CHAPTER 56: THE SUDDEN CRISIS

With that, Heo Taegeon didn’t even care about his limp and stumbled off toward Second Uncle’s house.

Bok Taejin glanced at the radishes that was still buried in the soil and was about to follow when Heo Taegeon turned back around and said sheepishly, "Wait, no, we should move the radishes first."

Bok Taejin was speechless.

No more Gluton Beast emerged, and Heo Taegeon quickly dug up a radish, pulling it out with its roots intact.

For transplanting, it was best to keep as much of the original soil around the roots as possible.

However, because of the rats, Heo Taegeon deliberately shook off most of the soil and even brushed away the clinging dirt with his hands.

That revealed several clear bite marks—marks similar to the ones on Heo Taegeon’s torn pants.

Other than being bitten by the Gluton Beast, what else could have caused this?!

"This won’t do! We can’t plant them anymore!" Heo Taegeon declared firmly. "We have to tell Second Uncle right away, and we need to bring this radish too—it’s evidence, just like my pants!"

He glanced toward the distant shrubs, looking a bit regretful about tossing the rat’s corpse away so soon.

Then he grabbed the radish and started walking, but after just a few steps, he turned back and shoved it into Bok Taejin’s hands.

"Taejin, you go! My leg’s not convenient, but you can run faster. Find Second Uncle as soon as possible—I’ll pack up here and catch up later."

Bok Taejin quickly agreed.

On the way to find Second Uncle, some villagers greeted Bok Taejin with warm smiles, but he had no time for pleasantries.

He responded briefly and hurried on.

It wasn’t that early anymore, and by the time Bok Taejin reached the open space outside the ancestral hall where people were eating, he spotted Second Uncle and immediately quickened his pace.

A nearby villager noticed the radish in his hands and chuckled, "Taejin, your radishes are ready to eat so soon? Even if they are, you don’t have to rush to eat the first one, do you?"

Second Uncle was right in front of him—Bok Taejin had no time to worry about anyone else.

He placed the radish before Second Uncle and specifically pointed out the bite marks.

"Second Uncle, the Gluton Beast have appeared!"

"What?!" The first exclamation of shock didn’t come from Second Uncle but from the villager who had just spoken.

Second Uncle quickly took the radish, held it up, and examined it carefully.

After scrutinizing it for a long moment, he finally nodded in confirmation.

"It’s definitely a Bone Eating Beast."

A wave of exclamations spread through the crowd, and some people were so shocked that they dropped their buns on the ground without realizing it.

Like an iron tower, Heo Taehyeon strode over and asked in a deep voice, "Did Taegeon discover this?"

Clearly, he already knew that Heo Taegeon had gone to the radish field that morning.

Bok Taejin nodded and was just about to explain how he made the discovery when Heo Taehyeon abruptly turned around and walked away, leaving Bok Taejin stunned.

Second Uncle was too preoccupied with the appearance of the Gluton Beast to pay attention to Bok Taejin.

It was Aunt Seo who quickly approached him, gently patted his shoulder, and said warmly, "Don’t take it to heart. Taehyeon is like that with everyone."

Bok Taejin smiled at Aunt Seo.

The emergence of the Gluton Beast was a major event.

The villagers didn’t even bother finishing their breakfast before rushing toward the radish field to check things out.

Led by Second Uncle, they arrived to find Heo Taegeon and Im Beomhyeon already waiting for them.

They had even retrieved the Gluton Beast’s corpse.

Im Beomhyeon’s clothes were damp with dew and bore a few scratches—clear evidence that Heo Taegeon had anticipated the villagers’ reaction and had woken Im Beomhyeon up right after Bok Taejin left.

Im Beomhyeon had then gone into the shrubs to search for the corpse.

Now that they had the body of a dead Gluton Beast as proof, the situation became even more serious.

Second Uncle frowned as he looked at the nine radishes still growing in the field.

He was torn.

He wanted to dig up the entire radish field to check for more Gluton Beast, but he also worried about affecting the radishes’ growth.

Bok Taejin’s special seeds had been extremely rare—he had only planted a small amount, all in this field.

At their current rate of growth, they would mature in just a few days.

If digging up the field damaged them, it would be a real waste.

But the Gluton Beast posed an even greater threat to the village.

Bok Taejin observed the situation and guessed what was on Second Uncle’s mind.

Seeing the carcass of the Bone Eating Beast still in Second Uncle’s hands, he reached out and said, "Second Uncle, why don’t you set it down first? If you need to inspect the field, then go ahead."

Although he also felt it would be a pity to disturb the crops, he knew that in just a few days, he could extract more spirit seeds and plant other crops.

No matter how precious the white radishes were, they weren’t as important as getting rid of the Bone Eating Beasts.

Second Uncle didn’t respond immediately, but he instinctively handed over the corpse.

The moment Bok Taejin touched the Gluton Beast’s corpse, he let out a sharp gasp.

The life and death energy within him suddenly surged uncontrollably!

The Gluton Beast’s body held an inexplicable force, pulling his life and death energy into it!

Bok Taejin was horrified and tried to fling the corpse away.

But the Gluton Beast’s corpse possessed a terrifying suction force.

The moment his energy lost control, his entire body stopped listening to him.

No matter how many commands his brain sent, his arm wouldn’t budge—not even his eyelids, which instinctively shut, blocking his vision.

"Taejin? Are you okay?"