What happened after that, you ask?
Haaah…
What else? I got eaten, chewed up, and then came back to life.
I almost ended up being cooked from head to toe, but thanks to an unexpected savior named Bingoo, I came back to life.
To sum it up… well, as you can see, nothing much happened.
“…Uhuhuh.”
Yeah, nothing at all…
“Shia Unnie, is it delicious?”
“Om nom nom, yeah! Thanks, Bingoo!”
“I told you, I’m not Bingoo.”
Heheh, the Egg Mayo sandwich Yeonhwa gave me is delicious.
Chomp chomp…
Indeed, if you spilled a lot of water, you’ve got to replenish with food.
“I made Egg Mayo with the Wyvern egg you gave me last time and turned it into a sandwich. Yeonju Unnie said it was good, so it must taste pretty decent.”
“Really? No wonder the yolk is so rich and light.”
“…Huhuh…”
Yeonhwa brought three transport drones for the picnic, and inside, Egg Mayo sandwiches she made were piled up like a mountain.
The Wyvern Egg Mayo sandwiches would likely spoil quickly in this weather, so she clearly made a lot because she wanted to feed me.
If you make food for someone, it’s only natural to eat it all.
If by chance, those lovingly made meals got spoiled in this hot weather, it would truly be a pity.
Plus, it’s surprisingly delicious…
“Yeonhwa, do you have any cooking experience?”
“Not really; I can only make sandwiches like this since I can’t cook like Unnie.”
“……”
What is this? It seems much tastier than mine…
Could it be that my cooking skills are lacking compared to Yeonhwa, who has never cooked in her life?
Anyway, thanks to Yeonhwa suddenly showing up here, I was able to escape the claws of the beast that was trying to crush me.
Is the term “escape” a bit strange?
If you ask whether I dislike Menelapie, I would absolutely say no.
We’ve already lived together for 64 years; there’s nothing to be embarrassed about between us.
We’ve seen all sorts of situations.
Knowing each other’s joys and sorrows means there’s nothing left to hide.
But, it’s broad daylight, and the beach is glaringly bright, with no partitions around, just a small parasol and mat, so I feel a bit hesitant.
If this were a house or accommodation without others watching, it wouldn’t matter, but I don’t have a hobby for outdoor walks or shameful play.
If I thought of it as an ordeal, I could accept it, but who knows when other outsiders might come. Mom, who went swimming with Yane, could be back at any moment.
What’s the big deal, though? For a moment, Menelapie was truly beast-like.
“Huu, huhuhu…”
Honestly speaking, even now, she still looks beastly.
I don’t know if she’s barely controlling her wild nature or not… um, maybe she isn’t.
With those golden eyes and golden hair, she looked just like a lion.
A very scary lion at that.
“………..”
And that lioness warrior was now staring at Yeonhwa with her eyes wide open.
It wasn’t quite a glare, but if she’d put a little more strength into her gaze, it would surely have carried physical force directed at Yeonhwa.
Yeonhwa isn’t someone who would be easily intimidated. Even though she’s young, she’s not an S-grade Hunter for nothing; it seems Menelapie’s gaze didn’t bother her much.
Well… I don’t think Menelapie was genuinely angry.
Look, she’s smiling like that, right?
“Hoo, huhuhu… Uhuhuhuh…”
Not angry… right?
Ah, whatever.
Let’s not worry about it.
I deliberately focused on chewing my sandwich and chose to ignore the whole situation.
“Hawup, gulp. Delicious…”
“By the way, would you like to try this? It’s milk supplied by the Kakao milk cows.”
“Kakao milk cows…?”
“They’re from the dungeon near Daegwallyeong. They can communicate and have high intelligence, so the government gives them licenses to supply milk. They’re also the seniors of the Elves in Daesanrim.”
“Wow, maybe I should check it out later?”
The chocolate milk Yeonhwa gave me was quite tasty.
It had a thick flavor and felt like I was drinking chocolate protein packed with protein and nutrients.
Perhaps she remembered that whenever I go into a cafe, I gulp down at least 20-30 cups of chocolate latte.
You might wonder what chocolate milk has to do with the savory, rich Egg Mayo sandwich, but I don’t mind it since I handle rich flavors well and I just think anything tasty plus something tasty is definitely delicious.
While I was busy munching on the chocolate milk and sandwich, Yeonhwa took out another sandwich and handed it to Menelapie.
“…………..”
“Would you like some, Menelapie?”
