Chapter 73
"Captain Mo-oooo."
Mo Hae-in, who was swinging her sword at the Lava Golem, frowned.
"Captain Kwak. Use your skills instead of moving your tongue."
Only then did Kwak Han-mook use the Paladin skill, Judgment.
Five swords of light materialized above the Lava Golem’s head and plunged rapidly into it.
As the pure white blades pierced its black and red body, the Lava Golem shuddered in agony and stomped its foot, creating falling rocks.
Mo Hae-in nimbly dodged the cascading stones and shredded the golem’s core with her sword.
It was the Swordsman skill, Consecutive Strikes.
Unable to withstand the assault, the core cracked with a loud snap and soon crumbled.
The Lava Golem collapsed into a pile of rocks, and a system window appeared announcing the victory, but she didn’t even bother to look at it out of boredom.
She felt like she had hunted Fire Lizards and Lava Golems over a hundred times without exaggeration.
At this point, she could probably do it with her eyes closed.
While she was thinking about quickly picking up the Lava Salt if it dropped, Kwak Han-mook started being annoying again.
"Hae-in-aaa."
Mo Hae-in sighed and picked up the salt container left behind by the Lava Golem.
"What."
"Just because."
Kwak Han-mook approached slowly with his hands clasped behind his head.
However, she knew that when he acted like that, it was never ’just’ because.
Mo Hae-in threw the salt container at him and asked.
’Han-mook. Do you believe what the trainee says?"
Kwak Han-mook chuckled and gave a blunt answer.
"Nope."
The candy Han Goyo had shown them was a bound item received upon closing .
It might have had some incredible usage, but at a glance, it didn’t seem capable of triggering a system window for another Compatible.
She had never heard of such an item existing, and more decisively, the golden veil that had draped over them...
It was the same gold as when Han Goyo’s pupils had changed.
If she couldn’t find a connection between that veil and those golden eyes which were so brilliant that ’radiance’ was an understatement she should just hand back her Captain’s insignia to the TRA Administration.
Still, she didn’t press him for answers.
She figured there was a reason he wasn’t telling them.
’It doesn’t seem like he has bad intentions, either.’
The emotion she felt when the golden veil covered her was still vivid.
That wasn’t something that could originate from an item.
Recalling that incomprehensible moment, Mo Hae-in spoke slowly.
"Once the S2P is closed, the trainee will probably make a decision soon."
For now, she didn’t want to put too much pressure on Han Goyo.
If he decided on his own to stay with the TRA Administration, she planned to ask him in detail then.
But that didn’t happen...
Thinking of Director Jang Seok-yoon, Mo Hae-in stopped her train of thought at Kwak Han-mook’s words.
"No, Captain Mo. But seriously, you really can’t see that slime? It’s driving me crazy that I’m the only one who sees it. It’s even stuck to Go-yo all the time."
"Are you... being serious right now?"
"Dead serious."
"It’s really not an infection, wouldn’t that also be related to the trainee’s ability?"
"You think so? I wonder what kind of cute ability Chestnut is sporting."
Just then, a system window appeared.
[The Day Dungeon has ended. The Night Dungeon begins.]
Mo Hae-in gestured with her head toward Kwak Han-mook.
"Let’s head down for now."
They had agreed to finish farming once the Day Dungeon ended and meet in the first-floor lobby.
However, even after waiting in the lobby for a long time, Je Hyun-oh and Han Go-yo showed no sign of arriving.
Just as she was about to go back up to find them, the teleportation circle finally glowed.
And Mo Hae-in and Kwak Han-mook were faced with an absurd sight.
Han Goyo was being carried by Je Hyun-oh like a piece of luggage
I finally descended to the first-floor lobby of the dungeon.
I wanted to bask in the thrill of escaping the 45th floor, but my posture was a bit uncomfortable.
It was because Je Hyun-oh had me tucked under his arm.
Perhaps because I had used a bit too much of my ability, he had clumsily tripped and fallen while heading toward the teleportation circle.
Je Hyun-oh carried the trainee who had worked hard for him like a sack of flour.
I was so grateful for the kindness of him switching one of his metal hands to a crow glove to carry me that I was almost moved to tears.
"Trainee!"
