Satisfaction Level 10: The Promised Miracle
They said something amazing would happen once satisfaction hit 10. Palas Laporte's satisfaction had reached that mark ages ago, but even now, under the cover of night, nothing had occurred. Then, right in the middle of it all, his satisfaction dropped by 1.
It happened the moment Toryong, who'd been cooped up underground feeling stuffy, finally crawled out. Han Ji-woo realized it then.
'It must judge based on the final score before he leaves.'
That meant he had to help keep Palas's satisfaction steady until tomorrow around lunchtime. First things first, since it dipped every time Toryong showed up, improving their relationship was priority one. He couldn't keep telling Toryong to stay buried forever...
"Hold on. Aren't you just an earthworm?" Han Ji-woo asked Toryong, utterly dumbfounded.
"No way this body could be a dragon, right? Looks like an earthworm from below! Earthworm from above! Even if you flip it upside~"
"Can I test if you really wriggle when I step on you?"
"Yohohohoho~ I'll stick to one verse from now on."
"But don't earthworms normally live in the soil?"
"That's right~ But I'm an earthworm who's tasted the fresh outside air! Earthworm from below! Earthworm from above! Even if you fli~!"
Han Ji-woo briefly wondered if flipping him over and shoving his head-first into the dirt would shut him up. Toryong, sensing the intent, clamped his mouth shut. Instead, he started shaking his body wildly, dancing out of nowhere. He looked just like one of those inflatable balloon men waving customers into a restaurant.
"Ugh, you're giving me a headache."
Still, living carefree without a care for others' opinions—like Toryong—might be the best way in this world.
Meanwhile, Palas still seemed annoyed by Toryong. Han Ji-woo approached him casually.
"Palas. Getting hungry yet?"
"Ah, yes. I'm starting to feel famished."
Palas swallowed hard as he spoke, no doubt remembering the late lunch. They'd snacked on various fruits in between, plus sunflower seeds and honey, but after barely eating properly in the dungeon, hunger hit fast.
"I'll whip something up for you."
"Pardon? I thought we'd just grill some meat."
"Just wait and see."
* * *
"What is this...?"
Palas marveled at the dish before him. Han Ji-woo had hustled to prepare and set the table with charcoal-grilled pork ribs as the main course.
When he'd made Palas's late lunch earlier, he'd marinated some separated pork ribs. The marinade included soy sauce, sugar, onion, minced garlic, and MSG made possible thanks to Toryong. With Lucy's help, he'd pureed the onions in a bowl—her sharp front paws whirling at blender speeds. Toss in the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and you had a decent soy sauce base. Sure, sesame oil, sesame seeds, pepper, mirin, ginger, and more would add depth, but this was plenty for now.
Then he'd grilled the marinated ribs over charcoal in the wood-fired stove until nightfall. With ssam leaves like lettuce and perilla, sliced garlic, ssamjang, and rice to boot, it was perfection.
"Palas. Try a piece plain first."
"Very well."
Palas popped a perfectly browned rib into his mouth. And...
"Ah!"
He let out a sharp gasp of delight. Sweet-salty perfection in the marinade, infused with smoky charcoal flavor? Game over. And Han Ji-woo, no slouch at grilling, had locked in the juices perfectly. Each chew released a savory burst, making Palas's eyes flutter shut.
Gulp!
Han Ji-woo asked Palas, who swallowed the rib with reverent solemnity.
"How is it?"
"Incredible. I never tasted anything like this even back home, let alone in the dungeon. What is this dish?"
"Pork ribs."
"Pork ribs? Does everyone in your world eat this?"
"Not everyone, but Koreans love it. It's a Korean dish."
"Korea! A nation of culinary wonders. I'm utterly impressed. I'd love to visit someday if I could. This single rib is that good."
Palas's praise for Korea swelled Han Ji-woo's chest with pride.
'Are you watching, Teacher Kim Gu? You were right.'
The Korea Han Ji-woo knew was riding high on K-pop, K-food, and global fame, everyone buzzing with national pride. Now even someone from another dimension was raving about K-food. But he couldn't bask in it forever.
'Gotta try it myself!'
No way he'd pass up these beauties without a taste! Han Ji-woo layered lettuce and perilla over rice, added a rib, ssamjang, and garlic, then wrapped and shoved it in.
Crunch. Crunch.
Working his jaw mixed everything into blissful harmony. Palas, watching intently, mimicked him.
"Mmm!"
Delicious on its own, but this way? Transcendent.
"So good! Absolutely delicious!"
