Let’s get the situation straight.
After finishing his business in Seoul, Jinwoo came to Gapyeong. Originally, he’d planned to go to Chuncheon to eat dakgalbi, but on a sudden whim, he decided to come to Gapyeong first.
And Jiyong and his friends came on a trip to Gapyeong.
Jiyong, Seokho, and Kyungwoo. The three of them experienced an accident where they fell into the water while playing, and Byul rescued them.
After learning that his son’s savior was Jinwoo, Hohchang came straight to Gapyeong, and Jinwoo, who wanted to introduce Hohchang to Seho, called Seho out as well.
This group, brought together as if by chance.
Seokho and Kyungwoo quickly adapted to these unexpected events. They were sly yet polite, good-natured kids who could adjust well to any situation.
“Father, shall we pour you a drink? Haha.”
After congratulating Jiyong on his Awakening, Seokho and Kyungwoo picked up a bottle of alcohol and approached Hohchang, their friend’s father.
Though Hohchang was busy with work and had never actually met his son’s friends until now, he knew that Kyungwoo and Seokho were the kids who had been close with Jiyong since childhood.
Thanks to that, he could see their behavior as cute.
“Heh, go ahead, give it a try.”
Usually, he wouldn’t have young kids pour drinks for him, but how could he refuse when they so eagerly offered in such an atmosphere?
“Yes, sir. I’ve respected you for a long time, Father.”
“Me too! Every time I see you, I think you’re amazing, Father!”
Kids pouring drinks on a first meeting might be a bit lacking in manners. But Kyungwoo and Jiyong spoke and acted with such sincere respect that it was obvious their intentions were good.
Their eagerness to try something they’d seen adults do somewhere before was so cute that Hohchang picked up his glass and chuckled.
“Thank you. You should each have a glass, too.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Huh?”
“You’re all almost adults now. I bet you haven’t even tried a drink yet, hanging out with Jiyong, have you?”
The two nodded. Jiyong nodded as well. When your father’s that burly, you don’t step out of line easily.
“I actually think it’s good to try drinking once before you’re an adult. It’s less than a year away, after all. Rather than making mistakes after coming of age, have a drink with adults now and see what it’s like. Learning from your parents is best, but learning from your best friend’s father isn’t a bad second, right?”
“…!”
“Yes, sir! I’d like that!”
Seokho and Kyungwoo picked up their glasses with beaming faces. They’d always wanted to try it once. What was it about this drink that adults liked so much, and why did all the upperclassmen who’d already graduated seem to drink all the time?
And it seemed even more meaningful to receive their first drink from a cool Hunter.
Maybe now, even if they told their parents they’d had a drink at the end of the trip, they wouldn’t get scolded?
That thought popped up unbidden.
“Just drink while you’re nervous, and only until you feel in control. Got it?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Yes, Father!”
When you’re with adults—especially ones you’re meeting for the first time—you naturally feel nervous.
It’s not good for kids to drink with just friends and end up causing trouble.
Curious kids will end up drinking eventually, no matter how much you tell them not to.
If they don’t know how to control themselves, they’ll get into trouble, so they should learn how to manage it while feeling nervous among adults.
So Hohchang poured drinks for his son and his friends.
With adults present, the kids would keep their wits about them and drink carefully.
Hohchang taught them simple drinking etiquette—how to pour for elders, how to receive a drink politely.
The kids listened with innocent faces as he explained, and a little soju was poured into their glasses.
Hohchang also poured for Seho and Jinwoo.
“When toasting, tap your glass a little lower than your elder’s, turn your head, and cover your glass with your hand as you drink.”
“Yes, sir!”
The three kids nodded and drank.
“Ugh.”
“Bitter.”
They couldn’t understand why adults liked this—it was so bitter.
But the mood was nice. Byul and the spirits were showing off their cute sides, and it was wonderful to share drinks with friends they’d known for over ten years.
Watching from their seats, Jinwoo and Seho had the same thought.
‘He’s a good adult.’
Hohchang was, without a doubt, a good adult.
Giving alcohol to minors wasn’t proper by normal standards. Still, those kids learned a valuable lesson and gained a good memory from this one drink, so Jinwoo and Seho, as bystanders, both thought Hohchang was a truly good adult.
After everyone had a glass of soju, they picked up their hamburgers. Byul, who’d taken a sip of cider instead of soju, grabbed a hamburger as big as her own face. Soli and Baekgu also ate pieces of hamburger that Jinwoo had carefully cut up.
“…!”
“This is so good, hyung!”
Kyungwoo and Seokho grinned at Jinwoo, calling him “hyung.” This hamburger was the most delicious food they’d ever eaten in their lives.
The patty was juicy, with a savory flavor bursting out. Even though they usually didn’t like vegetables, the veggies in this burger were delicious.
The crunchiness didn’t interfere with the patty’s texture, and the sweetness, a touch of sourness, and umami flavor all mixed beautifully with the tender meat.
Especially the red wolf meat—normally rough, but surprisingly tender inside—blended perfectly with the freshness of the vegetables.
“This is amazing.”
Hohchang silently chewed his hamburger and gave a thumbs up. These days, his eyesight had been getting worse. He’d missed the chance for LASIK surgery due to age, so his vision was getting worse by the day.
