“An unidentified voice?”

At Lee Myung-seop’s question, Choi Sungkyun nodded.

“Yes.”

“It could’ve been an auditory hallucination. When a person is on the verge of death, excessive dopamine secretion can cause them to hear things. Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. I definitely heard it. It wasn’t a hallucination.”

Choi Sungkyun’s firm attitude.

Lee Myung-seop stroked his chin, as if deep in thought, and spoke.

“Of all times, the bodycam malfunctioned… Hmm.”

Choi Sungkyun’s bodycam, which could have been a crucial clue, had gone dark. Fortunately, the footage from his team members’ bodycams remained intact.

- This is an order! Get out of there, you bastards!

Recalling Choi Sungkyun’s last moments captured in the bodycam footage, Lee Myung-seop patted him on the shoulder.

“Still, you did well. Go get some rest.”

“Um…”

“Is there something else you want to say?”

“This is just a personal theory, but…”

“What is it? Speak freely.”

“I was wondering if that unidentified voice might be related to the 12-K98 barrier.”

“The 12-K98 barrier?”

“Think about the sequence of events. First, the 12-K98 gate exploded. There was no monster summoning, but a barrier was formed.”

“That’s right.”

“Then, Kim Cheol-jun breached the barrier. Not long after that, an anomaly was detected in the 12-M43 channel. If all of this is just a coincidence… doesn’t it feel suspicious?”

“Hmm, are you suggesting that someone deliberately damaged the sealed channel and gate?”

“Yes.”

Deliberately damaging a sealed channel and gate was a serious international crime.

But it wasn’t exactly well-enforced.

In the past, extremist groups carried out attacks using suicide bombs or mass shootings. Nowadays, they used channels and gates instead.

However, given Korea’s relatively low risk of terrorism, terrorist organizations were not the most likely suspects.

The ones that came to Lee Myung-seop’s mind were Korea’s neighboring countries, who might want to hinder its rise as a nation of awakened beings.

Russia, China, North Korea, Japan.

As these four countries crossed his mind, he let out a small sigh and spoke.

“If your theory is correct, something is going to happen at the 12-M43 channel as well.”

“I believe so. And this time…”

“Hmm?”

“Something far beyond what happened with the 12-K98 gate’s barrier is going to occur.”

“If it’s beyond our imagination, what do you mean?”

“I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but my gut feeling tells me so.”

“A gut feeling… The intuition of an awakened can be terrifying at times. We’d better be fully prepared.”

As it turned out, Choi Sungkyun’s intuition was spot on.

Something truly extraordinary was happening at the 12-M43 channel.

Kiik! Kiiiiiik!

Across the vast grasslands, the Dekantos were freely running about.

From above, the Arutus circled the sky, their cries eerie, as if they found the Dekantos' behavior disgraceful. Then, they flapped their wings and flew off toward the distant forest.

Kiik-!

When the leader Dekanto came to a halt, the rest followed suit, shaking their heads from side to side as they remained alert.

Kiiiiiiiiik!

With the leader Dekanto’s cry, the others flapped their degenerated wings and began to flee.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

A firm hand grabbed the nape of the fleeing leader Dekanto.

It was none other than Doo-shik’s hand.

Kiik! Kiik!

The leader Dekanto struggled desperately to break free from Doo-shik’s grip, but it was futile.

“Not bad for an orc. Predicting a Dekanto’s movements shouldn’t have been easy for you.”

Park Yeon, watching Doo-shik subdue the Dekanto with his arms crossed, muttered to himself. Hearing this, Doo-shik thumped his chest.

“I am an honorable orc warrior. Catching a mere Dekanto is nothing.”

As Park Yeon nodded, he happened to notice the scars on Doo-shik’s arm and asked,

“Is that scar from the ogre you mentioned before?”

“This isn’t a scar; it’s a mark of glorious battle. I traded this scar for the ogre’s soul.”

Had he heard this before, Park Yeon might have scoffed.

But after learning about the orc’s way of life and their culture, he could no longer mock it.

Instead of scoffing, he merely muttered,

“You guys really are strange creatures.”

“Enough with the nonsense. Take it already. The Demon King is waiting.”

“Right.”

Just as he was about to leave the poultry farm with the bag full of Dekantos, something occurred to Park Yeon, making him turn back.

“Oh, right. This.”

From his pocket, Park Yeon pulled out a can of cola.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a drink called cola. The Demon King told me to give it to you.”

“Tell him I appreciate it.”

With a nod, Park Yeon left the poultry farm.

Now alone, Doo-shik enjoyed the cool sensation of the can in his hands before suddenly freezing.

“…Wait, how am I supposed to drink this?”

“Not drinking cola today?”

As Lee Seo-jun washed his hands in the kitchen, he asked the question. Park Yeon, lost in thought with his chin resting on his hand, answered absentmindedly.

“I already had some earlier.”

“I see. But you came back sooner than I expected. Looks like you didn’t play hide-and-seek today?”

Park Yeon flinched.

“H-hide-and-seek? Ah… you mean what Seo-woo and Hye-jin play. I’ve never done anything like that before, so I wouldn’t know. But what does that have to do with me?”

“If it doesn’t, then never mind.”

Shrugging, Seo-jun shook the water off his hands and placed the Dekantos Park Yeon had brought into the sink.

Fortunately, it was a commercial-grade sink, large enough to fit the Dekantos, which were even bigger than native chickens.

