The sun was at its peak.
Yawning, Jong-sik stepped outside.
“Yawn…”
“Jong-sik, are you awake now?”
“Yeah. I’ve been busy lately, so I couldn’t watch YouTube, and a lot of interesting stuff has been uploaded in the meantime. I fell asleep watching it. So, what time is it? Did you sleep well, or not?”
Trigo was wearing the same work clothes as yesterday. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to have stayed up all night.
“You need to get enough sleep. I feel like if we ferment one more time, we’ll achieve the balance of our Puiego tribe.”
‘I knew it would be like this. But why is he trailing off?’
“So, did you succeed or fail? Did the mineral mixture work?”
“…I thought it succeeded, but it shattered soon after.”
“Ugh. So it failed. Nothing we can do about it. Well, what can we do? Even Kutja couldn’t mix it from the beginning.”
It’s disappointing, but we can only make the bunker with the existing framework.
As I was thinking that,
Trigo pounded his chest and raised his voice.
“But who am I? I am Trigo of the Puiego tribe, connected by the same blood as Kutja! Haha. I found the answer amidst repeated failures. Skrrt~”
“What’s with the attitude?”
“Ahaha. Many rappers use it, so I tried it. Anyway, Jong-sik.”
“Yeah.”
“Could you give me a little more time? If you do, I will devote myself to making the bunker.”
“Of course. I’ll be stuck at home for a while, so there’s no rush. But what about the framework made from the breath of fire?”
“Isn’t that a failure? I plan to dispose of it immediately.”
‘A work lacking passion is like trash.’
The spirit inherited through generations of the dwarf race. It’s truly an extreme mindset.
Jong-sik shook his head nervously.
There was a fleeting thought.
‘Discarding what we’ve worked so hard to create. It’s too wasteful. And it’s a dwarf-style framework. There must be somewhere else to use it…. Oh, wait!’
He vaguely remembered hearing about a request from the association. It must have been related to the construction of shelters.
He vaguely recalled seeing news about the declaration of a national emergency and the establishment of official shelters everywhere.
Jong-sik asked, and Trigo replied. Sure enough, it aligned perfectly with what he had in mind.
“Trigo. Did the association ask for something? Maybe that…?”
“Yes, they did. How did you know? It was quite annoying. Huh? Did those messages reach you too?”
The association, recognizing Trigo’s craftsmanship, had requested him to be a co-responsible for shelter construction. Of course, Trigo tactfully declined.
“No. I heard it from Jong-pal. But Trigo, if you’re also involved in shelter construction over there, what about passing the framework we’ve made so far? Of course, you’ll have to provide the designs as well, but anyway, it seems better than just throwing it away.”
“Hmm…”
“Of course, it’s your decision.”
Trigo seemed to hesitate for a moment at Jong-sik’s words.
Only for a moment, though.
“If that’s what you say, then I’ll certainly follow your lead. I’ll do that.”
Trigo nodded. Thanks to Jong-sik, Trigo, who could achieve balance, was willing to listen to whatever he said.
But, of course, he would be well-compensated. Of course, not by Jong-sik, but by the association. Anyway, humans would see it as a failure, but Trigo thought differently.
“Good thinking. Oh, and let’s start looking into a workshop as well.”
“A workshop?”
“Yeah. We can’t keep working like this forever.”
“To be honest, I wanted to install a slightly larger furnace. But this place is too cramped…. Anyway, if we have a spacious workshop, the work speed will be much faster.”
“Tell me sooner. I’ll look into it and tell you right away. “If there’s a good property for sale, let’s go see it together.”
“Hehe. All right. older brother!”
“Good luck then.”
The Dok Restaurant, where the waiting line had disappeared, presented a tranquil scene.
“Let’s see, what’s on the menu today? Curry? Well, not bad.”
Jong-sik briefly scanned the signboard displaying today’s menu as he entered the restaurant. It was time for a late breakfast.
“Hey, have you come down?”
The interior was no different from the outside. It was neither time for a late breakfast nor early for lunch, perhaps that’s why. There were no customers.
“Yeah. Looks quiet, huh?”
“Since the reopening, it’s been like this. But don’t worry, everyone who needs to come will come. Anyway, take a seat. I’ll bring the food soon.”
“Okay.”
The extended closure and the depletion of Cockatrice supplies were the reasons for the decline in customers.
There was a significant difference in taste between ordinary ingredients and those hunted by Jong-sik. As a result, those who came expecting the taste of old turned away with a puzzled expression.
It wasn’t that the food lacked flavor. It just didn’t live up to the heightened expectations, the heavenly taste as some had described it.
Anyway, there was an explanation for the laid-back atmosphere. But Jong-sik didn’t mind it.
‘Being able to come down and eat freely without waiting was good, and not having to see Jong-pal working hard was also a relief.’
‘Just treat the restaurant as a hobby.’
Jong-sik thought as he waited for his meal.
And then it happened.
Suddenly, a thought from Ramus came through.
[Master, there’s an urgent matter I need to inform you about.]
“Urgent? What’s going on?”
