Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Whoosh!
Sizzle.
The sounds coming from the restaurant kitchen were lively.
As I watched the people cooking and the breeding tribe, I strolled around the kitchen for a bit.
There were five breeding tribe rabbits, including Ashu.
Two were hired as staff.
Then there were Jae-seong and Orie.
A total of nine chefs were diligently preparing vegetables, stir-frying, grilling, and cooking ingredients.
The dishes mainly consisted of seafood and my crops.
If we later received meat supplies from the Skyscraper side, the menu would be even more perfect.
“They’ve gotten good at handling cooking tools now.”
Watching the breeding tribe kids cook was fascinating.
Seeing them use various cooking utensils with their tiny, fluffy paws was adorable.
There were even tools I had never seen before, but they handled them well, showing they had learned properly from Jae-seong.
By the time I returned to my seat after looking around, an appetizer had already been served for us to snack on while waiting.
“Brother, this is amazing!”
“Huh? What is?”
“The rabbits served the food! I think it’d be great if they just kept serving like this!”
Seon-ah, who was mesmerized by the cuteness, spoke excitedly, her eyes gleaming.
At the same time, she was holding her camera firmly, showing her professional spirit.
“It really felt like we were dining at a fairytale village restaurant.”
“If we hire these little ones as staff when we open the restaurant, it’ll be a huge hit.”
My parents shared a similar opinion.
After all, in the Dungeon of Gluttony, we had to pick up the finished food ourselves rather than having it served.
I never expected such a big reaction just from having the rabbits serve the food.
“Mmm! But what is this made of?”
“I don’t know. They didn’t explain it.”
“They couldn’t because they’re rabbits, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
It seemed like we needed to have at least one human server along with the rabbits.
We had to at least know what we were eating.
Munch.
I popped a bite-sized appetizer into my mouth.
At first glance, it looked like a small, orange tart, but the distinct flavor that spread in my mouth immediately impressed me.
“It’s carrot!”
The subtle, non-overpowering sweetness of the carrot.
And the creamy texture was exquisite.
How did they manage to make carrots taste like this?
‘Hmm, I think they added light fragments, too.’
Guessing the ingredients while eating was quite fun.
Since the dish was made from ingredients I had provided, there shouldn’t have been anything I didn’t recognize.
As I was savoring the flavor, Ara muttered with a disappointed expression.
“It’s too little.”
“Oh no, this portion must be too small for our Ara. Hey, waiter! Bring us more food over here!”
Hey, I’m the owner of this restaurant! Got it?
I shamelessly demanded more food.
Then Jae-seong came out of the kitchen, smiling awkwardly.
“I guess I got too into it trying to create a real dining experience. I’ll make more for you.”
“Bring out more food for our Ara and Cheong!”
“Got it. Just wait a little, guys. Hehe.”
After Jae-seong returned to the kitchen, the amount of food that came out suddenly increased.
Not just a little more—almost an explosion of dishes.
“Whoa.”
I was briefly taken aback, but then I was even more shocked as I watched the food disappear in the blink of an eye.
“It’s delicious!”
“It’s so tasty!”
“Grand Lord and Kyu-seong should eat too!”
“Eat more!”
“Ara, what about me?! Aren’t you thinking about your sister?!”
Unlike Kyler and his daughter, who were quietly chatting while eating, our table was being bombarded with food.
Thanks to that, we enjoyed a lively and rowdy meal, just like always.
The atmosphere felt like a cozy fine-dining restaurant, yet our table seemed like a separate world.
“It really is delicious. Wow.”
Dishes made with serious dedication tasted on a whole different level.
It was almost on par with food made from golden crops.
Bite-sized appetizers.
Starters.
Soup.
Bread.
Crustacean dishes.
Fish dishes.
Salads and meat dishes.
Desserts.
The variety and selection were incredible.
Without the help of the rabbits, it seemed impossible to serve all of this efficiently.
And with such outstanding flavors, it was truly moving.
“I’m so satisfied.”
“My belly is full.”
As we enjoyed the deep satisfaction of the meal, we suddenly realized that an hour and a half had flown by.
“For the final course, here is dessert.”
Everyone who had been cooking came out to serve the dessert.
We applauded Jae-seong, Orie, Jung-yul, and Sian for their hard work.
“It was really delicious! This is the full-course meal, right?”
“The menu might change slightly, but for the most part, yes. Since we don’t have seasonal ingredients, I think we’ll adjust the menu quarterly.”
The final dessert was just as amazing.
There were monaka-like treats, cookies, and even ice cream.
I heard that once coffee and tea became available, they planned to serve them alongside the desserts.
“I hope we can harvest fruits soon.”
If we had fruits, the variety of dishes we could create would increase significantly.
Plus, since coming to Korea, Jae-seong had been using dungeon seafood to make various seasonings and semi-dried ingredients.
The future looked incredibly promising.
“Please give us your feedback!”
Jae-seong grinned as he spoke, and everyone showered him with praise.
Honestly, the meal was so satisfying that there was nothing to critique.
“But what about drinks?”
“Hmm, we’ll operate on a corkage system for now, but I’m thinking about making fruit wines using the fruits from your farm in the future.”
“Should I contact Junichi? Maybe we can source some liquor from them.”
“That would be really great.”
As we shared our thoughts, Seon-ah asked a question.
“So, when are you planning to start accepting customers?”
“Hmm, I think we can start as early as next week.”
“Nice! Then can I invite my friends?”
“Of course. What do you think, brother?”
