There was a famous hotteok stand at the market entrance, but the line was so long I didn’t even dare to try it.
“Dad! I want to try that!”
…I’m someone who hates waiting in lines, but there was no way I could refuse Byeol’s request.
“Alright, let’s wait.”
We joined the queue.
Since hotteok is a food that comes out fairly quickly, the line moved at a decent pace. By the time we reached the middle, I looked back and saw that the line stretching behind us was even longer than when we first arrived.
‘What should I call it? I feel a bit proud the more people there are behind me. Maybe I should say I’m happy because it feels like I got in line early.’
“Hehe, Dad. I’m excited.”
“You are?”
“Yeah!”
“Me too.”
Once we reached the very front, I actually felt a bit of a thrill. I started wondering just how delicious it must be for the wait to be this long.
“How many would you like?”
“Two hotteok, please.”
“Understood — !”
The hotteok came out faster than expected.
While waiting, the sweet smell of the honey had been agonizing, so I was overjoyed at the thought of finally taking a bite.
“Dad, let’s eat!”
“Alright, let’s try it.”
Byeol and I bit into our hotteok at the same time. The thick dough, which had absorbed plenty of oil, gave way with a pleasant crunch, and the seeds and honey inside flowed out.
Not wanting to miss a single drop, I sucked up all the honey dripping into the paper cup. Then, Byeol and I smiled at each other simultaneously.
“…!”
“It’s delicious!”
“You’re right, it’s really good!”
(Returning from the Demon World): It’s been a while; I really want some hotteok too.
(Anonymous 1): Ask him for a tribute.
(Returning from the Demon World): It’s not that serious. I’ll take my tributes during dinner and late-night snacks. I need to have some beer, too.
(Anonymous 1): True, the thought of beer keeps crossing my mind.
(Warrior Living in Death): Lately, I’ve been browsing the Coin Shop constantly.
(Returning from the Demon World): To buy a craft beer keg?
(Warrior Living in Death): Exactly.
(Returning from the Demon World): I’ve been looking too, but it was a limited edition, so it doesn’t seem to be available anymore.
(Anonymous 1): T_T
By the time we finished the hotteok and our mouths felt a bit sticky.
“Dad, I’m hungry!”
Byeol was still hungry. Holding her hand, I walked into a soup restaurant not far from the hotteok stand.
It was a place that looked like a long-standing, authentic restaurant.
When in Busan, one must have pork soup, right? As soon as we entered, I ordered two servings of pork soup. Come to think of it, Byeol had never had a proper bowl of gukbap before.
“Hehe, it looks yummy.”
Byeol salved as she looked at the photo of the soup on the menu.
The milky broth filled the earthenware pot, topped with a generous amount of pork. Just as I started to worry that the actual dish might not be as bountiful as the photo.
“Your soup is served.”
A bowl even more generous than the photo arrived. Since I hadn’t ordered the rice separately, it was already mixed into the broth. I could see the pork and various offal nearly overflowing the pot.
“Wow — ! It looks so good!”
(Returning from the Demon World): You need chives in pork soup.
(Anonymous 1): That means buchu.
(Returning from the Demon World): How did you know?
(Anonymous 1): I’m Anonymous, the Earth expert.
(Returning from the Demon World): I’ll give you that.
I had to agree as well. Anonymous even knew the local dialects.
“Byeol, you can add chives and seasoned paste here to adjust the flavor before you eat.”
“Yup!”
Byeol didn’t ask me to do it for her; she carefully tried to season it on her own. She added a bit of seasoned paste and took a sip.
When it felt bland, she tried adding a bit of salted shrimp.
‘…Is Byeol a returner too?’
She knew how to eat gukbap so well that the thought naturally crossed my mind. After quickly finishing the seasoning, Byeol looked at me.
“Are you done too, Dad?”
“Yeah, I’m done.”
“Hehe, then let’s eat! You go first, Dad!”
Insisting that the adult pick up the spoon first—my Byeol was so polite.
(Messenger of Cheongha): Kweeeh — !
(Anonymous 1): Byeol is going to save this world.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): With that kind of cuteness, she could definitely save the world.
Following Byeol’s lead, I picked up my spoon and took a mouthful of soup. The seasoning blended perfectly into the savory and clean broth.
The umami and spiciness of the paste hit my tongue, followed by the deep-cooked meat boasting its distinct aroma and presence.
However, after only a few chews, the meat crumbled softly, contributing to the overall smooth texture that allowed the food to go down easily.
It would be a mistake to think that you can’t taste it properly just because the food goes down quickly.
Up until the moment it passed my throat, the warmth of the soup relaxed my entire body, and the savory flavor spread far and wide.
‘…Is this why people say Busan is all about pork soup?’
I resolved to try making pork soup myself using Black Pig meat if I got the chance later.
“Byeol, how is it?”
Since Byeol was unusually quiet while eating, I worried that it might not suit her palate.
‘…I guess there was no need to worry.’
Byeol had her nose practically buried in the bowl as she inhaled the food.
“Hehe, it’s delicious! It’s really savory!”
I wiped a grain of rice from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled. Byeol gave me a beaming smile in return.
“That was a great meal!”
After finishing every last drop of the broth, we left the restaurant and strolled through the market a bit more. Since we had rinsed our mouths with warm soup after the hotteok, it was time for something cold.
We each grabbed a slushie, something found in any market, and continued people-watching. Since it was the weekend, there were many people, yet it wasn’t overwhelmingly crowded.
While the popular shops had long lines, the paths themselves were relatively comfortable to walk.
“Byeol, are you full?”
“Yup, but I can eat more if I try!”
