Chapter 16 – The Hunt Begins

– Chi Ik.

The meat cooks on the frying pan.

Only one meal a day, lunch and dinner time.
The menu is pork belly.

“Corporate Kang Chang-jae, can’t we buy some ssamjang and salt?”
“No. No money.”

Seungpil’s smile at the word samgyeopsal didn’t last long either.
It was because I knew that the other side dishes were ‘pure pork belly’ without anything.

Portable burner, butane gas, wooden chopsticks, knife and frying pan on cutting board.
It is a setting that reduces coin consumption to a minimum. Still, I used over 50 coins with this alone.

Of these, the only thing you can eat is 3kg of pork belly (chunk) that was dropped when you caught a hyena.
I cut them into bite-sized pieces, and Seungpil took them and cooked them in a frying pan.

“I am Kimchi…”

Seungpil’s younger brother, Seunghee, also mumbles while looking at me.
They seem to know that if I tap my phone, anything comes out.

“Did you tell me how to earn points? If there is something I want to eat or have, I earn it myself and buy it.”
“Blood. Meanly.”
“If you don’t want to eat, don’t eat.”
“Who doesn’t like to eat?”

Seung-hee pouting her lips when she and I couldn’t communicate.
Then he changed his target to Seungpil.

“Brother. Oppa also has coins. Can’t I buy that? Kimchi can also be used as a substitute for salt. Huh?”
“Okay… If you grill pork belly with kimchi, it will kill you.”
“Right? Lion, brother.”

Seung-pil is also shaken by his brother’s temptation.

“Seungpil. That’s the price of your life. Think carefully.”
“Ugh…”

My words made Seungpil even more worried.

Earned 8 Coins by breaking the boar’s head.
I was lucky enough to catch it this time without getting hurt, but what if a more dangerous beast comes along next time?
Is it really worth spending the coins you earned by risking your life on a meal of kimchi?

If you think kimchi is worth it, buy it.
But I don’t want to make an impulsive purchase and regret it later.

“Oh really! Don’t interrupt!”
“You really don’t waste your time doing nothing. Do you know that coins come out when you dig?”
“Ugh!”

Seunghee is pretty and has a bright personality. Outside, I would have been loved by everyone.
It wouldn’t be strange if I grew up in an environment where I heard anything from my family or boyfriend.

But I had to let you know that’s not the case here.
Even though there are ways to earn coins, stubbornness only puts everyone at risk. Not only myself and Seungpil, but also me and my mother who will be living together.

He who does not work shall not eat. I shouldn’t have listened to such foolishness.

“It’s Changjae. Mom wants to eat kimchi too.”
“Yes, mother.”

I immediately manipulated my cell phone to buy kimchi.
The smallest one It was 2 coins.

“Ah! In a mean way!”
“Most of my coins were earned by my mother. It’s different from you, who just eats while doing nothing.”
“Ugh!”

I don’t care if you hate me If my attitude pisses me off, it’s just a matter of earning coins.

“Mother, please eat.”

Kimchi came out in a small airtight container.
I opened the lid and held it out to her mother.

“Seungpil. Would you like to bake this too? Seungpil and Seunghee eat together.”

And her mother took it and handed it over to Seung-pil.

“Oops!”
“Thank you, mother! I will eat well, Corporal Kang Chang-jae!”

Nyah. Seunghee sticks out her tongue while looking at me.
Joy. It’s still worth living for now.

“Corporate Kang Chang-jae. The meat is over. You should eat it first.”
“Eat, mother.”
“Eat Changjae too. Seungpil and Seunghee too.”
“Yes~!”

The pork belly party has begun.

“Ugh! Delicious! It melts in your mouth!”
“Corporate Kang Chang-jae, this pork belly is really delicious!”

Brother and sister Seung-pil making a fuss.
I also picked up and ate a large piece of pork belly with grilled kimchi.

“I know. It is strangely delicious.”

Is it because I starved all morning? The pork belly tasted sweet.
Oil drips down the grilled pork belly. Seeing the kimchi sizzling in the oil made me salivate.

“Seungpil, you should eat a lot too. After eating this, you will go hunting with me.”
“Um um, yes!”

Seungpil stuffed pork belly into his mouth and munched while chewing.
He seems to be completely absorbed in the meat right in front of him and has no worries.

This might be the last supper. He’s a comfortable guy.

“Hunt?”

Meanwhile, beside her, her mother asks with a worried face.

“Yes, mother. I want to explore the surroundings before it gets dark.”
“It must be dangerous.”
“Are you okay. I will be careful not to hurt you.”
“If a dangerous animal appears, should we run away without fighting?”
“Sure.”

I said that to keep you from worrying, but in reality it might be quite dangerous.
This time, it is because he intends to test a special item.

A red lump that remained like a drop item in the place where the boar disappeared.
It was vacuum-packed [Raw boar’s liver].

[Boar’s Liver: Calls nearby predators with a strong smell of blood.]
[Duration: 1 hour after opening.]

