Chapter 48…
“Is this beef…? Samgyeopsal—no! I love beef!”
“…This is a problem.”
Rebecca’s cheer filled the upscale Korean beef restaurant.
Because of that, the people at nearby tables all turned to look at our side.
Well, bringing this kid to a place like this made that outcome inevitable.
“Quiet down a bit….” I gritted my teeth and scolded her.
But she didn’t even pretend to hear.
“Nom nom— it’s melting, it’s melting in my mouth.”
“Yeah… enjoy it.” My mother just told her, and Rebecca kept shoveling meat into her mouth like a maniac.
Still, as a fellow human being I at least hoped she’d keep some dignity.
But look at her—eyes rolling, continually grabbing meat without pause.
“This… is delicious! So tasty!”
Rebecca’s eyes lit up in all colors as she put a marbled ribeye into her mouth.
It almost showed a hint of the mania she’d had back when she’d been a priest of the Yeokcheon Cult.
“Siwoo, we should buy some beef to keep at home too. She eats that much. Hey, here—eat this.”
“Mmm mmm… Omoni, thank you.”
“…Who are you calling ‘mother’? Unbelievable.” My mom gave me that crooked look.
She seemed to be copying whatever title I used for her….
I nearly restrained the urge to give Rebecca a flick on the forehead.
Unaware, Rebecca smiled innocently, cheeks full of meat, mumbling as she chewed.
Watching that, my mother smiled and silently grilled and plated more meat.
‘She might be the reincarnation of a saint…’ No. No way.
No matter how I thought about it, this situation felt wrong.
Feeling like the eldest son who suddenly got a late-born sibling, I gave my mother some gentle counsel.
“Mother. I find this situation, to put it plainly, quite lamentable.”
“There he goes again. What are you complaining about this time?”
“Though this child was brought here by my hand, she is still just an extra guest.”
“…And?”
Gulp— Mrs. Park looked at me with a slanted stare.
That was a warning.
A warning to see what I’d dare say.
But a loyal subject isn’t one who shuts up because power is frightening. I swallowed dryly and opened my mouth.
“I find it sacrilegious that such a person is rifling through our family’s wealth. Therefore—”
“What are you saying… Hey! What would this little kid possibly know? She’s just a child.”
“…….”
A child? A child!?
Mother, that is not what you say to a little monster who just devoured three slabs of beef by herself.
You’re clearly taken with the cute surface of that little devil.
‘Sigh… this is my karma.’ I sighed inwardly and picked up my chopsticks again.
At this rate my wallet might die first.
“Thirty thousand won for samgyeopsal and now beef today. If only I could turn back time. Sigh… I want to regress.”
I complained as I reached for a piece of meat.
And of course, Rebecca’s forceful hand snatched it away.
“Hey, you—”
Just then my phone vibrated.
[Seo Gyeoul]
The familiar name lit the screen.
Is this about the Ghost Signal mission reward?
I pressed the call button immediately.
“Yes, I’m answering.”
—Siwoo! It’s urgent!
Seo Gyeoul’s voice crackled excitedly through the receiver.
“What’s happening?”
—About the mission reward—the payment went through. The problem is the ticket…
“Was it postponed or something?”
She took a breath and then answered in an excited voice.
—No, the opposite! We should’ve waited at least a few months, but a slot just opened up!
“…Excuse me?”
—So I urgently reserved it under your name! If you miss this, you’ll have to wait until the next quarter! Hurry and come!
“Ha, this world… Fine. I’ll be right there.” Life— you can’t even eat a piece of meat in peace.
I’m just doomed to wander.
‘I was going to move soon anyway…’ But there’s a difference between doing something on your own and being shoved into it.
I hung up and looked at my mother.
“Mother, sorry. Something urgent came up. I have to go first.”
“What is it? What happened?”
“It’s not serious, just about a mission reward from a while ago.”
“Not serious? That’s the most important thing. Make sure you take care of everything. Go on, go.”
Of course she’s my mother.
I stood up immediately, but there was one problem.
“So delicious! So good!”
“…….”
“Then shall I take this child home with me?”
“Hmm…….”
Rebecca was still engrossed in the meat.
I couldn’t leave her like that; it felt like leaving a child at the riverside. Why? Because I had no idea how much my wallet would be plundered.
And, of course, there was still the danger of followers.
“All right, I’ll take her with me.”
“Really? Then let’s all get up. I was getting full anyway.”
“Wait—no! Beef, I want more! More!”
Ignoring me, Rebecca buried her face in the plate. I grabbed the back of her neck.
“Hey, get up.”
“…Huh. Uh—?”
“We’ll take a taxi, Mother, so you go back in the car.”
“Okay, don’t come home too late.”
“I’ll call you after work.”
“My beef—!”
“Yeah, no more beef. Now you’ll have to work like an ox.”
And so Rebecca and I split from my mother and headed to the Gate Administration.
Rebecca caused a small commotion on the way, but it was easily subdued and passed as a minor incident.
The Gate Administration grounds were vast.
They had all sorts of things.
One of them was a relic: the [Garden of All Things].
‘The system sure knows how to pick a name.’
Because ‘the name is the purpose.’
Some call it ‘the title is the content’ online.
‘Anyway…’ it was a garden where all items were stored.
That was the definition of the [Garden of All Things].
‘So you go into the garden and take out anything you like, right?’
A very fitting system for mission rewards.
It sounded simple.
But when has anything in life been smooth?
Of course, there are conditions.
-
Items are stocked in a ‘seed’ state.
-
The user can choose a seed-state item only once.
‘In other words, you won’t know what you picked until you open it… nasty.’
I thought that as I got out of the taxi.
We arrived at the Gate Administration.
“All right, we’re here.”
“Ugh… I don’t like this place.”
