WaguWagu!
As I had anticipated, Ara started to eat food that looked and smelled utterly repulsive without any hesitation.
“Mmm!”
She occasionally let out an inexplicable exclamation, which made me slightly concerned.
“Is it tasty?”
“It’s edible. Yum yum.”
She didn’t say it was delicious. Still, her manner of eating was the same as usual.
Seeing Ara eat so appetizingly, I couldn’t help but become curious. Maybe the food just looks and smells weird, but it actually tastes okay?
In the end, I couldn’t resist my curiosity and reached for the least objectionable-looking dish.
‘Yuck!’
The moment I put it in my mouth, a bitter taste overwhelmed me from what seemed like a harmless dish. At the same time, I sensed an unknown spice, so unfamiliar that it triggered a rejection response.
Trying not to show any reaction, I swallowed it whole without chewing, and Ryu Cheon slyly observed my reaction.
“How is it?”
“…Not the worst I’ve had.”
“That’s one of the bad ones. This one is slightly better.”
Why didn’t she say so earlier!
Even the dish Ryu Cheon recommended wasn’t ordinary. It still had that mysterious stench. Meanwhile, Ara, who had polished off the dish, started to help herself to more.
“Let me get that for you.”
People dressed like restaurant staff helped Ara with her meal. As soon as they put a bit of each dish on her plate, she quickly devoured them.
“Mmm! It’s a delicacy!”
“A d-delicacy?”
Just as I was starting to have serious doubts about Ara’s taste, Ryu Wang-jin spoke with a satisfied expression.
“Is it to your taste?”
“It’s good!”
“Hah! It’s the first time I’ve met someone with the same taste as mine! Excellent!”
Then Ryu Wang-jin got up and started serving dishes to Ara himself.
“This is the intestines of a three-headed serpent, dried raw, then spiced and fermented! And this is the eye of a Cyclops, caught barely from a 7th-level dungeon, marinated, then grilled! These are so rare, this is the last one!”
Hearing the explanation made me lose my appetite even more. But Ara, on the other hand, was impressed and delighted.
“Oh! Amazing!”
“Dip it in the innard sauce of a human-faced fish, and it creates an exquisite flavor!”
Was what I just ate the sauce from a human-faced fish? I don’t know what that is, but the name alone makes it sound like something I should never put in my mouth
Losing my appetite more and more, I decided to serve Ara’s food myself. Using the excuse that I needed to take care of Ara, I kept my distance from the food.
Time passed by.
Gradually, the enormous amount of food began to disappear. It was a miracle achieved solely by Ara and Ryu Wang-jin.
Scrape, scrape.
With a satisfied face, Ara scraped the last bit from the empty bowl and raised her arms in triumph.
“All done!”
“Amazing!”
Even Ryu Wang-jin, who had started to nibble as he got full, was impressed. It was refreshing to see genuine admiration on his face.
Ara, who impressed the guild master of the skyscraper!
Ryu Wang-jin didn’t stop there and shouted with a satisfied expression.
“Finally, I have found a true friend of my heart! Ara! You are worthy to be my true friend!”
“Oh! What is that!”
Even though she didn’t understand what was being said, Ara clenched her fists and her eyes sparkled.
“A true friend of the heart! We are friends now!”
“Friend! Sonogon is now my friend!”
“Yes! We are now friends who understand each other! And it’s Sonogong, not Sonogon!”
The more I got to know him, the more I wondered how such a person could be the guild master of the Skyscraper Guild. Of course, there must be a cold and calculating side to him that I don’t know about, right?
…Please tell me there is. Don’t let me down!
As I awkwardly watched without reacting, I suddenly heard snickering from beside me. Turning my gaze, I saw Ryu Cheon, who always kept a straight face, was laughing.
Ryu Cheon! Laughing!
“A-ah, miss…”
The startled Yu Bihong murmured softly and then began to shed tears. It was clearly tears of joy.
Even Ryu Wang-jin was taken aback by this and his face stiffened.
“Huh, huh…”
Ryu Cheon laughed quietly for a while, then, noticing the atmosphere, tilted her head and asked me.
“Was I laughing?”
“Yes.”
