Crispy and Tender

After taking a detour to avoid those monsters, Kim Jae-hoon and Park Sun-jae walked for hours until they were back on track to reach their destination.

However, after traveling on foot for so long, the young man got exhausted and on top of that, the surroundings had become dark before he knew it.

He halted his movements and put aside all of his belongings to a nearby tree and started a campfire to keep him warm from the cold night. Since he was half naked the whole time when he entered the blue zone area, he was freezing to death since evening came.

Once his body temperature returned back to normal, Kim Jae-hoon took out the lamb he hunted along the way and decided to roast it after cutting it into pieces using his spear. Since this particular animal was docile and weak in strength, it was easy to hunt it and the poison powder had helped him greatly too.

Once he was done slicing off the meat, Kim Jae-hoon snapped a thin branch out of a tree and stuck the pieces onto as if it was a skewer.

After creating a few skewers of meat pieces, he placed it onto the y-shaped wooden sticks that acted as a support from both sides and let the meat burn until it was tender enough to eat. Since he had no salt, he used some berries that he found which were salty & sour in taste to make a paste out of it and marinate the meat with it.

Just by watching him cook the food, the ghost's stomach was growling with hunger and his mouth was watering from the smell of the meat getting roasted.

An hour later, the young man checked if the meat was cooked properly and after confirming it was, he took out the skewer sticks from the fire one by one and placed it on the fresh & clean leaves that he gathered beforehand.

Once he removed the meat pieces and threw the sticks into the fire for disposal, Kim Jae-hoon took his first bite of the meal he had after so long. But he was shocked that he couldn't utter a word to say.

Upon seeing his reaction, Park Sun-jae asked nervously. "How does it taste? Is it that bad?"

Kim Jae-hoon looked at him with a blank face and replied. "It's delicious."

The young man was surprised by his own cooking that he couldn't believe how much mouth-watering and tasty the food was.

The chicken was crispy and tender like tofu that it was not too hard to chew while the flavors were meshed up well with the meat that it was 100% an extremely delicious meal.

For a second there, the young man thought he was eating a GFC meal which was famous for its chicken in South Korea rather than a clumsy forest cooked meal.

"Save some for me. Don't eat it all soon!"

Seeing his friend delighted and enjoying the chicken in a rush like he was starved for days, Park Sun-jae worried he might not be able to eat enough if his friend finished all of it at high speed.

Hence, he started collecting the meat pieces in his hands as much as he can just in case.

After both of them were done eating their meal, Kim Jae-hoon got rid of the chicken bones into the fire and lay down a bit while leaning his back against the tree before falling into slumber.

Meanwhile, his ghost partner guarded him while watching out for any dangers throughout the night.

With a peaceful sleep as always, Kim Jae-hoon woke up in the morning and continued his journey to the east.

According to Park Sun-jae, if one had to reach the city by passing through the forest, they had to follow the mountains at the east side and after reaching the end of mountain range, they had to cross a second river to reach the other side where the city is. Also, that's where the blue zone area ends and the barrier holding the monsters from coming inside starts.

Thus, the way out from the forest was also the starting point where the strongest of monsters and ferocious ones reside.

Currently, Kim Jae-hoon was not so far away from that place and he could even hear the sound of a stream as they kept walking towards the east. Due to the two unidentified monsters getting in their way, it took longer than they expected but eventually, they almost arrived at their goal point.

Therefore, the young man confirmed the fact that they were getting closer to their destination.

With a delightful smile, he looked at Park Sun-jae and said. "We're almost there. Let's go."

The ghost smiled back as he nodded and both of them moved forward without hesitation.

Although they were smiling from outside, it was do or die situation for Kim Jae-hoon from now onwards. A single misstep can cost him his life. So, he had to stay vigilant at all times. This time, any type of mistakes were not allowed.

The young man slowly advance forward in a careful manner while looking for any dangers on the way.

However, he became so sensitive about the surroundings around him that even a slightest movement in the bushes could startle them. Park Sun-jae was no exception.

Even though he was a ghost, he still wanted his physical body to be safe and Kim Jae-hoon in it. He was afraid that it could get damaged to the point that he can't retrieve his body later or if that happens, he and his friend could actually die this time around.

Therefore, both of them were on edge ever since they started moving towards the red zone and the exit of the forest.

"I have a doubt. Can I ask?"

In order to reduce the tension around them, Park Sun-jae striked a conversation with Kim Jae-hoon.

The young man understood his intentions and replied. "Sure. Why not?"

"What are you gonna do if you get stuck in this body and I remained as a ghost?"

"Well, its not that I have ruled out that possibility but I'm still thinking of ways on how to get my own body back. So, I never thought that far ahead on what to do if that happens."

"I see. Then, did you find any method to return to your body?"

"Nah, Of course not." He sighed.

Upon hearing his answer, Park Sun-jae slightly frowned as well.

"But there's one thing I'm sure of." Kim Jae-hoon continued speaking. "No matter what happens, we'll be good friends for life."

"Yeah, you bet." The ghost smiled.

As they were giggling and chatting with each other with a bright smile, the young man sensed something as he turned around with a serious look.

"Shh! Someone's coming! At a high speed at that."

As soon as he said that, Park Sun-jae went upwards to get a better look on what was coming towards them.

"What the-" He widened his eyes in surprise when he saw a familiar face coming towards their direction.