Chapter 15
Editor: Stomatopoda, Nets
Shadow Cat was the busiest awakener in Korea .
Her position covered a wide variety of roles and missions, including resolving otherwise unsolved events, delving into new dungeons, exploring and challenging dungeons, scouting threats, spying, and more .
Outside of Sinchon .
The non-residential areas where most of the civilization of the past had vanished under the wilderness were practically indistinguishable from a wasteland . The area was even sealed off with a huge translucent dome as a cover .
The dome framework, created and installed by the awakening association, played a critical role in preventing civilian access to the dangerous area . It had been briefly removed in advance so as not to bother the Mandragora .
‘I told you to come here . ’
Chae-yeon tilted her head and folded her arms .
Suddenly .
In the far distance a speck of flickering black energy faintly materialised, barely distinguishable from the horizon as it passed through the haze of clouds . It was as if the wind was moving . Only as the energy had nearly arrived did Chae-yeon realize it was in the shape of a person .
“Hello,” the person said . She had a clear, high-pitched voice, like the sound of crisp autumn wind in a dew-laden forest .
She flickered, disappearing once more before reappearing next to Chae-yeon, with an arm casually slung over Chae-yeon’s shoulder . The person was Lee Gabi . She wore a fitted black leather dress that clung tightly to her body, and Chae-yeon couldn’t help but admire the curves it revealed .
Shadow Cat’s legs were long, her waist was firm, and she had a splendid figure .
“I’ve been looking around, but I haven’t found any clues . ”
She shook her head, tossing back her mane of unruly black hair .
“…”
Chae-yeon looked up at her for a moment, before sighing . Next to the mysterious splendor of Shadow Cat she felt stifled, and once again didn’t have a chance to shine .
“Oh, greetings, Shadow Cat! Well, I’m–”
” Call me ‘big sis’,” Shadow Cat interjectected comfortably . “You look so cute! Are you the guardian of Sinchon? I thought you would be really scary, because they call you the ‘Ice Witch’ . ”
Chae-yeon paused, losing her train of thought as she looked into Shadow Cat’s curious face . Round, large eyes, and sharp features . Oh my God, she was born with everything . Chae-yeon couldn’t help but curse the heavens helplessly . ‘Oh, unfair world . ’
“Oh, uh, yeah! The, uh, code name was from Cypher School…”
“All right, all right, don’t be so nervous . How many years have you been a guardian for?”
“Oh, this is my 10th year . ”
“Aww,” crooned Shadow Cat, patting Chae-yeon on both cheeks, “I see . Nice to meet you, I’m Lee Gabi . ”
“I am Chae-yeon . ”
“Alright!”
Shadow Cat turned to face her with a smile .
“I have searched the area the mandragora grew in, but I can’t find a trace of anything that might have removed the plants . ”
Chae-yeon gulped .
From what she heard at Cypher School, Shadow Cat was a first-class awakener 30 years ago . 30 years ago! How much could she have improved by now? And how could she still look so young? There was no way to tell .
Oh my God . You had to look at her skin! She could tell Shadow cat had to secretly be in her 20s!
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“No trace at all . It certainly wasn’t an ordinary skill . ”
Chae-yeon was distracted, still agonizing over the mystery, and shook her head from side to side to clear her train of thought before quickly answering the unspoken question .
“Yes, I’m sure we’ve closed this area down . There’s been no sign of an invasion, or of any hunting . ”
“Alright . ”
Shadow Cat shrugged, crossing her arms while she pondered the situation .
“Who’s the one who placed the barrier?”
“Oh, our team’s fourth-class awakener . ”
“Fourth class . ”
Shadow Cat frowned .
“If the person broke through the fourth class force field without a trace, the person is at least third grade . I’ll have to inquire with the mercenaries in downtown Seoul first . ”
There were professional freelancers among the awakened people, too . They were called mercenaries .
“Where’s the biggest mercenary corps around here?”
“It must be the Temple mercenary corps,of West Gate . ”
“Let’s go there first . I’m hungry, so I’d like a meal of rice . I’m also looking forward to meeting someone I haven’t seen in a long time, a little boy who uses a spear . ”
Shadow Cat’s eyes twinkled .
“Let’s ask him to buy the rice!”
Cheol-ho liked the ingredients that he bought for the day very much .
Carefully sneaking into my room, he confirmed Tangerine was firmly still asleep .
Why did it hurt to see the small dragon asleep for so long?
Khan was lying down beside Tangerine, watching the sleeping creature .
Suddenly, Khan kissed Tangerine on the cheek .
“Cute . ”
Still looking at him, he kissed the other cheek again .
“Cute . ”
He then rubbed his cheek against Tangerine’s cheek .
“This child is pretty . ”
“… . ”
“Who does my Tangerine look like? You look like your brother, of course!”
Khan rolled over, and his eyes widened as he met Cheol-ho’s gaze .
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“… . ”
“Uh, how much did you hear?”
“From the beginning to the end . ”
“Damn it!”
Khan crept out of the room, carefully so as to not wake Tangerine .
“I don’t think it’s embarrassing to love your brother . ”
As if Khan was ashamed of Cheol-ho’s words, he coughed .
“Fill a large pot in the kitchen with water,” Cheol-ho requested, kindly changing the topic while he pulled out the new materials he had purchased . Khan nodded and glanced at the fresh ingredients .
“Oh, what’s that?”
“This?”
There were various ingredients bought by Cheol-ho, two of which were particularly eye-catching .
