Soul Food and State Contracts
Munch, munch!
Chomp, chomp!
Glistening white rice.
Crispy, salty ham.
A perfectly fried egg, golden-brown at the edges.
Seaweed savory with the aroma of toasted sesame oil.
And...
Kimchi stew packed with chunks of pork.
"Kuaaaah!"
This was not the death rattle of a dying lizardman.
It was the heartfelt exclamation of a man deeply moved by his first meal after grinding like crazy in the tower!
"This is so good!"
This was already his second tray.
Yet, the food kept vanishing down his throat.
I swallowed a perfectly soft-boiled fried egg in one gulp.
Then, I immediately shoveled a spoonful of rice topped with ham into my mouth.
They say the most familiar tastes are the hardest to resist, and this was truly delicious enough to bring tears to my eyes.
"Oh dear, just how hungry were you..."
"It'th thoo good!"
"Is there anything else you want to eat? I'll whip it up for you."
It was the head cook, whose face I had gotten to know well during my three-month stay at the Bureau.
She looked at me with a sudden look of determination and rolled up her sleeves.
"Oh, now that I think about it, this isn't nearly enough."
"Huh?"
"At the very least, you should be having some braised short ribs!"
"Eh?"
"Let's see, braised short ribs and... Oh! How about grilled eel?"
She was practically overflowing with enthusiasm.
"Just wait right here, okay?"
Before I could even try to stop her, she marched back into the kitchen. I could only watch her go.
B-but the kimchi stew is already amazing...!!
It has so much meat in it, it's seriously delicious...!!
Gulp.
Was it a mistake to just name the first things that came to mind when she asked what I wanted to eat?
Well, whatever. There was no reason to refuse a meal she was offering to make.
Braised short ribs and grilled eel...
Just thinking about it made my mouth water.
And that was after already clearing two entire trays.
I piled more rice, ham, fried eggs, seaweed, and kimchi stew onto my empty tray.
My appetite showed no signs of dying down.
Was it because I had burned through so much energy inside the tower?
I felt like I could easily clear ten more trays.
Munch, munch!
Chomp, chomp!
While waiting for the short ribs and grilled eel to finish.
I once again absorbed the ultimate Korean soul food.
"He really doesn't seem to be in a state of frenzy."
The two executors were still keeping a close eye on Lee Taepyeong.
Normally, an executor's job ends once the return processing is complete.
However, this time was different.
"How is he even doing that?"
The executors in charge of Lee Taepyeong's return.
They were veterans who had worked at the Bureau for several years.
Yet, they had never seen a case like this.
A climber who returned drenched in blood, yet wasn't in a state of frenzy.
Most climbers who returned from the tutorial were not in their right minds.
The sheer terror of facing monsters for the first time in their lives took a massive toll on their sanity.
Far from eating, most of them collapsed unconscious the moment their tension broke, unable to even support their own bodies.
But Lee Taepyeong was different.
He walked, spoke, and moved perfectly fine.
And he was completely sane.
When asked about his condition, his only response had been that he was hungry.
"It's hard."
"It hurts."
Instead of those words.
Drenched in blood.
"I'm hungry"?
At those words, not only the two executors but the entire Bureau was left dumbfounded.
"Did you say his trait is the Heavenly Slaughter Star?"
One of the executors muttered, staring at Lee Taepyeong with a face that still couldn't believe it.
"Isn't that the thing from wuxia novels?"
"Like, a bloodthirsty maniac who just kills people..."
"Yeah, someone who's insanely good at killing."
"It's not like we're in a novel..."
The executor let out a dry chuckle.
The other shook his head.
"I heard he barely has any injuries?"
"None at all. In fact, he's in peak condition."
"Peak condition?"
"Yeah. That's what the medical team said."
"That's insane."
"They said he could walk right back into a dungeon right now."
"Incredible..."
As the two executors marveled, the cook passed by them carrying a massive pot.
The sweet aroma of braised short ribs drifted along with her.
"Maybe we're witnessing history in the making."
"...Witnessing history eat braised short ribs?"
"Yeah."
The two executors stared at Lee Taepyeong as he ruthlessly piled the short ribs onto his plate.
"Ah, this is the life..."
After polishing off the short ribs and the grilled eel, I felt like my stomach was about to burst.
I had wondered if I could actually eat all of it.
But as I kept eating, it all just went down.
It felt like my stomach capacity had expanded.
Does leveling up affect things like that too?
"Yaaawn..."
Now that I was full, drowsiness washed over me.
I let out a long yawn and raised my hand.
The two executors had been watching me from the very beginning.
"Excuse me."
"Yes, Mr. Lee Taepyeong."
"Can I go back now?"
The two exchanged glances.
Then, one of them asked me with a serious expression.
"May I ask what the reason is?"
What do you mean, what reason?
Obviously, because I'm sleepy.
I barely held back another yawn and replied.
"I just want to get some rest."
"Ah..."
"I'm tired, and I'm sleepy..."
It's not like I can just sit here in the cafeteria forever.
Only then did the two executors nod in understanding.
"Ah, I see."
What did they think I meant?
What on earth were they expecting?
"We will escort you to your quarters."
"Huh? I can go by myself..."
"No. We will guide you."
Their voices were strangely firm.
Escorted by the two executors, I made my way to the quarters.
"Thanks for walking me back."
Even as I stepped into the room, I was fighting back a yawn.
Wow, seeing the bed right in front of me made me even sleepier.
"So, can I sleep now?"