It is the pork liver that comes with sundae.
It’s wild boar liver, but something similar. Looking at the description, it seems to be an item for bait to call carnivores.

In order not to be suddenly attacked, like when encountering hyenas or wild boars today, we had to make this area completely our territory.

To do so, it is necessary to weed out other beasts that were previously occupying the territory. The boar’s raw liver was an item for that purpose.

The strategy is to throw bait with wild boar liver and hunt those who come to eat it.
Needless to say, it is safer to attack from this side than to be attacked. I intended to secure my safety by constantly hunting around here for at least a few days.

“By the way, how did you guys know we were here and came here?”

To my question, Seungpil swallowed the pork belly he was chewing and answered.

“Seunghee said it was strange that there were no bugs only on this side, so she asked to go.”
“Ah.”

Since there are no bugs only within 100m of the mother, it might be thought strange if there are no bugs suddenly at some point.

Seunghee, does that feel good?
Seung-pil is a man, so he can work hard, and if these two don’t have accidents, it might be quite helpful. Because labor is important.

More than anything else, it would be nice if Seunghee only accepted earning coins.
Hmm.

“… Why?”

Seunghee, who was happily chewing on the pork belly, frowned when she realized I was staring at her.

“Did you think of something else? Ouch!”

Seung-hee, who was making sharp jokes, was slapped in the back of the head by Seung-pil.

“Han Seung-hee. What is your habit of talking about?”
“Hey.”

Whew.
Seunghee seems to have a long way to go.

*

Simple shower booth (rechargeable water bag) -50 coins.
Conventional toilet (with a lid) -50 coins.
Strong hideout iron door (with lock) -70 coins.
Soft mattress (no frame) -30 coins.

While Seungpil and I were away, mother and Seunghee were able to get the bare minimum necessary for living.

I bought another weapon for me and Seungpil, and I was completely broke.

“Mother. If possible, don’t come out of the hideout. Even in the dark, keep the door locked.”
“Okay. Don’t worry about us, just be careful not to get hurt.”
“Yes. Mother. Even if you are late, never come out to find it. It’s more dangerous if you cross over.”
“Huh.”
“Seunghee, you stay calm too.”
“Because I know.”

I was about to leave, leaving only the two women behind, but I couldn’t move.
I still had to go Because it’s more dangerous to just keep it.

Men go hunting and women watch the house. That was the law of survival that had come down from primitive times.

“… Let’s go.”
“Yes.”

He takes Seung-pil into the forest.

The plan was planned in advance.
I, who have sensitive senses, look around with my eyes, and Seung-pil follows me and looks at the map on his cell phone.
Enemy creatures are marked with red dots on the map, so even if I miss them, Seungpil can check them on the map. As a bonus, I was able to check what was going on in the hideout.

“Today, I will only check 100m around the hideout.”
“Yes.”
“Watch your step there. Because it is bumpy.”
“Wow.”
“Be careful though.”

There are no insects 100 m around the mother.
Then even small bug-eating animals leave the range in search of food.
Then the larger animal that preys on the smaller animal also goes outside.

But such a food chain won’t happen overnight. A human hand needed to intervene.

If possible, I would like to capture all animals within 100m of the surrounding area and secure them as our territory by building a fence around them. And to live alone with my mother in a safe place. Seungpil builds a house for Seunghee and sends them away.

At least I had a feeling that it would be more enjoyable than military life.

“Ah. Corporal Kang Chang-jae. What is over there?”

Seungpil points to the bush on the left.

“Shh. Follow me quietly.”

I muffled the sound of my footsteps and moved slowly.
A bamboo spear was in my hand, and an iron spear like a skewer was in Seungpil’s hand.

Hide yourself behind a big tree and look inside the forest.
I saw the back of a familiar animal.

– Hard. Fast.
There was a hyena lying on the ground and eating something.

Is it only one?
Lucky for you.

‘Seungpil. Do you remember what I said earlier?’

I signal to Seungpil with a wink.
Seungpil swallowed his dry saliva and nodded his head.

When hunting animals, you must never show a dead look. You can’t even step back.
The moment they sense our weakness, they’ll come running. Conversely, if they know we’re not weak, they’ll run away.

Catching a running animal and catching a running animal. It is a fact that you can know without saying which one is dangerous.

It doesn’t matter if the prey runs away and the hunt fails.
Our number one goal is to return unharmed and safely.

“Suck!”

Just as Seungpil and I had arranged, I threw a bamboo spear as the first attacker.
The hyena pricked her ears, as if she just sensed a hint, and lifted her head as she immersed herself in her prey.
However.

– Kheeng!

The bamboo spear flew in a straight line and stuck into the hyena’s body without a chance to dodge.
The hyena jumped up with her screams.

“It’s okay! Kill!”
“Aww!”

I pulled the machete from her side and pounced on the hyena. Beside me, Seungpil was charging with an iron spear.

It was the moment when the activities of the two-member wild animal abusers began.