CH 63

“Nyaaaang (It’s such a touching story)!”

“Kitty, you have to be happy, heuk…..”

“You idiot! It’s natural to have a happy ending!”

“Who are you calling an idiot, you idiot!”

The bickering sound of the kids who were watching television brought me back to my senses.

Ey, I had a ridiculous idea. Why would a tycoon be in a place like this?

Ah, speaking of store sales, it’s still the same. How many guests came yesterday….

Anyway, there was only one customer.

He was a Hunter, but at first glance, it looked like he was doing the Hunter Channel while drinking coffee. I hope he would write a good review.

Thanks to that customer, I was able to accomplish the quest to gather 10 customers.

[Congratulations! You have completed ‘Main Quest: The Sorrow of the F-Grade Cafe’.

Please collect the reward.]

[Main Quest: The Sorrow of the F-Grade Cafe

You’ve finally got your own cafe.

But it’s still Grade F. Very few people know the existence of this cafe.

Gather customers and raise the grade, let’s rise to fame.

Meet 10 customers: 10/10

Rewards: Experience (200 EXP), 1 Golden Ticket, ???]

[Experience: 200 EXP have been acquired.]

[You have reached Level 11.]

[You have obtained 1 Golden Draw Ticket.]

[Ether-Weki has been updated.]

[The Great One is interested in you.]

[The name of <Cafe Rieul> has been passed on to many people.]

[Converts the acquired recognition to fame …. Completed.]

[The Grade of the cafe has become E.]

[The atmosphere of the cafe improves with the Grade E reward. More people pay attention to the cafe.]

[A new area has been opened in the space as the Grade E reward.]

[Name: Cafe Rieul

Grade: E

Fame: 20, Popularity: 25]

A system notification popped up, but the cumulative number of customers was 10 and the Grade was only E.

Well, what I wanted from the beginning was this kind of cafe.

I’ve saved the flower to save Choi Cedric’s sickly younger sister, and now that I don’t have to go into the dungeon, it’ll be peaceful.

“I wish it will always be this peaceful….”

Oh my goodness!

I was startled by the unintentional mumble.

I said the forbidden line. As it turns out, in a novel or manga, when the main character says something like ‘It will always be peaceful now,’  a non-peaceful event will happen.

“When I return home, I will marry my fiance.”

“I’ll wash my hands when I’m done with this.”

…. they were selected as top 3 words that should never be said.

Well … It’s gonna be okay, right?

It’s going to be fine … right?

***

After the twins with puffy eyes and Ki Yoohyun went back, I checked my watch.

There was no news even though it was almost time for Choi Yichan to come.

Did something happen? Shall I make a phone call?

Ah, that’s right. Choi Yichan still has his phone deactivated.

“….Huh?”

Then, I found a note on one side of the table. It was in an inconspicuous position because it was pressed with a coffee cup.

What’s this?

The note was written by Choi Yichan. The last sentence of the thickly written message, starting with a greeting, caught my eye first.

[I realized my shortcomings.

I will come back stronger.

— Choi Yichan]

….. What?

***

Is this all right?

The pace, which had gradually slowed, came to a complete stop. Choi Yichan looked back several times.

The red brick cafe building has now become so small that it looks the size of a fingernail even with an S-class physical ability.

【Do you regret it?】

As he stopped to look at the cafe for a while, a voice penetrated his mind. Choi Yichan answered inwardly, leaving his gaze intact.

‘No.’

【Your expression says otherwise.】

‘Noisy.’

【You’re such a picky contractor.】

It was after returning from Dungeon in Suwon that this voice began to be heard in his head. A strange voice that asked if he needed power.

Choi Yichan ignored this voice at first.

【Contractor.】

“……Kwon Ri, I’m going to run a marathon!”

“Huh?! Didn’t you say that you ran 40 km earlier?”

“I’m going to run 40 kilometers more!”

“What?!”

He must have heard those sounds because he exercised less. It’s because he felt like a crazy person.

【Isn’t it time for you to give me an answer?】

Every time he heard that sound, he ran and ran again.

No matter how much he moved his body, he did not get tired after becoming an S-class. On the contrary, he would break a cup on daily basis because he couldn’t control his strength, so running was a perfect exercise.

【You gained power through the contract, but you ignored me. In human terms, it called ‘Eat and Run’.】

“I’ll be back after doing squats!”

“Yichan-ah, again?”

【Contractor, you’re eating and running away.】

“Huuh, huu….”

【…….】

Even after becoming an S-class, the surroundings are complicated, and even the strange voice in his head bothers him.

He thought it was because he was full of energy, so he took protein and exercised again.

Then, the voice began to talk about the future.

【Next February, there will be a rift in Mt. Jirisan.】

【The phoenix is ​​lost.】

【That person is ill.】

From big events to the future of passersby. He stubbornly ignored the words he didn’t want to hear.

【Aren’t you curious what will happen to your friend?】

“What are you saying?”

But he could no longer ignore what it said about his friend, Kwon Rieul. Moreover, the content….

