Chapter 7
Translator: Roshi
"Hmm..."
Watching the person fly off into the distance, he took a bite of his kimbap.
The ingredients were simple, but it tasted good. Maybe it was because the rice was well-cooked, or perhaps because the view was nice.
"Eat the cucumber too. It’ll make you healthier."
Hanuri, who always turned her gaze away and picked out the cucumber.
"Hanuri is already healthy though..."
"If you don’t eat cucumbers, you’ll get sick and have to go for a shot again."
Of course, that wasn’t actually going to happen.
Thanks to the energy he had infused into her, as long as he was by her side, she would be able to live healthily.
But there was still a problem.
‘I couldn’t untangle her twisted energy.’
He couldn’t release the energy that was innately twisted within Hanuri.
It was because she was too young, and it was expected that she wouldn't be able to withstand the backlash yet.
‘Maybe around twenty years old?’
The age when her tangled energy would explode.
Until then, he planned to release her energy gradually. Eating vegetables like cucumber wouldn’t make a difference, of course.
It was just something he said out of a newfound awareness of being her guardian.
Is this how a parent feels, wanting their child to be even healthier, even if they already are?
For now, the only thing he could do was ensure she ate well, so he wanted to help her in whatever small ways he could.
"Hee-ing..."
In the end, Hanuri, who was caught by him, reluctantly ate the kimbap with cucumber in it.
"Mmm! Tastes good!"
"Not so bad, right?"
"Yup!"
Once she started eating, she found it quite tolerable.
Though, of course, not as much as without the cucumber.
"Chew it well. Kimbap is easy to choke on."
"Yup!"
Looking out over the beautiful scenery, the two ate the kimbap like they were on a real picnic.
The person who had been flying in the sky just a moment ago was quickly forgotten. After all, they were inside a dungeon, so nothing that happened here was strange. Most importantly, none of it affected them.
"Playing is the best thing in the world~ Friends, gather round~"
Hanuri, perhaps feeling excited, started to sing.
Watching her, he chuckled to himself.
How pure must someone be to enjoy the moment without any bias like that?
He felt he would never have such purity again.
‘But watching from the side isn’t so bad.’
There was no need to attain that purity himself.
Trying to gain it artificially would mean that he had already lost it in the first place.
So he was content with just observing her from the side.
That was enough for him.
"Huh?"
As he continued to stare at her, Hanuri blinked her big eyes and tilted her head.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
"Hmph. Ajosshi. By the way, where’s Porong?"
"…Ah."
He had momentarily forgotten while watching the peaceful and cute child.
That he couldn’t afford to be so carefree.
'Hmm.'
A baby dinosaur, somewhere in the vast mountain range under the sky.
"Huh?"
At that moment, he noticed a giant tree in his line of sight.
A tree so enormous that it stood out even amidst the mountains forming the vast mountain range—it looked familiar, somehow.
Where had he seen something like that before?
"Ajosshi! Look at that! Wo~ it's so biiiig!"
Hanuri seemed to have noticed it too and, momentarily forgetting about Porong, called out to him excitedly.
Wanting to emphasize how big it was, she opened her mouth wide and stretched out her arms.
"Let’s go there!"
He wasn’t sure why a big tree fascinated her so much, but since she wanted to go, he decided to humor her.
Besides, he was somewhat curious to take a closer look as well.
‘In that direction…?’
Before he could even convey his intentions, the wyvern changed its course.
It was right after Hanuri finished speaking.
"Yongyong! Let’s go!"
In the meantime, it seemed the wyvern had gained a new name.
The wyvern, notorious for being a ferocious breed of drake, obediently flew toward the tree at Hanuri’s command.
It felt strange.
A wyvern, known for its ferocity, listening to a mere child’s words…
‘A child without anything particularly special, yet… it’s fascinating.’
Perhaps it was because he was there, but it was still a curious phenomenon.
But that was all it was.
It wasn’t a big deal.
More importantly, the tree… the closer they got, the more sparse and desolate it appeared.
For something so large, it seemed oddly barren, somehow.
‘Huh? Could it be…?’
At that moment, he recalled a certain tree that once boasted lush greenery.
‘A Dragon Tree?’
As they got closer, he confirmed that the tree was indeed the one he knew.
"Why did it die?"
It was strange.
The Dragon Tree he knew was a tree that bloomed even in the harshest environments.
Yet here it was, dead, despite the surrounding area being fairly favorable.
"The tree isn’t saying anything. Did it leave too?"
Hanuri said with a sad expression.
She looked as if tears might fall any moment.
"There, there. It’s okay. How about some fruit, Hanuri?"
Seeing her look so sad, he quickly pointed to a spot with his finger.
Amidst the empty branches, there was a single red fruit hanging.
Pluck!
He gently picked the fruit and handed it to Hanuri.
It looked just like a dragon's egg.
