Chapter 32
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Delivery into the Dungeon
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'This meat... it's still fresh, right?'
Moon Chae-ryeon glanced down at the 'SS-Rank Colossal Sandworm Meat' she'd brought in the mini icebox.
It was the meat from the boss monster she'd butchered alongside Shin Ha-rang in the SS-Rank Dungeon, Mirage Quest.
📛 Name:SS-Rank Colossal Sandworm Meat
📝 Description:
The ultimate stamina tonic, rivaling the effects of an elixir just by eating it.
Having preyed on game bit by bit in dungeons for so long, it boasts far superior calories and protein compared to its offspring.
Grill it, eat it raw as sashimi, steam it—it's the finest monster meat that works with anything.
Originally, its transcendent sour and bitter flavors would send you straight to the afterlife the moment it touched your lips, but thanks to User Moon Chae-ryeon's skill, it's now top-grade in taste.
It even works wonders on incurable diseases, making it perfect for sick hunters!
This meat, boasting effects comparable to the elixir revered as a miracle drug among hunters—that was why she'd brought it.
It was all because of Yi Seo-ro's request.
'If you want to repay the favor... how about fulfilling a request from one of my customers in my stead?'
'A request? What kind?'
'I'd like you to make some nourishing tonic for a sick hunter.'
Your food, Miss Moon Chae-ryeon, could surely heal even diseases or injuries with ease...
A tactic to gauge if the other party matched the capabilities she'd assessed, all while pretending to praise them.
It was one of Yi Seo-ro's old tricks.
The elevator carried them to the top floor, revealing the penthouse in all its glory. The interior was antique, straight out of a 19th-century European noble's estate, perfectly matching the building's exterior.
Yi Seo-ro, seated in a mahogany wooden chair amid it all, rose immediately upon seeing Chae-ryeon.
"Welcome, Miss Moon Chae-ryeon."
"Ah, hello. Mr. Yi Seo-ro. Thank you for inviting me."
[Mee-eeng.]
Yi Seo-ro's homunculus, Pongpong, bubbled out water droplets to express its delight.
"Oh, hey to you too."
After a brief handshake, the butler brought out tea and snacks on a three-tiered tray. The drink was milk tea. Sipping the strong brew, Chae-ryeon wondered.
'Is every aspect of this person's life dictated by some concept...?'
From her romance-novel-heroine outfit to the building itself—it was so consistently theatrical that she felt like she'd been invited to some wonderland.
But wary of rudeness, she kept that thought to herself and broached the topic of the request.
"Who am I making the tonic for? I brought some ingredients just in case..."
She'd also packed her all-purpose Portable Kitchen Anywhere! item, fully equipped for cooking. Delicious Waitress Mimi and Manager Sol-chan were tucked inside her crossbag, neatly folded and ready to deploy.
At Chae-ryeon's words, Yi Seo-ro's lips curved into a smile.
"Oh? You brought ingredients without even knowing what debuff the sick hunter is suffering from?"
Chae-ryeon winced inwardly.
'Mistake.'
The SS-Rank Colossal Sandworm Meat was a precious ingredient she'd been saving, its effects nothing short of a panacea. She'd rushed to bring it thinking it would cure anything, but to Yi Seo-ro, it might seem ridiculous.
Just like how ginseng wasn't for the feverish. And what if the customer had a monster meat allergy? It would be repaying Yi Seo-ro's kindness with enmity.
"...I'm sorry, Mr. Yi Seo-ro. I got ahead of myself in my eagerness to repay my benefactor. I just wanted to quickly return the favor for erasing those unauthorized SNS photos and sightings of me."
'Ugh, so embarrassing.'
Not even considering the eater—what a blunder. Mortified, Chae-ryeon stamped her feet before standing abruptly, protocol be damned.
"Can I at least hear now about foods the patient should avoid? Especially any allergies or ingredients to steer clear of. If these work, great; if not, I'll run to the nearest mart..."
Yi Seo-ro's green eyes flashed gold for a split second as she watched Chae-ryeon babble like a woodpecker in panic.
'Huh?'
"Mr. Yi Seo-ro, your eyes..."
"Pardon?"
With a blink, they returned to green.
"No, nothing."
'What was that just now?'
(╬Ò‸Ó)
system: Detection skill sensed. How unpleasant!
system: Logically infers that Hunter Yi Seo-ro is probing your abilities.
system: Conveys dislike for the scent of a cunning schemer emanating from them.
