Hawaii, USA
Gulp. Gulp. .
With no more food left in Hawaii, the giant leech decided to return to the sea in search of other prey. Its direction was toward the mainland USA.
Just then,
“We have reached the destination.”
Five C-17 transport aircraft appeared over the skies of Hawaii.
And then,
“We will commence the food drop.”
From the transport planes, a vast number of blood tanks filled with blood were dropped to the ground. Some of the blood tanks broke open during the fall, spilling blood, but this was somewhat intentional.
Gulp. Gulp.
The giant leech, sensing the smell of blood, changed its direction. It swallowed the blood tanks that had fallen to the ground. 𝘪𝑎.𝒸𝘰
And then,
Crush.
It powerfully constricted the tanks, bursting them open, and absorbed the blood inside.
“Operation successful. We have confirmed the leech has changed its direction. Returning to base.”
The transport planes that carried out the operation changed direction and returned to base.
When the giant leech first appeared, the U.S. military, unable to subdue it by the seaside, bombarded it with thousands of missiles.
Billions of dollars were burned, but the effect was minimal. The giant leech, when hit by missiles, would split into smaller leeches and then recombine into its original form.
Moreover, with no prey left, the leech began moving towards the United States in search of new food.
Without a solution, the U.S. military eventually decided to launch their most powerful weapon, a nuclear missile, at Hawaii and withdrew the surrounding navy.
At that time, bodies drained of blood, like mummies, were discovered elsewhere. On the path passing Hawaii and heading to the mainland of the U.S. It turned out there wasn’t just one giant leech.
The U.S. quickly changed its strategy.
“Let’s lure the enemy to Hawaii and contain them there.”
Thus, they dropped blood in Hawaii, attracting the blood-sensitive leeches to the island. This was also more cost-effective than using missiles, as the price of blood was cheaper.
So, the giant leeches were being “raised” (?) in Hawaii.
***
As they approached the White Castle of the Red Ribbon Kingdom, a vast city surrounding the castle came into view.
Ppyak!
[This is Rabbit City, the capital of the Red Ribbon Kingdom!]
The black rabbit proudly introduced Rabbit City from Sejun’s shoulder. It was indeed something to be proud of. The city, with its buildings of various colors, was beautiful.
Ppyak!
[Rabbit City is home to 1 billion rabbits!]
“1 billion?!”
From the outside, it didn’t seem like there was enough space for so many rabbits, but considering the burrowing nature of rabbits, it quickly made sense.
The city was larger underground than it appeared on the surface.
Ppyak! Ppyak…
[Yes! So…]
Sejun was astonished, and the excited black rabbit continued to explain enthusiastically.
As they arrived at the city entrance while listening to the black rabbit,
Snap!
Four black rabbit soldiers guarding the city’s entrance saluted their king.
Ppyak!
The black rabbit accepted their greeting and entered the city, followed by Sejun. Theo, Cuengi, and the golden bat were all hanging on Sejun, so he just had to walk.
“Wow!”
Sejun marveled again upon entering the city. Countless rabbits were busy selling things, eating, crafting, and doing their various tasks.
If the emotion felt from the outside of the city was beauty, inside, it was vibrant life.
Ppyak!
[Uncle, we’ll tour the city later. First, let me show you the castle!]
“Huh?! Okay.”
Sejun snapped back to reality at the black rabbit’s urging. The black rabbit seemed eager to quickly take Sejun to the castle.
On their way to the castle,
“Black rabbit, wait a moment.”
Sejun called the black rabbit to a halt upon spotting a red crystal in the middle of the vast square in front of White Castle. It was a waypoint.
Ppyak?
[Why?]
“Let’s register at the waypoint first.”
Since one never knows what might happen in life, Sejun decided to register at the waypoint in advance.
As Sejun approached the red crystal and placed his hand on it,
[Waypoint of Tower Floor 55 has been saved.]
A message appeared, confirming the waypoint registration.
“Now let’s go.”
Ppyak! Ppyak!
[Yes! This way!]
The black rabbit led Sejun to the entrance of the White Castle.
Snap!!
The black rabbit soldiers saluted the black rabbit even more solemnly than before. It was clear from their alertness how well trained they were.
Ppyak!