This was the main reason why it was called a Dragon Tree.
"Wow!"
A smile spread across Hanuri’s face as she held the fruit, which was as large as a soccer ball.
Her smile was definitely more beautiful.
He watched her smile for a moment before inspecting the area around the Dragon Tree.
‘Was there something around here? Why did it bear fruit?’
A Dragon Tree only bears fruit once in its life.
That moment is when it’s about to die, in order to leave behind an heir.
It was a rare sight, even for him, to witness the fruit of a Dragon Tree.
'Was it when the continent was contaminated by demonic energy?'
There were times when creatures called Demon Kings had invaded the continent.
In those battles, he had come across Dragon Tree fruit a few times.
But aside from those occasions, he hadn’t had the chance to taste it.
The point was, without an influence as strong as demonic energy, a Dragon Tree wouldn’t bear fruit and die.
But here, the surrounding energy was pure, without a trace of demonic energy.
So, it must have already been dead when he arrived.
"Ajosshi! Can I eat this?"
"Of course. It’s all yours, Hanuri."
"Heehee!"
Unlike him who was thinking about how strange it was, Hanuri was simply delighted.
"I’ll make juice for you when we get home."
"Wow!"
It was as big as a watermelon.
There would be more than enough for the two of them to enjoy.
With its sweet and tangy flavor, combined with its unique fragrance, it was considered a rather excellent fruit.
They could slice it up and make a fruit punch, juice, or even jam.
Plus, it was good for the body, so it might even help untangle Hanuri’s twisted energy.
‘This is good. I can use the dead tree as material.’
If it had been a living Dragon Tree, it wouldn’t have been useful at all.
A Dragon Tree that hasn’t borne fruit releases poison and rots the moment it’s wounded.
It was a nasty tree that would even render the surrounding land unusable.
They were lucky.
They’d come looking for Porong or Ppurong or whatever it was, and ended up finding something valuable.
"Shall we go down and finish the kimbap now?"
"Yes!"
They decided to descend and finish the remaining kimbap under the tree.
He held the child tight on the waiting wyvern.
"Hanuri, do you know about the Dragon Roller Coaster?"
"Yup? What’s that?"
"It’s something fun."
"Something fun? I want to try it too!"
"Really? Then… hold on tight."
"Okay?"
Not sure what it was, but since he told her to hold on tight, she turned around and hugged him tightly.
Seeing her do that was so adorable that he smiled mischievously and spoke to the wyvern.
‘Descend to the ground as fast as you can.’
Kroarora!
The wyvern let out a long roar and immediately dove downward at a steep angle.
This time, he deliberately didn’t shield them from the wind.
With the tremendous wind noise, the surrounding scenery flashed by like a blur.
"Waaahhh!"
Hanuri’s scream also drifted past. Her mouth opened wide, and the wind filled her cheeks as they plunged downward.
Shhhrk!
Though the tree was larger than a mountain, the wyvern’s speed was so fast that they reached the ground in no time.
"Ahhh… Huh?"
"We’re down now. You can stop screaming."
At his words, Hanuri smacked her lips, looking slightly disappointed.
It seemed like her scream was a mix of fear and excitement.
Still, she didn’t seem to want to try it again anytime soon.
She clung tightly to his arm.
Like a little baby monkey.
He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at her cuteness.
"Huh? Ajosshi! There’s someone over there!"
"Hmm?"
Having climbed down from his arms, Hanuri quickly pointed at the tree trunk.
As Hanuri stepped out of his arms, he felt a bit disappointed, but there really was a person where she was pointing.
And it wasn’t a stranger.
It was the same person who had flown past them earlier.
It seemed he had crashed into the Dragon Tree and ended up here.
"Pretty lucky."
He likely survived thanks to the Dragon Tree.
With its ability to absorb shock, the tree was an ideal material for armor and protective barriers.
So yes, he was definitely lucky.
"Ughh..."
Still, it seemed the person wasn’t completely unscathed, letting out only faint groans.
"Huh?"
Tododo!
As he watched blankly, Hanuri suddenly ran over to the fallen man.
And then she put something into the man’s mouth.
‘Kimbap?’
It was kimbap.
"Ajosshi, he looks hurt. So I gave him some kimbap! With two pieces of cucumber! So he’ll feel better, right?"
Earlier, he had told her that eating cucumbers was good for one’s health.
He hadn’t expected her to try to make someone healthy by giving them kimbap just because they looked hurt.
Her hands were fast too.
When did she manage to pull out the cucumber from another piece of kimbap and put it in there?
She even blew on him with a gentle "hoo~" after feeding him.
Giving him food and medicine...?
"Hey, you shouldn’t play with food like that."
"But I wasn’t playing..."
Perhaps she’d done it out of genuine concern.
Though the cucumber may have held a bit less purity, her act of feeding him kimbap might have been heartfelt.
"But, Ajosshi."