Mo Hae-in, who had been waiting in the lobby, rushed over in surprise the moment she saw me.
I felt embarrassed being the only one looking tattered.
Even though Je Hyun-oh had been ripping out his wings, he looked more intact than I did.
His clothes were as black as a crow, so the blood didn’t even show.
Mo Hae-in immediately looked at Je Hyun-oh.
"Lieutenant Colonel Je."
At her stiff tone, Je Hyun-oh answered obediently.
"Goyo started it."
No, Captain Mo! Lieutenant Colonel Je started the madness first!
I couldn’t scream my unfair grievances aloud, so I said quietly.
’Ionely did my best...’
Kwak Han-mook, who strolled over, was also shocked when he saw me.
"Goyo, what happened to you?"
He whispered loud enough for me to hear.
"Did you act like ’Mad-Chestnut’ toward Lieutenant Colonel Je?"
Mad-Chestnut... it might have been that. I should have just run away.
After many twists and turns, we stepped outside the dungeon to find the sunset glowing.
Ella, who had been diligently grilling lizard tails surrounded by various items, spoke in a tired voice.
"It is now evening... go home already.."
Then she looked back at me, and her eyes widened.
"You, you, little lamb! Why do you look like that?"
While still tucked under Je Hyun-oh’s arm, I didn’t forget to act pitiful.
"It seems my skills were lacking. I am sorry for showing such a poor sight after you went through the trouble of opening the Day Dungeon.
I spoke in a small voice, dropping my gaze as if discouraged.
"Still, as for the cooking... I will make sure to treat you to something delicious..."
Both Ella and Elun furrowed their brows and gasped.
I gave a lonely smile to their eyes full of sympathy.
The twins looked at each other, and then Elun fluttered her wings, flew to me, and handed me something.
It was a High-Grade Recovery Potion.
Since it was the item I needed most right now, I accepted it without hesitation.
After drinking the potion, my stamina, which had been scraping the bottom, was perfectly restored.
Finally released from Je Hyun-oh’s side, I gave the twins a heartfelt thank you.
"Thank you so much!"
Ella turned her head with a huff, while Elun gathered the lizard tails and handed them to me.
Elun asked with curiosity in his eyes while looking at the tails.
"Will these become a dish tomorrow?"
"Of course, Sir Elun. Please look forward to it. You too, Lady Ella."
I greeted the twins and took out a large cloth to gather the piled-up items.
Then I made it into a sack and slung it over my shoulder.
This was a method that wouldn’t have worked in the game, but was possible in reality.
We all left the dungeon, each carrying a sack.
6:00 PM.
The operating hours of the village shops varied, but they usually opened at 9 AM and closed at 5 or 6 PM.
I had originally planned to buy a bed from the furniture store with some of the money from selling today’s farmed items, but the plan had fallen through.
It seemed I would have to buy furniture and supplies for the restaurant’s opening early tomorrow morning.
I glanced back at my companions.
Except for the squishy pudding slime, everyone looked exhausted.
’I should make something delicious for dinner.’
The wicked thing about this S2P village was that they didn’t sell any food other than simple snacks.
If a player wanted to satisfy their hunger outside of the dungeon, their only option was to wander around the village and gather edible plants.
However, when the season changed and winter arrived, all gatherable food that was gathered disappeared.
In the end, one had no choice but to enter the dungeon.
From what I heard, the Captains had previously completed the S2P conquest quickly before winter arrived and survived only on gathered plants.
Since a normal clear only required conquering the dungeon, it wasn’t a bad method.
Of course, it wasn’t efficient.
Gathered plants didn’t satisfy hunger much, and unlike cooked dishes, they provided no buff bonuses.
As soon as I arrived at the restaurant, I lit the fire in the hearth.
When I put two lizard tails in the sink, Mo Hae-in asked with a dark expression.
"This... is actually edible, right?"
"Once cooked, it’s crispy, moist, and chewy, full of juice and umami."
In the game, it was.
Keeping the last part to myself, I put on the apron I bought at the general store yesterday.
Then, this time, Kwak Han-mook stared at me blankly.
"Goyo, you really are something."
I looked at him with a puzzled expression while tying the apron strings.
