Chapter 431: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (21)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 431: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (21)
I opened the window and called out to the man riding outside.
“Eric.”
“Yes, Marquis!”
“If you ride for about half a day, you’ll come across a river. We’ll camp there for the night.”
Eric tilted his head for a moment before asking, “Will that be alright, sir? Dohaim City is just a little further from there.”
“It’s fine. I want to enjoy the riverside scenery and rest quietly for a night. Also, I will grant a new dish to all the knights and soldiers as a reward.”
“A… a new dish, you say!?”
Eric’s eyes lit up.
“Yes. A reward for your hard work. You can look forward to it.”
“Understood! We will proceed to the destination with haste.”
I was about to add that there was no need to rush.
But Eric had already turned his horse and was galloping toward the front, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“All troops, attention! The Marquis wishes to enjoy the scenery and will be camping by the river tonight! And—”
His voice boomed with energy.
“Tonight, for dinner! He will grant us a new dish!”
A murmur rippled through the knights.
“Ooh…! What kind of dish will it be this time?”
“No way, does this mean we get to eat those black noodles again?”
“That stuff was seriously… addictive. My mouth is already watering.”
The soldiers reacted as well. Though they hadn’t tasted it themselves, rumors of the jjajangmyeon had already spread far and wide.
“They say it’s a taste of the heavens, right? That one bite makes every other dish taste like shit…”
“We’ll be included this time, won’t we? The commander said so.”
The eyes of the knights and soldiers, who had been drooping with boredom, instantly came alive. Their bodies, which had been slumping under the weight of their heavy armor, snapped to attention at the single word ‘food.’
Watching them from the window, I let out a small chuckle and quietly closed it.
If a war breaks out, I could probably use food to whip the military into shape.
And so, what should have been a half-day’s journey was completed much faster, thanks to the knights who were practically crazed with anticipation.
The surrounding area was scouted in an instant.
Before I knew it, a magnificent tent for my use had been neatly erected on a flat patch of land by the river. A red silk banner was planted atop the tent, its gold-threaded emblem fluttering in the wind.
“Tonight’s menu… samgyeopsal sounds good.”
I quietly opened my inventory and took out five iceboxes.
…Hmm, this should be more than enough for all the troops.
I casually lined up the boxes. Each one was neatly packed with meat, vegetables, seasonings, a grill, and all the necessary tools.
Looking at them, I let out a deep, internal sigh.
…I realized way too late that the system recognizes items packed inside a box as a single item.
I hadn’t known it categorized items based on their external packaging.
A bitter taste filled my mouth as I thought of all the points I had wasted until now.
If I’d known from the start, I could have saved at least half my points.
But what’s done is done. I shook off the thought and immediately called out.
“Eric!”
“Yes, Marquis!”
Eric, who had been waiting just outside the tent, entered swiftly.
“Those boxes contain food and alcohol. Distribute them to all the soldiers and knights. I’ll give you a brief explanation on how to use the tools.”
I gave Eric a short lesson on how to use the equipment and eat samgyeopsal.
As soon as I finished, Eric bowed his head and immediately got to work.
The iceboxes were quickly carried out of the tent by the soldiers, and grills were set up all around.
Soon after, the first slice of pork belly was carefully placed on a grill.
Chiiik—
With a sizzling sound, the savory smell of grease rose with the smoke.
“It looks… more ordinary than I expected?”
“Fuck, it’s still meat. And with cold beer in this summer heat? This is insane.”
At first, the soldiers were unimpressed, seeing only the meat. But as it cooked, the atmosphere changed drastically.
The samgyeopsal turned a golden-brown, glistening oil dripping from its sides. The sound of mushrooms and kimchi sizzling next to it stimulated their appetites.
As the aroma of the grease, the acidity of the kimchi, and the earthiness of the mushrooms blended and tickled their noses, a stir began to spread.
“……What is this? It was just plain meat…”
“Why does it smell so damn delicious?”
The juices dripping from the meat were perfectly tantalizing the noses of the knights and soldiers.
One by one, they gathered around the grills. Awkwardly clutching chopsticks, they surrounded the grills with the eyes of wolves stalking their prey.
Just then, Eric stood in the center and bellowed.
“All troops, attention! From this moment on—I will instruct you on how to eat this meat called samgyeopsal!”
The area fell silent.
“This is a way of eating akin to a sacred ritual, taught to me by the Marquis himself! Everyone, follow my lead!”
“Yes, Commander!!!”
Eric was serious. His expression was even graver than when he gave orders on the battlefield.
He squared his shoulders and carefully placed a lettuce leaf on his palm. On top of that, he added a perilla leaf, two pieces of golden-brown samgyeopsal, a dollop of spicy ssamjang, and some grilled kimchi.
“Hoo…”
He took a deep breath and pushed the wrap into his mouth.
—In that moment, everyone swallowed hard.
“……!”
Eric’s body went rigid. His eyes widened, and his jaw trembled slightly.
A single tear rolled down his cheek.
At the sight, the crowd began to murmur.
“The commander, known as Eric the Composed…”
“Is… is crying…?”
Rudrick, the newly appointed vice-commander standing beside him, asked cautiously, “Co-Commander… how… how is it?”
Eric didn’t answer. He simply, quietly, gave a thumbs-up.
