Chapter 43:

Chapter 43:

Chapter 43

After bringing down the wild boar, Seo Gangrim lifted its body onto his shoulders and started walking somewhere.

Choe Sangwon urgently spoke, "Is that important? Let's ambush him quickly!"

"Well... um... he might not have any rations left even if we ambush him..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why would he carry the carcass? Especially after he sold us rations in bulk."

Only after hearing this did Choe Sangwon seem to understand the intention behind the scout's words. He smirked and said, "Is he planning to eat the demon? How foolish..."

If they could eat the demon beasts, Choe Sangwon's group wouldn't have starved like this. When their rations ran out, they tried to hunt and eat the inhabitants of this place, but it did not end pleasantly.

"Maybe he doesn't know yet that these local demon beasts are poisonous."

As soon as Choe Sangwon's group members took a bite of the beasts, their mouths became numb, and they fell down, paralyzed. If it weren't for the antidote they had prepared in advance, they might have died there. They managed to detoxify themselves, but after that, they wouldn't even want to touch the beasts.

"Selling the rations with the intention of eating beasts instead... it seems like that's his plan. So, soon, his rations will also run out."

Choe Sangwon murmured and then stood up with a slight smile on his face.

"I'd like to beat him up, but... seeing him collapse from poisoning might be even more satisfying."

They still had some antidotes left. If Seo Gangrim didn't have any antidote, they could sell him the antidote at a high price and retrieve everything they lost. And if Seo Gangrim did have the antidote? It still wouldn't be a problem. Since Seo Gangrim would also be out of rations, they could sell him more rations at an even higher price.

"For now, let him be. Let's wait until he eats the beast and collapses."

At Choe Sangwon's order, everyone nodded their heads. In the meantime, a scout cautiously spoke up, "Um... is it okay if we visit the orchard while waiting?"

"The orchard? You want your tongue pulled out?"

"No, not that... But still, since Seo Gangrim has killed quite a lot of them, wouldn't the security around here be a bit lax?"

There was anxiety, but they missed the smell of the fruits that had wafted by their noses just a while ago. It was a fragrance that rations couldn't satisfy.

"Alright, let's check it out. Two people will keep an eye on Seo Gangrim, and the rest of us will go to the orchard with me."

"What about you, Choe Sangwon-ssi?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Oh, no..."

Choe Sangwon usually avoided dangerous places, but the situation was different this time. If those guys picked the fruits and then lied about not getting any, what could he do? Fearing they might secretly take the fruits, Choe Sangwon followed them. As they approached the orchard cautiously, they hadn't seen any monkeys. There were only the scattered bodies of monkeys that had been killed.

Choe Sangwon addressed the group, "I'll watch from here. You guys go and pick the fruits."

"Alright..."

With a look that said, 'If you say so,' they glanced at Choe Sangwon and then slowly entered the orchard.

Amidst their anticipation, they started climbing the trees and picking the fruits. One person had a surprised expression on their face.

"Huh?"

It wasn't clear what he was so surprised about. After picking several fruits in a hurry, they returned to Choe Sangwon.

"Choe Sangwon, look at this!"

"What? What's going on?"

Choe Sangwon was just anxious about eating the fruit. But the moment he snatched the fruit, Choe Sangwon's expression also turned surprised.

The mysterious egg, which obviously couldn't understand his words, continued to clamor for food. If this continued, the meat might be taken away. He put the egg back into his pocket, and then began cutting the wild boar into appropriate pieces, placing them on a makeshift spit. He would need to process it later. After tidying up the area, he called Yohan.

"Father. Let's have a meal for now."

"Oh, yes! I'll be right there!"

Yohan rustled inside the tent and came out holding something. He had filled a bag with rations, and he smiled proudly.

"I brought a lot of rations just in case. Fortunately, with this amount, the two of us will have plenty... huh?"

After Yohan came outside, he looked down at the food on the ground. Spread out on a cloth were various foods Seo Gangirm had brought - samgyetang, ginseng jelly, multicolored dumplings, chicken stew... The aroma of medicinal herbs also filled the air. The chicken stew was still warm as it was stored on the spit. Surprised, Yohan dropped the bag of rations he was holding.

"W-What on earth is this, Brother?"

"These are things I brought just in case."

Only emergency rations were sold to Choe Sangwon's group, and the foods with stat-enhancing effects were all kept. While Seo Gangrim could have sold these foods at a higher price, for now, he needed to take care of Yohan's meals. Yohan had a lot to do here. Seeing the dropped rations, Seo Gangrim moved to pick them up.

"I like these rations. I'll enjoy them."

"No, it's just rations...! I'll eat those!"

"No, Father. Since your health isn't in the best condition, you need to eat well. That way, you can help me when things get dangerous."

"But still..."

Yohan hesitated, and after a few more rounds of persuasion, he finally relented and nodded his head. He hesitantly sat down on the cloth.

"Then, I'll eat well, Brother. Thank you so much."

Yohan made the sign of the cross and offered a short prayer. Then he cautiously put a bite of food into his mouth. His eyes widened, indicating that it was delicious. The taste was good, but something else about the food was more important.

"This is really delicious. I never thought I'd eat such food here... and it even has mana recovery effects!"

"Yes. The foods sold at the cafeteria have special effects."

['Yohan Richter's' mana recovery speed increases by 5%.]

['Yohan Richter's' mana recovery speed increases by 5%.]

['Yohan Richter's' maximum mana temporarily increases by 10%.]

Messages popped up in front of Yohan, indicating that his mana recovery speed had increased and his mana capacity had also gone up. It was worth paying a high price for. While he was enthusiastically eating, Seo Gangrim also started nibbling on a chicken leg.

"Father, there's something you need to be careful about in this place," Seo Gangrim said between mouthfuls.

Yohan, who was devouring his food, suddenly looked up, and asked anxiously, "Oh, yes. What should I be careful about?"

"Watch out for people. Once again, people from a different zones, not our own, will be here."

This time, they would be encountering people from Zone One. Seo Gangrim had heard that in his past life, Zones One and Two had clashed significantly, and there were more conflicts among humans than with the monsters. Even though there wasn't a killer like in the previous stage, the tensions seemed worse that time. They had fought to the death. Unfortunately, Seo Gangrim couldn't fathom how things had escalated to that extent. He had heard that it might have been due to the special rewards for the first to finish this stage, but regardless of the reasons, Seo Gangrim and Father Yohan needed to be cautious of people. Especially someone like Yohan, who was prone to trust others easily, was at risk of being deceived and manipulated.

"In the previous stage, there were conflicts with people from other zones as well. Be cautious if you encounter anyone you don't know."

"Sure, I understand."

"For now, let's take a break for the first day. It's going to get tough from tomorrow."

Yohan nodded with a tense expression. After finishing dinner, they entered the tent. The inside of the tent was more comfortable than Seo Gangrim had expected, and he was glad he had bought it. That's how their first night on the deserted island went.

Outside, a faint breeze was blowing. Yohan had fallen into a deep sleep. As Seo Gangrim closed his eyes and laid down, he sensed movement from outside.

...Finally, they have arrived.

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