Chapter 36: Just a Little More, Please

"How do you do it? First, soak the rice well. Then, pound it in a mortar..."

Listening to Go Nam-tae's voice, which sounded almost like a rhythmic melody, Heung-bok stretched out a tendril.

"Hmm? You want to help again? Thank you. Then, could you move this bag of rice for me?"

The Boss was a strange, or rather, a kind person.

He could have simply ordered his kin to do whatever he wanted as a matter of course. Yet, he said thank you for every little thing and gave them affectionate pats.

Every time Heung-bok received a touch from the Boss, it grew by a span, no, two spans. Of course, those were spans by Heung-bok's standards... referring to its roots. If it were just about extending its vines, it could have crossed the boundary of the territory right this second.

However, there was a single fly that had dared to invade the territory.

—You, you must never tell him! Not right now!

That creature, who had been shaking its head while shedding tears and snot, was still in that forest, peeking at the Boss.

'Should I tell him?'

No, it didn't matter if it was ignored. After all, the creature was more harmless and trivial than a marsh snail, which was merely a snack for Haeul's family.

Heung-bok pretended not to notice and focused on diligently carrying the rice bags. The creature likely thought it was still successfully hiding and spying, but it was already within Heung-bok's foliage. There was no being within this territory that could escape Heung-bok's eyes.

"You worked hard today too, Heung-bok. When I make the rice cakes later, make sure you have a taste."

'Thank you, Boss!'

"I'm the one who's grateful."

*Pat, pat.*

The Boss stroked the vine with affection once more.

The Boss's mana pierced through the vine and reached the roots in an instant. In a moment of excitement, a single thorn of the Labyrinth Kalopanax that lined the vine ended up snapping. Before the erupted toxicity could spread to the other vines, Heung-bok quickly bore a single fruit.

The purplish fruit, tinged with a blue hue, boasted a terrifying toxicity just by looking at it. Of course, this happened behind the house, out of the Boss's sight. Heung-bok hid the poisonous pumpkin deep within its roots.

The Boss would never know. Heung-bok would make sure he never knew. He would ensure that only the vines the Boss saw and touched remained soft and smooth. Heung-bok had personally plucked out every single one of the prickly thorns that had grown on the first cucumbers.

"If I'm making enough for Heung-bok as well, I'll have to make a bit more..."

The Boss, who had only told it to have a taste, was already planning to make a separate portion for Heung-bok.

'Heung-bok!'

The moment it received that name, Heung-bok's identity was set.

'I am a being born for the Boss, a being only for the Boss!'

The Boss was strong. He was so powerful that he had stabilized Heung-bok's roots and nearly completed its existence in a single night. Without the Boss's power, it would have been impossible for Heung-bok to even take root.

But at the same time, the Boss was a gentle person. Heung-bok did not want the Boss to see anything hideous or harsh. Using the great strength granted by the Boss, Heung-bok would strike down and block anything hideous or harsh in advance!

To do that, Heung-bok had dared to ask for the gifts that had been sent to the Boss first.

'Grow quickly, grow!'

Among the numerous roots stretching into the ground, ten eggs were buried in a single cluster.

*Thump, thump.*

Originally, the hard shells would have pulsated, growing larger and then smaller, beating diligently. Some were red, some were black, and others were blue...

Embracing various colors of light, they were becoming different existences as they absorbed the energy of Heung-bok and the Boss.

'You all shall become my eyes and ears from now on!'

The Boss's territory was still too small. Heung-bok could expand its own body outside the territory, but it was still too much of a strain. Until then, these lower life forms would serve as Heung-bok's eyes and ears.

Perhaps, if one were to scan the inside of the eggs closely, they might see it: sharp, pointed leaves sprouting within the rapidly forming blood vessels. They looked somewhat similar to the leaves wrapping around the eggs.

*Thump, thump.*

The eggs were growing larger, little by little.

***

The first rice cake to be made had already been decided.

"Today's rice cake is Baekseolgi!"

Actually, this was because the ingredients were limited. There was nothing to use for toppings or fillings. Even so, wasn't Baekseolgi the very foundation of all rice cakes?

The process of making Baekseolgi can be explained in one sentence: soak the rice, grind it, season it, sift it, and then steam it in a steamer. Of course, that explanation omits the fine details and effort required at every step.

'Seasoning.'

Even this alone required a monumental journey for Go Nam-tae.

"You guys are the best sugar technicians!"

Yesterday, they were talents fit for an engineering corps, but today, the Sasin-su had become sugar refiners, whipping up sugar from sugar beets in no time.

Go Nam-tae handled the rest of the process himself. He used 'Grind' to pulverize the rice into powder and filtered only the fine particles using the [Boss's Sieve].

In Go Nam-tae's treasure warehouse, there was even a specialized rice cake steamer. He had considered making a new steamer, but he didn't think he could ever match the quality of a traditional earthenware one. If he lacked something, he could just make it. A rice cake steamer was already on Go Nam-tae's list for pottery production.

Preparation was finished quickly. He laid down a perfect blanket of pumpkin leaves at the bottom of the steamer, and the rice powder, seasoned with salt and sugar, fell like heavy snow. He covered it again with pumpkin leaves and began the sauna over boiling water.

Even after removing the firewood from the cooked rice cake, he had to wait a little longer for it to settle. Still, this was the most heart-pounding and exciting moment. The time flew by as his kin showed off their charms, chirping and fluttering as they rooted for his success and waited for the delicious rice cake.