These days, he wore ordinary horn-rimmed glasses, and for dungeons, he used specially-made lenses. Yet after eating Jinwoo’s hamburger, he could feel his vision brighten.
There was no immediate, dynamic effect, but he could tell his vision had improved.
Even without his glasses, the blurring from light was less than before.
He could tell, without anyone saying, that it was thanks to Jinwoo’s spirit abilities.
How many different types of Hunters had Hohchang seen while working as a Hunter?
He’d been through all kinds of battles, even made the national rankings in Korea.
He’d fought guilds as an independent Hunter, been a whistleblower, and still held his head high—so his experience was vast.
‘Spirit Masters always do things no one else can imagine.’
Compared to Mage-type Hunters, who had limited skills, Spirit Masters often showed off all kinds of unique powers thanks to their spirits.
Hohchang marveled anew at Jinwoo’s abilities and spoke up.
“You’ve picked up some amazing skills. Thanks to you, I don’t even need my glasses anymore.”
“You noticed, haha. I got it by chance during my travels.”
Hohchang nodded his thanks and turned to the spirits.
From the white-furred dog, Baekgu, to Soli the fox, so beautiful even people who disliked animals would find her adorable.
Byul, sitting beside them, smiling and stroking the spirits’ fur.
“You’re traveling with kids who look just like you. Must be nice.”
He didn’t just mean their faces. He meant the atmosphere—the smiles that brightened up the place. Jinwoo had once forced himself to smile to please the top Hunters when he was active, but Hohchang knew there had always been a shadow behind it.
“I’m glad you look happy now.”
Jinwoo smiled and lifted the bottle, pouring a drink for Hohchang. He did it as politely as possible, as a gesture of gratitude.
.
.
.
Seho sat Byul on his knee.
No matter how much you looked at her, Byul was always adorable, so Seho chose to keep her close.
Byul, as if sensing Seho’s feelings, acted extra cute, and Seho granted her every request.
“Uncle, I want pasta!”
“All right, let’s try it!”
He scooped up a big serving of pasta, placing some on his own plate and some on Byul’s.
Byul expertly twirled the pasta with her fork and took a big bite.
(Anonymous 1): The hamburger was really good, but that pasta was the best for me.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): For real.
(Father of Crops): Jinwoo’s selling all the ingredients he used for the pasta. One serving’s worth of ingredients, 50 coins flat.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): I’ll buy it all. That milk was seriously a masterpiece.
(Last Blacksmith): …The pasta really was incredible. Lately, I’ve become very interested in fine dining. I’ll have to try cooking with these ingredients myself this time.
(Water God of Cheongha): I’ve been thinking I need to pick up cooking as a hobby, too. I just keep wanting to eat more and more.
(Anonymous 1): By the way, Jinwoo seriously cashed in today. Raked in like 1,500 coins from us, and made a lot of money too, right?
(Father of Crops): Jealous. Jinwoo, how about buying a plot of land with the money you’ve saved? Buy some fertile land and farm it, or pick up a wasteland and get me to sponsor you some skills! You’ll be rich before you know it.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): So you just want to see Jinwoo farming, huh?
(Father of Crops): You caught me.
Anyway.
The Constellations were full of praise for the pasta, and everyone in the guesthouse courtyard couldn’t help but be impressed by its flavor.
If the hamburger was the best they’d ever eaten, then this pasta was the best food they’d ever tasted, period.
Unquestionably the best.
It was enough to capture the palates of the Constellations on the spot.
“The rich, nutty flavor just spreads in your mouth, with no fishy taste at all… Wow, this is amazing.”
Seho finished one bowl of pasta and asked for seconds.
“I’d pay tens of millions of won to eat this.”
That’s how good the ingredients were—ones you couldn’t find on Earth, cooked with equipment you’d never be able to get anywhere else.
Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction.
“Take your time, eat as much as you want. I’ll make more if it’s not enough.”
He served extra pasta to Kyungwoo, Seokho, and Jiyong, who were all eating with their faces close to their plates.
“Thank you!”
As they thanked him, Jinwoo asked a question.
“What are your dreams?”
“I want to be a Hunter.”
“Jiyong already achieved his. I want to be a travel writer. That’s why I think you’re so cool, hyung.”
“Me too, I want to be a travel writer. My dream is to write travel essays with Seokho.”
Seokho and Kyungwoo shared the same dream.
Even though they weren’t adults yet, it was great to see them with such a clear goal.
When he heard that they’d already chosen the university and major they wanted, all for the sake of their dream, Jinwoo felt proud.
“I want to run a YouTube channel too. Like, do travel YouTube and write as a travel author at the same time.”
“That’s great.”
Jinwoo sincerely cheered them on.
At that moment.
[A Hidden Quest has arrived!]
― Objective: Help the two kids achieve their dreams.
― Reward: ???
(Anonymous 1): It finally popped up!
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Another secret reward, I’m nervous.
(Father of Crops): Man, I can’t wait. But how are we supposed to help with that?
(Last Blacksmith): That’s what I was thinking. This quest might be a pass. The goal is way too vague.
[The reward for the Hidden Quest has been determined!]
At that moment, the true nature of the ??? reward was revealed.
(Anonymous 1): How could you pass this up? Are you all out of your minds?
The moment he saw the reward, Jinwoo had no choice but to accept the quest.
‘I wanted to help these kids anyway. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’