TRPSG 8

chapter 8

A magic stone—also called a monster’s core.

Just as humans have hearts, monsters move using the power of their core stones. Monster hunters make money by defeating monsters, extracting those cores, and selling them.

When processed, these cores can be used to perform various kinds of magic—starting fires, producing light, or even transmitting sound over long distances. That must’ve been what Kalion used to communicate with signals earlier.

‘So it’s like the mana stones or magic tools that always show up in fantasy settings.’

Come to think of it, there was a pale green gem embedded in Senes’s bag too. Kalion had something similar attached to his as well. Maybe that’s what lets them store so many items, like an inventory.

“It’s strange,” I said, “that monsters eat humans, yet their core stones are so useful to us.”

“A very long time ago, they were called divine beasts—close and friendly to humans. But when those creatures went extinct, what remained became the monster cores we see today.”

Sounds like a classic apocalyptic setting. I nodded at Senes’s explanation.

It was still a world I didn’t fully understand, but learning something new was nice.

“The fact that you’ve forgotten even such basic knowledge makes me wonder if there’s anything left in that head of yours.”

…Nope. Not nice at all.

This jerk suddenly sharpened his tongue like a blade.

“Well, considering my younger brother was panicked enough to send an emergency signal, you must’ve been quite a handful. You look frail, lack grit, and resemble spinach that’s been frozen and thawed three times. And now you’re saying you don’t even have common sense? I bet you’re slow on your feet and clumsy too. It’s obvious at a glance.”

“Excuse me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Even after Kalion told you to hide somewhere safe, you probably ran out impatiently and got spotted by a monster. You couldn’t fight or escape, so you clung to Kalion for help. While he was fighting, what were you doing? Screaming your head off, I’d guess.”

His annoyingly accurate remarks made me falter for a moment.

Does he have surveillance cameras for eyes or something? How does he know?

But he missed the most important part.

I only ran out of the cave because of that damned system window. Running into the monster was a sudden quest, and I screamed next to Kalion not because I was scared, but to give him an acceleration buff.

I even healed his wounds!

I wanted to refute every single word he said, but I kept my mouth shut.

Even if I explained, there was no guarantee he’d believe me—and honestly, there wasn’t much to gain anyway.

—

It would be best to keep your ability to heal through physical contact hidden whenever possible.

—

I understood why Kalion had warned me.

A healer is essential in party play, but this place isn’t just a game—it’s reality.

Which means there’s no guarantee of fair play.

Revealing my healing ability without securing my safety would be like running around carrying a lit stick of dynamite.

I could get kidnapped. Forced into something.

And with the activation condition being physical contact… who knows what could happen.

‘Better to get insulted and let it go in one ear and out the other.’

The problem was, if I hid my ability, I’d just look like dead weight—or worse, a nuisance.

Kalion was kind enough not to abandon me despite how useless I seemed, but I couldn’t expect the same from others.

Especially not from this jerk.

“I’ll heal you properly and send you back to the village, so if you’re baggage, act like it and stay quiet. And stop getting in the way.”

“….”

A textbook example of a rude bastard. I found myself wondering—

Do I really have to stay silent after hearing all that?

Is this karma for only liking trash-tier characters in my 2D fandom days?

‘No, wait—I never liked characters who were openly rude.’

My favorites were the polite-on-the-outside, slightly unhinged-on-the-inside types. Normally sane, but with a hidden madness that shows at the right moment—that contrast is what makes it appealing.

Anyway, my heart only races for terrible personalities in 2D. In real life, I prefer kind and polite people.

Which means this jerk is completely not my type.

Sure, his striking features were hard to ignore—those deep eyes, masculine neckline, straight collarbones, firm muscles visible beneath smooth skin, slender waist, perfectly symmetrical abs…

But that was it.

Even the way his toned muscles moved with a mix of wildness and sensuality, practically radiating testosterone, didn’t catch my attention.

His large hands, strong yet elegant with neatly trimmed nails, didn’t impress me either.

Even if his body looked like a living sculpture when he moved—it didn’t matter.

Because he’s still a jerk!

“Master, your expression doesn’t look good. Are you in pain?”

“Wah—Kalion!”

A startled shriek escaped me as his handsome face suddenly appeared beside me.

“Kalion. The water?”

“Here, brother.”

