……?”
Minhyuk was muttering quietly when—
Clack-!
The Little Wooden Soldiers simultaneously aimed their rifles at the restrained group of meerkats.
Ko, korong-?
Kkyururung-!
Kurungkurung-!!
The group of meerkats became completely frantic at the same time.
[The ‘Little Wooden Soldiers’ are asking whether to execute the intruders.]
Ex, execute……?
Were they saying they were going to kill them?
“No, no! Cease fire! Don’t kill them!”
Clack-!
As Minhyuk hurriedly waved his hands, the Little Wooden Soldiers all lowered their rifles.
Phew—
He suddenly realized it.
They might look like cute toy soldiers,
but these guys were actually extremely frightening soldiers.
“Kkurung, come here and explain. Who are they? And what is this situation?”
Kkurung…… Kkurungkurung…….
“What? Your lost siblings? You finally found each other?”
Minhyuk was slightly flustered by this shocking family reunion, but he soon accepted it.
Meerkats were animals that naturally lived in groups.
He had expected that a day like this would eventually come.
‘Although I didn’t expect it to happen this quickly…….’
Tsk—
Minhyuk clicked his tongue regretfully.
It was a scene he had often seen in documentaries about wildlife shelters.
Now that Kkurung’s lost family had come in a group, it was probably time for them to return to nature.
Grab-!
Minhyuk took Kkurung’s hand.
“Kkurung, what do you want to do now?”
Kkurung…… Kkurungkurung……?
“Yeah. Since it was a farewell that was bound to happen eventually, I think I’ll miss you a lot too…… Huh?”
Hmm?
Something about this conversation seemed strange.
“You want to keep living together here?”
Kkurung!
“Your siblings too? They don’t want to return to nature? They want to stay here?”
Kkkuurung…….
Kkurung looked at Minhyuk with mischievous eyes like Puss in Boots.
The safe zone was much safer than the wilderness, and they could continuously eat delicious cucumbers here.
Minhyuk was bewildered by this completely unexpected development.
“No, but…… we should hear what your brothers think too…….”
When he casually turned around—
Kkurung…….
Kkororong…….
Kkurukkuruk…….
Kkururung…….
The group of meerkats restrained with cucumber vines were looking at Minhyuk with similar expressions.
‘If they join the safe zone…… Wait a second? This isn’t actually a bad thing.’
If they were merely cute balls of fur, he might have hesitated.
But meerkats were definitely useful enough to earn their keep.
They naturally had an ability to monitor their surroundings, and unlike the baby meerkat Kkurung, adult meerkats also had considerable labor capabilities.
In other words, they were perfectly suitable as workers.
‘Most importantly, meerkats are animals that dig underground burrows…….’
Cleaning up the farmland.
Wouldn’t they be perfect for that?
“Ahem. Now, soldiers.”
Minhyuk cleared his throat for no particular reason before speaking.
Clack-!
The Little Wooden Soldiers simultaneously raised their rifles again.
“No, not you guys. I’m talking to the meerkats. Do you all want to live together in the safe zone?”
Kkorong-!
Kkyurungkyurung-!
Kkorurung-!
The group of meerkats nodded vigorously.
“However, there is one philosophy in our safe zone. Those who do not work shall not eat.”
Of course, he had just made that up on the spot.
He felt a little guilty about it, but if he wanted to make them work, there was no choice.
“You guys aren’t an exception either. If you want to eat and live here, you have to perform appropriate labor. Can you do that?”
Nod.
The group of meerkats all nodded.
Minhyuk narrowed his eyes.
‘Hmm…… I’m actually flustered by how cooperative they are.’
He had thought there would be at least one who would dislike the idea.
“Really? You guys can do it?”
Kkyurungkyurung-!
Kkororong-!
Kkuruk- Kkuruk-!
The group of meerkats repeatedly nodded their little heads as if telling him to trust them with the work.
“Hehe, good. Welcome to the members of our business.”
Minhyuk smiled with satisfaction and pointed toward the cucumber vines being used as restraints.
“Now, soldiers. Untie them. The meerkats are family now.”
Clack-!
Day 33 of being stranded.
He had gained reliable workers.
“Oh, found it!”
“They’re here.”
“Everyone, over here! Come quickly!”
Free Market, first floor.
A group of female hunters gathered around Elia’s stall with delighted expressions after discovering it.
They were already acquainted with Elia.
More precisely, they were the female hunters who had purchased cucumbers from Elia on the 17th floor of the Tower when she had temporarily been working as a wandering merchant.
“Why did you only come back now? Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”
“Do you have a set opening time for your stall? Do you open every few days?”
“I don’t know that either. It’s up to the boss.”
They were beneficiaries who had experienced the effects of the cucumbers Elia sold firsthand.
All they had done was eat cucumbers.
Their dry skin became soft and smooth, their acne scars completely disappeared, and even wounds they had suffered while raiding were cleanly erased.
