Chapter 178
“I didn’t expect the supplies I brought for my hobby to help us this way.”
Choi Yeonseung prepared abundant food ingredients while he was preparing for the expedition. Their team was small, so they were only meant for his hobby. He trained in martial arts every day, but in his spare time, he practiced cooking the Korean dishes he learned from Ms. Lee Chunok.
However, due to the current situation, they swiftly turned from practice ingredients to the lifeline of the expedition. Of course, that alone didn’t reassure him.
“It’s not like I can’t eat orc meat, but it’s a bit...”
“Are you reluctant because it could contain poisons and curses?”
“Huh? No. Its texture and flavor just aren’t that good.”
“......”
Elisabeth was shocked. Was this really the time to care about such factors?
“But just in case, I’ll still store them.”
Choi Yeonseung’s attention was drawn to the mounts that the orc warriors had ridden. Wolves roaming the Abyss were classified based on the color of their fur. The black-furred wolves that the orcs rode were treated as E-grade. The bigger ones that could be considered bosses reached up to D-grade, but they weren’t the type of monsters normally coveted by high-level hunters. Their leather and fur weren’t good materials, so the hunters usually just took their cores and threw the rest away...
“On the other hand, these wolves’ meat is pretty good.”
“T-that’s right, friend.”
“Shouldn’t you let someone else dismantle them?”
“No. Ordinary technicians are weak and unskilled. It will take a long time for them to dismantle these monsters. You guys have to do it.”
“......”
Once a hunter had reached the B-grade rank, monster dismantlement would usually be done by the hunters or porters under them. However, because of Choi Yeonseung, everyone had to dismantle the wolves together.
“Can’t we volunteer to help?”
The technicians felt uncomfortable. It was as if they were sitting on a thorny cushion. They wouldn’t feel this way if they were working as well, but while the hunters were working, they were just standing around…
“Have you repaired all of the base’s facilities?”
“Yes. Nearly everything was untouched in the first place...”
“Then head inside and rest. You should save your strength for when you need it later.”
“Why don’t we use the heavy machinery over there…?” Whittaker suggested softly, a dagger in hand.
“If you can still talk, then you still have plenty of room to relax. Focus on your task.”
‘This bastard.’
While others would have given hunters favorable treatment and pushed ordinary people, Choi Yeonseung was the opposite.
‘In situations like this, ordinary technicians are bound to easily get tired.’
Thanks to Choi Yeonseung’s charisma, nobody complained. Putting his rank aside, hunters who could risk their lives and jump in the middle of a monster horde were respected. Unlike the first generation, raid methods had now improved considerably. Those who fought recklessly, like Choi Yeonseung, were extremely rare.
“We’re finally done!”
"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. I’ll prepare something to eat, so get some rest for now and eat lots later.”
"Ohhhhh!”
Dismantling one monster was doable, but dismantling dozens of monsters with accuracy and precision was close to heavy labor. With their fatigue built up and their magic power exhausted, the hunters stumbled. Fortunately, the food being prepared was enough to melt their hearts.
Gulp, gulp.
“Did Hunter Choi Yeonseung really make this dish?”
“This is my first time trying this, but I can already say this is seriously delicious.”
“I think his skills have improved since last time!”
Over an open flame, Choi Yeonseung grilled juicy steaks seasoned with various spices. Of course, not all of the dishes were Choi Yeonseung’s cooking. The rest were made from ingredients brought by the chefs participating in the expedition.
A balanced and excellent diet in front of the hunters, from soft mashed potatoes, thick, fragrant, freshly baked breads, salads made with all types of vegetables and sauces... Nevertheless, the steaks were the first to go. Even the chefs aimed for the steaks first.
Elisabeth moved quicker than the others, so she managed to get another piece of steak. Amid it all, she suddenly thought, ‘Doesn’t this look like we are being raised?’
Work hard and give them delicious food, make them work hard and give them delicious food...
Living like this felt strangely simple.
Was this okay?
“Gutierrez. I grilled another piece of meat. Want it?”
“Yes!”
***
However, not all the expeditions were in such great situations. Supplies, including food, were important, but the status of one’s base was a far more urgent matter. Choi Yeonseung fought in a way that prevented the base from sustaining damages. However, the other hunters couldn’t even think about that due to the predicament they were in.
“We have to repair the base, but all the heavy equipment has been damaged...”
“We are running out of materials.”
“We have to borrow from other expedition teams.”
.
“In this situation?”
They were relatively friendly with some of the other teams. Hence, with enough money, they could probably borrow from them under normal circumstances. However, in this situation, doing that would still be difficult even if they could afford it.
“Considering the state we’re in right now, we have no choice but to act together.”
“Which nearby groups can we cooperate with?”
Kwon Yeongseung, who was leading the South Korean expedition team, decided to cooperate with others. Meanwhile, other expedition teams started to propose working together as well.
“My suggestions are the Chinese and Japanese...”
‘Wow. That’s a really dirty lineup,’?the hunters cursed inwardly, not wanting to cooperate with either team.
The three Asian countries had been bumping elbows with each other since the gate opened, which was why they harbored feelings close to ‘You all play too dirty. Let’s never meet again.’
They clashed with each other every time they crossed paths, making it impossible not to have such feelings. Of course, hunters could still get to know each other, but this type of expedition was at the national level. The will of a single individual had no place here.
