Adventurers Are Obsessed With My Cooking

Episode 23. His empty seat

“How are you? Is the business over?”

After just one day of business, someone else came to clean up the stalls.

There really is no end.

Only people who went this way today are over ten.

Some people pretended to be guests, and there were also many people who came to visit without any hesitation like the lord.

“Sorry, the business is over.”

“Oh, I know. I was waiting for it to end.”

The opponent who came was a summoner.

But is that a concept?

Why do you say that at the end of every sentence?

Wait, there must be a customer like that earlier…

“Could it be…”

“Yes. I’m the one who bought five tickets after standing in line for three hours.”

Why did the person who had already bought the former come back?

I couldn’t help but ask that.

“Can I sell the food I bought here in another city?”

“Any other city?”

“Yes. Even considering the warp cost, I think there will be a lot left.”

What is it, a merchant again?

“That’s up to the customer. It’s a problem I can’t say anything about.”

“Is that so? I thought it was polite to ask, so I was waiting.”

“You can do whatever you want. However, you cannot sell more to your customers than anyone else.”

“Ah, I know.”

Hmm…

If you go to another city and sell it, you will surely get ten times more than the current price.

Maybe even more.

But considering the round-trip warp cost with only the previous five cards, there wouldn’t be much of a profit left?

“And, my cooking has a time limit. I can’t eat it after a week. The taste gradually diminishes after a day.”

“I know. I have evaluated it.”

“Then, the customer is free to sell for 10x or 100x.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll know that you allowed it.”

The man had curly dark hair and was wearing large glasses.

If you’re not that tall, maybe you’re not an adult yet?

I don’t know if it’s because of the tone, but it’s not an impression that’s easily forgotten once you see it.

As the man bowed politely and disappeared, Mumu, who was quietly listening next to him, asked a question.

“You raised the price 10 times, and then you sell it 10 times higher?”

I kindly explained.

“Yes. Buff dishes are rare. Especially in other cities.”

“Ten times is 50 silver coins…”

“Other towns are like that. Maybe there are people who would buy it for five grains of salt.”

“Cow, five salt… Why are you selling such cheap food here?”

I explained why.

Currently, the chef level is low, so it is desirable to stay in Salem and grow slowly.

And the current price is the limit at the price level in this place.

In particular, he said that he regretted the past day when he tried to earn even one more penny by focusing on efficiency first than anyone else, and that he did not want to live like that again.

But I don’t think it’s something to say in front of children…

“Uncle…”

“Was the story too heavy for you?”

“No! We’re grown-ups now! It’s okay to be more spoiled.”

“What? Fuhahahahaha.”

“Hh… Why are you laughing! Mister, you idiot!”

I couldn’t help laughing at Melissa’s remark.

Pamper yourself…

When was the last time you did that?

I look up at the sky.

Like a fantasy world, you can clearly see the stars that seem to be pouring down right away.

Not all greed has been abandoned.

I don’t think so.

But right now, I want to spend a little more leisurely and freely.

‘It’s enough to go back to another city after the real monstrous buff dish is complete.’

At that time, my cooking will probably pay off.

If I get to the position of the perfect leader, no one will bother me.

My pride won’t allow me to go back before that.

I hate being just a shabby, worthless single person kicked out of a party.

“Mister! I like the present moment! If you leave for another city, you won’t be able to eat delicious food. What do you like about Mumu?”

“Who, who said that? I was just asking.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be staying in Salem for the time being.”

“Yes!”

I gave today’s incentives to the two smiling girls.

“Now, today’s portion!”

Unlike yesterday, the two girls accepted it proudly.

But that’s only for a while.

When I checked the amount, my eyes widened.

“Cow, cow ten gold coins…”

“Ah, mister! Are these really for us?”

“Of course. Even though I raised the price ten times, the quantity sold was almost the same. So the incentive should be ten times as well.”

The girls were bewildered.

Even Melissa was biting with her teeth to see if it was a real gold coin.

‘But, do I have to do business like this tomorrow?’

That was my concern.

It’s good when food sells well, but the body won’t grow as it is.

In particular, the two young girls are clearly overdoing it.

‘I’d rather shorten business hours.’

Starting tomorrow, I will come out a little late and finish my business a little early.

“Sister yi yi!”

“Mr. Lemon is here.”

“Huh? At this hour?”

As the sun went down and the surroundings became dark, a woman clad in thick plate armor approached.

‘Eh?’

That was not the case.

His entire body was covered in blood, dirt, and a filthy, sticky liquid.

‘Where did you roll in the orc mud?’

“Unnie, why are you coming now?”

“It would be nice if my sister did business with us.”

“Oh, hello.”

She greeted her children.

Then he glanced me in the eye.

“Uh, welcome. If you haven’t eaten, can I get you something?”

“There…”

She hesitated today, and then suddenly she strides right in front of her stall.

It was very powerful.

“Juice, juice… Please.”

“Yes?”

“Here…”

She took out a bunch of her bright red things on the street stall.

[Gremlin Strawberry]

– This is a bright red mountain strawberry that gremlins love. It is famous for its very sweet taste.

– You can get it with a low chance by defeating a gremlin.

– Effect: Recovers 10 magic power.

There were so many Gremlin Strawberries piled up that I couldn’t even count how many.

“What the hell… How many gremlins have you hunted?”

“…A lot.”

“Wow! Strawberry! Mister, will you make juice with this?”

“Everyone… Because we need a lot to eat together…”

It was not the amount you could get by hunting for an hour or two.

She must have cut through the bodies of countless gremlins all day today.

‘This guy…’

I stared at her face for a while, still not making eye contact.

* * *

Golden Goblin Inn in the neutral city of Pelon.

