The Secret of Mushroom Mountain! You Can't See It Without Love!

After that, each of us grabbed a pair of tongs that had somehow appeared out of nowhere and started climbing the mountain.

Almost as if they had read our minds, it wasn't long before a new one showed up.

And it was a matsutake, no less!

That legendary mushroom whose pine aroma and price tag were both to die for!

"Yangsong! Yangsong!"

"Hey, you—you can't go around crying like that. People are gonna mistake you for some other mushroom."

"Yangsong-song!"

The moment we started licking our lips, it seemed to sense our intent to eat it. Overjoyed, it casually brushed a light coating of oil over its own body, then held out a single-serving bowl of mushroom pot rice in its other hand.

"This thing's been cooking pot rice inside its own belly!!"

"Just how prepared can one mushroom be!?"

"Yangsooong~!!"

The matsutake offered itself up like a secret dish reserved for special guests—as if it had been waiting for people exactly like us. Naturally, there was no reason to refuse.

"Come on, then! We'll eat you up!"

"Rina too! This time I'm gonna try the pot rice!"

"Good thing we didn't feed the kids beforehand."

"Right? I had a feeling, and sure enough."

We paused on the trail for another round of bites. Whether out of consideration or pure hospitality, the mushroom had prepared only enough for everyone to have a single mouthful—and once again, the flavor did not disappoint.

The fragrance that climbed from the corners of our mouths straight up the bridge of our noses was unreal. The chestnut mushroom earlier had been great, but next to this one it was just an ordinary fungus.

"Yangsoooong─!!!"

As if it could feel that verdict, the matsutake scattered its spores in satisfaction and vanished.

It had become a brand-new card.

The effect was excellent, too, so I tucked it straight into my pocket.

"Cooked mushrooms like this are a totally different dish from the ones they serve in the school cafeteria~."

"That's right. Even Mom couldn't stand them when she was little—she only developed a taste for them after she grew up and started cooking herself."

"Whoa. So even Auntie Yumi had foods she couldn't eat~!"

"Rina ain't scared of mushrooms anymore! Alright—next mushroom, bring it on!!"

Everyone took a drink of water and kept climbing, and at some point another mushroom suddenly popped into view.

"Neuneuneuneut! Neuneuneut!"

"Oh, it's the one we always see in the cafeteria!"

"I always hated how slimy that mushroom was… wonder how this one'll be?"

Starting with Manbok, even the kids who'd been a little hesitant at first now knew that the mushrooms here tasted different—so they licked their lips first and asked questions later.

In response, the oyster mushroom set out japchae and a stir-fry that it had mixed itself into, then waited politely for our reviews.

"Whoa—that weird slimy, sticky cafeteria texture is totally gone!"

"And the stir-fry! Normally the second you chew it you get that weird watery taste!"

"Indeed. The sweetness is juicy."

"This would make excellent side dishes for the kids, too~."

Naturally, the reviews were glowing once again.

"Neununuutoooot─!!!"

Satisfied, the oyster mushroom burst into spores just like the matsutake and disappeared.

Another card drop. By this point I was really starting to appreciate just how broken the performance of the "Happy Mushroom" card line was.

No matter how you look at it, these aren't ordinary commercially available cards.

I carefully stowed them away with the feeling of having stumbled into an unexpected windfall. I needed a public-facing deck anyway, so these would definitely come in handy.

"Mom. I'm thirsty."

"Then drink some water?"

"I already finished what I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had from earlier~?"

I brought 500 ml because I thought a bigger bottle would be heavy, but I guess it wasn't enough after all.

I told them there'd be a spot to refill water along the way, and we started walking again. Even if their throats were dry right now, it wasn't dangerous, so Manbok's grumbling didn't last long.

Besides, the mushrooms had tasted good enough that the kids spent the whole walk chatting among themselves about picky eating habits, leaving no room for complaints. The adults watched them from behind, and time flew by.

Word of our little reputation must have spread among the mushrooms, because those same three kept coming to find us. By the time we'd collected three copies of each, a brand-new mushroom finally revealed itself.

"Pyoooooot─!!!"

"There it is at last. Shiitake!"

"It's such a versatile ingredient that goes with just about any dish~."

"Stir-fries, meat dishes, even sweet-and-sour pork, hot pots, stews—ahh~♪"

The two housewives grinned and beamed with delight, and the shiitake seemed so moved by that alone that it rummaged frantically inside its own belly and produced a clatter of cans.

"Shiitake! Shiitake!"

"Oh, it's tea this time?"

"This one's got good instincts! We just ran out of water and our throats were dry!"

