Surviving in the 121st Century - Chapter 6



Only Noblemtl

Episode 6

*

Atukai said.

“There’s no need for you to come forward. Really.”

But Jincheol pretended not to hear what he said and stood in front of the bonfire lit on the floor.

He was fiddling with something. Around him were small bows and firearms used by camponi.

There were sticks, spears, and other things rolling around. Another camp

The ponies gathered what little weapons they could from the village.

“My worry right now is whether my child is still alive.”

Jincheol said that without even raising his head and moving his hand. Atukai sighed.

Exhaled.

“···These people enjoy gourmet food. Anything else would be a delicacy to them. Probably now.

I’m sure they’ll try to cook the best they can. I’d expect it to be different for freshness.

“I guess it will be much later before I stop breathing.”

“But it won’t last past tonight, will it?”

“I think it’ll be okay until the moon rises···”

Jincheol raised his head. Beyond the dense bamboo houses, the swinging bridge, and the thick foliage

I could see the early evening sky turning dark blue.

“I guess I have to hurry.”

His hands became even faster. The process of cutting the string with the arrowhead and finishing it with pine resin

He passed by in a flash. Atukai’s eyes saw several dull bows under his hand.

It looked like they were clumped together to form a thick wooden club.

“Are you trying to pull that?”

“I made it roughly, but the bow is not as strong as I thought. My concern is that this is too much.

“I wonder how many arrows I have to shoot before it breaks.”

Jincheol’s hand bent the thick wooden club and held it. His hand was finished.

He pulled the bow once, and the bow and string made a sound like a patter in Atukai’s eyes.

was seen.

“The bow isn’t that strong···?”

Jincheol, who returned the bow to its original state, looked at the arrows scattered on the floor and said,

He picked up the single spear that was next to him.

“Is that a window?”

“I’m going to split the shaft first and then take the arrow feathers off and attach them. I think it will fly well.

“I don’t know.”

His hand movements were quick and concise. The spear was too thin for his hand.

The stone arrowhead was split into long pieces to make a thinner and longer arrow shaft. Then, it was made into the original arrow.

The attached feather was also quickly disassembled and aligned to the end of a new arrow shaft. I saw that.

Atukai said in admiration.

“You’re really talented.”

“After completing my active duty and being drafted again at the end of my mobilization, I will be able to roll around for a few years and get a job.

Even if you don’t want to increase your stock price, it has no choice but to increase. The key is to die in the North.

As time goes by, there is a shortage of supplies, so most things have to be repaired and sewn by hand.”

“Mobilization? Conscription?”

Atukai tilted his head, not understanding what Jincheol was saying. When he saw that, he

It didn’t look much different from rain or anything. Jincheol thought so and finished the bow and the fire.

I cleaned up the flesh. I wonder how useful this improvised weapon will be against those guys called Olog.

I know, but it was much better than chasing them with bare hands.

Atukai blankly stared at Jincheol as he stood up.

“You really···”

Jincheol just smiled and silently organized his bow and clothes. And then

As soon as I finished organizing my clothes, I felt like I was going to run into the forest.

At that sight, Atukai sighed again.

My complicated feelings flowed out in a sigh. It was both gratitude and fear.

It was a breath of old helplessness and sadness at the same time. The little old man was

I moved my hand at the end of my breath.

“···Yes. Then what can this cowardly and mean old man give you?

“It’s just me.”

“yes?”

Atukai, who had been mumbling nonsense, took something out of his waistband.

It was a small, thick object, quite large for a small hand, with a body that was

Half was ivory and half was black, and the surface was intricately and delicately designed to prevent slipping.

The pattern of the rain was faintly engraved in relief.

Overall, the object looked like some kind of handle.

“What is this?”

Atukai answered by holding the handle with both hands and holding it upright in front of his body.

Instead, a long blade appeared at one end of the black and white handle with a clear, sharp sound.

This is the rising one.

“Wow.”

Jincheol opened his eyes wide and looked at the long sword. The handle was as long as Jincheol’s.

It was about half the length of a hand, and the blade was about the length of one arm. It looked to be about 70 or 80 cm.

“Take it. It’s yours now.”

“Huh? This it?”

Atukai held up the shining white blade with both hands and held it out to Jincheol.