The results appeared immediately and were more certain than expensive dermatological treatments or cosmetics.
“What about the location? Are you going to keep selling here?”
“Yup. That’s what I’m planning.”
Because of this, not only female hunters—
“Oh, isn’t that the little kid?”
“Yeah. My wife was already driving me crazy, telling me to buy some too. Glad we found her.”
Even male hunters who had witnessed the effects were waiting for Elia’s stall to open.
For several days, they had been waiting for the stall to open and rushing there the moment it did.
An extremely limited supply.
And demand that had increased insanely.
As a result—
“Give me 30 cucumbers! They’re 2 coins each, right?”
“I’ll take 40! Here’s 80 coins!”
“I’ll just take 10 for now.”
The moment sales began, the cucumbers started selling like hotcakes.
A buying frenzy had begun.
“Hm? Ah, o-okay. Everyone, line up.”
Although Elia was flustered by the intense response, she calmly continued selling cucumbers.
Step- step-
A man who appeared to be in his mid-forties approached Elia without paying attention to the line.
“What are you doing? Why are you cutting in line?”
“Can’t you see we’re waiting here?”
“Hey, mister! Get in line!”
The customers waiting in line all immediately reacted sharply, but the man calmly smiled and shook his head.
“Everyone, I did not come here to purchase cucumbers. I have something to deliver to the seller, so I ask for your understanding.”
“Hm? Me?”
Elia tilted her head curiously.
“Yes. Here, please take this.”
The man handed Elia an envelope.
“Hmm. Very good.”
Minhyuk looked at his field with satisfaction, his hands clasped behind his back.
He felt like a small-business owner looking at a factory that had just become properly systematized.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-
The meerkats moved around in perfect coordination.
Rustle-rustle-
They removed the overgrown cucumber vines.
Fwap-! Fwappafwap-!
As experienced burrow diggers, they expertly tilled the soil with their front paws.
Swish- swish- swish- swish-
And after Minhyuk carefully taught them what to do, they were even planting cucumber seeds and seed potatoes one by one.
‘Hehehe, this is what I call healing.’
He was not lifting a finger.
The troublesome cleanup work in the fields was being completed quickly and accurately.
The harvest amount had increased.
Yet the required labor from him had decreased.
It was an innovative change, much like the Industrial Revolution!
If he had to apply it to Minhyuk’s situation—
Perhaps this was the First Deserted Island Revolution.
However, every change came with side effects.
The same was true for Minhyuk’s safe zone.
‘But what about food……?’
Somehow, he had gained seven additional dependents.
Naturally, the amount of food he needed had also increased.
Furthermore, because he had given almost all of his cucumbers to Elia except for exactly 200, not knowing whether Kkurung’s siblings would arrive, he was now short on food to last until the next cucumber harvest.
‘Going gathering near the entrance of the jungle like I did before…….’
That was impossible too.
The gigantic monster that had appeared in the middle of the night recently and turned the entrance of the jungle into a wasteland.
It had trampled the trees with its enormous feet, crushing all the cucumbers that had been growing naturally as well.
‘Then the only option left is…….’
Minhyuk looked at the Little Wooden Soldiers standing guard.
‘These guys are the only option.’
They were S-rank summons, after all.
Leading them into the deeper parts of the jungle and exploring the area to find more food.
Honestly, he was a little scared.
But he had no less than ten S-rank soldiers.
Wouldn’t it be safe?
Ahem-!
Minhyuk cleared his throat and spoke.
“Now, soldiers. Everyone, pay attention. From this moment on, we will explore the jungle together.”
Clack-!
The Little Wooden Soldiers gave a perfectly synchronized military salute as if declaring that they would obey.
Good.
No problem here.
“Kkurung, you’re coming too. You can do a good job, right?”
Kkurungkurung-!
Kkurung climbed onto his shoulder without hesitation, poking his head out and entering combat mode.
[The baby meerkat has entered ‘Surveillance Mode’.]
With a reliable escort unit and a high-performance mobile radar—
All preparations were complete.
“All right! Entire army, advance!”
Minhyuk carefully moved forward under the protection of the Little Wooden Soldiers.
“Kkurung, if there are any monsters nearby, you have to tell me immediately, okay?”
Kkurung!
They left the safe zone.
They passed the entrance of the jungle where he had first gathered cucumbers, which had now become a barren wasteland.
And they entered deeper into the jungle, where trees grew densely.
Chirp- chirp- chirp-
Sunlight filtering through the leaves warmly illuminated the jungle.
The scenery was completely peaceful.
And somehow, that made it even more ominous.
‘I never know when or where something might jump out…….’
Minhyuk did not let his guard down.
He carefully watched his surroundings and slowly advanced.
Rustle- rustle-
Fortunately, there was no sign of anything except Minhyuk’s footsteps.
He was looking around nearby to see if there was anything edible he could gather when—
Kkurung!
[The baby meerkat has detected ‘Danger’.]
