The Day After the Dungeon Shop Opened
The next day after the Dungeon Shop opened.
"Osgeelro. Didn't you say you could definitely make at least forty weapons?"
The moment Han Ji-woo opened his eyes in the morning, he was already grilling Osgeelro Haiban about something.
"That's right."
"But there are no egg shells left?"
"That's correct."
"You only made ten yesterday!"
"Hmph! You wouldn't understand! The artisan's spirit of a blacksmith!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"As I worked, I got this burning desire to craft even higher-quality pieces. Ahem. In the end, the amount of egg shells going into each weapon kept increasing, you see?"
"......But why didn't you say something yesterday?"
"When would I have had the chance? The moment I poured my blacksmith's soul into it all, I passed out like a light."
"Hmm...... What now."
As Osgeelro said, the performance of the weapons he'd poured his heart into was undeniably top-notch. Even Han Ji-woo himself was tempted by them. He'd figured more treasures like that would be born today too, but there were no more materials left to make them.
Of course, neither Han Ji-woo nor Osgeelro had any appetite for churning out lower-quality gear. But with no way to source materials comparable to dragon egg shells, it was a real pickle.
Could you draw water from a dry well?
As Han Ji-woo racked his brain for alternatives, Pao and Lucy were busy with their morning chores.
Lucy had caught dozens of fish from the lake and approached Pao, who was tending the fields. He was in the middle of expanding the fields even further, planting new seedlings and seeds. Now, the Hidden Space boasted lettuce patches, chili fields, onion beds, and perilla leaf plots.
Lucy took the lead, poking holes in the soil with her front paws. Pao planted the seeds or seedlings, and Lucy patted the surrounding dirt firm with her tail. Seibier trailed after the pair, innocently watching their perfect teamwork.
The hulking Seibier might have been the biggest, but he was still basically a newborn—pure and playful. That meant Pao and Lucy often broke a sweat stopping him from snacking on unripe watermelons or trampling the potato patches.
After field work, they checked on the cowshed and pens. They fed the animals, cleaned up the manure, and buried it near the Dungeon Tree. The Mad Cow calves and horned chicken chicks were growing strong and healthy.
Han Ji-woo watched the scene from afar, smiling proudly.
"Those little ones are growing so well. I can't just sit around idle!"
He jumped up and opened his Creation window, expanding the 2-pyeong house to 16 pyeong in one go.
Last night, Seibier had insisted on sleeping with him, making it a hassle to get into the house. In the end, Han Ji-woo had camped outside with his pets. So he'd widened it to 16 pyeong.
While he was at it, he wanted a higher ceiling too. He created a 2-pyeong space and placed it on top, where it merged seamlessly, boosting the height.
"Okay. Got it."
Han Ji-woo made seven more 2-pyeong spaces and stacked them all at once. Now a grand house with twice the original roof height stood tall. He even swapped the single swing door for double doors so Seibier could come and go easily.
With the simple upgrades done, Han Ji-woo dusted off his hands.
"That'll do."
No need to get greedy here. Soon, Osgeelro's handcrafted 30-pyeong wooden building would be complete, and living there would be even comfier.
'He said he's prioritizing weapons for now and putting the building on hold.'
Even so, it was just two days' wait.
But the nagging issue remained: no materials for more weapons.
As Han Ji-woo sank back into thought, something nudged his butt.
Quurruk~?
He turned to find Seibier rubbing his face against him.
"Hey, hey. Don't rub your cheeks on someone else's bathroom like that, you filthy beast. Huh? You two getting close already?"
Lucy perched atop Seibier's head, peering down at Han Ji-woo with sparkling eyes.
Nyaao~
Lucy meowed long and affirmatively.
Then—
Grrrooowwlll!
Thunder rumbled from Seibier's belly.
"Whoa, looks like storm clouds live in that gut of yours, Seibie. Alright, let's all eat first! Even Mount Geumgang is best after a meal—I'll worry later."
Osgeelro piped up then.
"Today, I want to try something we haven't had yet!"
"Something new?"
"Don't forget. The promise between you and me."
"Got it. Of course."
In exchange for crafting weapons, Osgeelro could demand any food from Han Ji-woo whenever he wanted.
"Hmm, what to pick?"
As Han Ji-woo pondered, a distant Mooo~ from a Mad Cow reached his ears.
An idea sparked.
* * *
Han Ji-woo placed a hunk of beef sirloin on the cutting board and commanded Lucy.
"Lucy! Investigate!"
Nyang!
Lucy replied briskly, dipped her front paws in a wooden basin of water to clean them, then raised her sharp claws.
She pummeled the meat.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
The beef turned into mince in seconds under her nyang punches.
"Good girl!"
Han Ji-woo sprinkled sunflower seed oil into a hot frying pan and added the mince.
Sizzle~!
The meat cooked fast amid the satisfying sounds. Once the red faded, he dumped in pre-scooped gochujang from the all-purpose jar.
He poured in all the honey extracted from salvia petals, then stir-fried vigorously with a spatula to blend it perfectly.
By now, you can guess what he was making: yak gochujang! Or beef gochujang stir-fry.
