Chapter 47

Chapter 47. The First Hero (41)

"The duel should have started by now, right?"

"Probably."

"Why do we have to go through all this because of you, Kang Tae-sik? We should be cheering for Na-ye! What are we even doing here?!"

Kang Tae-sik was one of the founding members of the Rice Ball Guild. He had always believed that following Cha Hyeonwoo's warm-up routine was the key to improving his abilities.

He glared at the guild member who had just complained.

The guild member stared right back, as if challenging him to do something about it.

"Hey, what's with that look?"

"We're here because of those warm-up exercises, aren't we? Does it make any sense for us to come all the way to Tolkan Village when we don't even know whether Na-ye will win or lose?"

"If you hated the idea so much, you should've said something to Seongchan! Why the hell are you taking it out on me?!"

Thud!

Tae-sik gave the guild member a light kick to the leg.

The man immediately began limping and grabbed his leg.

"Everyone! He's trying to kill me!"

"If Seongchan sent you here, then work hard! Stop fooling around!"

Taylor, who had become the Village Chief of Tolkan Village, addressed the Rice Ball Guild members.

He was looking directly at Tae-sik in particular.

"Do you realize you wouldn't have finished digging all this without us?"

"We would've finished eventually. What matters now is properly reinforcing the wooden walls."

Tae-sik and the other guild members had traveled through the night to reach Tolkan Village.

As soon as they arrived, they'd grabbed shovels and dug until they were exhausted.

Now they were reinforcing the palisade.

Since the work was almost finished, they'd finally found some time to fool around.

But Taylor's criticism made Tae-sik remember why he'd come here in the first place.

[You want us to go to Tolkan Village ahead of time because Na-ye will be going there?]

[That's right. Tolkan Village is going to be in danger.]

[Tae-sik, listen to Seongchan.]

[No, I can't just follow orders without thinking! It's fine if I'm not there, but if every guild member here goes to Tolkan Village, who's going to protect Na-ye?! I'm against this!]

[I explained the purpose of those warm-up exercises you've been doing without understanding them, and this is how you respond, Kang Tae-sik?]

Tae-sik hadn't been able to withstand Seongchan's gaze.

In the end, he'd come to Tolkan Village and worked himself to the bone.

"Let's eat!"

The guild member beside him pulled Tae-sik out of his memories.

Tae-sik accepted a steaming bowl.

He's the Village Chief, but he's also doing the cooking.

Taylor was directing the villagers while preparing Wild Pig Soup.

Watching him, Tae-sik picked up his spoon.

This soup was different from Seongchan's.

Taylor had added a generous amount of potatoes.

Slurp.

The mashed potatoes blended with the distinctive, hearty flavor of Wild Pig Soup.

It was surprisingly enjoyable.

"Not bad."

"Is it good?"

"Can anyone make Wild Pig Soup?"

Being a hero didn't mean someone was good at everything.

Heroes were more talented and physically capable than ordinary people in this world, but that didn't automatically make them experts in every profession.

If Tae-sik suddenly decided to become a barber, for example, things could turn out very differently.

He might end up cutting something other than his customer's hair.

Of course, if a hero devoted himself to becoming a barber, that would be another matter.

Not that I have any intention of becoming one.

Tae-sik had already decided on an answer before Taylor could respond.

Someone without talent wouldn't be able to do it.

That probably meant Taylor was the only person here capable of making Wild Pig Soup.

After all, Wild Pig meat had been considered an ingredient that couldn't be cooked until Seongchan proved otherwise.

"Yes. Everyone can make Wild Pig Soup. We all cook it together."

Taylor looked rather pleased.

"But mine tastes the best, so everyone eats my soup first and only eats the others' afterward."

He suddenly paused.

"Come to think of it, I directed the entire cooking process this time, didn't I? I should've realized something was wrong when those people started praising me!"

"R-Really? Everyone can make it?"

"Isn't it amazing? It's all thanks to Seongchan. He made it possible for anyone to cook Wild Pig Soup."

Taylor continued.

"The only problem is the fire."

"Fire?"

"We're fine because highest-grade Terk firewood is available everywhere around here. But without it, we wouldn't be able to make Wild Pig Soup."

Putting Taylor's explanation together, Tae-sik realized that Wild Pig Soup was possible precisely because they were in the Terk Kingdom.

Seongchan said Tolkan Village would become dangerous.

But dangerous?

Here?

Slurp.

Tae-sik continued eating while examining his surroundings.

"Squeeeal! Squeal!"

He could hear Wild Pigs outside while the villagers continued reinforcing the palisade.

The cries came from beyond the walls.

They soon stopped.

The Wild Pigs had been killed by the villagers' spears and could no longer make any noise.

Apparently, Wild Pigs attacked twice a day, sometimes as many as three times.

"How many times have they attacked today?"

"The Village Chief said three is the maximum, so probably three."

The guild member answered while noisily eating his soup, looking as though Tae-sik should've known something so obvious.

Tae-sik briefly felt the urge to smack him on the head.

Then his eyes met those of another guild member wearing glasses.

The man habitually pushed up his glasses with his middle finger.

Upon noticing Tae-sik's gaze, he quickly adjusted them with his index finger instead.

"Four times."

Taylor immediately reacted to the bespectacled guild member's answer.

"That's strange. Didn't Seongchan send you here to help with the defenses?"

"What do you mean, help with the defenses? He said the village would be in danger, so we came."

Tae-sik shrugged.

"But it doesn't seem like there's anything to worry about."

"Everyone, this is an emergency! Seongchan said the village would be in danger!"

Tae-sik blinked at Taylor's urgent shout.

The villagers suddenly began moving at a frantic pace.

"What happened? Nothing's happened yet!"

"If Seongchan said it, that's enough! Hurry up and move!"

