ALL NOVEL Chapter 274
Chapter 274: Connection (3)
“That’s the hero that Watanabe and Yoon Do-ha mentioned at the same time, quite unusually.”
“The Yoo Ji-han party. I’ve at least heard the name. But weren’t they just a party that gained fame through movies?”
“Right. Some say it’s all just celebrity business, not heroism.”
People often dismiss heroes who obtained fame through films or outside activities as mere semi-celebrities. Such individuals were quite common across various countries.
Recently, the Yoo Ji-han party became one of the notable groups to receive such treatment in Korea.
However, many disagreed with that view.
“There are too many strange points to simply treat them as celebrities.”
“Especially Watanabe Yosuke. That samurai from Japan never speaks insincerely.”
“There must be a solid reason why Yoon Do-ha praised Yoo Ji-han so highly.”
“It’s confirmed since heroes from the expedition testified about it.”
“Hmm…”
The names of Rank 1 Hero Watanabe Yosuke and Yoon Do-ha held high value even overseas.
Watanabe’s cheerful yet serious demeanor was well-known even in the UK.
In particular, Yoon Do-ha, who was kidnapped to Kallem and even invited directly to Angels Garden, boosting Yoo Ji-han’s reputation, added significant credibility to the claims.
“This Yoo Ji-han is also the first Earthling to reach the dimensional boundary.”
“The fact that he found a way back to Earth…”
“Quite a plausible story!”
“I heard that his guild master and party mage, Kim Si-hu, is very skilled at dimensional magic?”
“Oh ho, he might know magic not disclosed to the public.”
The executives of Angels Garden shared their thoughts about Yoo Ji-han and his party.
They aimed to share as much information as possible obtained through Korean media and networks.
“I wonder what they are doing now?”
“There aren’t any clear activities. They’re probably resting personally in Korea. They could easily attract attention just by stepping in front of the camera… but it seems the Sweet Fun heroes prefer to stay out of the spotlight overall.”
“Can we investigate Sweet Fun’s information?”
“I anticipated you would ask that, so here it is.”
The man who first mentioned Yoo Ji-han pulled out documents containing information about the Sweet Fun Guild.
He expected the situation to unfold this way.
“There isn’t much public data available, so I brought what I could. You could say more than half of it is just my guess.”
“Hmm, despite the founding time and size, their financial situation looks quite ample?”
“They’ve played a significant role in dispatching otherworlders that appeared in Korea, and all the films stemming from that were successful, so the numbers should reflect that. Adding the results they brought from Kallem this time, it could be tens of times that amount.”
“…So money won’t work on them?”
“Probably not.”
Thud!
Clark declared as he slammed the documents down hard.
“Get in touch with Sweet Fun right away. If you go through the Dice Guild, it shouldn’t be hard to reach them.”
“Got it.”
“I’ll personally greet them.”
*
“Oh, they’re coming.”
In the kitchen, where all the cooking tools were prepared in advance.
Jang Sa-im pointed at the man running toward them through the transparent glass door.
The man opened the door after rushing in and, catching his breath, placed a hand on his knee.
“Huff, huff…! It’s been a while. I’m Baek Jong-eon!”
“Jong-eon, it’s been a while.”
“How have you been?”
“Yeah, somewhat…”
Baek Jong-eon awkwardly smiled at the question of his well-being.
It wasn’t surprising since he had wanted to enter the Monster Restaurant as a chef.
Yet, due to the cliques in that industry and invitations through connections, he still hadn’t managed to get in.
‘While they are growing at an insane rate, I’m just standing still.’
Baek Jong-eon, who dreamed of becoming a chef working with various monsters, still worked as a small chef in an ordinary restaurant kitchen.
And what about Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu?
Through their activities, they made films and became shining stars.
They gained recognition as they fought off otherworlders invading Korea.
Not only that, they participated in expanding into another world and even succeeded in returning to Korea, making them undeniable hotshots!
A party and guild that barely had two members.
They achieved remarkable growth in just under a year.
‘How embarrassing!’
