The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log Chapter 44

【SYSTEM】

 

<Skill ‘Telekinesis (A-rank)’ is activated.>

 

In an instant, the rocks the golems had been diligently gathering were lifted into the air.

 

As if defying gravity, the rocks floated up and circled in a ring with Tae-gyum at the center. 

 

Deprived of their stones, the golems jumped up and down on the spot.

 

The clattering sounds grew harsh as the golems displayed their aggression.

 

Whisking their hands around threateningly and hissing, it was—well, how should she put it? 

 

‘It looks like they’re swearing their heads off because their rocks were stolen.’

 

Nah, no way, right? 

 

Why would a monster swear? 

 

Hana let out a dry laugh at a thought that was ridiculous even to herself.

 

The rocks floating in the air all changed direction at once.

 

Driven by an invisible force and gaining acceleration, the rocks slammed down toward the Little Golems in an instant.

 

Cr-crack—!

 

Cra-ack—!

 

Cheerful sounds of fracturing erupted one after another.

 

The rocks pierced through the golems’ cores with precision, causing their stony bodies to shatter into pieces.

 

Fragments flew in all directions, and debris rolled across the floor.

 

In less than a few seconds, the moving golems had been turned into piles of stones.

 

Taegyeom dusted off his hands and shrugged his shoulders.

 

“See? It’s nothing.”

 

His expression was steeped in pride.

 

It was a clean battle, one that made the time he had spent feeling frustrated by hitting his limits lately seem meaningless.

 

Taegyeom felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.

 

“You have nothing to worry about. Just trust this Yoon Taegyeom and follow me.”

 

Taegyeom, who cleared the path by lightly kicking a piece of golem debris with his toe, straightened his shoulders even more.

 

Hana gave Taegyeom a round of applause.

 

To be honest, seeing the golems—which looked like cute little stone dolls—turned into dust made her feel a little sorry for them, but she decided not to utter this out loud. 

 

Taegyeom, who took the lead again, scratched his philtrum.

 

“I heard you wanted to enter a gate to find monster excrement?”

 

He added as he lightly kicked the surrounding rocks.

 

“But do rocks even go to the bathroom?”

 

Gasp.

 

Right. She hadn’t thought of that.

 

Do rocks even go to the bathroom?

 

‘They are monsters, so they might… go, right?’

 

Hana seriously pondered Taegyeom’s words for a moment.

 

It was then.

 

Suddenly, a shadow fell over Hana’s head.

 

“Huh?”

 

Sensing something strange, Hana stopped walking.

 

Immediately, the shadow that had been cast over her head vanished into thin air.

 

“What was that?”

 

Hana quickly turned around, but there was nothing behind her.

 

Just in case, she looked up, but the result was the same.

 

Hana scratched her head.

 

“That’s odd. I felt like something was following me.”

 

Was it an illusion?

 

After looking around a few more times, Hana tilted her head and began following Taegyeom again.

 

However, as soon as she moved a few steps, a small stone dropped right onto her head with a thud!

 

“Ouch! What the, seriously?” 

 

Hana, who had been hit on the head out of nowhere, stopped and turned around once more.

 

But all she could see were the finely crushed remains of the golems.

 

And somehow, those remains seemed fewer than they had been a moment ago.

 

“That’s strange.” 

 

Hana muttered, rubbing her aching crown.

 

Soon, Taegyeom approached her side and looked in the same direction.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Oh, something just fell on my head. And it feels like the amount of golem remains has decreased compared to before.”

 

Taegyeom also leaned over slightly to scan the floor.

 

“Is that so…? Maybe other golems took them and dropped some…? Oh, whatever. Let’s just keep going.”

 

Taegyeom, speaking dismissively, turned around first.

 

Hana kept her eyes there for a moment longer before following him.

 

As the sound of footsteps grew distant and the presence of people completely vanished, a rock huddled next to a pillar squirmed.

 

The figure, which slowly rose as if it had been holding its breath, looked entirely different from the cute Little Golem from before.

 

A grotesque shape made of broken stones haphazardly attached to one another.

 

It moved with a creak, as if mismatched rocks were being forced together.

 

In the center of the giant golem’s head, there was a black spot that hadn’t been there before.

 

As that spot contracted and expanded like a pulse—

 

Crr-ack.

