“Ugh, did they make me the judge just to mess with me?”
As Sang-woong took on the role of judge, the Afua Tribe held a perfect tournament with not a single absentee.
Grumbling, he tilted the water jug, filling each cup until the surface rippled gently.
“Phew, done.”
Wiping sweat from his brow, Sang-woong sighed in relief.
Once preparations were complete, the Afua Tribe leaned forward, eyes gleaming, fixated on him.
Like a taut bowstring, their gazes pressed him, as if waiting for the “start” command.
“No time to catch my breath, huh?”
With no choice, Sang-woong shouted the start.
At his signal, the Afua Tribe grabbed their cups, gulped the water in an instant, and set them down.
“What the…?”
Sang-woong stared at the empty cups, deflated like a punctured balloon.
An hour’s effort vanished in three seconds, and he couldn’t even laugh.
Even the children had drained their cups completely.
That meant he had to refill all 107 cups to the brim again.
“Hua, hua hahaha!”
Whether aware of his plight or not, the Afua Tribe cheered victoriously, facing each other.
“Not bad, hua!” one shouted.
“You’re pretty good too, hua!” another replied.
Meeting each other’s eyes, they laughed.
Their gazes held satisfaction in recognizing each other’s skills, regardless of winning or losing, and a burning competitive spirit for the next round.
Those eyes soon turned to Sang-woong.
The unspoken pressure to prepare the next round made him pick up the jug again, dizzy with resignation.
“This isn’t easy.”
Filling small cups to the brim with a jug, not a kettle, required intense focus.
Too much water, and it spilled inevitably.
Just as he finished one cup and moved to the next, the surrounding Afua glared, silently demanding more if even slightly underfilled.
“What is this nonsense?”
He thought he could pass as an international referee at this rate, but he filled the cups to the point of surface tension breaking without complaint.
Unlike his struggles, the tournament’s fervor boiled like an overflowing pot.
Their cheers and laughter filled the air.
The second round began without a break, and again, the Afua emptied their cups instantly.
Seeing the empty cups on the table, Sang-woong groaned at the thought of refilling all 107 again.
But what bothered him more was the water spilling every time they lifted their cups.
He hadn’t noticed during the first round, but now a small puddle had formed on the ground.
“With cups that full, it’s bound to happen.”
He clicked his tongue.
After the second round, the Afua naturally held out their empty cups, urging him to refill.
Irritation surged at the endless task, but seeing the water spill each time they lifted their cups made him angrier.
“Look at this,” he said, holding up a brimming cup.
“If it’s this full, of course it’ll spill when you lift it. How about filling them less next time? Saves time and water.”
Before he finished, an Afua sprang up like a coiled spring.
His small frame radiated a fierce gaze that made Sang-woong flinch.
“Sang-woong, that’s not fair, hua! The start must be fair, hua!”
Speechless, Sang-woong realized they were right.
Spilling water might vary by person, but the priority was starting the competition on equal terms.
With no choice, he filled the cups to the breaking point again.
He wanted to run to the restaurant for a kettle to pour more easily, but he couldn’t stop the heated tournament just because he was the judge.
In the third round, the first dropout appeared: Bebe, the youngest Afua.
By the fourth round, Sang-woong had found his rhythm, speeding up.
He shed his irritation and became engrossed in the tournament.
Despite being a simple game requiring no skill, it was strangely thrilling and immersive.
As it progressed, the Afua’s passion grew, creating tension like a professional match’s final.
He felt disappointment for each dropout.
Aria couldn’t hide her nervous expression either.
She showed particular regret when her playmates dropped out but, true to her kind nature, never forgot to encourage them.
“It’s okay. You did your best. You’ll do even better next time.”
A sobbing child stopped crying and found strength in her words.
As the rounds continued, dropouts surged.
They transformed from competitors to enthusiastic spectators, cheering wildly.
“Wow, this is so fun!”
Time passed, and though it was mealtime, no one left.
“Krux, fight, hua!”
“Zepha, you’re doing great, hua, hua!”
“Dad, hua!”
“Mom, hua, hua!”
Amid earth-shaking cheers, the final began.
The Afua’s eyes blazed like a furnace.
Sang-woong couldn’t take his eyes off the two finalists.
“Wow, incredible. Drinking that much with such small bodies.”
The two finalists had drunk 20 cups to reach the final.
A nail-biting match unfolded, worthy of a final.
Their stomachs looked ready to burst, but the finalists summoned astonishing focus, downing the last cup instantly.
After drinking, they locked eyes, performing provocative gestures as if they could drink more.
Their confident smirks, despite bulging bellies, were a sight to behold.
In the second round of the final, one Afua’s face twitched slightly.
They tried to hide it, but their opponent noticed.
The next round decided the winner.
“Zepha is the new chief, hua!”
“Zepha, hua!”
“Huaaa!”
Everyone cheered fervently for the new chief.
A feast followed.
Only on tournament day could they enjoy traditional Afua food.
But they mostly ate Sang-woong’s food.
They had realized their own food wasn’t tasty.
“That was so fun!” Sang-woong said.
“Hehe, me too!” Aria replied.
Their faces bloomed with wide smiles.
At lunchtime, Sang-woong’s restaurant buzzed with customers.
Lively chatter and delicious food aromas filled the air.
A customer at the window table tasted the rice, eyes widening in awe.
“This rice is amazing!”
Lowering the bowl, they exclaimed.
“Right? I was shocked the first time I ate it. It’s so hearty, I feel energized afterward,” Nurse Kim, sitting across, agreed with a nod and a bright expression.
“Eating rice this good naturally lifts your mood. But it’s a pity. This rice would be perfect with seaweed and soy sauce,” the manager said, smacking their lips regretfully.
“Now that you mention seaweed, I’m craving it,” Nurse Kim replied.
“Since you’re a regular, why not ask the owner for some?” the manager suggested.
Nurse Kim pointed at the menu prices, waving her hands. “At these prices, expecting seaweed is a bit greedy. Thanks to you, I’m eating a proper meal after so long. It’s like the rice my grandma cooked with pine branches in the hearth. Each grain feels infused with love.”
The manager closed their eyes, moved.
Rice cooked with the dungeon’s clear stream water drew explosive reactions from customers.
Still, the customer base hadn’t grown significantly.
In an area with little foot traffic, mostly hospital staff, business only increased slightly.
But Sang-woong wasn’t disappointed.
The restaurant wasn’t in a prime location, and he never aimed to make big money.
Cooking what he loved and satisfying a few regulars was enough.
But the situation had changed.
Supporting the Afua Tribe’s food costs required far more money than expected.
Knowing the future through regression was a clear advantage.
Past experience let him predict which companies would grow and which areas’ land values would rise.
He knew investing early in promising companies could yield big returns.
But he lacked the funds, and stock investments took time to profit.
He racked his brain for quick ways to make money, but nothing came to mind.
Having lived as a hunter, he had no economic knowledge.
Recalling the economy from 25 years ago was nearly impossible, like remembering a song title from that era.
With so many Afua, the tenant deposit is melting like ice. Should I sell the land’s plants?
The land’s plants, thriving under the Afua’s care, were his only immediate option.
Their quality was high enough for sale.
But that too required time to prove their efficacy.
More crucially, he didn’t want to sell them.
Now was the time to invest all points into the land.
The Afua lacked proper sleeping quarters.
Expanding the land to make them more comfortable was his duty as its master.
“Sir, something bothering you?” Ji-an asked, pausing mid-bite of her katsu, noticing his serious expression.