Chapter 05
Night fell, and with only faint light shining, Yonggari Café looked strangely eerie.
Crunch, grind, graaak.
Hisssss!
The sounds of something being crushed and water boiling, steam escaping, filled the air.
Rev, who had been nervous at first, now wore an expression full of anticipation.
“Hmm, a caramel scent? You must be using high-quality beans. I’ve never smelled something this good, not even when drinking coffee at the royal palace.”
“Ah, they are good beans. Beans you can only drink at our café, sir.”
“Oh!”
The nutty, bitter scent was mixed with sweetness, pleasing the nose. Rev’s expectations rose even higher.
The same was true for Walter, who had been standing stiffly at the side like a stone statue. He had given up sleep because of the order to return to the capital as quickly as possible.
In a situation like this, being greeted by the smell of coffee—his mind was already screaming for it.
Walter’s eyes were fixed on the café owner’s hands. Then he noticed something strange.
‘What is that?’
What was she using to grind the beans?
She was grinding them with a tool made of two large, flat stones stacked together. It was something he had never seen before.
Normally, beans were ground into powder using a grinder with small blades.
But this looked more like crushing than grinding.
Even so, the aroma spreading through the air was excellent, and Walter found himself sniffing unconsciously.
That wasn’t the only strange thing. The tool used to boil the water was unfamiliar as well.
‘…A small pot?’
But it was nothing like the pots Walter knew.
As a royal knight, the pots he knew were usually made of black cast iron—deep, heavy, and sturdy.
The pot the café owner was using, however, shone golden and looked very light. It also had a long handle, making it easy to use.
Unlike cast-iron pots that took ages to heat up, this one boiled water quickly.
‘A magic tool?’
But he had never heard of or seen a magic tool shaped like that. If such an innovative item existed, it would surely have become famous.
So it must be an ordinary tool.
Walter stared hard at the golden pot.
The café owner smiled lightly and pushed the pot deeper inside, out of view.
He let out a small sigh of disappointment. Then she smiled brightly and placed one teacup in front of each of them.
The cups had a classic, antique design that showed their age.
Their graceful shape, resembling lily-of-the-valley flowers, and the finely carved leaf-shaped handles stood out.
The tools alone were unusual, but even the cups looked dignified.
Even in the royal palace, he had never seen cups like these.
Rev seemed to think the same and admired them.
“The cups are very beautiful.”
“They are, right? They were passed down from my grandmother. They carry time within them, so they make the coffee taste better.”
“Oh, I see. Those are truly fine cups. Do you have more like them?”
“Of course. If you have time later, please visit the café again. By then, the inside will be properly arranged too.”
With that, the café owner picked up a transparent glass server filled with dark coffee and poured it into their cups.
The caramel scent of the beans felt stronger than ever.
“Here is your coffee. I put a lot of care into it.”
She emphasized the words “a lot.”
Walter smiled faintly and took a sip.
First came the aroma he had been smelling all along, followed by the taste.
It was smooth, sweet, and clean.
At first, he tasted a fruity sweetness. The acidity was mild, leaving a pleasant sweetness lingering on his tongue.
He had never tasted coffee this good.
Now Walter understood what she meant.
This was a flavor that could only come from genuine care.
Perhaps because of that, he felt energy returning to his tired body.
Impressed, he asked her,
“It’s too dark to read the sign clearly. What is the name of this café?”
“Ah.”
“I’m not interrogating you, um… I’ve never had coffee like this before. I’d like to come again, so I wanted to ask.”
“Ah, I see.”
The café owner let out a relieved breath and smiled brightly.
“Yonggari.”
“…Pardon?”
“This is Yonggari Café, sir.”
“I-I see! I’ll be sure to remember it.”
Walter nodded lightly and took another sip of coffee.
After finishing their cups, they left their payment on the table, exchanged brief greetings with the owner, and hurried toward the capital.
Dawn would soon break.
They had to reach the knight order before the sun fully rose. There was still quite a distance to go, but strangely, their bodies didn’t feel tired at all.
Once the café lights were no longer visible, Rev spoke.
“The café name is really unique. Hard to forget.”
“Yeah.”
The coffee, and the café owner—everything.
After the customers left—
“…That actually worked.”
I muttered weakly. I had moved so frantically that I barely remembered how I served them.
Of course I did.
The tools I had been given were… ridiculous.
Even now, it felt unreal.
No—unreal wasn’t the word. I turned my head to look at the tools I had just used to make coffee.
“Seriously… why is there a stone mill here?”
And why a brass pot?
It was so absurd I could only laugh. When Hugh brought those out, I nearly lost my mind.
I wanted to complain, but Hugh looked so proud, clearly waiting for praise, that I couldn’t say anything.
I just accepted the situation and somehow made coffee.
At least there was one good thing.
“Good thing Hugh even found coffee beans.”
That saved me the trouble of searching the shop.
And also—
“If there hadn’t been a skill correction, I’d be in real trouble.”
I almost served poison to the customers.
Maybe the game had some conscience.
The moment I put the beans into the stone mill, a window appeared before my eyes.
Making Drip Coffee!
Just follow these steps and you’ll be a coffee expert!
- Place a filter in the dripper on top of the server.
- Boil water, let it cool to the right temperature, and rinse the filter.
- Add ground coffee to the filter.
- Bloom the grounds and pour in the right amount of water.
Drip coffee complete!
The dripper, server, and filter needed for the tutorial will be provided.
They will disappear after the tutorial ends.
During the tutorial, taste is fixed at “Best.”
It was a simple explanation of how to make drip coffee.
But the most important part was the note at the bottom.
The tools were provided, and the taste was guaranteed.
That meant two things.
I didn’t have to just dump ground coffee and water into the brass pot, and I could serve at least decent coffee to customers.
And all of that was guaranteed during the tutorial.
For someone like me who had only used machines before, this “drip coffee tutorial” support was a lifesaver.
Thanks to it, I managed to make drip coffee safely.
Even if I had to pour hot water with a ladle because there was no kettle…!
‘The coffee itself was perfect.’
And the game system acknowledged it.
I shifted my gaze to the still-floating status window.
Carefully Brewed Drip Coffee!
- Coffee made with top-quality beans and sincere care.
A taste you’ll never forget.
Effect:
- Recover 10% Energy.
“If I’d known, I would’ve left some coffee…”
It had already told me to recover energy.
Still, in that situation, there was no way I could leave any.
There was barely enough coffee for two cups, and there were two customers.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
Better to be generous than get cursed at by customers.
And it wasn’t like I gained nothing.
You have brewed Carefully Brewed Drip Coffee.
- Minimum production reward: 100 Gold.
- Carefully Brewed Drip Coffee has been registered in the collection.
You can view the recipe again through the collection.
“Earning money is what matters.”
Yeah. Money is everything.
I grinned as I received the 100 gold.
Adding the quest reward to what the customers paid earlier, I had a total of 230 gold.
It wasn’t much, but it was the first money I earned after coming into this game.
Money that was completely mine.
Not money the bank would take.
Not money that would disappear as rent.
“My money.”
“It’s early game, so I’ll probably spend it right away, but…”
Nice.
Smiling, I stuffed the gold pouch away. Feeling the weight made me happy.
I was just about to hum—
Beep!
!Warning!
!!Energy remaining: 5%!!
- A debuff will activate.
Please sleep immediately (07:59:99).
The system window flashed wildly in front of my eyes.
