Chapter 118 – Gukbap

In the middle of the Geumhwa New City Market.

There, a sign hung that looked relatively new and clean…

The sign read:

[Original Dungeon Gukbap]

Business seemed to be booming; the sound of clattering cutlery from inside the shop could be heard all the way out on the street.

Clatter, clatter. Clink! Tick!

This shop was one of the most popular and cost-effective spots in the market in front of the Dungeon Entrance. In particular, the fact that the owner was actually a Cooking Ability User played a huge part in its success.

The shop had regular Hunter customers who had been coming since the early days—people who clad their entire bodies in Artifacts like swords and Armor, venturing into dungeons every day to gather resources and Mana Stones.

Normally, they would spend their time discussing equipment or new hunting grounds and other work-related matters… but today was a bit different.

“Hyung, have you heard the news?”

A rookie brought up the topic cautiously.

“What is it now?”

The veteran Hunters replied bluntly. However, the rookie, undeterred, continued speaking.

“The rumor that the fleet is returning this time.”

“What fleet again… Wait. Are you talking about the Lord’s fleet?”

“Hyung! In this day and age, what other fleet would there be!”

“You’re right!”

They seemed excited by the news of the fleet’s return. And it wasn’t just these Hunters.

“Oh my, customer! Your information is slow!”

“Ma’am, have you heard anything else?”

“They say it’s already been four hours since they took off from India! The rumors are spreading all around the Shopping Mall these days.”

“Oh, the Lord is finally returning.”

“Come to think of it, Hyunsu, didn’t you say you met the Lord in person once a long time ago?”

At those words, a bright smile blossomed on the rookie Hunter’s face.

“Oh, Hyung. That was back when I was a Police Officer…”

And so, he began to tell a story from long ago.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the returning ship, I was reconsidering the performance of my Interceptors. This was, of course, because upgrading the Interceptors was by no means cheap. In fact, I had to use most of the Aetherium I currently possessed.

‘Once I return home, I should make more Interceptors first…’

Of course, this was a problem that could be solved by purchasing Aetherium from the Main Base, but that wasn’t the case right now.

The Aetherium I had brought along was far from enough to restore the original number of Interceptors, so the overall count had to be reduced.

However, there was no major problem.

That was, of course…

“Boss! All products have been shipped!”

Thanks to Rai, who was working hard.

His powerful anti-air capabilities were sufficient to fill the gap left by the Interceptors. Of course, the gap itself wasn’t that large to begin with.

Thanks to the overwhelming firepower of the output-enhanced Interceptors, quality could sufficiently compensate for the lack in quantity.

In fact, it was possible to ‘hear’ that enhanced firepower.

Zzzzzzzzzing—

The further strengthened Photon Autocannons let out an even louder and more magnificent roar.

Kugugugung!

The explosive booms that followed acted as a harmony.

Furthermore, since the Interceptor MK-II was always in a state of Invisibility, the need for evasive maneuvers was minimized. This, in turn, led to even greater sustained firepower.

Even the defense itself wasn’t as bad as expected. Deokchan, watching the combat scene, had clicked his tongue and said—

“Good grief… they don’t even dodge anymore.”

This was because the increase in output led to Mana Barrier Enhancement.

When even higher defense was absolutely necessary, one could simply deploy a temporary defensive shield using the Emitter.

Beyond that, the strategic advantage provided by multiple invisible aircraft went without saying.

“I’m looking forward to a full-scale battle.”

I licked my lips.

* * *

The return journey was much easier than the trip there.

A considerable number of India’s Monsters had been depleted during the battle with Sati. The same went for Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Vietnam was prospering even more than when I first departed, and for some reason, their attitude toward me had changed significantly.

“Ah! You have arrived! We have been waiting for you with all our hearts!”

Without the need to use Apoin, they had assembled a translation team with excellent Korean language skills locally to welcome me with utmost hospitality.

As I had felt before, it was a truly sudden change in attitude.

I replied to them lightly—.

“I just stopped by while passing through.”

“While passing through! Wow, that is truly remarkable!”

“To think you would go out of your way to pass through a place like ours; it is nothing short of an honor. Please, make yourself at home…”

Their reaction was quite a sight.

‘Are they being sarcastic…?’

It was enough to make me tilt my head, but no matter how I looked at it, they were sincerely welcoming me.

While it felt a bit unsettling, I decided to secure the Swimming Essence they had promised to give.

‘There’s no reason not to take something they’re offering.’

After that, I headed north, passing through Shanghai to return. The atmosphere in Shanghai wasn’t bad either. In particular, as they began trading with the Korean Peninsula via rail, it had regained some vitality.

‘I hope the rail connects all the way to Vietnam later.’

According to Chen, the fusion of the Hong Kong forces and the Divine Merit Party situated in between was taking place, so I thought I could expect some progress in the future.

After completing the final resupply in Shanghai, we crossed the West Sea and returned to Incheon…

“Mom! Mommmm! Look over there!”

“Oh! They’ve really arrived!”

The city was in a festive mood due to the return of my fleet.

And the same was true for my Bridge.

“Phew… finally home!”

From Seongjae, who was simply stretching—

“I’m kind of craving Jajangmyeon today.”

“Let’s go together, Unnie!”

To Sua and Minju, who wanted to go to the market to eat something delicious.

“I need to check the DVD shop… to see if there’s anything new.”