"Aha—and it's cold, too~!"

Shiitake tea was not a matter of personal preference.

Everyone was sweaty from the climb, so we all gulped it down in big swallows—and this time the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠empty cans turned into a card.

The Beyond World really is vast. To think even cards like this exist.

"More than that, I never dreamed they'd recycle for the environment by turning empties into cards."

After finishing the tea, we waited eagerly to see how this shiitake would host us.

Then, without warning, it stepped off the mountain trail and turned to the side.

"Shiitakego~. "

Feels like it's telling us to follow.

"Mom! There's another path over here!"

"You're right. I've been wondering where these guys kept popping out from—looks like they were coming from a place like this!"

Just as Manbok said, it was a side path, but a paved one. We hadn't seen it until now because it was hidden behind the undergrowth.

It really looked as though the mushrooms living on this mountain had deliberately concealed the road. Once we pushed through, a secret clearing revealed itself in all its glory.

"It's a mineral spring. There's a rest pavilion, and the mushrooms we saw earlier are here too."

"Looks like they hide out here and greet the guests. See? The path splits into several branches from this point on~."

Looking closer, I saw mushrooms clustered in a corner of the spring around a bulletin board, chattering about something.

"Shiitake, shiitake-shiitake."

"Yangyang. Yangyang-yang."

"Yangsong…!"

"Neuneuneuneuneu!!!"

Pinned to that bulletin board were photos of every guest participating in this festival—including us.

Some of the photos had red O marks drawn on them, while others had X marks. The reason was clear enough.

"Aha. I get it. They've been sorting out people who hate mushrooms—like Rina was earlier!!"

"Huh? Why would they do that?"

The one who answered Chaerin's question was Saetbyeol, the sharpest of the kids.

"This mushroom festival is an event where participants hike the mountain and pick mushrooms themselves. But the Beyond Rare Mushroom is one thing—even the matsutake we ate is expensive outside. Some people probably came just to poach them rather than enjoy the festival, so the mushrooms are handling it on their own."

"Ah, like anti-resale measures!?"

"Yeah."

Come to think of it, even in my original world, top-grade matsutake could go for over a million won per kilogram, right?

If you handed over an entire mountain for a festival, of course you'd get that kind of problem customer. Everything made perfect sense.

"Hey. Was this what you wanted to show us?"

"Shiitakoot-!"

In answer to Yumi's question, the mushroom guided us to one of the pavilions and urged us to rest. After that, it laid out such a variety of shiitake dishes that we could only nibble and savor them.

Stir-fry, sweet-and-sour, braised, stew, grilled, pan-fried… with this many uses, no wonder it hadn't fed us out on the trail.

"Wow, now this feels like a real festival~."

"I know. At first I was worried the kids wouldn't keep up stamina-wise."

"Who would've thought the mushrooms were the ones choosing their guests. Honestly, even at my age, this world still has nothing but surprises."

Whenever we got thirsty during the meal, instead of tea this time, they drew cool water from the nearby spring and served it to us.

I'd been sure this would turn into an ordeal—but it was nothing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the sort. Before long a cool breeze rose, our minds grew pleasantly hazy, and we sank into a wonderful, drowsy warmth.

"Shiitake-shiitakeo~♪"

While we enjoyed the mushroom feast, the shiitake that had filled our table happily turned into cards.

I'd thought the cost was way too high for the stats—but an effect that covered for it came attached.

I'd have to actually play it to know the real performance, but it was clearly a key engine card for the earlier mushrooms that pushed with numbers.

For a mushroom, that's way too strong. Mister, what the hell is your relationship with mushrooms?

I don't know either. It's scary.

The draw effect counted itself as a mushroom, so the effective cost was 6.

With an oyster mushroom out it dropped to 3; with other mushrooms, it could sink all the way to 2 or even 1.

Even accounting for the forced mushroom combo requirement, the field it would set up looked absurdly violent.

Still, I don't have enough copies to build a dedicated deck yet. Maybe I can fill out the rest later at the organic deck center.

Feeling a little lighter, I let the cool wind wash over me.

The kids closed their eyes to cool off their sweat, and the two women—surprisingly still full of energy—watched them and chuckled softly.

"If they called us here for that reason, the others should be arriving soon."

"True. Looking at how many pavilions they set up, this must be the end point. I was worried we'd end up hiking all the way to the summit, but that was a completely pointless concern, wasn't it?"

"You're telling me~."

Just then, the underbrush rustled, and a family group like ours came into view.

Behind them came another family party, individual participants, and even chefs…

Among them, one young man stood out—the one who had won yesterday's cooking contest.