Chapter 118 – Gukbap

Chapter 118 – Gukbap

In the middle of Geumhwa New City Market.

There, a clean-looking sign, which seemed to have been newly installed relatively recently, was hanging…

The sign read:

[Original Dungeon Gukbap]

Business seemed to be doing well, as the busy sound of spoons could be heard from inside the restaurant all the way to the street.

Clink, clink. Clatter—! Click!

This shop was one of the most popular and best-value shops in the market in front of the Dungeon Entrance. Especially since the Landlady was a Cooking Ability User, which played a big part.

The shop had regular Hunters who had been coming since the early days. These men, clad in artifacts like swords and armor, would go into the Dungeon every day to gather resources and Mana Stones.

They usually discussed work-related topics like equipment or new hunting grounds, but today was a little different.

Hyung, did you hear about the man?

The newcomer spoke cautiously.

Why are you talking about that man again?

The senior Hunters answered gruffly. But the newcomer continued without being discouraged.

I’m talking about the rumor that the Fleet is returning this time.

What fleet? No, wait. Are you talking about Lord Fleet?

No, Hyung! In this day and age, who else could it be besides the man’s Fleet!

You’re right!

The men seemed excited by the news of the Fleet’s return. And it wasn’t just these Hunters.

Oh, customer! You’re late with the information!

Madam, have you heard anything else?

They say it’s been 4 hours since it took off from India! Rumors are flying around the Shopping Mall these days.

Oh, Lord is finally returning.

Speaking of which, Hyunsu, didn’t you say you met Lord directly once a long time ago?

At that, the new Hunter’s face broke into a smile.

Oh, Hyung. This is a story from when I was a Police Officer…

And he began to tell a very old story.

***

Meanwhile, on the returning ship, I was recalculating the Interceptor’s performance. This was, of course, because the Interceptor upgrade was by no means cheap. In fact, I had to use most of the Aetherium I currently possessed.

Once I return home, I need to build more Interceptors…

Of course, it would be solved by buying Aetherium at the Main Base and building them, but that wasn’t the case now.

The Aetherium brought in was nowhere near enough to restore the original number of Interceptors, so the overall number of Interceptors had to be reduced.

But there was no big problem.

The Man’s thing was Water theory…

“Boss! All products have been shipped!”

It was all thanks to Rye, who worked hard.

The Man’s powerful anti-air capability was enough to fill the void of the Interceptors. Water theory, the Man’s void itself wasn’t that big in the first place.

Thanks to the tremendous firepower of the enhanced Interceptors, even if their numbers were few, they could sufficiently contend with quality.

They could even ‘hear’ the enhanced firepower.

Screeching-

The even more enhanced Photon Autocannon was making an even bigger and grander cry.

Boom!

The ensuing roar also harmonized.

Moreover, the Interceptor Mark-II was always in an Invisibility state, so the need for evasive maneuvers was minimized. This, in turn, led to even more powerful sustained firepower.

Even the Defense itself wasn’t as bad as expected. Deokchan looked at the battle scene and clicked his tongue, saying-.

“Oh dear… they don’t even dodge anymore.”

This was because the enhancement of the output led to Mana Barrier Enhancement.

If more Defense was truly needed, it was simply a matter of temporarily deploying a defensive shield using the Emitter.

In addition to that, the strategic advantage provided by a large number of Invisibility units was, in the first place, self-evident.

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

I smacked my lips.

* * *

The return journey was much easier than the outbound trip.

A significant portion of India’s Monsters were consumed in the battle with Sati. And the same was true for Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Vietnam was even more prosperous than when I departed, and for some reason, their attitude towards me had changed a lot.

“Oh! You’re here! We’ve been waiting for you with all our hearts!”

There was no need to use Apoin; they formed a translation team locally with excellent Korean language skills and greeted me with utmost hospitality.

I had felt it last time too, but it was a really sudden change in attitude.

I briefly replied to the men’s words-.

“I just stopped by on my way, like a man passing through.”

“On your way! Wow, that’s truly amazing for a man!”

“For you to have a reason to pass through a place like ours, it’s nothing short of an honor. Please, make yourself comfortable…”

Their reaction was a sight to behold.

‘Are they being sarcastic…?’

It made me tilt my head, but no matter how I looked at it, the men were genuinely welcoming me.

It was true that I felt a bit uneasy, but in any case, I decided to secure the Swimming Essence that the men had promised to give.

‘There’s no reason not to accept something that’s being offered.’

After that, I went north, returning via Shanghai, and the atmosphere in Shanghai wasn’t bad either. Especially with the start of trade with the Korean Peninsula by railway, it was showing a bit of vitality.

‘I hope the railway will extend to Vietnam someday.’

According to Chen, the Hong Kong Faction and the Divine Merit Party were merging among the men, so I thought it might be good to have some expectations for the future.

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

“Mom! Mom! Look over there!”

“Oh! They really arrived!”

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

And the same was true for my bridge.

“Phew… Finally, home!”