The luck attached to the apron slightly increased the success rate of cooking, so I intended to wear it while preparing the meal.
He looked at me wistfully and said.
"If Big Brother Mad-Chestnut were in the 3Clean, he’d probably clean without a second thought even if he rolled a maid outfit..."
I didn’t know why he was suddenly bringing that up, but since there was no way to pull a maid outfit in the first place, it was a meaningless hypothesis.
I had to make dinner quickly.
Leaving Kwak Han-mook alone, I took out the items needed for cooking.
[Obsidian Frying Pan: A pan made from a hard piece of obsidian that formed the outer skin of a Lava Golem. Any food is cooked to the most perfect oneness without burning.]
[Cooking Success Rate +20%]
[Fire Slime Core: Once lit, it never goes out. Its powerful heat cooks monster meat thoroughly to the core.]
[The jelly-like core obtained from defeating a Fire Slime was one of the essential items for monster cooking.]
Only by putting this in the hearth could monster meat be cooked properly.
The problem, however, was that the heat of the hearth became so strong that one could get burned while cooking.
I needed the Hellfire Oven Mitts...
I looked at the culprit who had destroyed my precious oven mitts.
Je Hyun-oh was standing alone, leaning against a wall some distance away.
’Wait. It doesn’t have to be oven mitts, right?’
I approached Je Hyun-oh and confidently held out my hand.
"Lieutenant Colonel Je. Please lend me those crow gloves."
At my declaration, which sounded as if I were claiming something already mine, he stared at me.
Even though he was wearing goggles, I could feel his gaze.
He didn’t seem particularly friendly.
One would think some goodwill would have accumulated after I saved him in the dungeon, but for some reason, I felt like I had fallen further into the negatives.
’Does he want to kill me again?’
But thinking back to the time of the Deadzone, it didn’t seem to be that extreme.
He was truly an unpredictable being.
Regardless, I made the request again.
"Because the oven mitts were ruined by the metal wings today, I have nothing to use for cooking. At this rate, the Captains and I will be eating grass."
Then, Je Hyun-oh took out the crow gloves.
However, he didn’t hand them over immediately; he let them dangle from the tip of his metal hand.
As I quickly snatched the gloves, Je Hyun-oh pushed himself off the wall.
The Captains, who were talking, immediately asked him.
"Where are you going?"
"I’m going to push through the dungeon. Only as far as I can go."
Since solo entry was possible from the 45th to the 65th floor, he meant he would push up to that point.
Both the Captains and I knew very well that he essentially just wanted to slice something with his metal hand.
Kwak Han-mook stepped forward to open the door for Je Hyun-oh.
The Captains didn’t know what had happened today.
But as someone who had witnessed the scene, I couldn’t help but worry.
"Lieutenant Colonel Je..."
As I softly called him, Je Hyun-oh stopped in his tracks.
He slowly turned his body to look at me.
"Goyo."
"Yes...."
A deep, rough bass whispered languidly.
"You’re acting up again."
I felt that if I said one wrong word here, I would be the one sliced by that metal hand.
I quietly stepped back.
Come to think of it, today’s event was a special case; normally, Je Hyun-oh was strong against mental attacks.
And in S2P, there is no monster with a stronger mental ability than Gorgos.
I figured I didn’t need to worry too much.
After Je Hyun-oh left for the dungeon, I checked the item description.
[Crow Gloves: What is hidden beneath the black feathers?]
I didn’t know what it meant, but I memorized the description.
It wouldn’t be easy, but I wanted to understand more about Je Hyun-oh.
The information I had seen in the game was far too insufficient.
This was because while I knew about «Zero›, I didn’t know what Je Hyun-oh had experienced within .
I could only guess that he had escaped
I carefully tried on the crow gloves.
I worried that teeth might suddenly sprout inside the gloves and bite me, but surprisingly, that didn’t happen.
They felt like ordinary gloves. They likely had effects or stat boosts that only reacted to infected beings.
Regardless, the durability was extremely high, so they would withstand ultra-high temperatures well.
Wearing the crow gloves, I began cooking in earnest.
As I threw the Fire Slime Core into the hearth, the flames surged upward.
