The taste was absolutely shocking. I didn’t even realize my bowl was empty. Surely, no one came and licked my bowl clean. I must have devoured it without noticing.
“Sniffle.”
Our bear-like Jae-seong was shedding tears like chicken droppings. But having tasted the golden carrot soup myself, I understood why he was crying.
-Growl.
Speaking of bears, an actual bear appeared. Looking half-asleep, Gomgom extended its arms towards me, as if a baby wanting to be held, but I knew what it meant.
‘Give me some!’
-Growl!
‘I’m threatening you right now! Give me something delicious!’
Maybe it wasn’t what the Gomgom meant, but it certainly looked that way to me.
Anyway, while getting another bowl of soup for myself, I prepared one for Gomgom as well.
“Gasp!”
Turning around, I saw Junichi gasping for breath as if he’d just come back to life.
“C-Carrot Sun!”
“We must worship the golden carrot sun!”
He was completely out of it. But thankfully, he spoke in Korean.
‘Isn’t that a relief?’
I checked on the other kids. They were all inhaling their food with their faces buried in their plates. Even the usually carefree ones seemed tense this time.
“What on earth did I create?”
Of course, I didn’t make it. The slimes grew the ingredients, and Jae-seong cooked the soup.
“Can I have another bowl?!”
Ara, in her tiger pajamas, was glaring intensely. Those pajamas were starting to look scary. The commotion didn’t die down for a while.
Once things calmed down a bit, I started to notice some changes after eating the carrot soup.
[Your magic rank has increased.]
I vaguely saw this message flash by. Unlike quest or item notifications, these system messages can’t be seen again once they pass. Such an unfriendly system.
Jae-seong, being an awakened first-rank like me, must have had his rank increase too, but he didn’t mention anything. He probably missed it in the chaos.
After finishing three plates, Ara finally seemed to come to her senses, holding her spoon with trembling hands and making strange noises.
“What’s wrong, Ara? Did something go wrong?”
“…I want to eat more. But I must share!”
Ara said, lifting her spoon high. She looked so proud and adorable that I just wanted to hug her tight.
In the end, I asked Ara for permission.
“Ara, can I nuzzle your cheeks?”
“Hmm! You may!”
Nuzzle nuzzle.
Oh, our sweet Ara. I’ll keep making delicious food for you!
I thought of learning some cooking from Jae-seong before he leaves, for Ara’s sake. Meanwhile, others were starting to come to their senses.
“Ahem. Did I do anything embarrassing?”
Junichi asked awkwardly. I considered mentioning his fainting and worshiping the golden carrot sun in Korean but decided against it.
“Nothing happened.”
“Phew. That’s a relief. That was a terrifying dish.”
“Was it not to your liking?”
“No way! The golden carrot sun deserves to be worshiped!”
He still seemed a bit out of it.
Meanwhile, Jae-seong and Orie were deep in conversation in English. From what I could gather with my limited English skills, they were already reviewing and analyzing the food.
… So that’s what it takes to be elite. Seeing them dive right into this even after eating that insane carrot soup made me think they were truly relentless.
I had initially served the slimes and the kids large portions on big plates, and they were almost done. Despite their fullness, none of them backed down, eating every last bit.
-ROAR!
“Gomgom?”
Gomgom had transformed into a ferocious beast, standing before me with outstretched arms. Ara scooped and served him another bowl of soup by herself.
“Have another bowl.”
-Growl!
Gomgom seemed satisfied.
I scratched my head and checked the remaining soup. Each large pot held 200 servings. Originally, there were five pots, which means I had made slightly over 800 servings.
Now, there were about three and a half pots left. So, they had consumed nearly 150 servings.
The slimes and kids had hearty appetites, so the quantity decreased quickly. However, I had set aside portions for the goblins, the guild, and my family, so there was no need to worry.
“Brother, we’re not going to get another special crop like this, are we?” Jae-seong asked with a desperate look. Staring like that won’t make another crop appear suddenly.
“It wasn’t just a random comment; we were really lucky this time. But if something similar happens again, I’ll contact you right away.”
“Hehe, thanks.”
Seeing Jae-seong’s gentle smile, I glanced around and noticed all the bowls were clean. They still seemed to want more, but I had to save the rest for the others.
I wondered when I should deliver it. The sooner, the better…
As I thought about it, I suddenly wondered what time it was. I heard that Junichi had to leave this evening.
“What?!”
“What’s wrong?”
“The time…”
It was already past 6 PM.
Seeing the time, Junichi looked surprised.
“When did the time… We arrived at 6 AM…”
Time had flown by with the village tour, farm work, and the memorable carrot soup feast. It made sense since we were lost in thought for quite a while.
“Guys, please clean this up and store it carefully so it doesn’t spill.”
“Got it!”
I quickly led the group out of the dungeon. As we stepped outside, the sky was already dark.
