Chapter 31
Chapter 31: Adult Fight
For the next dungeon challenge, we decided to take a short break to regroup.
During that time, all I did was check the Subspace, work on pacifying the captured Milé, and handle various miscellaneous tasks.
Were there any notable events? About 2.
The first—I built a farm.
As it turned out, both Yuna and Silen already knew how to grow soybeans, more so than I'd expected.
When I asked how they knew….
"We had to gather our own ingredients. We know how to grow soybeans and vegetables ourselves."
That was Silen's answer.
And then, second….the Snack Bar building was finally complete.
Of course, I built it solidly. Using Milé's Mana Pattern combined with my own Spatial Magic, I was able to handle everything from the foundation work at a remarkable pace. Back in Korean construction, even without heavy machinery, pulling off that kind of build—! It was the sort of speed that would earn you 400,000 won a day.
And so Yujin Snack Bar, Branch No. 1, was finally open for business.
Even without me, farming ingredients through the first 4 floors had yielded chicken breast, chicken leg meat, eggs, tough beef, tomatoes, and more. Once I managed to get my hands on cheap flour, there turned out to be quite a lot I could make.
Yuna and Silen brought their friends to the Snack Bar, and those two hovered awkwardly before eventually finding seats.
"Ah, hello. Nice to meet you. My name is Mint."
"I-I'm Choco….."
A girl with blue hair named Mint, and a girl with dark brown hair named Choco.
Unexpectedly, there were named characters here.
Were they extraordinarily skilled or talented? No. These two were thoroughly third-rate characters. Their stats were nothing special either.
However, because their names and appearances evoked certain foods, there had been some weirdo who obsessively played only them.
They were a named regular who even went so far as to make a dedicated account. What was it called again…. MinChoKorporation, I think.
Either way, it was someone who posted daily cultivation logs writing things like, "I love mint choco but these two are trash and so hard to raise," or "I might betray mint choco today." It was actually quite entertaining.
And in the end, when they managed to raise just those 2 mint chocos and see the ending, the entire community gave a round of applause.
"What would you like to order?"
"We love sweet things…. Do you by any chance have something really sweet…?"
"I do. The peach dishes over there are all known for their rich sweetness."
"The prices are…. Wow…. Choco, the prices here are low. At this rate….."
"Yeah, I know! Then, owner. Please give us 1 serving of this Pickled Peach!"
"Understood. One serving each, yes?"
"Ah, about that…."
"Ugh…."
Mint and Choco's faces went pale.
Ah. So that's how it is.
Before they could even answer, I skillfully took out the Pickled Peach and set it in front of both of them. Their eyes began to sparkle.
"It's a service to celebrate the opening."
"Wow, wow….."
"T-Thank you!"
The two each took a bite of the Pickled Peach and both broke into wide smiles.
"It's sweet…. It's really sweet! It's delicious, Choco."
"Sob….hic….sob…. I don't even know how long it's been since I've eaten something this sweet."
Are they crying because it was that delicious….?
While they cried and ate their peach, I organized my thoughts.
"T-Thank you for the service…!"
"Owner! Thank you for the food!"
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'll bring out some Peach Iced Tea, so may I have a brief conversation with you?"
At my words, the two nodded with bright faces.
A short tea time followed.
"I see. So in essence, it's safe to say that most students have almost no allowance."
"Yes…. Because we can't earn money by conquering the Dungeon….Even if a farmer's child receives an allowance, it can't be that large…."
"Actually, the reason we came here today was because the Student Council President told us we could eat something sweet at a low price if we came here!"
Quiet, reserved Mint and bubbly Choco gave the exact same answer.
Most academy students either receive allowances from home or earn income by selling byproducts from Dungeon conquests—but since Demeter is a notoriously difficult Dungeon to conquer, it seemed the students here were even poorer than most.
When I first met Yuna and Silen, they too had said they had no money.
No matter how much food I prepared, there would be no one to eat it.
That said, giving it away for free couldn't be a healthy solution.
So I needed to find some way to resolve this….
"You two. Would you be interested in doing some part-time work?"
"P-Part-time work…? Choco, what do you think….?"
