Kkomangi's Moonlight Recipe
"Hic... sob..."
Revenge bears no fruit.
That's the message so many stories try to drill into your head, and growing up watching that stuff, I bought into it hook, line, and sinker.
To break the chain of vengeance, someone had to hold back.
Unfortunately, I couldn't.
And this was the result.
"...Sorry."
I apologized to the huddled lump on my bed.
Elise was bawling under my blanket, covering her head.
"Hic-sob... die... you trash...!"
How the hell did it come to this...?
If I'd stopped my motorcycle at third gear instead of shifting to fourth, would things have turned out different?
- Kyaaack!! Agh!! Stop for real!! I won't let you get away with this!!!
No... I still had some leeway back then.
Maybe when I shifted from fourth to fifth?
- Urgh!! Y-you psycho, I said stop!! Ah... ugh...!!
Maybe I should've sensed something was off right there.
But all the pent-up frustration, plus getting kicked in the crotch even if it was an accident—it blinded me with rage.
And just like that, as we hit sixth and seventh gear, shit hit the fan.
"Elise... I'm heading out..."
Best to leave her alone for now.
A bit early, but I needed to handle some other business outside.
*
"Huff... huff..."
I took Kkomangi out for an evening walk-slash-stroll down the street.
The noteworthy thing was everyone on the street clutching cups, sipping something.
"...The trendy sugar water these days, huh."
Hard to believe, but folks here were toting around sugar water like it was modern coffee.
With variant spawn rates climbing, inner core prices had tanked. Sugar was still pricey, but not unobtainable anymore.
Hence the sugar water boom.
Yeah, just plain sugar water. That's it.
Is that really it?
Slurp... this doesn't taste like what I imagined...?
No matter how I thought about it, this wasn't right. I'd figured some cultural revolution might kick off...
"Where are all the sweet desserts...?"
Come to think of it, no flour in the shelter means no cookies or cakes. If there were fruits, maybe tanghulu? Hell, a cotton candy machine would've made that trend.
Ah... no grains or fruits, such a shame...
Nah, everything's a shame. Limited ingredients mean no real cooking potential.
With magic around, couldn't they whip up ice cream or sorbet?
Lost in thought during the walk, I ended up at my restaurant building before I knew it.
[Kkomangi's Moonlight Recipe]
The shop I'd put Luna in charge of.
Interior done, opening soon.
We'd tossed around names like Shelter Heaven, La Cuisine de Kkomangi, Monster Touch, Dungeon King—but went with something safe.
Apparently that's how they name restaurants in this world. Locals would know better than me.
I pushed open the door, and a server greeted me.
"Store not open yet... oh! Boss is here? Luna, hubby’s here!"
"Hello, Aunt Rana."
Aunt Rana, recommended by Luna, had joined to handle the front of house.
"Aunt Rana! Oppa and I aren't like that yet!!"
Luna emerged from the kitchen, wiping water from her apron.
"Luna, everything coming along?"
With opening prep nearly done, she was finalizing menus using the ingredients I'd supplied.
I'd splurged on spices and seasonings from the market for the shop.
Surprisingly, I learned the shelter had plant-growing spots—thanks to magic tools that stored and released sunlight.
Charged in open dungeons with skies, but lately in ticket dungeons too.
Ticket dungeons boosted solar charging, even expanded the greenhouses a bit...
Anyway, more herbs for masking meat smells hit the market, so I stocked up.
Herbs weren't cheap for commoners—always an upper-class luxury.
Hmm... grow some in my dungeons? Wonder if they'd thrive...
My dungeons had plenty of grass, but it tasted and smelled off.
Maybe 'cause it's not a normal world? Even if planted, herbs might not grow right.
Not that I'd tried eating it... just read from folks who had.
Hey everyone~ Got an Owl Bear Plains ticket today, so I explored it!
(Pic of scattered yellow flowers in the field)
See this? Yurine flowers from my home, the World Tree Forest! Never thought I'd see them here!
As you know, Yurine flowers have a strong, assertive scent, but these barely smell... You can catch a faint whiff if you focus, but weird, right?
Petals should taste sweet when chewed, but the flavor's so faint, hard to notice.
Same with other flowers—why do ticket dungeon plants lack scent?
Feels like they're fake flowers mimicking the real thing halfway...
Is the ticket dungeon world different from ours? No idea...
Hope these regain their scent someday!
Thanks for reading! Back if I find more plants!
Stuff like this pops up in ticket dungeon serials, that's where I got the info.
Anyway.
"Um... I made it like you said, oppa. Wanna try?"
I left the menu entirely to Luna, but requested one specific dish.
A massive pot of milky broth.
I ladled some into a bowl and slurped.
"Good stuff?"
Damn good. First time boiling beef bone broth, but way deeper and richer than expected!
Minotaur leg bones simmered long.
Trouble is, it's labor-intensive and time-consuming—big burden on Luna.
"It's fine! Rotating with Aunt Rana makes it manageable."
Manageable? She looked genuinely perky, no flattery.
Beastkin toughness, I guess...
We all taste-tested the bone broth.
"Mm... just a pinch of salt, and it's perfect."
Some boiled brisket too.
And... slime noodles as topping? Boom, bone broth noodles.
Somyeon noodles are the classic, dang...
No rice or kimchi means it's not complete.
I felt a twinge inside, but Luna and Aunt Rana scarfed it down oblivious.
"Oppa, this is so good!"
"How'd you think of this, boss? First bone broth, but the depth shocked me—why didn't we eat like this sooner? No special ingredients, yet..."
Aunt Rana eyed me curiously.
Luna too, subtly interested.
What, it's just home cooking from my world. Wikis and YouTube made me a useless knowledge hoarder.
"Mm... recipe from my hometown. Fiddly, but just needs bones and water—perfect for shelter life."
Most of the shop's margins will come from this...
Low cost—salt and brisket on order, cheaper than other dishes.
Why add salt per order? Leave it on tables, and greedy hands swipe it all.
Salt's pricey now, but salt fields will crash prices soon.
Reassess then.
We sampled new dishes, swapped opinions, finalized the menu, and I headed home.
*
Elise... wasn't on my bed.
"Gone home, huh..."
Thinking coldly, yeah, I messed up... She's a girl, and I wasn't sensitive enough.
Pent-up rage clouded my judgment...? Nah, not just that.
We'd seen each other's worst sides so much, she felt like a bro.
Dunno how she saw it, but...
Would she even come teach magic tomorrow?
Put myself in her shoes—trauma city, moving out wouldn't surprise me.
"Hmm... apologize again now?"
She's probably still reeling—might backfire. Agonizing over it.
Flopped on bed petting Kkomangi to soothe my nerves when...
What the hell...?
*
Orchard—the dungeon I gave the dwarves. They'd planted fruit seeds, right?
Less than a month since planting—why call me?
Found out the second I arrived.
"...What the hell did you plant in my dungeon?"
"That's my line. What'd you do to my seeds?"
We gawked up at the massive tree.
This was the planting spot, but what was this giant?
Easily over 5 meters.
Fast growth wasn't the issue. We were surprised, but not by that.
The branches weren't bearing fruit.
They dangled something jelly-like.
What the... why are slimes growing on the tree?