Chapter 97 – Carbuncle – [Two]

Oh Haengbok cleared his throat and looked at Oh Haengun.

“So, there are no meteor fragments left in our village now?”

Oh Haengun nodded.

“None as communal property, aside from what individuals might have.”

“Ugh, damn… Carbuncle, where was it spotted? Said they saw something glittering on a roof far away while working in the fields…”

Naturally, meteor fragments had many uses. When items that could no longer be obtained were absolutely necessary, they would often use the village’s communal meteor fragments to create them.

And as payment for his involvement in the last fight, the Mage Troll had demanded the meteor fragments the village had collected. The village had fewer than the amount the troll demanded, so they had to hand over everything they had.

“We’re in the middle of a feast right now… but has everyone finished their chicken porridge?”

“Probably.”

Oh Haengbok stood up.

“Alright, everyone, time to pay for the porridge, right? We ate precious food for times like this, to work… This might seem sudden and out of nowhere, but let’s all endure a little hardship.”

The village players rose from their seats without complaint. Shortly after, Kim Rayeon and Kim Jihyeok joined them, and they all headed outside the village.

Three years and several months ago, the meteorite scattered its fragments across the whole world as it fell.

Opinions were divided on why the meteorite broke into pieces instead of burning up as it passed through Earth’s atmosphere. The most plausible speculation was simply that it had deliberately separated part of itself, fearing that if it fell to Earth with its original mass, the planet would be completely destroyed, not just half-ruined like the world of the Immortal Kingdom.

Moreover, the meteorite hadn’t fallen vertically over the North American continent but had passed through the Eurasian continent at a bizarre angle. That was why even the Korean Peninsula had several, albeit small, meteor fragments discovered.

‘And the Mage Troll said… the main body of the meteorite that fell on the North American continent is probably trying to recover the parts it shed. Trying to reclaim the meteor fragments scattered worldwide to increase its power.’

And one of the methods the meteorite used to reclaim its fragments was the Carbuncle, a monster from the Immortal Kingdom.

In the Immortal Kingdom, Carbuncles are small monsters that carry gems on their foreheads. According to the rulebook, they embed shiny minerals into their foreheads to attract females with their dazzling appearance. Thus, warriors who hunt Carbuncles can obtain valuable gems.

It seemed this setting related to gems was convenient in many ways. In TRPGs and related video games, Carbuncles frequently appeared, used as a means to provide players with monetary rewards. The meteorite uses this creature as a tool to locate meteor fragments.

So, while Carbuncles in games had rubies or topazes embedded in their foreheads, the Carbuncles seen in reality had meteor fragments on theirs.

That tiny monster was far in the distance.

“See that blue furball over there? That’s a Carbuncle.”

The distance was too great to see the Carbuncle’s detailed appearance. However, a blue something was visible on top of a four-story building, and that blue fur shone brilliantly enough to be seen by everyone even from afar.

That glowing blue fur would catch the eyes not only of the people here but also of the flying monsters in the sky. Thus, the flying monsters in the sky could easily hunt the Carbuncle.

And the flying monster that swallowed the Carbuncle and the meteor fragment on its forehead would fly in a specific direction.

According to the troll, toward the North American continent. Where the giant meteorite fell.

Seo Yun recalled her conversation with the troll.

‘Do you know what happens if you make an excessive wish on a tiny meteor fragment? I mean, if you demand 100 ounces of meat pie from a fragment that can only manage 50 ounces at most…’

‘It would only make 50 ounces and then be depleted, right? And the fragment would lose its power.’

‘Correct. Just like the giant meteorite is doing now, it stops there instead of messily trying to produce 100 ounces. Considering that, it’s strange that the meteorite, despite lacking the remaining power to completely change the world, is still obsessed with completing the world of the Immortal Kingdom. Do you know why the meteorite is doing that?’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘Because the meteorite still judges that it has a way to proceed further with its creation.’

‘A way to proceed further with creation?’

‘Because meteor fragments are scattered all over the world. If it reclaims them all and increases the size of its main body, the giant meteorite would regain the capacity to grant more wishes. It’s postponing the completion of the wish, believing in that.

So, we must not leave meteor fragments in this world. We must reclaim them all so the meteorite gives up on any further creation. Otherwise…’

Seo Yun continued to watch the Carbuncle.

That blue furball sat quietly on the high roof, waiting for the hunters in the sky to swoop down and devour it. Like a snail infected by a parasite waiting for a bird to eat it.

“We should probably try shooting it first. Arrows are precious now too, so we can’t all just shoot wildly… Who’s the best marksman in our village?”

At Oh Haengbok’s words, Gaeulbi stepped forward.

“Me! I’ll shoot!”

Oh Haengbok expressed surprise at the chimpanzee’s words.

“A Martial Artist who can use tools too?”

“I can use communal weapons!”

“You’re kidding, ma… Well then, go ahead and shoot. Haengun, cast an Invisibility Spell on her.”

Then, with a thud, the Carbuncle tumbled and fell from the roof. Gaeulbi, who had pulled the crossbow trigger, shouted.

“I hit it!”

Everyone rushed to where the Carbuncle had fallen.

A moment later, Seo Yun frowned as she saw the Carbuncle’s corpse with everyone else.

‘This isn’t a fantasy monster, it’s just a cat….’

