Chapter 73
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Sudden Gate (2)
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Instructor Kang Ju-young stared fixedly at me after I declared that I could handle the food supply.
"...To what extent?"
"To the point where there won't be any issues with the food itself."
"This castle's population alone pushes past five thousand. You can handle that?"
"As long as I'm here, yes."
Kang Ju-young double-checked, her expression briefly clouded with confusion before she nodded.
"I'll trust you."
"Just keep it secret from everyone else."
"I won't breathe a word myself."
It was her way of saying she'd keep the secret, but with everyone here, she couldn't guarantee others would.
I nodded to show that was good enough for me, and she turned back to Petra.
"Fortunately, food won't be a problem. If you cooperate fully, we're willing to share."
"..."
Petra glanced at Kang Ju-young, then shifted her gaze to me.
"If you provide food, we'll treat you as honored guests. Of course, you'll still have to fight the beasts that attack."
If the castle fell, food wouldn't matter anyway.
Besides, this was a historical recreation gate— the moment the castle crumbled, annihilation might follow.
"More importantly, I'm curious how you'll manage it. Care to show us?"
Petra seemed cautious about the food topic.
She'd overheard my conversation with Kang Ju-young, so she knew it meant food for everyone here. It made sense.
"If there's a large dining hall, let's go there."
"Why? Wouldn't the storeroom be better?"
I shook my head, indirectly signaling no.
Petra looked curious but decided to check first and accommodated me.
"Doesn't matter. Delson, guide them to their quarters. With the attack tonight, don't forget to station them on the walls for dinner."
"Yes, understood."
The knight called Delson gave a curt reply, then shouted to the Hero Association members and cadets.
"Alright, follow me! I'll take you to where you'll be staying!"
Petra finished organizing the group and addressed me and Kang Ju-young.
"You two, come with me."
Kang Ju-young nodded and gave near-pleading instructions to the Hero Association members.
"Look after the cadets. If any act out of line, use force if needed."
"Is that okay?"
"It's an emergency. Our top priority is getting everyone out alive."
The Hero Association members nodded in understanding.
Even so, they didn't seem to expect all the cadets to survive—no matter who was in charge.
'That means it's that dangerous.'
But with me here, the difficulty had dropped dramatically.
The food issue—potentially the biggest hurdle—was solved easily.
'More than that...'
I glanced at Instructor Kang Ju-young.
For some reason, she seemed subtly wary of Petra.
"Why are you staring?"
"Since we hold the advantage with food, maybe we should push harder."
I said it straight, and Kang Ju-young agreed it made sense.
"You're right—we could. But this is a historical recreation gate. That lord's probably the key figure."
Surprisingly, her take aligned with Lee Seojun's.
Given all the gates she'd cleared, it wasn't strange.
"Plus, that Petra woman... judging by her aura, she's not below me."
"...Really?"
That caught me off guard.
In other words, she was S-rank, same as Kang Ju-young.
-This is bad.
Lee Seojun chimed in telepathically.
Kang Ju-young's expression soured too.
-If Petra's S-rank, this gate's probably S-rank too.
Ah, that's how it connected.
Obviously. Petra, presumed to be the gate's central figure, was S-rank.
If the gate itself were A-rank or lower, that wouldn't add up.
"We're here. This is the soldiers' dining hall."
Petra led us into a massive building.
True to its purpose, the hall was enormous.
'Could feed 500-600 at a time.'
As I scanned the place, Petra spoke again.
"There, we're in the dining hall as you wanted. Now show us how you'll handle the food."
Before demonstrating, I eyed the accompanying knights.
Petra noticed and reassured me.
"Don't worry about the knights. They won't gossip."
"You trust them a lot."
"They're the ones who stayed in a situation like this."
Meaning they'd chosen the castle's defense over their own safety.
Anyway, I nodded and activated [Collection Cuisine Summon] toward a dusty table that looked long neglected.
Collection Cuisine Summon
Randomly summons 1-10 dishes. No cooldown.
Flash!
Eight dishes appeared on the long table.
Kang Ju-young's eyes widened at the variety on the plates.
"A creation-type innate ability?"
I kept summoning as she spoke.
Collection Cuisine Summon was random, 1-10 dishes per use, but with no cooldown, I could spam it.
Flash!
The entire table filled up in no time.
"..."
"..."
Petra and the knights were speechless as I conjured enough food for hundreds in seconds.
"Is... is this real?"
"Y-yes, it seems so."
"I thought I was dreaming for a moment, but no."
Petra exchanged words with her knight, then fixed me with a commanding stare.
"Don't even think about fighting beasts. Stay here safe and just keep producing food. That's enough to save us all."
I hesitated at her order to stay put and cook.
True, feeding over five thousand meant constant summoning.
'But the attacks worry me.'
People dying while I wasn't there? Unthinkable.
"Sorry, but I'll fight too."
"Why?"
"Among the cadets... I mean soldiers, I'm the strongest."
"You think one person can turn the tide? Absolutely not. But if you die, the battle's lost before it starts."
Petra emphasized that logistics trumped all in war.
"Then no food sharing."
"No sharing? What if I force you?"
Petra's aura surged as she spoke.
I'd been unsure at first, but up close, it rivaled Kang Ju-young's.
'No, maybe stronger.'
As I pondered, Kang Ju-young stepped beside me, matching the pressure.
"What are you doing to my cadet?"
"..."
Kang Ju-young was back to her prime, no exaggeration.
Petra retracted her aura, deeming it unwise to clash.
"I lost my temper. Apologies."
Kang Ju-young didn't want a fight either and eased off.
"Daik. Hekte. Guard this soldier with your lives."
"Yes, understood."
Instead of arguing, Petra assigned two knights to me.
With my fighting sorted, she raised the next issue.
"Even so, distribution's still a problem."
Kang Ju-young this time.
Thinking it over, she was right.
'If 500 eat here at a time...'
At least ten rounds.
Easy to prepare, but I'd be stuck here.
'Time for them to arrive, eat, clear plates, prep again... even at ten minutes per meal, over two hours easy.'
"By the way, Lee Seong-min. Having this innate ability means you skipped meals at the Hero Officer Academy."
"...Yeah, pretty much."
Didn't expect that question now, but I answered honestly.
"Normally, you'd spend points on food. This breaks fairness."
"Should've kept quiet. Let 'em starve, whatever."
"You'd have starved too."
She thought I'd be dead otherwise, but no.
If I wanted, I could've cleared this gate—any conditions—in under a day.
"So, saving points for what?"
"Buying a Skill Stone."
"Skill Stone... which one?"
"Multi-Calculation, I think."
Kang Ju-young tilted her head.
"You know the academy's Skill Stones well."
"Heard from someone in the know."
I answered, and she nodded.
"Finish this safely, and I'll authorize one for you."
Huh?
Multi-Calculation from an unexpected source—I stared at her, surprised.
"Means your role's that crucial."
"Then let's find a faster way to distribute."
"Got it. But I need details on your ability first."
Kang Ju-young and I brainstormed quick distribution.
Petra and her knights stayed silent, clearly wanting me parked here.