Retired Hunter, Become Haenam - Chapter 120



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Retired Hunter, Becoming Haenam Episode 120

Family

‘Isn’t all I’ve ever eaten steak?’

When you take a bite of the two-line tentacle steak, you can feel the rich flavor of the sauce.

The juicy fat left over from grilling a steak.

I made a sauce by mixing butter, garlic, herbs, lemon juice, etc.

All the ingredients were concentrated in the flavor of the sauce, making it truly fantastic.

‘The texture and taste of the fish are artistic… … It really feels like I’m in a restaurant.’

Although it was disappointing that the meat lacked chewy texture, it actually turned out to be an advantage in the steak.

I didn’t feel the dry texture that you usually get when eating grilled fish.

It literally melted in my mouth, like eating a well-cooked beef steak.

There was a strange shrimp smell spreading throughout the meat.

The flavor was deeply permeated into the meat itself, as if it had been seasoned with MSG or salt.

This also goes well with the sauce and raises the level of perfection.

“I didn’t know I could eat such a luxurious meal in such a poor environment. Especially the flavor of the meat… … .”

“I’m always amazed by your cooking skills, Mr. Park Dal-gu. It goes well with the wine we brought.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Charlotte and Edward also enjoyed their steak.

Especially since Charlotte, who is always expressionless, has a deep smile on her lips.

It was a face that showed the reward of cooking.

‘It goes well with wine too. As expected, Western food and wine go well together.’

It was a bit sweet and sour and had a strong flavor, so my mouth got tired quickly.

The deep aroma of the wine and the bitterness of the alcohol quickly covered it up.

“Then, finally, I will prepare the carpaccio.”

“Is that the one with olive oil in it?”

“Yes.”

The last dish prepared was carpaccio, an Italian dish using raw fish.

I took out the carpaccio that had been maturing in the refrigerator.

The refreshing color of olive oil and the pink flesh of the two-lined tentacles went very well together.

Well then, shall we taste it?

‘I’ve only seen carpaccio on the internet, so I don’t know what it tastes like.’

Carpaccio, which came up while searching for a seafood-based dish.

I was interested because in the West we don’t eat raw fish very often.

This is my first time making it myself.

I was curious whether olive oil and various herbs would go well with raw fish.

Today was the time to resolve that curiosity.

‘…Wow. This is what it tastes like.’

The refreshing scent and oiliness of olive oil may make you think it is somewhat greasy.

Since the two-lined tentacles themselves were not a very oily fish, they actually filled the empty space.

Thanks to the lemon juice mixed with olive oil in a 2:1 ratio, the refreshing acidity rather than the oiliness was pleasant to the mouth.

The various herbs and peppers added also brought out a complex flavor.

A fragrant taste that is difficult to describe in words.

It definitely felt a bit different from the Korean food I had eaten before.

“This is also delicious. It tastes similar to the raw fish salad I had last time.”

“Is that raw fish salad?”

Charlotte ate the carpaccio with relish, recalling the raw fish salad she had eaten before.

“Yeah, that’s the name. But that one had a nice spicy taste, and this one had a nice refreshing scent. I guess there’s a dish that goes well with each fish. Hehe.”

“I just happened to make it, you know.”

“No, you are already a great cook. You can be confident.”

“Is that so… … .”

I scratched the back of my head for no reason at Charlotte and Edward’s compliments.

At first, I started cooking clumsily because I was hungry and wanted to eat with my friends.

When did I find myself cooking such complicated dishes?

I looked around.

―Human!! A mole is stealing my food and eating it!

―Mole, you should call me Master. And this is the one I put my spit on so I could eat it first?

―Get along well. No matter how delicious it is, you shouldn’t steal from someone else and eat it!

―%#@%#%

―%@%#

Earthred and Chuding are grumbling.

It was funny because both of our fingers and mouths were shiny because of the olive oil in the carpaccio.

Next to me, there were some ding-dings who couldn’t communicate but ate delicious food.

‘You must have been cooking hard just to see us eating together.’