“It’s an artifact that has been kept in the village for a long time. There’s no particular name that has been passed down.

“Call it what you will. This is all I can give to the warrior who stands up for us.”

“Is that okay? I’m the type of person who would accept anything you give me without ever turning it down.”

“That’s what I’m giving it to you. My arm hurts, so take it quickly.”

Jincheol picked up the knife. The black and white handle felt good in his hand. Silver

His face was briefly reflected in the blade, which was closer to pure white.

“It’s very light.”

“And it’s sturdy. I’ve sometimes butchered large animals with it, and even when I split the bones, the teeth are fine.

“I’ve never been out.”

“···Was it a slaughter knife?”

Atukkai only shrugged his shoulders in response to Jincheol’s nervous question. Jincheol grabbed his hand.

When I fiddle with it, there is a part where something clicks where my thumb touches.

I realized. When I pressed it, the blade disappeared with a snapping sound. The handle

It went inside.

“The blade length is not right… What should I do?”

“If you knew that, would it be an artifact? You could see the ‘Voice of Etemen’ with your own eyes and see how it works.

Can you understand the food?

“I understand what you mean.”

Either some kind of mystical magic or some kind of incomprehensible super science. Either way, it’s happening now.

It seemed that Jincheol did not understand. Jincheol kept the mysterious sword handle on his belt.

I felt reassured as I got a weapon for close combat as well as long-range combat.

Of course, it would be best if we had a big rifle, more than anything else.

When Jincheol, who had prepared all his weapons, was about to move, an urgent voice came from above.

I heard.

“Wait a minute! I’m going to sleep!”

Jincheol and Atukai’s gaze turned to the stairs. There, Tobi, who was holding a bow and a spear,

Chakai was running towards him in a panic. The guys were surprised to see him with a dagger on his waist.

He was wearing a visible scabbard and crudely made armor made by cutting and pasting thick leather.

“Hey, these guys! What are they trying to do now!”

Atukai, who immediately noticed the situation at the sight of the guys with weapons, blocked their path.

He blocked it. But Toby spoke confidently, even though he was out of breath.

“Chakai knows the way! Doesn’t he?”

“Oh, yes! Oh, I know! I can get there in a minute···!”

“These guys!”

Atukai had a dizzy expression. But Toby’s face was already determined.

Chakai also seemed unwilling to give up, even though he was scared. Both of them were talking.

So it wasn’t the kind of look that would make you want to stop.

Only Jincheol looked at the three camps from behind with interest.

After a brief moment of silence, Atukai, who had been mumbling silently, suddenly swooshed and swooshed.

He looked back. And Jincheol just remained silent instead of saying or doing anything at that gaze.

We just looked each other in the eye.

“···Okay. Go. Go and help Jincheol and save Daramba.”

In the end, Atukai closed his eyes tightly and said that, and Tobi and Chakai had bright expressions.

He quickly got close to Jincheol. Jincheol smiled bitterly. These little Boksils

I wonder if they even know what they are going to do now.

“Anyway, I guess I have a guide.”

“I’ll take the lead! I still remember the way!”

Chakai said that and quickly took the lead. Tobi followed behind him.

Jincheol looked up before following them. Camponi

These large trees, called mother trees, and the beehive-like structures built with these trees as pillars

I could see the bamboo houses attached to each other. And from above, I could see the numerous

There was a gaze.

The camps were looking down on Jincheol. The forest was already dark, so the torches were giving off anxiety.

Only a single flame illuminated their faces, and so they were illuminated on their innocent faces.

Is the rumbling just the flickering of the torch or is it something they have deep in their bones?

I couldn’t tell if it was anxiety or fear.

Jincheol looked up at them for a moment and then turned around without saying a word and headed towards the two camponi leading the way.

Moved.

The back of Jincheol leaving like that was seen from above the tree by numerous camponi, and below the tree

In the darkness of the primeval forest, the elder Atukai was watching.

They were the ones under the bright torches and moonlight, but for some reason they looked even more dazzling.

It seemed like Jincheol was moving towards one place. His back was buried in the darkness.

It seemed like the rock was becoming more distinct.

All the campers there felt that way.

*

Jincheol opened his mouth.

“Do you remember the smell?”

Chakai nodded. The guy went on for a while, then stopped at some point.

was sticking his head out toward the dirt floor and grass and sniffing.

