014. For a Hangover, Of Course
When was the last time I dreamed about flying through the sky?
Probably in my first year of high school, when I suddenly went through a growth spurt.
Back then, every time I closed my eyes I would fly.
I would rise so high that people and buildings looked like beans or sesame seeds.
Then I would repeatedly fall.
Well, I grew past 180 centimeters around that time, so I had no complaints.
Right.
Back then, falling like this made the area around my belly button tickle too.
It was strange.
I had never once flown in my life.
I had never fallen from the middle of the sky either.
So how had my dreams managed to reproduce the feeling of falling?
Just like those dreams, the area around my belly button was tickling right now.
Hm?
Yeah.
I was currently falling.
“Hyaaaaaa!! Peep!!”
Whoooooosh!
But right before I shattered against the ocean surface, Orlan desperately flapped his wings and shot back into the sky.
Exciting.
I lived!
“Pant... pant... How was that, Small Dragon King? Orlan’s thrilling free-fall experience!”
“Hmmm? Yeah. Hehehe... Fun!”
“That is not all! Small Dragon King! Next, I shall let you experience ‘being a mullet caught by an osprey!’ Peep, peep!”
“Hm? Wow! Sounds fun! Let’s go now!”
“Hyaaaaaa!! Peep!!”
Orlan grabbed my shoulders with his giant magical talons.
Then he shot upward toward the highest part of the sky like a rocket.
Amazing.
Fun!
“Pant... pant! Next! The bird of prey caught in turbulence experience!”
“Hahahaha! Fun!”
Orlan and I shook wildly from side to side in the middle of the sky.
It was scarier than the turbulence I had experienced on a flight to Jeju Island!
Fun!
“Orlan! This is really fun! More! Do something even crazier! More!”
Excited, I demanded another trick from Orlan.
Orlan was a really good guy.
I told him I wanted to fly freely through the sky, and he was showing me all kinds of tricks.
Honestly, I had liked Orlan from the beginning.
He was cool.
A bird of prey circling through the sky.
Ah.
That was cool.
“Pant... pant... Very well, Lord Suho. However, this next trick is extremely thrilling and dangerous. Are you certain? Peep? Can you handle it? Peep, peep?”
Gasp.
Orlan.
How could you?
I thought you were a good guy.
“Orlan... Do you think I am such a weak coward that I cannot endure even that?”
“What?! Of course not, Lord Suho! Peep! Absolutely not! Peep! How could I ever dare...”
“Then... make me fly.”
“Lord Suho...! Peep!”
“Fly me to the moon.”
“Understood. This time, I shall truly reveal my secret weapon! Orlan Scopa’s final trick! ‘The flounder accidentally dropped while flying through the sky!’ Peep, peep!”
“Let’s roll.”
Flap!
Whoosh!
Orlan spread his wings wide, grabbed my shoulders with his magical talons, and took off once again.
Higher.
Higher into the sky.
I’m flying.
I’m flying.
Orlan and I reached the highest point in the sky.
“Lord Suho. Are you ready? Peep?”
“Since the day I was born. Always.”
“Very well. Here we go! Peep!”
Tap.
Far above everything, Orlan simply let go of me.
Wow.
My body was spinning in the middle of the sky.
Spinning.
Spinning.
The ocean that had looked so distant was rapidly getting closer.
Wow.
If I hit that with a bang, it was going to hurt a lot.
But I trusted him.
I trusted Orlan to catch me safely.
We had not known each other for long.
But had we not already shared drinks together?
I would leave my fate to him.
“LORD SUHOOOOOO!”
Quietly, I closed my eyes.
Huh.
“......?”
When I opened my eyes, it was morning.
“...???”
Strange.
My last memory was having lunch yesterday and happily playing with Orlan.
Why was it suddenly morning again?
Ah.
Was this that regression thing people talked about?
“To think I would experience something this strange twice in one life, urk?”
Ugh.
A powerful hangover slowly rose from inside my stomach.
