Chapter 34 : Cheese and Blood

“You just need to take this with you.”

When receiving the Blessing of the Sun Sanctuary, ordinary people usually offer Magic Stones to the statue.

So when Jang Dojin asked what he should offer, Yuseong answered like this.

“Mozzarella cheese.”

What Yuseong handed over was a chunk of cheese left over from last night.

“Do statues like cheese…? I heard someone once offered meat, but the statue got angry and cursed them.”

However, Jang Dojin hesitated, somewhat scared.

No one but Yuseong knew the standards for an offering that would satisfy the Mouse Statue, so it was only natural.

“What? Of course it likes it. Why would it hate cheese?”

But Yuseong looked rather bewildered.

He had an expression as if Jang Dojin was talking nonsense.

“Well… I don’t really know.”

“Come on, mice like cheese. What else would they like?”

“Mice like cheese?”

Jang Dojin looked completely clueless.

“Yeah, haven’t you watched Tom and Jerry?”

If you’ve seen that American animation about a mouse and a cat constantly at odds, you wouldn’t ask that question.

According to Yuseong’s standards, the idea that mice like cheese was just common knowledge.

“Tom and… Jerry? That’s the first time I’m hearing that.”

“What?”

Jang Dojin said it was the first time he’d ever heard of it.

Yuseong scolded him like he couldn’t believe it.

“Started in 1945 and even exported to Korea in the 1970s, and you don’t know Tom and Jerry? Don’t lie to me!”

“Ah, bro, you’re choking me!”

Yuseong grabbed Jang Dojin’s collar and shook him, but Jang’s words weren’t a lie.

“We weren’t even born back then. How would we know such an old cartoon? Come on.”

“Damn, kids these days… You don’t even know Ratatouille or Mr. Sushi King!”

Yuseong roughly let go of Jang Dojin’s collar.

Before the Great Cataclysm, Yuseong enjoyed cartoons, animations, and movies—especially those featuring food.

Although their actual age difference was only two years, Jang Dojin’s attitude made Yuseong feel like an old man.

“Mice like cheese; that’s just common sense.”

“Y-yes, y-yes.”

“If you don’t want to, use Magic Stones. Of course, that’ll cost you four times the price.”

“Cheese, cheese it is!”

Jang Dojin hurriedly nodded.

Yuseong clicked his tongue and began organizing the rest of the ingredients.

Yesterday, the two of them had eaten a whole kilogram of cheese.

Just the cheese weight on the pizza crust was that much, so they had definitely consumed a lot.

Still, there were 506 grams of cheese left.

They’d be staying on this layer for a while, but since the cheese had no preservatives added, it was hard to keep for long.

Plus, the space in the Boraeng Box was limited.

“We can’t just throw this away. What should we do with it?”

According to Yuseong’s values, wasting ingredients was unthinkable.

While staying in this layer, there would be many things to make using Holstein King’s milk.

They planned to make butter, leftover cream, and more.

They needed to figure out how to use up the cheese.

“For now, let’s go to the sanctuary.”

Yuseong packed up his things and slung on his backpack.

Today, he would just do what needed to be done.

As always, he would find a way, no matter what.

***

It was early morning now.

Just as Yuseong had expected, unlike yesterday, there was no line in front of the statue.

But there was a familiar face.

Some Red Eye members were in a fight with others from the previous layer.

“Damn, those punk bastards have no shame. Running into us here.”

“Punk? Damn it, you guys have gotten all high and mighty. How’s the ‘Enemy’? That bastard doing well?”

“Enemy? You rude little bastards. How’s that damn Ppang?”

“Ppang? That guy is like a brother to our big boss!”

“No one called him Gu Chilseong, though. Looks like you guys also called Gu Chilseong ‘Ppang.’ Haha.”

Their words were childish, but the atmosphere was deadly serious, like they were about to draw weapons any moment.

Jang Dojin muttered.

“That’s Red Eye and Seven Stars, right?”

“Seven Stars, you know them?”

“Yes, look at that mark. They’re known rivals of Red Eye. I heard they’re pretty rough. Originally, they were a camp.”

“So you know some stuff like that?”

“I saw it on the internet.”

Jang Dojin was proud to be explaining to Yuseong after a long time.

But actually, Yuseong already knew Seven Stars.

The seven stars on their suits were familiar to him as well.

Yuseong had a bad relationship with Seven Stars’ Guild Master.

“Gu Chilseong… so it was a small guild back then.”

Yuseong hadn’t always played solo.

He had joined the clearing party with a few guilds before.

Some left good memories, some bad.

Of course, Seven Stars was overwhelmingly on the latter side.

