SSS-Rank Talent (3)

"Recommend me something to eat. What should we have for dinner?"

"I was gonna make a lot and share the leftovers with you, too. If you don't want any, just say so."

Exploiting free labor is the best.

Anyone who's ever lived alone knows how hard it is to decide what to eat. But if there were people — or rather, Constellations — willing to decide the menu for me, why would I bother choosing myself?

I lay quietly on the floor and waited for the Constellations to settle on dinner for both me and the kids.

"What kind of rice? White rice? Bean rice? Multigrain? Bean-sprout bibimbap? Just regular bibimbap? It's been a while — some seasoned rice could be nice too."

Just then, Kim Dokja — who had been stuck between Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah earlier with a thoroughly awkward expression, silently begging for rescue — walked over to me.

"How about omurice?"

"Omurice?"

"Yeah."

"Omurice, huh…"

I turned my gaze toward Shin Yooseung, who was still clinging to the bed where Yoo Joonghyuk lay, and Yoo Sangah, who was staring straight at me.

"Yooseung, Sangah-ssi — is omurice okay for dinner?"

"I'm fine with it, Oppa."

"I'm fine too, Jinwoo-ssi."

I nodded at their answers and walked over to Shin Yooseung.

"Up we go! Why are you so stiff, our little Yooseung?"

"Oppa…"

Had Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah's staring contest really been that terrifying? I scooped up Shin Yooseung, who was still moving like a wooden doll.

"Hm?"

As I lifted her, I felt a gaze from the side and turned my head.

"……………."

Yoo Joonghyuk was glaring at me with murder in her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes.

"Our Joonghyuk still not feeling better?"

"…I will kill you. Park Jinwoo."

"Even if I started it, tone that down in front of the kid, Joonghyuk."

"…………Tsk."

She reluctantly turned her head away and clicked her tongue, and a sigh slipped out of me. I carried Shin Yooseung over and set her down between Kim Dokja and Yoo Sangah, who were already sitting on the floor.

"I'll go cook, then. Dokja, look after our Yooseung for me."

"Ah, then at least let me help…"

"It's fine, really. You look exhausted. Get some rest, even a little."

"But still…"

"I'm heading to the kitchen now~"

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ignored Yoo Sangah's conflicted look as she stared up at me and headed for the kitchen in My Room.

Apparently the tension with Han Sooyoung had frozen the atmosphere in My Room enough that she was looking for an excuse to slip away under the pretense of helping me. Not a chance.

I opened the kitchen fridge, peered inside, and made a slightly awkward face.

"Uh… maybe because I usually just grill meat or eat convenience-store lunchboxes. No ingredients or kitchenware."

With no other choice, I bought five already-heated packs of instant rice, spam, carrots, potatoes, onions, green onions, eggs, cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, ketchup, and kitchen tools from the general store.

"That was something I said to Flame Dragon, who sent me the first indirect message. And I said I'd give you some if there were leftovers."

If I cooked just enough that nothing was left, I wouldn't have to share.

"When did I ever scam anyone…"

Nobody had been deceived, and yet someone had been fooled. Or rather — since he was a dragon, a fooled dragon?

I ignored Flame Dragon's whining indirect messages and washed my hands thoroughly before cooking.

Then I set the onion, carrot, potato, green onion, and spam on the cutting board and chopped them into appropriate sizes with a kitchen knife.

Next, I set a frying pan on the Magic Hearth, poured in cooking oil, and tossed in the green onions first, stir-frying them until their distinctive fragrance rose.

Once the green onion smell came up, I added the chopped spam and lightly browned it. After that, I threw in the chopped vegetables — carrot, potato, and onion — and kept stir-frying until the onion turned translucent.

Then I added ten spoonfuls of ketchup and five of soy sauce, mixed everything well, dumped in the five packs of heated instant rice, and stir-fried for a few more minutes. That finished the fried-rice portion of the omurice!

The next step was crucial. It was time to make the egg crepe — the highlight and crowning glory of omurice.

I cracked ten eggs into a mixing bowl, beat them, and strained them once through a sieve. Straining the eggs once made for a much softer crepe.

I added a suitable amount of salt to the beaten eggs, poured a moderate amount of cooking oil into another frying pan, and poured in the egg mixture.

I carefully flipped it with a spatula so the crepe wouldn't tear or crumble… and one egg crepe was done.

Repeat that four more times and you have five servings of egg crepes.

"Cooking done."

