Chapter 12
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Delivering into the Dungeon
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It was partly because she was a fresh-faced newbie who had only recently awakened, making her worth investigating. But there was an even bigger reason.
'Me... I think I really am some kind of cheat character...?'
Food from outside the dungeon cannot enter.
The world's top hunters had gathered from every corner of the globe, desperately trying to break that rule, but they failed. To this day, conquering dungeons required choking down tasteless in-dungeon food supplemented with digestive aids.
Yet Moon Chae-ryeon could completely ignore the rule. She could whip up food and deliver it inside without a hitch.
As an Irregular, she had the potential to monopolize the delivery market for every hunter trapped in a dungeon. She ought to be thrilled...
"...Doesn't that make me a golden goose to all the starving hunters out there?"
That's how she'd see herself if she were in their shoes.
A chill ran down her spine.
She might have awakened as an S-Rank, but all she had were delivery-specific skills. If she had to classify herself, she'd be a support-type hunter—no offensive or defensive skills whatsoever.
The [Invincible Delivery Knight] skill granted temporary invincibility during deliveries... but that was it. If someone attacked her with the intent to kidnap her, she couldn't guarantee what would happen.
She hated entertaining grim hypotheticals like that, but if she got tangled up with some shady guild or top ranker and they kidnapped her, she'd be slaving away in a kitchen all day. Cooking solely for her captors.
'No way in hell!'
The reason Chae-ryeon loved cooking was the joy of seeing as many people as possible savoring her food with delight.
Being chained to one spot, forced to churn out meals against her will? That flew in the face of her very nature.
'Shin Ha-rang... S-Rank hunter. One of the top five attackers out there. And the guild master of Wing Guild.'
A man who dispatched massive monsters like they were a joke—would he treat her with the same respect Min Hae-yul had?
'What do I do? Take the order... or bail?'
Please use a skill to connect with this hunter.
'...Ah.'
The word "connect" made Chae-ryeon's heart race.
It brought back the fulfillment and sense of accomplishment from her first delivery.
Seeing that customer devour the bento like he hadn't eaten in three days—how relieved she'd felt.
'The food... the smell of real, delicious rice arriving. He was so happy and grateful...'
Right now, no follow-up tutorial quest had popped up for Chae-ryeon.
This had activated automatically from her level-up, so she could ignore it for safety reasons.
But... imagining a potential customer clutching their empty stomach inside a dungeon tore at her heart.
'How could I just walk past someone who's hungry...!'
As a proud Korean who held rice sacred, Chae-ryeon couldn't turn a blind eye.
[Taking Your Order, Customer!]
Chae-ryeon bellowed the skill name in a booming voice. Less than a second later, a response pinged back.
[Attempting to connect chat.]
Ding-.
[Message received from 'Ranking 1 is Mine'.]
Whoa
R-real delivery hunter?
A-ah, are you the delivery hunter, ma'am?
'He's focusing more on me as the "delivery hunter" than the delivery itself?'
This guy wasn't some shady hunter out to kidnap her, was he? Had he heard about her from her first customer, Min Hae-yul?
Her suspicions spiked, but his polite tone wasn't half bad.
Chae-ryeon carefully tapped out a reply on the chat window hovering above her skill interface.
Yes, I'm the delivery hunter :)
Food delivery into the dungeon is available. What can I get for you, customer? ^^
Just like her first order, she responded with the crisp business manners of a capitalist society.
Shin Ha-rang fired back a reply practically oozing desperation.
I’m crying 😭
Oh, thank you, God—no, Constellation! T_T
Truth is, I haven't eaten anything for three days straight...
"What?!"
'Th-three days without food?!'
Her suspicions melted away, replaced by pure pity.
Chae-ryeon's cry brought Delicious Waitress Mimi scampering over.
"Gasp! Owner! Is there some emergency? If the customer's picking a fight, this humble Mimi is ready to unleash a hind-paw punch anytime!"
It'd probably feel like a cotton swab at worst, but Mimi's concern helped Chae-ryeon smile and regain her composure.
"Nah, it's just that this customer's been starving in a dungeon for three whole days."
"Three days?!"
Mimi's eyes went wide in shock as she hopped up and down, peering at the messages from Shin Ha-rang.
Three days?! Oh my god, how did that happen?
😭… 😭😭😭…
The dungeon I entered for conquest turned out to be higher-ranked than advertised. Not A-Rank... SS-Rank.
And to top it off, the dungeon's interior is a barren desert where foraging ingredients is impossible. Couldn't even stomach the dungeon rations.
It's a clear-or-die dungeon. Thought I was done for... thank you so much.
Oh my god...
Even worse... time flows faster inside this dungeon compared to outside. If you deliver in 20 minutes, it'll feel like two more days for me.
What??????????
Please, I’m begging you… T_T
Save me T_T I’ll pay any delivery fee…
She could practically hear the tears and snot through the messages.
'How can someone have luck this rotten...'
With her own Luck stat at SSS-Rank, Chae-ryeon just felt sorry for the guy.
"Owner, I'll wash up first!"
"Yeah, good idea."
Mimi sprang to her feet, tying an apron over her rainbow-hued hanbok. Chae-ryeon asked her to prep a headscarf, apron, and hygiene gear for herself too.
'Hurry!'
Otherwise, this customer would be rolling feebly across the desert sands, even hungrier.
Chae-ryeon quickly typed into the chat.
What would you like to order, customer?
I've got 30 menu items registered—pick whatever sounds good, and I'll deliver it in one go!
A brief silence followed as Shin Ha-rang mulled over the menu.
I'll take... this one.
Shin Ha-rang's pick: [King of Kings Bento].
It was a five-tier masterpiece born from her childhood dream of crafting the world's best bento—loaded with delectable, luxurious sides.
Of course, it packed a calorie bomb to match its flavor... but hey, if it tastes good, it's zero calories.
Besides, hunters diving into dungeons for conquests were constantly on the move. A hearty meal was perfect for replenishing stamina.
'Perfect! It's a menu I've been dying to make!'
Her initial doubts vanished entirely. Brimming with excitement, Chae-ryeon replied.
Order received! :D
One [King of Kings Bento] coming right up.
She hit send, then froze.
'Oh no! I set a blanket price of 45 gold across the board and haven't updated it!'
The King of Kings Bento used premium ingredients for its sides—she'd planned to price it at least 120 gold.
'But this isn't the time to worry about profits!'
The customer! Her customer was barely hanging on in that dungeon, stomach growling!
She gathered her thoughts and politely specified the price.
[King of Kings Bento] is 45G. Delivery fee for an SS-Rank dungeon: 40G.
Total: 85 gold. What payment method would you like?
Card... Huh? Uh#%$#^@#$@
?? Customer? Customer???
Cut.
<Taking Your Order, Customer!> has been terminated.
The chat window vanished.
"...Customer? Customer!"
Chae-ryeon shouted at the empty space where the messages had been, but it was no use.
[Connection terminated due to unknown reason on the other party's end.]
[Reactivate the skill if you'd like to reconnect.]
He'd ditched her mid-order, leaving just the request hanging!
<Taking Your Order, Customer!> has been terminated.
"Damn it..."
Shin Ha-rang clutched his right arm and rolled across the sand, ducking behind a boulder.
A monster had ambushed him right in the middle of ordering from Chae-ryeon.
"Kieeeek-!"