The Supermarket System

Chapter 41: 41. About monsters

"Monsters are creatures that were once just like any other animals, but then they mutated—and there are many reasons for this mutation. However, the most common cause is a meteor impact that occurred hundreds of years ago. Many researchers have studied this, and it turns out that the meteor was no ordinary meteor, but rather a combination of black magic and magical stones fused into one. Many researchers also claim that this meteor gave rise to a race of demons possessing powerful black magic. This is because demons and monsters—especially those lacking intelligence—share one common trait: they can grow stronger by consuming the negative energy of other creatures."

Kai, who was busy cutting up beef and sorting the cuts, listened intently to Jean’s explanation.

At that moment, only Jean, Kai, and a few orphanage staff members were cutting up the beef. The others—especially the children—were busy watching Angeline tame the black fire cow monster. They looked utterly amazed that Angeline was able to tame the monster.

Previously, Angeline had already been training with the stone birds and fire birds in the pavilion. She was able to control them all well—she could even turn them into contract monsters.

Contract monsters controlled by a monster tamer can be used to attack opponents or even to hunt other monsters.

Angeline, who is still a beginner—even though she possesses immense magical energy—must put in extra effort to learn how to control her abilities effectively. One thing is certain: Kai will always support her. Angeline has immense potential, despite her still-frail physique.

That’s why Kai will cook that high-quality meat for Angeline. Oh, by the way, the beef from the black fire cow monster is said to be very similar to—or even better in quality than—Wagyu. Kai knew this information from his system. This is because the black fire cow monster only eats high-quality food.

That’s why they live deep in the forest, since the forest is full of grass and plants of excellent quality.

"So, Jean... why did those black fire cow monsters come and attack us?" Kai asked. He finally managed to ask that question after holding it in for a while.

"Based on what I saw with Keith earlier, it’s highly likely those monsters are being controlled by someone. Keith said their characteristics resemble those of the monsters that attacked you before, young master," Jean said.

Kai immediately recalled Baron Crech’s eldest son, who had been arrested for deliberately controlling monsters to attack Kaileon.

Using a demon necklace—one that could only be obtained from the demon race. That necklace possessed a form of dark magic capable of controlling monsters that also possessed dark magic.

Monsters with intelligence like the diamond-horned wolf, or like Jean, cannot be controlled by such an object. Even Angeline wouldn’t be able to control a highly intelligent monster, unless her power reached the SSS level—which is, of course, still impossible for an ordinary being. After all, the highest level humans or elves currently possess is only S.

"In that case, it’s most likely me they’re after, right? Or could it be the kids?" Kai muttered, which, of course, the others could hear.

Then one of the orphanage caretakers, whom everyone called "Mom," spoke up.

"The kids are used to going into the forest, and they always know not to go too far. They know their limits. That’s why they’ve never had a problem like this before. If a monster chases them, it’s usually an ordinary monster like a slime or a big red turkey. Even then, the monster won’t chase them far enough to attack—it just tries to scare away the naughty kids. Once the kids run out of the forest, monsters like that go back to their lairs. This is the first time a powerful monster has come out of the forest and chased them all the way to the point of attacking," said the "Mom" from the orphanage.

By the way, the orphanage caretakers are usually called "Dad" or "Mom" by the children at the orphanage. This is because the caretakers serve as surrogate parents to them.

"I’ve already questioned the children who were first chased by the cow monsters, and they said they had just entered the forest to look for the wild plants that the young master said were edible, because they knew where those plants grew in abundance. Suddenly, the herd of cow monsters appeared and chased after them," said another orphanage caretaker.

Kai nodded; he also knew that the children who were chased first had just entered the forest. So, it was impossible for them to have gone far into the forest.

Someone must have been lying in wait and released the bull monsters from deep within the forest.

Kai, who hadn’t anticipated any danger, hadn’t activated his detection or assessment abilities at all. This incident would serve as a warning to him—he needed to remain vigilant in any situation.

Unfortunately, since defeating the bull monsters this time wasn’t a mission, Kai didn’t receive any rewards—except for some large gold coins. It turned out that defeating monsters of Level A or higher earned Kai one hundred large gold coins for each monster.

So it was clear that the black fire cow monster was a Level A monster, stronger than the stone bird.

However, this incident had many benefits. First, Kai obtained plenty of meat for the orphanage. Second, Kai realized he was strong enough to defeat a Level A monster.

Kai spent the rest of the day teaching the orphanage staff how to prepare the beef into delicious meals that the children would enjoy—such as rendang, hamburgers, beef soup, steak, and more. Kai also bought cooking utensils and a refrigerator so they could store the leftover meat.

Luckily, Rose and Daisy—who had already taken cooking classes from Kai—were willing to stay at the orphanage for a while. So, the two of them were able to help cook the meat properly.

By nightfall, Kai was feeling exhausted from all the things he’d done that day. He really wanted to go to sleep right away and skip dinner.

However, he still had plenty of energy left to join Angeline for dinner.

Peoni, Jeny, and Jo prepared dinner: a slightly spicy beef curry. Since the beef was of such high quality, it didn’t need to cook for very long—it was tender and melted in your mouth.

It was absolutely delicious.

While they ate, Angeline explained why she’d sensed that Kai was in danger.

"At that time, I was with Jean and Keith; they were both talking with some men who were going to rebuild the orphanage. I was very curious, so I listened in on their conversation. Besides, your design was so good—I was really impressed by it. Then, I heard a very loud cry for help, but it wasn’t coming from the children or you—it was coming from some monsters. To my ears, their cries sounded like pleas to be stopped, because they couldn’t control themselves. They were also confused by what was happening. Then, when I told them to stop, they were finally able to stop. They were very grateful that I saved most of them and that they didn’t die at your hands. But don’t worry—they don’t hate you; in fact, they want to be of use to you because they regret what happened. It wasn’t their fault or yours—you only attacked in self-defense. But, as Keith said, there must be someone trying to attack you through those monsters... what do you think, Kai?"

Kai, who had been listening to Angeline’s entire explanation, was now deep in thought. And his thoughts kept returning to the Duchess.

That woman must know something. However, Kai hadn’t had time yet to check the video footage from the Duchess’s room.

"Since it’s already late, let’s discuss this again tomorrow. And to be honest, there’s only one person I suspect—because no one else is more suspicious than her. Even so, I’m not entirely sure. Because I feel like she’s not the only one who hates me," Kai replied.

Angeline looked at Kai with a worried expression.

"How could anyone hate you, Kaileon? You’re so kind."

Hearing that, Kai chuckled.

"Oh my gosh, Angeline, it’s precisely because I’m kind—and too biased toward the poor—that there must be plenty of people who hate me. Don’t worry too much; I’m not that weak."

"I know you’re strong, but there must be times when you’re cornered and find it hard to fight back. We can’t just let something like this slide."

Kai smiled at Angeline’s words, then said, "Thank you for worrying about me, Angeline."

It was rare for anyone to worry about Kai. Even on Earth, all the difficult tasks always fell to him. No one ever worried about him or thanked him.

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