The moment Joo Do-gyeom got into the car, Kang Tae-woo bowed his head.
“First, I owe you an apology.”
“......?”
“You said you did not like commotion, but my coming here ended up causing one.”
“I understand.”
Joo Do-gyeom had the sense that Kang Tae-woo would not do it again, so he did not bother dragging the matter out.
“Also, yesterday, when the chairman said there was much he did not know about you...... I considered assigning someone to keep watch over you.”
“Hmm?”
“I apologize. It was a thought I should never have entertained in the first place.”
“You didn’t do it, so it’s fine.”
A calm answer.
He did not question him, nor did he show the slightest displeasure.
Since Kang Tae-woo had not actually done it, there was no problem. That was the full extent of Joo Do-gyeom’s calculation.
Kang Tae-woo realized it anew.
‘He truly is a man of different caliber.’
A faint smile escaped him before he knew it.
“You are like the chairman.”
“......Hmm?”
“I mean that you resemble the person I respect most, so I hope you will not take offense.”
“Ah, well......”
As Joo Do-gyeom, who was unaccustomed to praise, trailed off awkwardly, Kang Tae-woo changed the subject.
“I will get to the point.”
He pulled a black case out from beneath the seat.
When he unzipped it, neatly bundled stacks of cash came into view.
“First, ten billion won in cash. You may use it without worrying about its source.”
It was one of the things Joo Do-gyeom had requested yesterday.
Completely clean money that would not get caught anywhere.
He had asked for around five billion won, if possible.
Yet in a single day, Kang Tae-woo had brought twice that amount.
‘He certainly works fast.’
But that was not all.
Kang Tae-woo took something from inside his coat and offered it respectfully.
When Joo Do-gyeom accepted it, he found a small case containing a bankbook, a card, and a seal.
“This account was opened in your name, Mr. Joo Do-gyeom. We plan to deposit approximately ten billion won each month and pay you an additional fifty billion within six months. The same work is required to make those funds completely clean, so I ask for your understanding regarding the delay.”
“......I did not ask for this.”
“It is a gesture of the chairman’s sincerity.”
Joo Do-gyeom stared down at the bankbook for a moment, then simply decided to accept it.
The more money, the better.
He had, after all, recently emptied his bank account without restraint.
Of course, he had only been able to spend it all so freely because he was confident he could earn it back at any time.
In any case.
Sixty billion won in free money.
It was harder to find a reason to refuse.
“I’ll accept it with gratitude.”
“Not at all. And...... once again, I apologize.”
Joo Do-gyeom waved a hand dismissively.
As though it were nothing.
In truth, the apology was no longer even registering in his ears.
Instead, he asked, “Where is this car headed right now?”
“Is there somewhere you need to go?”
“The livestock market in the Blue Zone.”
He could have taken the subway, but since he was already seated, riding there would be more convenient.
Not that he had any intention of buying a car.
‘They’ll all be scrap in a few years anyway.’
Then again...... if he could at least travel comfortably until then.
While Joo Do-gyeom considered it, Kang Tae-woo smiled and answered, “Of course. We will take you there. Driver.”
“Yes, sir.”
With that brief reply.
VROOOM-.
The luxury sedan carrying ten billion won glided smoothly out of the Red Zone alley.
Its destination was the livestock market.
Joo Do-gyeom smacked his lips without realizing it.
He was looking forward to it.
‘I wonder what All-Things Restorative Soup will taste like?’
And how much Mana will it raise?
For now, tonight’s dinner was beef soup.
***
That evening.
The bubbling sound of something boiling drifted from the kitchen of Joo Do-gyeom’s one-room apartment.
Today’s challenge.
beef soup.
The reason he had not chosen a more traditional option(?) like gomtang or seolleongtang was simple.
It took less time to cook, it was spicy, and it contained meat.
It met the requirement of being a soup, and nothing could have been more suitable for an experimental dish.
Soup or broth, was there really much difference?
With that casual mindset, Joo Do-gyeom first took out his smartphone.
He entered “golden beef soup recipe” into the search bar.
It had been the same with Mana Stone Braising, but cooking only turned out as well as one’s knowledge allowed.
Even if the Skill handled the Mana, the foundation of the flavor ultimately came from the cooking method.
After reading the recipe closely, Joo Do-gyeom began preparing the ingredients.
Today’s main ingredient was dungeon-sourced fowl he had bought at the livestock market that afternoon.
‘Fat Bird.’
It looked exactly like a chicken, but it had been named for its plump, heavily fattened body..
Its wings were purely decorative.
Even inside Dungeons, it could not fly and merely waddled away, making it easy prey even for a novice Hunter.
As a result, the supply was plentiful, and each one cost eight hundred thousand won.
Its effects were restoring vitality and enhancing muscular strength.