If I were eating alone, I wouldn’t mind eating only 100 days of raw fish.

What you eat is the same once it enters your stomach, and the cooking process is so troublesome that it cannot be said to be easy or convenient.

But since we all eat together like this, wouldn’t it be better to cook it a little more deliciously and find new recipes?

That’s what I thought.

“I had a great meal today too. I will probably never forget your cooking skills until the day I die.”

“…Why are you talking as if you’re going to go back soon? You’re still awake.”

“Hehe, if that’s what it looks like, then that’s good.”

After a while.

After everyone finished eating, the ding-dings came out to clean up.

Charlotte, Edward, and I drank wine and chatted.

I was able to ask questions that I couldn’t ask earlier because I was afraid the atmosphere would become heavy.

“What’s the situation at the top…?”

“… Our elven kingdom has failed to conquer the 56th floor of the tower. Our already small territory has been reduced by nearly half again.”

“… … .”

I was speechless at Edward’s words.

At 56 floors, the difficulty level is comparable to that of a Class A gate.

To clear an A-class gate, you will usually need a party of A-class hunters, and at least one of them will need to have the same level of force or leadership as an S-class.

but….

“A-class hunter… So, isn’t there anyone with A-class skills?”

“We’ve already lost many talented people. Many have died inside the tower and the gate… Civil war, terrorism, crime, suicide, etc. As the country fell into chaos, many things happened.”

“… … .”

These are dark things to hear.

Even in Korea right now, there are probably dozens if not thousands of A-class hunters.

If we face an apocalyptic situation as he said and start fighting each other.

It is something that could eventually lead to the end of the world’s fate as it devours my flesh.

“So you failed to conquer the tower?”

“That’s right. We’ve completely lost our will to fight because of this collapse. Our position is that it’s impossible to conquer the 56th floor within the next week or two. So… I’ll leave Charlotte to you.”

“…okay.”

A single tower collapse resulted in the loss of more than half of the territory… .

This means that the area of ​​land that can be called ‘territory’ is narrow, or

This means that the higher the number of floors, the greater the damage from a collapse.

“Is the tower forever unconquerable?”

“No. I heard that the 60th floor is the last. Of course, I don’t know because I’ve never been to the 60th floor… … If you get to the 60th floor, you can meet the Demon King.”

Adversary.

The mastermind behind everything from the gate to the tower.

It is an evil being that seeks to devour the world.

“Actually, the Demon King has already appeared.”

“The Demon King?”

“Yes, you came here thinking our world was already over. We are preparing for the final war with him.”

“If we lose the war… … .”

“We’ll probably all die. The elf race and our world will just disappear.”

“… … .”

“Don’t be too sad. Isn’t nature originally a being that repeats birth and death? Hehe.”

Edward waved his hand as if nothing had happened… .

It wasn’t something to be laughed off.

Who wouldn’t be sad when someone they knew dies?

Edward patted my shoulder as if he understood.

His aged, withered hands felt warm.

“Please take good care of Charlotte. Of course, it won’t be free. I also put important royal treasures in her backpack, so she’ll be of help.”

“It is none of your concern. This is the fault of our race.”

Charlotte also looked at me with a determined expression.

They weren’t wrong.

In a way, these people and I have only eaten together a few times, and we are total strangers of different races.

but.

“… In our world, we often call family by other words.”

“Hmm?”

“Family. When we eat together, we consider that as family. In that sense, you and I are already like family.”

It may sound far-fetched, but at least that’s what I thought.

Eating delicious food together, sharing drinks, and telling interesting stories.

If you accumulate memories one by one in your heart with it.

That’s family, that’s family.

“I hope Mr. Edwood doesn’t die. Miss Charlotte, Miss Peshatri, and if possible, the other elves.”

“… but I can’t bother you any longer.”

“I don’t think it’s a lung. So I have a suggestion.”

I took out a piece of paper from the subspace.

I asked Im Ha-rin for the documents and I spent my own money to get them.

“This is the land document I purchased so that I can accommodate you.”