I quickly placed the obsidian frying pan on top, and while the pan heated up, I hurriedly washed the lizard tails and placed them on the cutting board.
I took out a Chinese cleaver, chopped the tails into cubes with rhythmic thuds, and as I activated my skills, system windows popped up in a flurry.
[Skill ’Tenderize is used. All meats become surprisingly tender.]
[Passive skill ’Golden Hand has been activated. A random buff effect is added to the completed dish.]
[Passive skill ’Absolute Taste has been activated. The probability of a Great Success increases.]
Skills...
There were too many to read them all. It was thanks to the explosive increase in my level.
Tonight’s dinner menu: Fire Lizard Tail Chop Steak.
For the Captains who might be repulsed by the shape of a lizard tail, I planned to dice them and mix in gathered vegetables to give it a familiar feel.
I poured the lizard tail meat into the pan.
A sizzling sound erupted as the oil circulated. After shaking the pan a couple of times, I took out a new cutting board and sliced the vegetables.
Thanks to the skills, my hands were more precise and faster than usual, which made it convenient.
I poured various vegetables over the sizzling tails and began stir-frying in earnest.
A delicious aroma spread in all directions.
Once I sprinkled Lava Salt and volcanic ash seasoning, the smell became enough to make passersby turn their heads.
Kwak Han-mook, who had run far away since I started slicing the tails, and Mo Hae-in, who had been standing nearby with a grim face, regained their interest.
I took out the prettiest plate in the restaurant and plated the dish.
[Great Success! You have created Fire Lizard Tail Chop Steak (* * *).]
[Additional proficiency and buff effects are granted due to the Great Success.]
[Proficiency has increased significantly. Current Proficiency: 8%]
The Chef profession had something called proficiency, separate from level.
The more types of food one made, the higher the value rose, and the higher the proficiency, the higher the grade of the dish.
Right now, my proficiency was low, but I had pushed through with level, skills, and high-grade ingredients to earn three stars.
Since stars ranged from 0 to 6, it could be considered a mid-tier grade.
I called the Captains.
"Dinner is served!"
As I placed the large plate on the table, Kwak Han-mook’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"This is that lizard tail?"
"Yes. Please try some."
As I was serving it onto individual plates, a squishy sensation touched my cheek.
"I am fine, so please eat, Roasted Chestnut."
I knew Dominic didn’t usually eat, but I nodded slightly, pretending to be considerate of him.
The Captains, who began eating while saying they would enjoy the meal, suddenly fell silent.
It was because they were eating so intently.
I tried a bite myself, and it was decent. I had been a bit worried since it had been a while since I cooked, but it was a relief.
The outside was crispy and the inside was chewy, and the umami was alive with the juices that flowed out with every bite.
The vegetables were well-cooked and crunchy, and the seasoning of the spices and salt was just right.
It was fascinating that the taste descriptions I had only seen as text in the game were felt exactly the same in this trial.
"It looks delicious. I look forward to the dish Roasted Chestnut will gift me as well."
...Hearing Dominic’s praise, I almost choked on my food for a moment.
By the time the plates were empty, a system window appeared.
Mo Hae-in, who had cleanly finished every last piece, muttered after reading the system window that appeared before her.
"What is this? A buff..?"
"It’s only a three-star dish for now. Tomorrow, four stars are possible. I think I can attach 4 buffs, 30% Critical Rate, and 150% Critical Damage increase."
’I should make exactly 500 lizard skewers today before I sleep.’
I planned to raise my proficiency so that I could comfortably produce four-star dishes starting tomorrow.
However, the Captains said nothing.
Feeling secretly proud, I became awkward and quickly spoke again.
"Uh, if I put in a bit more effort, I think I can attach 5 buffs..."
Grab.
Suddenly, Kwak Han-mook grabbed my hand. Mo Hae-in also glared at me with an intense gaze from beside him.
He spoke in a voice full of sincerity.
"Sweet Chestnut, Brother Goyo. Starting tomorrow, I’ll bring back a thousand lizards a day."
It was just as Kwak Han-mook was making his lizard’s oath
Bang bang bang!
Someone knocked urgently on the restaurant door.
"Little Lamb! Open up! Right now!"
It was the voice of Ella, one of the Fire Dragon twins.