Seon-ah’s friends, huh.
Considering that she would soon be heading to China, the timing wasn’t bad.
“Then let’s have Seon-ah and her friends be our first customers next week. How many people are we talking about?”
“Hmm, can I invite everyone?”
“Everyone? How many is that?”
“Uh… about ten?”
“Wait, are you actually an extrovert?”
For someone like me, who had no friends, that number was unimaginable.
But Seon-ah just looked at me like I was talking nonsense.
“Ten is totally introverted. Who doesn’t even have ten friends?”
“…”
She was definitely doing this on purpose!
I pretended not to be hurt and nodded.
“Alright, let me know once you have the final headcount.”
“Okay!”
Seon-ah immediately ran outside to start making calls.
I watched her go with envy before turning to Jae-seong.
“Can I invite my guild members too?”
“Of course, brother. As long as the timing doesn’t overlap, you can invite them anytime.”
You’re not the only one with friends!
I have friends too… well, at least people I can invite!
Not that I was jealous of Seon-ah—definitely not—but seeing her invite people made me think of a few folks myself.
Hanul and Jung So-yeon would absolutely love this.
We might as well have another guild gathering.
Not to mention the people from Terror, Iron Blood, and the Awakening Headquarters who had helped me before.
I should treat all of them at least once.
I also wondered if there was anyone else I had forgotten.
Meanwhile, my parents were passionately debating whom they should invite.
“You must feel really popular, Chef.”
“Hehe.”
Jae-seong scratched the back of his head and grinned like an idiot, making me laugh as well.
Then Ara, rubbing her full belly, joined in our laughter.
“It was delicious! Thank you, Jae-seong Jae-seong!”
“It’s nothing. Just tell me whenever you want to eat. I’ll cook for you anytime.”
“Okay! Jae-seong Jae-seong is my personal chef now!”
And with that, our little private restaurant opening was complete.
Thanks to the rabbits helping with cleanup, everything was tidied up in no time.
Jung-yul and Sian, however, looked troubled.
“It feels like we’re not doing anything at all.”
“I thought we’d start with chores if we worked in a restaurant like this…”
That’s a good thing, isn’t it?
I told them not to worry and just focus on learning how to cook from Jae-seong.
One day, when they opened their own restaurant, it would be the first external eatery to use my ingredients.
Of course, I planned to supply them at a reasonable price fit for business.
Some might say I was being too generous, but I wasn’t really in this to make a profit.
That said, I would definitely set boundaries.
If they didn’t do their job properly, I’d have no problem kicking them out.
“Alright, time to take care of some overdue tasks before bed!”
Returning to the dungeon, my first order of business was greeting the kids.
Ras, Mammon, Frey.
And a tour of the villages where the kids lived.
As the owner of this land, I had been away for a whole week, so I needed to show my face.
Cheong was already asleep, so I planned to take only Ara with me.
“Is everyone doing well?”
Ara looked at me impatiently, urging me to hurry up.
I was at the storage room, restocking the supplies we had used.
“Alright, let’s go, let’s go. Come on, Woffy!”
– Woof!
Excitedly wagging its tail, Woffy ran up, and I hopped onto its back.
First stop: the fairy village.
As we set off, I checked the minimap and noticed that Mammon and Ras were also in the fairy village.
What were they doing there?
I decided to head over quickly.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at the village.
But something seemed off—it was unusually noisy.
– (00) /
– (€) /
– ᄋᄆᄋ
Several fairies spotted Ara and me and immediately panicked.
“Emergency! Emergeeency! This is an emergency!”
“Huh? What’s going on?”
“I have no idea. I’m just translating what they’re saying.”
Ara imitated their expressions and then quickly acted as if she hadn’t.
“What’s happening?”
“Let’s go find out!”
Ara, who had dozed off slightly on Woffy’s back, now had a sharp glint in her eyes.
I just hoped it wasn’t anything bad.
As we got closer to the World Tree, the village came into view.
And so did a group of gathered children.
– Oh! L-Lord Overlord!!
– Lord Overlord! Ara!
– You’ve come.
The three kids who greeted us all had serious expressions.
I rushed toward them, sensing something unusual.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
– It’s been a week, Lord Overlord!
“Yeah, yeah, hello, Frey. But seriously, what’s going on?”
At my urgent question, their faces grew even more serious.
Then they pointed at something.
– Look at that!
What is it, what is it?!
I peered past the kids to see what they were referring to.
There was something round and large—like a giant acorn?
Curious, I stepped closer and inspected it carefully.
It really did look like an acorn.
“Is this edible?”
Ara tilted her head, examining it.
Frey immediately jumped in front of the acorn in alarm.
– You must not eat it!
“It’s not food?!”
Ara looked just as shocked.
Their little skit made me chuckle for a moment, but then I turned serious again.
“So, what exactly is this?”
– It’s a fruit! From the World Tree!
“The World Tree’s fruit?”
This was unexpected.
It had appeared without any prior signs?
And compared to what I imagined, it was quite small.
Well, small was relative—it was nearly the size of my torso.
But considering the massive size of the World Tree…
“Did this appear while I was away?”
– Yes!
Damn, I missed a rare event.
I approached and examined the fruit closely.
It really did just look like an enormous acorn.
A smooth, shiny shell, just like a regular acorn.
“We should call Mark2.”
– Ohh! Great idea! Why didn’t we think of that?
Mark2, who had become the World Tree’s slime and could communicate with it.
I needed to bring him here and have a chat with the tree.
Cliche Novel 