Chapter 78
I answered, tense with the fear that Dominic might recognize the currency.
"Yes. I sent it as payment for the food."
Fortunately, he showed no sign of recognizing the coin or recalling any memories
Dominic spoke, choosing refined words.
"Your eye for aesthetics seems not to be bad."
As expected, since he was the one who created it, he seemed to like it.
Perhaps wanting to observe it more closely, Dominic moved along my forearm toward the coin.
However, there was nothing to be gained by letting him examine the remnant of the Dark Star.
Pretending not to notice, I quickly went to the counter and dropped the coin into the cash box.
At that moment, a system window popped up.
You have sold ????? and received 999.999.999G.]
Following the glitched system window, a sudden notification of business closure appeared.
Business has ended.
Immediately after, the quota system window appeared.
Today’s Quota: 999.999 499G]
Seeing the amount, I cursed inwardly.
That damn Fire Dragon was trying to leave me with only five hundred won again.
’Mr. Black Block, I believe in you.!’
Taking a deep breath, I opened my balance window and checked the numbers.
Current Balance: 999,999,999G)
It was the same.
Just like during the Call of the Void, it meant my balance exceeded the display limit.
Even if Infernus tried to slash my funds as a quota, he couldn’t take more than what the system could display.
No matter how much of a quota he took, it was merely like scooping out a handful from a mountain of gold that exceeded the display limit.
In short, I was in a state close to infinite gold.
’Mr. Black Block!!’
I cheered inwardly and clenched my fist, then quickly regained my composure.
At the same time, I became curious about the value of the Dark Star remnant.
’Just how much is it?’
I didn’t know how the appraisal was conducted, but I had expected the currency value of S2P to be very cheap compared to a remnant of the Dark Star.
However, even though a sum close to the possession limit had been scraped away as a quota, there wasn’t a speck of change in the numerical value.
Basically, it meant the Dark Star remnant was an astronomical sum of money.
’At the very least, would it be in the hundreds of millions in Korean Won?’
Thinking that far, I naturally thought of the butlers who had suddenly given me such a fortune.
Just as a deleted game vanishes from memory, a closed Trial never appears again.
Every time I closed a Trial, I repeated permanent farewells with the NPCs.
Knowing it was inevitable, I felt a slight sense of loneliness whenever I recalled it.
I decided that I should maintain a grateful heart toward the butlers and take good care of the Alien Pudding Slime.
Glancing sideways, the Pudding Slime was squishing around on my wrist.
"Trainee! What is this right now?"
Just then, Mo Hae-in rushed toward me.
The quota window had appeared for her as well. She had likely checked my current balance.
"It seems an alien guest visited."
"There were no strange-looking guests?"
"Aliens also visit in forms identical to humans."
Since Mo Hae- in knew nothing, she had no choice but to believe my words.
"Still, that amount of money...."
Since she still looked suspicious, I calmly added an explanation.
"Please think of it as something like a game cheat. Actually, I was just lucky. There are more cases where it doesn’t work."
I also mentioned that it was an anomaly, so it was a method I originally didn’t intend to use.
Since I had already mentioned during the previous meeting that I would cause anomalies, Mo Hae-in roughly accepted it.
She crossed her arms and asked.
"Anyway, is the standing restaurant finished then?"
"Yes, Captain Mo."
Since business had ended, I planned to run to the village immediately and shop like crazy.
I informed her of the new concept.
"From now on, it’s fine dining."
Everyone remembers ’that’ restaurant that newly opened in our village, right?
The very place that was notorious among the residents!
In fact, this restaurant was a complete chaos from the first day of opening.
A certain lucky letter had been scattered throughout the entire village, after all.
Still, the chef’s skill was amazing, and the serving staff were all kind, so it was a delight for the eyes and the mouth.
However, the interior was... the worst, the worst, the worst!
There weren’t even tables, let alone chairs, so all the guests had to stand and eat skewers as if they were being punished.
Furthermore, the menu consisted of only one item: ’Flame Lizard Tail Skewers.’
They say the taste is good, but after eating nothing but lizard tails, you reach a point where you don’t know if you are the lizard or the lizard is you.
The emotion of the first visit turns into a sigh of "Lizards again!" by the third visit.
But what is this?
’That’ restaurant, the problem child of the village, has completely transformed into a "Luxury Fine Dining" establishment overnight!
You no longer have to eat skewers while your legs are shaking.
When you open the door and enter, luxurious marble tables and plush velvet chairs welcome the guests.
The music played by a live band, the soft lighting, and the elegant interior create an illusion as if one has come to a royal banquet hall.
The menu has also shown a ’surprising transformation’.
Away with the single-menu skewer grill that looked like a man with only one suit!
Now, it’s a full-course meal from appetizers to dessert!
The taste of the food has developed even further, to the point where one might wonder if the chef trained in heaven!
Of course, the sweet and kind staff are still in their places.
For those who turned away saying, "I want to go, but I don’t want to eat standing up," we strongly recommend a visit.
Oh, you’d better hurry. Reservations are already exploding!
I folded the newspaper with a faint smile.
A notification popped up saying an article about the restaurant had been published, and upon checking, I was very satisfied.
It seemed they had written well about the restaurant’s amazing transformation.
Of course, it wasn’t free; it was an advertisement for which I paid a small promotional fee.
But?
’It’s not a false, exaggerated, or fraudulent ad!’
The restaurant, blessed with infinite gold, was truly reborn.
Since I decorated everything with the most expensive items, the reputation points obtainable from the interior hit the limit.
