[TS] Became a Peach Saint – Chapter 203

Whirr! Grrrr!

“Be careful.”

“Got it…”

“One more outburst, and I’ll expand your urethra.”

“Ah, got it.”

As the Ruyi Jingu Bang and chainsaw were thrown into the storage space, Cow Poo’s face visibly relaxed.

—Chik, chik.

“Phew— So, what’s the trouble with me?”

“I didn’t expect you to be this insane…”

Whirr!

“Gasp. No.”

“Phew—”

Scars etched all over his body. The occasional glint of madness in his eyes. Clearly, he’s not in his right mind.

He’s not just overwhelmed by surging emotions—he’s addicted to them. I don’t know what happened, but if it weren’t for this, his mind probably wouldn’t have held up.

“At your age, still drowning in emotions?”

“……”

Every divine being he meets is worn out by boredom, desperately seeking joy like a thirsty deer.

“Why are you all trapped here?”

“Can’t say.”

“Figured as much.”

One thing’s for sure—they’re not here by choice.

“Phew—”

Cigarette smoke rises toward the clear sky.

“Got anything you like?”

My question seems out of the blue, as he blinks his big eyes.

“Food, I mean.”

“Food?”

When I nod at Hercules’ question, his eyes fill with contemplation.

The natural scenery here is nice, but aside from a single cabin, there’s nothing but grass and trees.

Just like with Son Goku, this place seems perfect for losing your mind.

“…Meat.”

“What?”

He mumbles so softly it’s hard to hear.

“Speak up. Louder.”

“I like meat.”

To maintain that insane muscle mass, regular meat probably won’t cut it.

“Cow Poo.”

“It’s Hercules.”

“Yeah, Cow Poo. Go get some wood. I’ll grill some meat for you.”

“Meat?”

“Yeah. Grilled over firewood tastes better. Hurry up and get the wood.”

Hercules, sitting on a rock, awkwardly gets up.

“Suddenly eating a meal?”

“You’re super stressed. Eating good food can help relieve stress.”

You can’t give mentally unstable friends too much time to think. In a place like this, dwelling on thoughts will only make things worse.

“There’s nowhere to get ingredients here.”

“I’ll handle that. Hurry up.”

“Got it.”

Hercules, towering and massive, picks up an axe by the cabin and heads into the forest.

Meanwhile, I’ll prepare the food.

A spicy soup to go with the meat seems good—it’ll help relieve stress.

As I pull out a bunch of cooking tools from the storage space, the area gets cluttered.

For the soup base, anchovies and kelp. I add water and ingredients to the pot to make the broth.

While the broth simmers, I take out a ton of chicken breast, a staple for gym-goers worldwide. With his size, he’ll eat a ton.

I mash the chicken breast, mix in onion, salt, pepper, and minced garlic, then add starch to make the mixture.

The seasoning is a bit light.

If you want, you can add some oyster sauce.

Boom! Crash!!

While cooking, a loud noise echoes from afar. It seems Hercules is also busy chopping wood.

Meanwhile, just make round meatballs from the dough and drop them into the rich broth.

Plop! Plop!

One by one, the meatballs sink into the broth.

The broth has already been deeply infused with anchovies and kelp, so just season it with anchovy sauce for flavor.

Slurp.

“Mmm, nice.”

The seasoning is good. Now, just slice some Cheongyang chili peppers for a spicy kick and let it boil until the meatballs are cooked. That’s it—a clear chicken breast meatball soup with an anchovy broth base.

Thud!

“Put it down gently, you’re kicking up dust.”

“Ah. Sorry.”

Turning my head at the loud noise, I see Hercules has brought a huge pile of firewood.

Enough to roast dozens of cows whole and still have leftovers.

Hercules seems excited too.

“Phew— Phew— Ah, hot.”

“Ah.”

After scooping some broth and a meatball onto a spoon and handing it over, Hercules, who had been blinking, opens his mouth.

All our kids seem to have big mouths.

Hercules’ eyes widen as he puts the meatball soup in his mouth.

“Delicious!”

“Right? Light a fire with the firewood. Let’s grill some meat too.”

“Leave it to me.”

Hercules, who had been hunched over eating, suddenly stands up, thumps his chest twice, and heads toward the pile of firewood.

Picking up two thick logs, Hercules starts doing something strange.

Crack! Crack!

“·····?”

Suddenly, he starts rubbing the two logs together.

Whoosh!

Within seconds, flames burst from the logs.

“Is that… Basic Magic Fire····?”

“Yep.”

“Impressive.”