“By the way, Demon King.”

“Hmm?”

“First of all, don’t take this the wrong way.”

“Sure.”

“I was wondering what the Red Orcs usually like… Ah! Like I said, don’t misunderstand. I just want to know their weaknesses as a hero, that’s all.”

Seo-jun smirked.

“That’s a pretty broad question, but they enjoy bathing. Especially in hot water.”

“Those barbaric, stinking creatures?”

“That’s just a stereotype. Not all Orcs smell bad. In fact, the Red Orcs are cleaner than humans.”

Of course, that "humans" standard referred to the humans from the other world.

They were nowhere near the Earth’s standard of showering at least once a day.

“That’s unexpected.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“Then next question. What do Red Orcs like to receive as gifts?”

“Planning to give them something?”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha! Now I see you have a sense of humor. As if I’d ever give a gift to those barbaric Red Orcs. Like I said, I just want to know their weaknesses as a hero.”

“I’m not entirely sure, but they seem to exchange face guards as gifts.”

“Face guards…? To instill fear in their enemies during battle?”

“Usually, yes. For higher-ranking warriors, they also serve as a status symbol.”

Park Yeon shook his head.

“So, they really are barbaric. Anyway, I’ve learned enough about their weaknesses. If I ever encounter the Red Orcs, I’ll be sure to use them to my advantage.”

How is any of that a weakness?

Muttering to himself, Seo-jun watched as Park Yeon spoke again.

“Well, I’m heading out.”

As Park Yeon left, Seo-jun began preparing the Dekanto.

He was planning to make Dakdoritang today. Though, since it was made with Dekanto instead of chicken, it was technically "Dekantoritang."

Still, Seo-jun was confident it would taste even better than chicken.

Dekanto was a delicacy in the Demon Realm—so rare that it was nearly impossible to get.

Its texture was tender like chicken thigh meat, not tough at all, making it a versatile ingredient that anyone could enjoy.

Of course, since Dekanto was a magical creature, removing its toxins was essential.

Strangely, Dekanto’s toxins were concentrated in its beak.

Once the beak was removed, a bladder-like organ—similar to a fish’s swim bladder—became visible. This was the source of the toxin.

Pulling it out completely eliminated the poison.

Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!

Seo-jun placed the Dekanto on the cutting board and began chopping it with a cleaver.

Ah! While chopping, it’s best to score the meat so the seasoning can soak in properly.

Then, to remove impurities and any gamey smell, blanch the meat in water.

If there’s any leftover soju or rice wine, adding it to the water helps as well.

After a quick boil, the next step was crucial.

It was time to make a choice.

Dakdoritang generally comes in two types:

One with a thin broth, and one with a thick sauce.

Both are delicious, but Seo-jun preferred the thick-sauced version. It was perfect for mixing with rice.

With that in mind, he needed to be careful when preparing the vegetables.

Use only a small amount of onion, but lots of potatoes.

The key was to wash the potatoes gently, keeping as much starch as possible.

Next, he placed the blanched Dekanto in a large pot and added six spoons of sugar.

Sugar helps evenly distribute the sweetness, ensuring the seasoning doesn’t just coat the surface.

After bringing it to a boil again, he added two spoons of minced garlic, two spoons of soy sauce, four spoons of red pepper paste, seven spoons of red pepper powder, two spoons of cooking wine, and a dash of black pepper.

It was all eyeballed, but since Dekanto was larger than a regular chicken, this should be about right.

Now, he tossed in the prepped vegetables and let it simmer.

Bubble, bubble—!

As the stew boiled, the spicy aroma of Dakdoritang spread throughout the kitchen.

All that was left was to reduce the heat and let it simmer down.

Tasting a spoonful of the broth, Seo-jun smiled.

‘It’s good.’

This should be perfect.

‘It’s about time for them to arrive.’

Checking the clock, it was just past 3 PM.

Seo-woo’s daycare ended around this time, so he would be home soon.

The first to arrive was Yeon-jun.

“Did you make Dakdoritang?”

“Yeah. I felt like having it today.”

“Smells great. Seriously, if there’s one thing you’re amazing at, it’s cooking.”

“You’ll be even more impressed when you taste it. But do you think Seo-woo can eat it?”

“It’s too spicy for him. You’ll have to rinse it in water first.”

“I should cook a separate batch for him, then.”

Seo-jun prepared a milder version for Seo-woo.

It wasn’t anything fancy—he just added more water to dilute the spice.

And soon enough, Seo-woo arrived.

If there was one thing wrong with the world, it was that chickens only had two legs.

The same went for Dekanto. It only had two legs.

Since Seo-jun preferred wings, he let Yeon-jun and Seo-woo have the drumsticks.

Yeon-jun took a big bite of the leg and let out an exclamation of delight.

“Wow, this is amazing.”

“Really?”

“You could sell this. How does this make me want to drink so bad?”

“Then should we have a drink?”

“I’d love to, but I have to work later.”

Ah, right…

Seo-jun smacked his lips in disappointment and looked at Seo-woo.

Seo-woo was struggling to hold the giant Dekanto leg with both hands as he took bites.

“Seo-woo, is it good?”

“Yesh! It’s yummy!”

“Didn’t you eat at daycare? Aren’t you full?”

“Seo-woo can eat a lot!”

As if showing off, Seo-woo patted his round belly.

“But where’s Uncle Park Yeon? I had something to tell him…”