Now I just had to drape the egg crepes neatly over the fried rice, buy some kimchi and pickled radish from the general store, and bring everything out to the four people waiting outside the kitchen.

I pulled out a wide tray, loaded ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it with the finished omurice, kimchi, pickled radish, utensils, water, and cups, and headed out of the kitchen to distribute the completed meal to the party.

I paused.

Standing there with the finished food in my hands, just before stepping out of the kitchen, I looked ahead and said:

"Pro tip for people who've never lived alone: master egg dishes."

Egg dishes are perfect. They're relatively easy compared to other cooking, they taste good, and they don't take much time. So master them. End of tip.

"Time to ea—?"

The moment I stepped out of the kitchen, I flinched at the frigid atmosphere in My Room.

Those two were at it again — glaring at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills. Watching them do that right at the dinner table, I scowled and glared at both of them, then let out a small sigh.

I fucking hate it when people do that where I eat.

Well, I'd already known those two would start another staring contest. Still, I'd hoped the mood might have loosened up a little.

Either way, before the food got cold, I set the finished omurice, utensils, kimchi, and pickled radish out on the table and placed the water and cups on the floor.

Then I walked over to Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah.

And—

Thwack!

"Ack?!"

"Euk?!"

I flicked both of them hard on the forehead.

"Khh… W-what do you think you're… doing…?"

"J-Jinwoo-ssi…?"

I scowled and glared at the two of them. Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah looked up at me with startled faces. I exhaled a small sigh, hardened my expression, and barked at them at full volume.

"Don't fight at the dinner table!! If you're going to fight, do it after you've finished eating?!"

"Uh, uh…"

"Y-yes…"

Even Kim Dokja and Shin Yooseung looked up at me with startled eyes at the sound of my scolding. It was probably the first time I'd ever really chewed the party out, which only made their reactions stronger.

I let out a small sigh at the four of them staring blankly at me, sat down, and said:

"…Let's eat."

And so we began our meal in a quiet atmosphere, filling our stomachs with the decently tasty omurice.

"I'll do the dishes too, so just bring me the bowls and utensils. Got it?"

The four of them quietly nodded. Seeing that, I stood up abruptly, grabbed my own bowl and utensils, and headed back to the kitchen.

The four of them followed with their dishes, and once I'd taken the dirty dishes from them, I pulled on rubber gloves and called out to Kim Dokja, who was about to leave the kitchen.

"Dokja."

"Hm?"

"Manage the atmosphere out there a bit. And feed this to Yoo Joonghyuk."

I handed Kim Dokja a high-grade stamina recovery potion I'd bought from the Dokkaebi Bag.

"This is 1,500 coins a bottle — you sure?"

"You're about to go catch that Disaster of Questions thing or whatever, right? Having Joonghyuk around will make it easier, won't it?"

"That's true, but…"

"While you're at it, take a little credit and say the potion's from me. And tell Sooyoung and Sangah-ssi I'm sorry for smacking their foreheads. Tell them I just snapped for a second because of some old stuff."

"…Yeah, okay."

At the mention of "old stuff," Kim Dokja's lips moved for a moment before she firmly nodded. Once she left the kitchen, I started washing the bowls, utensils, and used kitchen tools she'd handed over.

A short while later, after finishing the dishes and stepping back outside the kitchen, alien red sparks began crackling beyond the windows.

The moment we spotted them, we left Yoo Joonghyuk behind and all rushed outside at once.

As we left My Room, we found several Dokkaebis floating in midair.

Among the Dokkaebis, one with red fur, a single long horn, and only one leg spoke on behalf of the others.

Bihyung, standing beside the red Dokkaebi, shot Kim Dokja and me a cautious glance. That look seemed to carry a warning.

Yeah, we should be careful. Especially of that red Dokkaebi.

In the webtoon, he was the one who tried to kill Kim Dokja after she stole his channel's Constellations and defied him.

After checking the sub scenario, Kim Dokja turned to us.

"Everyone confirmed the sub scenario? For now, put aside any hard feelings. This is not the time for us to be fighting among ourselves."

At her words, Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah glared at each other simultaneously — then both glanced at me for my reaction.

Huh…?

I was a little flustered by their response.

Why are they looking at me? Because of that scolding earlier?

