Gapsu, King of the Sea
"…Huh?"
I doubted my ears.
"Gapsu? That's your name?"
The blond bound man, who I'd thought was Joseph Evergarden, nodded.
"Yes. Gapsu it is."
"Not Joseph Evergarden?"
"Who's that?"
"I thought it was you…"
I narrowed my eyes and asked again.
"Did Sulis really name you that? Not some random Park Chunsik who passed by?"
"And who's Park Chunsik?"
"Doesn't matter. Did Sulis really call you Gapsu?"
"Yes. He did."
"…And you just accepted it?"
"Yes. I did."
His face brimmed with pride.
Master… you haven't forgotten me, right?
I turned at the desperate voice from behind. Tteoksoon-i was hobbling toward us.
"Oh, right, forgot. Gold Sun, give Tteoksoon-i a piggyback."
"Yes, sir."
I turned back to the blond bound man.
Man, I tried to let it slide, but no way I can.
Who names their precious summons so carelessly?
"Gapsu."
"Yes."
"You really like that name?"
"Of course."
"…You sure?"
"Yes."
This is straight-up gaslighting levels.
Did he threaten you or something?
I glanced at Gold Sun, who'd returned with Tteoksoon-i on his back.
"What do you think?"
"Not great."
"Tteoksoon-i?"
"Totally not."
Gold Sun and Tteoksoon-i answered firmly.
Gapsu smiled faintly.
"I felt the same at first. But once you learn the meaning behind it, it feels different."
"Meaning?"
"It means 'King of the Sea.'"
"…How?"
"Because it's Gapsu—First-Rate Water."
"…Armor of the water? So, king of the sea, where water is most abundant?"
"Exactly."
…No matter how I think about it, this feels forced.
"Ooh, King of the Sea…!"
"Indeed. That makes it a super cool name!"
But Gold Sun and Tteoksoon-i nodded in convinced awe.
Gapsu beamed proudly at them.
"…Idiots."
So simple.
Falling for that?
How are they gonna survive this harsh world?
"Gapsu. What dish are you?"
"Grilled cuttlefish."
"What? Grilled cuttlefish? Then why's your skin brown?"
"A bit overcooked."
"And the yellow hair and eyes?"
"Butter grilled."
"……."
Just named him Gapsu off the cuff because cuttlefish, huh.
Meaning tacked on later.
Sulis, you were this kind of guy?
"……."
Sulis, your successor is deeply disappointed.
How could you name your dear summons so sloppily?
I wondered who stuck a hick name like Gapsu on this blond hunk, and it turns out it was the ultimate chef who'd reached the pinnacle of cooking.
Questions piled up like clouds.
What kind of person was Sulis? Why do Gapsu and Gold Sun look alike? And why is Gapsu bound like a heinous criminal?
As I opened my mouth to ask, Gapsu spoke first, politely.
"You must have many questions."
"Indeed."
"We have time, so we'll save the small talk. First, let me fulfill the mission my master gave."
"Mission?"
Gapsu nodded.
"In this sand desert lies a rare gem called the Desert Rose."
"…Oh?"
My eyebrow twitched at the familiar name.
"The Desert Rose is a—"
"Skip the explanation."
Gapsu looked puzzled but continued.
"Anyway, it's extremely valuable. Finding one is like plucking stars from the sky, and you can't use it as an ingredient raw."
"Go on."
"To use the Desert Rose as an ingredient, you need a special processing method. Only a tiny desert tribe has passed it down through generations."
"Getting interesting."
"What you need to do is simple. First, find the Desert Rose."
[Hidden Job Quest: Cook the Desert Rose 1]
📍 Description: The treasure gifted by the great nature of the desert, the 'Desert Rose'.
📍 Objective: It is hidden somewhere in this sand desert. Find it.
📍 'Desert Rose' (0/1)
"Hm… what's next?"
"Next, find the desert tribe that knows how to process it. Learn the method to turn the Desert Rose into an ingredient, then cook with it. That's the final goal."
"…I see."
A smile crept up involuntarily.
"Don't think about the rest yet. I recommend gathering as many Desert Roses as possible first."
"Why?"
"Finding one is hard enough, but to learn the method and cook, you'll need at least ten. Actually, they usually demand ten as payment for teaching, so minimum twenty."
"Oh… really?"
"Yes. To be honest, it could take months—or years."
Find the Desert Rose, find the tribe, learn the method, cook with it…
I finally understood why Grandpa muttered the order was mixed up.
This quest ain't for early game.
But no problem.
Who am I?
"Hey, Gapsu."
"Yes."
"One week."
