CH 57

There was only one way to escape from this place: Killing the dungeon boss of Monster Hell.

The problem was that it was difficult to find the main body of Monster Hell in this wide dungeon.

I think we’re on the right way, considering the steepness of the climb, but instead of the main body, only the stems and insects that spew digestive juices were visible.

While climbing up the thick roots for a long time, Choi Cedric tapped me.

“Hey.”

“….Why?”

“Let’s rest here for a moment.”

That’s good to hear. There happened to be an empty space on one side without bugs or sticky liquids.

As Choi Cedric used a certain skill, a translucent barrier wrapped around him. Once I entered the barrier, there was less moisture and less sour smell inside, making it easier to breathe.

I flopped down on the floor and caught my breath. When I wiped my sticky hands with the wipes I took out of my inventory, I felt like I could live a little. Perhaps because of the unique damp air, walking in the dungeon was more tiring than I thought.

As I caught my breath, I had a thought.

‘I want to drink coffee….’

If I can drink just one glass of iced Americano right now, I won’t have any other wishes.

Even if it wasn’t an Americano made with skill, I might have put a Kanu Coffee in it, so I talked to Choi Cedric  while looking through inventory.

“The outside must be in a chaotic situation by now because a dungeon suddenly appeared.”

“…….”

But there is no return answer.

“Still, since I came in with the No. 2 in the rankings, it’s not such an emergency. Where did that plant otaku got something like this from?”

“…….”

Why is there no answer?

No matter how hard I looked through the inventory, there was no Kanu.

Instead, I took out the golden ticket that I got from the last quest.

[Current number of Golden Draw Tickets owned: 1]

[Please pull the handle.]

I was going to save it, but should I spin it now? I might get something better if I spin it in the dungeon.

After taking a deep breath and calming my mind, it was the moment when I was about to draw with excitement.

“….He-hey.”

“Huh? Why?”

“…….”

But again, there is no answer.

Choi Cedric messed up his hair, brushed it again with his hands, sighed, murmured something in his mouth, and finally opened his mouth again.

“……I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“You know, I grabbed you by the collar.”

At a glance, he looked at me and then lowered his head again. Looking at his face, he seemed to be really sorry.

I smiled and replied.

“Never mind. You apologized before. You must have been surprised when I suddenly burned the flower.”

“Yes, that flower….! Thank you very much. I’ll pay you back for saving that flower when we go out here. Just say anything.”

I had already thought of the price I would ask him, but I asked out of curiosity.

“What can you give me?”

“Any amount of money……! No, it’s too insincere to just pay for it with money.”

My heart is pounding….!

“Right, how about joining our guild?”

“……what?”

If it’s Choi Cedric’s guild, it’s C&L Corporation.

The largest of the Big Three guilds, the three stars of the Hunter Guild. Although it was systematic, it was famous for its tight atmosphere, such as performance pressure.

Of course, I don’t have any intention of joining that guild. Do they even accept an F-class?

I stared at Choi Cedric. He has a slightly flamboyant face, but his eyes were sincere.

Sure, his guild is the best, so he seemed to believe that I would want to join the guild.

“I’m an F-class?”

He’s not prejudiced in a weird way.

“What does the Grade have to do with it? You saved the Blue Celaeno Flower that even the plant otaku couldn’t do. You’re better than the plant otaku … yes, Plant Tentaku-nim!”

“…….”

I’m not that kind of person…….

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why? Be confident. It’s not something that anyone can do. Plant Tentaku-nim!”

“…….”

Only after pleading not to use such creepy expressions did Choi Cedric stop calling me that.

“Anyway, I have no intention of joining the guild.”

“Why? If it is my recommendation, you’ll get the free pass for all the document screening, practical test, and interview.”

It’s kind of hard to say that I don’t want to join his guild because it’s tough. After a moment of contemplation, I opened my mouth.

“I am a free spirit….”

“Huh?”

“I have no intention of staying in one place. That’s why I don’t want to join the guild.”

“Yeah, then it doesn’t matter. That would be nice.”

I was only half-joking, but, unexpectedly, Choi Cedric nodded his head obediently.

“……I envy you.”

The words he added in such a way were deeply sincere.

“This is what I want. I run a cafe.”

“Ah! You’re going to open a chain store? The head office is a little difficult with my authority, but I can give you a seat in the branch office right away.”

Are all the rankers like this? I was taken aback by the sudden, ridiculously large-scale offer.

“That’s not it! I was going to ask you to come as a guest sometimes…..”

It was at that moment when I was waving my hand to convey the exact meaning.

“……!”

Tiling, the notification sounded.

[You have acquired an item. Check your inventory.]

Heck, I guess I pressed the draw button without realizing it while I was in the middle of the conversation.

I tried to do the draw with a lot of excitement. The taste of the moment you spin it! That is the charm of Gacha!

My lucky draw!

[Item: Simple Coffee Making Kit (★★★☆☆)]

A portable coffee tool set that allows you to enjoy coffee anytime, anywhere.

Now, enjoy coffee to your heart’s content in the dungeon.

Note: New user privilege! 1 serving of coffee ingredients included.]

Soon, the regret was completely forgotten.

