99
Swoosh-
Chunsam increased its flying speed.
The Berakan Plateau could be seen below Minhyuk’s feet.
The ground was painted in colorful hues.
This place was covered in a rather unique flood.
A flood of abundance.
All sorts of fruits and grains were growing in the vast plains.
As if it had been blessed by the goddess of abundance, every plant bore fruit regardless of soil, climate, or season.
The fruits were large in size and the quantity was also enormous.
It was enough to feed the people of Asdel and Melbeck Castle for hundreds of years.
However, this place was by no means a paradise.
Beasts much stronger than those encountered in other regions so far inhabited this place.
There were even carnivorous plants that ate humans everywhere.
Even the strongest special forces among the elite soldiers found it difficult to operate here.
Caw-
An unpleasant sound was heard.
When he looked back, a giant bird was chasing after him.
It was an eagle.
Its size was larger than Chunsam.
And it had two heads.
Clank-
Minhyuk loaded the gatling gun.
And he turned around and aimed at the eagle.
Clatter-
The barrel breathed fire and bullets were fired at an incredible rate of fire.
The warheads made of the metal of the stars turned the eagle into a honeycomb in an instant.
＜You have defeated the Two-Headed Eagle.＞
＜As a reward, you have earned 10 minutes of precious time.＞
But one was not the end.
Dozens of eagles approached from all sides.
Clatter-
Clatter-
Minhyuk fired the gatling gun at the eagles.
Before the overwhelming firepower, they fell to the ground like autumn leaves.
＜You have defeated the Two-Headed Eagle.＞
＜You have earned 10 minutes of your precious time as a reward.＞
＜You have defeated a double-headed eagle.＞
＜You have earned 10 minutes of your precious time as a reward.＞
.
.
.
However, the number of eagles swarming in grew larger and larger.
A few of them that Minhyuk failed to hit in time approached right before his nose.
Pew-
Swish-
The creatures attacked Minhyuk, spewing out poison and flames.
One of the two heads breathed out poison and the other breathed out flames.
However, the protective barrier that Minhyuk had spread out in advance blocked the poison and flames.
Thud-
Eventually, the creatures also fell down like beehives.
Flap, flap-
The creatures retreated, realizing that their attacks were useless.
Dealing with the remaining 10-minute return time was not even a pastime for Minhyuk.
If he hadn’t been busy, he would have chased them and annihilated all of them.
For now, it was more important to visit the Freya temple that had been discovered in the center of the plateau.
Swish-
Finally, he arrived in the sky above his destination.
Rin had told him that there was a cave where a large river forked.
Flap, flap-
Chun-sam landed on the ground.
Minhyuk got off of Chun-sam’s back and looked around the surroundings.
The fragrant smell of fruit filled the air.
There was a cherry tree nearby.
The bright red, shiny cherries looked delicious.
Thud-
He picked one cherry and tasted it.
The flesh was chewy and sweet and sour.
‘It’s so delicious!’
Furthermore, the cherry pit was as big as an apple.
There were also strawberry and blueberry bushes nearby.
Their fruits were also incredibly large.
Some of the blueberries were as large as billiard balls.
Thud-
Thud-
He picked one of each and tasted them.
Everything was delicious, but the cherry was the best.
I picked a few more cherries to give to the family, including the young Verona, when I returned to Asdel Castle later.
When I tried to put them in the refrigerator,
＜There is not enough space in the inventory to insert the item.＞
It was the same as when I tried to put the communication crystal ball in the refrigerator.
Just how big of an item does it turn into that it can’t fit in a 10-pyeong freezer?
Is it something like a super luxury yacht?
Or a helicopter or fighter jet?
I was really curious about what the crystal ball and cherries would turn into.
However, there was no way to check right now.
I had to upgrade the refrigerator to a larger one.
Rustle-rustle-
Minhyuk slowly walked through the grass and found the entrance to the cave.
A giant pumpkin was growing inside the vines.
It was really big enough to make a Cinderella carriage.
Drip-drip-
A sticky liquid dripped down from the tree.
I looked up to see what was going on and saw a huge beehive hanging there.
‘It really is a land flowing with milk and honey.’
From Noble mtl dot com
After a while,
The entrance to the cave I was looking for appeared.
I walked dozens of meters into the cave and saw the backs of people.
It was the princess and Rebecca.
Ahem-
Minhyuk made a sound, and they looked back.
“Your Majesty?”
They were surprised and bowed their heads to Minhyuk.
Rin had left to report to the unit, but they didn’t know that the emperor would come in person.
Minhyuk asked them.
“Where is that strange creature? The one that said it would ruin the magic tool.”
“It is blocking the passage to the temple.”
Minhyuk walked to where they were pointing.
There was a statue of a woman there.
＜Discovered the entrance to the temple that worships the goddess Freya.＞
＜A mysterious treasure may be hidden.＞
＜Unexpected dangers may lurk.＞
It was definitely the temple of the goddess Freya.
From my experience so far, there could be a mysterious magic tool inside the temple, or a clue to upgrade the refrigerator.
Like other places, there was a narrow passage behind the statue.
“Is it in there?”
“Yes, it’s blocking the passage and won’t budge. And if you approach it, it exhales a gust of wind from its mouth.”
As soon as the magic tools were exposed to the creature’s breath, they all lost their power.
“Did you try attacking it with guns?”
The rifles supplied to the soldiers weren’t magic tools.
Just like the rifles on Earth, they were purely scientific weapons that fired bullets using the explosive power of gunpowder.
“That was… we couldn’t bring ourselves to shoot it.”
“Why not?”
“…”
When the princess didn’t answer, Rebecca spoke up.