Kalion casually handed a flask to Senes, who poured it into a steaming pot. A sizzling sound rose along with a burst of delicious aroma.

As I stared blankly, my mouth slightly open, Kalion smiled gently and explained,

“My brother is quite skilled at cooking. You can look forward to it.”

No. I will not.

—

—

This… shouldn’t be possible.

“….”

“Master, does it suit your taste?”

There’s no way something so absurd—starting a fight out of nowhere, then suddenly pulling out ingredients and cooking in the middle of a mountain—could result in anything normal.

‘Which means this isn’t normal.’

It was abnormally delicious.

‘This makes no sense.’

It felt like my tongue was crying tears of joy.

The soft, buttery eggs melting on my tongue felt like a taste of heaven.

Even my accumulated fatigue seemed to melt away.

This… this is true healing cuisine.

The jerky Kalion had given me earlier wasn’t bad—it was high-quality meat—but freshly cooked food was on an entirely different level.

To think I’d get to eat something like this in the middle of a mountain…

Even if this is a game world, cooking in a hunting zone shouldn’t be possible. What kind of world is this?

…The moment I thought that, a new window suddenly appeared.

—

[Senes] has used [Skill: Feed and Recover!] on you.

Your HP has been restored.
For 2 hours, HP recovery speed is doubled.
Accumulated fatigue has been reduced.
For 2 hours, fatigue will not accumulate.
You are cured of poison, curse, and fear status effects.
For 2 hours, resistance to poison, curse, and fear increases by 4x.

※ You are not currently in a party with this character.
All effects are reduced by half.

—

“….”

It wasn’t surprising that he had a recovery skill—but the fact that it activated through cooking was.

Unlike my healing ability, it couldn’t directly heal wounds, but unless someone was seriously injured, Senes’s skill seemed far more useful—especially with all those status resistances.

‘And it works even without being in the same party.’

Even at half effectiveness, I could clearly feel my fatigue fading. My body felt light and refreshed.

As expected, people need to eat to live.

There’s a reason they say “you live to eat.” Eating comes before everything else.

I brought the window I’d pushed aside back into view.

—

Current party slots: (1/1)
Waiting for party request acceptance.
Would you like to accept?

—

I hesitated for a moment.

Whether or not to accept.

Setting aside the skill effects, Senes’s cooking alone was so good it felt like it could knock out my combat ability.

‘If I just think of it like eating at a restaurant run by a grumpy old lady and ignore the attitude…’

Maybe a temporary truce wouldn’t be so bad.

I shifted my gaze from the empty plate I’d just finished back to Senes.

“What are you looking around for? If you’ve eaten well, you should at least say thank you. You’ve got no common sense, and now no shame either. Is there anything you do have?”

“….”

I gave Senes a bright smile.

Yeah, right. A truce, my foot.

There’s no way I’m ever partying with that jerk!

—

—

After finishing the meal, we resumed heading down the mountain.

With two monster hunters, I thought we might just take a shortcut straight through—but Kalion suggested taking a safer route, worried we might run into another group of monsters like before.

Since the only thing I could really contribute was an acceleration buff, I agreed that the safer path was better.

It’s not like reaching the village faster would necessarily improve our situation.

The problem was, the sun was almost setting, and it was hard to find a place for all three of us to stay.

If it were just the two of them, they could squeeze into a tree hollow or a gap between rocks—but with me added, it was a different story.

Not to mention Senes was even bigger than Kalion.

‘If only we could find a cave…’

The moment I thought that, another system window appeared.

—

[Skill Tree Unlocked!]

—

There’s a skill tree too?

For something that never even told me what skills I had, it’s surprisingly well-equipped.

—

[Establish Camp Lv.1]

You can create a shelter that monsters cannot attack.
This shelter becomes your base.
Within a 50m radius of the base, monsters cannot enter.
The base’s defense is determined by the vitality of you and your allies.

Conditions:

1. No monsters within a 10m radius
2. At least one ally within a 10m radius
3. Only one base can be established at a time

If any condition is not met, the skill will be canceled.

[Establish Base] / [Cancel]

—

“…?”

What’s this? Giving me exactly the skill I need?

‘Did the system suddenly grow a conscience?’

If monsters can’t even enter within 50 meters, it couldn’t get any better than this.

I quickly pressed the Establish Base button.