Chapter 19
"Big Sis Chaeryeong, I'll write off what happened today as an accident, so let's pretend it never happened. If you tell anyone else…."
Kang Yul didn't say another word.
Instead, he stared silently at Kim Chaeryeong with hollow eyes, as if he were half dead.
His gaze carried a threat without words: whatever she imagined might happen next, something even more horrifying would follow.
Then.
"O-of course, Yul! Big Sis is great at keeping secrets, so don't worry! You've heard that dokkaebi never lie, right? The same goes for me, their apprentice!"
Flustered by the desperation in Kang Yul's eyes, Kim Chaeryeong swore by her master's name that she'd keep her promise.
And so, they agreed to keep the matter of Kang Yul's 'club' a secret between the two of them.
"I'll be keeping an eye on you."
"Oh, Yul. Big Sis doesn't lie, you know? If you're really that worried, why not marry your big sis and tie the knot…"
"Big Sis! I suddenly got really, really curious about how the Dokkaebi Club works! I'm really, really curious!"
"…Oh, right. We do need to check that."
For the record, Kang Yul clearly heard the blacksmith mutter to herself, "Tsk. I can't believe he won't fall for it……." But he gritted his teeth and pretended not to notice.
Though it hadn't been what he wanted, perhaps showing her something so embarrassing had brought them closer.
"Then, Yul, could you open your mouth so I can see your palate?"
"Ih i like this?"
(Like this?)
"Yeah, just hold still for a moment. I need to examine the markings and figure out what kind of effect they have."
As Kang Yul tilted his head back and opened his mouth wide, Kim Chaeryeong slowly examined the markings on his palate with a strange look in her eyes.
A little while later.
"Goodness… How can a Dokkaebi Club like this even exist…?"
Kim Chaeryeong gasped in amazement and began muttering to herself, as if she'd wandered into her own little world.
"The Dokkaebi Club my master made was probably made from Japanese pepper wood, but these markings… Could it be black jade (黑玉)? But there's no way you could completely swap out the material after the foundation's already been laid… How on earth did you finish it………"
…Kim Chaeryeong continued muttering incomprehensible things for a while.
By now, Kang Yul was somewhat used to seeing her like this, so he waited patiently with his mouth open.
Suddenly.
"…Honestly. Why does my Yul keep tempting Big Sis like this?"
"Huh?"
(What?)
Starting with that incomprehensible remark, Kim Chaeryeong stopped looking inside Kang Yul's mouth and began examining Kang Yul himself.
Then, with a greedy gaze, as if she were looking at a treasure chest overflowing with valuables, she continued.
"Showing Big Sis a Dokkaebi Club this amazing? Yul, that's flirting."
"Eh-ah-oh?"
(Me?)
Kang Yul stared at Kim Chaeryeong with an incredulous expression.
"Yeah. Even looking at me with that innocent expression is enough to make Big Sis lose control. It's a good thing Big Sis thinks of you as her little brother. If you'd run into some other greedy woman, you wouldn't have had a bone left by now."
And she even claimed that Kang Yul's behavior was a kind of flirting.
When she told him to be glad he'd met her first, Kang Yul thought, 'Is she seriously crazy?'
But after thinking about it for a moment, he decided she might not be entirely wrong and accepted it.
If someone else had discovered his ability to summon Gates, the future ahead of him would truly have been hopelessly horrifying.
But if Big Sis Chaeryeong found out….
'…Well, that'd be horrifying too, but in a slightly different way.'
Even if every night I had to endure a
-CENSORED-
from a carnivorous big sis, at least I'd still be able to live like a person.
Anyway.
"Yul, you can close your mouth now. I've finished analyzing the markings."
"Ugh, just holding my mouth open turned out to be harder than I thought."
"Thirsty? Have some water first."
"Thank you."
As Kang Yul drank the water she'd given him, wetting his dry mouth and throat,
Kim Chaeryeong began explaining in detail what she'd learned about the Dokkaebi Club from the markings on his palate.
"So, from what Big Sis could tell, your Dokkaebi Club's ability is 'Consumption.'"
"Consumption?"
"Yeah. When you eat something, you can summon a Dokkaebi Club made of black jade (黑玉) in exactly the same shape as what you ate."
