Chapter 202

Let’s rewind a bit. Back to the start of the contest.

“Between these two, I intend to take one with me.”

After Goma and Hwan left for hunting, I said this while looking at the two chieftains.

“And just who do you think you are, saying you’ll take one of these two?”

The tiger tribe chieftain replied with a slight air of discontent.

“May I inquire about the reason for such a request?”

In contrast, the bear tribe chieftain responded quite respectfully.

Hmm. The attitude of the tiger tribe chieftain doesn’t sit well with me… but it wouldn’t be right to judge everything based on that alone.

“I have special use for capable individuals, and these two seem suitable. It’s for an extremely important task, so your understanding would be appreciated.”

“That child knows nothing but fighting.”

“That child is a likely candidate for our next chieftain, so taking them would be inconvenient.”

Both chieftains rejected my proposal with their own reasons.

Hmm. Well, I kind of expected this. Especially since these two were said to be the strongest in their respective tribes.

They wouldn’t hand over such individuals easily.

“Hmm… I was planning to take the loser of the contest, but if you keep arguing like this, won’t there be problems once the two tribes merge?”

Two people of equal ability. One is the winner, the other the loser. How troublesome it would be to keep both within the same tribe—surely you understand without needing an explanation.

Equal power often breeds conflict.

“That’s….”

“It’s true, but….”

Neither of the chieftains could deny my words. They seemed to agree with themselves.

“So, here’s a proposal you can’t refuse.”

“A proposal we can’t refuse…?”

“Who exactly do you think you are to say such things?”

The tiger tribe chieftain continued to distrust me.

Well, judging by appearance alone, I suppose it’s understandable why a little squirt talking big might seem irritating.

Thus, it’s crucial to prove oneself through ability.

“Roughly speaking, I descended from up there.”

With a flick of my hand, the three of us found ourselves high up in the sky in the blink of an eye.

“What, what is this?!”

“It’s so… high!”

“You don’t need to worry about falling. My power keeps us floating in mid-air.”

Though the two middle-aged men flailed their arms comically in the air, I made no outward sign of amusement. Mocking potential trading partners would only cause trouble.

So, let me reiterate the proposal: Will you hand over the loser of the contest to me? Of course, it’s not free.

I smiled as I spoke.

High above, with no foothold, the two middle-aged men floating in mid-air would surely find it impossible to refuse my offer.

Refusing would be the real wonder.

“If you accept my proposal, I will bestow a blessing upon the winner.”

“A blessing…?”

“The blessing of the heavens!”

“The specifics of the blessing will be up to you to decide. What do you say? Will you accept this proposal?”

The two chieftains began to deliberate after my words, and after a brief moment:

“We’ll accept. If we win, that’s all that matters!”

“Though the burden of losing is great, the gain from winning is even greater. There’s no reason not to do it.”

The two chieftains showed firm resolve. Winning means reducing the risk factor of the merged tribe and gaining the blessings of the heavens—a significant benefit indeed.

Losing, on the other hand… well, it’s just a big loss.

Anyway, at the point of defeat, the merger of the tribes would already be ruined. Adding a few more conditions wouldn’t make much of a difference, would it?

Anyway, thus… the two chieftains placed a huge bet on the outcome of the contest.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

And so, the two chieftains gambled heavily on the contest.

“1 win, 1 loss…! We cannot afford to lose this final contest!”

“Hang in there, Goma! Everything hinges on your victory!”

With the desperate cheers of the two chieftains behind them, the two beastmen prepared for the final contest.

“The final contest will be… a test of patience.”

“A test of patience…?”

“What exactly does that mean…?”

Well, patience is just an excuse, but.

“Before we begin, tell me what food you dislike the most.”

“Pardon? The food you dislike the most?”

“And why ask that suddenly?”

“I have a use for it. And don’t lie—I can tell if you do.”

At my words, Goma made a slightly startled expression. Surprisingly cunning. Perhaps his seemingly naive image is just that—an image.

After all, bears are quite intelligent animals.

