Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Grandma's Hearty Meal
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Chapter 147
Hyewon’s grandmother led Yuseong to a small house with a yard, not far from his own place.
It wasn’t large, but the clean, refined design suggested a fair amount of money had gone into it.
Hyewon’s grandmother guided Yuseong to the master bedroom.
“Please wait here just a moment.”
With those words, she headed back to the kitchen.
Yuseong looked around the room.
Unlike the exterior, which had the feel of a new building, the furniture inside clearly bore the marks of time.
‘Eating in a place like this is a first for me.’
As he waited a bit, a delicious aroma wafted to his nose. It was a scent he recognized from somewhere. Having visited nearly every restaurant near residential areas in the city, Yuseong had built up a decent knowledge of food.
‘Korean food.’
By now, Yuseong knew what typical Korean meals looked like. After all, the meals prepared by his household robots were mostly Korean dishes.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t excited. No matter what it was, Yuseong was ready to enjoy it with a glad heart.
“Did you wait long?”
The grandmother entered carrying a large tray. Yuseong jumped up and took it from her.
“Oh my, thank you.”
Yuseong set the tray down in the center of the room. Then he looked at the spread.
Steaming white rice piled high, beef soup loaded with meat. Spicy pork stir-fry, rolled omelet, braised beef, and various other side dishes.
It was a lineup that made his mouth water involuntarily.
“Come on, dig in.”
“I’ll gratefully partake.”
Offering the polite phrase he’d recently learned, Yuseong picked up his spoon first.
Like any country grandma, the rice was heaped so high it towered over the rim of the bowl. Most young people these days would wave it off, but Yuseong found it utterly satisfying.
He scooped up a big spoonful and popped it into his mouth. The glistening, oily rice rolled smoothly over his tongue.
He set down the spoon and picked up his chopsticks.
Yuseong’s chopstick skills were proficient. It was a necessary skill for comfortably eating at restaurants in this world, so he’d put in considerable effort.
He went for the spicy pork stir-fry first. He took a bite. The spicy-sweet sauce mingled with the meaty flavor, dancing in his mouth.
Finally, he ladled up a big scoop of soup with plenty of solids and drank it down.
As always, the unending delight that never got old.
Yuseong busily moved the food to his mouth.
“Is it tasty?”
Yuseong didn’t answer Hyewon’s grandmother’s question. He just silently nodded.
But that seemed to satisfy her.
“A fine young man eating so heartily. Try some of this too.”
She pushed a dish of cucumber kimchi toward Yuseong. He’d just put some in his mouth moments ago, and it was still being chewed vigorously, but Yuseong wordlessly added another piece.
When someone offers you food, you eat it.
Hyewon’s grandmother chatted away in front of Yuseong. The usual topics for grandmas.
On any other day, Yuseong would have found the constant talking annoying while focusing solely on his food, but today he nodded along and even responded occasionally.
There was a world of difference between someone bothering you for no reason and someone feeding you while doing it.
And so, Yuseong emptied his first bowl of rice. But there were so many dishes that plenty of sides remained.
“Have some more rice. Koreans live on the power of rice, after all.”
“Then I’ll gladly have another bowl.”
Yuseong didn’t refuse.
* * *
Yuseong set down his utensils. The dishes on the table were spotless. In the end, he’d polished off everything.
Anyone else might have been shocked that he ate it all. But Hyewon’s grandmother watched with a pleased smile.
“Dessert.”
A bowl of rice tea was placed in front of Yuseong. He examined it curiously. It was something he’d never seen before. But the nutty aroma tickling his nose made his mouth water on its own.
Yuseong downed the rice tea cleanly as well.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Was it good?”
“Yes. It was truly delicious.”
No exaggeration—it really was.
Of course, to Yuseong, all food in this world tasted great, even if it was scraps. But it was also true that this meal stood out as a bit tastier than his usual ones.
‘These were all foods I’ve had before, but somehow they tasted different.’
And for some reason, he liked Hyewon’s grandmother’s cooking even more.
Having eaten his fill, Yuseong stood up.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
Even if his time in this world had increased, he had no reason to linger aimlessly.
“Alright. I can’t keep a busy person forever. You said you live in that mansion up the hill?”
“Yes.”
Her elderly curiosity had already thoroughly investigated Yuseong’s background.
“Come eat sometime. Seeing you eat so well clears my mind.”
“If the opportunity arises, I will.”
Yuseong bowed his head politely to her and left the house.
* * *
A few hours later, Hyewon’s grandmother was cleaning the house as usual.
“Grandma, I’m home!”
The front door opened, and Hyewon came in.
“Oh, my little pup is here?”
Hyewon’s grandmother beamed at her granddaughter, whom she loved more than her own eyes.
When the grandmother had suddenly collapsed, Hyewon had tried to bring her straight to her own house in Seoul.
But the grandmother wouldn’t budge. She refused to leave the neighborhood she’d lived in her whole life for the bustle of Seoul.
In the end, Hyewon surrendered. But she couldn’t just leave her alone. So she bought the house next door and started building a new one.
That way, she could be there whenever her grandmother needed help.
