Chapter 328
Calm. Like a still lake.
His eyes never lose their composure in any situation.
Those who discover that fact invariably get chills.
Even Baek Do-yul, who had replayed the footage countless times, and the veteran filming crew noticed it.
Beyond that smile, there seemed to exist a calm, colossal mental entity beyond human imagination.
But his words were different.
On the surface, his eyes gleamed.
No, they flickered wildly.
So those around him couldn’t help but rub their eyes and check again.
Was it not calm? Did I see wrong?
Is he just crazy?
"Real protein? Seriously?"
"Yes, protein. If a crocodile isn't protein, what is it?"
"How is that protein...?"
At present, saltwater crocodiles had not only fully recovered their population but had become so numerous they might become a nuisance.
First off, saltwater crocodiles are dangerous.
They are highly intelligent and have an aggressive, ferocious temperament.
Far from being afraid of humans, they see them as prey and can leap high out of the water.
The power of their tails, which allows their massive bodies to launch over 2 meters above the surface and swim at high speeds underwater, is terrifying.
As a carnivore, if a wild crocodile decides to attack and bites you, you'd have to calmly accept that the bitten part is no longer yours and let it go.
That's the kind of animal it is.
The average size of a saltwater crocodile is 4.7 meters, with the largest known to grow up to 7 meters.
"You were trained. They said just avoid them no matter what. And that one looked to be at least 6 meters. Thank goodness it was basking in the sun, otherwise..."
No matter how powerful a saltwater crocodile is, it's still a wild animal.
It prefers to hunt from an absolutely advantageous position, through ambushes that the prey is unaware of.
"It could have turned into a dangerous situation, right?"
"Yes. And right now, Mr. Seo Jun is voluntarily walking into that dangerous situation."
"However."
"However?"
"In the current situation, if we catch that saltwater crocodile, the food problem is really neatly solved."
"......"
Everyone knew a truly dangerous situation could arise.
So the production team had prepared to prevent any accidents and to handle any situation should one occur.
The saltwater crocodile was no exception.
Before Baek Do-yul even got within dangerous range, the filming crew had already noticed and planned to warn if he got any closer.
Either way, they now had to stop and persuade Seo Jun.
"It's a crocodile that didn't appear during the preliminary survey, so it will leave if we leave it alone. Saltwater crocodiles are territorial."
"Then we should catch it quickly before it leaves!"
"It might have been alerted since it noticed us earlier."
"It's still just an animal."
There's no answer. And there's no stopping him.
Seo Jun chuckled and said,
"Then everyone around me, please be ready to pull me out immediately if I get bitten. After that, I'll start the hunt."
Seo Jun offered a compromise.
* * *
A saltwater crocodile basking on the beach came into view.
Its size looked to be a good 6 meters, just as Baek Do-yul had said.
A crocodile this size might as well be called a dinosaur.
Its total weight would easily exceed 1 ton.
Just the head alone weighs 200 kg.
Clearly a male, the crocodile had awakened from its sunbath and was on high alert toward the unfamiliar intruders slowly approaching.
The crocodile slightly opened its colossal mouth, which looked big enough to swallow a person's lower body whole.
Then, slowly, ever so slowly, it began to move one step at a time.
The veteran hunters were ready to shoot without hesitation if anything happened.
They had the most potent tranquilizers that induce immobilization within a minute, not the usual ten, and shotguns.
Step, step, step.
Past those hunters, a madman wielding a longsword in reality walked on.
The cameramen, safety personnel, and veteran hunters—the entire filming crew—were tense but prayed that things would go as they hoped.
That the crocodile would just keep moving forward and head further inland along the beach.
Normally, when a crocodile is basking and someone approaches, it usually avoids attacking and retreats.
This is the instinct of a predator that wants to fight only in the safest conditions, since any injury could be fatal in the wild.
But at that moment.
Seo Jun, who had been approaching the crocodile from the side in a straight line, suddenly veered slightly to the right.
"Stop!"
"Just do as we discussed, please!"
"Everyone stay calm."
The man with the longsword, Seo Jun, shifted slightly, turning his back to the sea and facing the crocodile head-on.
"I'm telling you, it's fine."
He smiled quietly.
Everyone else was speaking softly even in this urgent situation to avoid provoking the crocodile.
But he was confident he could subdue it, whether it got angry or not.
Arrogance? Bragging?
No.
It truly wasn't arrogance or bravado.
What he showed in the game was nothing.
If anyone knew what past-life experiences were in Seo Jun's head, no one would worry at all.
He had navigated moments far more dangerous than this.
To him, a mere 6-meter crocodile was nothing more than a one-ton lump of livestock meat.
Even if hundreds of such crocodiles gathered, it wouldn't make a difference.
'I am sorry for making you all anxious.'
Anyway.
"Escape route is blocked. Children, please do not try this at home."
Ah.
Not just children, but adults shouldn't do it either.
But normal adults would never try it, so that's an exception.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Seo Jun raised the longsword, gripping it reverse and pointing it toward the ground.
He would pierce it in one strike and end it.
That is the respect shown to prey.
A crocodile isn't human; what would it understand of petty cruelty anyway?
And he also had to consider the hearts of the staff who were on edge.
"If it charges, I'll shoot! Just shoot!"
"Then I might get hit."