"To your taste?"
"Perfectly. What's this eating style called?"
"Ssam."
"Ssam! From now on, ssam is my favorite food!"
'Teacher Kim Gu! Are you watching?!'
* * *
Stuffed from the late dinner, Palas dozed off in Han Ji-woo's house. Curled up beside him were Lucy, Brisong, and the chubby Seibier.
The closed door creaked open slightly. Han Ji-woo's face peeked through. He checked Palas's satisfaction and grinned.
'Still at 10.'
The pork ribs worked wonders. Not only had it restored the score, Palas no longer scowled at Toryong. Han Ji-woo had convinced him the ribs were possible thanks to Toryong. Not entirely wrong—the MSG in the marinade was his doing.
Snore~ Snore~
Ferrofero had spread a mat outside and fallen into deep sleep. He couldn't dare share space with the princess. Pao lay beside him, claiming he looked lonely sleeping alone. Ferrofero had protested vehemently but succumbed to drowsiness.
Toryong, off dreaming underground, stayed put. In the quiet space with everyone asleep, Han Ji-woo spread his mat and checked the Dungeon Tree sapling.
The Dungeon Tree sapling's growth remained stuck at 0%. It absorbed food scraps as usual, but with no progress, who knew if it was even growing?
"Looks like I need a different approach."
Normally, a system message would hint at the next step, but this time, silence.
"Man, it's really grown, though."
It felt like yesterday he'd seen the sprout, but now it towered massively. Standing at the trunk base, dense leaves blocked the sky entirely. The growth rate was marked beside the trunk.
Han Ji-woo's gaze shifted upward to the night sky, adorned with countless twinkling stars. Among them, the constellation he sought nightly caught his eye.
Affinity with the Necromancer has increased.
Relationship with the Necromancer has changed from 'Favor' to 'Trust'.
Affinity with the same monster cannot be changed more than once per day. It will rise each night you locate the same constellation on different nights.
Undead Master skill has been enhanced due to increased affinity with the Necromancer.
"Unbelievable."
Han Ji-woo itched to test the upgraded skill. What high-grade undead would appear?
"But if luck sucks, maybe no high-graders at all."
The description confirmed randomness in grade and type for summons.
"Let's give it a shot."
Excited, Han Ji-woo activated it.
Undead Master!
Black mist billowed, summoning 15 undead monsters. Most were low-grade skeletons and zombies. Next came mid-grade like vampires, mummies, and banshees—one of each, totaling three. And finally, one high-grade mixed in.
"Whoa, killer visuals."
A knight in heavy armor astride a black steed, holding his own severed head. A dullahan.
"Damn, dullahan looks seriously strong."
With one high-grader, the lineup felt way more solid. Shame the summon duration dropped from 25 to 10 minutes. Trading time for power.
"Still better this way."
Fighting 15 weaklings for 25 minutes beat 10 minutes with a powerhouse any day.
"Okay. Dismiss..."
As he started to send them back—
4 'Unicorn Chickens' have been summoned.
"Huh?"
Unicorn chickens summoning into Hidden Space? It'd been ages. Back when Ferrofero was hostile, he'd cursed the place with "monsters spawn at night." Hidden Space weakened it, turning it into a boon—daily food like unicorn chickens and wild pigs.
Cooook! Cluck!
The unicorn chickens crowed vigorously upon appearing, then froze at the sight of the eerie dullahan exhaling ominous aura, backed by the undead horde.
Han Ji-woo glanced at them and nodded toward the coop. They pondered briefly, then waddled in obediently.
"Haha, gotta expand that coop now?"
Han Ji-woo chuckled at his sudden chicken windfall.
* * *
The next day, around lunchtime.
"Huff! Huff!"
"This is insane! A boss that only takes 'fire attribute' damage? Without Mitchell, we're all useless!"
"Incoming again! Scatter!"
Kuwaaaang!
On Dungeon Floor 20, the boss was a house-sized bat: Chaos Bat. It disoriented with ultrasound, then body-slammed with its bulk. Simple patterns kept fatalities at zero so far.
Problem: only fire damage worked. Luckily, Mitchell had Fireball, and Pierre could summon fire monsters now. His enhanced Monster Almanac (via Knowledge stat) let him summon within his mana limits.
But their attacks barely scratched the bat. Fatigue set in, slowing everyone. Even knowing patterns, sluggishness meant doom.
"Kyaaak!"
Lisa was about to eat a full body slam. Then, the miracle hit.
Constellation System unlocked thanks to Han Ji-woo.