Gu Chilseong later raised Seven Stars to become one of the top 12 domestic guilds.

In that process, using any means necessary, Yuseong was harmed.

Always cautious but possessing great healing abilities, Gu Chilseong trusted Yuseong to take the front line in dangerous situations.

But when such things happened repeatedly, even Yuseong inevitably got seriously injured and collapsed.

And when Yuseong fell in the middle of the clearing operation…

“They just abandoned me. Plain and simple.”

Seven Stars chose to leave Yuseong behind to avoid weakening their combat strength, effectively letting him die.

One could say it was a rational decision.

Though from Yuseong’s perspective, it was hard to accept.

“When I tried to take revenge later, the guild was already gone.”

By the time Yuseong had become a capable adventurer, Gu Chilseong was dead and Seven Stars had disbanded.

Most adventurers had died or disappeared by the time the Abyss’s deepest layers were cleared.

“Ah, Yuseong.”

At that moment, Red Eye’s Cheon Younghun, who was in the middle of a tense face-off, recognized Yuseong.

In an instant, all eyes shifted to Yuseong.

The fight momentarily died down.

Seven Stars members also whispered as they recognized him.

“…Baek Yuseong?”

“That’s him. The guy from Mitube.”

They murmured among themselves as they recognized Yuseong.

“They know you here too.”

“That’s enough.”

Yuseong clicked his tongue and continued walking.

“If you’re not receiving a blessing, we’ll pass first.”

Without hesitation, Yuseong walked right between Red Eye and Seven Stars.

The Seven Stars members, overwhelmed by Jang Dojin’s size behind him, stepped back hesitantly.

“That bastard…”

One of the Seven Stars guild members cursed as Yuseong ignored them and passed.

At that moment, their leader Jang stopped them.

“Hold on.”

He gestured toward what Yuseong was carrying.

“Huh?”

“Looks like he’s attempting some kind of challenge. Let’s watch and see.”

It was rumored even Seven Stars had heard that the statues on this 8th layer accepted offerings other than Magic Stones.

Of course, they didn’t know the exact standards.

But they did know most adventurers failed to meet those standards.

“Damn, that guy’s got no shame. Just like on broadcast, huh, brother?”

“Exactly. His face is too slick, I don’t like him.”

He secretly hoped the statue would reject Yuseong’s offering.

His refined looks and calm demeanor rubbed him the wrong way.

Red Eye shared similar feelings, looking on at Yuseong with expectation.

Cheon Younghun focused on the cheese in Yuseong’s hand.

“Looks like he’s using something other than Magic Stones.”

“Yeah, that white thing… What is it? An egg?”

Go Byeong Jae, standing nearby, momentarily forgot the fight and stared at Yuseong.

“But shouldn’t he stop that? I’ve never seen anyone succeed doing this.”

“Hmm… From what I see, he’s not the kind to just rely on luck or superstition.”

Red Eye had high hopes for Yuseong.

And when Yuseong and Jang Dojin stood before the statue,

The statue recognized Yuseong.

“Pip, pip. Priest of the Sun Sanctuary. What brings you here?”

Red Eye and Seven Stars watching were all shocked.

“What? Did I just hear that right? Priest?”

“Yeah, I think it said priest.”

“Pfft, what special offering did you bring this time? Pip. I still can’t grant you more blessings here though.”

Those watching finally understood what the statue’s words meant.

“So you’ve been blessed before with something besides this?”

“Being called a priest… Now that you mention it, I heard rumors among the vanguard about that, brother.”

“Yeah, me too, Byeong Jae. I thought it was just a rumor.”

It was said that offering a very special sacrifice at the Sun Sanctuary could achieve a special feat.

According to the statue’s words, Yuseong had just accomplished that feat.

Despite the astonished murmurs behind him, Yuseong requested on behalf of Jang Dojin.

“Not for me, for this friend.”

He pointed at Jang Dojin and then put the chunk of mozzarella cheese into the statue’s mouth.

“Good. It smells delightful.”

Crunch.

The statue’s mouth snapped greedily.

A moment of silence followed.

The statue did not move with its mouth closed.

Those watching started whispering.

“Uh oh, it’s a failure.”

“Step back, it might curse us.”

Seven Stars openly laughed, already counting on Yuseong’s failure.

Even Jang Dojin began to worry.

“Bro, aren’t we screwed?”

“Trust me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Then the statue began to tremble.

Drrr, drrr, drrr.

The vibration grew stronger until the statue was visibly shaking.

Its eyes and mouth suddenly snapped open, and a light shot out.

“Choi Choi Choi Goooo Ya Ya Ya!”

