Chapter 279: Southern End Request 4
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/Week Mon-Fri
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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A makeshift tool was fashioned by attaching a handle to a log, finishing it with wood instead of metal.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but think that the Temple's spread to the South included not only devotion to the Goddess but also a systematic way to train muscles.
Aside from that, nothing much happened.
It was a resting spot not even half a day's journey from the estate, so it wasn't like any suspicious incidents could happen.
The only thing of note on the first day was a small flower blooming on the tip of a horn from a beetle native to the swamp.
"Alright, everyone, time to eat~"
"Ugh, bugs. I guess I need to extend my shield even though there's no need to use mana."
"There's grass that repels bugs."
Even though we blatantly lit a campfire outside the cabin, exposing our location in the dark forest, the only visitors were flying insects attracted by the light.
The stew, giving off a rich aroma, warmed us as we blew on and chewed the hot pieces of meat, tickled by a refreshing yet sweet scent.
The dried herbs burning in the campfire released a pleasant aroma, much like air fresheners.
You'd think the sweet smell would attract swarms of insects, but actually, it made the flying bugs flee.
"Silbang, how many more days do we have to go?"
"Two more nights, we sleep."
Nodding at Silbang's words, Han Se-ah buried her head in her stew bowl.
As an adventurer who engages in a lot of physical activity, it seems she has a taste for meat-heavy dishes.
-Is this a gaming stream or a mukbang?
-Ah prioritizing meat over donations.. you should try talking while eating, become a mukbang pro
-But who wouldn't eat this virtual reality meat that tastes good but doesn't make you fat?
-Who would skip mommy's homemade meat stew? Are you a f*cking vegan? Hanging is too good for you
"Ah~ It's rude to talk while eating."
As soon as it was time to eat, she forgot about the stream and cheekily smiled at the viewers, annoyed by her munching away, then quickly ran off, leaving the camera behind.
Thus, the first day passed without incident.
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Raei Translations
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After volunteering for night watch and spending the day outside, Silbang stretched his body as I surfed the web.
We heard Han Se-ah getting up inside the cabin.
"Hanna, you really slept like a log. Someone could've carried you away and you wouldn't have noticed."
"Ahaha- Well, I tend to sleep deeply."
Naturally, the men slept outside while the women took over the cabin, not that there were separate rooms in it.
It was a surprise to the party members, who had spent the night next to the logged-out Han Se-ah, to see her so motionless.
Sleeping so peacefully as if she was a corpse.
It was as if the soul had left the body.
The female members, who naturally started the conversation about Han Se-ah's sleeping habits, or should we say, logout habits, naturally began to make soup with flour.
In this world, the kingdom had a variety of modern foods, but somehow, with Irene's cooking, soup in the morning and stew in the evening became the fixed menu.
"Today, we enter the deep forest."
"Deep forest? Are you talking about the jungles in the south?"
"Maybe? The forest is already dense here, so I wonder how dense it must be to be called the deep forest."
The party discussed, watching Silbang readily accept both last night's stew and this morning's soup as if he would never refuse food.
It was said that the barbarian warriors called the forest near their territory the shallow forest, their dwelling place the deep forest, and the swamp where witches reside the wet forest.
The swamp here was more of a dense swamp, obscured by thick mangrove trees, rather than an open marsh, hence it was called a forest.
Fortunately, suspicious incidents tended to happen in ambiguous areas between the forest and the jungle.
It seemed we didn't need to venture deep as our main destinations were often the outskirts of the barbarian territory or secluded parts of the estate they frequented.
"Hm? Silbang? Do we have guests behind us?"
"Adventurers, come to help. They've come from afar."
Unlike the first day, there was occasional signs of human activity at the boundary between the forest and the jungle.
Some barbarian warriors greeted Silbang warmly as they passed by, and people who looked like herb gatherers nodded from a distance before disappearing.
While walking, we encountered a herb collector who greeted a local with a nod and passed by, making me wonder just how smooth the tongue of the Lord of Antibes must be.
As we walked through the southern region, we noticed the trees gradually becoming bizarrely twisted.
The straight, thick trunks of dark brown slowly changed into green, covered with moss, and began to twist and turn like bonsai.
