However, it was already late in the afternoon. The thought of going to the <Dungeon Management Office> and then heading to the bustling Apgujeong seemed rather bothersome.
I decided to go to <Hunter Market> tomorrow and for now, I put the 50 rubies in my inventory.
Next was the new skill.
[Barista's Extraction (D)
Details: (Lv.1) Extracts espresso from coffee grounds.]
Well, to make an Americano, you need to extract espresso from coffee grounds, so this is a skill for that purpose.
The problem was the Americano recipe. Unlike the mixed coffee, when I selected the recipe, detailed information appeared, and it read...
[Recipe: Americano
Ingredients: Dried fruits of Yggdrasil, hot water.]
The first line contained a word I couldn't understand.
Huh? Not coffee grounds? Is it a type of coffee bean like Yirgacheffe or Kenyan AA? Is there a coffee bean called Yggdrasil?
“Wait... Yggdrasil?”
I remembered hearing a similar word recently. Where was it? Yggdrasil, Yggdrasil...
“Isn’t that the tree?”
At that moment, Miumi pointed to one side of the table.
On the table was a branch I had obtained as an achievement reward recently. I had taken it out to try a natural interior design I saw on Instagram. Now that I think about it, the name was Yggdrasil.
I thought it was just for decoration, but it had a purpose.
However, the branch of Yggdrasil only had a few green leaves and no fruit. How do I get the fruit?
Then, a new notification window appeared in front of me.
[Congratulations.
Eligible user, you have gained access to the Ether-Wiki.
The Ether-Wiki is an encyclopedia completed by user contributions.
Collect a lot of information and fill the content of the Ether-Wiki.
Click to access now☜]
What is this?
I tried to close the notification window, but it wouldn't close. Not only that, the 'Click to access now' part started to sparkle, as if it was urging me to click.
Should I click it or not? As I hesitated, the system message changed.
[Please log in ( ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )]
[Are you really not going to log in? ( ._.)]
Why... Why are you suddenly acting pitiful?
[The Ether-Wiki is waiting for you. ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡)
The flashing notification window with a blindingly bright emoticon pressured me. I felt like I was becoming a bad person.
In the end, I gave up and accessed the wiki.
[Verifying eligibility... ...Complete.]
[Eligible user: Confirmed.]
[Ether-Wiki]
[Welcome to the dimensional encyclopedia you will cultivate.]
[Information collection rate: 0.05%]
[Viewable items: ■■ ■■■ ■■■…….]
What is this?
Below a simple description, almost everything was blacked out, making it unreadable. It was a parade of black squares.
I had hoped for some amazing features, but this didn't seem very useful. Tch, why did they show me this?
I tried to close the wiki, but another system notification appeared.
[You can see more content by completing quests and collecting information.]
No, I said I'm done...
I don't want to see it, so just leave me alone.
“Miumi, is there a way to turn off the system notifications?”
“What are you talking about? Of course not!”
What kind of system doesn't even have a 'Do not receive notifications' option? So I have to keep seeing this message.
[Search for the items you are curious about.]
If you insist...
Reluctantly, I typed 'Fruits of Yggdrasil' into the wiki screen that appeared in front of me. The page opened quickly, as the item was included in the 0.05% of available information.
《Fruits of Yggdrasil》
Type: Plant > Fruit
Description: Fruits that grow on the branches of the World Tree Yggdrasil. After peeling the flesh and drying it, you can make coffee beans.
How to obtain:
1) Plant the branch of Yggdrasil in soil where ether flows.
2) Water it with fresh water.
3) After one night, check to see if roots have grown and the fruit has ripened.
4) Harvest the fruit.
Is it that easy?
Related item: How to make coffee beans
After reading the entry, my first honest feeling was...
"It's troublesome."
To get the fruit, I have to plant the branch and water it. That's too much work. And making coffee from the fruit seems even more troublesome.
Just making 100 cups of mixed coffee was already troublesome enough.
I don't want to work hard. I was curious about the Americano recipe, but I didn't want to harvest the fruit and make it myself.
I already received 5 million won; do I really need to work hard on more quests? I just want to live a relaxed life. Running a cafe with ordinary coffee is possible, right?
Last time, I got involved with the system by accident, but my original plan was to run a normal cafe.
To be precise, to run a normal cafe while working less and resting more.