"Huh? What? I'm still eating!"

"If you'd told me sooner, we wouldn't be in this situation! Hurry!"

"At least tell me where I'm supposed to go!"

Despite his confusion, Tae-sik refused to put down his soup bowl or spoon.

He started running while carrying both.

He headed toward the location Taylor pointed out.

Seongchan told me that if I heard the village was going to be in danger, all I needed to do was prepare.

Taylor still didn't understand exactly what that meant.

But he acted without hesitation.

Everything was unfolding just as Seongchan had said it would.

"I gave Taylor a few instructions when I sent him to Tolkan Village. I wonder if he'll remember all of them."

It didn't matter if Taylor failed to follow every instruction.

If he remembered everything, the damage would be minimal.

If he forgot a few things, the damage would simply be a little greater.

Step. Step.

Seongchan was walking through the plaza.

The area was crowded.

"I told you Vice Guild Master Lee Na-ye would win!"

"She's not the Vice Guild Master anymore. She's the Guild Master!"

"Are you only correcting me because you lost money?"

"What?! If you're going to act like that, at least buy me a beer!"

People were chatting about all sorts of trivial things.

But most of the conversations centered on the same subject.

Lee Na-ye had defeated Park Seokdu.

"Don't these people understand?"

"Exactly. We don't know what's going to happen. Should we leave?"

"And where would we go?"

While some people enjoyed the festival, others were trembling with anxiety.

That Wild Pig's roar was enormous.

There hadn't been another roar since then.

But the people who'd heard it were understandably alarmed.

"Don't worry. Guild Master Lee Na-ye will take care of everything."

"The knights have been patrolling lately, and they don't sit around playing cards anymore. Things have changed, so let's trust them."

"R-Really?"

Some people were doing their best to comfort those who were afraid.

As Seongchan made his way through the crowd, he noticed someone who stood out because of their height.

The person was wearing a black robe that concealed both their body and face.

They noticed Seongchan too.

"Oh? Seongchan?"

Na-ye was about to pull back her hood.

Seongchan shook his head.

Understanding what he meant, Na-ye left it in place.

If she removed her hood, countless people would immediately surround her.

After all, she was today's most celebrated person in the entire Terk Kingdom.

Anyone would want to see the day's heroine up close if they discovered she was standing right beside them.

"I almost took it off without thinking. But what brings you here?"

"I came to see you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You're heading to Tolkan Village, aren't you?"

"Yes. You told me to go there after the duel, so that's what I'm doing."

Na-ye looked concerned.

"Is there some kind of problem?"

Her eyes told him she was ready to hear about any problem he might have.

Seongchan responded by making a serious expression.

Na-ye flinched.

Unfortunately, Seongchan wasn't someone who could suddenly make a serious face without consequences.

Even Na-ye had trouble enduring an unexpected attack from his appearance.

Seongchan relaxed his expression.

He tried to look as serious as he could without frightening her.

"When you meet an opponent you truly want to defeat, eat this."

Seongchan pulled a round dish wrapped in silver foil from his inventory.

"What is it?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Is it what I think it is?"

Na-ye looked puzzled.

"But what do you mean by eating it when I meet someone I want to defeat?"

"Don't you trust me?"

"No! Of course I trust you. I really do."

"I made this specifically for you, Na-ye. Make sure you eat it when you meet an opponent you absolutely want to defeat."

"Okay. Since you made it for me, I'll eat it when that moment comes. I promise."

Even as she answered, Na-ye couldn't help wondering what he meant.

Someone I want to defeat?

No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't come up with anyone.

Then a name surfaced.

Lord Vantart.

The Demon Lord who had taken Cha Hyeonwoo's life.

Am I going to fight Lord Vantart?

She couldn't possibly face him alone.

"Then that's settled. What are you still doing here?"

Seongchan gestured toward the road.

"You told Kosdal you're leaving, right?"

"Yes. And after that Wild Pig roared so loudly, His Majesty Haiman seemed happy to hear I was going too."

"Good. Get going."

Na-ye nodded and set off for Tolkan Village.

Seongchan watched until he was certain she was on her way.

Then he looked toward Terk Castle once before turning around.

"I've delivered everything I needed to. Time to start cooking in bulk."

Would everything end easily if Seongchan personally joined the battle?

His knowledge from previous regressions told him otherwise.

There's no point in being the only one who grows stronger.

There was a limit to what he could prevent on his own.

And if he focused entirely on his own growth, this other world would eventually be consumed by the Flames of Destruction, which devoured the existence of Rena, the Chaos Dragon.

Those flames were black.

They were also known as Black Flames.

But Seongchan called them the Flames of Destruction because Rena hadn't created them willingly.

She said she didn't create the Flames of Destruction through her own will.

Her instincts forced her to create them.

While thinking about various things, Seongchan arrived at the Original Wild Pig Soup restaurant.

The shop was filled with Wild Pigs and cooking ingredients.

"Things are about to get busy. Let's start cooking!"

Seongchan summoned If and Ella from the Spirit Realm.

[We're making an awful lot today. Can everyone really eat all of it?]

[One cauldron, two, three, four... My head hurts! I have to control four fires!]

Ella sounded relatively relaxed.

If, on the other hand, was practically drowning in despair and worry at the thought of controlling four fires simultaneously.

"It's a lot, but we just have to get it done."

Seongchan reassured the spirit.

"And if it gets too difficult, we have firewood. Don't worry."

[No! I'll try! But... if I really can't do it, we'll use the firewood.]

"Good. We're making a truly special Wild Pig Soup today. Let's do our best together."

He intended to prepare an extraordinary version of Wild Pig Soup.

I just hope that person doesn't come while we're making it.

Thinking of someone in particular, Seongchan began preparing Wild Pig meat with Ella.