"Ugh, feels like we're going through a jungle gym. Are the trees in the jungle always this twisted?"
-Why ask us? Do you think people who watch female streamers and game streams from their rooms know anything about jungles?
-The jungle trees I've seen on TV had lines drawn on them like giant bamboos.
-Are you sure you saw that on TV? The tree you're talking about is found on the internet.
-LOL, it's a place where swarms of man-eating locusts thrive, so it makes sense that trees grow twisted.
-This looks like that variety show game where you twist your body to fit through holes[1].
The twisted trees start to block the path like Tetris blocks, making it quite a nuisance.
Even so, Silbang naturally found gaps for us to pass through, guiding the way.
His title was the 'Son of the River', but it wouldn't be surprising to call him the 'Son of the Forest' instead.
Now, his movements felt more elf-like than gorilla-like.
Well, a muscle-bound gym elf.
"Hm? I hear water. It sounds too violent for a stream... Is there a river nearby?"
"Yeah, you have good ears. Our next rest spot is by the river. And there are bugs."
"Bugs? What do you mean... It's a monster!"
Grace suddenly yelled, interrupting her conversation with Silbang.
Unlike Silbang, who seemed unconcerned, the women drew their weapons, their faces filled with more of a physiological disgust than fear of the enemy.
They were grimacing just from the rustling sounds.
The sound of branches being stepped on got closer.
Then, seeing something approach, stepping on the damp earth and scratching its hard shell against tree bark, it had to be something with a tough carapace.
"Ugh, is that a beetle? It's huge."
"Is it a monster? Or just a big insect?"
"That, Hanna? If it's that big, isn't it definitely a monster?"
Among the tension of the female members, the creature that appeared was a relatively less disgusting giant beetle.
Its shell was so shiny and green that it could have been named something fancy if it were smaller.
But given its size was comparable to a large dog, it was more likely to be suspected as a radioactive mutant than a fancy-named beetle.
Grace hesitated to pull the bowstring as it stretched its long antennae forward and clacked its jaw-like mandibles together
"It's weak. If it flips over, it can't get up."
Silbang stepped forward and kicked it under the jaw with his thick, sandal-clad foot, flipping it over.
It made a whining noise.
"Ah... That was nothing."
[Cockroach Lockeroom Farm Owner donated 10,000 won!]
Your forehead's furrowed like a pug's, let's iron that out first before you start acting all high and mighty.
"What pug! Hey! I've been working out, going to the dermatologist, and taking care of my skin like crazy!"
It was the size of a large dog and it was just thata large dog.
Seeing it easily subdued by a mere 3 character's kick, the tension among the party dissolved.
Of course, seeing its six legs flailing instead of its shiny shell did bring the frown back, but the tension was reduced.
Seeing this, Silbang naturally took the lead again, signaling for us, who hadn't yet sheathed our weapons, to follow.
"This is a scavenger. Slow and weak. Not worth any money. Leave it."
"If that's the case, well."
Being weak meant even the corpses didn't make money.
Even the bigger ones didn't seem to pay off.
It was no wonder adventurers disliked coming to this place.
It was hot and humid, moving around was a hassle, monsters were disgusting, and they weren't even worth the money.
Huh, this didn't feel much different from when I was grinding away on the 31st floor's swamp?
Suddenly, I felt a wetness around my eyes, as if I was sweating.
"Over there, the fish are big. Good for fishing."
"This grass, bugs love it. It'll be annoying if you get it on you."
"Tree sap, burns well. Let's make torches."
"It burns well?"
Following Silbang without a single battle, we started a jungle tour.
Everything looked like the same moss to me, but somehow Silbang distinguished between green and dark green moss as if his eyes were equipped with an RGB color sensor, sparking my curiosity.
Then, Han Se-ah, having strayed from the group, gently scraped tree sap into a glass bottle.
Had she taken an interest in arson after hydrochloric acid and bombs?
The keywords she's interested in are a bit dangerous.
Just as Han Se-ah filled a bottle with crimson sap and turned around with a grin, she suddenly vanished from sight.
"Kyaaah-!"
"Hm?"
Why was there another tunnel in the jungle?
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[1. raei: maybe running man? not enough info...]
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