Compu Mushroom Showdown
“...?”
Another unexpected move. Hanbit looked at Riwei and asked, “Didn't you win the bet?”
“It's invalid with that interrupter crashing the party. I can't accept an unfair match.”
-Cool as ice.
-He's handing it over;
-Golden boy scout.
-That's some ironclad conviction ㄷㄷ
Whatever Riwei's reasoning, getting the materials for free was a win. That nagging unease was probably just his imagination.
“Thanks, I'll take it.” Hanbit pocketed the leather in his inventory. As he pulled out a stored potion and downed it, Riwei spoke up.
“So, what'll it be?”
“What?”
“The bet. We've gotta finish it.”
“...Ah.”
-lololol
-Gotta see it through.
-Man who never quits;
-Just give it to him already.
-Riwei concedes.
The source of that fleeting anxiety clicked. There was no way Riwei would leave without settling the score. They'd have to stick together until it was done.
“Black Dragon!”
Just then, Avant-garde's voice echoed from the path beyond the forest. He looked ragged—clearly another victim of the Nessto Guild's ambush.
“Sorry I'm late! The guys on my tail were persistent...”
Avant-garde rushed up, breathless, explaining how four attackers had jumped him. Dispatching that much manpower showed just how dead-set Trigger had been on killing him. Not that they'd achieved anything before crawling back to prison.
“So, what's the plan for the bet?”
Riwei chimed in, having watched the exchange. But nothing immediately came to mind for a rematch.
“How about cooking?”
“Cooking?”
Avant-garde's out-of-left-field suggestion raised eyebrows. Was there even stakes-worthy drama in a cook-off?
“Oh, you mean that event?”
Riwei nodded like it made perfect sense, thinking for a beat before agreeing. “Yeah, let's do that.”
“Do what, exactly?”
“It's a cooking event in Ifrit. You make a dish from given ingredients, judges score it. Straightforward.”
-Like some local food fest?
-Prizes keep changing.
-All super weird lol
-Black Dragon cooking too?
-Riwei's no chef, right?
The viewers seemed in the know, chat flooding with reactions.
Any bet works, I guess. What threw Hanbit was Riwei jumping on the idea so readily.
He turned to Avant-garde. “Chat mentioned prizes. Know anything?”
“Let me check.”
A quick search later: “Lava Seed Soup and Freeze-Proof Cooking Gloves.”
“...What?”
Hanbit's eyes widened at the prizes.
Luck's on my side today.
A few key items for progressing in Ifrit. The fangs and leather were one thing, but snagging these too would smooth things out nicely.
Hanbit eyed Riwei. “Confident in your cooking, huh?”
“Better than average. Or we can switch if you want. Not fair if I keep picking.”
He deferred the choice. But Hanbit had already decided.
“Nah, cooking it is.”
***
The wide plaza in Ifrit's shopping district. A signup desk in one corner drew a modest crowd.
“Never seen this many people. Probably because of you two.”
Avant-garde scanned the growing throng.
Most seemed like latecomers riding the hype—the event itself hadn't pulled this many originally.
“Anyway, let's sign up.”
They headed to the desk and registered. Of the 100 slots, 30 were already taken.
“Thanks for signing up. Main ingredient is Compu Mushroom. You get one day to plan your dish and gather extras. Starts tomorrow at 4 PM—don't be late.”
With that, procedures wrapped. Chaos erupted right after.
“Me next!”
“I was here first!”
“Fuck off!”
The waiting crowd surged forward as the trio finished, tempers flaring on the verge of brawls.
-Shit show's on;
-Kill each other lol.
-Why they entering tho?
-Wanna join if Black Dragon & Riwei do lol
-Think there's hidden loot?
As chat noted, their motives were obvious. Given Black Dragon's track record, it made sense. And the prizes were valuable.
[Winning Prizes]
Lava Seed Soup
Freeze-Proof Cooking Gloves
The flyer by the desk listed them. Soup: cold resistance buff item. Gloves: self-explanatory, no freeze. Nothing hidden, but their use mattered.
“Let's move.”
They slipped away to a quiet alley. Meanwhile, Avant-garde dug for info.
“Dishes with Compu Mushroom... tricky.”