I give him a thumbs-up, and Hercules returns the gesture.

For some reason, I feel like we’ve bonded internally.

“Raise it high enough so the flames don’t reach, and put a grill on top.”

“Got it.”

Hercules starts stacking large rocks nearby, and a stand is quickly completed.

“Come out, Hanwoo double ribs.”

“Ooh····.”

“Gorgeous, right?”

****

“Burp.”

“Did that help relieve some stress?”

“Thanks to you.”

Even a 2L bottle of cola looks like a can in Hercules’ hand.

—Sip, sip.

“Phew— Wanna smoke?”

I offer a cigarette, but Hercules shakes his head.

“It’s bad for your health.”

“Really? My teacher used to smoke a lot.”

Just looking at him, he seems like a true fitness enthusiast.

“Your teacher? That monkey you mentioned earlier?”

“Yep.”

“You’ve got a great teacher.”

“True.”

After that, a brief silence falls.

Only the sound of the wind rustling through the tall grass feels pleasant.

“Phew—”

“I’ll teach you my skills.”

I thought he was quietly organizing his thoughts, but out of nowhere, he drops this line.

Here it comes.

“We agreed to give a reward.”

“Never mind. I’m already learning a lot, so even if I do more, I won’t be able to digest it.”

*Creak.*

As I expressed my refusal, Hercules flexed his muscles and stood up from his seat.

“Learn.”

“I told you not to be obsessed. I’ll shove spicy meatball soup up your nose.”

“Th-that’s not necessary.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“I’m as strong as a monkey.”

Hercules, radiating a wild aura, locked eyes with me.

“What weapon do you use?”

Without answering, he went to the cabin behind and brought back a bunch of stuff, dumping it all out.

*Ding!*

───

[Olive Wood Club]

Grade: Normal

───

[Olive Wood Bow]

Grade: Normal

───

[Steel Axe]

Grade: Normal

───

[Steel Spear]

Grade: Normal

───

The information about the items Hercules dumped appeared before my eyes.

All of them were utterly ordinary. Not something a hero praised by many would use.

“Weapons are just secondary tools to extend your attack range.”

Hercules seemed to know what I was thinking as he responded.

Son Goku once said, “He’s a specialist in bare-handed martial arts. If you can learn from him, do it.”

With that short answer, Hercules stood up and faced the opposite direction.

“True strength comes from a robust body.”

Hercules slowly pushed his fist into the air.

Slow.

Too slow.

But his fist carried an incomprehensible force.

As Hercules’ slow punch reached its end, my vision suddenly brightened.

*Beep—*

A loud ringing echoed in my ears.

The storm, which seemed like it would never end, finally subsided after Hercules, standing in front of me, absorbed the aftermath like a tidal wave.

“We start with muscle training.”

“···Is this really what muscle training is supposed to be?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t like getting all pumped up.”

“My muscle training isn’t about building bulky muscles. It’s about compressing them.”

How much did this muscle monster compress to end up like that?

Both this guy and that guy are out of their minds.

At times like this, a sharp remark is needed to snap them back to reality.

“Got it, Master.”

***

Opening my tightly shut eyes, I see a white cotton ball rolling around and playing.

In front of it, an angel resembling sunlight is peacefully devouring a cake.

The reverse culture shock hits hard—it feels like I’ve returned from hell.

“Where did you go without saying a word?”

“I was… working out a bit…”

“What kind of workout leaves your face like that? You’re pale as a ghost, almost dead.”

“My PT trainer is a muscle monster.”

I plop down next to Haetnimu, and my whole body aches belatedly.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

Haetnimu stares at me, her lips smeared with chocolate.

“Hey, kid.”

*Slurp.*

I lick the chocolate off her lips, and she flicks her tongue over them.

*Tap tap.*

Haetnimu pats her knee.

“If you’re tired, lie down.”

She slowly pulls my head toward her. Lying on her soft lap, drowsiness washes over me.

“Ugh… I hate muscles…”

“What on earth did you do to end up like this?”

Haetnimu gently strokes my hair.

“I don’t want to think about it. I’ll rest a bit and then tackle the next floor.”

“Do as you please.”

***

“The first floor’s test is notoriously difficult.”

“Oh-ho.”

“The content varies, but the theme is consistent: facing your weak self.”

“I’ll breeze through it and come back.”

“Take care of yourself.”

As I step into the portal before me, the surroundings change in an instant.

“Ugh!”

Losing my balance, I stagger, and the ground rushes up to my nose.

“What is this?”

“Tiny!”

“Huh?”

***