Chapter 77 · BMMAW

Chapter 77

Scream Carrot

There is a saying that your breath can stop. Maybe it’s not just a saying.

In that instant, Juhwan’s body moved.

He quickly grabbed Dorothy, who was sitting and looking into the hole, and lifted her up.

Good. The child is safe.

Only then did he breathe again. It was just a moment, but it felt like his breath had truly stopped.

He covered Dorothy’s head with his arm so she wouldn’t hear the sound. Only after feeling she was safe did he look down.

He saw Oz’s spotted body digging deep into the hole.

“Ki-ee, ki-ee…”

The strange sound came from below. It wasn’t like a human scream. It sounded like a cheap monster noise from a children’s TV show.

Under Oz’s head, there was a carrot—slightly bigger than the ones on Earth.

Half of its body was buried in the soil. Green leaves were attached on top, and thin white roots stuck out from its body.

It was clearly a carrot.

“Kiieee—”

The scream grew louder.

The sound was coming from the carrot itself.

Like Earth carrots, it had many horizontal lines across its body. But here, those lines were slightly open—and from those gaps, the sound was coming out.

The thin white roots trembled as well, as if they were making noise too.

Juhwan raised his foot.

Silver coins didn’t matter.

He couldn’t leave this thing alive. Dorothy and Lizzy were here. Anything that could threaten them had to be removed.

Before it made a louder sound—he would crush it.

“Oz, move.”

Just as he said that—

Oz suddenly lunged forward.

“Ah!”

Something unexpected happened.

Oz opened his mouth and bit the carrot—not the body, but the leaves and stem.

Crunch, crunch.

His mouth moved quickly.

In an instant, all the leaves and stems disappeared into his mouth.

“Kiiieeeeeee….”

The carrot’s scream slowly faded, like a broken record stopping.

So Oz eats carrot leaves.

Juhwan had always thought Oz was just a magical beast that looked like a rabbit.

But maybe… he really was a rabbit.

Still, why the leaves and not the carrot itself?

That felt strange.

But more importantly—

What was that just now?

As Oz finished eating the leaves, his horn glowed slightly red.

Then—

A small red pattern appeared on the carrot’s body.

It was a circle. Slightly uneven, like a child had drawn it.

It appeared at the same time the scream weakened.

But it disappeared quickly.

By the time Juhwan blinked and looked again, it was gone.

“…”

Dorothy moved in his arms and pushed his arm away.

“Dad, I want to see too! What is it? Did Oz find something? Was that the Scream Carrot?”

Her eyes sparkled.

Lizzy and the Red Sword party ran over.

“Juhwan! Dorothy! Are you okay?”

Lizzy asked, but her eyes were smiling brightly. She looked excited.

Marie from Red Sword looked into the hole and gasped.

“Oh my! It’s really a Scream Carrot!”

Juhwan stopped Dorothy from jumping down and examined the carrot.

It didn’t seem dangerous now.

The small mouth-like parts on its body hung loosely, like it had fainted. Even the thin roots drooped.

Lizzy crouched and poked it with her finger.

Karin muttered,

“I’ve only seen one once. Someone else brought it to the guild.”

“Same here,” Jessie said. “I saw it scream when the guild checked it.”

“I thought it was just a legend,” Marie added. “But it really is just… a carrot.”

Everyone crouched around it, poking and pressing it like children.

They looked happy and amazed.

But Oz had already lost interest. He jumped out and shook off the dirt.

Dorothy pointed somewhere else.

“Oz! I didn’t see it properly! Find another one!”

“….”

Oz scratched his face like he didn’t hear her.

But Dorothy didn’t give up.

She walked up close and pointed again.

“Oz! I didn’t see it! Hurry and find another! Mom likes it! It gives lots of silver coins!”

Someone in Red Sword laughed.

Lizzy’s face turned slightly red, embarrassed.

Oz’s ears drooped back. He looked annoyed.

“Should I help? Should we dig together?”

“….”

Dorothy ran to another spot and sniffed the ground, copying Oz.

“Here! I think it’s here!”

Everyone laughed.

Oz got up as if he had no choice and hopped away—then started digging somewhere else.

“Oh my…” Jessie whispered.

Soon, Oz dug again—and another strange scream came out.

But it quickly stopped.

He must have eaten the leaves again.

Dorothy clapped.

“Oz is amazing! So great! The best!”

“….”

Maybe it was her praise.

Or Lizzy’s shining eyes.

Or the Red Sword women being impressed.

Suddenly, Oz ran around like he had rockets on his feet, digging everywhere.

“This is crazy!”
“Another one!”
“What is this, a Scream Carrot field?”
“Silver coins!”

Happy screams echoed everywhere.

Dorothy, Lizzy, and the Red Sword party ran around following Oz.

“…”

It didn’t seem dangerous.

Every time a carrot screamed, Oz ate the leaves before it got louder.

Still, Juhwan warned them,

“Wait until the sound stops before going near. Dorothy, you too.”

“Yes!”
“Okay!”

Juhwan kept watch.

The forest was always dangerous.

He checked movements, sounds, and tracks.

A fox watched them quietly from the grass. A few birds were nearby.

But nothing dangerous.

Dorothy ran with Oz.

It looked like a child and a puppy playing.

After about ten carrots, both Dorothy and Oz lost interest.

They rolled around on the ground instead.

The women sounded a little disappointed.

What should we do with these carrots…?

Should they just carry them?

They looked unconscious—but could they wake up?

Juhwan asked Karin quietly,

“Do you know how to handle these?”

Karin frowned.

“I’ve never gathered one myself.”

She thought for a moment.

“Normally, you block your ears, then bury the carrot in soil inside a bag. But… we have more than ten.”

“And this unconscious state…?”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“Do horned rabbits hunt these?”
“Never heard of that either.”

“…”

Juhwan looked at Oz playing with Dorothy.

He looked like just a small rabbit.

But—

That red mark earlier…

Oz might not be a normal horned rabbit.

He would ask about it later.

Then he noticed something else.

The white fur on Oz’s forehead had spread wider around his horn.

I should ask about that too.

Juhwan filled the herb sacks with soil.

They placed the carrots inside and covered them again with dirt.

Then he tied the bags tightly.

He handed one to Red Sword.

“This is your share.”

“What?”

They were surprised.

“This place is your secret spot. It’s fair to split it.”

“But…”

“We didn’t help you for a reward,” Karin said.

Juhwan shrugged.

“It’s too early to thank me. These might not even be worth much. Oz ate all the leaves. Maybe they won’t work properly.”

They looked at each other.

They hadn’t thought of that.

“…Even so, thank you.”

Karin bowed. The others did too.

Lizzy looked at Juhwan with shining eyes.

He felt a little shy.

Dorothy ran over, holding Oz.

“Dad, where’s Dorothy’s carrot? Don’t I get one? The carrot is my and Oz’s little sibling!”

“….”

She even took out her doll Toto to prove her point.

When did the carrot become a sibling?

Juhwan realized something.

The carrot wasn’t alive.

It only vibrated—and that vibration sounded like a scream.

How could he explain that?

While he was thinking, Lizzy spoke gently.

“Dorothy, you can’t keep this. It’s dangerous.”

“Really?”
“Yes. It screams.”
“But Oz stopped it.”
“It just fainted. It might scream again.”

“Oh! Right.”

Dorothy nodded and gave up easily.

There were only three sacks, so there was no space left for cheonma roots.

Juhwan used his hunting pouch for those instead.

They originally planned to gather more—but now they didn’t need to.

Everyone was in a much better mood as they headed back to the guild