Chapter 23: I am Heung-bok!

Thump, thump-thump!

Go Nam-tae woke up to the rhythmic, cheerful sound of someone hitting a chopping board.

A tender voice called out to him.

"Nam-tae, you need to wake up and eat breakfast!"

It was a voice he had never heard before, yet Go Nam-tae knew exactly who it belonged to.

It was his mother, whom he had only ever seen in photographs.

As he blinked his eyes open, his mother was smiling softly at him, her hand resting on his shoulder.

"Mom?"

"My son, who do you take after to sleep so late into the morning? Come on, get up."

'I heard I take after you, Mom.'

Go Nam-tae swallowed the words his father used to say and sat up.

'It’s a dream...'

His head knew it, but he loved this moment too much. He didn't want to ruin this meeting with the mother he had always vaguely longed for by pointing out the obvious. Go Nam-tae followed her like a child and spoke.

"Mom, is there anything I can do to help?"

At those words, his mother turned back and smiled brightly.

"Oh my, look at my son. You’re all grown up, knowing how to offer help."

'Of course, Mom. I’m over thirty!'

However, Go Nam-tae simply grinned like a little child.

"Why don't you just wait over there and be ready to eat well?"

His mother patted his head and guided him into a chair. As she held him, he realized something. He was a child again, with short arms and legs.

"Our Nam-tae likes rolled omelets, right? Mom will make them delicious for you."

His mother suddenly produced an egg from somewhere. But the egg was a bit strange. Why was the egg, which she lifted lightly with just two fingers, larger than the entire kitchen counter...?

Go Nam-tae asked worriedly once more.

"Mom, are you sure you don't need help?"

"Goodness, my son. ...Then, would you go outside and pick some pumpkins, sesame seeds, and cucumbers for me?"

'My son.'

If his mother were alive, would he have lived hearing such things?

But why were pumpkins, sesame seeds, and cucumbers needed for a rolled omelet?

...It was pointless to look for logic in a dream. As Go Nam-tae turned back with the carefully harvested ingredients, he froze at the front door. The giant pumpkin sitting on the roof was shedding thick tears.

"P-Pumpkin...?"

The pumpkin on the roof looked at the pumpkins in his arms with resentment and spoke.

"Boss, you're too much. To take another pumpkin instead of me...!"

The line felt like something out of a historical drama for some reason. Caught off guard, Go Nam-tae blurted out an excuse.

"No, no, this isn't for me. I'm giving these to my mother."

Only then did the pumpkin stop crying.

"It's a promise, Boss. You can't have any pumpkin other than me. And have you thought of a name for me?"

"A name...? I'll tell you when I wake up!"

Having completely forgotten about it until now, Go Nam-tae felt a prick of guilt.

'What should I name it?'

When he returned, his mother asked him.

"What's wrong, my son? Do you have something on your mind?"

"I promised to give the pumpkin a name, but I haven't thought of one yet. Mom, did you see the huge pumpkin on the roof?"

"Ah, that one?"

His mother tilted her head and came up with a name.

"...How about this? Tell it to choose whichever of the two it likes."

"Thanks, Mom!"

However, as he handed the ingredients to his mother, the egg was nowhere to be seen. If she had cracked such a massive thing, there should have been some trace of it, but the counter was spotless.

"Mom, what about the egg?"

"The egg? I hid it."

"What?"

His mother laughed playfully and gave his shoulder a light push.

'Try looking for it when you wake up!'

Swoosh.

The surrounding scenery began to crumble.

"M-Mom!"

Go Nam-tae flailed his hands and bolted upright.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

Beep, beep, beep, beep!

'Boss is awake!'

This time, it was reality. Go Nam-tae recalled his last memory.

"Don't tell me I fainted again..."

[You fainted at first, but later you were just sleeping deeply.]

[You overexerted yourself quite a bit yesterday.]

He didn't ask how he got back. The Four Guarding Deities had likely carried him through the air again.

'Boss, are you okay?'

When he didn't immediately get out of bed, they asked worriedly.

"No, it's just... I had a very interesting dream."

The dream's content was bizarre, but he was grateful and happy just to have seen his mother. However, there was one regret.

"My mother said she'd make me a rolled omelet... but then she went and hid the egg. I wish I could have found it."

Flinch!

The little ones trembled in shock. It was so blatantly suspicious. They were practically confessing that they were hiding something, leaving him no choice but to ask.

"...What is it?"

[These two brought back an Egg of Gyaro-keu.]

Then, the culprits' confession followed.

Thump, thump, thump!

'We found it.'

This time, it was Hyeonmu and Jujak.

They had found the egg somewhere in the bushes by the stream. When the two of them excitedly brought the egg back, they saw Hamu and Hagi being punished. Frightened, the two tried to hide the egg and act innocent, but he had collapsed at that very moment.

In truth, they could have just gotten rid of it. But they remembered Go Nam-tae mentioning "rolled omelets" and couldn't bring themselves to throw it away. That was the whole reason they looked for an egg in the first place.

However, they were terrified of being scolded, so they hid it for the time being. 'Ban from work, ban from snacks.' To them, this was a terrifying punishment.

Yet, the moment Go Nam-tae woke up, the first thing he mentioned was the "hidden egg." Watching the little ones ramble through their confession, Go Nam-tae had to strain his muscles to hold back his laughter.

'So that's why Mom hid the "egg" in the dream. To tell me to find it myself.'

It seemed his mother really wanted him to have that rolled omelet. Since things had turned out this way, he absolutely had to eat it. Ha, but...