Yoo Hye-soo, the main healer of the party, and Cha Soo-yeon, the magician, shouted.

“Go Tae-sik! Are you going to drink all the time like that?”

“Myungsik oppa says you gambled again!”

Assassin Ko Tae-sik became a slob and fell to the floor on the first floor of the inn.

“Hmm… Worry about it… It’s going to be tenfold soon.”

Angry Hye-soo immediately used Skill: Cure.

A group of colorful lights exploded, and the drunkenness that plagued Go Tae-sik completely disappeared.

“Ah… What are you doing right now? A person is pleasantly drunk… It’s a waste of money.”

“It’s been two weeks already! How can someone drink every day?”

Archer Park Myeong-shik, who was sitting at the opposite table, could not escape the criticism of the two women.

“Myungsik’s oppa is also an older brother! Shouldn’t Taesik have stopped him from doing that!”

“Yeah… I’m sorry.”

Since the failed capture of the Nepal Yacha, the party has not left the city even once.

At first, I thought I needed a break, but now my thoughts have changed.

If you just play and eat like this, the whole party will be weeded out in an instant.

“Following the Demon Slash Guild, the Angelic Slime Guild also entered the Abyss! Nearly 30 parties have already entered the Abyss. How long do we have to stay like this?”

“Wait a little bit. What will Mincheol do?”

“Why isn’t Minchul oppa coming? Why the hell is it taking so long to find a new member!”

Finding new members couldn’t be easy.

Players with good skills already have a party or are taken from other guilds first.

Finding players worthy of challenging the Abyss was no different than picking stars from the sky.

Kiik-

Just then, the door of the inn opened and the leader of the party, Kim Min-cheol, appeared.

“Sorry, I’m a little late.”

“Brother!”

The two women sprinted toward him, hiding their angry expressions.

“What happened? I was so worried because the person who said he was going to an interview for a new member today didn’t contact me until late at night.”

“How did the story go? Are you joining?”

Mincheol Kim narrowed his forehead and opened his mouth.

“First of all, we decided to go to the Nightmare difficulty dungeon. Like us, the other side seemed a little too lazy to recklessly sign a contract.”

“Wow, what do you think of us… We were one of the best strategy parties in Korea.”

Kim Min-cheol sighed inwardly when he saw Cha Soo-yeon.

‘It was picked by hand…’

This party was a hot topic in the Emperor of Dungeon community.

Just once.

But it’s not because of the five people here.

It was because of Jeon Tae-min who left the party.

‘If he had been brought to this world as a main character… Chit.’

What’s the use of thinking like this now?

He came here as a useless Resurrection Priest, and the original Counter Monk has become a faded memory.

“So, so what happened. New member!”

“First of all, I interviewed about three people, and it was talked about going to the castle ruins of the ancient king tomorrow with the ice mage. I’ll try it once and then decide whether to continue.”

“The Ancient King’s Castle is one of the easiest nightmare dungeons, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. They said they don’t want to take risks with people who are making a deal for the first time.”

“He’s so funny. Shouldn’t we talk about that first?”

Kim Min-chul shrugged his shoulders.

“For now, we’re going to go to the dungeon tomorrow after a long time, so let’s stop talking and go to bed early.”

“Yes, brother.”

* * *

The next day, the Nightmare difficulty dungeon collapsed ruins of the ancient king’s castle.

“What! Why aren’t you dying like this!”

“Heal! Heal Hye-soo noona.”

“Don’t wait for the heal, drink some potion! Fool!”

It was strange.

This is a dungeon that I easily cleared just a month ago.

But why…

“Xiao Mei! The kids approaching from the right, please put some mez in! I can’t stand heels at this rate!”

“It’s still cool time! Cha Soo-yeon! What are you doing?”

“Soo-yeon doesn’t have a mezzi. She’s a mage specializing in attacks.”

“Yes?”

It wasn’t to the extent that the sum didn’t match.

It took twice as long as usual to hunt a single monster, and chaos erupted in an instant when hunting multiple monsters at the same time.

This was the situation even though the number of dealers increased by one.

“Why is it like this! This is a dungeon that was originally easy to clear!”

Leader Kim Min-chul had no choice but to slow down the pace.

It seemed unreasonable to attack as quickly as before.

Looks like I’ll have to lure them in and hunt them one by one, just like the first attack.

‘The buff…’

Could it be that there is such a difference?

Is it the same Priston?

Even though the God’s Blessing buff effect is different, it’s too different.

Of course, I predicted that the Resurrection Priest’s unique attribute effect would disappear.

However, I never expected that even the basic effect would have such a big difference.

“Hyesu, what are your characteristics?”

“Huh?”

“How many God’s Blessing traits did you invest in?”

“Well, why is that all of a sudden? Are you saying this is because of me?”

“It’s not like that, it’s because I have something to check.”

Hye-soo paused, but she carefully opened her mouth.

“All attributes are 50 in order…”

“What? Why didn’t you invest only that!?”

“Yeah, because Taemin oppa did all the buffs… I didn’t have to invest in them. But all my main heal attributes are 75!”

“No matter how much…”

“Oh, why are you doing this to me!”

Kim Min-cheol was speechless.

I couldn’t bear to be angry.

“Haa…”

Only one breath came out.

In the end, even though it took almost twice as much time as usual, I couldn’t even try to defeat the boss.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll stop here. I don’t think this party suits me. Then, thank you for your hard work.”

The Ice Wizard, who was brought in as a new member, left the party after just one day.

“Did you know he was going to be like that from the start? Ugh, I don’t think I really fit in with China.”

“Su-yeon spoke well. We won’t accept you, b*tch!”

Kim Min-cheol began to worry about the future of the party as he looked at his colleagues who were talking behind the back of the person who had withdrawn.

‘Now, what should I do…’