"Hmm… I see…?"
Kang Yul thought for a moment, looking somewhat unconvinced.
Hadn't the blacksmith told him over text that a Dokkaebi Club granted the user the ability they needed most?
So Kang Yul had been eagerly expecting a Dokkaebi Club with an 'ore detection ability' or an 'insanely good mining ability'….
"…This is a little underwhelming, isn't it?"
Honestly, a black-jade Dokkaebi Club that changed into whatever he'd eaten was a bit of a letdown.
He was also a little surprised to realize that was the kind of ability he'd wanted.
"Was that not the ability you were hoping for, Yul?"
"I guess not. I was more interested in mining or finding minerals than in changing into something I'd eaten."
"Really? That's strange. The Dokkaebi Club my master made should have the ability its user wants… Could something have changed while it was being completed?"
"Has that ever happened before?"
"I don't know. It hasn't happened before. I've met plenty of dokkaebi, but I've never seen any of them make a Dokkaebi Club except my master. That's why I was so surprised when you said you'd completed it."
"So that's why you reacted like that…… Ah?"
Wait a minute, now that he thought about it.
Worm had completed the Dokkaebi Club. What if that had influenced it somehow?
'Then it isn't all that strange that it ended up with an ability related to eating.'
Worm's main interest was eating 'tasty soil.'
Its daily routine consisted of eating soil when hungry, sleeping when full, and occasionally wriggling around and dancing on Kang Yul's palm.
So if its creator's intentions—Worm's—had been imbued in the Dokkaebi Club….
"…Big Sis, I'll just use this Club as it is."
"Hmm? All of a sudden?"
"Yeah. Now that I think about it, it seems pretty useful as it is."
"If you really didn't like it, I was going to ask my master to modify it when they got back…."
"It's fine. I like it the way it is."
Worm had worked hard to make the Dokkaebi Club for him, after all.
If possible, he didn't want anyone else to tamper with it.
Besides, even if he were no one else, Kang Yul was someone who chewed and swallowed soil and coal.
If he put his mind to it, he could surely find a way to use it.
'I've been putting my rock drill through the wringer lately, and it's in pretty rough shape. Maybe I should buy an expensive one, eat it, and turn it into a Dokkaebi Club?'
And so, as he resolved to put Worm's precious gift to good use,
he began pondering the best way to use it so Worm could brag, "Isn't my gift awesome?"
"Still, Big Sis can't just watch my Yul be disappointed. Wait here a moment, Yul."
"Huh? Where are you going all of a sudden?"
"Big Sis is going to give you something nice, so just wait patiently."
"My mom said you can't trust a big sister who gives you nice things for no reason…."
"You don't have a mom, Yul. You said you grew up in an orphanage."
"Oh."
Right, I don't have a mom, do I?
It felt strange how, lately, he kept getting the odd impression that he'd somehow acquired a mom.
'But it doesn't exactly feel bad…?'
Anyway, as he thought about that,
Kang Yul wondered, 'Could I be feeling weak because my energy is low…? I should eat something healthy.'
Before long, Kim Chaeryeong returned and handed Kang Yul a large hard case.
"Here, take it, Yul. It's a gift I made myself."
"What is it?"
"It'd be no fun if Big Sis told you beforehand. Open it and see."
"…?"
Kang Yul looked at Kim Chaeryeong quizzically, but he didn't stop unlocking the hard case.
The beggar's instincts Kang Yul had honed while living in an orphanage made it hard for him to refuse something offered to him. Besides, he was curious about what was inside.
And so.
Click-!
With a satisfying sound, the hard case unlocked, revealing….
'…A pickaxe?'
Inside was a crude pickaxe that gave off a strange aura.
It was the kind of pickaxe that radiated such a peculiar aura, Kang Yul felt compelled to pick it up as if under a spell.
'It's light.'
That was the first thought that came to him when he picked up the pickaxe.
It was probably twice as large as the mining pickaxe he had at home, but he could barely feel its weight at all.
To exaggerate a little, it was lighter than the pink dumbbell (1 kg) he'd bought to work out once.
'And it fits perfectly in my hand.'