...Which meant I had simply skipped half a day of memories like a normal drunk person.
How much did I drink yesterday?
I tried to push myself up from the floor.
“???”
The ground was sand.
I had not even gone inside?
I had fallen asleep on the beach?
Me?
No, seriously.
What happened yesterday?
My head hurt.
I could not remember...
Peet-peep.
[Translation: Lord Suho.]
While I staggered on the sand glittering beneath the morning sunlight, Daldal slowly approached me.
Peep?
[Translation: You okay?]
“Hm? Yeah... I think maybe I’m... Ugh. No. I’m definitely not okay.”
Pheeeew...
[Translation: Good grief... How much did you two drink...]
Daldal narrowed his eyes and glared at me.
You two?
“Ah, right. And... ugh. Come to think of it, where is Orlan?”
Peep.
[Translation: Oooover there.]
I looked toward where Daldal pointed.
Orlan was lying flat on the sand with both wings spread wide.
“Orlan. Are you okay? Is he sleeping or unconscious... ugh.”
Pheew.
[Translation: Good grief, you hopeless fools.]
Ignoring Daldal’s sharp stare, I slowly walked toward Orlan.
“Ugh, my head... Peeek...”
Orlan was muttering in his sleep.
At least he was not unconscious, I guess.
I roughly gathered him up, carried him back to the farm cabin, and collapsed straight onto the floor without even thinking about brushing off the sand stuck to my body.
Ahh.
The ceiling was spinning.
“I really need to manage the fish farm today. I can’t do anything...”
Every time I tried to sit up, my head spun wildly.
I needed to feed the fish.
I needed to replace the filters in the purification building.
But I could not focus at all.
Peeeeep.
[Translation: Suho. Wait little.]
Daldal had been blankly watching me crawl around weakly on the floor.
Then he suddenly slipped out of the farm cabin.
“Where are you going?”
I had been planning to calm my body and mind by petting warm, soft Daldal.
Cruel little thing...!
For the next hour or two, I could do nothing except stare at the spinning ceiling.
Peep, peep!
[Translation: Suho!]
Daldal finally returned to the farm cabin.
He was carrying a huge basket on his back.
“Daldal. What’s that? Ugh.”
I barely managed to sit up and took the basket from him.
Hm?
A familiar smell of earth and salt slowly rose from inside.
When I opened the lid...
“These are clams? Daldal, where did you get these...?”
I turned toward Daldal in surprise.
Good grief.
His tiny hands and feet were completely covered in mud.
Peet-peep-peep-peep.
[Translation: Collected from nearby tidal flat. Suho, consume.]
Clams were a familiar shellfish easy to find in early spring.
They tasted great.
And if you purged the sand properly and made clam soup, they were also excellent for hangovers.
But how did Daldal know that?
Peep-peep-peep-peep. Peep-peep.
[Translation: Previous Small Dragon King always ate these after drinking alcohol.]
“I see. Father did... Thank you, Daldal.”
I stroked Daldal all over.
Then I quickly brought some lukewarm water and gently washed the mud from his hands and feet.
Every time I cleaned between his toes, his body trembled because it tickled.
It was so cute that I almost teased him a little.
But I desperately held myself back.
“Good. Then should we make clam hangover soup right away? ...Hm?”
I stopped before cleaning the clams.
Looking closely, these clams seemed a little different from ordinary ones.
Clam shells already came in many colors and patterns.
But these...
looked like emojis.
That was strange.
[Fantasy Creature Appraisal complete.]
As expected.
The clams Daldal had brought were not ordinary clams!
Name: Shy Clam
Species: Fantasy Shellfish
Rank: C+ (Special Individuals: B, A-)
Difficulty of Acquisition: Moderate to Slightly Difficult
Description: A shellfish that grows on tidal flats blessed by a Spirit Beast and the Dragon King. Comes into season during spring and expresses its emotions through emoji-like patterns on its shell. It is extremely shy, making it difficult to harvest without proper skill. When properly cooked and consumed, it is highly effective at removing poisoning symptoms.
