Round 301

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After spending roughly a week at the skyscraper, we returned.  

The week-long experience was both fun and productive.  

Especially resolving the rhinoceros problem and receiving the rewards was amazing.  

“Wow.”  

I finally got my own private jet.  

Saying “finally” feels a bit strange, but the Skyscraper Guild gifted me a plane for traveling between Korea and China.  

“As expected of the Skyscraper Guild, their class is unmatched!”  

I chuckled to myself, gazing at the plane.  

This was the very private jet we had just flown in on.  

“What are you doing? Hurry up!”  

“Geez, tsk, can’t a guy admire a plane for a bit?”  

“You could buy one easily with your money anyway.”  

“Hey, how do you know my financial status?”  

“Ugh, there he goes again.”  

Even as my sister looked at me in exasperation, I couldn’t stop grinning.  

Thankfully, there was a companion who understood my feelings.  

“It’s magnificent.”  

It was none other than Ara.  

Thanks to her, Seon-ah couldn’t rush me any further and waited quietly in the background.  

“As expected of my Ara! You and I have the same taste!”  

“Yes!”  

After admiring the plane for another five minutes or so, we proceeded with the entry procedures.  

As expected, the immigration process went smoothly.  

After bidding farewell to Director Baek, we headed home in a vehicle provided by the Iron Blood Group.  

“A month from now, right? Looks like you’ll have to prepare thoroughly.”  

“The Skyscraper Guild said they’d handle everything, so there’s not much for me to do. They even mentioned sending staff directly to the school to take care of everything.”  

“That’s incredible.”  

It wasn’t an exaggeration; all she had to do was show up.  

At that moment, I noticed a peculiar expression on Seon-ah’s face.  

She seemed both happy and deeply worried.  

“When will I see the kids again? Once I go to China, it’ll be hard to see them!”  

“So that’s what you were worried about.”  

I thought she was concerned about living in a foreign country, but it turned out she was worried about not seeing Ara and the others.  

“But! kids! How much! They’ll miss me!”  

“What nonsense are you spouting?”  

Ignoring Seon-ah’s absurd remarks, we soon arrived home.  

Since I had contacted them in advance, my family was waiting at the dungeon entrance.  

“Thank you for driving us. Great job.”  

After thanking the Iron Blood staff, I approached my family. That’s when I noticed some unfamiliar faces.  

“Hello!”  

“Hi.”  

The kids bowed deeply in greeting.  

At first, there seemed to be just one boy, but there was a girl too.  

“You’re from Dasom Orphanage?”  

“Yes! That’s correct! Please speak casually, sir!”  

“Alright, I will.”  

The boy, brimming with energy, replied cheerfully.  

He looked like he had just graduated from high school.  

Still, being called “sir” felt odd.  

“My name is Park Jun-gyul!”  

“I’m Seo Sian!”  

The girl raised her voice in greeting as well.  

Their adorable demeanor brought smiles to my parents’ faces.  

“Jae-seong, why are the kids so disciplined?”  

“Uh, it’s not me…”  

Jae-seong looked genuinely puzzled and innocent.  

Meanwhile, Orie, who had begun understanding Korean, chuckled as she observed Jae-seong’s reaction.  

“The restaurant is completed.”  

“Yes, it was finished just yesterday. The water and gas connections are done too.”  

My father nodded as he answered.  

I couldn’t resist checking it out myself.  

After briefly introducing myself to the orphanage kids, I went inside.  

The restaurant’s clean and modern exterior blended naturally with the dungeon surroundings.  

“It’s beautiful.”  

“We paid a lot of attention to the interior too. Orie helped a lot as well.”  

Jae-seong beamed with pride.  

Well, he had every right to be happy. His restaurant was finally complete.  

Inside, the space was decorated with glowing stones, and the furniture was made of Yggdrasil wood, giving it a striking look.  

“Wow.”  

Although I’d seen it before during construction, now that it was finished, it felt entirely different.  

It was as if the details themselves were alive.  

With the help of Mammon and the fairies, the decorations and carvings struck a perfect balance, avoiding excessiveness.  

“It feels more like an art gallery than a restaurant.”  

“That was the intent.”  

