Chapter 22
The thing that bumped against my foot was...
A shiny pebble.
I kicked it away irritably.
“Stop making trades without my permission, you thief bugs!”
Stealing our tribe’s precious food was already bad enough.
Now they were trying to kidnap Gamjadori, an Earth Spirit!
“That way! They turned right! Malko, block their escape route!”
“E-Escape route? What is that?”
Malko panicked.
“Anyway! Trust Head Warehouse Keeper Malko!”
Then...
“Aaaaaah! Bugs coming this way! Yangko! Yangko! Catch them!”
“G-Good! Trust Deputy Warehouse Keeper Yangko!”
A second later...
“Aaaaaah! Brother! They are coming toward me! Don’t come heeeere!”
“...”
I rubbed my forehead as the idiot brothers screamed at each other.
What a waste of muscle.
Sure, those bugs were far bigger than normal insects.
But watching barbarian warriors jump around in terror because of five palm-sized beetles was ridiculous.
“Stupid barbarians. We not scared of bugs!”
“We catch them!”
Even the children watching nearby clicked their tongues and joined the fight.
Honestly...
The little kids were a hundred times more reliable than Malko and Yangko.
Anyway, as the brave children closed the circle from every direction, the beetles gradually ran out of places to escape.
“Don’t run around randomly!”
I gave orders.
“Bugs are sensitive to vibrations. Move quietly and push them toward the wall. Hold hands and move together!”
The children followed my instructions perfectly.
Eventually, the cunning thieves were trapped in one corner of the village.
“No more places to run, you arrogant thief bugs.”
The beetles moved around frantically, feeling along the wall.
But barbarians already surrounded them completely.
Zakan and the children approached with torches.
They looked down at the beetles with curiosity.
Hard shells.
Large, sharp jaws that looked like saw blades.
Wait...
Something about their behavior was strange.
Instead of becoming aggressive or curling up defensively...
One beetle raised a front leg.
Then all of them began waving their antennae in protest.
They repeatedly pointed between Gamjadori and the shiny pebble lying nearby.
“...Are you protesting that this wasn’t stealing again?”
The beetles nodded furiously.
Their confidence was so strong that I almost wondered if I was the one misunderstanding.
“Leaving a random pebble and taking someone else’s property is stealing!”
Why?! Why?!
The beetles jumped up and down as if demanding,
We gave you such a beautiful rock! What’s wrong with you?!
“Throwing a tantrum won’t help.”
I folded my arms.
“I have no intention of exchanging precious potatoes for useless rocks.”
Why?! Why?!
“Because we don’t need rocks! Look around! This place is full of them!”
“Izak...”
Zakan called me awkwardly.
Ah.
Damn it.
I had fallen into their pace again.
While I had been busy explaining the unfairness of their barter system and differences in value to insects...
They had slowly begun climbing the wall.
Clever little bastards.
I knocked them down with a stick.
Then I spoke in a dark voice.
“You lot. It is time to receive punishment.”
The beetles heard me.
They touched antennae and seemed to whisper among themselves.
Then suddenly...
They threw Gamjadori into the air.
“POTATOOOOOO!”
Gamjadori flew through the sky.
Its short arms flailed wildly as it sailed in an arc.
“Ah! Potato spirit flying!”
“Catch it!”
The children laughed and ran after the flying Gamjadori.
I instinctively stretched out both arms too.
And in that tiny moment...
When everyone’s attention moved to Gamjadori...
Damn it!
“Zakan! Block behind us! They’re escaping!”
I realized their trick too late.
The beetles twitched their antennae as if mocking us.
Then they slipped through the opening in our formation and vanished into the darkness.
“...”
Gone.
Just like that.
Gamjadori landed safely in my arms and happily waved its little arms.
A cold night wind blew through my hair.
“AAAAH! Those damn bugs are driving me insane!”
That night marked the beginning of an invisible war between the Northern Rock Tribe and an unknown beetle army.
“Izak...! We got traded again!”
“Where this time?!”
“Potatoes hidden in cave!”
“Damn it...!”
They had even stolen potatoes hidden deep inside a cave behind rocks.
Then...
“I-Izak! They traded here too!”
“Where now?”
“Potatoes hanging from top of tent!”
So we hid potatoes.
The beetles stole them.
Again.
And again.
The beetles’ persistence went far beyond imagination.
Our entire tribe entered a permanent security state.
Everyone had dark circles under their eyes.
Still...
The beetles somehow slipped through every guard line and continued exchanging potatoes for pebbles.
They were unbelievably sharp and clever.
Even traps were useless.
Then, at last...
Something happened that finally snapped my patience.
“You goddamn beetle bastards...!”