“Oh…”
She seemed surprised by her own laughter and couldn’t speak for a while. Then, looking at the crying Yu Bihong and the stern-faced Ryu Wang-jin, she touched her own face.
“I was laughing.”
“You should laugh louder, Ryu Cheon! Follow my lead!”
“Okay.”
“He! He! He! He!”
“Hehehe?”
“Mmm! Good!”
Ara energetically gave a thumbs-up. In the meantime, Yu Bihong, who had wiped her tears, smiled brightly and spoke.
“It’s really nice. Thank you, Ara.”
“Hehe.”
Ryu Wang-jin, who had been assessing the situation, finally managed to speak.
“Did you take a photo, no, a video?”
I didn’t know who he was asking, but the waiting staff responded apologetically in Chinese. They probably said they couldn’t take it.
“That’s unfortunate. It’s been so long since I’ve seen Ryu Cheon laugh. It reminds me of the cute little girl who used to follow me around.”
“When are you talking about, Grandpa?”
Ryu Cheon, who had returned to her usual expressionless face, replied awkwardly.
“Anyway, it’s been a long time since I felt happiness and joy.”
“Mmm, that’s good. You should always be happy, friend.”
“Hahaha. Yes, thank you, friend.”
Ara, who had suddenly become friends with Ryu Wang-jin, responded cheerfully.
In the suddenly strange atmosphere, I slowly spoke up.
“May I prepare the dessert? It’s simple, but I brought something suitable for dessert.”
“Hmm, I’ll eat it gratefully.”
A dish to resolve the emotional yet awkward atmosphere!
I immediately took something out from Bokkeum. Actually, I hadn’t planned to take it out now but to present it as a gift later, but here it is.
“Tofu…”
“Tofu.”
“Tofu?”
“Pudding!”
“Oh! Tofu pudding!”
Actually, I wanted to make tofu, but after several attempts, I kept failing, so I decided to try again later. Instead, I made tofu pudding. Although it’s called tofu pudding, the method of making it is entirely different from that of tofu.
It was a super simple recipe that only required adding gelatin and starch to soy milk.
“And with fairy honey syrup on top.”
“Fairy honey?”
“It’s a special honey. Only I can get it.”
Proudly, I handed out the tofu pudding and the fairy honey syrup separately to everyone. Naturally, I had prepared portions for Ara and myself as well.
“This is a familiar dessert. A very fitting end to the meal.”
“He. He, he! You can look forward to it!”
Ara held the bowl with the pudding in both hands and laughed mischievously. Watching her cuteness, I poured the syrup over the pudding.
“Please, have a taste.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
Ryu Cheon was the first to take a bite of the pudding. Following her, Yu Bihong and Ryu Wang-jin each took a bite.
Ara seemed like she was about to eat right away but then hesitated, watching the others’ reactions.
“How is it? How is it!”
Despite Ara’s eager question, everyone was momentarily speechless. Finally, Ryu Cheon, snapped back by Ara’s voice, slowly began to speak.
“It’s delicious…”
“It’s delicious!”
Ara smiled with satisfaction and handed me a spoonful of pudding.
“Ahhh.”
“Nom.”
As expected, our Ara. She’s the only one who takes care of me.
Soon, we were all eating the pudding with proper posture. The combination of the rich taste and the sweetness of the honey created a supreme harmony. At the same time, the smooth texture melted in the mouth.
“Ah.”
I couldn’t be happier. Having tasted Ryu Wang-jin’s peculiar dishes, this dessert felt even more special.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling this way; Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong were savoring the pudding with melted expressions.
“It’s delicious. Occasionally having something like this isn’t bad.”
Only Ryu Wang-jin, who managed to speak, kept his composure. Even he, who enjoyed strange foods, couldn’t help but acknowledge the overwhelming taste.
‘The syrup I made this time is a success too.’
The syrup poured over the pudding wasn’t just honey but honey that had been boiled down. Although I didn’t add any special ingredients, I took care to stir it diligently to prevent burning.
“Ah…”
Ryu Cheon sighed regretfully as she looked at the empty bowl. She had already finished all the pudding. But it’s always better to leave them wanting more. If I let them eat to their heart’s content, they might end up like me.