Jae-seong nodded enthusiastically.  

The kids wandered around, curiously exploring the place. Finally, it was time to check out the much-anticipated kitchen.  

-Beep?  

“Huh? What’s this, you guys?”  

Rabbits? Why are you here?  

Now that I looked around, the kitchen was incredibly spacious. The restaurant itself utilized the entire dungeon, making it huge, but the kitchen’s size was awe-inspiring.  

“The basement has been turned into a food storage area.”  

“That quickly?”  

“Yeah, go check it out.”  

A lot had changed during the week I was away.  

As Jae-seong said, the dungeon’s underground, originally used for farming, had been completely remodeled into a logistics warehouse.  

Of course, that was because I had instructed them to do so.  

-Hello, hello!  

“Oh, Ashu. You’re here too.”  

In the storage area, Ashu was present.  

Alongside Ashu were several of the other Breeding Tribe kids.  

But what are all of you doing here?  

“When they heard the restaurant was completed, Ashu and the Breeding Tribe kids were really excited. While helping move food into the storage….”  

Jae-seong laughed awkwardly.  

“They ended up being unable to go back inside.”  

“That’s right.”  

Hearing this, Ara smirked and teased Ashu.  

“Is Ashu a fool?”  

-Ashu is not a fool!  

“Ha! Ha! Ha! I shall personally open the door for you. Be grateful!”  

-Thank you!  

Ashu, oblivious to the teasing, bounced happily, thanking Ara.  

Pure-hearted Ashu was undoubtedly one of the most innocent among our kids.  

Eventually, even Ara seemed to find it hard to keep teasing and awkwardly asked,  

“May I open the door for them, Kyu-seong Kyu-seong?”  

“Go ahead, Ara.”  

Delighted, the kids scampered off, their round little heads bobbing as they ran.  

Just watching them brought a smile to my face.  

“They’re so adorable.”  

My mother looked at the kids with a warm expression.  

“Shall we head out too?”  

“Let’s do that. I feel stiff from not fishing for a week.”  

“Dad, aren’t you addicted to fishing at this point?”  

Joking around, we headed towards the Gluttony Dungeon.  

The path had been cleaned and organized, and the stairs leading to the door seemed newly renovated.  

“A lot has changed in just a week.”  

“We worked on it in the spare time after finishing the restaurant. Not bad, huh?”  

“Yeah, I’m thoroughly satisfied.”  

At this point, I got curious about when the restaurant would officially open.  

When I asked Jae-seong, he tilted his head and replied,  

“We haven’t decided yet. Maybe we’ll start with a soft opening.”  

“A soft opening?”  

“Yeah, inviting only acquaintances to test the waters. Honestly, even if we only invited people who understand the restaurant’s concept, it would probably be fully booked every day.”  

That made sense.  

People from Ara Hongryeon would likely come daily to eat. Add the Iron Blood and Terror Guild members, and…  

‘There’s no need for a grand opening.’  

While most customers would probably be fine, there might be a few troublesome ones.  

Just inviting acquaintances seemed like a good idea.  

As those thoughts crossed my mind, we arrived at the entrance to Gluttony.  

Ara and Ashu had already gone ahead.  

Gulp.  

Looking back, I saw the orphanage kids standing nervously.  

Come to think of it, they’d only done odd jobs in the restaurant and were entering the Gluttony Dungeon for the first time.  

“Welcome to our home.”  

“It’s an honor.”  

“There’s no need to call it an honor.”  

They were practically family now.  

Entering inside, the familiar sight of our home after a week unfolded before us.  

“No matter how great the Skyscraper Guild is, it can’t beat home.”  

One thing I realized, though, was that I wanted to build my own house someday.  

Until now, I’d simply stayed in the cozy buildings the Kkumuris had built, but it might be nice to create something a bit more luxurious and functional.  

‘It would be fun to alternate between different places to live.’  

As I mulled over the idea, Woofy and Purr came running out to greet us.  

-Woof!  

-Neigh.  

“Hey there, my babies! Have you been well?”  

I showered them with affection, pulling out snacks from Bokkeum and handing them out.  

While Woofy and Purr munched on their treats, the orphanage kids gawked in awe, observing their surroundings.  

