Chapter 16
Who Says So?
“Are you saying you really cook the dishes yourself?”
Sori was in the middle of briefly introducing herself after guiding the four people who had entered with Gi-jun—five in total—to their seats.
But Gi-jun kept twisting her words at every turn.
“I’m surprised. I didn’t think you’d actually cook yourself. I assumed you had someone else doing it.”
He’s basically asking when I got so good at cooking. Ugh, so annoying.
“We used to have someone, but they quit not long ago.”
Sori tried her best to respond kindly.
“This is Happiness Restaurant, right?”
One of the hunters sitting next to Gi-jun asked.
“I never imagined there’d be a restaurant inside a dungeon. You’re awakened, right? Connecting to a dungeon doesn’t seem like an easy ability.”
He sounded genuinely curious.
“It’s not me. I’m not awakened. I think the previous owner was. Hoho. I just took over and am running the place.”
“Oh, I see.”
The hunter nodded in admiration.
“I think I came here once before, but I had no idea the owner was an awakened person back then.”
“Ah…”
“When did you redo the interior? It’s pretty unique.”
Sori laughed it off.
As expected, Gi-jun showing up at the restaurant had flustered her. But at the same time, she found herself thinking, Is this the skill’s effect? and felt a little impressed. Skills really were the best.
She glanced at the mood status numbers floating above their heads.
Current Mood Status: +30
Current Mood Status: +40
Current Mood Status: +20
Current Mood Status: +35
The scores were all similar. Maybe because they’d stumbled upon a restaurant inside a dungeon, everyone seemed to be in a fairly good mood.
…Except for one person.
Current Mood Status: -100
How fascinating. They’d long since become strangers—yet he still had that much resentment?
Not like I feel any better, though.
Anyway, it was time to choose the menu.
“Today’s special is Bird Stew. Would you like to try it?”
She had to sell Bird Stew, but she at least pretended to give them options.
“Hmm.”
The hunters studied the menu, eyes darting across it, and two of them spoke up.
“Can’t we order something other than Bird Stew?”
“This Goblin Skewer looks good.”
“I’ll have the Golden Muslang Steak.”
Sori panicked. That won’t work. I need to get rid of the Slime Roast quickly.
“So is only Bird Stew available?”
Gi-jun asked with a smirk.
Current Mood Status: +70
His mood suddenly flipped 180 degrees.
Wow. What a jerk. He’s enjoying this.
He must’ve figured out she needed to serve Bird Stew.
Hmph. Says who?
“Oh no, of course not, sir. Then one Goblin Skewer, one Golden Muslang Steak, and four Bird Stews, correct?”
“Yes!”
The hunters answered cheerfully.
Other ingredients could always be bought from the Hunter Market with gold.
As she turned away, Gi-jun’s lips curled up slightly. Though his gaze was on the table, his thoughts were written all over his face.
Hoo. Endure. Just endure.
On her way back to the kitchen with the menu, Min-jeong quickly whispered,
“Why is he here?”
She looked startled.
“How should I know? I was surprised too. I don’t think he knew I was here.”
“Really? I’ll get going then. Can’t take up your time. I’ll call you!”
Muttering “This is a scoop, a scoop,” Min-jeong hurried out.
Slime (F) Roast ×7
→ Slime (F) Roast ×6
The moment she entered the kitchen, Sori searched for the recipe book.
“So five customers have arrived, Awakened One.”
John sang cheerfully, shaking his spikes.
“Ugh, whatever. Be quiet.”
She didn’t have time for his antics.
“Goblin Skewer… here it is. And where’s the Golden Muslang Steak?”
No matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find it.
“Why isn’t it here?”
Irritation crept in.
“What do you seek, Awakened One?”
“The Golden Muslang Steak recipe isn’t here.”
“Did you not receive it as a quest reward?”
“A quest?”
Come to think of it—among the rewards from the big cleaning quest—
Golden Muslang Steak Recipe ×1
There it was, neatly stored in her inventory.
“Found it! Thanks, John!”
Sori lifted John up and planted a big kiss on his cheek. He puffed his cheeks in shock.
“Eek! What are you doing?!”
“Goblin Skewer requires goblin meat… and Golden Muslang Steak needs… let’s see… the hind leg of the boss Golden Raccoon. John!”
“What now?”
He was busy wiping off the cheek she’d kissed.
“If it’s Boss Golden Raccoon… that means it’s a boss monster, right?”
“Asking the obvious again, Awakened One. You should study more—”
“Right, thanks!”
She opened the Hunter Market.
“Goblin.”
Frozen Goblin. Price: 300 gold
“…”
Her jaw dropped.
“Are they insane? It’s just a goblin!”