I stood in the middle of my ruined field.
My whole body shook with rage.
Those things...
Had dared touch my field.
“This cannot be forgiven.”
I turned toward Zakan.
“Zakan... prepare.”
“...For what?”
I slowly answered.
“War.”
“...???”
They touched my farm.
Those beetles were going to see hell.
Twitch, twitch.
Deep inside a secret nest in the dark forest...
The beetles touched antennae while holding a serious meeting.
In front of them lay the most beautiful pebbles they had found throughout the barren northern region.
This one?
No.
Then this one?
Yes!
They were preparing for another trip to paradise.
The barbarian village.
The place where mountains of food were stored.
The food they had recently discovered, called potatoes, was heavenly.
Nothing the beetles had ever eaten in their entire lives could compare.
After tasting them once, they simply couldn’t escape the addiction.
Still...
Taking another creature’s belongings without permission was a crime only a shameless villain would commit.
A refined and honorable beetle should always pay with a beautiful stone of equal value.
Only then could it properly obtain food.
Yay! Yay!
Excited about another fair trade, the beetles spun around in a group dance.
A few days ago, the beetles had been somewhat confused.
“Hey, did you exchange these rocks for my potatoes?”
The potato owner had asked.
The beetles were delighted.
At last, their fair trade had been recognized!
Yes!
“That is stealing.”
But the owner’s response had been strange.
Why?
They had given him such a beautiful stone.
The beetles reached only one conclusion.
That potato owner is stupid.
He doesn’t understand the value of beautiful rocks.
But that didn’t matter.
Recently, the potato owner had blocked the gaps in the warehouse and placed large creatures on guard duty.
Such small obstacles could not stop their passion.
If they found prettier and shinier stones...
Someday, that foolish owner would surely understand and happily accept their trades.
This one?
No.
Then this!
Perfect!
Certain that the potato owner would finally be moved, the beetles secretly entered the village again.
And that day...
They witnessed destiny.
“...!”
Something was waddling through the middle of the potato field.
A living potato!
Potato Mother!
The beetles understood instantly.
That creature must be the mother who produced all those delicious potatoes!
Unfortunately...
Because of the potato owner’s fierce resistance, they had failed to bring Potato Mother home.
But the beetles didn’t give up.
Someday...
They would offer the proper payment and invite Potato Mother to live with them.
One late night, while secretly entering the village once again...
Their sensitive antennae suddenly detected an incredible smell.
Amazing smell!
Sweet!
They followed it.
Golden pieces were lying carelessly on the sand.
Square chunks of potato.
Their surfaces glittered like gems.
A heavenly sweet aroma filled the air.
It was unlike anything the beetles had ever smelled.
Their minds almost went blank.
Could be trap.
Delicious!
Even the cautious beetles lost all reason.
One step.
Then another.
They followed the sweet potatoes.
Cannot resist!
The sweet and salty flavor exploded inside their mouths.
The beetles greedily devoured the barbarian-style caramel potatoes.
Then...
CLACK!
A heavy sound rang out.
Everything went dark.
“Got you, you shameless thief bugs.”
The beetles looked up at the cold voice.
The potato owner was smiling wickedly outside the wooden trap.
Cheater! Cheater!
The beetles trembled in betrayal.
A little earlier...
“Izak... j-just one bite.”
“Tsk...!”
“I want some too...”
I glared at Malko, who was swallowing heavily in front of the pot.
Then I carefully sprinkled sugar over the fried potatoes.
This precious sugar...
I was wasting it on bugs!
Still...
Even the most cautious bugs would surrender before this taste.
Potatoes fried in animal fat.
Covered in sugar.
The perfect sweet-and-salty combination.
Who could resist barbarian-style rest-stop potatoes?
“Are you setting a trap?”
“Yes.”
I stared painfully at the sugar.
“Those bugs are suspicious of everything.”
I sighed.
“If we want to catch them... we need precious bait.”
Ghk...
My sugar.
The smell of freshly fried potatoes was so good even my mouth filled with saliva.
Still...
I scattered the golden bait along a path toward the fence.
“They’ll never imagine it’s a trap.”
Jack proudly stroked the wooden trap he had built.
“Doesn’t it blend perfectly into the surroundings?”
In front of the village fence stood a crude wooden box.
At first glance, it looked like a random pile of unused construction materials.
But the moment something entered and touched the pile of bait...
CLACK.
A heavy wooden door would drop.
Perfect imprisonment.
“Good work, Jack.”
“Hehe. Thank you, Shaman. Then perhaps I may have one bite of that sweet potato...”
“Tsk.”
“...My apologies.”
I sent the disappointed Jack away.
