Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The Ramen Hustle
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Jukui held up the cup of instant noodles.
Do-jae placed a pair of wooden chopsticks in Jukui's hand and showed him how to use them.
Jukui was awkward at first, but he soon started using the chopsticks skillfully.
Slurp—.
Munch, munch—.
"Gah!"
After putting a mouthful of noodles in his mouth, Jukui writhed, his whole body twisting.
‘Human! What in the world did you feed me? This is agony. It feels like my tongue is melting. Are you trying to kill me and steal the sword? The chief is here, too!’
Jukui thrashed around from the burning pain on his tongue, desperately searching for water.
Just then.
Do-jae pulled something new from his subspace.
It was a peach-flavored probiotic drink, said to be the best thing for spicy food.
Do-jae personally opened the top and handed it over, ready to drink.
"Drink this."
Jukui stared at the paper carton in Do-jae's hand.
A reddish, cloudy liquid sloshed inside.
‘Is it poison this time? You detestable fiend!’
Jukui turned his head, looking for something else to drink.
But there was only steaming hot water.
"It's fine, don't worry. Just drink it."
Jukui hesitated.
He wondered if he should really drink the liquid the human had given him.
‘I'm dead either way...’
Jukui snatched the drink from Do-jae's hand.
Then he began to drink it frantically.
Gulp—.
Jukui, having drunk about half of it.
His expression gradually brightened.
"Hoo. That's much better now!"
Jukui let out a sigh.
Fortunately, the drink Do-jae had given him wasn't poison.
His tongue was still tingling, but it was slowly returning to normal.
Jukui was about to get angry at Do-jae for feeding him such a terrifying dish.
But for some reason, his mouth kept watering.
‘What is this? Why do my eyes keep drifting to that crimson food? Is it some kind of enchanted dish?’
Jukui once again lifted the noodles with his chopsticks.
A slightly smaller amount than before.
Slurp!
Munch, munch, munch, munch—.
"Ahem... Why... why is it so delicious?"
A bite of noodles, a sip of the drink.
As he ate them alternately, Jukui couldn't help but marvel.
It was painful, as if a fire had erupted in his mouth, yet within that pain, he could taste a symphony of exquisite flavors.
And then he realized.
The source of the pain wasn't poison, but spiciness.
Within the intense heat, sweetness and saltiness coexisted.
He could faintly taste chicken, and occasionally, he'd bite into savory little bits.
And just when the pain reached its peak, the drink Do-jae had given him exquisitely soothed it away.
‘Delicious. So delicious! To think I'd get to eat a dish like this in my lifetime!’
However, Jukui's gourmet experience had to be cut short.
Because Do-jae had taken it away.
"Human! What do you think you're doing? There's still half left!"
Jukui stared blankly at the spot where the cup of noodles had been.
He wanted to eat more, he could eat more.
Then, the moment he raised his head with a resentful look.
He could see it.
Do-jae, with a sly smile on his face.
***
Do-jae was certain.
When Sari had smelled the leftover triangle kimbap he'd eaten.
He remembered her expression.
And now.
Do-jae was convinced these cup noodles could make him money.
"Ten gold!"
"Wh... what? Wait, what do you mean?"
"If you'd like to eat more, you can buy it for ten gold."
Do-jae had switched to formal speech.
From now on, Jukui was his customer.
‘If monthly living expenses are 100 gold, then 10 gold, a tenth of that, certainly isn't a small amount. But plenty of rich people spend a fortune on a single meal...’
The flavor of these spicy stir-fried noodles was world-renowned.
Judging by Jukui's reaction, it seemed the Gray Elves were no different.
Even by human standards it was expensive, but Do-jae was certain these noodles would sell.
"No, but still. Ten gold for one small dish seems a bit much..."
Jukui wore a disappointed expression.
‘I guess ten gold is a bit steep.’
It wasn't a full-course meal with various dishes.
Ten gold for noodles that could be made in four minutes was probably too expensive.
"I think so too. No matter how delicious it is, ten gold is probably too expensive. So... I'm willing to give you one more!"
1+1.
So, Do-jae's sales strategy was a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
Right now, boxes of cup noodles were stacked in Do-jae's subspace.
At least five hundred cups of noodles were waiting for the Gray Elves.
He had plenty of stock and desperately needed gold.
If he just slashed the initial price in half, the product's value would drop accordingly.
But if he offered an extra one, the customer would see it as an incentive.
It was a strategy that maintained the product's value while increasing customer satisfaction.
And Do-jae's prediction was spot on.
"Five gold each... It's still expensive, but I can't forget that taste!"
Jukui disappeared into the forge and soon reappeared with gold coins.
Five 10-gold coins.
That was five times Sari's monthly living expenses!
"Human! Give them to me! I need to eat another one right away!"
Do-jae took ten cups of noodles from his subspace and handed them to Jukui.
And then he pulled out his final ace.
"This one is cheese-flavored stir-fried noodles..."
The fire chicken noodles were perfect on their own, but they also possessed incredible potential.
Cheese flavor, black bean sauce flavor, spaghetti flavor, rosé flavor.
Only by mixing these flavors could one truly experience the real taste of fire chicken noodles!