"Pardon?"
"I'll finish in one week."
I crossed my arms confidently.
Gapsu's yellow eyes shook as he stared.
Heh heh heh…
If luck lines up perfectly, make it look like skill and milk it.
"…Serious?"
"Always am."
"No one's done it that fast in thousands of years. Few successors even reach here, and even then, it takes months minimum—"
"Hey, Gapsu."
I just snorted and called his name softly.
"…Yes."
"I don't repeat myself."
I curled one lip in a villainous grin.
"I said I'd do it, and I will."
"……."
Gapsu stared blankly, then slowly nodded.
"Wipe your mouth and wait."
I said cockily, then spun around.
"……."
I paused, turning back.
"But how do I get out?"
"……."
"Yawn…"
A refreshing morning.
Not bad, but not great either—on the way to work.
I'm used to this commute now.
Ended up logging out in the cave in the fantasy world.
Baek Bal Baek Jung's probably still drooling, sweeping up every Desert Rose he sees.
Dahyun's Snacks
I glanced up at the sign, greeted energetically, and entered.
"Good morning, Boss!"
"Oh, Hura. Early again today."
9:30 a.m. Thirty minutes early, as usual.
Helped clean, washed hands, tied apron.
Boss called me over.
"Hura~ Come here a sec?"
"Yes, Boss."
I swept back my hair and went. She smiled brightly, showing me something long.
"Ta-da! Guess what I brought~?"
"O… oh! That's…!"
I examined them with trembling eyes.
"Crowd barriers!"
"Right~ Found some in storage, and bought extras just in case. This should be enough, yeah?"
"Yes! Perfect! Thank you, Boss!"
I bowed deeply.
"Aw, no biggie. Essential staff deserves this investment. I'm tracking how much you sell, so no worries."
"Hahaha, worries? None when I'm with you, Boss."
"Hohoho, really?"
"Hahaha, of course."
Phew… Was worried about performance bonuses in the contract, but she's tracking via ingredient usage.
"I'll set them up now!"
"Sure~"
I grabbed the barriers and started installing them out front.
"Heh heh heh, with these, even those guys will line up orderly."
Seeds of ignorant evil crawling from chaos.
"Heh heh, I'll teach you order and discipline."
Lawless thugs.
"Uhuhu…"
Bind you tight with the ropes of order.
"Hura~ Done? Come help prep for open~"
"Yes! Coming!"
Rushed back inside.
Rumors spread more—customers doubled from yesterday's already 1.5x Monday rush.
But today, barriers made it easier than yesterday.
They naturally queued along the barriers, maintaining peaceful order.
No zombie hands grabbing cash everywhere, no screaming orders.
"Two tteokbokki!"
"Yes~ Two thousand won received, two tteokbokki coming right up~"
I handled them efficiently, turning them over smoothly.
Er, "turning over" sounds off. Boosting turnover so they grab and go quick…
"……."
Whatever.
Point is, more customers, but I had breathing room now.
Even time for a fish cake broth sip midway.
See that, chaos demons?
This is order.
The power of order is mighty…
Worship it.
Praising order while kindly serving the neat line, chaotic murmurs started somewhere.
-What, what!
-Cutting in line!
-Hey, you! Queue up!
What? Cutting?
In the presence of the goddess of order?
Glanced at the disturbance while serving.
Clack—
Clack—
Haughty heel clicks pierced the crowd noise.
Clack—
Clack—
Murmurs buzzed everywhere.
-Baekrim Girls' High!
-Baekrim? What's that?
-Home of the High School Alliance Tteokbokki Association president!
…Such a thing exists?
Clack—
Clack—
-……!
-Tteokbokki Association president!
-What's going on?
-'Dahyun's Snacks' is the High School Alliance's top-rated tteokbokki spot.
Looks like an inspection.
-…Inspection? Why?
-New staff. Sensitive issue.
Staff change could alter taste.
Tteokbokki Association? Inspection?
…Am I hearing right?
-High School Alliance top tteokbokki shop award? Really?
Any perks?
-Duh. Huge promo. All nearby high schools will flock here.
"……."
They pick top shops themselves and inspect?
…Kids these days are scary.
Clack—
Clack—
Regardless, the heels approached, ignoring the long line, circling to the counter.
Clack—
Three in uniforms, all in loafers.
One girl with permed hair scribbled on a clipboard.
Another in pants and short hair scanned like a bodyguard.
The leader, bobbed hair and round glasses, strode confidently with them behind.
At the counter, she glanced at the long line.
"New queue, I see."
She looked at me.
Her glasses glinted coldly.