The black rabbit acknowledged the soldiers’ salute and entered.
And then,
Ppyak!
[Summon the escort squad!]
Immediately upon entering, the black rabbit called for a guard squad to protect Sejun.
Dadada.
Snap!
[Your Majesty! Did you call for us?!]
At the black rabbit’s call, ten black rabbits quickly rushed over.
Ppyak!
[These guys will guard Uncle from a distance until the wedding ceremony is over.]
As the black rabbit spoke,
“There’s no need, meow! Puhuhut. Chairman Park is under my protection, meow!”
Krueng! Krueng!
[That’s right! Cuengi will protect Daddy!]
Theo and Cuengi volunteered to be Sejun’s bodyguards.
However,
Ppyak!
[But still, Uncle is weak, so more guards are better!]
“That’s true, meow! Okay, meow!”
Krueng!
[Agreed!]
Convinced by the black rabbit’s reasoning, Theo and Cuengi quickly agreed. Guys, I’ve gotten much stronger, you know? Sejun thought he should show off his strength when he got the chance.
Snap! Snap!
[Sejun~nim, I am Coco, the leader of the escort squad. Please take good care of me!]
“Okay. Coco, I’m counting on you.”
With that, the escort squad assigned to protect Sejun greeted him and
Ppyak!
[Escort squad, form a protective formation!]
Swoosh.
They vanished from sight, using their invisibility skills.
“Eh?! Where did they suddenly go?”
Sejun was bewildered by the sudden disappearance of the black rabbits.
“Puhuhut. Can’t Chairman Park see them, meow? They are here, and there, and over there, meow!”
Krueng!
[Daddy, they are also behind you and that pillar over there!]
Theo and Cuengi, able to detect even high-level stealth, informed Sejun of the hidden guards’ locations.
Ppyak! Ppyak!
[Let’s go! I’ll give you a tour of the castle with the family!]
The black rabbit led Sejun to where the mother and father rabbits brought by Theo from Tower 99th floor were and began a full-fledged tour of the castle.
Three hours later,
Rumble.
As Cuengi’s stomach rumbled, the black rabbit guided Sejun and his group to the dining hall.
And then the food arrived.
“Chairman Park! It’s grilled fish, meow!”
Theo immediately pointed to the grilled fish with his front paw as he found it. As he couldn’t leave Sejun’s lap, it was a sign for Sejun to move towards the grilled fish.
“Alright.”
As Sejun approached the grilled fish,
Krueng!
[It smells delicious!]
Dadada.
Cuengi, not being fixated on Sejun’s lap, ran towards the sweet-smelling food and started eating without peeling it.
Crunch. Crunch.
A fruit with a golden peel, sweet juice, and a crispy texture. It was a pear.
Slurp. Slurp.
(Pip-pip. It’s tasty!)
Next to Cuengi, the golden bat had flown over and was sucking the juice of the pear with its teeth.
“There’s a lot of delicious food.”
Sejun also began to eat while looking around at the various dishes.
“Oh! Fried eggs!”
The first dish Sejun tried was fried eggs. The yolk was runny, a perfect sunny-side-up.
Technically, it wasn’t a chicken egg, but it tasted just like a fried egg.
Munch. Munch.
As Sejun tasted various dishes,
Glug. Glug.
A cup was placed, and the servers poured a black, hot liquid into Sejun’s cup.
“Could this be coffee?”
Sejun, smelling the fragrance from the cup, was surprised. Coffee with a scent of caramel, floral fragrance, and several other aromas.
It had a rich and diverse aroma that tickled Sejun’s nose, being incomparable to instant coffee.
Ppyak!
[We were lucky to find it! I’ll pack some for you when you leave!]
“Okay. Thanks.”
Pleased by the black rabbit’s words, Sejun began to enjoy his coffee in earnest.
Slurp.
A sweet taste of chocolate grazed his tongue, followed by a heavy bitterness that balanced the flavors.
Gulp.
Finally, a refreshing hint of lemon neatly cleansed his palate. A single sip of coffee encapsulated an entire narrative of flavors.
“Wow.”
Whether it was the strong caffeine compared to instant coffee or the taste itself, Sejun felt a sense of fullness and his spirit brightened after just one sip.
“Yeah. This is real coffee.”