She didn’t actually know much about goblins, but she couldn’t help ranting at the steep price.
“Did I not tell you? If you don’t like it, go hunt it yourself.”
John yawned elegantly.
“Fine. Next, Boss Golden Raccoon.”
But the window flickered and wouldn’t show results.
“What’s wrong?”
Then a message appeared.
No search results found!
“What? Why?”
Search for Golden Raccoon instead?
“No, I need the boss version.”
John tapped her arm again, looking exasperated.
“Awakened One.”
“What?”
She looked near tears.
“To think they’d sell a boss monster in such an easily accessible market. Isn’t that a bit shameless?”
“…Seriously? You could’ve said that earlier!”
“I thought you already knew.”
He shrugged.
“Ugh. Then there’s no way.”
She’d have to tell them the Golden Muslang Steak couldn’t be made.
And she’d have to see that smug grin again.
Reluctantly, Sori carried the menu back to the table.
“Um, I’m sorry…”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Is something wrong?”
The hunters looked concerned.
“The Golden Muslang Steak isn’t available right now. We don’t have the ingredients.”
“Oh, I see. That’s fine! Then I’ll switch to Goblin Skewer. That’s available, right?”
He smiled brightly.
She desperately wanted to suggest switching to Bird Stew instead, but with Lee Gi-jun sitting there, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
“Yes. Then two Goblin Skewers.”
“Thank you!”
Gi-jun now looked openly amused.
She bought the goblin meat from the Hunter Market.
Frozen Goblin ×2 purchased.
600 gold paid!
“Insane price.”
Balance: 50 gold
“…I’ll have to keep running the tutorial dungeon.”
Before she became completely broke.
Clutching her aching heart, Sori placed the frozen goblins on the counter.
“Let’s try a single perfect roast.”
Skill: Perfect Roast (C) activated.
Cooking skills were best used for cooking.
The frozen goblins were instantly transformed into delicious-looking grilled meat.
“Skewer them.”
She added spices, sauce, and side vegetables according to the recipe book.
“Perfect.”
Goblin Skewers, surprisingly well executed. They resembled lamb skewers, but with far juicier meat—softer and sweeter in aroma than lamb, with a chocolate-like color.
Maybe Min-jeong was right. Maybe she really did have talent for cooking.
“Even the plating is flawless.”
She carried the finished dishes to the table.
Except for Gi-jun, the hunters devoured the food with blissful expressions. They’d never tasted something this exquisite—even in luxury hotels.
Mood Status: +60
Mood Status: +65
Mood Status: +70
Mood Status: +65
Their moods were much higher than before.
This is what running a business feels like.
Gi-jun, however, was different.
Mood Status: +85
Despite having the highest mood score, he wore a frown and pretended to eat reluctantly.
When their eyes briefly met, he coughed awkwardly and returned to his food.
Unbelievable.
After finishing everything, he casually remarked,
“It’s better than I expected.”
He seemed to be enjoying teasing her.
“I’m glad to hear that. Hoho.”
Her laughter sounded stiff. He smirked again.
So annoying.
“Oh, it’s not just better than expected. It’s the best meal you can get in a dungeon! Right, Team Leader?”
But Gi-jun stood up without replying.
“We’ve got a long way to go. If you’re done, let’s move.”
No more business here.
It’s the first time we’ve met since breaking up, and he acts like I’m that unbearable?
Not that she’d wanted him to be overly friendly either.
She couldn’t quite define the feeling—just a tiny leftover fragment of emotion from someone she once dated.
“How do we pay?”
“You can pay in gold.”
“Incredible. A dungeon restaurant that takes gold.”
One hunter paid for all five.
850 gold has been deposited!
“Here’s your receipt.”
“Thank you!”
Wow. What a marvelous payment amount.
Five people spending 850 gold—basically 8.5 million won for a meal.
For the first time ever, she’d had a group of five customers.
A brief flicker of guilt surfaced—but the four hunters looked absolutely delighted.
That was enough.
They prepared to leave.
Now. She had to get rid of the remaining Slime Roast.
Word of mouth is my happiness.
But—
Cannot use this skill on targets currently under its effect!
“What?!”
Her face fell.
The hunters turned toward her at once. Gi-jun stared straight at her.
“I-Is something wrong, ma’am? A monster, perhaps?!”
Given the dungeon connection, they immediately went on guard.
“N-No! I just remembered something I left on the stove. Haha. Sorry.”
They relaxed.
“I see. Then we’ll be off. Hope your business thrives!”
“Travel safely.”
They left through the door.
Including Lee Gi-jun.
“Ha…”
Her legs gave out, and Sori slowly sank to the floor.