No harm in heeding the administrator's words. Yi Seo-ro had only done good by her so far, but caution was warranted going forward.
"I'm fine. But... what did you mean by that just now?"
"Hm? About stopping by the mart?"
"No, before that. About me deleting your unauthorized SNS stories."
"Huh? I thought you handled it, Mr. Yi Seo-ro..."
"No, it wasn't me. Seems there was a misunderstanding."
Then who?
For a fleeting moment, Min Hae-yul and Shin Ha-rang's faces crossed her mind. They were the only hunters she knew besides Yi Seo-ro.
'...Could it have been Mr. Shin Ha-rang?'
As she pondered the true benefactor's identity, Yi Seo-ro lowered her lashes with feigned regret.
'Should I have let her keep mistaking me for her helper?'
Yi Seo-ro didn't want Chae-ryeon in the spotlight yet either. The moment she became hot news on the chopping block of public opinion, hunters eyeing her wouldn't be few.
She'd merely redirected attention to her own more prominent self. Whoever helped Chae-ryeon apparently wasn't satisfied with that.
'Who could it be? Someone else besides me spotted this gem of talent.'
Behind her calm facade, Yi Seo-ro's insides boiled like hot tea.
Who dared eye this prize before her? Chae-ryeon doused that furious curiosity.
"Sorry! For jumping to conclusions."
"...No need for you to apologize, Miss Moon Chae-ryeon."
"Still. I shouldn't have rushed. That was clearly my mistake. So if you ever need another favor from me later, just let me know."
"Hmm."
Not a bad outcome. Truth be told, Yi Seo-ro had used the request as a pretext to meet her, so she was pleased.
"I'd be grateful if you did. I should have gathered info on the customer beforehand and shared it. My apologies."
"Then we're even!"
Chae-ryeon flashed a cheeky grin. Yi Seo-ro recalled the personality traits she'd glimpsed with her detection skill.
[Personality: Honest / Altruistic / Incapable of guile]
'...Foolish.'
Being that straightforward in the hunter world rife with slander and plots? Survival would be tough.
'Better build rapport and offer timely advice from the side. In time, she'll come to rely on me.'
Yi Seo-ro masked her dark intentions with an angelic smile.
Though she'd vaguely called them a 'customer,' Han Joo-wo was really just a tiresome patron, and she grumbled inwardly.
'Should never have owed Han Joo-wo back then.'
Then she wouldn't have to play collector for the guy to keep him from dying.
Han Joo-wo refused healers even when injured. Because of his parents.
Calling a healer meant all records flowed to his folks. Absurdly, top B-Rank+ healers were backed by them.
His parents sponsored most skilled healers, with contracts mandating they report treating their son. No choice for anyone.
'Damn it, better to die untreated.'
Han Joo-wo harbored intense aversion to healers. With no healer called for a near-dead man, Yi Seo-ro had no options.
'Just save him this once.'
The debt would be cleared. A taste of Moon Chae-ryeon's jewel-like ability as payment for monopolizing her.
The sly Yi Seo-ro concealed her thoughts and guided Chae-ryeon.
"Then, shall we go see the patient I'm asking you to make the tonic for, Miss Moon Chae-ryeon?"
Descending from the cozy reception-like top floor to the basement, they entered an alchemist's workshop. Strangely, this was the only space decked out cold and stark, like a modern lab.
"Whoa..."
The air was thick with the bitter herbal scent from fresh potions and myriad lab equipment. Mimi and Sol-chan sniffed from the bag and whispered to their owner.
"All top-grade ingredients, milady!"
"Must be filthy rich. Dungeon byproducts are limited and precious, yet they use only the best..."
Not just herbs—cores extracted from monsters of all grades littered the place. The workers, accustomed to it, paid no mind.
But they gawked at the outsider Chae-ryeon in shock.
"She's my guest. Cut the rudeness."
At Yi Seo-ro's word, they all averted their eyes. The workshop master's command was absolute.
Yi Seo-ro summoned one apprentice.
"Where's Customer Han Joo-wo now?"
"Ah, him? Asleep in the Chamber of Healing."
"Lead the way."
Following through a maze-like path, they reached a wooden door adorned with jade leaves carved in leaf shapes.
<Chamber of Healing>
Inside, a man with red hair lay on the bed.