Ifrit's local staple: reeked like hell but tasted divine. Most puked before tasting, though.
“Sounds fun.”
Riwei grinned, clearly game. Guy had skills, probably.
“Gotta grab ingredients. Catch you later.”
Tat! Gone in a flash. Par for the course.
“We should get ours too.”
“Already got a menu idea?”
“Something clicked.”
“Oh...”
Not many dishes from Compu Mushrooms. Better stick to basics than overcomplicate.
“Stumped? I could share a recipe.”
“Nah, gotta figure it myself as a contestant. I've got some cooking chops—I'll work it out.”
-Bachelor life?
-Cooking expert ㄷㄷ
-Bachelors just DoorDash lol
-Fr tho ㅋㅋ
Avant-garde beamed with confidence. Fair play in a contest—everyone for themselves.
“Call it here? Getting late.”
“Yeah, experiments await.”
Somehow 2 AM already. Stream wrap-up time.
“See you at the event. Thanks for watching, folks. Back tomorrow afternoon.”
-Ok
-Dragon stream.
-Bye bye bye
Click. Hanbit logged off, shed his gear. Exhaustion hit hard after the day's chaos.
“Whew.”
He stretched and headed to the living room. Mom's door was shut.
Tomorrow's the day.
House hunting for the places she'd scoped. The 99 million won from auction sparked debate—Mom wanted him to keep it all. But Hanbit pushed back.
Moving...
He'd bounced homes endlessly in the other world, but here? Different vibe.
Bedtime.
Buzzing a bit, he showered quick and crashed instantly.
***
“Thanks. See you for the final contract.”
Next day. Early bird house tours ended with a 200 million won jeonse deal—unthinkable before. Double the space of their old place. Landlord sorted smoothly too—move-in soon.
“Still feels like a dream, Mom.”
Her face lit up brighter than usual leaving the agency. Those real estate windows she'd passed commuting? Distant dreams, always bittersweet. Now? Pure joy.
“Jeonse is temporary. We'll buy outright once I stack more cash.”
“This is more than enough for me. Use the rest on what you need.”
“I'll earn bigger. Time to live large for once.”
“...Big talk.”
She chuckled, amused, then eyed his cocky grin. “Be good to that Luna girl.”
“Outta nowhere?”
“What nowhere? Think 100 million's just some dog's name?”
He'd spilled the Luna deal basics, origin included.
“People matter most. Treat 'em right, help without strings sometimes. That's how good folks gather and you shine.”
“Got it, Mom. Let's head out.”
Chat lengthening, he steered her to the street.
People, huh.
He didn't brush off her advice. Just... 55 cycles had callused him deep.
Back then, it was solo all the way.
Regressions, possessions, reincarnations—same pattern. Always out front alone, strength meant heavy duty. Even with allies, endgame was solitary brinkmanship.
Things different now.
These new bonds—Juyeonu's crew, friendly players—uncharted territory. Unknown ripples ahead.
“I'm off to the restaurant. Get some air before heading home.”
“Sure.”
She headed to work. Alone, Hanbit checked his phone.
「Enk Technology HR Team」
Hello, Mr. Kang Hanbit.
Thank you for your efforts during your internship at Enk Technology.
However, we've confirmed a violation of company policy regarding concurrent employment.
After disciplinary review, we've decided as follows:
Disciplinary Action: Termination of Employment Contract
Reason: Concurrent employment in violation of internal regulations
Termination Date: Effective immediately on XX/XX/20XX.
We understand this is difficult for you...
Morning message. No regret—just relief. He'd cleared his stuff yesterday; no need to go back.
Record Shop detour?
Time hanging, he figured swing by the RP merch spot. Might snag something useful.
Subway's quickest.
He turned toward the station. Then—
Bzzz.
“Who?”
Unknown number. Voice phishing? Hesitated, but picked up.
“Hello?”
(Hello. Is this Mr. Kang Hanbit?)
“...?”
They knew his name. Voice polite—no hang-up vibe.
“Yes, that's me. Who's this?”
Identity first. Weird talk, he'd bail.
But the response blew past expectations.
(This is Han Yong-woo, Executive Director at Enk Technology.)