Joo Do-gyeom blinked.
“......A house?”
Lee Young-sik took out a tablet and held it toward him.
The screen showed a spacious luxury villa in Blue Zone District 1, within walking distance of Yongsan Dungeon Place Market.
Lee Young-sik let out a hearty laugh.
“Heh heh heh...... It was not me. My daughter prepared it herself because she wanted to give it to you as a gift. I repeat, it was not me. Every won used to purchase this house came from my daughter’s own pocket. Heh heh heh......!”
Joo Do-gyeom looked at Lee Seo-a and asked,
“Your daughter paid for it herself......?”
“I had quite a bit of money saved separately. I invested it in stocks...... and they happened to rise enormously over the last two years......”
“Heh heh heh...... I am not saying this merely because she is my daughter. She has always been exceptionally talented. I have never given her more than one hundred thousand won in allowance, you know? But even so...... Agh......!”
Lee Seo-a quietly pinched her father’s thigh once more and shot him a glare.
Lee Young-sik’s lips snapped shut.
Lee Seo-a spoke.
“I’m sorry. My father is a hopelessly doting parent......”
“......”
Joo Do-gyeom nodded.
By now, he had grown rather accustomed to it.
Another thought occurred to him as well.
It was because he was this kind of father that he had become that kind of man.
The desperation and sharpness of the past two years.
Even the things he would do in the future.
Joo Do-gyeom looked at the screen once more, then raised his gaze.
Lee Seo-a spoke with an embarrassed expression.
“Honestly, a place in the Green Zone was beyond what I could afford. And I did not want my father’s help.”
“No. This is more than enough. If anything, I should thank your daughter......”
“Lee Seo-a.”
“......?”
“Please call me Lee Seo-a. Not ‘your daughter.’”
Her voice was soft, yet resolute.
On the other hand, perhaps because she had only just shaken off her illness?
Though she smiled brightly, there was a peculiar frailty to her appearance.
‘......Hmm?’
The instant he saw her, something tried to surface in one corner of his mind.
It was like something beckoning to him from beyond the fog.
Almost within reach, yet impossible to grasp.
‘What is it?’
What had it been?
There was definitely something.
Perhaps thanks to Vivienne’s help, his memories had been unnaturally vivid until now.
He could even recall exact dates and times, yet this particular memory was as hazy as fog.
Joo Do-gyeom groped through that fog for several seconds before giving up.
‘Considering how quickly most memories come back...... it probably wasn’t important.’
Above all, as he had reminded himself repeatedly, Lee Seo-a died three years later in the future he knew.
There should have been no new information about her for him to remember.
‘......Even if I’m mistaken, trying to force it won’t make the memory surface.’
Having reached that conclusion, Joo Do-gyeom nodded.
“I will gratefully accept your kindness.”
He had been planning to move anyway.
At his answer, the father and daughter’s faces brightened simultaneously.
But now that it had come to this, it somehow looked as though he was only receiving things from them.
Cash, a bank account, and now even a house.
After thinking for a moment, Joo Do-gyeom opened his mouth.
“Perhaps...... if you do not mind, would you care for a bowl of beef soup?”
“......Pardon?”
Lee Seo-a’s eyes widened.
Lee Young-sik’s eyes instead lit up as he asked,
“I thought the aroma was extraordinary when we came in. Did you cook it yourself?”
“Yes. It contains precious ingredients.”
“Precious ingredients?”
Did beef soup normally contain anything like that?
Then again, what did that matter?
The fact that his benefactor had gone to the trouble was precious in itself.
Lee Young-sik smiled.
“If you are offering, I will gladly accept.”
“Thank you.”
And so, bowls of beef soup made with a Mana Stone and dungeon ingredients were placed before the father and daughter.
***
SLURP-.
SLURP, SLURP-.
The cheerful sound of broth being swallowed echoed through the cramped one-room apartment.
A short while later.
“......Remarkable!”
An exclamation burst from Lee Young-sik, the head of a conglomerate.
His precious jewel,
his only daughter, Lee Seo-a, also paused with her spoon in hand. Looking equally astonished, she spoke.
“You are...... an excellent cook.”
Joo Do-gyeom nodded with a pleased expression.
“I put a great deal of effort into it.”
“This—this is not something effort alone can achieve. This depth of flavor, this consistency, and the savory richness layered over it all...... Even most fine-dining chefs could not imitate this. Without talent, one could never reach such a level...... SLUUURP-!”
Lee Young-sik appeared to be something of a gourmet himself. He showered the food with praise before drinking the broth again.
His entire expression conveyed that he simply could not resist.
It was a peculiar sight.
The chairman of a conglomerate and his precious only daughter were sitting in a Red Zone one-room apartment, sweating as they lost themselves in bowls of beef soup.
Without a word, Joo Do-gyeom stood and turned on the air conditioner.
It was the consideration the host could offer to his sweating guests.
In that warm and convivial atmosphere, the two had nearly emptied their bowls when Lee Young-sik’s eyes suddenly flew open.
“......What is happening!?”
“......?”
“My Mana....... My Mana increased!”