"...?"
"Where’s Porong?"
"After we finish eating this."
"Okay!"
Leaving the injured man behind, they returned to enjoying their kimbap against the picturesque landscape.
"Yongyong, say ah~"
Hanuri generously shared her kimbap.
It was the first time he had seen a wyvern eating kimbap.
‘It eats better than I expected.’
One piece of kimbap was hardly the size of one of the wyvern’s teeth.
So it was fascinating to see the creature accept the food eagerly.
Munch, munch.
Hanuri stuffed her own cheeks until they were full, chewing with delight.
Her hands and mouth were busy.
Despite her small size, she managed to make her way through the kimbap steadily, though not particularly quickly.
‘I do need to find that baby dragon-type monster, though.’
Watching Hanuri, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency.
It was clear that Hanuri was rapidly finishing the kimbap for a very specific reason.
"Ugh."
As he pondered, the person who had been lying down groaned again.
This time, Do-yoon stood up.
Drawing his sword from thin air, he approached the man.
*
Mmm...
The comforting, mild sweetness of rice lingered on his tongue.
Then came the taste of the ingredients in the kimbap, along with the strong, distinctive flavor of cucumber.
Without any pickled radish, it felt a bit plain, but that only made the taste of the rice stand out more.
It was good quality rice, so much so that he didn’t miss the radish at all.
Even though it was a dream, the kimbap tasted so delicious that Park Ki-ho felt a surge of joy.
Perhaps because of that.
For some reason, he felt a bit more strength returning to his body, and he managed to open his eyes.
And then he saw it: a giant tree, with a man holding a sword standing in front of it.
‘…!’
As Park Ki-ho blinked, struggling to grasp the situation, the man approached without hesitation and swung his sword.
Shhk!
A chilling sound of something being sliced.
Park Ki-ho, instinctively closing his eyes in fear, quickly opened them again.
The scene before him had changed.
The giant tree had disappeared, and instead, he saw the clear blue sky.
What Do-yoon had cut wasn’t Park Ki-ho, but rather the massive Dragon Tree that had been blocking the sky.
Swoosh.
Thanks to that, Park Ki-ho could now see a gigantic dragon ascending toward the blue sky.
"…What the hell?"
Had he just been dreaming?
All he did was close his eyes and open them again...
"Park Ki-ho!"
This time, he heard a familiar voice.
"Huh? I’m here! I’m over here! Ugh!"
As he quickly called out his location, a group of people rushed toward him.
"What the... He’s in better shape than we thought?"
"Thank goodness. Healer! Quick, start with first aid."
The Fire Goblin team gathered around Park Ki-ho, who was still lying down, murmuring amongst themselves.
The team members looked at Park Ki-ho with a mix of relief that he was alive and curiosity at how unscathed he seemed.
"Huh? But what’s that in his mouth?"
"Isn’t that a grain of rice?"
"Rice? Why would he have rice stuck there?"
Then everyone’s attention focused on Park Ki-ho’s mouth.
"Huh? There’s rice on my mouth?"
He quickly licked his lips with his tongue, and indeed, a grain of rice ended up in his mouth.
‘This taste…’
It was similar to the taste he’d had in the dream.
"It wasn’t a dream?"
As Park Ki-ho muttered blankly, the team leader frowned and turned to the healer.
"What’s he saying? Did he get hit on the head? Healer, is Ki-ho’s head okay?"
"Yes. He’s perfectly fine. In fact, it’s strange how fine he is, considering he got hit squarely by a Dunkong…"
"If he’s fine, that’s all that matters. Let’s get out of the dungeon first."
"Understood."
Having found their teammate safe and sound, they decided to leave the dungeon first and look into anything strange later.
Both Park Ki-ho and the team leader agreed.
*
They searched the dungeon thoroughly, but Porong was nowhere to be found.
In the end, the two of them returned empty-handed.
At least Hanuri seemed to have enjoyed the dungeon outing quite a bit; she eventually fell asleep from exhaustion.
Since she fell into a very deep sleep, he was able to return home without any problems.
After laying Hanuri down in her room upon their return…
‘What should I eat?’
He went out briefly to buy groceries for dinner.
As he wandered around the market, thinking of what to make, nothing specific came to mind.
-This afternoon’s spring rain is expected to continue nationwide until tomorrow morning. This rain marks the official start of spring…
Just then, the weather forecast playing on the store’s speakers caught his ear.
‘Rain, huh… Whenever it rains, it’s makgeolli and jeon.’
He figured he’d make juice for Hanuri using the Dragon Tree fruit, and have some makgeolli for himself.
Makgeolli paired with freshly made jeon sounded perfect.
‘I should hurry up and finish building that cabin.’
Watching the rain while eating in the cabin would make the experience even better. Just as he was about to quicken his pace—
-Playing and eating is the best~ Porong Porong~
*****