"Gravel~! Iris~! What're you up to?"
Clau waved enthusiastically as he approached Gravel and Iris, who were resting against a tree outside the campsite.
"Oh, Clau, how's your condition?" Gravel asked.
"Hehe, thanks to you, I'm feeling even better than before!"
"That's a relief. But what's with everyone gathering and heading out?" Gravel inquired, noticing a group in the distance.
"Ah! We're about to start dismantling the Drake. I figured you'd be curious, Gravel. Wanna come along?" Clau said, pointing toward the massive corpse of the Horned Drake in the distance.
"Of course! Are we starting now?" Gravel's curiosity, which had been dormant, sparked to life. The thought of witnessing a Drake dismantling—a rare sight even in games—excited him. He sprang up from his spot and began walking briskly ahead of Clau. As he neared the Drake's corpse, the lively chatter of people grew louder.
"Nurton! Take this and…"
"Put it in the oil pot, right?"
"No, that goes to the presser!"
When Gravel arrived, he saw the hunting party hard at work. The Drake's hide had been partially stripped, and under the direction of Eto, Lat, and Uuk, people were bustling about, carrying meat, organs, hide, and bones. Gravel lingered near the scene, observing with keen interest. A large pole with a uniquely shaped blade sliced through the flesh along the grain, while fatty meat was piled beside a nearby pot. The heavy scent of the Drake's blood hung thickly in the air.
Clau, who had briefly disappeared, returned with Uuk and called out to Gravel.
"Yo, Gravel! This is Uuk, our bone-processing expert. Saw you poking around alone, so I brought him over."
"Hello, I'm Gravel." he greeted.
"Hey there. You're the… horn… pow! Wizard guy, right? Heh heh." Uuk chuckled.
"Erm... Is the horn going to be an issue? I'm so sorry…" Gravel bowed apologetically.
Uuk waved his hands frantically, flustered.
"No, no, it's fine! Eto already scraped it down, and the horn with mana was the smaller one behind the big one. The big horn breaking doesn't matter—it was going to be cut up for transport anyway. No worries!"
"That's a relief. I didn't know Drake horns could hold mana…" Gravel sighed, then asked curiously.
Uuk scratched his head.
"This is the first one we've seen with horns, so I can't say for sure. But some bones definitely have mana in them—usually the skull or the ribs near the heart. We check with this magic tool." He extended his arm to show Gravel a device strapped to his wrist.
"Heh, got this pricey thing from Ixtarn." Uuk added proudly.
"You two! What're you doing over here?!"
A booming voice interrupted as Rusen approached, grabbing Clau and Uuk's heads in his massive hands. Their faces contorted in pain as Rusen's grip tightened, his bulging forearms betraying his irritation.
"Ugh! W-We were just showing Gravel the dismantling process!" Uuk stammered.
"We're swamped, and you've got time to play tour guide?! Clau, take this and go to Lat." Rusen tossed Clau a tool—a long pole with a spade-like blade—from a nearby table.
"Y-Yes, sir! I'm going!"
Clau's shoulders slumped as he dragged the tool along the ground, trudging off.
"See ya later, Gravel."
"Clau! You know how to use that, right? Just slide it between the hide and meat and pull!" Rusen shouted after him.
"Yeees… I've used it… way too much…" Clau muttered, turning back briefly before continuing.
"I-I'll go… work on the bones…" Uuk tried to slip away, wriggling out of Rusen's grip.
Crunch.
"Agh!" Uuk yelped as Rusen tightened his hold.
"Where do you think you're going? There's nothing for you to do until the meat and hide work is done!"
"Can I help with anything?" Gravel offered, turning to Rusen.
"Oh? If you're offering, I won't say no. Follow me—this Drake's a big one, and the meat just keeps coming."
Rusen gestured for Gravel to follow, still gripping Uuk's head with one hand.
"Let's see… the liver and heart are salted and jarred… the tendons… need to be handed to Eto as they're stripped."
Rusen mumbled to himself, mentally organizing the tasks. Gravel spoke up.
"Should I go to Eto? We'll need to prepare the solution for soaking the tendons, too."
"What? No, you're with me. See this meat?" Rusen pointed to a towering pile on a long table.
"We've got to smoke it all. Salt what needs salting, slice the jerky meat thinner, and get the walnut wood ready for smoking."
"Hiiiek! How are we supposed to finish all this?! Where's Parat? Why do we need me and an adventurer?!" Uuk groaned.
"Parat's busy. You, adventurer… uh, what's your name?"
"Gravel."
"Right, Gravel, go help Parat. Oi, Parat!" Rusen bellowed.
"Yes, Master Rusen!"
A small woman in a white headscarf emerged from behind the meat pile, hurrying toward them. Her round face and large eyes gave her a cute appearance, but her scarf and clothes were speckled with red bloodstains.
"This adventurer—Gravel—wants to help. Show him what you're doing and split the work," Rusen instructed.
"Uh… I'm chopping up the Drake's organs right now…" Parat hesitated, looking uneasy.
"What's the problem?" Rusen asked.
"It's just… it smells bad, and even our hunters find it tough…"
"So? You think Gravel's too delicate for it?" Rusen teased. Though Gravel wasn't strikingly handsome, his appearance stood out among the rugged hunters—especially next to Rusen.
