Dinner with Her
Several days had passed.
Goblius was busy training my brother-in-law and couldn't be brought along to the Tower, but in his place, a new weapon was proving incredibly effective.
Arachne.
She had once been the representative of the Black Snake Clan and an SS-class villain with an assassin class, but now she was a loyal minion who followed my every command.
"So, you're saying that person really is Yoon Yoon-joo, the former head of the Black Snake Clan?"
"She's gone by the name Arachne now. Pretty useful, right?"
"...That's not something you call 'pretty useful,' Humin."
Sowon couldn't hide her shock as she watched Arachne in action.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that once Arachne took the front lines, the rest of our forces weren't even needed. She was single-handedly dominating the battlefield.
The orcs on the 28th floor were monsters known for their high intelligence and exceptional physical strength. On top of that, their skill with weapons rivaled or even surpassed that of humans, making them some of the most difficult monsters to hunt.
Yet...
With a single flick of Arachne's fingers, ten strands of silver thread whipped through the air, mercilessly slaughtering every orc within a radius of dozens of meters.
Originally, Arachne could only control a single strand of thread with any real freedom. But after being reborn as my minion, her abilities had skyrocketed. Now she could manipulate ten strands as naturally as if they were extensions of her own body.
Shhhk-shhhk-shhhk-shhhk-shhhk-shhhk-shhhk!!
Every time the threads danced, the orcs weren't merely cut or sliced—they were minced into chunks, their blood and entrails spilling across the floor.
And that wasn't the end of it.
After reducing everything within dozens of meters to a wasteland in a single move, Arachne lightly launched herself toward another location. Her movements were light as a feather, yet faster than the wind.
Before long, she reached another group of orcs and snapped her fingers once more. The result was no different.
Kuoooo!!
Chiiik!!
The orcs screamed and roared as they desperately tried to resist, but it was futile. When they raised their shields, both shield and head were severed together. When they swung their axes at the threads, their arms were cut off along with the weapons.
It was a storm of death that they could never hope to defy with their own strength.
Sowon stared at the scene in a daze. As Arachne returned after completing her task, Sowon looked at her and asked me,
"By the way, is Yoon Yoon-joo's... I mean, Arachne's outfit to your taste, Humin?"
"That? No."
I shook my head calmly.
The clothes Arachne was wearing were ordinary everyday attire that didn't suit the Tower at all. The white mask was a custom-made special mask designed to fit her face shape without interfering in combat. Her jet-black hair was neatly tied in a ponytail that swayed gently between her waist and hips with every step. She wore a black crop top with deep shoulder cutouts and light distressed jeans that clung tightly to her legs. Strangely enough, she was also wearing high-heeled black pumps. Judging from how she had worn heels even during our fight, they seemed to be more comfortable and practical for her than regular shoes.
"It felt like a waste to commission proper armor for her, but it also didn't feel right to drag her around in just her regular clothes. So I asked Secretary Kwon Si-young to prepare these for her. Why? Does it look weird?"
"No. I was just thinking... if you like that style, then maybe I could..."
"Sorry, what did you say? Your voice got too quiet at the end."
When I asked again, Sowon's voice had shrunk to an ant-like whisper. Startled, she suddenly shouted,
"I-I'll go finish the looting! Just wait a moment!"
Once Sowon completed the final bonus looting, today's hunt came to an end.
"The auxiliary backpack is completely full. There's no more space."
"We've already hit the experience limit too. Shall we call it a day and head back?"
"Yes!"
With that, we finished clearing the 28th floor and left the Tower.
Even though we had hunted until hitting the experience cap on the 28th floor, my current level was only 37. The amount of experience required grew exponentially with each level, which was why progress felt so slow. Most people would have called reaching level 37 in under two months a massive power-leveling achievement and envied it, but I honestly didn't see it that way. Given my goals, reaching only level 37 still felt far too slow.
'This is exactly when I can't afford to get impatient. I'm already doing my best, aren't I? If I rush and make a mistake out of impatience, it'll take even longer to recover from it.'
"I've finished settling the accounts, Humin."
"Ah, yes. I've sent it over."
"Thank you for today. You worked hard."
"You too, Sowon."
After settling the accounts, we had converted the mana stones into cash for about 4.7 billion won, plus another 1.2 billion from quickly selling off various miscellaneous items and equipment, bringing the total to nearly 6 billion won. Of course, in the past we would have added the bonus from selling rare-grade or higher equipment, but right now we were keeping all rare and above items instead of selling them.