"Of course. Please rest comfortably."
The two executors bowed politely and stepped outside.
However, I didn't hear their footsteps fading away.
Are they planning to stand guard out there...?
I didn't feel even a hint of losing control.
I was just incredibly, overwhelmingly sleepy.
So standing guard out there was a complete waste of their time...
"Whatever."
It wasn't my problem anyway.
I collapsed onto the bed.
Zzz...
Sleep claimed me instantly.
I closed my eyes.
"Target is asleep."
"Situation clear."
I heard voices outside, but...
I didn't want to move a single muscle.
Snore...
Whew...
Now that I had safely returned from the tutorial.
I had nothing left to worry about.
Since all my debts had been cleared.
Snore...
How long had it been since I could sleep with such peace of mind?
It was pure bliss.
The next day.
Perhaps due to the routine I had built up over the months, my eyes snapped open on their own.
I got up, washed my face, and was brushing my teeth when...
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
Was it the executors?
Click.
I opened the door with my toothbrush still in my mouth.
They weren't the executors from yesterday.
These were unfamiliar faces.
A man and a woman who looked like textbook civil servants stood there.
"Hello, Mr. Lee Taepyeong."
"Uh, hello..."
"We are from the Talent Management Team of the Babel Tower Climber Management Bureau."
"Ah..."
"Congratulations on your safe return from the tutorial."
"Yes..."
"We came to have a chat with you. Do you have some time?"
"But I'm in the middle of brushing my teeth..."
"We can wait."
"No, no. You can come in and wait."
I opened the door wider for them and quickly ran back into the bathroom.
After rinsing my mouth, I walked out to find the civil servants still standing politely near the entrance.
"Oh, you could have taken a seat!"
I hurriedly guided the two into the room.
The two sat on the small sofa set up on one side of the room.
I pulled up a small dining chair and sat opposite them.
As soon as we sat down, the smiling woman pulled out some documents from her bag.
"Once again, congratulations on returning from the tutorial."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
The documents she laid out looked like some sort of contract.
However, my name wasn't written on them yet.
"Since you have returned from the tutorial, Mr. Lee Taepyeong, you are now an official climber of the Republic of Korea."
It was true.
Once you complete the tutorial, you become an official climber.
An official climber holding the 'nationality' of the Babel Tower you entered.
Since I held Korean citizenship and entered the Korean Babel Tower.
I naturally became an official climber of South Korea.
It even showed up like that on the system window.
Just like that.
I didn't know what mechanism was at play, but nationality was recognized inside the Babel Tower.
Well, I didn't think it was that strange.
My phone number and resident registration number had been leaked ages ago anyway.
And it wasn't just me.
The entire nation had been compromised.
Under such circumstances, the Babel Tower knowing my nationality...
...wasn't particularly surprising.
Anyway.
This nationality thing was actually quite important.
Every time you cleared a floor of your affiliated Babel Tower.
You accumulated what were called Contribution Points.
Contribution.
From the basic act of clearing floors in the Babel Tower.
To grander feats like earning achievements or titles.
There were various ways to build up Contribution Points.
And these points were what protected the territory of the Republic of Korea.
That was why every nation was so desperate to recruit hunters.
If the total Contribution Points fell below a certain threshold, something terrible would happen.
Demonic Outbreak.
Every country knew exactly what happened when a Demonic Outbreak occurred.
Because of the precedent set by North Korea.
Fortunately, South Korea's Contribution Points were currently stable.
While maintaining the points at a certain level was important.
It was also crucial to stack up as many as possible.
This was because the higher the points, the better the 'buffs' the nation received.
Prevention of natural disasters.
Boosted vitality for the entire populace.
Increased probability of awakening talented individuals.
And so on.
The United States had benefited greatly from that national vitality boost.
Not only that.
Hunters could also use Contribution Points for their own personal benefit.
Like purchasing special items.
Or bringing items from inside the tower out to the real world.
Naturally, everything obtained inside the tower held immense value.
From an Elixir that could cure any disease.
To electric stones capable of generating as much power as a power plant.
The variety and utility were endless.
Bringing them out naturally translated to massive wealth.
Of course, some things were simply priceless.
Like hunter-exclusive weapons and gear.
These were items that the entire world coveted for their own climbs.
If you got something with a decent grade, you could become a billionaire overnight.
In fact, many hunters lived in absolute luxury just by selling the items they acquired in the Babel Tower.
Since they earned enough to live comfortably for the rest of their lives without working.
They could amass even more terrifying wealth if they kept climbing, but...
There was a reason why most chose to stop once they had made enough.
Death.
That was the one problem money couldn't solve.
Even if you were lucky enough to survive, injuries were not something to be taken lightly.
So, most had no choice but to make a decent sum and wash their hands of it.
"Do you understand everything so far?"
I listened to various explanations regarding the contract.
Simply passing the tutorial didn't grant anything worth money, nor did it yield significant Contribution Points.
However, because I had passed the tutorial, all my debts were cleared.
I was more than grateful for just that, but...
"We see incredible talent in you, Mr. Lee Taepyeong."
The man's voice trembled with barely concealed excitement.
"A talent unlike anything we've ever seen before!"
Well, I don't think it's that big of a deal.
I had only just passed the tutorial, after all.
As I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
"Please, consider our offer favorably!"
The two civil servants bowed deeply as they made their plea.
What should I do?
It was impossible to give an answer right away.
There were too many things to consider.
"Um..."
"Yes!"
"For now, let me think about it."