"No, it's not that! Follow me, Gravel!" Parat's face flushed as she spun around and led the way.
They navigated past piles of meat and simmering oil pots to a wide table covered with the Drake's dark red organs.
"I've washed all the usable parts." Parat explained. "Just chop them finely with this knife."
"Got it. I'll use this one." Gravel pulled a broad, short blade from the table and began slicing the organs.
"What are these organs used for?" he asked, breaking the awkward silence.
"We chop them fine, salt them for three days, smoke them, and press them with stones for another three days."
"Like jerky?"
Gravel had made simple jerky back in Froikton, salting lean meat with store-bought spices and hanging it over a campfire. Curious if this was a different method, he pressed further.
"Hmm… similar to jerky, but since it's organs, it takes much longer. But once it's done, you can just toss the dried pieces into hot water for a rich organ soup! It's way tastier than jerky." Parat's eyes sparkled as she talked about food.
"Oh, I'd love to try it sometime."
"Want me to make some now?"
"Hmmm?"
"I can make it right now—organ soup."
"Please do."
Parat rummaged through her pockets, pulling out a small pouch.
"This is from the last Drake we hunted." She stepped away briefly and returned with a steaming wooden bowl.
"Try it. Instant Drake organ soup."
Gravel took the bowl and tasted it.
"Sweet and savory. Delicious. I thought organs would be gamey."
"Heehee, it's salted with a special blend and smoked, so no bad smells. I'll give you some when it's done—Master Rusen said we're sharing with the adventurers who hunted with us."
Parat beamed at Gravel's praise. Soon, their hands moved swiftly, chopping organs and rinsing the cutting board with water from a nearby bucket. The pile of organs dwindled, and no more hunters came with fresh ones, their faces no longer grimacing.
"Phew! Thanks to you, Gravel, we finished way faster!" Parat exclaimed.
"Glad I could help."
"Hahaha! Time to eat, folks! Great job, Parat. You too, Gravel!" Rusen approached, carrying a massive iron griddle in one hand and a skewer of huge meat chunks in the other.
"Master Rusen!" Parat chirped.
"Everyone's gotta be starving by now. Gotta feed 'em to keep 'em working!"
The hunters and adventurers gathered at the center of the campsite for another feast. Smoke from Rusen's spice-rubbed grilled meat mingled with the aroma of skewered meat dripping fat into the campfire, creating an irresistible scent. As dishes were served, everyone savored the flavors, the pleasant hum of music tickling their ears. The highlight was a dish of Drake meat roasted with caramelized onions, carrots, and herbs, captivating everyone's senses.
Though much work remained, the delicious food, drinks, and joyful moments made everyone wish the night could last forever. Long after midnight, the orange glow of the campfire illuminated the campsite, and laughter echoed until dawn.
*****
It took three more days to process the Horned Drake's meat, bones, and oil. The hunting party's wagons were loaded with jars of Drake oil, dried meat, cut bones, claws, and teeth. The sheer volume of goods—worthy of Gromeyer's nickname for Drakes, "walking gold"—promised a fortune in Froikton. With their haul, the hunters and adventurers returned triumphantly.
A few days later, in the morning, Gravel and Iris sat on a long bench in the Adventurers' Guild hall, waiting to accept a new quest.
"Hey, Gravel!" Clau called out.
"Hey, good to see you!" Gravel replied warmly.
"We're heading to Ixtarn. The season for flying octopuses is coming up along the southern coast."
"Flying octopuses?" Gravel asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, thousands of 'em soar to the shore, no wings or anything. They're not exactly octopuses, but they look similar."
"So the hunting party takes on non-Drake jobs, too?"
"Gotta make some side cash while we search for the next Drake, y'know?" Clau grinned.
"I'm curious about these flying creatures… and I've heard Ixtarn's a big city. What's it like?"
"Huge. Like, fifty or a hundred times bigger than Froikton. Maybe more? It takes over a day to walk from one gate to the nearest gate."
"That's hard to even imagine. I only heard it was a 'big city''"
"Heh, why not visit the continent's greatest city while you've got the chance?"
"Haha, thanks for the invite, but we're headed to a city called Tollu in the south."
"Tollu? Oh, right! The city with the Latulle Cavern Pass?"
"Yeah, that's what I heard. A city with a massive cavern tunnel through the mountains, recommended by an adventurer named Doshel."
"Hmm… you'll find the Dawi and Muwa tribes there, and elves live beyond the mountains."
"Dawi? Muwa? Never heard of them. I knew about the elves, though…"
"Oh, you didn't know? Dawi are bear anthro, and Muwa are owl anthro."
"Anthro, huh…" Gravel's interest piqued, as these races didn't exist in Grand World. Iris, listening nearby, perked up at 'bear anthro.' her eyes sparkling—until Clau mentioned their towering 2.5-meter height, which seemed to dampen her enthusiasm.
"If you ever visit Ixtarn, head to the western gate and ask for the Marz family. Everyone there knows 'em. Just say you're a friend of Clau Marz, and you'll be set."
"Got it. Safe travels to Ixtarn."
Clau, Gravel, and Iris bowed to each other in farewell.