Rebecca, who followed me out, immediately backed away.
Well, she had her first post-amnesia interrogation here, so it made sense she’d dislike it.
But that’s not my problem.
“No follow, no meat.”
“Eeeek….” She reluctantly trailed behind me as I moved forward.
We entered the main building through the revolving door and reached the lobby, where a strange mix of tension and excitement filled the air.
“Officer Park, are we ready?”
“Not yet! We need more time!”
“Hurry up and place the runestones for the barrier!”
“Hurry, hurry! If people complain the event is poor, it’ll be disaster! Got it!”
Being given the right to enter the Garden of All Things is one of the greatest rewards for public officials.
“Hmm, I said I’d wait—”
“Siwoo! Over here!”
At that moment a cold-faced beauty spotted me from afar and waved both hands.
I pushed Rebecca forward and approached her.
“You’re right on time.”
“Of course. You can’t be late to receive a reward.”
She greeted us with a slight smile.
For a moment it was like perennial snow melting—her expression changed dramatically.
“How’s Rebecca?”
“…Hi.”
“…Wow. Where was this fuss when you were giving me trouble—”
Her odd reaction to Rebecca left me speechless, and I gave a nervous chuckle. Seo Gyeoul stopped me.
Anxiousness flitted across her face.
“This isn’t the urgent part. It’s your turn now, so hurry and get your ticket.”
“…Sigh, let’s go.”
Yes, that was the urgent part.
I turned and Seo Gyeoul quickly guided us to the desk official.
The official brightened up when he recognized me, grabbed my hand, and shook it up and down.
“Oooo—! Hello, Kang Siwoo! I’m a real fan! It’s an honor! Your last mission story was so impressive!”
“…Ah. Thank you. That mission kind of just happened—”
“Siwoo, stop making that dumb face.”
Embarrassed, I hesitated, and Rebecca barged in.
She’s only a thug with me.
“…Ugh, will you pipe down?”
“Dumb, dumb, dum— mmmph!” I quickly covered Rebecca’s mouth and continued talking with the official.
“Haha… I’m here to receive my Garden of All Things ticket.”
“Oh! This is your mission reward! Then let me check your player license.”
He compared the photo on my license with me.
After verifying my identity, he carefully put a leaf bracelet on my wrist.
A faint magic tickled my arm.
“This is a Phase 2 entry ticket. Please confirm.”
The bracelet moved slowly on my wrist like a living plant, emitting magic.
Seo Gyeoul, who confirmed the ticket’s grade for me, nodded.
“Confirmed. No issues.”
After all procedures were finished, Seo Gyeoul led me outside and down a well-maintained path.
Normally, a dedicated official stationed there would guide me, but this was Seo Gyeoul’s consideration for someone shy like me.
“That’s it over there.”
Buzz buzz— not far off there was a place bustling with people preparing for the event.
‘So that’s the Garden of All Things…’ A greenhouse neither too big nor too small, but with remarkable artistry.
The iron frame resembled the graceful stems of plants.
Especially the huge rose-shaped window above the main gate—so beautiful it made you feel dreamlike.
‘I’d heard about it, but seeing it in person is my first time too.’
Before I regressed I rarely came to government offices. I’d spent more time in the Tower than on Earth.
So even I, who’d seen everything at the Tower, had never seen something like this.
‘It’s fascinating.’ Relics have a mystical quality beyond mere items.
Like the underground stone gate recently, the structure itself was a system object.
“Kang Siwoo! Kang Siwoo, are you here?!”
“Here! I’m here!” I heard my name called from beyond the crowd near the entrance.
Seo Gyeoul announced our arrival and nudged me forward.
“I’ll take care of Rebecca. Do you remember the Garden rules?”
“Yes, I do.” Though only in theory—dead knowledge, really.
“Then be careful.”
“I’ll be quick.”
Pushing through the crowd, the official checked my license and ticket and stepped aside.
People ahead had already entered; it looked like I was the last.
“That’s the guy, Kang Siwoo…”
“They say he cleared an A+ mission recently.”
“Not only that… rumor has it Julie Pearson picked him as a business partner.”
“Really? No way.”
The crowd’s eyes and whispers were all on me.
I felt self-conscious but tried to act nonchalant as I walked forward.
“….”
Step, step—
When I reached the gate’s doorstep, my face was half reflected in the opaque glass.
I looked at the leaf bracelet on my wrist.
Once I poured my magic into it, it would transform into a vine key.
Use that to open the door and enter.
“….”
“….”
“….”
People watched me in silence.
I could feel their expectation and trembling in the air.
“Ha—” I took a breath and tried to inject magic into the bracelet.
At that instant, a high-pitched shout pierced my ears.
“Owner of the meat—get down!”
“…?!”
I reflexively stepped back.
Boom—crash! Boom—boom! Like the sky being torn apart, successive explosions erupted all around.
“Ugh!”
Even so, the blast’s shockwaves threw me.
I rolled on the ground a few times and looked up.
Far off, the Garden of All Things lay in ruins.
‘It’s a surprise attack! Then Seo Gyeoul and the kid—’
I snapped back to my senses and immediately looked for my group.
Thankfully I saw Seo Gyeoul had taken Rebecca and was evacuating them to safety.
Only then did I truly notice the surroundings.
“Aaaah—!”
“Terrorists! Evacuate everyone!”
“Officer Kim, what are you doing? Sound the alarm!”
The ground shook, people screamed and scattered.
A piercing siren began to wail.
Wheeee—!!!
‘…They’re the ones.’ In the chaos I could see masked terrorists.
They moved as if by agreement, rushing at certain facilities at high speed.
Of course the Garden of All Things was one of their targets.
“You bastards, that’s my reward!”
I pushed off the ground and chased after them.