In that instant.
“Woooooah—!!”
The entire company of soldiers and knights erupted in cheers and swarmed the grills. The samgyeopsal, lettuce, and kimchi vanished from the grills at an astonishing rate. Some, clumsy with chopsticks, even grabbed the meat with their bare hands and stuffed it into their mouths.
“Hey, that Eric guy is seriously weird.”
Watching Eric from a distance as he tearfully made another wrap, Bi-yeon shook her head with a look of disbelief.
“Crying over a piece of pork belly… Seriously, does he have a screw loose or something?”
Even as she said that, Bi-yeon silently accepted the wrap Mary had carefully prepared for her and, in one bite, shoved it into her mouth. Waang—
“Delicious!!”
With her cheeks stuffed full of meat, her eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together.
“Mmmph! Af'er chiggen… thif if my new favowite foob!!”
“Swallow what’s in your mouth before you speak.”
“Mmmph-kay—(Yeah, I’ll talk after I chew…)”
Making a sound that was somewhere between words and mumbling, Bi-yeon began to chew the wrap with effort. Her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s. Seeing this, Mary smiled faintly and started preparing another wrap.
I, too, accepted the wraps handed to me by the maids on either side and put them in my mouth.
Beyond my shoulder, under the evening sky, the last rays of sunlight shattered gently on the river’s surface.
The view really is nice.
The smell of grilling meat, the heat of the charcoal, and the slightly cool river breeze.
Eating samgyeopsal in a place like this made it taste even better than usual.
*
Late at dawn, Bi-yeon and I quietly crossed the river. The moonlight scattered across the calm surface like silver scales.
“This is a bit further than I thought.”
“See, I told you we should have used the Lightness Skill from the start.”
“We can just go faster now.”
I put strength into the tips of my toes. Our bodies moved forward side by side, cutting through the darkness and across the mountain path. It was a decent distance, taking about fifteen minutes, but we arrived very quickly.
A massive mountain loomed before us.
“Is that it?”
I pointed a finger at the faint shadow of a cliff near the mountain’s peak.
“Yep. There’s a cave at the base of the cliff. It fits the conditions you mentioned perfectly.”
I nodded and said, “Let’s summon the sylphs to get there.”
“Girls.”
As Bi-yeon gave a light wave of her hand, sylphs appeared with a presence as light as the wind. The small, transparent fairies smiled brightly and flew around me.
“Alright girls, stop playing! See that mountain? I need you to carry this human over there.”
The sylphs giggled and nodded at Bi-yeon’s words.
In that moment, my body gently floated into the air.
“Whoa-!”
In an instant, we cut through the wind and arrived in front of the dungeon entrance.
The entrance looked like an ancient temple. Old patterns were carved into the outer walls, and in the center, a half-shattered carving in the shape of a bird was embedded.
“Did I really need to come along? You said there aren’t any monsters, anyway.”
As Bi-yeon grumbled, I shrugged and smiled.
“Hey, if I came alone, I wouldn’t have gotten up here so easily.”
“True… You can’t do anything without me, after all.”
“Exactly. So stop complaining and let’s go in.”
Together, Bi-yeon and I slowly stepped inside.
As expected, it was pitch-black. I immediately focused my energy at my fingertips and created a small spark.
A red flame flickered to life on my finger, illuminating the dungeon’s interior.
Moss-covered stone walls, fragments of broken equipment scattered on the floor. Traces remained of someone who had visited this place long ago.
“Ugh… it feels a little suffocating in here,” Bi-yeon said, wrinkling her nose. Just as she said, the air inside was damp and heavy.
“It’d be nice if there was a ventilation shaft or something.”
“What dungeon has a ventilation shaft, you idiot?”
“Fair point.”
I made the flame on my fingertip burn a little brighter. The warm red light spread, gradually revealing the dark walls.
On the dust-covered stone, the remains of a broken mural were visible.
One depicted humans kneeling and praying to a bird flying in the sky. The mural seemed to have been vandalized by someone long ago, as it was half-erased, and the bird’s form was too faint to make out.
I slowly walked forward.
Then, another mural came into view. This time, it showed a bird wreathed in flames flying through the sky, clashing with a massive, horned demon. The afterimage of the flames and the form of the demon were blurred by the passage of time, but their intimidating presence remained.
“This is the place,” I muttered quietly.
Bi-yeon nodded and said, “In the game, this was the Phoenix’s dungeon, right?”
“Right. This was an ancient temple where people worshipped the Phoenix as a god. But after the Phoenix was devoured by Gullados of Gluttony, this place was abandoned and eventually became a dungeon.”
“But what exactly was in here again?”
At Bi-yeon’s question, I slowly sifted through my memories and answered.
“The Phoenix’s egg. And a few treasure chests. Depending on the odds, a hidden relic might appear. If you’re lucky, you could also get an Essence of Fire.”
Bi-yeon nodded, letting out an impressed “Ooh…”
I added, “Of course, that’s based on the game. I don’t know how it might have changed now. We’ll have to open the treasure chests to find out.”
Bi-yeon nodded and looked around.
“Then let’s find it quickly. The air in here is stuffy, and I don’t want to stay long.”
“Alright, shall we pick up the pace?”
Bi-yeon and I began to move quickly, searching for the boss room.