Sejun, having enjoyed a truly satisfying cup of coffee for the first time in a while, happily continued his coffee time.
Then,
Peep!
[Excuse me!]
A soldier entered and quietly approached the black rabbit to start reporting.
Ppyak?!
[Again?!]
Peep! Peep…
[Sorry! Even though we strengthened the guard…]
Ppyak! Ppyak!
[Understood! Keep the scene preserved; I’ll be right there!]
It seemed to be a murder case from the conversation.
Peep!
[Yes!]
The soldier quickly left the dining hall, and
Ppyak. Ppyak.
[Sorry, Uncle. I think I need to go deal with this first.]
“Yeah. Don’t worry about me, go do what you need to.”
Ppyak!
[Then I’ll see you at dinner tonight!]
The black rabbit hurriedly left the dining hall.
And once the meal was over,
“But where is the food storage?”
Sejun asked a servant about the location of the food storage. He wanted to deliver the rice noodles.
Then,
Peep!
[I’ll guide you there!]
Coco, the leader of the escort squad, revealed himself from stealth and led Sejun to the food storage. Coco guided Sejun through a door used by the servants bringing out food.
Upon passing through the door, a vast kitchen appeared, bustling not only with rabbits but also with chefs of various species employed by the Red Ribbon Kingdom.
Peep!
[This way!]
Coco led Sejun across the kitchen to a door at the end, revealing a massive food storage area.
Upon arriving at the storage,
Peep! Peep!
[This is Sejun~nim, the King’s uncle! Give him whatever he needs!]
Coco introduced Sejun to the storage managers and
Swoosh.
vanished again, continuing to guard Sejun.
Ppip?
[Sejun~nim, what do you need?]
The storage manager, thinking Sejun needed something, asked.
But,
“I want to store this here to use at the black rabbit’s wedding. Cuengi, please take out the rice noodles.”
It was the opposite.
Krueng!
[Got it!]
Clank.
As Sejun opened the void storage, Cuengi began to take out the rice noodles.
Ppip?!
The storage manager was confused by the unexpected situation when,
“Who are you? I haven’t seen you before.”
A voice came from below Sejun.
“Huh?”
As Sejun looked down,
“Puhuhut. Well, if you must know, I am the Deadly Dragon Clawed, Yellow cat and subordinate of the great Black Dragon, Theo Park, meow!”
Theo introduced himself to the golden furball.
But,
“Puhuhup! You should know how to lie if you’re going to scam someone.”
The golden furball, a sheep, laughed at Theo. It was covered in so much wool that its true form was hidden.
“Meow?! What do you mean by scam, meow? I’m not a scammer, meow!”
“You’re impersonating the famous Mr. Theo Park, baa. And he’s not a yellow cat; he’s a golden cat, baa.” (TL: baa = sheep sound in English)
While Theo had become famous as the golden cat through the Legendary Merchant Uren’s efforts,
“Meow?! I am a golden cat, meow?”
Theo himself was unaware of this nickname.
“No, not that, baa. If you keep impersonating him, you might get into trouble if you meet the real Theo Park or Minotaur King.”
The golden sheep warned Theo to stop impersonating himself as it could get him in trouble later, a rather ironic situation.
“Puhahaha!”
Sejun couldn’t help but laugh at the situation,
“What?! Are you laughing at my consideration, baa?!”
The golden sheep was angered, feeling its concern was being mocked.
Crackle.
Blue sparks began to fly from the golden furball’s wool. ‘Am I so easy to mock?’ Sejun felt unjustly aggrieved. ‘I can produce sparks too!’
Just as Sejun was about to step in,
Peep! Peep!
[Stop! Legendary Merchant Mimyr~nim!]
The escort squad surrounded the Legendary Merchant Mimyr to protect Sejun. They couldn’t get too close because of the intense sparks.
Just then,
Thud. Thud.
Thump.
Cuengi slowly approached and nonchalantly grabbed the fiercely sparking Mimyr’s chest wool, effectively holding it by the scruff.
Krueng?!
[Did you just get angry at my dad?!]
*****
TL: Which one should I use for Mimyr:
1) baa
2) meh
*****
4/5
This content is taken from 𝑖𝘦.𝒸𝘰𝑚