TRPG 08

Chapter 08

Magne-seok. In other words, the core stone of monsters.

Just as humans have a heart, monsters move using the power of a core stone. Monster hunters make a living by killing monsters and extracting those core stones to sell.

When refined, core stones can be used to cast various kinds of magic—for example, lighting a fire, illuminating darkness, or transmitting sound over long distances. The signal exchange between Kalion and Senses had also been done using that method.

‘So it’s basically like mana stones or magical tools that usually show up in fantasy settings.’

Come to think of it, there was a light green gem embedded in Senses’s bag. Kalion also had something similar attached to his bag. Maybe that’s what allows them to store items like an inventory system.

“Monsters are creatures that eat humans, yet it’s strange that magestones are useful to humans,” I said.

“In ancient times, they were called divine beasts—beings closer and more friendly to humans. But they went extinct, and the remaining magestone cores degenerated into monster cores,” Senses replied.

So it’s basically a doomsday-style worldview. I nodded as I listened to the explanation.

It was still a world I couldn’t fully understand, but learning new things wasn’t bad.

“Even basic common sense like this—you really make me wonder what’s left in that head of yours.”

…No, actually, that’s not good.

This bastard’s tongue had suddenly been fitted with blades.

“Well, if my younger brother had to send an emergency signal in such panic, you must have been quite a nuisance. Frail body, no endurance, looks like a wilted celery that’s been frozen and thawed three times, and now you lack even basic knowledge. You’re clearly slow on your feet and clumsy in movement, aren’t you? I can tell at a glance.”

“Hey, excuse me?”

“Obviously. If Kalion told you to stay somewhere safe, you probably couldn’t even sit still and ran out, got spotted by monsters. You couldn’t fight them, couldn’t escape them, and ended up clinging to Kalion for help. All you could do next to him was scream, right?”

I paused at his disturbingly accurate deductions.

Does he have surveillance cameras in his eyes? How does he know all this?

But he missed the most important point.

I ran out of the cave because of that damn system window’s interference. Encountering monsters was due to a sudden quest. And screaming next to Kalion wasn’t because I was useless—it was to apply a speed buff!

And I also healed wounds, you know!

I wanted to refute every word he said, but I stayed silent.

There was no guarantee my explanation would even work, and even if it did, I wouldn’t gain anything from it.

—It is advisable to conceal your contact-based healing ability.

I knew why Kalion had warned me.

A healer is an essential role in party play, but this place wasn’t just a game—it was a reality-like world.

Meaning there were no guarantees of fair play.

Revealing my healing ability in an unsafe situation would be like running while carrying a lit stick of dynamite.

I could get kidnapped, or forced to obey someone.

And the activation condition required physical contact—who knew what could happen then.

‘Better to just swallow the insults than reveal it.’

The problem was that if I kept hiding my ability, I’d look like a useless burden or a troll.

Kalion was kind-hearted, so even if I seemed like I was dragging things down, he didn’t abandon me. But I couldn’t expect the same from others.

Especially not from this bastard.

“I’ll heal you properly and get you to the village, so just behave like the baggage you are. Don’t interfere any further.”

“……”

That’s textbook trash talk.

I considered my options.

Should I stay silent even after hearing this?

Was this the karmic result of only collecting “trash” favorite characters while being a 2D otaku?

‘No, I never picked openly rude characters…’

My favorites were polite on the surface but secretly slightly insane. The “normal” ones—at least on the surface.

That contrast is what makes the gap moe hit.

Anyway, I like well-mannered and kind people in real life. Only 2D can get away with personality disasters.

Still…

His sharply sculpted face, masculine jawline, collarbone stretching in a straight line, skin with a faint sheen under which tight muscles and a lean waist could be seen, perfectly symmetrical abs like an artwork—

It was visually striking.

Muscles shifting as he moved released a primal, masculine energy, but even that didn’t particularly draw my attention.