They were the ones who first got Baek Jong-eon to cook a monster, let alone a mutation!
When he heard that his friend’s company, Jang Sa-im, had been acquired by them, he honestly wanted to join in on their fame.
He wanted to ride that wave, even if just by using that one small connection from the past.
Yet, feeling ashamed of such thoughts, he couldn’t possibly act on it.
“Ahem! So, what ingredients are we handling today?”
“This one.”
Thump!
Lee Mi-a tapped the flesh of a giant octopus leg with her palm.
“Koooh!! That’s the octopus from another world…!”
“It looks like a kraken from legends.”
Not some Montopus, where the octopus had turned into a monster on Earth, but a genuine octopus from another world!
He wanted to slice through the tender flesh with a sharp chef’s knife right away.
He longed to sear it with scorching heat until it released smoke!
The impatient chef’s heart squirmed like the octopus leg.
“Octopus bread.”
“Excuse me?”
“Is it possible?”
“Of course! I heard about it beforehand and brought all the ingredients.”
Swish!
Baek Jong-eon quickly laid out the items from his bag in the kitchen.
The exclusive pan for octopus bread, bonito flakes, and various sauces and ingredients…
Seeing the plentiful supplies, Lee Mi-a nodded her head in satisfaction.
“I’ve prepared other dishes besides octopus bread.”
“Sounds delicious.”
“I’ll start right away!”
With trembling hands, as if handling a precious item, Baek Jong-eon took out the octopus.
Lee Mi-a quietly observed the cooking process beside him.
Kim Si-hu watched Baek Jong-eon passionately preparing dishes and said, “Jong-eon, you’re still full of energy.”
“It’s been a while since he’s cooked a monster as an ingredient, that’s probably it.”
“Is this the first time since we provided the monster chicken?”
“If he caught a monster personally, maybe not, but as far as I know, yes.”
Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop!
The sound of chopping echoed cheerfully in the kitchen.
Yoo Ji-han continuously watched Baek Jong-eon, who was meticulous in every small action.
‘Very calm.’
Not that it wouldn’t be understandable to be flustered handling unfamiliar ingredients.
Baek Jong-eon cut a piece off the octopus, tasted it, and noted his impressions, deciding what dish to make in a very short time.
From that appearance alone, he looked no different from the chefs working at the Monster Restaurant.
‘It feels like a battle.’
Vegetables sliced at uniform intervals, with four pans placed simultaneously over four gas stove burners.
Just like heroes fiercely fighting each other on a battlefield.
Baek Jong-eon fought fiercely in the kitchen battlefield.
“Delicious smell wafts over.”
“Indeed.”
As the prepared ingredients intertwined and the aroma stimulating their sense of smell wafted to everyone’s noses.
Lee Mi-a wiped the drool threatening to escape from her lips with the back of her hand.
“Octopus bread is ready!”
And when the octopus bread was completed first.
Mi-a couldn’t hold herself back and grabbed the octopus bread with her bare hands.
“Huff! That’s super hot!”
To just pop the freshly made octopus bread into her mouth!
Baek Jong-eon gasped in shock, but Mi-a savored the taste as white steam emitted from her mouth.
Her taste buds were not weak enough to be burnt just by the heat of the food.
“…It tastes bitter.”
“Is it okay?”
“It’s way too bitter.”
The outer layer was charred just right, while the inside was warm and fluffy.
The octopus bread sauce delighted her tongue, along with the subtly spreading aroma of bonito flakes.
Most importantly, she could feel the immense, chewy texture of the giant octopus leg!
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The taste of the food was enough for Mi-a to clap her hands.
“Wow, this is really delicious.”
“It’s even better than anything I had in Japan!”
“Is the sauce store-bought?”
“Except for one, I made them all from scratch. I brought several flavors in case you get tired of them.”
Baek Jong-eon, who had taken orders in advance, prepared various dishes.
Then at that moment, while Kim Si-hu was clumsily grabbing at the octopus.
Thump!
Kim Si-hu dropped the chopsticks he was holding due to a huge heartbeat felt inside his chest.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
An intense heartbeat pounded like a drum.
