Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: EP.32 Hope (1)
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In Arteil, restaurants and cooking play a fairly important role.
Having a restaurant in the territory boosts residents' happiness and improves labor efficiency.
Of course, taverns produce similar effects, but they're far less efficient than restaurants.
Beyond territory management, restaurants are crucial for developing heroes and soldiers.
The reason? They're the only feature in Arteil that can grant heroes and soldiers a wide array of buffs.
Even minor buffs can raise soldiers' survival rates.
For heroes, buffs are practically essential.
In a game where stats grow harder to increase the higher your level climbs, pumping specific stats on 4-star or 5-star heroes delivers an incredible power spike.
Thus, restaurants matter for both territory ops and growth—but chefs matter even more.
No point in a high-level restaurant without a chef to dish out those buffs.
Naturally, the higher the star rating of your chef—a support hero type—and the more diverse their traits, the more buffs attach to the restaurant's dishes.
That said, Kim Hyunwoo hadn't pinned big hopes on Rani because she was still just a 1-star hero.
No matter how perfectly her talents and traits suited cooking, she couldn't unlock her full potential without growth.
In that light, the dish Rani set before Kim Hyunwoo was...
Absolutely not the work of a 1-star.
Kim Hyunwoo stared at the dish, unblinking.
Still staring back was a dish granting absurd stat boosts—no way a 1-star chef whipped that up.
Snapping out of his daze, he checked Rani's info window just in case. No changes.
Her Luck had ticked up by 1 recently—that was it.
Support heroes don't gain stars from stat bumps, so Kim Hyunwoo frowned in confusion.
"Um, p-perhaps— i-isn't it this one?"
He looked up at the voice.
Rani stood there, fidgeting pitifully, eyes brimming with tears as she gauged his mood.
Only then did he realize he'd been blankly fixated on the food. Shaking his head curtly, he scooped some of her stew into his mouth.
And...
"Oh."
An involuntary gasp escaped Kim Hyunwoo.
Rani's cooking was downright delicious.
The instant he glanced her way...
"?"
Kim Hyunwoo could only blink in bewilderment.
Rani—who'd gazed at him moments ago with worry—now gripped her ladle in a perfect guard stance.
"What are you doing??"
He asked, baffled.
But Rani looked even more flustered at his question.
"Um, y-you're not... gonna hit me...??"
"Pardon...?"
"...?"
Kim Hyunwoo shot her an incredulous look, pondering what hellish life she'd endured.
"Ahem—"
He cleared his throat.
"No hitting. Never crossed my mind, and after this delicious meal? Why would I?"
"...Eh?"
"Told you already—you've got cooking talent. This stew's amazing."
Thus, the girl—who'd never known reliable praise—dropped her guard unconsciously and watched, dazed, as Kim Hyunwoo ate.
Two weeks later.
Lartania
📊 Territory Development:257
👥 Residents
🏛️ Owned Buildings
⚔️ Owned Troops
Kim Hyunwoo gazed at the transformed territory, info window hovering before him.
It no longer felt like a backwater hamlet—a proper territory now.
Processing workshops lined up beside the market caught his eye, rice paddies sprouting behind them.
'Workshops are up, so time to conserve Blue Stones.'
Workshops generated resources, but they couldn't match the territory's growth pace. Still, Kim Hyunwoo chose restraint without hesitation.
Blue Stones—pure in-game cash—came solely from special events.
Plus, past level 3, buildings guzzled them impossibly fast.
As if true Lartania management kicked off then, resource demands skyrocketed across the board.
So despite shortages, Kim Hyunwoo held off on Blue Stones, awaiting the trading post.
'Paved roads next, and it'll scream "territory".'
He planned roads post-trading post, then pulled up the troops window.
🛡️ Basic Equipment
Head: Helmet. Body: Light Armor. Waist: Leather Belt. Legs: Leather-Reinforced Greaves. Main Armament: Iron Spear. Sub-Armament: None
*Some soldiers' armaments not fully complete.
"Hmm—"
Kim Hyunwoo nodded, deeply satisfied.
Despite constant sorties with Elena to grind proficiency, zero casualties.
Post-leather workshop, proper gear rolled out—and with rising population, security stabilized big-time.
'They look badass.'
From the Lord's Castle, he eyed the two soldiers at the north gate.
Once awkward, now fully armored—like fantasy game guards. Kim Hyunwoo felt oddly secure.
Two hundred armed troops at his command? Even knowing soldiers' mid-tier status in Arteil, it reassured him.
'...I've leveled up a bit myself.'
He pulled his own info window.
⚡ Stats
🔹 Traits
Pathetic for a "hero," but he was growing.
Not via training—thanks to Rani's meals, served varied at every sitting since two weeks back.
Praise lit a fire; now breakfast, lunch, dinner—all different, stats inching up steadily.
'Permanent stat gains? Never saw that in Arteil...'
No potions or elixirs granted forever boosts on consumption.
Devs once hawked a 500,000-won random stat pot—whales rioted, event axed early.
(They pocketed the cash, no refunds. Wild.)
Anyway, Rani's cooking delivered unseen permanent growth. Ridiculous—but real. He was edging stronger.
'If only it worked on Elena or other heroes.'
Oddly, no instant permaboosts for her or troops.
Kim Hyunwoo alone scored them. Mild regret crossed his face.
'Still, over the moon.'
Chef food = stat ups? Cheat-code broken. Zero gripes.
'Gotta probe that ability, though.'
Unlisted in traits/skills, permanent gains begged investigation. Decision made.
'Troops ready. Time to hit floor 2 for real.'
He summoned Elena.
Told her the plan; she nodded.
"Lord, one question?"
"Shoot."
"My assigned room...?"
"Ah—uncomfortable?"
"No, but it's... messy overall."
"The room?"
"Yeah. I tidied, but wall scratches? Unfixable. Stinks like no ventilation—lingers. Worst—"
Elena grimaced faintly, repulsed.
"Lord's Castle buildings are yours, but they look trashed. Unpleasant. Makes me wonder who holed up there."
Her peeved tone sparked a memory.
'That room—Merrillda's.'
Recalled: Merrillda's quarters. Brief pause.
"Hmm. First hero I recruited used it. Scratches? Beastkin daily life, probably."
"...Beastkin?"
"Yep. Solid one. First hero—got a soft spot."
He murmured, nostalgic.
"Anyway, we'll relocate you."
At those words—
Swish.
Far off, hilltop: the wolf's tail—limp for a decade sans lord's spark, hollow gaze unbroken—swished.
"Eh...?"
Her eyes, vitality barren those ten years...
Swish, swish—
Life danced within.