Selling well was good, but seeing those eyes sparkling with expectation made me feel burdened.

The stares from people were uncomfortable, but it couldn’t be helped.

This wasn’t my campsite—it was Zone 2’s communal campsite—so I had to bear with it.

That was when Yoon Bom tilted her head and asked.

“But why did you come in person today? We could have come to you…”

“I started doing deliveries from today.”

【Since when did Kangrim become a delivery service?】

【Hey, deliver to us too.】

【At this point, he’s not a delivery guy—he’s a personal chef.】

【Well, what can you do. If he opened a restaurant at his new base, Zone 1 people would come flocking.】

Two days ago, after encountering Zone 1 personnel, I relocated my base.

Since I had set fire to their campsite and lured demon beasts their way, it was obvious they would come seeking revenge.

Bringing people to my new base would expose its location quickly, so today I had brought cooking equipment and ingredients to the Zone 2 campsite instead.

Yoon Bom looked around the area and said.

“But there’s no meat today? Are we only eating vegetables?”

“No. Meat delivery will be here soon.”

Right now, there was nothing on the workbench but medicinal herbs.

I had been too preoccupied with relocating yesterday to prepare any meat.

While I was finishing up preparing the herbs, waiting for the meat delivery, a cheerful voice rang out.

“Seo Kangrim, I’m here!”

The owner of the voice was Dokgo Jun.

He hoisted a large demon beast onto his shoulder with a grin.

“Caught a big one! This should be enough to pay for my meal, right?”

“Yes. That should be sufficient.”

It seemed Dokgo Jun had no Spirit Jade left after getting fleeced by me last time.

He had offered to help with work in exchange for food, which I accepted—and he had bagged a demon beast in just twenty minutes.

He tossed the demon beast onto the workbench and said.

“I already washed it, drained the blood, and removed the innards. Want me to butcher it too?”

“Go ahead.”

Butchering meat was quite a tedious task, so there was no reason to refuse if Dokgo Jun was offering.

When Dokgo Jun drew a short dagger and approached the demon beast’s carcass, the gods grew rowdy.

【Hey, hey, isn’t he going to ruin all the meat doing that?】

【Let’s see how well he does.】

【Butchering is no joke. He’ll ruin all the meat if he messes around… huh?】

-Seogeok!

Under the gods’ strict observation, Dokgo Jun dismantled the demon beast’s carcass as smoothly as flowing water.

His handling of the blade was flawless, without a trace of hesitation.

His movements were those of someone who had been doing this for a long time—enough that even I found myself momentarily captivated.

Yoon Bom asked with wide eyes.

“Wow, Jun oppa. What exactly did you do before this?”

“Me? I was a novelist.”

“You were a novelist, so why are you so good at this?”

“I learned hunting, butchering, and various other things in preparation for when the apocalypse would eventually come.”

Dokgo Jun answered warmly with a smile.

“This much is basic competency for a novelist.”

“Being a novelist is quite an incredible profession…”

Yoon Bom looked thoroughly shocked.

It seemed like she was thinking, ‘What an incredible lunatic.’

【Butchering is basic competency for a novelist!】

【Does that make any sense! The guy’s just crazy!】

【Crazy, but competent.】

【A hundred times better than being sane and incompetent.】

【Seriously, what can’t that guy do?】

【Come to think of it, he made that fishing rod by himself last time.】

【Didn’t he build that cabin here too?】

While the gods were chattering, Dokgo Jun seemed to have finished butchering.

“There, Seo Kangrim. All done.”

The meat had been dismantled as cleanly as something from a butcher shop.

He brought over the neatly cut pieces of meat.

“Here. This enough?”

“Yes. That’s fine.”

The quality was far superior to what I could have prepared myself.

I would have to put Dokgo Jun to work butchering meat in the future too.

I put the meat and herbs into the pot and started boiling.

As the stew began to boil, the initially heavy smell dissipated, replaced gradually by a savory aroma.

Not just the smell, but the taste was quite good as well.

Boiling it with the herbs seemed to neutralize the meat’s toxicity, leaving only its rich umami flavor.

“Master… when will it be ready?”

Yoon Bom was looking at me like a hungry puppy.

It was about time to serve.

I ladled the stew into bowls and said.

“200 Spirit Jade.”

“I’ve got it ready right here!”

Yoon Bom held out the Spirit Jade as if she had been waiting for this moment.

I scooped a generous portion into a bowl and handed it over, and she took it with delight.

A moment later, Yoon Gyeoul crawled out of the tent, rubbing his eyes.

“Mmm, food smells… Master, give me food…”

“200 Spirit Jade.”

“Here…”

I filled a bowl to the brim for Yoon Gyeoul as well, who handed over the Spirit Jade with half-open eyes.

Soon, others began to gather around as well.

“One bowl of stew, please!”

“Kangrim! I’ll have two bowls today!”

“Me too!”

People flocked over, and in an instant, the pot was half empty.

I had expected complaints about not giving it away for free, but everyone was more agreeable than anticipated.

Some had grumbled about the Spirit Jade cost yesterday, but after tasting a bowl, they had quieted down.

