Chapter 33

Inner Core (4)

The Heavenly Demon had told me that an Inner Core was one of the greatest treasures in existence.

She said that if even a single one appeared on the market, it would shake the entire world.

Martial artists devoted countless years to reaching the next realm.

Unless they possessed extraordinary talent, it was nearly impossible to obtain power that transcended the limits of time.

That was why everyone coveted Inner Cores.

With just one, they could leap straight into the next realm.

***

Title: Got Another Inner Core
Wild Grylls

(Photo of a red Inner Core.)

I slept like a log yesterday because I was sick.
Woke up, cleaned myself up, and started preparing today's fish. Then this popped out.
Another Inner Core? Should I just put it up for auction?

Heavenly Demon: Have you awakened? You hadn't posted for quite some time yesterday, so I was worried.

Wild Grylls: The moment I finished memorizing the cultivation verse, I blacked out and fell asleep. Is that normal?

Heavenly Demon: That is the first time I have heard such a thing. If I had to guess, your body was unable to withstand the internal energy and instinctively protected itself.

Wild Grylls: Well, my body's completely fine now, so I guess everything worked out.

Heavenly Demon: If you say you are well, then I shall believe you. What do you intend to do with that Inner Core?

How much do you want for it?

Gimme gimme gimme gimme gimme.

How do we even know it's real? I'll eat it and confirm it.

Heavenly Demon: You treat an Inner Core so casually. Have you truly reached such a lofty realm?

SwordMaster: Yep.

Heavenly Demon: ...You're so confident that I have nothing more to say.

SwordMaster refused it because he didn't want to become healthy.

Then what about everyone else?

I waited for the others to reply.

That was the problem.

Who should I give this Inner Core to?

Ideally, I wanted to give it to one of the familiar regulars.

But even that wasn't easy.

Wild Grylls: I should prioritize the people who've helped me.

SwordMaster: I'm fine.

Wild Grylls: Except you, SwordMaster.

SwordMaster: ?

Wild Grylls: Just kidding lol. So... do you want it?

SwordMaster: I don't want to get healthier. The Mandrake can go to someone else, but an Inner Core isn't something I can pass along, so don't bother.

Wild Grylls: The regulars that come to mind are Passing Dwarf, Starlight Princess, Princess Chaenggu, Praisethesun, and Allfather.

Starlight Princess: I've already received so much from you... I think someone else should have it.

Starlight Princess was the first to comment.

She wasn't as active as the Heavenly Demon, but she was one of the regulars who consistently left comments.

After reading that she didn't need the Inner Core, I replied.

Wild Grylls: Are you sure? Don't you want to improve your health even more?

Starlight Princess: I'm already more than satisfied. Taking care of my body is more important than increasing my mana.

Wild Grylls: Taking care of your body?

Starlight Princess: Yes. I started working out yesterday. It's something I've never really been able to do before, and I think I'm going to get completely hooked.

She'd wanted to name Wonmo "Gym Newbie," and now it looked like she was turning into a gym fanatic herself.

She'd said she'd spent most of her life confined to a bed, so it made sense she'd be eager to exercise.

Anyway, after Starlight Princess declined, I waited for the others.

Princess Chaenggu: I'm not really interested either. It's awkward to sell, and it's awkward to give to someone else.

Wild Grylls: You're not going to use it yourself?

Princess Chaenggu: I don't really need it. If anything, I'd rather give it to the Chaeyu players.

You might actually get arrested if you do that.

Wouldn't an Inner Core count as performance-enhancing drugs?

Not exactly. But if someone suddenly experiences a huge jump in mana, they'll probably be investigated.

But aren't Inner Cores legal?

Princess Chaenggu: They're legal, but it wouldn't be ethically right. Besides, what good is more mana? Using mana is prohibited in sports.

She's right. More mana isn't automatically a good thing.

Haven't there been athletes who awakened and then went into a terrible slump?

Why would getting stronger make them worse?

Because it throws off their body's balance. Some athletes have even been disqualified after unconsciously using mana during competitions.

Wild Grylls: Then... could you at least give me some clothes?

Princess Chaenggu: I don't really have a use for it anyway. Sorry. I'll just give you the clothes.

Wild Grylls: Do you happen to have any long pants...?

Princess Chaenggu: Not right now, but I can get some if you want. Do you want something made from uniform fabric?

Wild Grylls: Yeah. Then let's trade for that.

Princess Chaenggu: Just cheering for Chaeyu is enough.

Wild Grylls: Go, Chaeyu! Wishing you the championship!

Princess Chaenggu: Perfect! Haha.

Chaeyu winning? LOL.

King Leor: LMAO.

King Leor: Wild Grylls, do you even know what place Chaeyu is in right now?

Wild Grylls: What place?

Princess Chaenggu: Be quiet before I come over there and beat you up.

King Leor: Ooooh, scary. Anyway, what place is Chaeyu in? Eighth!

Wild Grylls: That's a bit low. How many matches are left?

Princess Chaenggu: Five. It's okay, though. We probably won't make the Champions League, but we'll at least qualify for the Master Cup.