‘The Chinese... If we team up, they obviously won’t give us their information. Rather, they will just steal ours.’
‘And they will take credit for all the monsters we kill.’
‘I don’t want to work with the Japanese hunters either.’
‘Their sneaky actions are annoying. They are either cursing us or scheming behind the scenes.’
“What about the Americans? They’re certainly better options.”
“Nobody on the American side wants to cooperate. They didn’t suffer as much damage and have many supplies, so they can probably endure even if they don’t join hands with others.”
The China-Japan-Korea expeditions were too poorly located. The further they were deployed, the more damage they suffered. Kwon Yeongseung thought about it for a bit, then made a decision.
“Let’s work with both. They are unreliable, but we’ll have a higher chance of survival if we all join hands right now.”
“......”
“......”
Everyone looked really disgusted, but they still nodded since it couldn’t be helped. However, they received unexpected answers.
-Due to circumstances, we cannot cooperate with the Korean expedition.
-I’m sorry, but we refuse to cooperate.
“What?!”
The Korean hunters were upset. They had just been rejected. China and Japan had to be in very unfortunate positions. Why did they refuse?
A resourceful hunter returned after inquiring about the situation.
“Any attempts to cooperate with China have been rejected.”
“Why?”
“I heard that a party official joined their expedition. That person is now furious and made a fuss.”
“......”
The Korean hunters looked full of regrets. Weirdly enough, they felt sorry for the Chinese hunters. No matter what they did, they had to be aware of the ruling party and the government. Since the party supported the expedition, the expedition team had to produce results. Who would be responsible if they violated orders and cooperated with the expeditions of other countries?
“I understand why the Chinese side is like that. Why did the Japanese expedition refuse?”
“That... “They strongly argued that they don’t see any reason to cooperate with us after we were involved in the corruption scandal of the Korean construction companies...”
“......”
“... Why does that matter? We have resolved that!”
“I doubt that’s their only reason... So maybe they’re just reluctant?”
The Korean hunters were very frustrated. They certainly seemed a bit unreliable due to the recent scandal. Still, didn’t they already fix that? The Japanese probably just couldn’t bring themselves to believe it because they didn’t want to in the first place.
“Do they believe that bribes don’t happen in their country? I saw everything that went down recently!”
“Even their prime minister was caught taking bribes, but they just let it go...!”
“Stop it, everyone. Now is not the time to fight.”
An older hunter stepped up to stop them. They had to focus on finding a solution.
“Uh, I got a message from the Icarus clan.”
“What did they say?”
“They asked if we were okay and said they’re willing to help if we need anything.”
“... Did they send that by mistake? It doesn’t make sense.”
Although they were from the same country, wasn’t this too generous? Even brothers probably wouldn’t help each other in this way.
“There is no reason to refuse their help, though, is there?”
“That’s true, but... Their kindness is kind of scary.”
“Won’t they ask us to pay them back once we’ve returned home?”
“If they are going to help, then it’s only natural for us to pay the bill. It’s way better than dying.”
After taking the hunters’ opinions into consideration, Kwon Yeongseung reached a decision.
“I’ll accept it. We will be grateful for any help.”
***
The hunters who planned to rent extra buildings or stack containers in any spare spaces were surprised. This was more... friendly than they thought.
“Uh. Hunters from South Korea? You should head over there and stay. This is the common room, so you can come to play. Over there? Don’t go over there. Why? Just don’t go there.”
“Is there kimchi fried rice among the dungeon food you brought? No? That product has been discontinued? South Korea is ruined.”
The hunters overflowed with relaxation because they weren’t in a tight situation. In fact, they had plenty of supplies.
‘How are they coping... ’
Kwon Yeongseung couldn’t help but be surprised. Everyone had their differences, but all the expedition teams had to ration their supplies and endure. Unlike them, however, the Icarus clan was just waiting comfortably as if they were still on Earth.
“Ah, welcome.”
“Hello… Thank you.”
“We’re helping you because we can afford it, so there is no need to feel too much pressure,” Choi Yeonseung?said as if?reading Kwon Yeongseung’s heart. Kwon Yeongseung bowed in gratitude.
“By the way, everyone told me not to go over there. What are you doing there?”
“The training room. Who told you not to go there? Describe them to me.”
Choi Yeonseung undoubtedly?got down a?solid record.
“You can use it whenever you want.”
“I’m fine.”
“Have you fought already?”
“Ah. I don’t really do any training, so...”
“!”
Choi Yeonseung looked at Kwon?Yeongseung?with a shocked expression. What was that nonsense just now?
-He is a man of spirit. I feel the energy of sloth.
-Don’t talk nonsense.
“Why... don’t you?” Choi Yeonseung asked as if he didn’t understand.
“Because I don’t have to? It has been that way for a long time.”
Some people with overflowing talent didn’t require training. Kwon Yeongseung was one of them. He was so talented he quickly mastered every spell he obtained and use it accurately in actual combat! That was what turned him into an A-grade.
“However, wouldn’t you become stronger if you added training to it?”
“I won’t necessarily become stronger just by doing that. The right way is more important to me.”
‘Isn’t that why he lost?’
Choi Yeonseung looked at Kwon?Yeongseung?with a doubtful expression. Lee Changsik was taking on all sorts of criticisms as the coach of the Korean national team. Choi Yeonseung was starting to suspect that one of the reasons behind that was this person.
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