'If I'm going to train the Church's paladins and soldiers later, I'll need to supply them with proper equipment too. Right now we're nowhere near the level of major guilds or the Bureau, but...'
"Hey, Humin. Do you have any plans tonight?"
"Tonight? No, nothing in particular."
My sister and brother-in-law had mentioned going on a rare dinner date, and I'd sent Grandfather off on a filial piety trip to Gangwon-do with his friends—all paid for with my own money. When I saw the envious looks his friends gave him as they left, and the way Grandfather puffed up with pride while bragging about his grandson, it was so adorable that the money felt completely worth it.
"That's perfect! Um... if you're okay with it, I'd like to treat you to dinner at my place..."
"I don't mind, but are you sure? I thought you lived alone."
"It's fine! Actually, I'd prefer it!"
"Sorry, what do you mean by that?"
"Ah, I misspoke. Haha..."
So Sowon and I stopped by a large supermarket near her house to buy groceries.
"What kind of food do you like, Humin? Korean? Western? Chinese? Japanese? Or Southeast Asian?"
"Hmm. I don't really have any strong preferences or favorites..."
I'd never lived a life comfortable enough to be picky about food. There were plenty of times when, as long as my stomach was full, I'd just mix slightly stale rice with barley tea and call it a meal.
"I'll eat pretty much anything without complaining."
"Hmm... anything, huh. That's actually the hardest request to fulfill. Still, this works out. I can use this chance to figure out what your favorite dish is."
Without hesitation, she began loading the cart with the necessary ingredients.
After buying everything we needed, we drove to her place in her car.
"Welcome to my home. Feel free to relax or look around. If you want to wash up, I can get you a towel."
"Ah, thank you."
Sowon's apartment was a luxury unit in Gangnam with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Han River. Especially at night, the city lights visible from inside looked like an open jewelry box.
"Your place is huge and really clean."
After washing up and looking around, I couldn't help but genuinely admire it.
"It's not so much that it's clean as it is that I haven't been here long, so there's not much stuff yet. Here you go."
"Ah, thank you."
"Honestly, I never would have dreamed of living in a place like this if I hadn't met you, Humin. Even if I spent my whole life as a porter, buying a house like this without a loan would have been nearly impossible. So every time I come home, I'm grateful. Meeting you was the greatest stroke of luck in my life."
"Is that so? I'm glad you think that way. I also think it's fortunate that you're my comrade."
I sat quietly on the sofa, sipping the black tea she had brewed, and rested.
Meanwhile, delicious smells, bubbling sounds, and rhythmic chopping noises began drifting from the kitchen, stimulating my ears and nose.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap...
Just from the fast, rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the cutting board, I could tell she was quite skilled at cooking...
"Dinner's ready."
"Wow, you really made all of this by yourself, Sowon?"
"I told you I was confident in my cooking."
It wasn't a joke. Every Southeast Asian dish she had prepared looked like something you'd only see at a professional restaurant. And they weren't just pretty on the surface either.
"How is it?"
"It's delicious! What is this dish called?"
"It's called Poo Pad Pong Curry. It's made by frying soft-shelled crabs that have just molted and stir-frying them in coconut milk and curry sauce. Try this one too—it's called Mandalay Mont Di. It's like a Myanmar-style spaghetti..."
Even though I'd visited Thailand recently, I hadn't had the chance to try Southeast Asian food. But this made me feel no regret at all. Even if I went to an actual local restaurant, I doubted the food would taste better than this.
Before I knew it, I was so absorbed in eating that the once-abundant table was now covered only in empty plates.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I got so carried away eating that it looks like I ate everything myself..."
"No, that's actually the highest compliment for me. It means it was that delicious."
"I'm not joking—it was really, really good. When did you get so good at cooking?"
"Hmm... probably around third grade in elementary school. My parents were both working and busy, so my younger sibling and I often had to make do with whatever side dishes were left with rice. But at some point, I started getting tired of eating the same side dishes every day. At first, I just customized the leftovers, but it became fun and I got better at it. My sibling said it tasted good too. So one day I decided to cook properly and serve it to my parents, and they were really surprised. They said it was incredibly delicious. After that, I studied cooking seriously."