Kkurung pointed toward a certain tree.
Minhyuk immediately shifted his gaze.
But—
“……Huh?”
There was nothing on the tree.
More precisely, there were a few mushrooms growing there, but that was all.
Moreover, their vivid colors made it obvious that they were poisonous mushrooms, so they were not suitable for eating.
“No, Kkurung. You can’t eat those. You’ll die.”
Kkurungkurung!
“Huh? There’s something else over there? No. There’s nothing there.”
Kkuurung-!
Kkurung’s cry was still too insignificant to really be called a roar.
[The baby meerkat activates the skill ‘Clairvoyance’.]
At the same time, a faint transparent silhouette appeared hanging from the tree.
Before long, its true identity became completely visible.
[The hidden ‘Blink Lizard’ has been revealed.]
A lizard.
A lizard almost the size of a human.
A lizard covered in rainbow-colored scales stared at Minhyuk with vertically slit pupils, flicking its tongue.
“W-what is that?”
He was startled for only a moment.
“E-everyone, attack!”
At Minhyuk’s command, the Little Wooden Soldiers indiscriminately opened fire with their rifles.
Bang, bang-bang-bang-bang-!
Countless bullets poured down like a meteor shower.
Swish-! Shashashashak-!
The lizard was no pushover either.
Moving so quickly that the eye could barely follow it, it darted between the trees and dodged the bullets.
But—
Bang, bang-bang-bang-bang-!
The Little Wooden Soldiers were S-rank, after all.
And there were not just one of them.
There were ten.
No matter how incredible the lizard was, there was no way it could dodge the overwhelming firepower of ten S-rank summons forever.
“Ke, kehek…….”
Before long, the lizard’s body was pierced by bullets and it collapsed to the ground.
[You have defeated the Blink Lizard.]
[You have obtained Blink Lizard Leather as a reward.]
The lizard’s corpse disappeared in a flash of light, and its leather floated in midair.
“Oh…….”
Minhyuk looked at the Little Wooden Soldiers as they returned from their firing stance to their original posture.
Their firepower really was extraordinary.
He did not know whether Kkurung had awakened some new ability, but he had certainly done his part as well.
“Well done, Kkurung.”
Kkurungkurung!
Minhyuk patted Kkurung on the head as a gesture of praise.
“You guys worked hard too.”
Clack-!
When Minhyuk gave them a thumbs-up, the Little Wooden Soldiers responded with a salute.
‘I can use the leather later.’
After carefully picking up the lizard leather, Minhyuk pointed toward the deeper jungle and shouted.
“All right, advance forward again!”
The Little Wooden Soldiers & Kkurung combination.
They were heading out.
……Meanwhile.
United States Hunter Management Headquarters, the Hexagon.
The organization responsible for overseeing humanity’s elite team’s Tower climbing had fallen into great confusion.
An unexpected Tower-wide announcement had sounded.
[The Blink Lizard has been defeated.]
There were three situations in which a Tower-wide announcement appeared.
When a new record was set for the highest floor, regardless of race.
When a first achievement was accomplished.
Or when a boss-class monster above the 100th floor was defeated.
“B-Blink Lizard……?”
For reference, the Blink Lizard mentioned in the announcement was a stage boss monster appearing on the 133rd floor.
On the surface, it looked like nothing more than a slightly oversized lizard covered in rainbow-colored hues.
But the reality was completely different.
Its concealment ability was difficult to detect even with S-rank detection magic.
Unless it was restrained, its evasion and agility made it extremely difficult to land a proper effective hit on it.
And its deadly poison could melt through barriers with ease.
Even humanity’s elite Tower-climbing team, consisting of seven S-rank hunters and twelve A-rank hunters, had struggled against it for approximately seven months before finally managing to defeat it.
Yet……
An announcement stating that such a boss monster had been defeated had appeared across the entire Tower.
“W-what is this?”
“What happened?”
“Why was the Blink Lizard suddenly defeated?”
From the 100th floor onward, where boss monsters appeared, access by ordinary guilds was restricted.
Only the elite teams of each race were permitted.
Humanity’s highest Tower-climbing record was the 135th floor.
Naturally, they had no reason to challenge the 133rd floor where the Blink Lizard appeared again.
If they had the time and resources to do that, they would simply challenge the highest-floor record instead.
The same should have been true for the Elves, who were currently ranked first at the 138th floor.
Then……
There was only one remaining possibility.
“Don’t tell me……”
“D-Demons……?”
The Demons were currently in third place in the Tower-climbing race.
However, intelligence reports indicated that the Demons were still struggling on the 131st floor.
It was relatively recent information.
But then…… had they already reached the 133rd floor?
“Just what the hell did they do?”
“Did they somehow acquire a new Player?”
“What are you all doing?! Contact our agents in the Demon Realm immediately! Get us accurate information again!”
The signal for another all-nighter had been fired at the Hexagon.