[They’re talking about you right now. I think it’s something you should know.]
“Who’s talking?”
[The Korean Hunter Association Chairman, along with the American Hunter Association Chairman and other riffraff.]
Since the Korea-US alliance was established, the American hunters and Ramus stayed in Korea.
Ramus prophesied the dungeon that Jong-sik had informed him about, and the American hunters joined forces with the Korean hunters to conquer the dungeon. It was to obtain the ashen runes.
This was how Ramus communicated his thoughts to Jong-sik whenever he had useful information. Just like now.
“Riffraff? Are they causing trouble these days? Is that so?”
[Uh, ah-! No, not at all. I’m sorry, Master. I’ll correct myself!]
“…So why did my name come up then? Go on, keep talking.”
[The return of the hunters who embarked on the expedition seems to be delayed more than expected. Despite sending additional personnel, none have returned. Therefore, they seem to want to request your help, Master. Some are looking at it with a negative perspective, though…]
“And who are they?”
[It’s the American formation. They’re probably worried that there might be a problem with loot distribution once you arrive.]
“So, my name came up for that reason?”
[Yes. They’re in a meeting right now. But it seems they’ll come to a conclusion about requesting your assistance. Oh? They’ve reached a conclusion now. They’re moving on to the next agenda. Currently, they’re discussing how to persuade you.]
‘How are they going to persuade me, I wonder.’
‘It’s quite intriguing.’
‘There are many opinions being exchanged. They’ve even asked me… What should we do, Master? Should I go along with it, albeit belatedly, or should I present a dissenting opinion? I feel like just a hint from me could make a difference…’
Jong-sik pondered on that for a moment.
Just for a moment.
He then made a decision after some contemplation.
‘For now, let’s just go with the flow.’
“There’s no need for that. As long as they reach a good consensus, it’s all good. They said they’re discussing how to persuade me, right? Then just give them a rough idea like this.”
Upon receiving Jong-sik’s intentions, Ramus prepared himself.
[This is my specialty. I’ll make sure to handle it firmly as you wish, Master!]
– I’ll keep an eye on it.
Since he called it his specialty, might as well keep an eye on it.
Jong-sik intended to just leave the spoon on the table that Ramus had set.
‘Ah, but first, let’s actually eat.’
Clinging a tray in his hand, Jong-pal emerged from the kitchen and spoke.
“You’ve been waiting long, huh? I’ve fried up the Tonkatsu you like.”
“Oh, Tonkatsu with curry. Sounds good.”
And so, Jong-sik had his late breakfast.
[Villains’ terrorist threat intensifies.]
[Gates popping up one after another. Is this okay as it is?]
[“Today’s Gossip”: Commencement of shelter construction for the elite. Is it really true? We’ll let you know.]
[North Korean State Councilor ‘Kim Jong-hu’ rumored to be dead.]
[Current situation in North Korea as told by defectors.]
There isn’t a single cheerful article among these. That just shows how crazy the world is spinning.
Jong-sik hurried his steps as he scrolled through internet articles. Despite having slept until midday, which might suggest an abundance of leisure, it wasn’t the case.
In fact, Jong-sik’s schedule for today was quite tight.
A dungeon infested with unreported magic creatures was expected to appear today.
‘My family is my responsibility.’
He planned to give the ash rune to Jong-pal. Since Yeona is a non-magical being, she wouldn’t be able to absorb its energy, and Trigo might not need it, but he’d take it just in case.
With that purpose in mind, Jong-sik set off.
“I need to quickly clear out the newly emerged dungeon, then on the way back, I should drop by the real estate office to check out Trigo’s workshop, and oh! I also need to find some good restaurants nearby…”
As he mentally organized his tasks for the day, his phone rang with a disaster alert.
It seemed like something had happened nearby.
Perhaps a gate had appeared, or villains had shown up.
But it was neither of those.
【Emergency Alert】
Around 15:30 on October 13th, dozens of monsters escaped from Seoul Monster Park. Residents in Gangseo-gu area are advised to refrain from going out, and if any escaped monsters are spotted, please report immediately.
“Seoul Monster Park? Is that like a zoo? How odd.”
Several months after returning, he had thought he’d gotten used to how the world operates, but apparently not.
“I had no idea such a place existed.”
Why would such a facility even be necessary? And to top it off, located in the heart of Seoul.
“Is it just for viewing purposes? People are going crazy, seriously. No, they should’ve managed it properly. Escaped? And dozens of species?”
Meanwhile, at that moment.
Trolls, orcs, Caspian tigers, goblins, kobolds, and more.
Various monsters appeared in the heart of Seoul, including those who had escaped from the “Seoul Monster Park.”
People scattered in panic, and the hunters who received reports rushed to the scene.
However, there was something strange.
Cats and monsters like Caspian tigers and kobolds harbored a serious animosity towards each other.
Despite this, the two species were running together in the same direction without showing any signs of hostility.
Normally, these creatures wouldn’t stop fighting until one of them perishes just by making eye contact…
But people were too busy fleeing to notice such occurrences.