“Today was truly meaningful. We’ve created unforgettable memories. Thank you, Kyu-seong. And this is the drink I was going to give you earlier but didn’t get the chance.”
Before we parted ways, Junichi grabbed my hand and bowed repeatedly. Then, he suddenly handed me a bottle of alcohol.
Should I give this to my father? Come to think of it, I’ve never given him a drink made from my crops.
Anyway, I expressed my thanks and secretly handed Junichi something I had prepared.
“What is this…?”
“It’s only 50ml, but please accept it if you don’t mind. It’s so small that it doesn’t even register as an item.”
“No, no, such a gift…”
It was a small container crafted by the Alfheims. Originally, it had contained the dew of the World Tree, but I had put some aside to use as gifts. Inside, I had placed some golden carrot soup, giving one to Junichi, Orie, and Jae-seong. They looked like they wanted to open and lick it immediately but were barely holding back.
“See you next time.”
“Goodbye!”
“Thank you! Thank you, Kyu-seong! Next time, we’ll treat you at our restaurant!”
“Goodbye. Bye-bye, Ara!”
“Brother, let’s meet at home with the family next time. We’re leaving now since we’re busy today.”
Waving until they disappeared into a taxi, I felt the fun of the day.
“It was fun!”
“Really? That’s a relief. Let’s go take care of the goblins now.”
“Okay!”
Knowing in advance about Junichi’s visit, I had asked the goblins to stay in the village for a while. By now, it was time for dinner, and they must be hungry.
‘Hehe.’
Imagining the satisfaction they’d get from the golden carrot soup when they’re already hungry was delightful.
“Carrot soup! Carrot Candies!”
“Oh, right. Jae-seong made some candied carrots with the remaining carrots before he left. We should try that too.”
The quantity was small, so not everyone could eat it. It was unfortunate, but the candied carrots were for Ara and me.
“Let’s go eat!”
“Candies!”
***
Johann couldn’t get the carrot soup he had the day before out of his mind. The potato fries Kyu-seong had made earlier were delicious, but the soup left a lasting impression.
So, without any shame, he contacted someone. Fortunately, they were free and invited him to visit anytime.
“I haven’t seen Sung-hyuk take two days off in years.”
Arriving at the meeting place, Johann wasn’t alone. With him was Choi Sung-hyuk, the Exterminator who had the soup with him the previous day, and his older brother, Director Choi.
“I can’t believe my little brother took two days off. Use up your accumulated leave.”
“I’m only resting today, Brother.”
Despite being called the Exterminator, Choi Sung-hyuk shyly smiled and pointed awkwardly.
“They came out to greet us.”
They had arrived at the Ara Hongryeon Guild. Johann and Choi Sung-hyuk, curious about other dishes aside from the carrot soup, had come all the way here.
“Welcome, Guild Leader Johann.”
“Sorry for the sudden contact and visit, Guild Leader Han Seok-jun.”
“No problem. There’s no need to feel burdened between allied guilds.”
Allied guilds…
Johann recalled a recent report. Contrary to initial expectations, Ara Hongryeon’s growth curve was much steeper.
At this rate, they might catch up with the third-ranked Go-Joseon Guild before the end of the year and establish a triad of powerful guilds with Terror, Iron Blood, and Ara Hongryeon.
‘There’s no stopping them.’
The only possibility was to wait until the contract between Kyu-seong and Ara Hongryeon ended next year. But it was uncertain how much more Ara Hongryeon would grow by then.
“The timing is perfect,” Han Seok-jun said with a smile as Johann pondered for a moment.
“What do you mean by perfect timing?”
“Actually, I just received a message from Kyu-seong that he will be visiting the guild soon. It seems he’s bringing something special.”
“Special…?”
For Kyu-seong to say something is special? Considering he always has incredible ingredients, it was hard not to be excited.
“The timing really is great. From what I’ve heard, Awakener Lee Kyu-seong rarely leaves his place…”
“You seem to have a lot of interest in our Kyu-seong.”
“Haha. We always keep a close eye on the affairs of Ara Hongryeon Guild, which is currently at its peak. I apologize if that made you uncomfortable.”
Johann responded smoothly and then introduced the people next to him, realizing belatedly.
“You must know Director Choi, and you’ve met Awakener Choi Sung-hyuk before, right?”
“Yes, we’ve met a few times.”
Han Seok-jun extended his hand for a friendly handshake, which Choi Sung-hyuk reciprocated with a smile.
“It’s been a while, Guild Leader Han Seok-jun.”
“How have you been, Sung-hyuk?”
Despite the greeting, Choi Sung-hyuk seemed distracted by something else. Noticing this, Han Seok-jun grinned and said,
“Shall we head inside? Our Kyu-seong is almost here.”
“Sounds good.”
Cliche Novel 