"Please just get out of the way!"
"Crocodiles are good at running too! Be careful!"
A crocodile can only hide its body in water.
That's the kind of creature it is.
And to get to the water, it inevitably had to face Seo Jun.
The distance closes in.
Already, the distance between them was shorter than the crocodile's body length.
5 meters.
4 meters.
3 meters.
Tssst.
The crocodile lifts its head.
Seo Jun kept walking at the same pace, as if it didn't matter.
Just as Seo Jun had simply created a situation where the crocodile had no choice but to charge, and was about to bring his sword down in an instant—
"Huh?"
The crocodile turned its head away.
And then.
Hop, hop.
No, with its massive body, it went thud-thud as it bolted into the bushes.
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
"Phew! But why?"
The saltwater crocodile fled not ahead or diagonally, but toward the land, the opposite direction from Seo Jun.
It almost looked like it was in a bit of a panic.
* * *
-lololololololol
-Conqueror's Haki, lmao rofl
-It dodged to the opposite side?
-No wonder the crocodile's eyes looked really flustered lololololololol
"No, but catching a crocodile in this situation is the absolute best. And you all wouldn't try it anyway, I know."
-Of course lolololol crazy streamer who would even try that!
-lololol so nerve-wracking
-Though we know he's safe lol it's so over the top T_T
But it didn't end there.
On screen, Seo Jun turned his head sharply and said,
[At times like this, you have to chase it. A crocodile that's come on land and moved explosively is practically like a sunfish.]
[Hold on...!]
Despite Baek Do-yul's objection, Seo Jun also disappeared into the bushes, and the camera hurriedly followed.
'The veteran hunters were filmed well so they're not caught on screen.'
-lolololol for real, please streamer, please!!!!
-Now the crocodile is becoming pitiful lololololol
-Everyone went through hell because of the streamer lolololol
-Baek Do-yul's voice lololololol where'd the champion go?
-This is a champion? lolol
No.
They didn't go through hell. Especially Baek Do-yul.
As the camera urgently pushed through the bushes, Seo Jun's narration played.
[Viewers, you absolutely must not do this. However, to show you how to catch a crocodile, I had no choice but to take this risk...]
-Seemed nothing like that? lololololol
-I think this show just decided to go full-on ridiculous variety lololol
-Didn't you see the streamer's eyes for that protein?
-The crocodile didn't flee onto land for nothing.
-But seriously, seeing the crocodile avoid him, doesn't the streamer have something??
-He must. Even socialized humans can sense dangerous vibes, so what about a wild animal living a life of kill or be killed?
-Is the crocodile's ability to sense killing intent real??
[When catching a saltwater crocodile, you must be careful of its tail. The power of the tail that enables explosive speed is beyond imagination...]
And then the camera finally managed to capture Seo Jun, showing him lying on the crocodile's back with his longsword piercing through the spine at the back of its head.
-???? Already caught it?
-???
-It's a dead crocodile lololol
-How did he drive that in in such a short time?
[But due to the urgent situation, it's a pity I couldn't show you the hunting scene.]
The viewers ask if it was truly urgent.
"Ah, it was urgent. I said it was."
Then why was he lying down?
Was it urgent not because of danger, but because he was afraid the crocodile would run away?
They kept asking.
Seo Jun changed the subject.
"Everyone! Do not try this, please! You got that!"
-We won't, dammit lolololol
* * *
A one-ton crocodile was a chore just to move.
They decided to butcher it and move the pieces.
[Alright, Baek Do-yul, you take care of it.]
[Why me?]
[Weren't you the one who received extensive training in butchering?]
[Ah, was it? Wait a moment! Didn't Seo Jun ask about butchering at all?]
[No.]
[Why?]
[I was busy properly learning about hunting and didn't have time.]
[Aha. But there didn't seem to be anything about hunting? There was some common training, but we did that together, didn't we?]
[Oh, if there wasn't, would I have hunted a crocodile!]
[Ah, I see...]
-Why even ask! lololol to the great Seo Jun who hunted a crocodile!
-That's 100% just an attitude of not wanting to do the butchering lolololol as if there was any hunting training?
-I think they decided to make this show a full-on variety lol the vibe is completely different lolol
-Baek Do-yul knows too, but he keeps quiet because he's the Crocodile Slayer lol
[Ah. Please skin the crocodile properly first.]
[Huh? Why?]
[Because it's cool.]
[...]
Seeing how openly they talk about the training, the vibe really is different.
For a survival expert, learning is of course essential, but the fact that they're so blatant about it shows the atmosphere is truly unique.
To let them see what Bear and Ryan would now witness.
It was a 6-meter crocodile hide hanging like limp laundry from a tree right next to the perfectly constructed camp.
-lololololol
-Seeing it like that, it looks even more gigantic lolololol
-Streamer lolololol how did you even hang that hide on the tree lolol
-100% hung that for those guys to see, 100%.
[Hey, Bear, did you see that? The producers didn't just give guns to that team, did they?]
[They've even properly smoked the meat. Damn. And the camp, could they do all that in one day?]
[Seems like.]
[Yeah. Looks like we really have to give it our best.]
Following that, the two survival veterans, thanks to the crocodile hide, woke up and started going wild just 10 minutes after arriving on the island.
However, someone's longsword, which was just the same as always, was also going wild...