‘My palate has become too refined…’
Satisfying them completely wasn’t the goal. Leaving them slightly wanting ensures they crave it more. Of course, I would give Ryu Cheon as much soy milk, her remedy, as she wanted.
“It was a wonderful meal!”
With Ryu Wang-jin’s declaration, the meal came to an end.
Ara and I spent one night and two days exploring the Skyscraper Guild. Our guides were Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong.
The building was so large and extensive, and the grounds were beyond my imagination, so we couldn’t explore everything in the two days. We only visited places that seemed interesting to me.
One of the most impressive spots was the farm.
“As expected…”
As I had anticipated, there was a place where they were attempting to cultivate dungeon plants. They said they were making slight progress, but Ryu Cheon shook her head.
“The germination rate of the seeds is 0.02%. Even if they do sprout, they rarely grow to maturity. Moreover, even if they manage to grow, they don’t have the item effects like your crops, Kyu-seong.”
Instead, they had some success with domesticating monsters. Thanks to this, it was predicted that in ten years, not only cows, pigs, and chickens but also edible monsters would be commercialized.
Of course, they mentioned that the price would likely be higher than that of ordinary livestock, so we still need to keep an eye on the situation.
Just before we finished our two-day visit and were about to leave, we met Ryu Wang-jin again. We hadn’t seen him since our initial meeting due to his busy schedule.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t take better care of you while you were here.”
“No problem. Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong took good care of us.”
“Thank you for thinking positively. I feel we share a strong bond.”
“Haha, I think so too.”
Ryu Wang-jin gave Ara a big smile and then clapped his hands loudly. Immediately, some staff members appeared, carrying a huge box.
“What’s that…?”
“A gift! I hope you like it!”
“Thank you.”
I accepted the gift with a joyful heart, not expecting to receive a treasure chest-like box.
“You can open it now if you like!”
“Ah, then, I won’t hold back…”
Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong, who had been watching, looked at me with expectant faces, curious about my reaction.
“A treasure chest!”
“Ara, would you like to open it?”
“Let’s open it together!”
“Sure.”
Ara and I opened the box together. Inside, there were items that looked like they came from a dungeon and a pretty wooden box.
“A hat!”
Ara exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the item. However, contrary to her shout, it wasn’t a hat.
“What’s this?”
It resembled a one-piece animal pajama, like the ones we know, but it looked like a tiger pajama, complete with a hood. Ara had thought it was a hat because of the hood attached to the outfit.
“It looks unusual, but its performance is guaranteed!”
Ryu Wang-jin said with a satisfied expression.
I took it out of the box to examine it. It seemed slightly large, as if meant for an adult, making me wonder if I was supposed to wear it.
“The size adjusts to fit the wearer’s body.”
Ryu Cheon added an explanation just in time.
[Full Body Armor of the Tiger King (Legendary)]
[This is the leather of the Mountain King who once dominated the world.]
[It emanates the aura of a power that can uproot mountains and cover the world.]
– Reduces physical damage and impact by 35%
– Increases strength
– Enhances temperature resistance
– Adjusts its size to fit the wearer’s body
Despite its appearance, the name and description make it an incredibly formidable item.
Moreover, it’s a legendary item!
As far as I know, there are barely over ten legendary items in our country…
“Is it really okay for me to accept this? A legendary item…?”
“It’s rather insufficient.”
Ryu Wang-jin replied nonchalantly.
“The changes you and Ara have brought to us are too significant to be compensated by just such an item. Don’t hesitate, and feel free to ask if there’s anything else you want.”
Him saying that makes me feel even more burdened!
Meanwhile, Ara was examining the outfit with a cheerful expression, seemingly very pleased with it.
“Check the wooden box too.”
“The wooden box?”
At Ryu Cheon’s words, I looked back inside the box.
Ah, I had been so focused on the legendary item that I had forgotten about the wooden box.
Given the context, it was clear that this too was not an ordinary item.
‘Just how much are they going to give…?’
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I took out the wooden box to examine it. The box itself was luxurious but didn’t seem particularly special.
And then, as I opened the lid…
“Huh?”
A fragrant and refreshing scent wafted out.
Inside the box, nestled in moss, was a radiant root.
“No way…”
It was the appearance of a miraculous elixir.
Cliche Novel 