"Would you like to try one?"
Jukui's dark eyes glinted.
Do-jae's lips curled into a smile.
***
"Here's a peach drink for one gold! It's an excellent drink for neutralizing the spice."
A sea of Gray Elves formed in front of the forge.
Gray Elves who had heard the rumors started gathering one by one, and as the rumors spread, a huge crowd had formed before he knew it.
And all of them were clutching gold in their hands, ready to buy Do-jae's noodles.
"Chief, I'd like one too!"
"Me too! Me too! My child is desperate to try it. Four, please!"
"Ooooh! Indeed! A taste well worth ten gold!"
Between the Gray Elves buying for their families and those eating on the spot, Do-jae was so busy he couldn't think straight.
And just like that, Do-jae's cup noodles were sold out!
Only the empty boxes, stacked in the back, lay scattered forlornly.
If Sari and Jukui hadn't helped, he never would have been able to sell all those noodles.
"Aah... I'm dizzy..."
"Chief! Are you alright!"
Once all the Gray Elves had left, Sari collapsed onto the ground.
Jukui, too, was sweating profusely.
Sari had been in charge of collecting the gold for Do-jae, while Jukui had been continuously boiling water.
Both of them had worked hard in their own way.
Do-jae took out two cold sodas and handed them to them.
"You both worked hard."
Sari, seemingly too exhausted to even drink, set it down beside her, but Jukui immediately began to chug his.
"Kuh! This is exhilarating! Human, how much for this? You're not planning to sell these too? The fizz goes all the way to my stomach, it feels great!"
"Yeah, I don't have much soda left."
"Khuhu. A shame."
He wanted to sell the sodas too, but he really only had a few left in his subspace.
Of course, he considered selling other instant foods, but with the commotion over, it was uncertain if the Gray Elves would gather like this again. Besides, Sari and Jukui looked exhausted, so he decided against it.
Above all, Do-jae had earned a decent amount of gold.
Enough to buy the sword and have some left over.
"Sari, what was the total?"
"Around 4,300 gold..."
"We made 300 gold on top of 4,000?"
He'd expected to make around 4,000 gold, but they had unexpectedly earned over 300 more.
"I charged an extra 20 silver to prepare it for them..."
"Hahaha, well done."
Do-jae burst out laughing at Sari's cleverness.
He thought the Gray Elves were getting the water themselves, but it turned out Sari had been preparing and serving it.
Realizing that the reason she kept disappearing during the sale was to serve them, he couldn't help but laugh.
‘To think the stuff I bought to feed the kids from Class 3 would come in so handy.’
The noodles and drinks he had stocked up to eat conveniently with the members of Class 3 during the Gaeseong Suppression had helped him in this way.
Although at the time, everyone had gotten sick of noodles after a few meals, leaving him with a pile of unwanted stock.
"Jukui, take this. You too, Sari."
Out of the 4,300 gold, Do-jae gave 200 to Jukui and 100 to Sari.
He gave Jukui an extra 100 gold since they had used the space in front of his forge and he had continuously boiled the water.
Whether she understood this or not, Sari just stared at the 100 gold in front of her, grinning foolishly.
"One hundred gold... One hundred gold in just an hour..."
"Sari, rest for a bit."
Do-jae's original goal was simply to get money to buy the sword.
Though he had gotten a little carried away and ended up earning much more.
"Jukui, I'd like to buy that sword from before."
As it happened, Jukui was holding 'Black Scale,' the very sword Do-jae had his eye on.
"Human, I'm in a good mood, so I'll give you a small discount. Just give me 800 gold. And I'll throw in the scabbard for free. I made this scabbard myself. It probably had a matching one originally, but I only received the sword."
Jukui sheathed Black Scale and handed it to Do-jae.
‘He's acting so generous selling a sword he didn't even make, one that was entrusted to him. Come to think of it, isn't this sword a memento?’
The person who entrusted this sword to Jukui must already be dead.
Whether it was due to the Cataclysm or not, after 200 years, the sword's owner couldn't possibly still be alive.
In a way, it could be a memento, just as Do-jae thought.
‘Well, it feels a bit special, but it's not bad.’
Do-jae didn't entirely dislike the feeling of inheriting an item from a human of this world.
Do-jae paid the 800 gold on the spot and then called out to Jukui, who was about to turn away.
"I'd like to buy that as well."
Do-jae pointed to a shabby-looking dagger on the shelf just below the greatsword Sari had initially wanted to buy.
The hilt was plain, and the leather sheath was not only covered in dust but also peeling in places, looking like it might crumble at any moment.
The only thing remotely special about it was the small snake ornament attached to the end of the hilt.
"Hmm! Was something like that in my forge? Fine, just take that one too!"
"Thank you."
Do-jae quickly took the dagger before Jukui could change his mind.
He knew that if Jukui had known about this dagger, or had drawn it from its sheath, he would never have given it away for free.
‘If this is really Sraka's Fang...’
For all he knew, it could be a weapon several times, or even dozens of times, more expensive than Black Scale.
After all, it had a snake ornament identical to the one on a legendary item used by an S-rank hunter from Germany.