A System message had truly appeared before his eyes.
『Mana Grade increased D- => D』
Lee Young-sik was also Awakened.
Like many tycoons, he had undergone Awakening safely while accompanied by highly paid Hunters and had left it at that.
His overall abilities were around D-Rank, but because he lacked practical experience, his Mana had remained at D-Grade.
That Mana Grade had risen after a single bowl of beef soup.
“M-Me too. Something inside my body...... feels warm.”
Lee Seo-a, who had only just Awakened, stared down at her palm and blinked.
The father and daughter’s gazes simultaneously fixed on Joo Do-gyeom.
A faint gleam entered his eyes.
He had expected it, but the effects of food prepared by the Chef of All Things also applied to other people.
‘This is an even better Class than I thought.’
Satisfied, he began to explain.
“That is probably the effect of one of my Class Skills.”
“A Class Skill?”
“Yes. My Hunter Class is called Chef of All Things.”
Their eyes widened once more.
They had never imagined that Joo Do-gyeom’s Class would be related to cooking.
Neither the aura he gave off
nor the things he had accomplished
seemed remotely possible for someone with a chef-type Class.
But did Joo Do-gyeom have any reason to lie?
Even if he were lying, did they have any reason to question him?
No.
And so, the father and daughter said,
“I see......”
“Ah......”
They let out brief sounds of understanding and nodded side by side.
Yet neither looked as though they fully understood.
They could not immediately see the connection between Joo Do-gyeom’s Class and the Mana-increasing effect.
Joo Do-gyeom kindly elaborated.
“The Mana increase is a special effect created by combining dungeon ingredients with a Mana Stone.”
“......?”
“......?”
“It was my first time eating one as well, but the Fat Bird had a rather good texture.”
Their gazes slowly dropped to the meat in their bowls.
The tender, chewy meat that had been finely shredded along the grain.
‘Ah, so this was Fat Bird.’
‘......’
In this era, cuisine made with dungeon ingredients was a fairly well-known hobby.
However, those who actually indulged in it were still clearly a tiny minority.
Even Chairman Lee Young-sik, who normally enjoyed fine food, had never bothered to turn his attention toward Dungeons.
Why would he, when there were already plenty of other things to eat?
Unless the world became even more of a mess than it already was, he had seen no reason to reach for ingredients that inspired a physiological aversion.
But could he now say he would never eat this again?
No.
There were three reasons.
The first was the dish’s sheer caliber.
Whatever the ingredient might be, and regardless of any instinctive revulsion, it was simply delicious.
The second was the extraordinary fact that it had raised his Mana outside a Dungeon.
That was precious.
Not merely precious—it was something shocking that had never existed in the world before.
Raising Mana on Earth rather than inside a Dungeon?
If word of this spread, people would line up to eat it even if they had to throw down billions of won.
Joo Do-gyeom had not called it precious food for nothing.
And in that sense, there was the third and final reason.
The thought Joo Do-gyeom had put into serving them this food.
When Lee Young-sik considered that as well, he even felt moved.
As he raised his head, the tips of his eyebrows trembled without his realizing it.
“You......”
“......?”
“We came here to repay you, yet how could you serve us food this precious? We already have so much more to repay.”
Joo Do-gyeom shook his head seriously.
“It is fine. Please do not concern yourself with it.”
He understood.
It was precious food.
No one but the Chef of All Things could produce this effect, and it contained both an expensive Mana Stone and a monster ingredient.
But put another way, it was also food he could make again whenever he wished.
‘And thanks to them, money is no longer an issue.’
Could he not at least offer them this much hospitality?
However, Lee Young-sik and Lee Seo-a received it differently.
“You did not have to share something like this with us......”
“I will gratefully accept the thought behind it.”
“......”
No, it really was not that significant.
His mouth started to open, then closed again.
On reflection, he realized there was no harm in letting them think that way.
A regressor who had earned the goodwill of a conglomerate chairman and his precious only daughter.
It would help him in many ways going forward.
Thus, Joo Do-gyeom simply nodded and said, “Would you care for another bowl?”
“......!?”
“......!!”
“There is plenty. Please eat your fill before you leave.”
“I-If that is the case......”
“Yes, please.”
Any discomfort they had felt toward dungeon ingredients had completely vanished from their minds.
***
The move was set for a few days later.
Lee Young-sik and his daughter said it could be done immediately, but Joo Do-gyeom refused.
He had received a message.
Kim Han-yul – I’m ready. Team Leader, when are we going?
She had finished two days earlier than the week they had agreed upon.
It would not be too late to move after clearing the Dungeon.
With that thought, Joo Do-gyeom replied.
Joo Do-gyeom – That was fast.
Kim Han-yul – When I put my mind to something, I tend to do it properly. (confidently smiling rabbit emoticon) So when are we leaving? Knowing you, Team Leader......
Joo Do-gyeom – Come to my place first.
Kim Han-yul – I knew it. I’ll assume we’re leaving immediately and head over.
Joo Do-gyeom – We’ll eat before we go.
Kim Han-yul – ......?
