Chapter 49
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Delivering into the Dungeon
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[Orderer: Shin Ha-rang]
[It was delicious again this time. Thank you so much for graciously coming into the dungeon even though it was a group order and must have been hard to deliver. I hope we meet again soon. From [Wing Guild] Guild Master Shin Ha-rang]
[Rating: ★★★★★]
[Attachment: (Photo of the cleanly emptied bento box)]
[Delivery Review: No need to say it, but it's always the best!]
[Repurchase Hope: YES]
"...This customer is way too kind to me."
With an appearance that looked like she might shoot out ice spikes at any moment, she was polite and gentle, so even Chae-ryeon tended to soften a bit in front of Shin Ha-rang.
Chae-ryeon shook her head and checked the next review.
"Hmm... Next up is... that red-haired customer."
Wow, it really feels just like a regular delivery app... Amazing.
First off, the lunch delivery was delicious. The complete pork soup from Lee Seo-ro's workshop was tasty too, but these ordinary dishes made with regular ingredients were so much better than anywhere else—I was fully satisfied.
I'd love to keep seeing your face from now on, but to do that, I guess I'll have to conquer lots of dungeons like it's a gacha game? That's the only way to see the delivery hunter's face.
(Even if I try, you're always wearing a helmet, so probably only I, Lee Seo-ro, and that Shin Ha-rang guy know your real face... Well, that's actually a good thing.)
If you make something tasty with the harpy corpses I took this time and sell it, please contact me.
Sorry for passing out after eating the monster meat. It was so good I want to buy more.
You have to contact me, okay?
Here's my phone number and email: 010-####-####, email is ....]
[Rating: ★★★★★]
[Attachment: (Selfie of Han Joo-oh holding the cleanly emptied bento box)]
[Delivery Review: The best delivery—highly recommended.]
[Repurchase Hope: YES]
Han Joo-oh's review revealed more personal desire to exchange contacts with Chae-ryeon than actual feedback on the food or delivery.
'Ugh. Who said I'd contact you?'
Absolutely not.
After the incident at Lee Seo-ro's workshop, Chae-ryeon had deleted Lee Seo-ro's contact out of sheer disgust.
There was no reason to contact Han Joo-oh either, so she decided to ignore that review.
The other reviews were generally positive. Delicious, happy to eat like this in a dungeon, skeptical at first but now I get why the guild master and Hae-yul recommended it... and so on.
Especially Min Hae-yul, who placed the very first delivery order, left an almost fanatical review that made Chae-ryeon's cheeks flush.
The delivery hunter's cooking is the absolute best! Top tier! There's no better spot in the hunter world! Gah. If I could, I'd give it five hundred million stars...!
'What a model customer.'
Chae-ryeon was smiling warmly at the final review when—
'...Huh?'
[The nickname started with straight-up curses, and this review... It stirred up Chae-ryeon's heart in the worst way.]
As an ominous vibe emanated from Chae-ryeon, Mimi and Sol-chan peeked over at their owner's side and saw the review.
"Gasp."
"W-What kind of lunatic...?"
Shake, shake.
"... "
A gloomy status window even appeared in front of the speechless Chae-ryeon.
You've received a poor review from the orderer.
1 point deducted from your accumulated good review score.
Good Review Score: Currently 17 points
A random box that aids leveling up is awarded upon reaching certain score thresholds.
"Who the hell left this shitty review?"
"M-Master."
"Are you alright?"
Chae-ryeon was furious.
Her pride as a cook and Dungeon Express Delivery Person had been wounded.
'If I was running a sloppy business, maybe.'
But Chae-ryeon had never worked in dirty conditions, and she meticulously selected only the freshest ingredients every day to prepare meals for her customers.
She stubbornly used only sun-dried salt, and instead of relying on seasonings, she blended her own ingredients as much as possible to create heartfelt flavors.
Cooking was, to Chae-ryeon, a precious crystallization of her blood, sweat, and effort.
To receive such a pathetic one-star review on that precious cooking from the person it was delivered to—it made her blood boil.
"Ha, ha, ha..."
If it had just been tasteless, she might not have been hurt. But she knew that was impossible, so her heart bubbled like lava.
'Who did this?'
As Chae-ryeon burned to track down the culprit, Sol-chan approached.
"Master."
"...What?"
"All delivery records are stored in the [Customer Management List], which holds the list of customers who ordered."
"...!"
At those words, Chae-ryeon summoned it with realization.
"[Customer Management List]!"
A thick ledger appeared, bound in luxurious leather embroidered with gold and silver thread.
Floating in the air, it softly rustled like pages turning.
[List: What would you like to know?]
"I want the list of hunters who ordered from [Harpy Eye's Tropical Rainforest] today."
[List: Entering command.]
[List: Loading search results.]
[Hunters who ordered: Shin Ha-rang / Han Joo-oh / Min Hae-yul / Lee Ha-ram / ... / Ham Yoon-ji.]
[The above list is arranged by review order. Please note.]
Chae-ryeon carefully copied the hunter list onto paper with a pen.
"Got it. Thanks, List."
[Grateful to be of service :D]
As the list vanished into light, Chae-ryeon ground her teeth, repeating one name.
"Ham Yoon-ji... What grudge do you have to leave such a malicious review saying my food sucked?"
What? Wanted to give 6 stars but no option, so 1 star?
It was illogical nonsense that brought tears of blood to a small business owner's eyes, and it shattered Chae-ryeon's pure belief that her heartfelt, delicious food would appeal to everyone.
"How could someone do something so heinous."
Mimi fidgeted beside the trembling Chae-ryeon, clutching her egg.
"Um... Maybe Ham Yoon-ji feels like you stole her chance to shine in the dungeon?"
"Huh?"
"Their raid team's job is to conquer and clear the dungeon. Ours is to sell food to hungry hunters and fill them up, right?"
"Yeah..."
"But the hunter they thought was just delivering food jumped in on her own when they were in danger—or so she sees it—and that sparked resentment, I suspect."
Mimi tucked the egg into the pouch on her apron. Sol-chan added a hot pack to keep it warm and nodded in agreement.
"I think Senior Mimi is close to the truth. Even if the egg failed to hatch due to an error, a hunter might think smashing it could yield even greater rewards."
"So... she holds a grudge against me?"
"Seems like it. If you hadn't intervened in the fight, they might have gotten more loot and items, so she resents you for that."
"Urgh."
'But I had no choice!'
At that moment, the dungeon scenery had unfolded in slow motion for Chae-ryeon.
'If I don't attack here, they could be in danger.'
She knew they were elites carefully selected for this undisclosed outbreak dungeon conquest.
But with no hunter possessing overwhelming power to swiftly handle the sudden dungeon phase activation... Chae-ryeon couldn't ignore them.
Hiding her identity would have been easier by staying put. For one person, it was fine—just make sure they kept quiet.
But in a group, rumors were bound to spread.
'Still, I couldn't back off when people might suffer serious injuries.'
Even with a healer who could treat on the spot, even if everyone had healing potions.
Pain was pain. Who would want flesh tearing and bones exposed in agony?
Chae-ryeon made that altruistic choice purely for that reason.
Risking her identity being exposed, she used her skills to protect the hunters.
Because they were grateful customers who trusted her and ordered food.
The very people who let her take pride in being a 'Dungeon Express Delivery Person'...
"That's why I acted... "
She never expected her good intentions to be repaid like this.
Shake, shake.
"Ah. The egg keeps moving. Is this little one really about to hatch soon?"
"It should have hatched in the dungeon, but this isn't the tropical rainforest... Might take a bit longer."
"... "
The large ostrich-egg-like egg seemed almost apologetic.