Special Note: Can be farmed.
Special Effect: Immediately removes harmful poisoning symptoms of C-Rank or lower.
Wow.
Not just hangover relief, but detoxification too?
And it could even be farmed?
“Daldal. You did something amazing again!”
I stroked Daldal with all my strength.
What a little bundle of good fortune.
“Good. Then let’s make a proper pot!”
Excited, I immediately began preparing clear Shy Clam soup.
Peep-peep-peep.
[Translation: Lord Suho looks extremely excited.]
“Hehe. I really love clear clam soup. Especially the morning after drinking. Daldal, seriously, thank you.”
The most important part of clam cooking was purging the sand.
Because clams lived buried in tidal flats, their insides were full of mud.
You needed to soak them in salty water for at least thirty minutes to make them spit out all the mud and sand.
It was even better to cover the basket with a large lid or tray to keep it dark.
And if you did not have enough time?
Putting clams in water mixed with vinegar made them spit out mud quickly.
The downside was that they could taste slightly sour.
After purging the clams, I prepared chopped green onion, Cheongyang chili pepper, a little red chili pepper, and one clove of garlic.
I added the clams and one tablespoon of mirin to 500 milliliters of water.
Then simmered everything over medium heat.
Peep, peep!
[Translation: Already smells good!]
“Mm. The seasoning is right too. Nice. Very nice.”
I admired the clean, pale broth inside the pot.
Oh, right!
There was something I needed to do before eating.
Time to record.
“Daldal. Stand here. Good. Ready, action. Everyone! We meet again today, right after yesterday. Now, what do you think this is? This pale broth! That’s right. It’s clear soup made with Shy Clams gathered from a tidal flat not far from our fish farm.”
I had filmed myself enough times now that the words came out naturally.
Humans really were creatures that adapted.
“These clams are also Fantasy Creatures. Look, can you see the effect written in the Status Window? They cure poisoning symptoms. Amazing, right? For today’s recording, I personally prepared a deadly poisoned state. ...Yes. Embarrassingly, I am currently suffering from an incredible hangover.”
According to the Status Window, my hangover counted as D-Rank poisoning.
I positioned the camera so it clearly showed me, the clear soup, and Daldal.
“Then, as always, thank you for the meal.”
Peet-peeeep!
Daldal and I began properly filming ourselves eating clear clam soup.
“Mmm!”
The clear, refreshing flavor unique to clam broth struck my entire throat.
The small amount of Cheongyang chili and red chili followed immediately afterward and lit a warm fire through my body.
Sweat began forming across my forehead.
It genuinely felt like my lost mind had suddenly returned home.
[Information: D- Rank Poisoning, Hangover, removed.]
“Khhhhh!”
“Khhh!”
The hangover disappeared completely!
The camera properly captured the moment the Hangover status disappeared from us.
“Ugh... Peep...”
Orlan was still lying on the floor suffering from his hangover.
“Oh, right. This is Orlan, my new Partner. Cool, right? He’s a Spirit Osprey. We had a few drinks to celebrate him becoming part of the family. I think we drank a little too much. Orlan. Try some of this. Good.”
“Ugh... Hm? Nom, nom... Lord Suho, what is this? Peep?”
“Daldal gathered some clams, so I made clear soup. Apparently it’s excellent for removing poisoning. How is it? Feeling more awake?”
“Oh. Nom, nom, nom... Indeed, I feel life returning every time I eat it! Peep! These clams certainly...”
“Wait!”
I hurriedly covered Orlan’s beak.
“You’ll soon be able to find these clams in our Shop as well. But wait! What were these clams called? They’re called OO Clams. Please guess the word that belongs in those blanks by tomorrow! One person who gets the answer right will be randomly selected to receive a free clam set. That’s all for today’s recording. Bye!”
Nothing raised people’s interest like an event.
“Lrd Shh? Pheep?”
Orlan tilted his head in confusion while I held his beak shut.
Ah.
Sorry.