“Haha, then is there anything else you want to eat?”
Byeol pointed her finger somewhere. It was a simple fried snack stand selling deep-fried snow crab legs and red crab legs.
“I want that!”
“Alright, let’s get that.”
Red crab has a very strong salty taste, while snow crab is a bit cleaner and more savory. Without hesitation, I bought the fried snow crab.
As soon as we received the fried legs, we popped them into our mouths. The characteristic crispy texture of freshly fried food was wonderful.
After the savory batter shattered, the crab meat wrapped softly around the tongue. With every bite, the clean flavor, subtle sweetness, and umami exploded.
I couldn’t stop eating even for a second to catch my breath.
(Anonymous 1): …Make sure to cook that for us too.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Yeah, go hunt some monsters and make it for us!
I nodded. I planned to do a full sweep of a subjugation soon and register Earth-style dishes made from monster meat in my shop.
‘I’ll register them all within a week.’
(Anonymous 1): Good, give us tributes and register them. When you register them, make them a bit cheap.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Registering them for a low price is really important.
(Anonymous 1): Exactly, that’s the most important part. Take notes.
(The Cook of the End): Jin-woo, I don’t care about the price; just put something up quickly. I want to buy a ton and analyze it.
‘I understand.’
After promising the Constellations I would upload them as soon as possible, I headed toward Haeundae. There were several high-rise buildings covered in blue windows, and a residential area visible in the distance.
Between them, the Haeundae sea stretched out.
The beach was bustling with families and tourists. Perhaps it was because the weather was unusually warm and nice for autumn today? Quite a few people were swimming.
“Byeol, do you want to swim?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. Right now, I want to walk!”
“Alright, let’s walk.”
Holding Byeol’s hand, I walked along the sandy beach of Haeundae. Since the weather was so clear, the sunlight was bright, but a cool breeze was blowing, so it wasn’t hot.
Perfect warm autumn weather.
It was the kind of weather where walking, swimming, or doing anything would make one happy.
I stared for a long time at the horizon where the cloudless sky met the endless sea. Beside me, Byeol silently watched the same spot.
“It’s pretty, right?”
“Yup! It’s super pretty!”
***
A dungeon near Haeundae, Busan.
“Huff, huff.”
In this C-rank dungeon, there were four C-rank Hunters and one Porter.
The Porter who entered with the Hunters, Lee Yong-jun, scanned his surroundings. His breath was so ragged it felt like his heart might burst at any moment.
‘…Gah!’
In this situation where he felt like he might collapse from hyperventilation, he covered his mouth with his hand. It was an action born from the hope that the sound of his breathing wouldn’t reach the monsters.
He was a fairly well-known Porter, even among his peers.
Being a former athlete, his physical strength was exceptional for a commoner, and he lacked nothing in terms of speed, power, and tenacity.
Consequently, even in the large city of Busan, he constantly received calls from lower-rank Hunters and guilds.
Since he had a good personality, he always participated in subjugations with parties that offered good terms and were composed of decent people.
The people in this subjugation were also Hunters he had worked with for two years.
‘…Whew, damn. Are they safe?’
He had been certain it was a C-rank dungeon, but the disaster began the moment an Alpha Black Pig appeared.
As soon as the Alpha Black Pig, a B-rank monster, showed up, the Hunters used their return stones and made sure to take care of Yong-jun, the Porter, first.
When Yong-jun received a return stone from the Hunters and they all activated them simultaneously.
Pop!
A long-range magic spell flying from somewhere hit Yong-jun’s return stone directly.
‘Oh no!’
No matter how skilled he was, Yong-jun was ultimately just a Porter. He could only watch with panicked eyes as his return stone flew far away and shattered on the ground.
In the meantime, the Hunters had already completed their return.
It was literally an accident.
Yong-jun managed to run and hide in a small cave. Knowing that the Hunters would report it immediately and call for others, he was waiting and trusting them.
‘…Please, please, hurry.’
The problem was that he couldn’t stay hidden forever.
He knew better than anyone that he would be discovered soon.
Moreover, the dungeon’s location was in a remote area, quite far from the city center.
It would take a fair amount of time for the Hunter Fire Department or police-affiliated Hunters to arrive.
Yong-jun worried that even if the Hunters came quickly, it might already be too late.
Though his limbs were trembling, he gripped his mouth tighter to avoid making any sound.
He was acting desperately to survive, but he couldn’t help but have bleak thoughts.
He worried about the Hunters, who would feel self-loathing if something happened to him. They were truly good people, so they would surely regret returning immediately after giving him the stone.
‘They’ll probably spend their whole lives regretting that they didn’t wait until I returned. Those guys.’
At that time.
Jin-woo had left Haeundae and was driving around the area.
***
Ding!
While he was focused on driving and enjoying the glistening sunlight on the sea, a system message appeared.
He parked on the shoulder of the road to check it; it was the quest he had been secretly waiting for.
[A quest exclusive to the Path of the Constellation has arrived!]
The quest content was quite long today.
First, it provided the location of a dungeon.
— Description: Save the Porter stranded in the Black Pig Dungeon.
— Reward: High-grade Random Box.
(Anonymous 1): A High-grade Random Box? That’s a pretty good reward.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Huh? Black Pig?
(Messenger of Cheongha): …Pork soup?
(Returning from the Demon World): Jin-woo, this feels like a revelation from the system telling you to make pork soup. What do you think?
‘Tonight’s dinner is decided.’
If it’s pork soup, it’s worth eating for two meals in a row. Besides, it was about saving a life, so there was no need to hesitate.
Without a second thought, I turned the car around.