【Ah… so this is what stew tastes like.】

【This flavor that stirs the soul!】

【For this taste, even 200 Spirit Jade isn’t enough!】

【Give me a bowl too, Kangrim!】

The gods were chattering away without having even tasted it.

Father Yohan had approached hesitantly, trying to offer Spirit Jade, but I shook my head.

“That’s alright. Please, just eat, Father.”

“W-why…? Do I need to do that task again today?”

“You don’t need to help anymore. Consider it a token of gratitude.”

My Poison Resistance had built up sufficiently by now.

The venom of the demon beasts inhabiting this area no longer had any effect on me.

To raise the grade further, I would need stronger poisons.

Meanwhile, Father Yohan beamed at my answer.

“I-I see. That’s a relief. Then I’ll gratefully accept.”

Father Yohan moved to sit near Yoon Bom and Yoon Gyeoul.

The stew continued to sell steadily after that, and soon the pot was scraped clean.

As I was slowly eating the one bowl I had saved for myself, Dokgo Jun struck up a conversation.

“Ah, that was delicious. Seo Kangrim, you’d make a fitting protagonist in a cooking story.”

“If you’re done eating, go wash the dishes.”

“Got it. But before that, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

What kind of nonsense was he going to spout today.

Dokgo Jun flashed a grin and said.

“I ran into personnel from another zone yesterday.”

“…You did?”

“Yeah. Didn’t fight them—just tailed them.”

Seeing as he returned in one piece, it seemed he hadn’t been caught.

Dokgo Jun smirked like someone who had just watched an entertaining movie.

“They were saying something interesting.”

“What were they saying?”

“They said they can’t kill you, so they’ll take Zone 2 personnel hostage to threaten you.”

His words left me momentarily speechless.

I had thought they were foolish, but this was beyond imagination.

He continued in a nonchalant tone.

“From what I heard, it seems they’ve agreed to receive payment from someone. On the condition of achieving the first clear of an upper-level difficulty.”

“…”

“But Seo Kangrim, what did you do to make everyone target you?”

“I told them I wouldn’t sell them food, and this is what happens.”

Maybe I should have killed Hong Daehoon when I had the chance.

Something was nagging at me, so I asked Dokgo Jun.

“But why are you giving me this information for free?”

“Because we’re colleagues.”

He said it with a broad smile, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe him.

That Dokgo Jun would share information so willingly—was it false intelligence?

That was entirely possible.

But whether Dokgo Jun’s words were truth or lies, the fact remained that Zone 1 personnel were targeting me.

There was also a clear possibility that Zone 2 personnel could be put in danger.

So it wouldn’t hurt to warn everyone, just in case.

I stood up and tapped the empty pot with the ladle—tangtang.

“Could I have everyone’s attention for a moment, please.”

The people in the middle of their meals turned their gazes toward me.

Are we getting more food? That was the expression on their faces.

I ignored those looks and spoke.

“I’m sure you’re all aware that there are people from other zones in this Demon Realm.”

People nodded and exchanged glances in agreement.

I continued.

“I heard from Dokgo Jun that they plan to attack people from our zone to interfere with our completion.”

The faces that had been so relaxed moments ago instantly stiffened.

“What did you say?”

“What in the world…”

“Last time they stole our food, and now…!”

People exclaimed in disbelief.

As the crowd grew noisy, I struck the pot once more to cut through the chatter.

“So I have a proposal. I’ve brought a fruit called Cheonhyang. With this, you can complete the realm at a mid-level difficulty.”

When I took out the Cheonhyang fruit from my Storage Pouch, a pleasant fragrance wafted through the air.

Everyone’s eyes instantly locked onto the Cheonhyang fruit.

“I’ll give them to you free of charge. If you exit first, they won’t be able to interfere.”

I couldn’t possibly protect everyone who had entered this place.

For one thing, Zone 1 had greater numbers than us, and several of them—including Hong Daehoon—possessed strong fortune.

If even one person was dragged off while we let our guard down, it would create problems on multiple fronts.

Even if I abandoned them, Shin Sooa would try to rescue them anyway, so it was better to nip the conflict in the bud from the start.

“What will you do?”

At my words, people began glancing at each other, and soon whispers could be heard.

“Mid-level isn’t bad, right?”

“Even the lower level was pretty difficult.”

“I’m ready to get out of here. We’ve been here too long.”

It was about time people started missing the warm beds and meals of the Education Facility.

The majority of people hesitantly rose and approached me.

I had plenty of Cheonhyang fruit, enough to distribute to everyone.

Those who received the Cheonhyang fruit looked at me with gratitude.

“Thank you, Seo Kangrim. I’m not sure if it’s alright to just take this.”

“Thank you. Thanks to you, we can clear it at mid-level!”

People bowed their heads in thanks and began preparing to leave.

As everyone packed up and departed, there were still some who remained.

All of them were familiar faces.

Shin Sooa, Dokgo Jun, Yoon Bom, Yoon Gyeoul, and Father Yohan.

“Aren’t the rest of you leaving?”

Shin Sooa wore an expression that said, ‘What are you talking about?’

In response to my question, she asked with a puzzled voice.

“How could we leave first when you’re still here?”