……she’s going to die?

His heart thumped loudly. The image of Rieul smiling well all the time flashed through his head.

How glad he was to see her again.

It was a future he didn’t even want to think about.

“What are you talking about? If it’s nonsense, I won’t let you go.”

The black pendant on his neck heated up. Choi Yichan knows this is how this mysterious voice laughs.

After laughing for a while, he continued his talk.

【You answered that you needed power. So I gave you power.】

【But, Contractor, you can’t save everything.】

“Stop talking nonsense and tell me what to do.”

【There are things you have to give up to save your friend.】

“No, I want to save everything.”

There was no wavering in his voice. Again, the pendant heated up.

【After all, I feel like I’ve been ripped off.】

“…….”

【All right, Contractor, I’ll give you a mission.】

Tiling!

[Quest: The Trial of the King in Yellow Begins.]

【You will be able to obtain the power you want at the end of the Trial.】

If so, there is no choice but to do it.

In the end, Choi Yichan left a note and left Cafe Rieul. He’s a bad liar. If she looks at his face, he will definitely be caught.

“Where should I go?”

【First … Let’s go to the Abyss over there.】

The voice pointed to the huge dungeon in front of him.

【I’m the one Who is Not to be Named. Be careful and remember.】

“You’re not Voldemort.”

【…….】

【Call me The King in Yellow, █████.】

“You should have said that earlier.”

【…….】

***

Why did Choi Yichan leave all of a sudden? What is it that he realized he’s lacking?

I was shocked to see the note left by Choi Yichan. I couldn’t think of any reason for him to leave suddenly.

It was nice to have Choi Yichan during that time, now I felt lonely.

“Are you there?”

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

“Yes! Come on in.”

“Hello. My name is Kang Hyunwoo, and I’m the head of Emergency Dungeon Countermeasures Team from the Dungeon Management Office.”

“Rieul-ssi, long time no see!”

A public official in a formal suit was standing in front of the door. Next to him was Jina.

“I came here after hearing the news that the new S-class Hunter, Choi Yichan, is here. Can I see him?”

Well, he used to be here, but…….

“He just left.”

“Then when can I see him?”

“I don’t know…?”

I handed the note left by Choi Yichan to the man in front of me.

“……!”

The two officials who checked the note were in despair.

There used to be an S-class, but now there was none.

***

“…Please drink.”

First, I made two cups of Americano for two frustrated government officials.

“This…! It’s really delicious. I can’t believe it’s the same name as black beans that only tasted bitter.”

“Right? I told you that Rieul-ssi’s coffee is delicious.”

Jina shrugged her shoulders with a proud expression.

It’s such a friendly coffee time for a moment. While drinking the Americano, the public officials’ expressions relaxed, but soon they became depressed again.

I glanced at the business card I had just received.

Hunter Kang Hyunwoo, the Head of Emergency Dungeon Countermeasures Team.

He is famous. He has the best image among Korean civil servant hunters. I remember him briefing with a stiff expression every time he appeared on the news.

‘Another piece of information is……’

It was known that his parents run a famous restaurant. I was curious, but I haven’t been able to go yet because it’s always crowded.

No, this isn’t important.

I had heard that Jina became directly under Hunter Kang Hyunwoo, but I did not expect that he would come this far on his own.

He has neatly combed hair, angular attire, modest behavior, and even though I said it was okay, he went to get the receipt and paid the coffee. He’s truly the embodiment of an FM.

His dark expression made me straighten my shoulders as well.

“Do you happen to know the contact information of Hunter Choi Yichan?”

“I know, but … you won’t be able to reach him.”

Kang Hyunwoo immediately called the number I gave him. As expected, the sound that came out was ‘No Connection….’.

“Why did he leave?”

I have a hunch. I don’t know exactly what this is, but it sounds like a fine for negligence.

In Korea, laws related to Awakened Persons are rather strict. In particular, the boundaries for the uncontrolled forces are enormous.

Every May, “It is the month of voluntarily updating the Awakened Rankings.” and “If you update your ranking, you’ll get tax reduction benefits.”, these kind of promotional materials were posted all over the city.

However, after reawakening to S-class, Choi Yichan cut off his phone and worked part-time at this cafe.

… There were so many things that bothered me. All that remains is a single note of unknown meaning, ‘I will come back stronger‘.

If this is the case, he might have a big problem. I have to make up for it somehow.

Worried about Choi Yichan, I squeezed out a suitable answer.

“That … thinking about what true strength is … Ah, that’s it. It’s like a journey to find himself!”

“…….”

It didn’t work at all. The officials are looking at me with suspicious eyes.

Kwon Rieul has gone into chaos!

At that moment.

Flutter.

A piece of paper fell from the file that Kang Hyunwoo was holding.

Due to the bright colors and the font size of 20pt, the content caught my eye even when I didn’t purposely look at it.

Is it because of copyright issues? It’s fortunate that there is no Bono X No. It was written in a design that would have made the designer’s backbone quite tingly.