"Yes! I'm in!"
"Th-Then I'll do it too."
Their answers were to my liking.
That afternoon, I used the Mana Pass to contact Yuna and called her and Silen together.
"Teacher Yujin. Good day. I am your student, Yuna Linforce. What is the matter on which you have called for us today?"
"Blehh."
Seeing Student Council President mode Yuna in front of Mint and Choco rather than the usual Yuna, Silen made a gagging sound—though Yuna paid no mind whatsoever.
"Yuna. Silen. And Hyacinth—your temporary companion. Do you think you and the others, including Mint and Choco, can conquer the 1st floor of the Dungeon by yourselves?"
"Of course we can. Isn't that right, Silen?"
"Well…. It's not like we can't. If the 2 of us can do it, why couldn't the 4 of us?"
"Then off you go."
"Yes! Teacher Yujin! We'll be back in no time!"
"See you later, Mister."
"U-Um, Owner…. By part-time work, do you perhaps mean….?!"
"Dungeon conquest?! Am I going to conquer the Dungeon right now?!"
And so Yuna and Silen dragged Mint and Choco off toward the 1st floor of Demeter.
I'd equipped them with a few cheap iron swords and leather gear, so they wouldn't be in any mortal danger, even if the equipment was on the cheap side.
Right then.
Let me focus on other things. With that thought, I was about to start my culinary research when someone arrived at the Snack Bar.
"Hello…."
"Hyacinth. Come on in."
"Y-Yes…. Um, Yuna and Silen just left—along with 2 kids I didn't recognize. Did something happen?"
"I sent those 4 to conquer the 1st floor of the Dungeon on their own."
"Oh…. I-I see. So that means right now, it's just you and me here alone, Owner Yu-Yujin….."
"So it would seem."
"Take care of yourself. Thank you for your hard work. I'll come visit again next time. Farewell then."
"Wait."
"Eek?!"
Just as Hyacinth gave a quick bow and tried to leave, I stopped her.
"Spare me a little time. There are things I'd like to hear from you."
"I-I don't know anything, though…. Just think of me as a Hyacinth who knows nothing and….."
"Come to think of it, I fried some chicken. Let's talk over food."
"Ugh…."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Hyacinth stepped inside the Snack Bar.
.
.
.
.
Hyacinth Anemone was flustered.
"Rudra Dungeon is completely different from Demeter. The way it works is….."
"It's essentially a proficiency-assessment type Dungeon. It only tests how hard you can hit a training dummy—though from the 6th floor onwards, the monsters do start fighting back, don't they?"
"Yes. That's why Rudra Academy has most students choose to graduate after conquering the 5th floor. Real combat is dangerous, after all."
"Haha, that's right. I know it well."
This man right in front of her.
A scoundrel who commanded 2 students named Yuna and Silen and manipulated them at will, working in the suspicious-beyond-all-doubt profession of Culinary Researcher.
And yet…. the bottom line was that his cooking was genuinely good. This dish he had named Fried Chicken was something Hyacinth had never seen in her entire life, and it had been so delicious it nearly brought her to tears.
On top of that, his knowledge was vast—and more than anything else, what stuck in her mind was the Path of Mana he had shown her that day. The mana thread that had laid out the trajectory for her Air Cutter to fly along—just thinking about it, Hyacinth felt as though her body might tremble all over again.
Spirit Masters were an extraordinarily rare class, so much so that she couldn't even find a proper teacher. Having cultivated her own talents entirely through self-study up to now, she had no idea what kind of magic high-level mages used, nor what kind of guidance she might receive from them.
And then, for the first time, she received guidance from someone in a far higher place reaching down to her. In the Path of Mana that Yujin had extended, that something was present.
The moment she struck down the Dark Energy-corrupted Ogre with her own Air Cutter—the sense of omnipotence Hyacinth felt was beyond words.
"And speaking of which—you worked hard during the Ogre hunt. It must have been an incredibly grueling fight."
"Ah…. Yes. Th-Thank you."
She was flustered by the sudden praise.
He's trying to win me over like he did with Yuna and Silen. I won't be swayed. Having rebuilt her mental defenses with that thought, Hyacinth stole a sideways glance at Yujin.