Just the chandeliers on the ceiling I hung five of them, each costing over fifty million gold.
That wasn’t all.
I hired musicians so that a string quartet would resonate throughout the restaurant.
And since I only accepted a set number of guests per day, it possessed the dignity befitting fine dining.
I set the newspaper aside and walked out carrying a dessert plate.
An elegant scene unfolded, one that bore no resemblance to the previous market- floor atmosphere.
"Today’s soup is a bisque soup brewed with fresh lava crabs..."
Mo Hae-in, responding to guests with a gentle smile, was practically the face of the restaurant.
The twins had also become very proficient in serving, and were now flawless as waiters.
"Eat well! Mortal."
"Eat a lot. This is delicious."
Their tone wasn’t exactly for guest service, but since no one could say anything to the Fire Dragon, it was fine.
Rather, many people found it cute.
Occasionally, rude customers came, but they became quiet after seeing the twins fire show before they could even try anything.
After checking on the twins and Mo Hae-in, I placed the dessert plate on the guest’s table, my original destination.
[Flame Berry Panna Cotta (1200G): A dessert made of panna cotta using the milk of a Volcanic Rock Goat, topped with flame berry jam]
[(One-line review: A sweetness that holds the heat of a volcano, soaking in heavily and bursting intensely. Could there be a more perfect dessert? Rating: (******)]
The Flame Berry Panna Cotta was an indispensable dessert in the Flame Course menu.
The deep, nutty panna cotta with a heavy texture made from goat milk blended well with the sweet and sourness of the flame berries, making it an appropriate palate-cleansing dessert.
The white panna cotta was placed on a black plate carved from volcanic rock, and when cut with a spoon, the red flame berry jam flowed out, creating a nice color contrast.
Wearing a business smile, I asked the guest.
"How was your meal today?"
As the chef, I personally served the desserts and asked the guests for their feedback.
In this case, the one-line reviews and rating scores left by guests were particularly high.
’And the tips go up too.’
I dealt with the guests who kept talking to me instead of eating their dessert, and closed the restaurant doors at 3 PM.
[Business has ended.]
- Sold Food: Flame Course Meal (145)
- Revenue: 47942.300G
- Current Restaurant Reputation: 926 points
- Guests’ One-line Reviews:
"Heavenly taste, heavenly space."
"A cultural heritage of humanity.’
"The flames of hell have the flavor of heaven! Must visit this restaurant."
"A new era of gastronomy that reinterprets monster ingredients in the most elegant and greedy way."
"The staff is delicious and the food is kind!"
[Today’s Quota: 999,999,499G]
The quota appeared, but I didn’t care.
For me, with infinite funds, it was a meaningless amount.
’Reputation points are sailing smoothly.’
If I did business for a few more days, I would soon reach 1,000 points.
The dungeon side went without saying.
During the day, Je Hyun-oh and Kwak Han-mook brought back ingredients, and at night, we all entered the dungeon to conquer it.
The current completed floor was the 92nd.
The uppermost floors required all five of us to be present and had gimmicks like solving puzzles, so it took some time.
There were moments where I broke a slight sweat.
Such as when the Captains wondered why four people could enter the uppermost part of the dungeon.
Or when the Captains asked why there was no hidden boss on the 88th floor.
I brushed it all off as anomalies, but....
Anyway, it seemed I could push through to the 99th floor tonight.
The True Ending clear was just around the corner.
"Lamb!"
Ella and Elun ran over excitedly.
The twins fluttered their wings and wagged their tails, boasting about their heroic deeds.
They giggled together, talking about how majestically they had dealt with the guests.
"The work of a restaurant is most amusing. It was boring when we were just acting as gatekeepers in front of the dungeon, waiting only for adventurers."
"It’s fun."
After chatting for a while, they grabbed the edges of my clothes from both sides and chattered about the food they wanted to eat.
"What is for dinner today? I wish to eat that Flame Boar Steak I had last time again."
"Lamb. Make me an omelet with phoenix eggs."
I answered that I would, while glancing at Elun’s wing.
Since I had steadily applied the cores of Flame Slimes, his condition had definitely improved a lot.
He was still wearing bandages, but it seemed they could be removed in a few days.
Everything was going too smoothly.
To the point where I wondered if it was okay for things to be this way.
It was then.
The door of the closed restaurant opened on its own.
"...!"
Following an ominous intuition, I immediately turned my head, and red flickered in my vision.
Mo Hae-in, who had been relaxing until a moment ago, quickly stood up and drew her sword.
Her gaze became sharp with tension.
I slowly moved my lips.
"...Lord Infernus."
The uninvited guest who visited the restaurant spoke with a leisurely smile.
"Little one. You have worked hard."
Originally, Infernus never visited the restaurant, except for the very first time when he gave me the dungeon entry seal.
But for him to personally step foot in the restaurant.
It couldn’t be a good sign.
Without taking my eyes off him, I replied.
"Thanks to your watch, I have operated the restaurant without incident."
"Yes, your skill was impressive. It seems the one leading you gave you good instruction."
Dominic.. had done nothing but squish on my head or shoulder throughout the business.
But since I was in front of Mo Hae-in, I stayed quiet and pretended not to know.
At the mention of the one ’leading you,’ Mo Hae-in narrowed her eyes.
Fortunately, however, Infernus’s words were ambiguous, so she didn’t seem to be able to interpret them.
"Thank you for the praise."
I asked Infernus cautiously.
"May I ask why you have visited the restaurant?"
The red eyes with reptilian pupils were colored with amusement.
The red gaze landed on Ella and Elun.
"I have come to take my subordinates."