*Sshhh.*

As he lifted the lid of pumpkin leaves, the pure white Baekseolgi revealed itself. He poked it with a chopstick and pulled it out; it came out clean.

"It's done...!"

'It's done!'

'Rice cake!'

'I'll flip it over!'

Heung-bok picked up the hot steamer and plopped it upside down onto a tray. It seemed it had listened to the detailed explanation of the process earlier just to help with this.

Go Nam-tae sliced the steaming rice cake into large chunks. Since there were many mouths to feed, he had steamed a full, large pot, yet it didn't seem like much.

'I definitely need to make more steamers!'

Go Nam-tae distributed the pieces evenly, already dreaming of colorful rice cakes.

"Heung-bok, you should eat too!"

'......Thank you. Then, just a small piece, please.'

Heung-bok wrapped the rice cake carefully and brought it close to its roots. It seemed to like it quite a bit, so Go Nam-tae offered again.

"Want some more?"

Surprisingly, Heung-bok didn't refuse and reached out its leaves again.

'......Then just a little more, please.'

"No, there's plenty, so you can have a lot!"

Go Nam-tae simply poured an entire plate's worth for it. Then, Heung-bok wrapped it up preciously with its leaves and took it away. It looked like a shy bride. Because of that, its joy was even more apparent.

'I should have shared it sooner.'

Go Nam-tae felt a small pang of regret as he put a piece of rice cake into his mouth.

"Oh...!"

[The Boss's Rice Cake...]

He waved his hand and closed the Status Window.

Memories came flooding back. Whenever his father went to the market, he always stopped by the rice cake shop.

'My little rice-cake-loving son, we have to buy some!'

'I'm not a rice-cake-lover!'

'Of course you are, seeing how much you like them. Let's buy a lot.'

'Even though you don't even like them, Dad...'

'You take after your mother. Your mother really loved rice cakes...'

His father spoke of his mother only very rarely. Nam-tae didn't remember feeling sadness back then. However, the longing was etched into him as deeply as the weight of the hand his father had placed on his head.

His father wasn't someone who particularly enjoyed rice cakes, but there was one he liked.

"Now I want to eat red bean steamed rice cakes too..."

It seemed that the next seeds to go into the warehouse would have to be red beans. The rice cake feast appeared to be a success.

***

Kim Jae-won had dropped a bomb and left.

'A Rift.'

Despite those heavy words, Park Seong-yeon and Yang Man-chun couldn't immediately say "No." It was because they had just personally experienced the miracle that had happened to Park Seong-yeon.

Kim Jae-won told them that if they really hated the idea, he could find another route to just buy the food. So, this was a choice they had to make.

"What should we do?" Park Seong-yeon asked.

However, Yang Man-chun couldn't answer immediately. Who would have thought they would be agonizing over whether or not to open a 'Rift' right in front of them?

"The Guild Master will be back soon. We can decide then."

Yang Man-chun's opinion was reasonable. Park Ki-beom would return within a few days, or ten days at the latest. However, Park Seong-yeon shook his head.

"What if Jae-won is exposed in the meantime, or if the other routes are blocked?"

At that, Yang Man-chun swallowed hard. If asked whether they couldn't just wait a few days, Park Seong-yeon's point was valid. It had already been several days since Kim Jae-won started coming and going; by now, eyes would have been on him.

Shadows could pretend to be customers to buy the goods. However, if asked whether a steady supply was possible while evading the eyes lurking around this house, that was hard to guarantee.

'Direct trade through spatial abilities.'

Because the most perfect answer already existed, all other methods carried high risks.

It would be one thing if Park Seong-yeon were already fully recovered. But he wasn't. Now that they knew the solution, they couldn't let go of this hope. Calling Kim Jae-won back could put even his family at risk.

"Uncle, I feel like I'm really going to live."

Park Seong-yeon smiled as he held up a thin fist. He was only able to sit up for now, but he felt that with a little more, he might be able to walk. This sensation he had rediscovered was so precious.

Most of all, there was one more thing. The feelings about Go Nam-tae that had been transferred from Kim Jae-won already made him feel friendly toward the man.

"He said it opens every day at Jae-won's shop. It looks like a Rift, but it's definitely not a real one. Whoever heard of a predicted Rift?"

"......"

Yang Man-chun went silent. He had confirmed that Park Seong-yeon's heart had already tilted toward the idea.

"If you really can't trust it, you can go and see it for yourself, can't you?"

Of course, that was an option. But how could they be sure that the Rift opening there would be the same as the one opening here?

Kim Jae-won insisted it wasn't a real Rift, but the fact that he called it a 'Rift' didn't change. Moreover, to create a fixed coordinate... That wasn't something they could just accept easily.

Furthermore, they didn't know Go Nam-tae. Who could guarantee that this wasn't a new method of invasion?

...Invasion, right.

Even so, Yang Man-chun couldn't speak. It was because Park Seong-yeon's words were so logical. If the supply was cut off now, Park Seong-yeon's recovery would go down the drain. Dozens of assumptions and thoughts clashed in his head.

After a moment, Yang Man-chun finally made up his mind and spoke.

"Then I will only allow the Rift to open in a place where I am alone. And this is only until the Guild Master returns. Depending on the supply amount, we must finish this in one or two times at most."

This point was non-negotiable. Park Seong-yeon had no objections either. The message was immediately relayed to Kim Jae-won.

Another day passed, and an appointment was set. Yang Man-chun, fully armed, looked at his watch.

...It was almost time.