“It has a powerful protective barrier!”
“A magical barrier?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“You’ll see when you look for yourself.”
Minhyuk entered the passage.
He had put all the magic tools he was wearing in his inventory.
It would be a shame if they got damaged.
He was also wearing the most ordinary armor.
Stealthily-
He cautiously followed the passage for a few dozen meters.
And then the unidentified creature revealed itself.
‘What is that?’
Black eyes.
Chubby cheeks.
Stripes on its back.
A bushy tail.
‘It’s a squirrel!’
It resembled the striped squirrels commonly found in the mountains of Korea.
The only unusual thing about it was its enormous size.
It was big enough to completely block the passage with its body.
Rebecca, who had been following closely behind Minhyuk, whispered.
“With a face like that, I just couldn’t… shoot it…”
The creature’s so-called protective barrier turned out to be its ‘cuteness’.
“But what is that creature? Is it a guardian creature protecting the ancient temple? Or a monster that appeared because of the Cataclysm?”
“Well, it looks like a squirrel.”
“A squirrel?”
“Don’t you know?”
“I’ve read about them in books, but this is my first time seeing one in person.”
It wasn’t strange that they were seeing a squirrel for the first time.
The generations born after the Cataclysm hadn’t had the chance to see many wild animals.
Outside the sanctuary, since he had been training in martial arts with his father, Lindo didn’t know about the squirrel, so it was natural that the princess and Rebecca were seeing the guy for the first time.
Minhyuk approached the squirrel.
Squeak-
It was wary of Minhyuk.
But it didn’t attack.
As he approached about 3 meters, a message popped up in front of Minhyuk’s eyes.
＜Striped cave squirrel discovered.＞
＜Killing a striped cave squirrel will earn you 1 minute of return time.＞
Judging only by the amount of return time earned, it wasn’t a very dangerous creature.
Information about the guy continued to pop up.
＜Resists all magic attacks.＞
＜Breathes out a breath that nullifies magic imbued in objects.＞
Other than that, there were no special abilities.
It didn’t breathe fire or poison.
Swish-swish-
It swung its short forelegs toward Minhyuk.
It was a threat telling him not to come near.
Minhyuk first distanced himself from it.
And then used the communication crystal ball.
“Raymon.”
He planned to ask Professor Raymon in Asdel Fortress about the guy’s habits.
He had purchased dozens of additional crystal balls in Matop Square and handed them out to the reconnaissance team and key figures.
After a while, Professor Raymon’s face was reflected in the crystal ball.
“Did you call, Your Majesty?”
“Do you happen to know anything about that guy?”
Raymon examined the squirrel’s appearance through the crystal ball.
“Striped cave squirrel! It’s a purebred species that inhabited the Berakan Plateau even before the Cataclysm occurred.”
The guy wasn’t a monster born from the Cataclysm.
It was a species that had inhabited the plateau since long ago.
“They have a habit of making their home in caves and raising their young. As it is now, there are often cases in old books where they make ancient temples their sanctuary and interfere with explorers from entering.”
Squeak-
The guy wasn’t some kind of guardian protecting the temple.
It was just preventing trespassers from entering its home.
“Isn’t there a way to chase it away?”
“It’s a guy that doesn’t give up easily. Especially if it’s protecting its young, it will try to protect its sanctuary even if it means losing its life.”
There was no need to kill the squirrel.
He just needed to clear a path so that he could go inside.
Minhyuk looked at the guy and concentrated his mind.
He tried to use telekinesis to pull the guy out of the cave.
‘It’s not working.’
He tried to cast a spell, but the creature was immune to magic and didn’t even flinch.
Thwack-
Minhyuk took out his rifle and aimed it at the creature.
Bang-
He fired a shot.
But he didn’t shoot the squirrel directly.
The bullet hit the ground at its feet.
He was hoping to scare it away, but the creature didn’t budge.
Whew-
When the bullet hit the ground, the princess and Rebecca let out a sigh of relief.
They thought Minhyuk was going to kill the squirrel.
Minhyuk didn’t want to kill the squirrel either.
If it had bared its teeth and attacked him, he would have killed it without hesitation.
But it was just trying to protect its home.
Furthermore, he didn’t know what was inside the temple.
It would be awful if he killed the creature, went inside, and found no treasure, only orphaned children.
Hmm-
If he went inside the temple, he would have to kill the squirrel,
But if he spared the squirrel, he wondered what kind of treasure was inside the temple.
Either way, he had to make a decision quickly.
He was currently on an expedition to conquer the center of the continent.
He couldn’t afford to waste time here.
The princess and Rebecca looked at Minhyuk and shook their heads without realizing it.
They pleaded with their eyes.
‘Please don’t kill it!’
Minhyuk hesitated.
‘Should I go to the Magic Tower Square?’
If he went there, he might be able to find a way to make the squirrel retreat without killing it.
But was it wise to spend a day there over a squirrel, when he wasn’t even a high-ranking dragon and it was just a squirrel?
Just then.
Suddenly, someone appeared from behind and approached Minhyuk’s group, saying.
“There is a way to enter the temple without killing it.”
Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the voice.
But the owner of the voice wasn’t human.
It was a raccoon.
A talking raccoon,
‘Why are there so many strange animals appearing today?’
Swish-
Smoke rose from the raccoon’s body.
Then, it transformed into a human form.
The princess and Rebecca looked at him with a puzzled look.
He was a small and thin man.
And he was wearing clothes made of bird feathers and grass.
On his hand was a wooden stick with green leaves.
“Who are you?”
To Minhyuk’s question, the man replied.
“I’m a wanderer who lives in nature.”