For the real deal, you'd want corn syrup, plum extract, mirin, soy sauce, and more—but just frying gochujang with some sweetener made it delicious enough!
Sizzle! Sizzle!
Once well-stirred, a few pan shakes finished it off!
The bubbling gochujang, like boiling lava, cooled and settled quickly.
"Let's see."
Han Ji-woo tasted a bit of the finished yak gochujang.
Sweet with a spicy kick, infused with beefy umami—it was killer.
Scoop a bit over rice, mix it in—pure bliss even without sides. The ultimate rice thief that could polish off two or three bowls solo!
'This could go down with ten bowls easy.'
With big eaters like Osgeelro and Pao, plus feeding Seibier now, he'd need 10-person portions per meal.
Han Ji-woo moved to the side hearth, where rice was nearly done cooking in the pot.
"But will this fill that guy up?"
His gaze drifted to Seibier.
"Plenty!"
It wasn't aimed at anyone, but Osgeelro's voice rang out.
He'd sidled up, sniffing the cooking rice appreciatively.
"Plenty?"
"Aye. Dragons basically live off mana. I'm no mage, but us dwarves can sense mana flows. This space is thick with it—dense enough that even if he gorges, it won't show. He'll absorb mana on an empty stomach to tide himself over. No need to share our food!"
"But he keeps drooling like he wants some."
"Food's just playtime indulgence for dragons—nothing more, nothing less. Feed him whatever, but with mana covering his growth needs, stuff him too much and he'll turn into a fat lizard in no time."
"Oh ho."
Han Ji-woo stroked his chin, nodding.
'Fat hatchling, huh. Now that I'd pay to see.'
He opened his Creation window and tossed in the ten handfuls of perilla seeds from Pao.
→ Perilla Oil 43g (Synthesis Possible)
"Just as I thought!"
Han Ji-woo secured the perilla oil. His eyes flicked to the plate holding three pre-made fried eggs.
Now everything was ready.
* * *
"Thanks for the meal!"
"Thanks for the grub."
"Thank you, Master!"
Nyang!
Quurruk~
In the end, Seibier joined the feast too.
Before everyone: bibimbap mixed with rice, yak gochujang, perilla oil, and fried eggs.
Excluding light-eating Lucy, portions were just over two servings each.
Osgeelro and Pao were blown away at first bite.
"Th-this flavor!"
"Tasty, Master!"
Lucy scarfed it down with happy nyangs, while Seibier shoved the whole bowl in his mouth, crunching and swallowing.
"You don't eat the bowl, dummy."
Quurruk?
Quuu~
Seibier nodded like he got it.
"Alright, my turn."
Han Ji-woo shoveled a big spoonful of yak gochujang bibimbap into his mouth.
"Mmm~!"
No disappointments here! The sweet-spicy gochujang tickled his tongue while fragrant perilla oil blasted his nostrils. The sunflower oil-fried egg amplified the nuttiness, elevating the flavors to gourmet heights. Chewy minced beef oozed umami—this was heavenly.
'Ahh. Add a cold soup and it'd be perfect.'
Any kind: cucumber, seaweed, water kimchi, spicy water kimchi—they'd all pair like a dream!
Mealtime streaked by like a comet—too tasty to savor slowly, spoons flying nonstop.
"Ah, that hit the spot."
Han Ji-woo chugged cool water, then gazed happily at his pets' satisfied faces.
All beaming.
But.
"......Huh?"
Qu?
Was Seibier's face... chubbier than before? Nah, trick of the eye?
"Whatever. Bellies full—time to cap off morning chores."
Han Ji-woo cast Growth Acceleration.
The skill rippled over everything except Osgeelro and Pao. Crops sprouted, shot up, fruited. Lake fish numbers exploded. Eggs hatched into cheeping chicks; yesterday's fledglings matured into full chickens.
And—
Moooo~!
The female Mad Cow bellowed triumphantly as four calves entered the world.
"Whoa! What? She was pregnant with four?"
Han Ji-woo's grin stretched ear-to-ear at the growing livestock.
"Great, great. But even amid all this, Lucy shows zero sign of growing."
He scooped up the head-rubbing Lucy at his feet and plopped her on his head.
"Wonder when she'll level up next. Anyway."
He dragged out his shelved dilemma.
'New materials for weapons. Where to find 'em.'
Then Pao approached with a report.
"Master! Dungeon Prison trip done now."
"Yeah, good job... Wait."
A spark flashed.
'Maybe good stuff in the Dungeon Prison?'
It was bigger than expected. Rummaging every corner might yield gems.
But entrusting Pao? With his simple smarts, doubtful.
'Best if I go myself...'
Pao's Prison Key skill allowed one trip per day, solo only.
'Could it upgrade?'
Wishful thinking, maybe—but possible.
Han Ji-woo immediately hit Growth Acceleration on Pao's Prison Key.
He hadn't expected much.
But—
Pao's skill Prison Key has been enhanced by Growth Acceleration!
"......Huh?"
Prison Key
Once per day, travel to and from the Dungeon Prison with 1 companion.
The skill had been enhanced.