Joo Do-gyeom – beef soup. I made it myself.
Kim Han-yul – Uh...... okay. Should I come right now?
Joo Do-gyeom – Yeah.
And so, not long after the conglomerate chairman and his daughter left, another guest entered his home.
Joo Do-gyeom scraped every last bit of the remaining beef soup from the bottom of the pot and served it to Kim Han-yul.
‘Once we get back, I should try making something else.’
The effect would be even better if he used a Mana Stone obtained from a B-Rank Dungeon.
He had no regrets.
Meanwhile,
Kim Han-yul looked around Joo Do-gyeom’s home with an expression similar to Lee Young-sik’s. However, she said nothing and simply sat down.
A bowl of beef soup was placed before her.
Kim Han-yul spoke with a surprised expression.
“Wow, look at our Team Leader. You even know how to provide service like this. Approved. You aren’t Team Leader for nothing. Mmm......! That smell. You must’ve cooked quite a bit before. It looks great too.”
“This is a precious dish.”
“All of a sudden? Are you bragging about yourself?”
Kim Han-yul snorted in disbelief and scooped up some soup.
Her expression froze for a moment.
Then her hands began moving faster.
Exclamations no different from those of the conglomerate chairman and his daughter burst repeatedly from her mouth.
“It’s delicious! It’s fucking delicious! This is seriously fucking amazing! Team Leader, what’s with you? Why are you so good at cooking?”
Joo Do-gyeom was pleased, though he did not show much of it outwardly, and asked,
“What about your Mana?”
“Why are you asking about my Mana? What is...... huh?”
Kim Han-yul’s already-wide eyes swelled as though they might burst.
“What? Why is my Mana......?”
“It is the effect of my Skill. It came from boiling a Fat Bird together with a Mana Stone.”
“Oh......?”
“You might find it unpleasant......”
“Woooow! This is insane! Completely insane! What kind of team benefits are these?”
“......”
“Do you have any more? If the broth is this good, I could drink it straight from the pot......”
“It is all gone.”
“That’s so stingy, finishing all of it......”
“I will make it again after we return.”
“......Is it easy to make?”
“I can make it.”
Joo Do-gyeom slowly nodded.
Seeing that, Kim Han-yul’s eyes filled with emotion.
“Team Leader...... so you really were a good person.”
“That is an odd thing to say.”
“Does that matter?”
“......”
Joo Do-gyeom shook his head.
Instead, he briefly looked at Eve’s Gift inside his System Inventory, then closed it.
‘She doesn’t need it immediately anyway.’
Rather than giving it to her now, he would wait until doing so would be more effective.
That was the decision he had reached.
Kim Han-yul, his teammate, had filled her stomach with a hearty meal prepared by the Chef of All Things.
She spoke.
“Anyway, I’ve made up my mind, so let’s go. You said it was a B-Rank Dungeon, right? Which one? If it’s somewhere relatively manageable, you, me, and our Mark Two can......”
“Occupied Margrave’s Fortress.”
“......?”
“We are leaving right now, so let us form the Party immediately.”
Inside the room,
Joo Do-gyeom extended his hand.
Kim Han-yul saw it and subtly backed away.
Joo Do-gyeom tilted his head.
“What are you doing?”
Kim Han-yul asked in a trembling voice,
“What did you...... just say?”
“I asked what you were doing......”
“No, before that......”
“We are leaving right now......”
“Before that!”
“Occupied Margrave’s Fortress?”
A peculiar light entered Joo Do-gyeom’s eyes.
He understood her reaction.
Occupied Margrave’s Fortress.
A B-Rank Dungeon that proudly held eleventh place on Hunter communities’ list of the worst Dungeons of the modern era.
“You want the two of us to go there?”
“Yes. I understand that you must be afraid......”
“I can’t. I won’t. I seriously refuse. Forget being moved—this is actual suicide. It’s not as if you can take responsibility after I die, right? If we go now, all we’ll become are well-fed ghosts with nice complexions. So......”
“Kim Han-yul.”
“No. Even if you say my name like that, something impossible is still impossi—”
Joo Do-gyeom took Eve’s Gift from his System Inventory.
“What is that?”
Joo Do-gyeom spoke briefly.
“Share System information.”
The ability of Eve’s Gift appeared before Kim Han-yul’s eyes as well.
『Eve’s Gift』
『Expands any slot possessed by the user.』
“......!!”
The moment her eyes flew open,
Joo Do-gyeom returned Eve’s Gift to his System Inventory.
Then he continued.
“If you will not go, it cannot be helped. Regrettable as it is, this is where we part ways. I will find another teammate and......”
“What are you talking about, Team Leader? I, Kim Han-yul, am your one and only teammate. I’m the person who’ll stay with you forever.”
Kim Han-yul promoted herself in a calm voice.
At the corner of her red lips, pooled drool was on the verge of spilling.
Joo Do-gyeom snorted with amusement and extended his hand.
Kim Han-yul immediately clasped it.
The Party formed naturally.
Joo Do-gyeom spoke.
“Enter Dungeon. Set destination: Occupied Margrave’s Fortress.”