“…Huhuhuh, no thanks. I have no appetite. I’m grateful for the thought.”
“Oh, I see… In this summer heat, having no appetite is no good.”
“Huhuh, right. That’s quite a problem…”
For some reason, I felt that the left side of Yeonhwa’s body was a bit cooler.
The right side where Menelapie was positioned, on the other hand, felt very hot.
Really, a peculiar feeling.
Hoohoohoo.
Huhuhu…
I can’t hear anything.
I can’t see anything.
The Wyvern Egg Mayo sandwiches are delicious.
The Kakao chocolate milk is also tasty…
Chew chew…
Ugh, I can’t breathe.
How did Yeonhwa, who was in Seoul, end up next to me at Gamji Beach in Busan? It was because Yeonseo Unnie used spatial movement directly to send her on vacation, being busy.
Despite her looks, Yeonhwa hadn’t been able to enter dungeons or take proper rest because of me.
Originally, Yeonhwa was the legal guardian for both Menelapie and me. It was largely thanks to Yeonhwa that we accepted Menelapie not as a person from another world but as a Returnee.
And now Yeonhwa had handled various exchanges and negotiations with politicians on my behalf.
Thanks to her, the task of managing over 30,000 elves became smooth, and the political burdens I had to bear were significantly reduced.
All this aside, Yeonhwa has become a precious connection to me since I returned to Earth.
She endlessly trusts and believes in me, even when I act like a ticking time bomb, and it was ultimately because of her that I received my temporary hunter qualification and broadcasting permit from the government.
I know Yeonhwa probably doesn’t like playing in open spaces like this, so I had deliberately avoided contacting her, but looking back, it was wrong to just leave her, who worked so hard for me, while we went and had our fun.
“But did I even say I was coming here? How did you find us, Bingoo? Chomp chomp.”
“Well, there are ways to know everything.”
“Really?”
Considering we’re in the hunter age of 2088, there’s certainly technology available to track locations if you set your mind to it.
Moreover, since Yeonhwa is both our legal guardian and surety, even if I moved somewhere, it’s possible that my location could be sent to Yeonhwa’s smartwatch in real time.
In the meantime, Yeonhwa took out more Wyvern Egg Mayo sandwiches and handed them to Menelapie.
“Menelapie, please eat. It feels wrong to eat alone, but it will be more delicious if we eat together.”
Eating alone feels wrong, huh? But it’s more delicious together.
For some reason, hearing Yeonhwa’s words made Menelapie’s expression relax a bit.
After a moment of contemplation, Menelapie accepted the sandwich Yeonhwa offered.
“Huhuh, I see. Yes. It is tastier when eating together. That goes for anything.”
Then Menelapie took a big bite of the Egg Mayo.
It seems the taste was quite good as she was even smiling lightly.
“See? Isn’t it delicious?”
“Yeah… It seems I’ve overindulged a bit. I apologize for that.”
“No worries. Everyone can have a little greed.”
“Greed? What’s that greed? Let me in on it.”
“There’s something like that.”
“Yeah, there is. Shia.”
What? They’re just sharing their own little secret…
But honestly, I didn’t really want to know.
I figured knowing would be a little frightening.
Yeah, let’s hypnotize it away.
I’m a mushroom.
A magical mushroom…
“Chomp chomp…”
I’m a magical mushroom eating Egg Mayo sandwiches…
○○○○
In 2088, Gamji Beach was a government-owned beach forbidden for civilian access, but in other words, that meant anyone with an F-grade Hunter license could enter.
When Shia arrived early in the morning to stake out a spot on the beach, no one was there, but around noon, people began to appear one by one.
They were all Awakened Ones.
The reasons for the Awakened or Hunters visiting the beach varied, but most were fairly well-off individuals.
Some took vacations for themselves after tirelessly conquering dungeons and hunting monsters. Others were there to create cherished memories with family and friends.
However, among them were some who had quite impure motives.
“Oh… look at that. That body… Oh, she’s with her husband?”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Hey, everyone here is an Awakened. If the husband gets red-eyed, that could be trouble.”
Three guys who looked just like characters from a comic book called Golden Sun were there. They had sun-kissed brown skin from tanning, dyed blonde hair, and an impressive muscular build with tattoos scattered across their bodies.
“Dude, it wouldn’t matter in another beach, but if things go south here, someone could end up dead, so we need to be careful this time.”
The three Golden Suns were D-grade Hunters who dropped out of the Hunter Academy in Busan.