"Then why did you choose such a dangerous job like being a porter instead of cooking...? Ah, I'm sorry if that was an insensitive question. It's just that your talent seems too valuable to waste..."
When I panicked, Sowon gave a faint smile and answered.
"It's fine. It's not something I can't talk about. Well, the reason I gave up cooking... like most people who start this line of work, it was money. Around the time I graduated high school, the company my dad worked for went bankrupt. My mom alone couldn't handle the living expenses, let alone my sibling's tuition. So I gave up on my dream and looked for a job that could make money right away. The one silver lining was that I had the awakening factor. Even as a porter, it was the fastest way for someone my age to earn a lot. Of course, it came with risking your life. Want a beer?"
"Sure."
She took two 500ml cans of beer from the fridge and handed one to me.
"Cheers."
"Thanks, I'll enjoy it."
After clinking cans and taking a refreshing gulp, she let out a satisfied sigh.
"Kyah~ That's good! Anyway, at first I really went through every kind of hardship and met all sorts of terrible people. Some tried to scam me to avoid paying, others thought a female porter was fair game and harassed me nonstop. Dozens of times a day I'd swear I'd quit after today, but then I'd see my family's faces and the bankbook and realize I couldn't."
She downed the rest of her beer in one go, as if her chest was burning.
"I was barely scraping by like that when the one engineering firm I thought I could trust ended up involved in a fraud case. My mental state completely collapsed. I was really at the point of giving up. 'Is the world really tormenting me this much? Did God really die, like Nietzsche said?' It was at that moment that I saw someone. Someone with a face similar to mine, sitting miserably on a bench."
"Was I really that bad? I don't think I was that bad..."
"What are you talking about? Back then your expression looked like you'd lost everything in the world. So I approached you thinking we should help each other out since we were both hated by the world... but who would've guessed that person would turn out to be the biggest life-changing lottery win of my life? Thanks to you, I paid off all my family's debts and even bought my own house. I can't express how grateful I am even if I had a hundred mouths. To you, Humin. So whenever you feel like having my cooking, just say the word. Preparing food for you isn't work for me—it's a joy."
"Yeah. Whether it's cooking or the Tower, I'll be counting on you from now on too. Thanks for the delicious dinner tonight, Sowon."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you for enjoying it. And thank you for listening to my boring old stories."
"Don't mention it..."
I knew that simply listening quietly to someone's story could be a great comfort to them.
How did I know?
Because Grandfather had always been that person for me.
When I was young and struggling or feeling wronged, I'd complain to him, and he'd always accept every word with a gentle smile while quietly patting my head. Back then I was too young to understand, but now I know—it was thanks to Grandfather back then that I was able to grow up without becoming twisted.
After the meal ended, I took a taxi home while being seen off.
Vrrr.
"Hello?"
When I answered the call from an unfamiliar number, feeling puzzled, an unexpected person introduced himself.
- Hello. Is this Hunter Ahn Humin? This is Cha Sung-woo, the guild master of the White Dragon Guild. First, I sincerely apologize for contacting you so suddenly. If it's convenient, may I speak with you for a moment?
"Yes, go ahead."
- Thank you for allowing me to speak. The wrongs committed against you by the now-expelled Lee Dong-hoon and Deputy Team Leader Jo Seung-je. Although they didn't become public knowledge thanks to your generous understanding, that doesn't erase the guild's responsibility. This is due to my own shortcomings as the representative. Therefore, I would like to meet you in person to express my gratitude and apologies. Would you grant me that opportunity? Of course, I fully understand that this request itself may be burdensome to you. Even if you refuse, I will humbly accept it.
I wasn't particularly surprised. It was a call I had expected would come eventually.
"Yes, meeting is fine. When would be good?"
- Thank you once again for giving us the chance to express our gratitude and apologies. Please let us know a time that is convenient for you, and we will adjust accordingly.
"Alright. I'll contact you tomorrow then."
I had never intended to make enemies of the entire White Dragon Guild just because of a conflict with some of its members. On the contrary, if I could use this trouble to form some kind of connection with the White Dragon Guild and utilize it efficiently, it would benefit both me and the Church.
'Cha Sung-woo probably contacted me with a similar purpose in mind.'
Since our goals were similar, there was no reason not to meet.
Of course, I would end up gaining far more from it.
EX-class, expelled from the guild without knowing.