I would give everyone some later.
We barely had any sugar left.
I turned around, imagining the beetles being drawn into the trap by the smell.
Then...
“Izak, you should not throw valuable potatoes on ground.”
“This time we found them and ate them, but don’t do it again.”
“...”
The children following behind me had sugar crumbs around their mouths.
And they were lecturing me.
“Why are you picking food off the ground?!”
“If eat within three seconds, okay.”
I’m going insane.
I grabbed my neck.
After making the children swear not to eat the bait again, I placed the few remaining candied potatoes along the path.
And finally...
Now.
“Hehehehe...!”
I stared at the beetles trapped inside the box.
“Finally caught you, you rotten little thieves!”
Talk about shameless.
The trapped beetles raised their front legs and jumped around angrily.
“Quiet! Aggravated theft, trespassing, and attempted kidnapping of Gamjadori!”
I pointed accusingly.
“You were caught in the act!”
Why?! Why?!
I ignored the protests from bugs that couldn’t even understand me.
Instead...
I happily imagined what kind of punishment to give these troublemakers.
Then...
CRUNCHCRUNCHCRUNCH!
“...Huh?”
A strange sound came from below.
I looked down.
Wood dust suddenly sprayed like a fountain from the middle of the thick wooden trap.
CRUNCH! POP.
A perfect circular hole appeared.
One beetle stuck its head through.
Its saw-like jaws clicked.
Then it mockingly waved its antennae at me.
“W-What?! Catch them!”
I shouted in horror.
The children and Malko threw themselves toward the hole.
“Aaagh! My head! Don’t step on my head!”
“Move! Heavy!”
The large barbarians fell on top of one another like a stack of hamburgers.
Dust filled the air.
But the beetles casually slipped between the gaps.
Then...
One landed on Malko’s head.
Yay! Yay!
It raised a front leg and spun around in a victory dance.
Then all five flew away into the darkness.
“You little bastards!”
I desperately swatted at the escaping beetles.
My hands hit nothing but air.
“...Damn it!”
We had caught them.
And lost them right in front of our eyes!
AAAAH!
I’m so angry!
“I-I-It cannot be...!”
While I was raging, I heard Jack behind me.
He staggered toward the round piece of wood the beetles had cut out.
“Sh-Shaman...! You need to see this!”
“What?”
I’m already pissed.
Jack’s eyes gleamed.
“This perfect, smooth cut!”
He held up the wooden circle.
“Not a single grain is damaged!”
He became more excited.
“Even I cannot make something this clean!”
Then he pointed at the trap.
“And they cut through wood this thick in only seconds!”
“What are you talking about?”
Jack screamed.
“MASTER CRAFTSMEN!”
Who?
What?
The potato-thief bugs?
I turned toward Jack in disbelief.
His eyes had gone crazy again.
Wait.
But...
“...It is clean.”
Jack and I slowly looked at each other.
Chapter 23
A master craftsman.
By definition, it meant someone with exceptional skill who created things through practiced technique.
But...
The clever beetles I had thought were nothing more than potato thieves...
Were actually genius craftsmen with jaws more precise than machines?
What kind of world was this?
“Sh-Shaman, with skill like this...”
Jack hugged the perfectly cut wooden circle as though it were treasure.
“We could build a truly amazing village!”
Then he corrected himself.
“No... a perfect village!”
He pointed toward the edge of the settlement.
“Please look over there. Construction has barely moved at all.”
He was right.
Only the bare wooden skeleton of the defensive wall remained.
In front of it lay expensive materials the children had accidentally destroyed because they couldn’t control their strength.
I had originally thought the wall would be finished quickly.
Instead...
Construction had practically stopped.
“It’s truly killing me...”
Jack’s complaint wasn’t exaggerated.
The barbarians’ overwhelming Strength had helped us erect the large frame.
But when it came to fine work...
They were useless.
We already lacked workers with delicate hands.
On top of that, we were trying to reuse pieces of the broken old fence, meaning materials were already limited.
And the children had destroyed even more of those precious supplies.
We’re trapped from every direction.
“At this rate...”
Jack sounded miserable.
“Even if we use every remaining material, we won’t finish even one proper defensive wall.”
The children nearby lowered their large shoulders guiltily.
Being strong wasn’t exactly a crime.
Still...
This was frustrating.
Then Jack suddenly became serious.
“But Shaman!”
His eyes burned.
“If we can bring those beetle craftsmen onto our side, every problem can be solved at once!”
Jack grabbed a stick.
Then he began drawing a design in the dirt.
“With cutting power like theirs, we can carve grooves like this...”
He quickly sketched intersecting wooden pieces.