Like an old karaoke microphone with an echo effect, the statue’s voice boomed loudly.

“What kind of perfect offering is this? I feel a vitality symbolizing the sun, pip pip!”

Though no one understood the connection between the sun and mozzarella cheese, the statue was deeply moved.

If it were a living creature, it would have been shedding tears of joy.

“This rich, savory scent symbolizes the warm sunlight beating down. Its overflowing power symbolizes the abundant nature as well!”

“What a professional-level critique from a statue.”

“Priest! I grant you the Priest’s Blessing of four weeks! I regret I cannot grant you more, pip!”

An unprecedented compliment.

The expressions of the watchers were varied.

Red Eye’s faces were wide with surprise and admiration, while Seven Stars’ faces turned pale.

The glow from the statue, which normally surprised even artifacts, shone brightly on Jang Dojin.

It was far brighter than what ordinary people received.

“It’s a success, bro!”

“See? Mice really do like cheese.”

“Tom and Jerry, right?”

The statue ended with an even more playful comment.

“Pip pip, with this offering, the Sun God would be delighted. I want some more, hehe. I can’t give you more Priest’s Blessings, but I’ll give you as many Blessings as you want. Come again. Pip pip.”

It was joyous news.

The statue, which usually refused a second offering, told them to bring more.

Although they probably wouldn’t return to the 8th layer for a while, they had now secured several more Blessings of the Sun.

Yuseong turned and left with Jang Dojin.

The gazes of the watchers were fixed on him.

“Hmm, now we just need to meet the clear conditions and stay a little longer.”

As Yuseong thought this, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“Yuseong, it’s really good to see you again here!”

“Yuseong, how have you been? I didn’t even get a chance to greet you properly last time. I truly regret that.”

They were Cheon Younghun and Go Byeong Jae from Red Eye.

When these rough-looking men started tearing up as they approached, Yuseong recoiled in horror.

“Hey, don’t come closer.”

“Haha, what’s that supposed to mean between us, Yuseong?”

“What do you mean, ‘between us’?”

Yuseong responded coldly, but Cheon Younghun smiled as warmly as he could.

To him, Yuseong, who had brought something strange and received a blessing, looked like a savior.

Since they’d likely be stuck exploring the 9th layer for a while, receiving even a 7th-grade Magic Stone blessing only lasts ten days.

Besides, the guild’s warehouse was in a terrible state, so offering 8th or 9th-grade stones was difficult.

“Well, I don’t know what that white thing is, but can you help us out a bit?”

“What? You want this?”

“No, no, we’re not that shameless. We’re not asking to buy it all. Just enough for us to receive the blessing.”

Cheon Younghun pleaded earnestly.

Yuseong was secretly tempted.

He had just offered about 0.569 kilograms of cheese, but still had 4.5 kilograms left.

Without storage space, it was quite a predicament.

If Red Eye bought the cheese, it would be like catching two birds with one stone.

“How much?”

“There are five of us. We want to buy a lot, but we’re short on cash.”

“Sir, since it’s a guild purchase, let’s be honest with each other.”

Yuseong immediately switched to a commanding tone.

Cheon Younghun noticed but was too desperate to refuse.

“Well, then, Yuseong, you set the price.”

“Hmm.”

Yuseong pondered.

Mozzarella made from Holstein King’s milk.

If this had been real dairy from a real cow and sold at overseas auctions, it would have made a fortune.

But that was unrealistic.

After all, it was cheese they couldn’t even finish eating.

If he were to set a reasonable price…

“Let’s say 400.”

For five people, that’s 2.5 kilograms.

Selling it for the equivalent of a large corporation’s monthly salary wouldn’t be bad.

“Th-that’s a bit expensive.”

“If you don’t want it, then don’t buy it.”

Yuseong’s face stiffened instantly.

He was trying to dispose of a rare food item cheaply, only to have the price challenged here.

His pride would never forgive that.

“N-no! Fine! Fine!”

“If you say another word, I’m leaving.”

“Of course. We’re going to be good friends from now on.”

“I don’t know about that.”

In the end, Cheon Younghun had no choice but to placate Yuseong hurriedly.

And what he said next was something Yuseong hadn’t even considered.

“Well then, five units for 20 million won. I’ll transfer it to your account.”

“…What?”

Yuseong couldn’t understand Cheon Younghun’s words for a moment.

Cheon Younghun noticed Yuseong’s confusion.

“Don’t worry, we’ll handle taxes and everything. We’ll write a proper contract too. That’s settled, right?”

“Of course. Sounds good.”

Yuseong nodded, trying to look as calm as possible.

The cheese he valued at 4 million won was sold for 20 million.