 

The rocks split apart, and the Little Golem’s size grew even further.

 

It rose far above the height of the pillars, casting a long shadow across the ceiling.

 

And then.

 

A small stone rolled over from afar.

 

It was another Little Golem with a black spot.

 

The remaining debris was drawn to the new Little Golem’s body like a magnet.

 

Before long, the D-rank gate, which had been used for training apprentice hunters, completely changed its appearance.

 

What emerged, smashing through the crevices of the rocks, were two S-rank monsters.

 

【SYSTEM】

 

<‘Little Golem (D-rank)’ has been polluted by a Berserk item.>

 

<Readjusting rank…>

 

<‘Polluted Golem (S-rank)’>

 

* * *

 

“Mmm.”

 

Around that time, on the other side of the dungeon, Taegyeom let out a small groan of frustration.

 

“Um… Hana-ssi? Are you still going to look further?”

 

With a face that looked more haggard than when they first entered the gate, Taegyeom let out an exhausted breath.

 

It was understandable.

 

Even though he had dealt with almost all the monsters in sight, since it was a rocky area, there wasn’t even a trace of monster excrement.

 

However, Hana couldn’t leave the gate empty-handed like this.

 

This was because the system window had been ringing ding, ding incessantly for a while now.

 

【SYSTEM】

 

<Search for item ‘Polluted Lettuce🥬 (D-rank)’ to mix with ‘Oyster Mushroom with Depression🍄 (B+ rank)’.>

 

‘I mean, at least give me a range of where I should be searching.’

 

The fact that the system was being this persistent meant there was definitely a material to be mixed somewhere in this gate.

 

If she could find that item, she could also obtain a memory fragment. Wouldn’t it be a waste to just leave?

 

But the problem was that everything around them was just rocks.

 

Not even a single strand of moss, let alone anything green, was visible.

 

Those damn rocks.

 

No matter where she looked, there was nothing but stones.

 

To make matters worse, the place was dreadfully vast.

 

“Where on earth am I supposed to find lettuce, seriously…?”

 

Hana muttered softly as she looked around once more.

 

Then, suddenly, an unrefined sound erupted from her stomach.

 

Growl.

 

It was so loud that Taegyeom, walking ahead, whipped his head around.

 

“…Ah, ahaha.”

 

Hana laughed awkwardly.

 

It seemed her stamina had been drained quite a bit from climbing up and down the rocks.

 

“Shall we eat something before moving on?”

 

“That sounds great! I actually brought some food just in case!”

 

“That’s good. I brought some snacks too.”

 

Hana took off her backpack, placed it on her knees, and unzipped it.

 

Inside, the snacks she had packed so carefully were neatly arranged.

 

Boiled potatoes, crispy and savory popcorn made from the Flame Corn Kernels she got from Chirpy, and even cherry tomatoes.

 

As she was taking out the food neatly packed in plastic bags one by one, her eyes met Taegyeom’s.

 

Taegyeom was also pulling something out of his backpack.

 

‘Gasp, that’s…!’

 

Hana’s eyes widened as she identified the item in his hand.

 

It was meat.

 

And not just any meat, but pork belly.

 

Hana’s gaze was instantly fixed on the brilliantly glowing meat.

 

Without realizing it, her mouth watered.

 

Gulp.

 

The sound of her swallowing must have been her imagination, right?

 

But it seemed it wasn’t, as Taegyeom chuckled and began to rummage through his backpack in earnest.

 

“Wait a second. This isn’t all.”

 

She had wondered what was in that enormous backpack.

 

Following the meat, a torch and even charcoal appeared. A string of materials for a full-blown BBQ came pouring out.

 

After shaking out the backpack like that, Taegyeom nodded with satisfaction.

 

Hana, her mouth hanging open, looked at Taegyeom in disbelief.

 

“Usually… do people call this a snack?”

 

“Well, you see—.”

 

Then, Taegyeom suddenly leaned in close.

 

As if he were delivering a top-secret state secret.

 

“I don’t usually tell this to just anyone.”

 

Since it was only the two of them inside this gate anyway, Hana got caught up in the mood and leaned in to whisper.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Meat grilled on the rocks here is truly delicious.”

 

“…!”

 

“No other famous restaurant can compare. You know about stone-plate pork belly, right?”

 

Taegyeom gave a very solemn thumbs-up.