That was his second thought after picking up the pickaxe.
It fit his hand so perfectly, as if it had been custom-made for Kang Yul, that it felt almost orgasmic.
To exaggerate a little again, it felt as if he were a hero pulling a legendary sword from its sheath.
'Seriously… What is this pickaxe…?'
Kang Yul couldn't take his eyes off the perfect pickaxe.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd fallen in love at first sight.
The moment Kang Yul gripped the pickaxe, his desire to mine surged past MAX and kept climbing.
If he'd been at home instead of the workshop, he would have summoned a Gate and started mining right away.
So.
…Inhale!
Hoo…!
Kang Yul took a deep breath as calmly as he could, then slowly exhaled to cool his heated head.
Once he felt his reason returning a little, he finally managed to ask Kim Chaeryeong a question.
"You said you made this pickaxe yourself, right, Big Sis…?"
"That's right. Remember when you came by last time? I made it after hearing you say you were mining."
"Two weeks ago?"
"Yeah. Big Sis wanted to get close to you somehow, Yul. So I gathered up the energy you'd left behind and made that pickaxe…"
Kim Chaeryeong glanced at Kang Yul, then grinned and continued.
"So, looks like you like it?"
"…Is it that obvious?"
"Well, it's hard not to notice when you're acting like a kid who's just been given a new toy, right?"
"…."
Kang Yul hadn't looked in a mirror, but he could tell his face had turned bright red.
He wanted to hide in a mouse hole, but unfortunately, there wasn't anywhere to hide here.
"You don't have to be so embarrassed. Everyone who sees something Big Sis made for the first time acts just like you. That's because I'm not just a little talented."
"…That's obnoxious, but cool."
"Is that an insult or a compliment?"
"It's the highest praise."
"I see…?"
At this point, Kim Chaeryeong did mutter, "Tsk…? That sounds more like an insult to me…?" But Kang Yul genuinely thought she was cool.
Being able to brag that much about your work meant you had the skills to back it up.
Not just anyone could do that.
'If I'd seen her like this at first, I might have fallen for her by now…?'
Of course, considering all the sins she'd piled up, that wasn't going to happen now.
That was one thing, and this was another, so Kang Yul offered her his heartfelt thanks.
"Thank you, Big Sis Chaeryeong. I'll treasure this and put it to good use."
"Yul. I've told you over and over, every little bit of that innocent expression is flirting that drives Big Sis crazy…."
"Big Sis, can I go home now?"
"…Well, I'm not one to talk, but you can't just take the gift and run, can you?"
"I know. But I can't hold back anymore."
"W-what can't you hold back…?"
"Obviously…!"
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Crush-!
Crush-!
Crush-!
Crush-!
Rumble…!
"Hahahaha! Worm, did you see that? The coal's coming out as easily as tofu!"
Wriggle-!
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It feels deep affection for you!
: It thinks it's nice to see you happy!
"With this pickaxe, it's only a matter of time before I find a new vein!"
Wriggle-!
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It feels happy thinking about eating tasty soil!
"Don't worry. I'll feed you until you're stuffed! I'll find a vein by the end of this week, no matter what!"
Wriggle-!
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It feels deep affection for you!
In the end, Kang Yul couldn't resist his desire to start mining right away, so he rushed out of the workshop and headed home.
Watching Kang Yul's retreating figure, Kim Chaeryeong thought,
'Right. You can't expect to get full after your first bite. But…'
Kim Chaeryeong was certain.
Now that Kang Yul had gotten a taste of the pickaxe she'd made, it was only a matter of time before he fell into her clutches.
Of course, Kim Chaeryeong's thoughts were…
Crush-!
Crush-!
Wriggle-!
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It says there's a smell of tasty soil coming from over here.
: It thinks it wants to eat tasty soil.
"What? Over there?!"
Crush-!
Crush-!
Crush-!
Crush-!
Clang-!
"Worm… That sound and sheen, could it be…?"
Wriggle-!
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It thinks this is tasty soil!
"I-I-I found it… No, I found a vein!"
…a delusion, unaware of the future that awaited her, when Kang Yul became a slave to the first
'iron ore vein' he'd discovered in a Gate.