The prominent wrist bones, large hands that looked rough yet neatly trimmed nails giving an oddly refined impression—

Even that didn’t matter.

Even if he was basically a moving sculpture when he adjusted his clothes, so what?

He’s still a jerk!

“Master. Your expression doesn’t look well. Are you unwell?”

“Waaah! Kalion!”

A sudden appearance of Kalion’s face right beside me made a shrill scream burst out.

“Kalion. Water?”

“Here, brother.”

Kalion naturally handed a water canteen to Senses, who poured it over a boiling pot. A sharp sizzling sound rose along with steam and a delicious aroma.

I stared blankly as Kalion explained with a gentle smile.

“My brother is better at cooking than I am. You can look forward to it.”

No. I absolutely will not.

This can’t be happening.

……

“Master. Is it to your liking?”

Out of nowhere, he starts provoking me, then suddenly pulls ingredients and cooking tools out of an inventory and starts cooking in the middle of a mountain—there’s no way this should produce normal results.

‘So this is clearly abnormal.’

And yet it was absurdly delicious.

‘No way.’

It felt like my tongue was shedding tears of emotion.

The sensation of soft, buttery egg sliding over my tongue felt like tasting heaven itself.

Even chronic fatigue felt like it was melting away.

This was truly a healing course meal…

The dried jerky Kalion had shared was also high-quality, but this was on another level entirely.

Who knew I could eat freshly cooked food in a mountain like this?

Even if this was a game-like world, cooking shouldn’t normally be possible in a monster hunting zone. I had no idea what kind of world this was.

…Just as I thought that, a new window suddenly appeared.

[Senses] has used [Skill: “Recovery Through Feeding!”] on you.

Stamina has been restored.

For 2 hours, stamina recovery speed has doubled.

Accumulated fatigue has been reduced.

For 2 hours, fatigue will not accumulate.

You have been freed from poison, curse, and fear status effects.

For 2 hours, resistance to poison, curse, and fear has increased fourfold.

※You are not currently in a party with this person.

All effects are reduced by half.

……

I wasn’t surprised that a recovery skill existed, but I was surprised by how it was activated—through cooking.

Unlike my healing skill, it didn’t restore physical wounds, but if you weren’t injured, Senses’s skill was far more useful. It even included various status resistances.

‘And it works even outside of a party.’

Since I wasn’t in a party with Senses, the effects were only 50%, but even so, I could clearly feel my fatigue lifting. My body felt lighter, refreshed.

As expected, humans need food.

There’s a reason the saying “to live is to eat” exists.

I reopened the system window I had pushed aside.

Current waiting list: (1/1)

A party invitation is pending. Do you accept?

I hesitated for a moment. Accept or not?

Regardless of the skill effect, Senses’s cooking was dangerously good.

‘If I think of it as eating at a rude old chef’s restaurant and just ignore the attitude…’

Maybe a temporary truce wouldn’t be so bad.

I looked from the empty dishes I had cleaned out to Senses.

“What are you looking around for? If you ate well, at least say thank you. You lack manners and even shame. What do you even have?”

……

I smiled at Senses.

A truce? Not a chance. I will never party up with this rude bastard!

After finishing the meal, we continued down the mountain.

With two monster hunters, we could have just taken a shortcut straight down, but Kalion suggested taking a safer route in case we ran into another monster herd like last time.

I also couldn’t do much except provide acceleration buffs, so the safer route made sense.

Reaching the village quickly wouldn’t necessarily improve the situation anyway.

The problem was that night was already falling, and it would be difficult to find a place for the three of us to stay.

If it were just the two of us, we could squeeze into a narrow hollow or between rocks, but now there were three.

And Senses was even larger than Kalion.

‘If only we could find a cave.’

Just as I thought that, another system window appeared.

[Skill Tree Opened!]

A skill tree too?

They didn’t even explain what skills I had, and now they’re showing this?

[Establish Base Lv.1]

You can create a shelter that is not subject to monster attacks.