Chapter 16
Editor: Nets
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“Yes . ”
Shadow Cat opened her eyes wide, smiling lightly . It was a curious, cat-like smile .
“Yes, I am . Do you know how to cook vegetables?”
Cheol-ho scratched his head as he thought .
“There’s not much I can do . Well, I do just happen to have a watermelon . Would you like some?”
“Watermelon!”
Shadow Cat laughed and nodded .
“I’d like some please . ”
* * *
There were many delicious ways to eat watermelon . It tasted great when eaten in simple slices, when frozen, and even when blended . But today he was going to try a different method .
Cheol-ho, stepping back into the kitchen, cleaved one of his watermelons in half and began to skillfully carve out the flesh . He was careful to only scrape out the flesh so that the bottom shell of the watermelon remained .
Next, he cut the removed watermelon flesh into bite-size pieces, before returning it to the shell .
It’s best to put in as much as possible .
Then, the half-cut watermelon skin was mixed in with the cut watermelon flesh . The cider was poured into the shell . When the cider was poured to the point the bowl almost filled up, the cider’s peculiar scent mingled with the summery fragrance of the sweet watermelon to fill the air . You could also slice it up and add various fruits according to your preferences .
In Cheol-ho’s case he preferred to add additional strawberries and kiwifruit, preparing them by cutting them into small pieces and placing them in a bowl .
He took a square cut of the Mandragora so it would blend in with the other fruits, and also added it to the bowl .
For a finishing touch he added some ice .
Chae-yeon’s eyes glistened behind Cheol-ho, avidly watching him bring the watermelon bowl to the table and prepare to return to bring out the ice .
“Wow! It’s fruit salad, right?” Chae-yeon asked happily .
“Yes . ”
At Cheol-ho’s affirmation she cheerfully drummed her fingers on the table, letting out a playful smile .
Oh!
Ice formed in the air, glittering drops of condensation rolling off of the perfect cubes . Once the small pieces of ice landed in the watermelon bowl the salad was completed .
“Oh, you’re awakened,” stated Cheol-ho in a slightly surprised tone . Ma Chang-sa answered him in between slurps of his Samgyetang soup .
“She’s the Ice Witch who protects Sinchon . ”
“Aha . You are that guardian . ”
“…I don’t like the name . ”
Chae-yeon pouted her lips . In fact, she didn’t really like the ‘modifier’ put in front of her name . There were times when she heard it she cringed so badly her hands and feet cramped, and for one thing, it wasn’t a very nice nickname!
‘Witch’ !
She was given the code name of the ‘Ice Witch’ because of her performance in the annual tournament duel at Cypher School, named Battle Royale . It originated from the unforgettable time she froze her opponent completely solid and covered the entire arena in flurries of snow .
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“The whole thing was a mistake . ”
Cheol-ho laughed good-naturedly at her miserable expression .
For some reason , quite a few great people had come to visit today . Cheol-ho suddenly glanced at Shadow Cat .
He didn’t bother to ask who she was . She was definitely more than just a guardian .
Cheol-ho carried out the completed fruit salad to Shadow Cat, complete with a big spoon .
“Wow!”
She smiled broadly .
Cheol-ho couldn’t help but feel she looked pretty when she smiled .
Chae-yeon also had a cute look, but he thought the other girl was really pretty, with a sharp nose and sculpted appearance so flawless it wouldn’t have been replicable even for the advanced plastic surgery techniques of the past .
In other words, she was way too pretty .
Strange .
Cheol-ho felt an odd sense of alienation from her . After hesitating slightly he internally shrugged and mentally recited the command .
[Detect Eye]
“Thank you for the meal!”
Shadow Cat raised her spoon in cheers .
The pungent taste of cider, the sweetness of the watermelon, and the crunchy chewing sensation melded together pleasantly . It felt like the heat in the room had been sucked away by the ice .
In addition, it was very delicious when blended in with the texture of the sliced fruits . Shadow Cat tilted her head as she looked at the square, yet radish-like, addition . It was a sweet and crunchy addition that made the texture twice as good .
“It looks delicious . ”
Chae-yeon and Kim Sang-hu nodded together .
“Give us some, too!”
After the three guests had gone, Khan remained silent for a while with his arms crossed .
Cheol-ho did the same .
“Cheol-ho . ”
“What?”
“That woman who just left is pretty . ”
Cheol-ho laughed .
“Yep . ”
“She’s too pretty to be human . ”
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Khan’s tone was serious . Cheol-ho nodded lightly .
“Yes . Yes, I don’t think she’s a human being . You are right . ”
Khan was startled . Cheol-ho continued to speak .
“That woman is an elf . ”
“An elf?”
Khan flopped into a chair and shook his head from side to side .
“Despite my suspicion I thought she was still human . But doesn’t an elf have long ears?”
“Hmm . ”
Cheol-ho pondered the dilemma with his arms crossed . Was this restaurant a good place to live? Or was it bad? All the visitors were unique .
Well, Cheol-ho didn’t think that was bad .
“Did they recognize us?”