The livestock market merchant had confidently claimed that its meat glistened with fat without being greasy and had a rich, savory flavor.
PLUCK. PLUCK-!
The man who had been the God of War in his previous life was plucking chicken feathers.
He meticulously removed every last stray feather.
He could have bought one that had already been dressed, but the knowledge granted by the Skill stated that when the Chef of All Things personally prepared the ingredients, both the Mana and flavor enhancement efficiency increased.
And so, it had come to this.
It was a sight that would have made his former comrades clutch the backs of their necks.
‘It said the effect increases when monster ingredients are used.’
That was one of the pieces of knowledge that had entered his mind when he obtained All-Things Restorative Soup.
The more Mana an ingredient contained, the better, so dungeon-sourced fowl met the condition well enough.
And so.
He thoroughly boiled the prepared meat and shredded it along the grain.
He added bracken and bean sprouts.
He mixed in the red-pepper seasoning.
Finally, he dropped in one mid-grade Mana Stone he had received as a reward for clearing the Garden of Eden.
PLOP.
It was expensive, but the efficiency would rise accordingly.
His pockets were flush after meeting the head of Taeseong Group, and mid-grade Mana Stones would become common in the Dungeons he planned to enter from now on, so he felt even less reluctance about using one.
The Mana Stone melted gently into the boiling broth like snow.
It was fascinating every time he saw it.
Watching a Mana Stone dissolve and vanish as it became part of the food was a novel experience he never would have had if he had not become the Chef of All Things.
He tasted the broth.
‘Good.’
A deep savoriness ran through the spicy broth.
With that, the Chef of All Things’ dungeon-sourced beef soup was complete.
Joo Do-gyeom mixed in a bowl of rice and took a large spoonful.
“......Mmm.”
It was delicious.
It was spicy on the surface and deep underneath.
The Fat Bird meat, shredded along the grain, was exactly as the merchant had boasted.
It was rich without being greasy, and its deep, nutty savor had thoroughly infused the broth.
Most importantly.
‘The Mana...... is definitely filling me differently.’
The sensation was different from when he had eaten Mana Stone Braising.
Before, the Mana had seeped into him gently. This time, it surged in with warmth.
One Grade.
No, it felt like a difference of two Grades.
That was likely because All-Things Restorative Soup was a higher-tier Recipe Skill than Mana Stone Braising, and he had even added a mid-grade Mana Stone.
‘Satisfying.’
Joo Do-gyeom polished off the entire bowl.
Then he looked at the generous amount of broth remaining in the pot and thought,
‘I should invite someone over and feed them this soon.’
There was no supplementary knowledge stating that the effect extended to other people, but he somehow felt that it would.
Only one face came to mind.
His teammate, Kim Han-yul.
***
Since Kim Han-yul had come to mind, Joo Do-gyeom decided to finish what he needed to do.
He took two items from his System Inventory.
The pitch-black scroll, Eve’s Gift.
And the Adam’s Apple he had saved.
He cut the apple in half and squeezed out its juice. Golden droplets fell onto the scroll’s black surface, one after another.
Immediately afterward.
FWOOSH-!
The scroll erupted in golden light.
The black energy covering its surface was washed away by the light, revealing the original color hidden beneath.
Ivory parchment embroidered with patterns of golden thread.
When Joo Do-gyeom unfurled it, the System information appeared.
『Eve’s Gift』
『Expands any slot possessed by the user.』
‘Good.’
The black scrap of paper that had cost three billion won—no, eight billion once the Blessing Potion was included—had just turned back into a treasure worth tens of billions of won.
A satisfying result.
Of course, he had no intention of using it himself.
Expanding his System Inventory was always welcome, but this item was far too precious to use for that purpose.
There might be room to make use of it if Corpse Fusion leveled up and introduced the concept of summon slots.
‘But that isn’t my main focus.’
As expected, this belonged to Kim Han-yul.
For a Manifestationist, slots were combat power itself.
To her, Eve’s Gift would literally be wings.
Did he think it was a waste?
Not at all.
Kim Han-yul certainly appeared calculating on the surface.
But Joo Do-gyeom knew.
Beneath that calculator lay a loyalty more steadfast than anyone else’s.
She acted cold toward everyone.
Yet at the final moment of the battle against the Earth Demon Dragon, she had thrown away her own life to save the others.
Joo Do-gyeom still had not forgotten her voice as she headed toward death.
-Thanks for everything, everyone.
Of course.
Since he was giving her something this valuable, he planned to work her to the bone.
A regressor’s calculations were never generous.
“Heh heh......”
Joo Do-gyeom let out a laugh that would have sent a chill down Kim Han-yul’s spine had she heard it, then returned the scroll to his System Inventory.
Afterward, he looked back over the gains from this entire endeavor once more.