Go Nam-tae had to bite his lip. The two little ones were cautiously peeking at him, tentatively raising their hands. Their anxious, restless behavior was agonizingly cute.

They were too cute to scold, but letting it slide would be unfair to the others. Go Nam-tae forced a stern expression and spoke.

"Hyeonmu, Jujak! Did you even know what kind of egg that was when you brought it?"

'It just looked delicious, so we brought it!'

The answer was so pure and bright that the words "it's okay" almost climbed out of his throat, but Go Nam-tae managed to squeeze out different words.

"You two are banned from being assistants until breakfast!"

Thump.

The two slumped to the floor. They looked so pathetic that he felt guilty for punishing them.

'I'll make breakfast quickly for you.'

Go Nam-tae ignored them as best he could and located the "egg" in question. It was indeed the egg from his dream. Not only was it larger than the kitchen counter, but being an egg from a creature covered in iron scales, the surface was as hard as metal.

[It is an unfertilized egg, so it will not hatch.]

[It is unclear whether the creature laid the egg there or if another monster stole it, but since that area has already become the Boss's territory, the creature will not return for it.]

[It is safe to consume.]

'...Is it really okay to make a rolled omelet out of a monster egg?'

Even as he thought that, Go Nam-tae was already swallowing his saliva. Whatever kind of monster the Gyaro-keu was, it was no longer his concern.

Unbeknownst to Go Nam-tae, the Gyaro-keu was a monster that had already become famous on Earth. It was the gatekeeper of the 53rd floor and served as the boss of the 52nd floor.

South Korea had yet to overcome the Gyaro-keu. And what about its egg? As he could see, it had a shell harder than metal.

Even the United States, the country that had climbed the highest floors, had obtained one egg, but they hadn't been able to break it yet. However, the thought that he might not be able to break the egg didn't even cross Go Nam-tae's mind. He struck the egg with the back of his kitchen knife.

Crack!

A crack formed where he lightly tapped it, and the egg split wide open. The contents poured out, filling two large basins almost to the brim.

"Wow, this could last us for days."

It was an amount suitable for a school cafeteria, but no one disagreed.

He wondered if it would be different because it was a monster egg, but it wasn't much different from a chicken egg. The yolk was a deeper orange, and the white was a bit thicker in consistency. There was a slight fishy smell, but it wasn't bothersome—just a slightly different scent added to the smell of a fresh egg. Furthermore, the system guaranteed it was a nutritious meal.

[Egg of Gyaro-keu: Grade - Green]

[Vitality Enhancement +30% per 100g, Internal Shield Formation +10 seconds or more]

[Skeletal strengthening, increased regeneration speed]

[Effectiveness increases the closer the egg is to hatching]

[Caution: If consumed raw - High fever, short-term frenzy, metallic calcification progress.]

[※ All side effects do not apply to the Boss within the absolute domain.]

Go Nam-tae's brow furrowed. An egg close to hatching? He definitely didn't want that. Regardless, the last line applied to all other foods as well. But then... why did he feel like crying after eating tofu for the first time...?

"Let's just use one basin for today and put the rest in the storage. We'll need something to cover it so it doesn't dry out."

Just then, something fluttered outside the window. A large leaf was waving as if saying, 'Look at me!'

"Oh, are you awake?"

At his words, the leaf trembled shyly. Now that he looked, the roof of the main house was no longer visible. It was entirely covered in pumpkin leaves, so if someone looked down from the sky, they wouldn't even know a house was underneath. Just as the initial description stated, the pumpkin vines were perfectly wrapping around his home.

Go Nam-tae spoke to the leaf as he did with his other subjects.

"I heard you worked hard. Oh, and thanks for the gift. I'm really enjoying it!"

Flutter, flutter.

Then, Cheongryong and Haeul stepped in to mediate.

'It needs to grow a bit more before it can speak.'

'We'll translate what it says for you.'

"Right, thanks."

Flap, flap.

The leaf trembled even more intensely than before.

'Hello, Master!'

"Yes, hello, Pumpkin..."

As he greeted it back, Go Nam-tae remembered. He had promised to give it a name once it woke up. Fortunately, his mother had given him names in the dream.

'It looks like the gourd that grew on Heung-bu's house, so how about Heung-bak? Or, since the gourd brought good fortune, how about Heung-bok? ...Tell it to choose the one it likes.'

"I've picked out a name for you. ...Which of these two do you like?"

When Go Nam-tae recited his mother's words from the dream, the large leaf shook wildly.

Flap-flap, flap-flap.

He could understand the meaning even without a translation.

Excitement, joy, deep emotion. And added to that, conflict... Since the creature was so indecisive, Go Nam-tae chose the name himself.

"I like Heung-bok. It means having lots of excitement and lots of blessings."

Quiver!

'I am Heung-bok!'

'I'm so happy and grateful!'

'I will give my life to protect the Boss and this house!'

Go Nam-tae smiled inwardly at the continuous translations. It was a pumpkin—no, a Heung-bok—with a very clear concept of being a guardian. He would be truly grateful if it could at least chase away the bugs.

Heung-bok plucked one of its large leaves and offered it. It was responding to Go Nam-tae's earlier comment about needing something to cover the egg.

"...Oh, thanks, Heung-bok."

Heung-bok's help didn't end there. It stretched out a vine, lifted the basin, and even moved it for him.

'Should I move this to the storage?'

"...Uh, yeah."

He had gained another competent family member.

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