Normally, guys who couldn’t graduate from the academy should be working hard, imbuing the values of life and labor into their skin, but these guys were literally born to be delinquents.
Having been labeled troublemakers since elementary school, they hung out together every day, causing all sorts of incidents. They even got expelled for getting one of the female students pregnant during middle school after getting into trouble.
By chance or luck, these three Golden Suns managed to enter the Hunter Academy due to their slight talents as Awakened Ones, but their nature as delinquents didn’t change easily, and they continued to throw themselves at female students in the academy.
Since their looks weren’t bad, they kept swapping partners and were careless with their training as Awakened, and eventually, it led to dropping out of the academy. They couldn’t get their Hunter licenses to enter dungeons, nor did they have the skills to take out Goblin nests, but it seemed they had figured out some means of survival.
Actually, saying they had a “means of survival” might be misleading.
Their delinquent lifestyle hadn’t changed one bit.
The way the three Golden Suns managed to survive was simple.
It was hunting.
“Oh, the OL I hit on last year at Haeundae was sizzling…”
“Didn’t you swipe her card for 6 million won and get kicked out?”
“No, that’s fine as long as I played with her a bit at night, but the reason I got caught was because I bought a SharpRings handbag.”
“A handbag? Why would you buy a handbag?”
“With SharpRings, even a palm-sized handbag costs more than a million won, right?”
“No, there was this super pretty married woman looking all lonely on the beach, so I flirted with her, and when I presented that bag at night, she just fell for me. I had plans for two straws…”
“Idiot. Instead of buying a bag, why not just go down on her and you’d have two straws ready.”
The survival methods of the three Golden Suns revolved around hunting women and leeching off their lives like parasites.
They would charm or coerce women, sometimes subtly, sometimes brazenly, and spend the night with them, leaving unforgettable memories on their bodies while living off the cards and money of the women they hunted.
Their targets varied every time.
Sometimes they’d hunt groups of girls hanging out at the beach. They’d entice them for a fun time during the day and hope to go to their lodgings at night for meals and sleep, aiming to leave them unable to satisfy anyone other than the Golden Suns.
“Haa… why does it feel awkward here?”
“Should we have just gone to Haeundae?”
“Someone reported us at Haeundae, so the cops are around. If we get caught, it’s a hassle.”
“So what? We spent all our money getting here. If we don’t land a hunt, we’ll be sleeping on the street tonight.”
“What? You have no money? I thought we could all pull together and get a motel room.”
“…Then we just have to make sure to land something.”
“Hey, don’t you have money from your A-grade Hunter girlfriend?”
“Sunmi? You know how clingy she is, right? If I swipe my card for a motel in Busan, she’ll go on a rampage asking why I’m here.”
“Well, it feels like the straw’s being shoved in, not the other way around.”
“What can I do? She’s the richest girl I know.”
With impure thoughts in mind, the three Golden Suns began eagerly seeking their prey.
However, Gamji Beach was accessible only to Awakened Ones.
The basic foot traffic wasn’t high, and even if there were people, most would be there with their families, making it hard to find suitable targets.
The most promising targets would be groups of girls hanging out.
If only they could coax them for a 3:3 meetup for fun, they could joke around during the day and head to their lodgings at night, having meals and possibly ensuring they’d be satisfied only by the Golden Suns.
Haa… is there no suitable girl…?
“Hey, look over there.”
“Where… Oh, that’s an ajumma. Since when were you into that?”
“Dude, check out the girl behind her.”
Pft. What?
The lead Golden Sun strained his eyes to see what his companions were pointing at, and he saw a blonde girl and… a silver or blue-haired girl?
Their back views looked like a pass.
Could you turn your head a bit?
Let me see that face…….
“Wow, damn….”
The lead Golden Sun exclaimed, triggering the others to enhance their vision and focus.
Just the glowing blonde hair alone suggested that the girl was definitely a knockout.
But the glimpse of her profile was as stunning as gold itself.
A glance at her side profile confirmed she was a beauty.
At least, she was far more outstanding than the typical top-tier girls they’d seen while hunting.
Her skin looked healthy and smooth, she had a tall, model-like figure, attractive hips that seemed perfect for childbearing, and above all… an absurdly pretty, well-shaped chest.
With a chest like that, it seemed it would easily be over 120-130!
“Wow… this is the biggest breast I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Is that real…? But her waist looks so well-defined? Freaking hot, dude…”
“Oh wow, that’s really insane… Hey, the girl next to her may have slightly smaller breasts, but she’s gorgeous too.”
