Chapter 49:
Chapter 49:
Chapter 49
It's good that they're selling well, but seeing those sparkling eyes filled with expectations was burdensome. Seo Gangrim felt uncomfortable with people's stares, but there was no avoiding it. After all, this wasn't his campsite; it's a shared campsite in Zone Two, so he just have to put up with it.
Yoon Bom raised her head and asked with a grin, "By the way, why did you come in person today? We could have gone..."
"I started delivering today."
【Since when did Gangrim become a food delivery person?】
【Hey, how about delivering to us too?】
【This is more like a personal chef than delivery.】
【Well, what can we do? Since you opened a restaurant at a new location, people from Zone One are bound to come.】
Two days ago, after meeting with the people from Zone One, Seo Gangrim moved his campsite. Given that he set their camp on fire and lured demons towards them, it was obvious they would come for revenge. Since people would easily find out about the new location, today he came to Zone Two's campsite with cooking tools and ingredients.
Yoon Bom looked around and said, "But there's no meat today, right? Are we only having vegetables?"
"No. The meat will come soon."
Currently, there were only herbs on the worktable. Since Seo Gangrim had moved his campsite yesterday, he hadn't had time to prepare meat. While waiting for the meat to arrive, he was finishing up handling the herbs when a cheerful voice sounded.
"Seo Gangrim, I'm here!"
The owner of the voice was Dokgo Jun. He carried a large demon beast on his shoulders and grinned widely.
"I brought a big one! Should this be enough for the meal?"
"Yes. Seems like it will be."
Dokgo Jun was now broke due to the meals he had purchased from Seo Gangrim last time. Hence, Dokgo Jun offered to help in exchange for a meal instead, and in just 20 minutes, he had caught a demon beast.
Placing the beast's corpse on the worktable, Dokgo Jun said, "I've washed it, removed the blood, and even took out the innards. Should I clean it?"
"Please do."
Dismembering meat was quite a troublesome task, so Seo Gangrim didn't refuse Dokgo Jun's offer. As Dokgo Jun took out a short dagger and approached the demon's carcass, the gods began to murmur.
【Is he going to mess up and end up throwing away all the meat?】
【Let's see how well he does.】
【Is he treating the bone like a joke? Don't mess it up and throw away all the meat... huh?】
-Clang!
The gods watched carefully as Dokgo Jun skillfully disassembled the beast's carcass. His movements were clean and decisive, without any hesitation or clumsiness. His proficiency was that of someone who had been doing this for a long time, to the point where even Seo Gangrim was briefly captivated by his skill.
Wide-eyed, Yoon Bom asked in amazement, "Wow, Jun-oppa. What did you use to do before?"
"Me? I used to be a novelist."
"You're a novelist? Then why are you so good at this?"
"At some point, I learned how to hunt and dismember for when the apocalypse comes," Dokgo Jun answered with a gentle smile.
"It's a basic skill for a novelist."
"Being a novelist is an amazing profession..."
Yoon Bom's face was full of shock. It was a mix of 'I can't believe such amazing lunatics exist.'
【Dismembering bones is a basic skill for a novelist!】
【Does that even make sense? He's crazy!】
【He's crazy, but he's skilled.】
【It's better to be crazy and skilled than sane and incompetent.】
【Seriously, what can't he do?】
【Now that I think about it, he even made a fishing rod by himself last time.】
【Did he make this cabin as well?】
While the gods chatted, Dokgo Jun seemed to have finished dismembering the bones.
"Alright, Seo Gangrim. It's done."
The meat was neatly slaughtered like something from a butcher shop. He handed Seo Gangrim the neatly cut pieces of meat.
"Here you go. Is this enough?"
"Yes. Thank you."
The condition of the meat Dokgo Jun prepared was much better than Seo Gangrim’s. Seo Gangrim noted that if he ever need meat prepared, he should definitely ask Dokgo Jun.
He put the meat and herbs into the pot and started boiling. As the stew began to simmer, the initial slightly unpleasant smell disappeared, replaced by a gradually pleasant aroma. Not only the smell but also the taste was quite good. Boiling with herbs seemed to remove the toxicity of the meat, leaving only the savory flavor.
"Master... When will it be ready?" Yoon Bom was looking at Seo Gangrim like a hungry puppy.
'Guess it's about time to eat.'
Seo Gangrim filled bowls with the stew and said, "200 spirit pearls."
"Here it is!" Yoon Bom handed him the spirit pearls as if she had been waiting for it.
After her bowl was filled generously, it was handed to her. Yoon Bom took it with a pleased expression. A little while later, Yoon Geoul crawled out of the tent, rubbing his eyes.
"Hmm, smells like rice... Master, can I have some rice..."
"200 spirit pearls."
"Here..."
Yoon Geoul, with a sleepy face, handed Seo Gangrim spirit pearls. Seo Gangrim then filled another bowl for him. Soon, other people began to gather around.
"I'll have one bowl of soup!"
"Gangrim-ssi, I'll have two bowls today!"
"Me too!"
As people gathered, the pot quickly emptied. Seo Gangrim thought people might grumble about not getting it for free, but their reactions were more reasonable than he expected. Even those who had complained about the price seemed satisfied after eating a bowl.