From Seongjae, who simply stretched-.

“I feel like having some jajangmyeon today?”

“Let’s go together, unnie!”

Sua and Minju said they were going to the market to eat something delicious.

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

Even Seoyeon, who spends a considerable amount of money collecting popular media like movies and anime…

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

The man and the thing were…

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

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

“Okay.”

I was the same, having just finished a call with Gyeongcheol and Apoin.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the surface.

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

“Here, eight bowls of gukbap for delivery.”

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

“Huh? Boss, this address seems a bit strange?”

“What?”

“I know this as Clearing…”

In a world without proper navigation, the man needed to memorize addresses thoroughly to become a delivery veteran.

“What? You must be remembering it wrong.”

However, apart from the man, the man also knew this address personally. The man would be like that, because this address was-.

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

It was the Clearing in front of his own house. But the shop owner shook his head, stubbornly sending the man out.

“They’re probably all gathered at Clearing to eat. Anyway, I’ve already received the money. Go quickly, the gukbap will get cold.”

“No… no matter what…”

He was a man who wanted to check again. But seeing the side door close, he shook his head and sighed.

“Oh well, I’ve done all I can.”

Vroooom-

And just like that, his motorcycle started moving.

***

And a moment later.

“Of course.”

The man stood in front of the clearing, frowning.

There was no one in the clearing.

He took out his phone and made a call through Apoin.

“No, boss. I’m telling you, this is definitely the clearing!”

……

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

……

“What? Wait for what…?”

While he was arguing with his boss.

Whoosh-

An armored transport aircraft landed in front of him.

Click-

And as its maw opened, a woman emerged from inside. Her pink hair was striking, as if she were cosplaying.

“Uh… I… I’m sorry… Um, I’m late.”

She greeted him with an awkward tone, then casually took the Iron Delivery Case he was holding.

“Oh, this is a bit heavy!”

It was the moment the man, flustered, tried to refuse.

“…?”

The woman, with a look of confusion, lightly picked up the Iron Delivery Case with one hand and entered the armored transport plane.

This was possible because Seoyeon’s body, enhanced by the increasing number of Apoin users and the considerable amount of mana she wielded, was at a level beyond the man’s imagination. However, neither of them had considered this.

Seoyeon wanted to quickly escape the one-on-one meeting, and the man was simply swayed by her.

‘No!’

Amidst all this, the man quickly came to his senses.

With the Apocalypse, the use of disposable containers drastically decreased, and the Iron Delivery Case came back into use. He had to get it back.

“Hey, where are you going to eat, taking an armored transport plane like that?!”

Worried, he unknowingly shouted loudly at Seoyeon… Seoyeon silently pointed to the sky.

RUMBLE-

In the sky, at the tip of her pointed finger… a magnificent Assault Landing Ship had opened one of its hangar doors and was waiting.

“Gasp…”

“Ah, um, I, I’ll leave the empty dishes… here… in the Clearing.”

Click-

Whirrrrrr!

After he finished speaking, the armored transport plane flapped its strong wings and headed into the hangar of the Assault Landing Ship.

And it wasn’t long before a small sign, “Even the Lord orders from here!” was attached next to the [Original Dungeon Gukbap] sign.

***

Meanwhile, I, who had ordered gukbap with Seoyeon and everyone else, was busy checking the research facility.

[Analyzing Essence…]

Since it was far from the Main Base, the number of Research Facilities was small. Also, the situation wasn’t favorable for directly infusing Mana Stones, so analyzing the newly acquired Essence was taking quite some time.

Of course, it was different once we returned to the Main Base.

[Analysis complete.]

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

[New facilities and machines are unlocked!]

[Essence can now be applied.]

The research facility spouted numerous messages.

[Assistant AI rebooting…]

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

[Booting in safe mode.]

[Successor, I greet you once again.]

The Assistant AI also rebooted.

“I had a lot to do anyway… This is good.”

I grinned, looking at the message list.

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

To do that, the next stop was Japan.

***

Meanwhile, in Nagoya, Japan. Nagoya, a central hub between Tokyo and Osaka, was one of the core areas of the Japanese Civilian Forces.

A young woman in a worn but clean office suit received a report and subtly asked her loyal subordinate, “How’s the atmosphere in Osaka these days?”

“How’s the atmosphere in Osaka these days?”

“Nothing has changed.”

“Phew…”

She sighed.

Osaka originally had many anti-Korean factions. Although they were a tiny minority compared to the total population of Osaka, the situation changed as things escalated.

After the Headhunter Swept Through, obliterating the leadership of East Asia, regardless of Korea, China, or Japan, the anti-Korean faction, which already had some organizational power, took control of Osaka.

And this was a big problem for her. She was well aware of the situation in Korea and had been trying to establish communication, but it was impossible due to the Osaka Forces, who had tightly sealed off the south.

“Oh dear… what should I do…?”

“Ding!?”

Next to the man and woman, a Worker Bug tilted its head.