Chapter 146: Resting Place of Rusted Swords (2) (1/2)
“For the next seven days, you can build your house, find food and play to your heart’s content!”
The guide gave a wristband to each of them.
“This is a Level 1 bracelet artifact, ‘Tongue of an Arrogant Mage’. It rings an alarm as soon as you use mana, and it records it down as well!”
After glancing at Myung Yongha, the guide gave an awkward smile.
“Of course, some of you might be able to trick it, but please refrain from using blessings, skills and abilities like an actual field battle experience!”
They also received a field operation kit on top, but it did not contain a tent.
“Now then, Mister Jitae. We will head to the east.”
“Yes. We’ll go south then.”
“By the way, this will be boring if we just do it like this right? Let’s try competing while we’re at it.”
“Compete at what.”
“We visit each other’s residence after three days and let’s see who’s living a better life!”
“Sounds good. But how do we compare them.”
“Mister Guide?”
“Ah, yes!”
“Please give a fair comparison as the judge.”
“Ah, yes sir.”
Myung Yongha looked confident.
“If I lose, I’ll give you some very precious alcohol.”
“Alcohol. Sounds good.”
The deal was made.
*
At the front was a beautiful mountain with a thick forest, and behind was a wonderful beach with white sand. Although it was in fact a man-made lake, it was enormous enough to make it look like the ocean.
“Uwahh–! It’s so pretty!”
Holding onto Gyeoul’s hand, Kaeul dashed into the ocean and splashed around. “Kyahaha!” they chuckled. The water was clear, warm and there was a high density of mana nearby.
Yeorum didn’t go inside, and instead sat on the sand. The fine sand soaked by the ocean waves tickled the gaps between her toes.
“…”
It was a ticklish feeling that she had never felt before. Right when she was fidgeting with her toes to dig deeper into the sand, a large blob of water flew across and covered her face. “Ah, what the fu*k!” shouted Yeorum before wiping her face. The ball of water was so big that her t-shirt and everything became wet. Raising her head up, she found Kaeul and Gyeoul giggling.
Seeing how Gyeoul was pointing her tongue out, it was clear that she was the perpetrator. She wasn’t wearing a bracelet either.
“…”
Yeorum repeatedly swept her wet hair up.
“These kids don’t know how scary their unni is; trying to climb up my toes…”
She took a hair band out from her pocket and tied her hair like an apple.
“My little babies. You’re the ones that started it, okay?”
Without caring about the sand any more, Yeorum ran into the lake. She then started dashing across the surface of the water.
“Mommy! A, a red boar is coming!”
“…!”
“Uh? Uh! Gyeoul. When did you learn how to swim? Take me with you!”
“…”
“Don’t leave me behind…!”
Her giggles soon turned into screams.
Meanwhile, Yu Jitae was sitting at the back of the beach away from the water, blankly watching the kids. It was just an addition of water and yet they were so happy, and were enjoying their time together.
“Uh, unni! Uhp, uhp… help me! Uhp, uhhpp…”
Or were they?
While they were playing, he was glancing around the surroundings. He could agree to what Myung Yongha had said. This island was for soldiers that had lived in the field, and several landscapes were exactly the same as a dungeon.
Since they would get hungry after playing a lot, it was about time to start preparing for food.
“You’re not going inside?”
“Yes.”
“Why. Go play with them.”
“Hmm…”
Bom shook her head without saying anything back. Her grass-coloured hair appeared like leaves receiving sunlight.
“Let’s go find food together.”
“Okay.”
Yu Jitae entered the forest with Bom. Resembling the dungeon itself, the thick and messy forest welcomed its two visitors.
“What are we looking for now?”
“Water.”
“Can’t we just boil the lake water?”
“It’s salt water.”
It was fine for both Yu Jitae and the dragons to consume salt water and in fact, they didn’t have to eat anything for a week. But if they were going to eat and drink, it was better to have clear water.
“What do we do then? Is there like a pool of water nearby?”
Yu Jitae looked around. The environment was similar to a tropical rainforest-type dungeon.
“The temperature is slightly high.”
“It’s like midsummer. Maybe it’s because of that thing above us,” said Bom while staring at the artificial sun.
“And it’s quite humid as well. Plants in these places tend to be poisonous. Once dead, the plants go back into the ground, and the moisture flows down and gradually heads to a lower area.”
“Does that mean the lake is poisonous as well?”
“Normally, it would be.”
But since it was an artificial island, they didn’t copy all that. Besides, the lake was supposed to be an ocean as well.
“How about this?”
Bom placed her hand on a nameless conifer tree. When the owner of mother nature requested the tree of its resin, the vines of the tree opened up as tree saps flowed out.
“Plants that adapt to the environment are generally poisonous,” said Yu Jitae.
After touching the resin for some time, Bom closed the vine for the tree. “I see…” It was because there was poison in the mix.
“Then how about this here?”
At a slightly deeper area of the forest, Bom pointed at a little pond between the rocks. It looked quite clear, but Yu Jitae shook his head.
It was a common mistake made by inexperienced superhumans when they were isolated by accident.
“You can’t since it has microorganisms inside.”
“Microorganisms?”
“There are some bacterias that even a superhuman body cannot absorb.”
Yu Jitae opened his mouth, while reminiscing on the distant past.
“There was this young superhuman. He graduated as the second best performer of a small nurturing facility of the town and was full of confidence, but he ended up straying away from the party at a B- tropical rainforest dungeon.”
“Okay.”
“He was saved after four days, but was only skin and bones.”
“Because of this water?”
“Yeah. He drank it after judging that there was no poison inside. Apparently, he had a diarrhoea for four days straight.”
“How sad.”