“In the dark like now, I can’t find any traces with my eyes. I can’t even light a torch.”

“That’s true···”

Jincheol looked around while answering like that. In fact, contrary to what he said,

It wasn’t that hard to see the surroundings now. Even in the darkness, the grass and I

I could see things like radish, fallen leaves, vines, and rotting old trees.

It was strange. He knew that his night vision was not this good. Moonlight

It wasn’t that strong either. It was dark under the trees to begin with thanks to the dense forest.

But what is even more strange is that after entering the forest, not only my vision but all my five senses become more and more

It was a point that he was alive and sensitive. Even if he came in during the day, he was clearly more sensitive than this.

It didn’t seem like it would be possible to tell the difference.

“This way.”

Chakai, who had stopped for a moment and sniffed, started moving again. Jincheol said on his own

I followed the guy slowly, feeling a strange sensation in my five senses.

“wait for a sec!”

At that moment, Tobi whispered softly and grabbed the two people. Jincheol’s posture naturally lowered.

He grabbed the arrow with his right hand and hung it on the bow. After that, he quickly looked around.

But, they were the only ones there.

Jincheol asked.

“why?”

But instead of answering, Toby closed his eyes and began sniffing the air. Not just the guy.

Chakai, who was leading the way, also sniffed the air as if he had caught a scent. For a moment.

Toby opened his eyes and whispered.

“It smells delicious!”

“Smells good?”

Even in the darkness, Toby’s eyes sparkled.

“Olog’s cauldron. It must be the smell coming from the cauldron they are boiling in. But the smell of blood

There is none! The other one is still alive!”

At that time, Jincheol could also feel a faint scent brushing his nose. The smell was very strong.

It was a faint but delicious scent that somehow made my mouth water.

“Me too. Can I use this to get my bearings?”

“You said you were in charge of Jincheol too? But Jincheol isn’t a campo, so how can you···”

Chakai, who was licking his nose with his tongue at Jincheol’s words, muttered in surprise. Jincheol was like a dog.

I just thought that they must have a great sense of pride in smelling, as befitting a long-lived race. Instead

Toby answered Jincheol’s words.

“Of course you can find it! It’s this way!”

The two Bok-sils and the former soldier began to move in the darkness. As the jumping began,

Tobi and Chakai sometimes ran on all fours through the midnight primeval forest. That’s how it looked.

They were like wild dogs living in the shadows of the forest.

And Jincheol was the master of those wild dogs. There were countless dogs hidden in the thick grass and darkness.

Silver obstacles blocked his path, but his speed, running with the two camponi,

It didn’t slow down at all. In fact, the more I ran, the faster it got.

There was.

After running through the deep forest as if it were a plain, Jincheol found himself climbing a fairly steep hill.

I realized that there was a view. Then, the view that had been blocked by thick trees and grass opened up.

The moment has come.

“It’s a stone mountain.”

Instead of a tree, a rock appeared, glowing blue in the moonlight. I checked the surroundings.

Jincheol quickly climbed up the rock. He had been climbing up like that from the beginning.

It seemed like a rock called Toby and the car that followed a little later.

Instead of following up, Kai stopped panting.

“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, Jincheol···”

“Heck, hehe… I’m dying….”

Jincheol climbed up on the rock, leaving the two guys panting, and put one knee on the ground.

I sat down and started to quietly check out my surroundings.

Thanks to the high rock, Jincheol could see the entire area at a glance. Of course, there was a dense forest.

Because of the trees, most of what was visible was just the leaves and branches, but Jincheol’s eyes were

It scanned the surroundings clearly without even blinking.

The next moment his eyes widened.

“Found it.”

A red light source, neither moonlight nor starlight, illuminates the branches and leaves at the bottom of the forest.

It was not hard to tell that a fire had been lit, as smoke was rising from it.

Jincheol jumped up and looked at the place. The place where the fire broke out was this dense primitive

It was a place that could be called an empty space among the rims. Thanks to that, he was able to move without any obstructions.

There was a bonfire blooming there, a pot on top of it, and three monsters with bulging muscles.

And then I found Darumba lying tied up in a corner of the empty lot.

“Are you guys all right?”

The appearance of the monsters was truly monster-like. It could only be described as being bizarre.