【Ah... Is this what rice stew tastes like?】
【A taste that touches the soul!】
【With this flavor, 200 spirit pearls are more than enough!】
【I'll have a bowl too, Gangrim!】
Gods who hadn't even tasted the food were praising it. Suddenly, Father Yohan also came forward with spirit pearls in hand, seeming to want some stew. Seo Gangrim shook my head at him.
"It's okay, Father. Just have some."
"Why, why...? Should I do that thing again today?"
"You don't need to help anymore. Just consider it a token of gratitude."
Seo Gangrim's toxin resistance had built up sufficiently. The toxins of the demons living here no longer affected him. To increase his rank further, he needed stronger toxins.
Father Yohan brightened up after hearing his response.
"I see. That's a relief. Well, then I will enjoy it gratefully."
Father Yohan moved closer to where Yoon Bom and Yoon Geoul were sitting. The stew continued to be sold, quickly emptying the pot. As Seo Gangrim leisurely finished his remaining bowl, Dokgo Jun came over and talked to him.
"Oh, that was delicious. Seo Gangrim, you'd be a great head chef."
"If you're done eating, go do the dishes."
"Sure. But before that, I have something to discuss."
Seo Gangrim wondered what nonsense he's going to talk about today. Dokgo Jun spoke with a grin, "I met members from another zone yesterday."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah, we didn't fight, I just shadowed them."
Seeing him safely back, he probably hadn't been exposed. Dokgo Jun chuckled like someone who had just watched an interesting movie.
"But they had an interesting story to tell."
"What story?"
"Since they can't kill you, they're planning to capture members from Zone Two as hostages and threaten you with them."
Seo Gangrim was momentarily speechless at Dokgo Jun's words. He thought they were stupid, but they were even more foolish than he imagined. With a nonchalant tone, Dokgo Jun continued, "Apparently, you've been paid by someone to become the first person to clear the highest difficulty."
"..."
"But Seo Gangrim, what did you do to make everyone target you?"
"They're saying this just because I refused to sell them food."
Maybe he should have killed Hong Daehoon back then. While this was going on, Seo Gangrim noticed something and asked Dokgo Jun, "But why are you giving me this information so easily?"
"Because we're comrades."
He said it with a bright smile, but Seo Gangrim couldn't believe it. Dokgo Jun was giving him this information so willingly. For all Dokgo Jun's smile, it might be a false information, and there was a good chance of that happening. However, whether Dokgo Jun's words were lies or the truth, it was true that the members of Zone One were targeting Seo Gangrim. There was also a clear possibility that the members of Zone Two could become endangered. So, it wouldn't hurt to warn people just in case.
Seo Gangrim stood up and tapped the empty pot with the ladle. "Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?"
The people who were in the midst of eating turned their gaze towards Seo Gangrim. Were they expecting more food? That's the kind of expression they had. Seo Gangrim ignored those looks and continued speaking.
"In this situation, I believe everyone is aware that members from other zones are present." People agreed through gestures and nods. Seo Gangrim continued, "I heard from Dokgo Jun that they plan to attack our zone members."
The faces of the people, who were relaxed until just a moment ago, hardened in an instant.
"What did you say?"
"No, what on earth..."
"Last time, they stole our food..."
As the commotion spread, Seo Gangrim tapped the pot again to silence them.
"So, I have a proposal. I have brought a fruit called 'Thousand Fragrance'. By taking this, it will be possible to complete this stage at the intermediate level."
As Seo Gangrim took out the 'Thousand Fragrance' fruit from his sleeve, a pleasant fragrance filled the air. Everyone's gaze immediately fixed on it.
"I will provide this for free. If you leave first, they won't be able to harm you."
Seo Gangrim couldn't protect all the people who had entered this place. Firstly, Zone One had more people than them, and they have several strong individuals, including Hong Daehoon. If even one of the people from Zone One was lured away during a moment of carelessness, it would be troublesome in various ways. Moreover, even if Seo Gangrim abandoned them, Sin Sooah would try to rescue them, so it was better to nip the conflict in the bud.
"What do you suggest?"
After Seo Gangrim finished speaking, people started exchanging glances, and soon their whispers could be heard.
"Is the intermediate level okay?"
"The lower level was already difficult."
"I want to leave soon. I've been here for too long."
It was getting to the point where people were starting to miss the warm beds and meals at the training facility. Most of the people stood up and approached Seo Gangrim one by one. Since he had plenty of 'Thousand Fragrance' fruits, he could share them with everyone. Those who received the fruit looked at him as if to express their gratitude.
"Thank you, Seo Gangrim-ssi. I'm not sure if it's okay to just take it like this."
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I can clear the intermediate level!"
People bowed their heads in thanks and started preparing to leave. As everyone gathered their belongings and left, there were still some people remaining. They were all familiar faces: Sin Sooah, Dokgo Jun, Yoon Bom, Yoon Geoul, and Father Yohan.
"Aren't you leaving?"
Sin Sooah had a puzzled expression, as if asking what Seo Gangrim meant. In response to his question, she asked in an puzzled voice, "How can we leave when you're still here, Seo Gangrim-ssi?"
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