There was a coffee making kit in the inventory. With portable burners, moka pots and cups, enough coffee beans, and other ingredients to drink for one time.

I grumbled that I wanted coffee and something like this came out. For some reason, something useful was selected.

“Cedric, would you like some coffee?”

“Eh, now? Here? Not a buff potion, but coffee?”

“You’ll know when you drink it.”

I ignored Choi Cedric’s eyes, who was looking at me with an absurd expression. A notification popped up the moment I took the coffee making kit out of my inventory and held it in my hand.

[The condition has been met.]

[Skill: Dungeon Exploration After a Cup of Coffee (B) has been acquired.]

[Dungeon Exploration After a Cup of Coffee (B)

Details: (Lv.1) When making drinks in the dungeon, the level of perfection is increased.]

Using my new skill, I extracted espresso with mocka pot and made iced Americano. The fresh scent was relieving the fatigue. The effect of preventing energy consumption was applied immediately.

I also handed an iced Americano to Choi Cedric. However, his eyes as he receives the cup shake anxiously.

“What’s wrong? You can’t drink bitter coffee?”

“No! Who says I can’t drink it?”

Choi Cedric snatched the cup and took a sip of coffee.

… Gulp.

He tried to make a casual face, but it didn’t last long. Seeing the astringent expression that could not be hidden, I searched the inventory while holding back my laughter.

“Do you want some sugar?”

“Hey, you should’ve told me sooner if you have that!”

I also drank an iced Americano next to Choi Cedric, who added plenty of sugar to his cup.

Insect-type monsters buzzing around the barrier, stems that shoot secretions, rocking floor … the scenery cannot be called pleasant even with empty words, but the coffee was delicious anyway.

Drinking in the dungeon is quite tasteful….

Puk!

Wiiing, pooh!

A flying insect-type monster was hit by secretions. The leaves opened wide, snatching the melting insect and swallowing it. After the unpleasant squeaking sound, only the two wings of the insect-type monster were left.

“…….”

What’s with the atmosphere…..

I lost my appetite for the Monster Hell’s Meal Live Show.

I can’t wait to get out of here. After emptying all the cups, I called Choi Cedric next to me.

“Let’s get going. I can’t wait to get out of here … huh?”

In the meantime, Choi Cedric was looking into his phone screen. There’s no connection in the dungeon, but he looks very serious.

As an excuse, I didn’t mean to look at it on purpose. The picture on the screen naturally caught my eye.

“Who is it?”

“……! Wh-what are you doing? I was so surprised. Don’t look at me like that.”

It feels unreasonable that an S-class hunter complains about being surprised by an F-class hunter.

“Sorry. I won’t look at it.”

“Ehem, hmm, if you want to see it, I can show you.”

Suddenly, the phone was pushed in front of me.

“If you look at it a lot, it will wear you out, so watch it carefully.”

Are you telling me to look or not?

There was a picture of a girl in the phone screen. Peach-colored cheeks, large eyes, and thick lips; she looks pretty cute. Is she a family? If you look closely, her eyes are similar to Choi Cedric’s eyes.

“Your younger sister?”

“Yup. But when you say it like that.”

“……?”

“Isn’t she the cutest in the world? Honestly, isn’t she an angel? She’s my sister, but how can she be so pretty? Ah! She should have been a calendar model! Should I make a calendar now? But I can’t let all the idiots see a picture of our Rona.”

He poured ut a lot of silly comments without even blinking an eye. Is it a joke? It’s too much adoration for a younger sister.

“Yes, I can make it a premium limited edition!”

No, this is 100% pure sincerity. Look at his eyes. He’s that man.

Choi Cedric’s words were not a lie, the girl in the picture was cute. She’s definitely cute, but….

Choi Cedric must be 22 years old now, but the girl in the picture looks pretty young. When I looked at it carefully, she seemed to be an elementary school student. Is she a younger sister with a big age difference?

“Your sister is really young?”

“Ah, that.”

Choi Cedric’s face, who was pouring out old bulldozer comments with an excited look, quickly casted a shadow.

“This … this is the only picture I took while she was awake.”

Ah.

Was this girl the sick family of Choi Cedric that Lee Chorok talked about?

“She’s 16 years old now.”

She has to go to high school next year. Choi Cedric added with a bitter expression. He said that his younger sister, Choi Rona, suddenly fell asleep one day and did not wake up. He mobilized all available means, including potions and healers, but there was no improvement.

Suddenly, I remembered the image of Choi Cedric before the regression, who had an attitude only for the Healers. Is this the reason he doesn’t like Healer?

It’s an unreasonable feeling, but there are moments when it’s hard to endure without blaming someone.

“But it will be alright when we go out here because you saved the Blue Celaeno Flower. With that, Rona will be comfortable.”

Choi Cedric, who forcibly shook off his depression with such words, suddenly changed the topic.

“How about you?”

[Next]

Translator’s Corner:

Tentaku: 십타쿠. Otaku is 오타쿠. 오 is five, while 십 is ten. Yeah, Cedric has a peculiar humor.

Kanu Coffee is another well-known coffee product by Maxim.

Sorry for the sudden hiatus! First week of college hit me like a truck– It will be back to normal now that I finished adapting to the schedule (at least, I hope so.)