The large body and muscles were threatening just to look at, and there was not a single hair to be found.

The head was oddly shaped, with a very narrow forehead and extremely low crown.

The eyes and mouth corners are protruding forward, so it looks more like an ape than a human.

He looked like a bald gorilla with a big nose. He was dressed in pants and a leather strap.

If he hadn’t covered his body with something like a scorpion, he would have been considered a primitive man.

But the feature that reveals that they are different from humans more than anything else is their skin color.

Their skin was a deep red, as if covered with red sand, and the light from the campfire

It wasn’t like that, it seemed like the original color was red.

Jincheol lifted his bow and fired an arrow at the bowstring, but he was unable to pull the string.

It was because the distance between the campfire and the rock mountain where he was standing was further than expected. Shoot from here.

It didn’t seem like it would reach, and I wasn’t confident I would be able to.

At that time, Tobi and Chakai came crawling up the rocky mountain.

“Jincheol? What did you find?”

“Over there. I see a bonfire, three Ologs, and Darmbar.”

“Where, where?”

The two camps turned their heads in the direction Jincheol pointed. Both of them raised their heads.

I strained my eyes as I pulled this out. But what they saw was a reddish light.

There were only circles, clumps of dust, and rising smoke.

“Do you see over there, Jincheol?”

“I’m tall.”

“Oh, that, I don’t think it’s a height issue···”

Toby’s words, can you distinguish between the campfire and the people in the distance at this time of night?

However, Jincheol explained that his five senses had become strangely sensitive.

Instead, he grabbed the two guys and spoke to them strongly.

“You guys need to help me.”

“Anything. How can I help you with this?”

“You have to save your friend first. If you attack without thinking, Daramba might get hurt.”

“What are you going to do?”

Jincheol looked at the faces of the two Boksils, sparkling with anxiety and excitement, and then he quickly turned around.

He smiled broadly.

*

A large hand, like a pot lid, opened a real iron pot lid. Then the hand took out a small knife.

He chopped the perilla leaves and other ingredients into small pieces and dropped them into the pot. The sound of them falling was loud and clear.

The sound of the water boiling was soothing.

Then, the pot-lid hand took out the ladle that was hanging on his belt and stirred the inside of the pot.

The owner of the hand took a ladleful of soup and sipped it while the thick steam rose.

“Ugh… uhhhhhhhhh!”

Olog, who tasted the broth, laughed quietly, satisfied. Others heard that laughter.

The two men also approached the pot and leaned forward. Then, Ladle Olog roughly pushed them away.

He said while saying.

“$!#!@! Get out!”

Daramba, who was lying tied up in the corner of the vacant lot, was growling like an animal.

I shivered at the sound. I could understand some of what they were saying, but

I can’t figure out if it’s a difference in vocal organs or if I’m just using the wrong words.

There were more parts that were missing.

“Ugh···”

Daramba curled up, trying hard to hold back the tears that were about to burst out.

I thought that since it looked very small, they might spare it because there was nothing to eat.

The guy never expected the townspeople to come to his rescue in the first place.

Those allogs were too big for that.

But the wish that he would look small and be saved was naturally different.

Betrayed the bar. The ladle Olog, who pushed the other two guys away, turned to Darmbar.

There was a sinister smile on the face of the man with his back to the campfire.

“Eek···”

“Hehehe. !@#!@$. Looks delicious.”

Tears inevitably flowed from Darumba’s eyes.

“Please, spare me… Don’t eat me…”

“Huh? Don’t eat me.”

“Yes, yes···”

“Hahahahaha!”

As the ladle Olog laughed loudly, the other two behind him also laughed. The forest went away.

It was a loud voice.

But the next moment, the ladle Olog stopped laughing and looked at me with eerie eyes.

He said while looking up.

“no.”

“Why, why···?”

“Because I’m hungry.”

The man who said that pulled out a small knife that was tucked into his belt and pointed it at Darmba.

He took a step closer. Daramba’s body froze as he faced the icy blade.

At that moment, an unfamiliar rustling sound echoed through the empty lot.

The eyes of the Ologs followed the sound. There, a man was entering the open space.

There was.

A man appeared, boldly crossing the boundary between darkness and torchlight. He was Jincheol.

KakaoTalk_20240219_171708175.jpg

Author’s Note

The picture is all logs.