“Most of the ingredients come from here.”  

“Yes, Chef!”  

Jun-gyul reacted passionately to Jae-seong’s every word. His enthusiasm was admirable.  

Soon, people climbed onto Woofy’s back, while I joined Cheong on the Purr’s back.  

Ara and Ashu were already gone, presumably to the village.  

“Wow!”  

“A village?!”  

Ah, that thrill never gets old.  

Every time we brought new visitors, their reactions always brought a smile.  

“Brother, can I start moving the supplies now?”  

“Yeah, go ahead.”  

“Thanks.”  

“We’ll help too!”  

Though I wanted to show them around a bit more, work came first, so I let them go.  

Once everything was done, I’d show them the fields and the village.  

Having been away for a week, I also had a lot to check on.  

But first…  

“Kyler! It’s been a week.”  

“You’ve returned.”  

Emily and Kyler greeted me warmly.  

Watching Emily chatter away to Kyler brought a smile to my face.  

It reminded me of how Ara would chatter with me.  

“Everything went smoothly while I was away?”  

“Yes. There were a few minor matters. Mammon and Ras crafted a sword for Emily, and the crops planted with seeds from the U.S. are ready for harvest.”  

“Oh, great news. Thanks for the update.”  

“Here’s a detailed report. There’s no urgent matter, so review it at your leisure.”  

Kyler handed me a handwritten report.  

Wow, having such a capable assistant felt amazing.  

Not only was Kyler a Level 9 Awakener, but he also excelled as a person.  

Leaving Kyler and Emily to their reunion, I went to help Jae-seong, who was busy sorting ingredients in the storage area.  

His serious demeanor exuded the vibe of a true professional.  

“You don’t just pick anything, huh?”  

“Yeah. All the ingredients you’ve made are top-tier, but even within those, there are different levels. I want to use only the best quality for the restaurant.”  

“Even if the quality is a bit lower, wouldn’t your cooking skills make up for it?”  

“Maybe, but honestly, the most important thing in any dish is the ingredients. There’s even a saying that ingredients outrank the chef in the kitchen.”  

I nodded in admiration at Jae-seong’s philosophy on cooking.  

Well, I should let him do things his way.  

The ingredients Jae-seong selected included many that were classified as items.  

However, there were also non-item ingredients, as he based his selection purely on taste, not status.  

‘Interesting.’  

The team moved with seamless coordination.  

The Breeding Tribe kids, Jun-gyul, Sian, and even Orie were all busily working together.  

Jae-seong took charge of the final inspection.  

“Hey, do you have plans for dinner?”  

“Huh? Oh, no, I don’t. Why?”  

“Could you be my first guest tonight?”  

“Oh, absolutely!”  

It seemed that the reason for all this hustle was to prepare for tonight’s meal.  

Of course, he must have been itching to start.  

The restaurant was ready, but they couldn’t bring in ingredients from the dungeon, leaving him stuck. He must have been frustrated, tapping his feet anxiously.  

‘That’s probably why they used their spare time to do such a big renovation in the Slime Dungeon basement.’  

Hmm, I should gift Jae-seong a subspace item.  

Others might scoff at the idea of using such an item just to move cooking ingredients.  

But hey, what’s the point of having more money than I know what to do with if I don’t use it for things like this?  

“Have you decided on the menu?”  

“Yeah, it’s a course meal.”  

“Wow. I’ve never had a course meal before… wait, I have.”  

I just ate one yesterday at the Skyscraper Guild.  

But somehow, it didn’t feel the same.  

Either way, this was something to look forward to—Jae-seong’s first official course meal in his very own restaurant, made with my ingredients!  

“I’d like to do a meat dish, but for now, it’s a vegetarian course since the ingredients are what they are.”  

“Ah, that makes sense.”  

“Eventually, I want to separate the menu into vegetarian and regular courses. But I’m not sure what kind of meat to use yet.”  

“Meat…”  

I glanced over at Seon-ah, who was still chatting with the kids.  

“Don’t worry, the meat issue will resolve itself.”  

“Huh? How?”  

How, indeed.  

By relying on Seon-ah, of course.  

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