King Leor: Talk after you actually make the Champions League lol.

There they went again.

Those two argued surprisingly often.

King Leor especially seemed to pick a fight every time Princess Chaenggu showed up.

Personally, I didn't like it.

She'd helped me before, after all.

Allfather: I'd rather receive another rare creature than the Inner Core.

Praisethesun: Just auction it off. And don't think about squeezing money out of me.

Wild Grylls: I wasn't planning to...

Praisethesun: Relax, I'm joking. I'm not interested anyway. The mature Mandrake you gave me before is more than enough.

Wild Grylls: Got it. So you really don't need it, Princess Chaenggu?

Princess Chaenggu: Nope. I can't give it to the players anyway.

Wild Grylls: Understood. Go, Chaenggu!

Princess Chaenggu: Thank you. Haha.

King Leor: Cheer for Leor too!

Wild Grylls: I'm not the type to play both sides. Haha.

Princess Chaenggu: I like you even more now. I'll go find those pants as soon as I can.

Since Princess Chaenggu also turned it down, I moved on to the others.

Allfather: As I mentioned before, my body isn't capable of making use of an Inner Core. Please give it to someone else.

Wild Grylls: Understood.

Both Allfather and Praisethesun refused.

They were the type who only asked for things they truly needed.

That left only Passing Dwarf.

Passing Dwarf: Just give me more Mandrakes. I wanna brew more liquor.

Wild Grylls: Yeah... Asking you was my mistake. Almost finished making the barricades?

Passing Dwarf: We'll trade at lunch. If you're short, let me know.

Wild Grylls: You don't want the Inner Core as payment?

Passing Dwarf: I said bring me booze.

Wild Grylls: ;_;

The dwarf was hopeless.

Maybe it was because he was a dwarf, but he absolutely loved alcohol.

In the end, every regular I knew turned it down.

The Heavenly Demon said she didn't need another one since I'd already given her one before.

Apparently she'd already received too much from me.

Whatever.

I didn't think about it for long.

I listed the Inner Core in the auction house.

The fish were more important than the Inner Core right now.

I gave the head and innards to Wonmo, then cleaned the fish thoroughly like I had yesterday.

Today the hose wasn't clogged, and water poured out freely.

It did taste good.

I'd eat a hearty breakfast, then use that energy to reinforce my base.

At lunchtime, I'd install the barricades the dwarf had given me.

Sizzle—

The fish browned nicely in the cast-iron pan I'd bought from the auction house.

I'd removed all the scales and seasoned it with salt.

I also cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Eating it whole yesterday had been a pain.

"Here, Wonmo. Eat up."

I didn't keep it all to myself.

I picked up a few pieces of the freshly cooked fish with my chopsticks and handed them to Wonmo.

I didn't just shove the whole pan in front of him.

Being Korean, chopsticks felt far more natural than a fork.

"Kyuu!"

Wonmo's eyes sparkled as he eagerly devoured the fish.

Considering his size, this was nowhere near enough.

For a human, it would've barely counted as an appetizer.

I'd give him some meat later.

"Want some too?"

I held out a piece of the well-cooked fish toward the Swift Sloth.

I knew it was a herbivore...

But maybe it'd still be interested.

Nod.

The Swift Sloth slowly nodded and accepted.

I thought it only ate plants, but apparently not.

Then again, it had originally tried to steal the fish, so it wasn't entirely surprising.

I picked up a well-cooked piece of fish with my chopsticks and held it near its mouth.

Slowly... ever so slowly...

“Could you eat a little faster?”

How could even opening its mouth be that slow?

And yet this same creature had threatened me at the fastest speed imaginable.

No matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn't understand it.

Now that I'd given both of them some fish, all that remained was filling my own stomach.

“...”

After dividing it evenly, there was much less left than yesterday.

But that was fine.

Yesterday, while I had been feasting alone, the two of them had stared at me.

Their gazes seemed to say, You're really eating all that delicious food by yourself?

It had made me feel guilty.

There’s plenty anyway.

The fish was so large that I had to wrap both arms around it.

Giving away a few pieces wasn't going to leave me short.

Maybe yesterday’s fever had actually been caused by overeating.

Though, as the Heavenly Demon had said, it was probably because too much energy had surged into me at once.

“Delicious.”

After finishing the fish, my stomach felt comfortably full.

Instead of a toothpick, I used a fish bone to remove the bits of food stuck between my teeth.

Not a single part went to waste.

Disposing of the remains was a little troublesome, but all I had to do was bury them.

Time to get moving.

I couldn't afford to relax too much.

I wasn't planning to live here forever. It would be a problem if I became lazy already.

But first, I should circulate the cultivation method.

Since I'd eaten a hearty breakfast, I used the internal-energy cultivation method to refine my mana.

I also remembered to recite the verse the Heavenly Demon had taught me yesterday.

The poetic language made it difficult to understand, but imagining the imagery made it somewhat easier.

If the first verse is already this bad, how difficult will the second one be?