The new house wasn’t finished yet, so she’d bought another nearby and was staying there.
Some might call it a wasteful expense, but she was wealthy enough not to blink at it.
Living nearby like that, she made a habit of visiting for meals.
“Wait just a bit. I’ll whip up some food quick.”
Hyewon’s grandmother bustled about rinsing rice.
“Huh? No food left? There was plenty from breakfast.”
“Oh, that young man Yuseong ate it all.”
“Yuseong?”
“Come to think of it, I didn’t tell you.”
Hyewon’s grandmother explained what had happened earlier.
“You should’ve seen how heartily that young man ate. Two full bowls of rice, and not a scrap of side dish left. It’s been ages since I cooked for someone who appreciated it like that.”
‘Well, he’s famous for his appetite.’
Hyewon recalled their previous meal together.
“Oh yeah, he said he lives in that mansion up the hill.”
“Mansion?”
“You know, the one with all the rumors about being filthy rich.”
“Oh, that house?”
‘So he really is loaded.’
“Since he’s close by, I told him to come eat sometime. Not sure if he will.”
It seemed her grandmother had taken a real liking to Yuseong.
As the grandmother began preparing dinner in earnest, Hyewon started helping. The grandmother told her to rest in the room, but Hyewon stubbornly stayed in the kitchen.
Once all the cooking was done, an unexpected argument broke out between them.
“No, I told you I can’t eat that much!”
“Even so, half a bowl? Half a bowl! These young folks nowadays. Koreans live on the power of rice!”
“Ah, no more! That’s not even one bowl! It’s gotta be two bowls’ worth. Just because it’s in one bowl doesn’t make it one!”
“That Yuseong fellow from earlier ate even more—two full bowls!”
“That guy’s just special!”
* * *
Back in his own world, Yuseong logged straight into Arc. To keep enjoying that world, he had to play the game diligently.
As soon as he connected, he checked his status window.
lv 57 (exp 1,672/4,584)
HP - 332 / MP - 140
Strength - 92
Vitality - 136 (+30)
Agility - 234
Dexterity - 103
Intelligence - 35
Magic Power - 70
Luck - 10
Bonus Points: 0
※ Traits
Savior's Blessing: +30 to designated stat (can change once per day)
※ Attention Level: 18,658,214
Already level 57. In Arc, where level-ups stalled from the 30s onward, this was an absurd pace.
Yuseong invested the bonus points into Agility as usual. The difference this time was that he also put some into Intelligence and Magic Power.
Anyone else would freak out and call it building a trash character.
But he had no choice if he wanted to learn alchemy.
His eyes scanned his stats and lingered on the Attention Level at the bottom.
‘Hard to raise.’
The Attention Level needed for the next item in the Purchase Window was probably 100,000,000. But he was still far from the goal.
Lately, there hadn’t been any explosive growth factors, and the target number was overwhelmingly high anyway.
‘Need to gain another 80 million.’
But he couldn’t give up just because it was tough.
‘No choice but to hustle. First, restock ammo.’
Yuseong rented a workshop at the nearby Alchemy Guild.
It wasn’t a place for high-end items, but it sufficed for bullets.
He took a hammer from his inventory.
[Steel Crafting Hammer]
A hammer made of sturdy steel. Used for crafting basic items.
Damage: 13
Durability: 83
Required Strength: 23
Required Dexterity: 42
Required Intelligence: 35
It was the crafting hammer Yuseong had bought to make bullets.
He placed the materials on the worn shelf and shifted his designated stat to Luck. Then he activated his skill. His body moved on autopilot, hammering away.
He started with regular bullets first.
[Bullet Crafting proficiency has increased.]
As he kept hammering, the system voice rang out. Yuseong opened his skill window.
Bullet Crafting (Lv4 - 0.00%)
Allows crafting of basic bullets.
As the system said, his Bullet Crafting skill had leveled up. Having made so many bullets, it was already at a high level.
Higher Bullet Crafting skill meant more bullets from the same materials—saving money, which thrilled Yuseong.
Below Bullet Crafting were the other special bullet skills he’d learned.
Reinforced Bullet Crafting (Lv2 - 96.24%)
Allows crafting of Reinforced Bullets.
MP Cost: 2
Explosive Bullet Crafting (Lv2 - 22.24%)
Allows crafting of Explosive Bullets.
MP Cost: 2
Freezing Bullet Crafting (Lv2 - 76.21%)
Allows crafting of Freezing Bullets.
MP Cost: 2
Lightning Bullet Crafting (Lv2 - 69.09%)
Allows crafting of Lightning Bullets.
MP Cost: 2
Storm Bullet Crafting (Lv1 - 91.46%)
Allows crafting of Storm Bullets.
MP Cost: 2
Rock Bullet Crafting (Lv1 - 57.24%)
Allows crafting of Rock Bullets.
MP Cost: 2
Bullets for each attribute. All useful, but the more he used them, the higher their proficiency.
Freezing and Lightning Bullets were his second-most-used specials after Reinforced, thanks to their movement-restricting effects. So their skill levels were higher too.
‘Done.’
After making the planned number, Yuseong left the workshop.