And even Seoyeon, who spent a considerable amount of money collecting mass media like movies and anime…

After a long expedition, everyone seemed happy to be back.

And that included…

“How much Aetherium stock do we have right now?”

“Since you mentioned it last time, we have already bought up about 80% of the amount circulating in the market.”

“Okay.”

I, who had finished a call with Gyeongcheol via Apoin, was no different.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the ground.

At [Original Dungeon Gukbap], preparations for delivery were in full swing.

“Here, eight bowls of gukbap for delivery.”

Eight bowls of gukbap, side dishes, and bowls of rice. It was by no means a small amount, but for a man who was a delivery veteran within the city, it wasn’t a big problem. Rather, what he found strange was—.

“Huh? Boss, this address is kind of weird.”

“What is?”

“I thought this was a clearing…”

In a world without proper navigation, he had to memorize addresses thoroughly to become a delivery veteran.

“What? You must be remembering it wrong.”

Regardless, he personally knew this address. That was because this address was—.

“No, Boss. That can’t be. This is right in front of my house.”

It was the clearing in front of his own home. However, the shop owner shook her head and forced him out.

“Maybe they’re all gathering at the clearing to eat together. I’ve already received the money anyway. Hurry up, the gukbap will get cold.”

“No… even so…”

The man wanted her to check one more time. But seeing the side door slam shut, he shook his head and sighed.

“Sigh, I guess I’ve done my part.”

Vroom—

And so, his motorcycle began to move.

* * *

And a moment later.

“I knew it.”

The man stood before the clearing and frowned.

There was no one in the clearing.

He picked up his phone and made a call via Apoin.

“No, Boss. I’m telling you, this really is just a clearing!”

“……”

“Ah, of course I checked. Yes, yes! There’s no one here!”

“……”

“What? Wait for what…?”

While he was arguing with the boss.

Parararirit—

An Armored Transport Plane descended in front of him.

Clank—

Then, as the hatch opened, a woman stepped out. Perhaps she was cosplaying, as her pink hair was striking.

“Uh… um… I-I’m sorry… um, I’m late.”

She greeted him in an awkward tone and naturally took the delivery metal box he was holding.

“Ah, this is a bit heavy!”

The moment the man, flustered, tried to refuse.

“……?”

With a look of incomprehension, she lightly lifted the metal box with one hand and entered the Armored Transport Plane.

This was possible because Seoyeon’s body, which had been strengthened by operating a significant amount of mana as the number of Apoin users increased, was at a level he could not even imagine, but neither of them thought that far.

Seoyeon simply wanted to escape the one-on-one interaction as quickly as possible, and the man was simply swept along by her.

‘Wait!’

In the midst of it, the man suddenly snapped back to his senses.

Since the Apocalypse, the use of disposable containers had plummeted, and metal boxes had returned. He had to get this back.

“Excuse me, where are you eating that you’re taking an Armored Transport Plane?!”

Worried, he shouted loudly toward Seoyeon without realizing it… and Seoyeon silently pointed toward the sky.

Kuguuuuuung—

In the sky where her finger pointed… a magnificent Assault Landing Ship was waiting with one of its hangar doors open.

“Gasp…”

“Ah, uh, the, um, the empty bowls… I’ll leave them… here… in the clearing.”

Clank—

Taralararit!

With those words, the Armored Transport Plane flapped its wings strongly and headed into the hangar of the Assault Landing Ship.

And soon, a small sign saying [The place the Lord ordered from!] was attached next to the [Original Dungeon Gukbap] sign.

* * *

Meanwhile, after ordering gukbap with Seoyeon and the others, I was in the middle of checking the research facility.

[Analyzing Essence…]

Since I was away from the Main Base, the number of research facilities was small. Also, since the situation wasn’t ideal for brute-forcing with Mana Stones, the analysis of the newly obtained Essence was taking quite some time.

Of course, it was different after returning to the Main Base.

[Analysis Complete.]

[Restoring Forgotten Knowledge of Magitech Civilization. <4/7>]

[New facilities and machinery are unlocked!]

[New Essence can be applied.]

The research facility spat out numerous messages.

[Rebooting Assistant AI…]

[Error: Insufficient knowledge. <4/7>]

[Booting in Safe Mode.]

[Successor, I greet you once again.]

The Assistant AI had also rebooted.

“I already had a lot to do… this worked out well.”

I grinned while looking at the list of messages.

My next goal was to set sail for the United States.

To do that, the next stop was Japan.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nagoya, Japan. Nagoya, the center between Tokyo and Osaka, was one of the core regions of Japan’s civilian forces.

A young woman dressed in a worn but clean office suit asked her subordinate casually while receiving a report.

“How is the atmosphere in Osaka these days?”

“Nothing has changed.”

“Phew…”

She let out a sigh.

Osaka originally had many anti-Korean factions. Although they were only a tiny minority compared to the overall citizens of Osaka, the situation changed after things turned out this way.

After the Headhunter, who decimated the leadership of East Asia—be it Korea, China, or Japan—swept through, the anti-Korean factions, who already possessed some level of organizational power, seized control of Osaka.

And this was a major problem for her. She was well aware of the situation in Korea and had been attempting to establish exchange, but it was impossible because the Osaka forces had tightly blocked the south.

“Really… what should I do…?”

“Ding?”

Beside her, a Worker Bug tilted its head.