“I… Hmm. Honestly, there’s nothing I can’t eat, but if I had to choose… mugwort, maybe. I don’t like the smell of mugwort.”

Ah. Mugwort. Good thing I prepared plenty of it just in case.

For a moment, I wondered if Hwan disliked garlic.

“I hate all vegetables…”

Ah, guess not. Garlic hasn’t been introduced here yet, has it?

One can’t dislike ingredients they’ve never encountered.

“But if I had to pick… wild chives bother me. That pungent smell before they’re turned into greens…”

Wild chives? The ones pickled and eaten with meat?

Oh, right. There’s no soy sauce here, so no pickles either.

I quickly checked wild chives via Wiki… Hmm… What’s this?

Mountain garlic? So wild chives were a nickname, and the real name is mountain garlic?

What is this? Ultimately, it’s still mugwort and garlic, albeit a different kind of garlic.

“Well then… for the test of patience, endure inside a deep cave eating only the foods you dislike.”

“Eww… So that’s why you asked about the foods we dislike?”

Goma’s face crumpled instantly. Is it really that bad?

Well, considering how much he eats, being forced to eat only disliked foods must be tough.

“That’s right. The one who endures the longest in the deep cave eating only disliked foods wins.”

In the Dangun Mythology, tigers were given mugwort and garlic to eat, but honestly, that’s way too unfair.

Bears are omnivores, but tigers are carnivores. It’s impossible for tigers from the start.

Therefore, I’ll prepare each with their own disliked foods!

“If either escapes the cave or collapses unconscious, it counts as a loss. Are you ready?”

At my words, both Goma and Hwan nodded. Hmm… their determined gazes show strong resolve.

But first.

“To ensure fairness, we shouldn’t start with full bellies. Equal conditions are necessary.”

Due to the previous contests, both were quite full.

I placed my hands on their shoulders and pushed magical energy into their bodies, extracting the excess nutrients until only the minimum remained.

In the process, the formerly plump Goma became slimmer—but that’s trivial. Yes, trivial.

“What is this?”

“It needs to be fair. This contest should be separate from the previous ones.”

“Ahh… Oh…”

Goma touched his abdomen regretfully. Hmm. Did he like his chubby belly?

Personally, I think slimmer looks better now.

“Well then, let’s head into the cave.”

Which of the bear and the tiger will emerge victorious from the cave?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Facing rice cakes made from mugwort, wild chive greens, and plain rice, Goma and Hwan sighed deeply.

Still, with no other options, both somehow managed to force down their disliked foods for the sake of the contest.

Even if just a little longer.

To outlast the other.

As days passed, time flowed on.

Despite losing track of time in the dark cave, both tried their hardest to endure.

But after passing the 20-day mark, their limits arrived.

Driven to extremes, Hwan’s human intelligence gradually faded, replaced by the instincts of a beast. He started baring his fangs bit by bit.

Perhaps being closer to a beast than a human caused this problem.

“Grrrr…”

Following his instincts, Hwan lunged at the weak-looking Goma sitting across from him.

“That’s enough.”

Appearing right above the beast-like Hwan, I pinned him down.

“Kyaahh!!!”

“Calm down now.”

Holding down Hwan beneath me, he could only scream helplessly.

“Eat this first.”

I conjured a well-cooked piece of meat and fed it to him. Normally, feeding fatty meat to someone starving isn’t ideal, but Hwan’s issue wasn’t hunger—it was mental exhaustion reaching its limit.

Instinctively chewing the meat placed in his mouth, Hwan began devouring the large piece.

Hmm. Looking at him now… he seems more like a big cat.

As Hwan consumed the piece of meat, the wildness in his eyes subsided, and reason returned.

“So, the final contest is won by Goma. Let’s go out now.”

After enduring over 20 days on mugwort rice cakes, Goma let out a weak cheer.

Indeed, being unable to eat freely is incredibly difficult.

“Hwan. Now that you’ve regained your senses, let’s go out. The contest is decided.”

Regaining his senses, Hwan could only hang his head weakly.