Excluding what he had already used, he still had a Title, a Leaf of the Tree of Life, sixty billion won in cash, and even a partner named Lee Young-sik.
‘As expected.’
Hiding in some corner and merely preparing for the future was not the answer.
Pushing forward like this was the correct choice.
He felt profoundly satisfied.
***
The next day, around noon.
Unexpected guests came to Joo Do-gyeom’s one-room apartment.
Two of them, at that.
Lee Young-sik and Lee Seo-a.
Perhaps mindful of the commotion caused by the sedan the previous day, they had come in plain, inconspicuous clothing and used equally inconspicuous transportation. However, they could not conceal the presences of the bodyguards hidden nearby.
Joo Do-gyeom found himself facing the two of them inside his room.
He said, “What brings such humble guests all the way to this precious place?”
“......?”
“......?”
The father and daughter blinked simultaneously.
Half a beat later, even Joo Do-gyeom doubted his own tongue.
“Ah, my apologies. I meant to say it the other way around. I suffer from a bit of madness.”
“......?”
“......?”
“I am serious. It seems to be an effect of my Trait......”
His face was far too serious for it to sound like a joke.
That only made his answer harder to judge, but the father and daughter seemed to decide to believe him for the time being.
To be honest, from their perspective, they had no intention of confronting Joo Do-gyeom over something so trivial.
“Ahem......”
Lee Young-sik cleared his throat and looked around the room once more to refresh the atmosphere.
He felt strange.
The benefactor who had saved the daughter he valued as much as his own life was living in a room that became cramped the moment he lay down.
“......This is worse than I expected.”
“It is convenient. There is nothing to maintain.”
At Joo Do-gyeom’s calm answer, Lee Young-sik’s expression became resolute, as though he had made up his mind about something.
He said,
“I will get straight to the point. I am thinking of creating a Guild.”
“I see.”
“......You are not surprised.”
It had been more than a decade since the world changed this way.
There were plenty of precedents for major corporations creating Hunter Guilds.
However, most of them had failed.
Taeseong had been no different.
It had remained quiet ever since, so under ordinary circumstances, hearing that it intended to try again should have been surprising.
‘Because the chairman did create a Guild in the future.’
The only problem was that the Guild had been used to further the Hunter Slayer’s infamy.
Other than that, its results had been quite good.
It possessed one of the strongest Hunter forces in South Korea and was even called one of the Five Great Guilds.
“Good grief, I said that hoping you would look at least a little surprised. You truly are impossible to read.”
“Thank you.”
“......That was praise...... Yes, it was praise. Ahem. In any case.”
After briefly gathering his thoughts with another cough, Lee Young-sik continued.
“To elaborate, I intend to pour all of Taeseong’s capital into it. The best equipment, the best information, and the best treatment. I want you to stand at its center.”
It was an extraordinary proposal.
Offering a newly initiated Hunter a central position in a conglomerate-backed Guild.
The terms would have made anyone else’s eyes pop.
Had they known that this Guild would become one of South Korea’s Five Great Guilds in the future, it would have been even more tempting.
However, Joo Do-gyeom quietly shook his head.
“I apologize, but I must refuse.”
“......May I ask why?”
“If I join an organization, there will be things I have to concern myself with.”
Reports, approvals, consideration, appearances.
No matter how excellent the support was, such things inevitably arose under the name of an organization.
And Joo Do-gyeom’s plans could only work if he ignored all of them.
Then should he ask for only himself to be made an exception to every one of those rules?
‘That wouldn’t be right.’
Considering how much he would be receiving, it would be a demand that undermined the organization itself.
“......What a shame. A true shame. I could have provided you with anything.”
“I will gratefully accept the sentiment.”
Lee Young-sik watched the unruffled Joo Do-gyeom and tried to read him once again.
“Could you think about it just once more......?”
“......”
“Then, as a final offer......”
“No.”
“You are firm. Just one truly final......”
“Dad.”
Lee Seo-a’s voice.
At the same time, a sharp pain stabbed into Lee Young-sik’s thigh.
“......!!”
In place of the suffering Lee Young-sik, Lee Seo-a spoke with a reddened face.
“I’m sorry. He isn’t normally like this......”
Before she had even finished speaking,
Lee Young-sik opened his mouth again.
“If there are any conditions you want instead...... Hup......!”
“......”
“Should I send him out so we can talk alone?”
Lee Seo-a asked with a smile.
Just as Joo Do-gyeom was about to nod,
“Enough, enough. I will stop, so...... please do not leave only me out......”
Lee Young-sik’s desperate voice reached him.
It was a peculiar feeling.
***
After the brief disturbance.
Having regained his usual gentlemanly demeanor, Lee Young-sik cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem...... Then let us pretend the proposal never happened. There is still one more matter......”
His gaze turned toward Lee Seo-a.
“I found a house.”