Hold On, I Get That You're Angry (2)

Time flew by, and before I knew it, the weekend had arrived. That Luna girl was as elusive as a ghost. It was damn hard to catch even a glimpse of her face. Then again, she was the type to show up exactly on time for classes and vanish right after, so it made sense. Living like an invisible person, it was only natural I couldn't find her.

While I was lost in those thoughts, a booming voice echoed from the kitchen.

"Vern! Stop daydreaming and come grab this food!"

"Got it."

Thanks to the previous part-timer who ran off, a spot had opened up, and I'd finally managed to get hired. Right now, I was on serving duty. The old man had said he'd handle the dishes himself, so I'd been assigned to serving. Wearing the hat and apron he'd given me, I carried plates out to the tables. The mask helped—hardly anyone recognized me.

Now I understood why the last part-timer had bolted. The restaurant wasn't particularly large, yet customers never stopped coming. The academy sat on a remote island far from the mainland, so ingredients were hard to come by. Ships could be half-wrecked on the way here, and other problems meant they had to import in bulk. That drove prices sky-high—academy food cost roughly twice as much as mainland fare. Still, the recent good weather meant fresh ingredients arrived more frequently and in better condition. The prices, however, showed no sign of dropping. If anything, they only climbed higher.

Fortunately, the old man running this place could turn cheap ingredients into delicious meals, so the customers kept pouring in. Students even skipped the academy cafeteria to eat here instead. The food tasted great, portions were generous, and the prices were fair. The cozy interior gave it the feel of a personal favorite spot, which probably drew even more people. Teachers came often too. The gukbap here really was excellent. I hadn't even known gukbap existed in this world until I tried it. The first time I ate it, I was genuinely shocked. It had been so long since I'd tasted proper gukbap that I nearly teared up. The portions were huge, and the broth was rich and satisfying. The only downside? No kkakdugi. Pouring kkakdugi juice over the rice would have made it perfect.

That was how I spent the entire day, from morning until night, running around nonstop. It was brutally exhausting. If I hadn't been circulating mana the whole time, my arms would've fallen off. Between serving and all the odd jobs, my back and arms ached everywhere. Getting back into the rhythm after so long took longer than expected. Vern's pathetic stamina probably didn't help either.

Maybe I should check my stats while I had a moment.

Oh, five stat points. I should put them into HP and Agility this time. Getting my pathetic stamina up to around ten would help. From the last practical exercise, I'd learned just how crucial Agility really was. Dodging attacks came down to the smallest margins, and missing even one meant getting hit. Yeah, HP and Agility it was. Mana and Skill could wait for next time.

Good. Steady progress. Not bad at all.

"Alright, I'm heading out."

"The way you talk... Vern, you haven't eaten yet. I'll make you something, so eat before you go."

"Taking it out of my pay?"

"You little brat, what do you take me for? Just wait a moment."

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠old man was a real piece of work. Just kidding. He talked rough, but he was a good person. I'd heard he'd settled here about fifteen years ago. After a major war broke out on the mainland, the retired swordsman wanted to open a restaurant, so he did. His name was Joseph. He'd been a wandering swordsman until someone took notice of him. They lived together for a while before heading off to war together. After the war ended, he came here. That was all I knew—mostly rumors. I'd never seen this place in the game I'd played.

About ten minutes later, the old man returned carrying a steaming bowl of gukbap in an earthenware pot. The rising steam looked incredibly appetizing. The sundae was thick and plump, making my mouth water. I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and we'd been so busy I hadn't even had time for water.

I seasoned the clear broth with some kind of chili paste and salted shrimp I couldn't identify, then sprinkled perilla powder for nuttiness. Finally, I scooped rice into the broth and mixed it well before adding meat and sundae on top. Mixing the rice into the now-reddened broth and eating it with the meat and sundae... Damn, this is heaven. Gukbap after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a hard day's work had a flavor words couldn't capture. The sundae was thick, savory, with a perfect texture when chewed. The properly sliced meat slid down smoothly without any fishy aftertaste. And when I took a sip of the broth—absolutely incredible. Slightly salty yet rich and refreshing, it warmed me from the inside with every swallow.

I devoured the gukbap in a frenzy.

Really wish there was kkakdugi... Having gukbap without kkakdugi felt incomplete. After finishing every last drop of broth, I set the bowl down with satisfaction.

"That was great."

"Yeah. You sure can eat. The way you wolfed it down like you hadn't eaten all day reminds me of when I was young."

"That so. Thanks for the meal, Joseph. I appreciate it."

"Got some leftovers. Want me to pack them up too?"

"I'd be grateful."

Getting hot gukbap packed for free was a blessing when I needed to cut food costs. Just as I was about to leave with my free meal, the old man called out.

"Vern."

"What is it?"

"Lately there's been some crazy bastard showing up at night. Be careful. If you get hurt and quit on me, I'm really in trouble."

"Then give me more money."

"The way you talk, you little punk. Just get back to the dorm already."

"Will do. You be careful too, old man."

A crazy guy wandering around at night, huh. The end of Act 1 was approaching. The Act 1 boss never killed anyone, so this wasn't my problem. I'd leave it to the protagonist. He was probably investigating the Act 1 boss appearing at night after receiving a request from someone close to him. The Act 1 boss prowled the back alleys at night, attacking students and stealing their shadows. Students who lost their shadows temporarily couldn't use mana, and the Act 1 boss, Shady, took their abilities. It seemed like an overpowered ability, but there was a limit to how many shadows she could steal. Once she exceeded that limit, the shadows returned to their original owners. However, her unique skill Shadow Theft could also steal mana along with abilities, making her a tricky opponent. Of course, she was extremely vulnerable to light and darkness magic, so anyone who knew the strategy could defeat her easily—even a beginner.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The protagonist grew stronger by overcoming crises. I could tell Ian the strategy, but I didn't feel the need. Ian was this world's protagonist. He needed to grow stronger by defeating the enemies called "evil." So do your best, Ian.

Good luck! I cheered for him inwardly. There was a time when I thought that way too.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken the back alley shortcut."

It was supposed to be a faster route back to the dorm, but I'd stumbled upon a scene I couldn't ignore.

Two women with jet-black hair the color of shadows. In this game, black hair was extremely rare—only a handful of characters had it. It was uncommon, yet I seemed to see it all the time lately. More ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠importantly, these two women were Act 1 bosses!

Why, why were they appearing here? What the hell!

I'd been planning to head back to the dorm and finish my gukbap.

"Your shadow is now mine! Hand it over quietly! If you do, I'll at least spare your life!"

"What...?"

Luna...! That girl had been nowhere to be found no matter how hard I looked. And why the hell was Shady with her? Spouting third-rate villain lines just like in the game—nothing ever went right with these two.

If they clashed here, everything would go off the rails. I'd decided not to follow the original story. But if Shady died, that was a problem, and if Luna went berserk, that was also a problem. I wanted Luna to live. Even if it meant derailing the original plot, I hoped she'd survive. If Shady provoked Luna here, Luna would go berserk and self-destruct. The current Shady couldn't make proper judgments because of her meaningless revenge, and Luna's mental state was fragile enough that she'd likely lose control. If Shady and Luna fought as things stood, my strength wouldn't be enough to stop them. If I got between them, I'd probably get torn apart instead.

How the hell was I supposed to handle this?