As if mocking my resolve, a chime sounded immediately.
[Quest initiated.]
[Quest: Make an Americano (0/1)]
No, I said I'm not doing it. I just want to live a relaxed life.
Well, maybe after a couple of months of loafing around, I might feel like doing it, but not now. Go away.
[Check the quest.]
[Check the quest.]
[Are you really not going to check it? ㅠ~ㅠ]
This system seems determined to stimulate my conscience with its pitiful concept. The pleading message kept flashing in front of me.
Fine, I get it. I'll open it. Just because I open it doesn't mean I'll do it.
I opened the flashing quest window in front of me.
[Main Quest: The Path of a Barista (1)
Congratulations.
You are now ready to embark on the path of a barista.
Master the Americano, and you will master the cafe.
Make an Americano: 0/1
Reward: Experience (200exp), 100 rubies, random recipe]
Just because I open it doesn't mean I'll do it.
But...
100 rubies can be exchanged for 10 million won. As soon as I did the math, many things I could do with 10 million won flashed through my mind. 5 million won is a lot, but with 15 million won, wouldn't the future be more secure?
“Hmm...”
Am I really this easy to persuade?
I felt a bit of self-loathing, but the temptation of 10 million won was more than enough to bury such feelings in the trash.
‘Well, why not give it a try?’
I grabbed the branch on the table with a bold attitude. Good, I just need to plant this and wait one night, right?
But a curious phrase caught my eye in the Ether-Wiki.
The branch of Yggdrasil must be planted in 'soil where ether flows.'
What is soil where ether flows? Does it mean ordinary soil won't work?
“Miumi, where can I find soil where ether flows?”
“That's common knowledge. Don't you know, Kyaooong!”
“Seems like our definitions of common knowledge are different.”
“Hmph, I'll explain it to you. Soil where ether flows obviously means inside a dungeon.”
...What?
I almost threw the branch away at the mention of a dungeon.
“Why are you so surprised? Isn't there soil where ether flows nearby?”
“Where?”
Miumi suddenly got up and walked to the back of the first floor of the shop. She headed towards the wall where I first found her, the door to the other space.
I had been pretending not to notice it!
“The soil inside will allow the tree to take root.”
“Is there no other place?”
“Go into the dungeon, Kyaooong.”
“...”
But the other space is better than a dungeon.
There were no strange voices now, and instead of the suspicious red light, it emitted a normal blue light. It didn't feel dangerous.
Sure, nothing will happen.
After calming myself down, I followed Miumi into the blue gate.
Inside the gate, nothing had changed since the last time I entered.
A blue sky with floating clouds, warm sunlight, and a vast forest with light green grass. It was so peaceful and comfortable that I almost wanted to bring a lunch box and have a picnic.
I must have been worrying for nothing. Seeing the peaceful scenery, I finally felt at ease and looked for a suitable spot to plant the branch.
There was a place with good sunlight and soft soil. Without a shovel, I dug a hole with my hands, planted the branch, and poured water from the water bottle I brought. That was it.
The withered leaves seemed to regain a bit of vitality. I just need to wait one night, right?
By the time I finished, it was already evening.
I immediately left the other space, had a light dinner, and went up to the second-floor room.
It was a comfortable room with a bed and furniture, though not very spacious.
Outside the window, the endless wall of 《Abyss》 was visible.
Not a river view or an ocean view, but a dungeon view. At least there's no rent.
The only inconvenience is that the convenience store is far away and I can't order delivery food.
It was still early to sleep, so I turned on the TV.
- Hello, I'm Sera, a reporter for <HunterTV Live>, bringing you the latest hunter news! We have received news that the delayed tutorial dungeon will resume soon. What do you think?
- Yes, it was delayed by a week due to the monster attack last week. The hunter community has high expectations for this year's new hunters.
- The tutorial dungeon is very helpful for the growth of low-level hunters. The famous hunter Hyunwoo Kang also cleared the tutorial dungeon in first place!
- They are still accepting additional applications. Hunters who have awakened this year, please participate.
- Yes, now for the next news...
<HunterTV> was explaining the tutorial dungeon.
It had nothing to do with me. I'm an F-rank cafe owner.
Unless you are a combat hunter, there's no need to participate in the tutorial dungeon.
Of course, I have absolutely no, not even a little, desire to participate. What can a cafe owner gain from a dungeon?