“… … !”

“It was originally a piece of land that my father bought for farming, and it’s quite large. You could probably fit a few houses on it. It’s not much, but… I still want to save as many elves as possible.”

I handed them the document.

Edward and Charlotte’s eyes widened as they looked at the documents.

* * *

The next day.

After returning from the spirit world, I was resting at home.

‘I asked for time to think.’

They appreciated my opinion, but couldn’t give me a definitive answer.

In a way, it was natural. The issue was too serious to be answered with a simple yes or no.

I guess I’ll need some time to think about it.

If possible, I would like the three people I know, Charlotte, Edward, and Peshatri, to come to Earth.

How can I just sit back and watch people I know die?

‘I’ll give you the answer next time I go to the deserted island… The strategy is going pretty smoothly.’

Today, I cleared the 40th floor with my strategy, and from now on, the tower’s difficulty is at the level of a B-grade gate.

Until the 40th floor, the clearing speed was fast, so you could clear several floors in a day… .

Hwang Seo-jun felt limited due to his lack of experience and skills.

‘Uncle Bongryong is always busy with requests and the top raid team work, and for Yang Mijin and I, going to the B-class gate is honestly dangerous… I’m worried.’

In fact, I heard that our guild has the entrance ticket to the top of Jeju Island’s Seomseom Island.

Hunters from all over the country have been contacting us, saying they want to join the guild.

But I cut most of it on my own line.

‘I need someone who can keep my secrets perfectly.’

To clear the underwater gate, Hudingi’s underwater breathing is required.

From my perspective, I want to hide information as much as possible, so I feel reluctant to accept it from just anyone.

If possible, I would like to select someone who is trustworthy both in terms of skills and character… … .

I’m currently reviewing the resumes I received by email.

I got a call from Uncle Bongryong.

You said you were going to attack the gate in Busan today?

“Uncle, are you finished with the gate raid?”

[It’s finally over. Oh my, this is fucking sick. I’m dying from exhaustion.]

“Really? Isn’t it the 10th floor now?”

While we’re on the 40th floor, the world average tower raid progress is around 8 floors.

Korea and the United States were somewhat ahead.

Of course, it’s still not fast enough to reach the 40th floor.

“So why are you calling?”

[Don’t be ridiculous. This place is much harder than the Gwangjin-gu Gate.]

“why?”

[Why is it a Japanese song, you idiot? Except for Gwangjin-gu, Incheon, Busan, and Jeju-do’s tops are all underwater gates, so it’s hard to hold your breath. Oxygen tanks are also cumbersome, ugh.]

“aha.”

Thanks to Naya Hudingi’s underwater breathing, I’m no different than usual.

Certainly, the underwater gate was the number one target of avoidance for other hunters.

You have to carry a heavy oxygen tank, your movements become slower, and it becomes difficult to use attribute attacks.

[So I guess you need to come and help me.]

“Huh? Right now?”

[I’ve already finished the strategy for today, and I’m going to Incheon tomorrow, so I’ll have to go there with you.]

“It’s annoying… … .”

[Harin will take her anyway, so why bother bothering her, you rotten bastard? And he said he’d give her money. Was it 100 million won at once? … ]

“Then I should go.”

Just going back and forth between F and E-class gates once costs 100 million?

Then of course I should go.

[Hey, you petty bastard. Then come to my house tomorrow. The guys from the top raid team are tough guys, so be careful.]

“It’ll probably be an E-class gate, so there’s no need to worry.”

[… You’ll know when it comes. Then I’ll hang up.]

“Yes.”

Stop—

Uncle Bongryong left with a meaningful message, saying, “You’ll know when you get there.”

‘If I take S-class hunters to the E-class gate and get 100 million, it’s a profitable business. What could be difficult?’

Thinking like that the next day.

I flew from Jeju Island to Incheon using my spatial interference skills.

After encountering the ‘Gwangseo’ and the ‘Summoner’ there, I was left speechless.

It was the moment when I realized that I had forgotten that all S-class hunters had screws loose.