While I was briefly lost in thought, Kim Dokja looked at the three of us — and at Shin Yooseung, who had somehow ended up stuck to my side — and said:

"Yooseung, stay inside and look after Yoo Joonghyuk. The four of us will handle the sub scenario 'Stopping the Disaster.' Time remaining: two hours. In other words, the disaster hatches in two hours. Let's move."

Using Han Sooyoung's Avatar and my Clairvoyance, we scouted the area for the Disaster Meteor.

We located the group of Dokhui — no, Antinous — who held the Disaster Meteor. Their base was in Cheonho-dong, within Gangdong-gu itself. Specifically, in a district lined with churches and cathedrals packed tightly together.

After finishing the reconnaissance, Han Sooyoung reported to us.

"Right now, the path where Kronos's terraforming is at its lowest level runs north-northeast from the base — along Cheonjung-ro 16-gil. If we can push through that route, we can reach the center of the base in the shortest time. The defenses won't be light, though."

I tilted my head at her words.

"Can't I just fly in like earlier?"

Kim Dokja slowly shook her head, rejecting the idea.

"That would be fine, but the enemy numbers aren't trivial. Getting in would be okay."

"But getting out would be the problem?"

She nodded and continued.

"So we're going with a diversion. Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah-ssi will draw the attention of Dokhui's group members, and Park Jinwoo and I will use that opening to reach the meteor and steal it."

Kim Dokja looked at Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah.

"So please take the front. Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah-ssi. And don't fight each other."

Yoo Sangah reluctantly nodded.

"…Understood."

Kim Dokja turned to me.

"Park ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jinwoo. You're coming with me to sneak up to the meteor, steal it, and get out. No causing a scene this time, got it?"

"Got it."

Kim Dokja looked at all of us.

"Then let's begin the operation."

On Kim Dokja's signal, Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah leapt down from the building.

"Looking at them like that, those two really do seem like superheroes or special agents, don't they?"

"Stop talking nonsense and get ready to jump buildings the moment Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah-ssi pull aggro."

"Relax. Don't you trust me?"

"…Think about your track record so far."

I ignored Kim Dokja's cowardly assault of pure facts and peeked down at the street below.

In that short span of time, Han Sooyoung had already used her Avatar skill — no, her phantom clone technique — to create dozens of copies, and they were roaming the streets, drawing every eye from Dokhui's group members.

Faced with a sudden swarm of intruders wandering their territory, Dokhui's people stared at Han Sooyoung's Avatars in panic, then immediately gave chase.

"Get them!"

"Don't let a single one escape — kill them all!"

Once a good number of the group members started chasing the Avatars, Yoo Sangah's magic threads began to move.

She had strung razor-sharp steel lines at ankle height. The men blindly chasing only the Avatars all snagged on the lines at once, their feet severed clean through.

Slash!

"W-what the…?!"

"Aaaagh!"

Their bodies toppled naturally toward the ground — and they saw it. Another razor-sharp steel line waiting at the exact angle of their fall.

Shhk!

"Ghk…!"

"Gyaaah!"

The men who noticed too late screamed, but that was all they could do. Moments later, the steel lines sheared through their heads and necks. A double trap Yoo Sangah had set with the falling angles calculated in advance.

Watching the scene, Han Sooyoung smirked at Yoo Sangah.

"Wow. That's brutal."

Yoo Sangah shot her a cold look right back.

"You're hardly one to talk."

As I leapt across buildings and raced through empty alleys, watching Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah's performance, I muttered to Kim Dokja:

"Those two have pretty solid teamwork, huh?"

"Right? Especially considering the murderous dialogue."

Either way, thanks to Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung's aggro, the two of us advanced easily toward Dokhui's base.

A few minutes later, we found it: the Disaster Meteor, tinged a murky red. A massive meteor a full eight meters tall.

I looked at the people gathered near the Disaster Meteor, praying to it, and said:

"So what do we do about those people? Do we have to kill them all?"

"That's…"

Rustle!

We both flinched. Kim Dokja and I drew our weapons at the rustling sound beside us.

Then a woman's clear, refined voice came from the direction of the noise.

"…Who's there?"

We both turned toward the voice.

Several group members stood there, and in front of them was a beautiful woman.

Snow-white hair as if dusted with fresh snow, lips as vivid as a red flower blooming on a snowy mountain, and a hanbok of white and purple layered beneath a black gown.

Lee Seolhwa.

Anyone could tell that woman was Lee Seolhwa.

Infected by the parasite, Lee Seolhwa fixed us with a gaze thick with cold, venom, and hatred.