“It’s called a watermelon . I guess you’ve never seen it before on the Esfan continent, have you?”
“I’ve never seen it before . Is it meat?”
“No . I thought it was a vegetable, but it is a fruit . ”
Cheolho had bought five watermelons .
“And this?”
“It’s the livestock of this world . I spent quite a lot of money on it . It’s called chicken . ”
He had purchased five raw chickens, checking to make sure they had each been groomed well .
“I know what a chicken is . ”
“Oh, that’s true . ”
There was also livestock from this world on the Esfan continent . Recalling the fact, Cheol-ho smiled and nodded amiably .
The water began to boil in a large pot .
Among the ingredients left in the refrigerator, Cheol-ho turned his attention toward the Mandragora . The Mandragora opened its eyes as wide as possible and tried to scream loudly, but it was to no avail . Not a sound came out .
If you properly purified the Mandragora, it becomes a very good ingredient . It had a crunchy texture and a sweet taste that went well with both cool and hot foods .
Cheol-ho was going to make summer food with this guy today .
It would be good to have guests, or they can eat by themselves .
Firstly, he finely sliced the Mandragora into thin roundels .
“Uh, where the hell did you get the Mandragora?”
Cheol-ho replied to Khan in a humorous tone, working as he chatted .
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“I just took a walk and came across it, so I picked it out . ”
“Is that a lie?”
“Maybe . ”
Cheol-ho responded simply, and brushed the chopped Mandragora into the boiling water .
What are you going to make?
He would make chicken soup .
There are many foods that come to mind in summer, but chicken soup was the most memorable for Cheol-ho .
Making chicken soup was difficult if you assumed it was , and easy if you thought it was easy .
The key was to prepare the chicken, and then add the sticky rice, garlic, scallions, and finally a moderate amount of liver .
You didn’t need to put in a lot of ingredients . It was best to put in a moderate amount, boil it, and eat it .
Cheol-ho stretched out his hand to grab a raw chicken while monitoring the boiling water .
He stuffed the well-washed glutinous rice into the cleaned hollow in the chicken .
Then he inserted chopped up eggs with the rice . Finally, he crossed the two legs of the chicken from side to side and tied them well .
He repeated his actions for each of the five chickens, and placed them in the pot with water to poach them . When it started to boil he added raw garlic and covered the pot with its lid .
After preparing the meal , Cheol-ho sat back with his legs crossed, and started to read the newspaper .
Then .
Tok Tok!~
They had a visitor .
“Hmm?”
It was rare to see three people come to eat at the same time .
“Hello sir . ”
It was Kim Sang-hu that came in first, with two more women close behind . Cheol-ho had never seen either of them before, but they still looked familiar .
Especially the tall, slim woman .
She has a different vibe . He was thinking that perhaps her power might be around first class? She was quite a strong woman for how young she looked .
“What? There was a restaurant like this? Oh my God . ”
The tall woman peered around exuberantly, speaking with a cheerful voice .
“Wow . ”
The short woman opened her eyes in wonder and turned to face Cheol-ho .
“Hello!”
“Yes, yes, welcome . ”
Cheol-ho smiled lightly in greeting to them, poking Khan to do the same .
“Oh, hello . ”
Khan also greeted them .
“I’m sorry, sir . There are two people with me today . Oh, are you an employee?”
Kim Sang-hu directed his last sentence at Khan, rubbing his eyes as if he were tired .
“It’s always nice to have guests at the restaurant . This is my nephew . ”
Kim Sang-hu bowed slightly to Khan .
“Something smells good . ”
“Oh, I made some chicken soup . Would you like some?”
Kim Sang-hu’s eyes twinkled .
“Chicken? It’s been a long time since I had chicken . ”
* * *
Cheol-ho carefully extracted a chicken from the boiling pot . The life of food was in its decoration . He precisely placed the chicken in an earthen bowl, making sure to lay it out as elegantly as a chicken could be placed . He was proud enough of it to laugh when he saw the chicken showing off its beautiful appearance .
Next he spooned up some of the soup with his ladle, and began to gently pour it into the same earthen bowl . He removed the string that fastened the legs of the chicken together, and sprinkled a garnish of green onions on top of it once the soup had filled the bowl to the rim .
Salt was all the condiment it needed .
Cheol-ho thought adding pepper to salt was one of the simplest and most delicious methods . Of course, the seasoning could vary at any time depending on your preference .
Finally he retrieved a small portion of the ‘good ingredients’, and put the shredded radish on the plate .
It was done .
Kim Sang-hu and Chae-yeon faced each other, nodding in unison . Chicken soup, even with its mild fragrance, was enough to make them drool just by looking at it .
First of all .
Grab one leg and tear it open . Chicken legs that have been boiled for a long time would be easy to gently tear apart . When the white steam rose from the flesh, blow it away to let it cool down .
Sprinkle a little salt on it, and take a firm bite of the chicken leg full of thick flesh .
Kim Sang-hu laughed . As expected, chicken was always delicious . The taste of chicken filled his mouth .
He took a sip of the soup .
Then two sips .
If you chewed and swallowed it, the warmth spread throughout the body .
It was delicious . The ingredients, especially the shredded radish, added a crunchy texture to the meal .
It was at about this time that Kim Sang-hu and Chae-yeon began to eat the chicken soup in a frantic, heedless way .
“Are you vegetarian?” asked Cheol-ho, looking at Shadow Cat’s untouched bowl .