“No . I didn’t have the ability to recognize magic . ”
Cheol-ho shrugged his shoulders and recalled the results of his ability, [Detect Eye] .
– Morality: Neutral
– Class: Ghost race + (hidden class)
– Class Achievement: Master
– Learning Aptitude: Awarded
She was a neutral elf .
How did he know?
Only elves could own the class ‘ghost race’ . That means that she had already mastered the first class ‘ghost race’, and picked a hidden class .
Seeing that the second class had only one achievement it appeared she had mastered it quite a long time ago .
‘That’s the level of awakening that’s classified as the first class in this world?’
She was better than he thought . Now he was thinking that perhaps , they might need to keep an eye on her .
‘I suppose I’ll see you again next time . ’
By the way .
There were three watermelons left . He could cut the other two up and eat them in a fun way .
Cheol-ho stretched like a cat and headed for the kitchen .
“Khan!”
“Huh?”
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“I’ll let you eat something unique . ”
“Oh!”
Khan jumped to his feet excitedly .
“What can I do for you?”
“Hmm…… . ”
Cheol-ho thought for a moment before answering .
“Go out and clean up the front of the house . ”
Once Cheol-ho could hear the steady sweeps of the broom , he laid the watermelon on the chopping board, hovering a cleaver over it .
First, cut off the head of the watermelon slightly .
Then he began to spoon out the slightly exposed flesh .
It was convenient to only think that the inside of the watermelon was turned into a bowl, but it was something that needed a lot of work . The more time you spend, the better the results .
Once you stirred the inside of the watermelon moderately, pour soju into it . One watermelon could contain around two bottles of soju . Once you’re done pouring the soju you can add a drink of your preference .
A fruit-flavored drink could damage the taste, so he picked up the cider and poured it in .
Then stir well . Finally, fill it up with ice and store it for 20 minutes in the freezer .
It was called ‘watermelon soju’ .
There were three people trudging out of the Temple Mercenary Corps building .
“Oh well, it was pointless after all . ”
Shadow Cat nodded to Chae-yeon’s words .
Leaning against the wall, Kim Sang-hu gave a deep sigh .
“Hey, old lady, if it’s gone without a trace wouldn’t it be safe to say that there’s a new biological phenomenon that makes it naturally disappear?”
“Who is this little boy calling an old lady?” Shadow Cat retorted . “And I’m busy, too . And there’s no clues . No witnesses, no victims . Let’s pretend someone pulled out all the Mandragora . Does that make sense? There’s no way there’s anyone in this country could pull them out without at least a few people knowing about it . ”
In the end, nothing had come of Shadow Cat’s investigation . The reason she was a first-class awakener was because her lone power was equal to the power of thousands of ordinary people . It was very unexpected that her investigation had not produced a normal result .
“Well… come to think of it, you’re right . ”
Under the constant monitoring of three shifts, Chae-yeon’s team had closely guarded the Mandragora area, and the kilometer around it . If someone had stolen the plant there would have been casualties… . but there were none .
“You never know,” Kim Sang-hu added, sniffling . “What if someone ate it all up? It’s quite chilly tonight, even though it is summer . ”
Shadow Cat shook her head .
Since there was not a clue left, it was most reasonable to say that the Mandragora had disappeared naturally .
After thinking for a long time she nodded decisively .
First of all, report to the superiors . With the additional data the researchers might suggest a new hypothesis regarding the attack .
But she felt something strange . It was an instinctive feeling .
‘Something’s suspicious . ’
There was no evidence, no victims .
“Something’s going on in this city,” she mumbled .
The three of them split up for the night .
Shadow Cat tilted her head up at the cloudless night sky as she swept through the streets . It was a cool summer night .
‘The restaurant . ’
Strangely, she remembered the restaurant .
‘Why is it stuck in my head? Is it because I enjoyed one of the most delicious meals in a long time?’
Hmm…
A strange intuition kept her thinking about the restaurant . But when she thought of the workers , they were plain, no matter how much she examined her memories of them .
‘I don’t know . ’
By the way .
‘I want to go again . Is it because it’s a good restaurant?’
Strange thoughts came and went like the flickering moonlight, and her body gradually disappeared as she melded into the shadow cast by the city buildings .
Cheol-ho took the watermelon out of the freezer .
He could feel the weight of the cold liquid within it .
He punched a hole in the body of the watermelon, red soju cascading out of the leak . After emptying two bottles of the beer from the watermelon he briefly took a step back, to appreciate the sight .
The finishing touch was to finely slice the last remaining Mandragora, and float it on the surface of the glass .
With that, all the radish has been consumed . There was quite a lot of sliced radish kimchi . It would get better and better day by day .
“Wow . ”
Khan opened his mouth wide in appreciation .
The chicken soup was good, and watermelon soju was also good . Everything was delicious in summer .
But–
“In summer, watermelon soju is best . ”
Cheol-ho raised his glass with a chuckle . Khan, too, raised his glass, and both drinks met with a satisfying clink .
The two drinkers chewed the last of the mandragora and gulped the soju down .