How old was he? His appearance alone suggested his 20s. An expressionless face, with eyes that seemed nothing but parched. Looking at his build, he wasn't in a close-combat class. Yet—against all expectation—his body, when you actually looked at it, was trained….
"Hyacinth."
"Y-Yes-heh?!"
"Why so startled?"
"Ah, n-no…. It's nothing."
"So then. What are your impressions of coming to Demeter?"
"Hmm…. It's poor."
"Precisely. Haha."
He was laughing—yet even that laugh looked parched. Either way, moments like this made him seem more suspicious than ever.
But then, impressions of Demeter….
She had felt quite a lot in various ways, so she decided to speak without putting on airs.
"It's new. Good food. Cooperating with friends. Hunting monsters. Exterminating a powerful enemy tainted by Dark Energy…. These are all experiences I could never have had at Rudra."
"Was it good?"
"That's…."
If he asked whether it was good—she wasn't sure.
Rudra Academy awarded a diploma to any student who conquered the 6th floor whenever they chose.
In the first place, the only way a third-rate academy survived was by selling graduation certificates. They were just barely maintaining the status quo.
As Student Council President who had conquered the 5th floor in the shortest time on record, she had tried to change that Rudra. She didn't want to stagnate—even if her talent was meager, she wanted to believe in herself and press forward into the future.
"It wasn't…. good, I think. It was scary, and hard. Honestly, my hands are still shaking from the fight with the Ogre."
"Is that so?"
But the fact that it wasn't good didn't necessarily mean it was bad.
Only then did Hyacinth understand.
"Classifying it as good or bad…. I can't do that. But…. Incredibly—yes, incredibly….."
She continued, as if speaking to Yujin, and also as if speaking to herself.
"I don't know why, but…. my heart was pounding."
"Your heart was pounding? Is that a good thing?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure how I should…. evaluate this Demeter…."
"Hmm. Is that really such a difficult answer? Look over there."
Outside the door that Yujin pointed to—
At the far end of that view, there were 4 people returning, covered in dirt yet smiling.
Yuna and Silen watched the other 2 with exasperated expressions, while Mint and Choco hoisted the 1st-floor boss's byproducts high above their heads with both hands.
"It looks like they've safely finished conquering the 1st floor. I've decided to buy the byproducts Mint and Choco brought back. In exchange for a little silver coin and a 10-use coupon for Pickled Peach."
"Huh? Why? The pay seems too generous…. And couldn't Yuna and Silen go alone?"
"Look at Mint and Choco. Aren't they smiling?"
"Yes…. They are. They're smiling so brightly…. I'm almost envious just watching them….."
"That is the smile of those who can believe in tomorrow."
"Tomorrow…?"
"That's right. The sense of achievement from successfully conquering a Dungeon and accomplishing something on their own. The fantasy of having a little extra money to change even 1 outfit or 1 pair of shoes to something new. And the anticipation of being able to eat the Pickled Peach I'll give them 10 whole times. All of that combined gives them the certainty that they can live a tomorrow better than today."
Yujin gave Hyacinth's shoulder a light pat and smiled.
"Hyacinth. The smile those two are wearing right now—it's identical to the expression you had on your face until just a moment ago."
"Ah…."
At those words from Yujin, the time since coming to Demeter struck her like lightning.
Receiving the beginner mage set. Challenging the Dungeon. Fighting monsters.
Encountering a powerful enemy. Receiving magical guidance. Gaining certainty in her own strength.
And as a reward, even obtaining a remarkable treasure called the Mana Growth Herb.
And at last—
"I can move forward."
It was hard and frightening, and sometimes it might hurt—but even so, she could head into the future without rotting away.
With her feelings now settled, she was able to reach a verdict on Demeter.
She smiled brightly then, and bowed her head to Yujin.
"Thank you. Yujin. I've realized that there's still so much I want to learn here in Demeter. I look forward to your continued guidance."
"Yes. Understood."
At that courteous bow, Yujin smiled back and gave a nod.
And the next day.
An official letter from Rudra Academy arrived, demanding the return of Hyacinth Anemone.