A first-rate…
No, an exceptional, extraordinary hunting target was right there.
With her noble skin and appearance, it was obvious she came from a wealthy background, and the blue-haired girl beside her also had a well-shaped body with a chic look.
But the more chic someone looks, the easier they fold under sensual pleasures.
They were the perfect “strong exterior but soft interior” type.
“Should we go for it?”
“She looks like a Hunter, though?”
“So? Are you scared?”
“Not a chance.”
With their target decided, the three Golden Suns walked up confidently to the blonde and blue-haired girls.
It would have been perfect if they had one more with them for a 3:3, but whatever. Two against one would work just fine too.
“Hey, ladies, you look a bit lonely over there.”
“Are you two on a trip together? Looks fun…”
“We can spice things up! We’re confident we can make it more enjoyable~”
Bbbzzzzt!
Something felt off.
Just hearing their voice sent a chill down my spine.
‘Oh please, they’re just girls. They’ll act all tough at first but end up under me; it’s the natural order of things.’
‘Hey, hey, don’t even think of leaving unscathed!’
‘It’s getting hot in here!’
○○○○○○
“Menelapie! Yeonhwa! I came out… huh, what’s this?”
What’s going on?
I had gotten an extra sunbed and parasol from the beach management office, and I saw three kelp that looked like hair half-buried in the sand.
They weren’t there earlier…
And they were golden, at that?
“Oh? Are there such seaweeds now? They truly look like hair…”
“Yeah, it’s a type of golden tanning seaweed found in nearby waters. They say it entered through a gate that opened in the sea? Or rather, it should be called extraterrestrial species in this case.”
Golden tanning seaweed…?
What an odd name…
“Oh? Would this be tasty for seaweed soup?”
At that remark, both Yeonhwa and Menelapie smiled slightly.
For some reason, their smiles felt rather eerie, like someone who had just buried a person.
“That’s not edible at all; it would taste terrible.”
“Huh, why not? Is it inedible? Does it have poison or something?”
“No, it’s not poisonous. I heard a story about someone who tried a seaweed salad made from it, but it was so tough that they couldn’t chew it, so they gave up. In fact, the city of Busan has a policy to dispose of or eliminate golden tanning seaweed, as it can harm native species.”
“Oh, I see?”
“Even if it’s not poisonous, it would probably feel super dirty and gross. Come on, Shia, instead of that, I can go near here to buy some tasty meat, and how about we grill it together for dinner?”
Right, if we’re at the beach, grilling a lot of meat on an outdoor grill would definitely be way tastier than eating seaweed soup.
“Well then, let’s just dispose of this in accordance with the Busan City policy.”
“Huh? You really don’t have to touch anything that might be dirty…”
“Shia?”
Crack!
Zzbzt!
“……!!!!”
“…..!?!?”
What’s going on? When I pulled up the seaweed, it felt like actually pulling out hair!
What a strange sensation.
“This isn’t just seaweed, is it? The insides seem smooth like a sea urchin with its spikes pulled out.”
Is it because it’s foreign? The seaweed part started wriggling a bit when I pulled it out, which felt a little bizarre.
However, Menelapie and Yeonhwa both turned their heads, as if they were stifling laughs at my expense.
And the atmosphere lightened up considerably.
Just moments ago, it felt like there was a bit of a chill in the air when Yeonhwa arrived, but now it felt considerably hotter and even better than usual.
“Huh, pff….”
“Huh, pfh…!”
“Huh? What are you laughing about?”
Why are you two laughing? Can’t you at least tell me what’s so funny?
“Haha, it’s nothing… nothing at all, Shia. It’s just that you’re so cute.”
“Eighty-five years old and being called cute feels a bit off…”
“No, Unnie is really cute. I think so too.”
“……”
What is this? It’s not like they’re gossiping…
Being called cute is definitely a compliment, so it should be fine…
Feeling a bit awkward, I threw away the three pieces of golden tanning seaweed into the ocean.
Since I had brought back Yeonhwa’s extra sunbed, now what…
“Then, who wants to go swimming together?”
“Haha, puff… yeah, let’s swim together!”
“Yeah, I also want to go too… puff…! I’ll go along with you…”
Before Mom and Yane come back, it’s time to have some fun in the sea.
By the way, it seems the golden tanning seaweed flew pretty far.
It’s completely submerged in the ocean now and isn’t even visible anymore.