Surely all of them together wouldn't form a poem as long and complicated as Gwandong Byeolgok.

If they did, even memorizing it would be an ordeal.

Still, I'll have to learn it.

I focused while guiding the mana inside my body with the cultivation method.

It might have been my imagination, but the energy felt stronger and more domineering than yesterday.

Rather than a calm river, it felt like waves rushing violently forward.

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Thanks to that powerful force, the circulation speed had increased dramatically.

“...”

After completing the entire circulation, I slowly opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was the Swift Sloth's drowsy face directly in front of me.

“Whoa! You scared me!”

“...”

“Seriously... Don't sneak up on people like that.”

I nearly had a heart attack.

I let out a sigh.

It was good that it hadn't disturbed me, but anyone would be startled to find it sitting right in front of them.

Wonmo is... already asleep.

Our adorable ball of fur was deep into his afternoon nap.

Since he was still a baby, it seemed all he knew how to do was eat, sleep, and poop.

Fortunately, he did the last one outside the cave, so it wasn't a problem.

Crawl... crawl...

When I prepared to move, the Swift Sloth climbed onto my back.

I was gradually becoming used to it, but then I suddenly remembered its hygiene.

This thing hasn't taken a bath, has it?

I needed to heat some bathwater immediately.

Otherwise, it might make me sick.

Allfather had said that while it didn't have any ticks, various other insects lived in its fur.

He had even said there was a high chance that mold was growing on it.

It needed to be scrubbed clean just as thoroughly as Wonmo.

I've finished eating the fish, and the timing is perfect.

I immediately cleaned the iron tub and filled it with water.

Now all I had to do was wait for it to heat up.

I could worry about adjusting the temperature later.

While waiting, I used a shovel to dig out the places where I intended to install the barricades.

I planned to surround the cave entrance with barricades in a square formation.

Thud! Thud!

Why is this so easy to dig?

I'd noticed it while logging, but shoveling didn't feel exhausting at all.

Normally, even the shovel itself should have felt somewhat heavy, but I couldn't feel its weight.

This had to be thanks to the internal-energy cultivation method.

Manual labor would be easy from now on.

“...I'm already finished?”

The problem was that it had become too easy.

Less than thirty minutes had passed, yet the groundwork was already complete.

All I had to do was place the barricades inside the neatly dug trenches and fill them back in with soil.

A few trees were in the way, but I could gradually cut those down.

Bang! Bang! Crack!

Even the logging was finished within thirty minutes.

It was unbelievably fast.

Before, it had felt like I was chopping trees.

Now it was closer to smashing them apart.

Once I destroyed the center, the trees lost their balance and easily toppled over.

All I had to do was break the middle and push them with my foot.

I was more bewildered than pleased by how suddenly I'd become stronger.

Well, there's no point complaining about something good.

I scratched my head while looking at the devastated trees, then shrugged.

I listed all but one of the felled trees in the auction house.

The remaining one would be used as firewood.

Thinking about firewood reminded me of the bathwater I had heated earlier.

I worried that it might be boiling, but fortunately, only gentle steam was rising from it.

“All right. It's your turn to wash.”

Crawl... crawl...

Perhaps it understood me, because the Swift Sloth climbed down from my back.

At first, I thought it was going to enter the bath on its own.

But instead, it headed into the cave.

It seemed to be running away because it didn't want a bath.

Despite being so ridiculously slow.

“Hey. Not that way. Come over here.”

“...”

In the end, I picked it up myself and tried to place it inside the iron tub.

No.

More precisely, I attempted to place it inside.

Grip!

Before I could, it clung tightly to my arm as though refusing to let go.

It was even trembling.

It seemed frightened.

That made even less sense, considering it could see an arrow coming and snatch it out of the air.

“...Hey.”

“Do you hate baths?”

There was no response.

It couldn't speak in the first place.

But the fact that it refused to budge made its feelings perfectly clear.

Even so, I couldn't simply give up on hygiene.

I tried forcing the Swift Sloth into the tub.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Each time, it darted across different parts of my body with lightning-fast movements.

It slipped around me as though my body were a tree.

And it did so at an astonishing speed, as if entering the tub would kill it.

“Ah, seriously! Do whatever you want! I'll take the bath myself!”

“...”

I finally gave up.

Only after hearing my declaration of surrender did the Swift Sloth begin moving slowly again.

“...Did you really think I'd say that and mean it?”

“?!”

It was a fake-out, you bastard.

I seized the Swift Sloth's arm while its guard was down.

Now that I'd restrained one arm, it would have no choice but to enter quietly.

Sure, it still had one arm free, but there was no way it could do anything with just that.

Splash!

I had been completely mistaken.

The Swift Sloth swung its remaining arm toward the iron tub.

The tub was cleanly sliced into several pieces, spilling the warm water everywhere.

It wasn't that it couldn't do anything.

It absolutely could.

In the silence that followed, I stared at the Swift Sloth.

It stared back at me.

Its expression seemed to say:

—What exactly do you think you can do about it?

Another defeat for me today.