The Carbuncle, depicted in the rulebook as a cat-like monster with a gem embedded in its forehead, looked like nothing more than a blue cat. Wouldn’t it look just like that if you dyed a Ragdoll cat blue and embedded a mineral in its forehead? It was a moment that made the speculation that the meteorite was modifying real animals and presenting them as monsters even more certain.

Perhaps a Carbuncle that might have been someone’s pet cat until three years ago was bleeding from where the arrow struck, breathing heavily.

It was by no means a pleasant sight. Especially in how it showed the unpleasant connection between the old world and the current one.My expression must have looked quite unpleasant as I watched the dying Carbuncle. Han Siwoo spoke up.

“Do you like cats?”

“Yeah.”

Seo Yun approached the Carbuncle. From behind her, Han Siwoo shouted.

“Don’t you dare heal it—”

Seo Yun drew her sword and stabbed the Carbuncle in the throat.

As Han Siwoo fell silent, stopping mid-sentence, Seo Yun pried off the black, glinting meteor fragment from the forehead of the lifeless Carbuncle. Then she turned her head and asked.

“Why worry about something like that? Do I look like some delicate, girly girl to you?”

“No… It’s just that even when you were dragged into the Dawn Corps, you’d get all worked up if you couldn’t heal anyone who got hurt…”

What kind of psycho does this bastard think I am? Seo Yun glared at Han Siwoo and wiped the blood off her sword.

The voice of the Hearth Goddess echoed in her mind.

「Do your duty, Angel」

After returning to Happy Village, the meteor fragment did not go into the village warehouse.

“What? You’re giving it to the Troll? That bastard lucked out for nothing!”

After Gaeulbi grumbled and stepped back, Seo Yun summoned the Mage Troll through the bracelet. When she handed over the meteor fragment they had obtained this time, the Troll muttered from behind his golden mask.

“There was, no need to give more.”

Then Oh Haengbok spoke. Perhaps even his anger towards that Troll had subsided, as his tone was much more polite than before.

“Debts should be repaid properly. That way, we can ask for help again later. Right?”

“Still, no need to give more. But if a debt of gratitude remains… Could this village accept one more person besides Kim Rayeon?”

“Who?”

“Someone whose Level is high enough to be a threat to this village.”

As Oh Haengbok’s expression twisted, the Troll elaborated.

“However, he is not the type, to cause problems. If he does cause trouble, you may summon me. I will take him back then.”

“So, the profession of this gentleman you want to send to our village is?”

“Barbarian Warrior.”

“Not a profession that’s useful just by existing, like a Priest or Mage…”

“So, will you accept him?”

Oh Haengbok hesitated.

“Of course we’ll accept him. What else can we do?”

Soon, the Troll disappeared somewhere and returned with the aforementioned Barbarian Warrior.

He was a half-naked man dressed like a Barbarian Warrior. One might be wary seeing his burly physique, but upon seeing the Barbarian Warrior, Oh Haengbok’s face brightened as he muttered.

“Ah, have I seen this friend before?”

“Do you know him?”

“Sure do. Met him last time.”

Seo Yun also knew that Barbarian Warrior.

“Arnold?”

When Seo Yun called, Arnold turned his gaze this way. There was the face of an orangutan wearing an expression of utter despair.

Seo Yun approached and whispered.

“Aren’t you managing your expression? That’s not the solemn face of a Barbarian Warrior right now.”

Perhaps finally realizing his mistake, Arnold managed his expression. With the same serious expression he had when they first met, he whispered to her.

“Thanks for pointing it out… Could we talk separately later?”

Seo Yun smiled as if they were close and nodded.

“Sure. But speak to me more naturally. It’s so cringey I could die.”

Sitting alone with Arnold in the guest tent, Seo Yun thought. That Troll must be something like a primate trainer. To be raising chimpanzees and orangutans…

Whether he knew her thoughts or not, Arnold asked with an uneasy expression.

“By any chance, have you told others…?”

Seo Yun shook her head.

“I haven’t. So, if you just strangle me, you can keep the secret perfectly.”

Arnold’s expression, already tense, hardened further. With trembling lips, he muttered.

“I won’t do that again. No, I won’t do it.”

Seo Yun gave a slight smile.

“I said that because I know I won’t either. So, why did you want to meet separately?”

“To correct a misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding?”

“I’m not the mastermind who made the world like this. No, to be precise, my fault isn’t…”

“If it’s not your fault, then what is it?”

At Seo Yun’s words, Arnold began to ramble incoherently, saying his wish was to become a game character, not to make the world like this, that he never intended such a result, and so on. He got so excited that Seo Yun had to calm him down.

“If you shout that loudly, everyone outside will hear too.”

“Ah, sorry…”

“So, the meteorite interpreted your wish too broadly?”

“Probably…”

“What about the possibility the meteorite granted someone else’s wish? I mean, TRPG is played by multiple people. There must have been other team members besides you. Isn’t it possible it granted someone else’s wish?”

Arnold answered in an unconfident voice, mismatched with his appearance, likely his original way of speaking.

“That possibility is probably nonexistent. They’re likely all dead, so there’s no way to check.”

“How do you know that?”

“The meteorite fell in America, and most of us were American. My other team members had low character Levels, so there’s no way they survived after the meteorite impact…”

“You’re Level 19, but your team members had low Levels? How come?”

Arnold sighed.

“Our Session fell apart midway. Besides me, the others kept making excuses and skipping meetings when they were around Level 5, then they all went off to play other games.”