“Then the timbers can lock into each other perfectly.”
Wooden joinery.
A construction method that connected carved wooden pieces tightly without using nails.
In a frontier region where iron was expensive...
It was revolutionary.
“If we use this method, it won’t stop with the defensive wall!”
Jack became more excited.
“The barbarians can finally stop living in those old leather tents where wind blows through every gap!”
He pointed toward the tents.
“We could build real log houses!”
I slowly nodded.
He had a point.
The current leather tents were well ventilated.
That was about their only advantage.
They wouldn’t protect us from summer heat.
And when the brutal winter came...
We would absolutely need proper houses to stop the freezing wind.
“And if we can do precise woodworking, we can make all kinds of useful furniture.”
Jack counted on his fingers.
“Tables.”
“...”
“Chairs.”
“...”
Then...
“Proper beds.”
Bed...!
Something struck my brain like lightning.
Not a hard, damp dirt floor covered with straw and animal hide.
An actual level wooden frame...
A real bed!
I didn’t even need a soft modern mattress.
I would be satisfied with a flat wooden bed where my back didn’t hurt every morning.
Not something like Zakan’s pile of rotten wood that he calls a bed!
My mouth almost watered.
“And that’s not all.”
Jack was still going.
“If those craftsmen can carve gears, we might be able to make powered devices.”
He grinned.
“Windmills. Waterwheels.”
Windmills!
Waterwheels!
Perfectly interlocking wooden gears appeared inside my imagination.
Wooden pipes to carry water.
A wooden bathtub that could be filled with warm water!
Ah...
I wanted them.
I wanted civilization so badly it hurt.
Beetle craftsmen...
The surface they had cut through really was as smooth as Jack said.
Almost like it had been processed by a machine.
In this primitive world without power tools...
Those beetles’ jaws might actually be priceless.
If I could control them...
There would almost be nothing we couldn’t make.
Good.
Decision made.
We recruit the beetles!
Beetles.
Beetles.
Beetles.
The problem was...
How do we tempt them?
Those petty little insects had apparently become deeply offended.
They hadn’t come anywhere near the village for several days.
What did beetles like?
If I remembered correctly from childhood...
Bugs liked sweet fruit peels and things like that.
But there was no fruit in this barren northern forest.
No fruit...
But we have potatoes.
They were so obsessed with potatoes that they had tried to kidnap a spirit.
And they were intelligent enough to bring pretty rocks and attempt what they thought was a fair trade.
If I made something delicious and filled the air with the smell...
Maybe they would crawl back to the negotiation table.
So...
For the first time in a while, I rolled up my sleeves and decided to properly cook.
I can’t believe I’m doing this much just to attract insects.
Well... it’s not entirely bad.
We had safely defeated that horrible Varg.
And Jack, a skilled carpenter, had joined our village.
We had gone through several major crises without ever holding a proper celebration.
So I could feed the hardworking children something special.
And recruit the beetle craftsmen at the same time.
Let’s see what ingredients we have left.
I placed everything on the wide stone we used as a cooking table.
The sight was depressing.
Potatoes.
Two pieces of animal meat, each only slightly larger than two fists together.
Rock salt.
One handful of sugar.
A little pepper.
Ah... I want seasonings.
Chili powder.
Gochujang.
Soy sauce.
Those things were nothing more than dreams here.
I would even be happy with plenty of sugar or pepper.
But spices were incredibly expensive.
Even those were luxuries.
Still...
A real chef should be able to create the best result even under terrible conditions.
I tightened my grip on the kitchen knife.
First dish.
A special meal for the children.
There were forty growing barbarian kids with enormous appetites.
If I simply sliced those tiny pieces of meat and grilled them...
Nobody would even notice.
Fine.
As long as it tasted like meat.
First, I removed the white fatty parts from the meat.
I dropped them into the iron pot.
SSSSS!
The fat melted with a pleasant sound.
I placed the remaining red meat on the cutting board.
Then my knife moved like crazy.
Chop-chop-chop-chop!
I minced the meat until it barely had any shape left.
Actually...
It looked more pulverized than minced.
“Izak! Finished peeling potatoes!”
Malko arrived with a basket full of washed potatoes.
“Good work. Put them there.”
I sliced the thick peeled potatoes into thin strips.
Tap-tap-tap!
My knife moved rapidly.
Perfectly even potato strips piled up.
“Watch carefully.”
I sprinkled rock salt over the mountain of potato strips.
Then mixed them.
A little time passed.
Water began seeping from the potatoes through osmosis.
“Huh? What is this?”
One child stared.
“Potatoes crying.”
“Izak made potatoes cry.”
...Children really are creative.