The booming sound grew loud enough to be heard by those nearby.
The same phenomenon occurred for Yoo Ji-han and Lee Mi-a.
‘Could it be…?!’
It was the same sensation he felt when he first consumed the Ghyeongsam and gained enlightenment.
Was it the moment a new realization would come?
Yoo Ji-han exchanged glances with his party members, all experiencing the same occurrence, with frowns on their faces.
Gurg! Gurg! Gurg!
With their skin rippling like waves, bones in their arms and legs readjusted from within.
A transformation into a body that was more solid and complete than before!
Yoo Ji-han took deep breaths to embrace the change in his body.
“Uh, everyone?”
“Are you sure everything is okay…?”
Jang Sa-im and Baek Jong-eon, who had been getting anxious for no reason, froze in their places like ice.
They worried if there were any poisons in the octopus.
But the noisy phenomena ended after a few seconds.
As Yoo Ji-han opened his eyes, which had been closed, he gave a thumbs up.
“Amazing.”
“…!”
“It tastes amazing, and the effects exceeded my expectations!”
“Phew! That was a close call.”
Baek Jong-eon finally let out a sigh of relief.
Kim Si-hu was enthusiastically examining his visibly increased magical power while clapping his hands.
“I should save some for Yuri noona too!”
“This was… well worth the trust we put in the cooking.”
The dish made for taste led to a long-awaited enlightenment, and Mi-a wore a satisfied smile on her face.
Then during the subsequent meal, Yoo Ji-han looked at Baek Jong-eon who stood still and said, “Let’s eat together.”
“C-can I really?”
“Yes. And you can freely adjust the seasoning while cooking.”
Having proceeded with minimal seasoning to reduce octopus waste, Baek Jong-eon finally received permission and began to savor the dishes he had made, teary-eyed.
“Such an emotional taste…!”
Monster cooking that transcends the limits of deliciousness a human can experience.
‘There seems to be no major change for the regular folks.’
Baek Jong-eon and Jang Sa-im, who lacked magical power, did not undergo significant changes like the heroes.
On the other hand, as he watched Baek Jong-eon tearing up, Yoo Ji-han recalled the moment he cooked Monster Chicken.
He was still the same person as he was back then.
“Jong-eon.”
“Yes!”
“We’re looking to hire a dedicated cook for our guild members soon.”
“…Eh!”
“Until we move our office, coming in for work will be irregular. But you can freely cook monster dishes. Eventually, we could even open a restaurant under our name. Are you interested?”
“Of course!”
“Then welcome aboard.”
“…!”
The dazed Baek Jong-eon clinked the same cup held out by Yoo Ji-han.
This marked the moment he was employed as the chef for Sweet Fun, as discussed previously with Kim Si-hu and Lee Mi-a.
“Please take care of us, Chef.”
“Ah, yes!”
As Mi-a patted the shoulder of the newly hired chef, she was pleased.
And just as they were about to finish the prepared dishes.
Yoo Ji-han received a call from Yoon Do-ha.
“What’s the matter?”
—Ji-han! You wanted to meet with Angels Garden, right?
“Yes. Do you have good news?”
—They just reached out to us first.
“…They contacted you first?”
—They asked me straight up if I could connect you guys with them.
Yoo Ji-han tilted his head.
Though they had matters to discuss, the other side reached out first.
“What do they want?”
—They’re in a hurry to confirm the whereabouts of Sian Pierce.
“Ah.”
Like the Kallem Expeditionary Force, the Grudia Expeditionary Force took a Dimension Phone with them.
Yet communication with them hadn’t been established.
—What they’re urgently seeking is to ascertain Sian Pierce’s life or death.
“Hmm, so they want us to assist with that investigation?”
—Probably. The guild master of Angels Garden has likely heard rumors about you. Haha! I feel it was worth it to interview diligently when I returned.
“Haha….”
—So, what do you say?
“That sounds good. Please connect us.”
If there’s a request from the other side, something in return should be given as well.
Yoo Ji-han smiled as he bit into the tender octopus grill.