I was taken aback by the sudden and unexpected development.
"Meow (It seems your sense of taste has weakened considerably)."
"Cough, cough!"
"Mr. Lee?"
"Ah, it's nothing..."
"Here, have some water."
After taking the cup of water offered by Ki Yuhyun, I finally managed to stop coughing.
Didn't you just casually drop a huge bomb? Without any regard for me, Miumi continued speaking.
"Meow (It's quite advanced... At this level, it will likely affect your mental state as well)."
'What does that mean...? Oh, no way.'
Suddenly, I recalled something Miumi said before.
She mentioned that if you sympathize too much with the great one, you might lose your original self.
'Does this mean Yuhyun has made a contract with the great one?'
"Why... why meow (Yes, indeed... How is this possible... This is surprising)...?"
'Miumi?'
"Meow (This is strange. It's different from the arrangement of □□. Why at this point... Could it be □□ □□□)...!"
[Warning: Abnormal access.]
[System Error: —. —.—]
Miumi, you're causing error messages to pop up...
I turned my head away from Miumi, who was meowing and muttering to herself, and looked back at Ki Yuhyun's head. The satisfaction gauge was still nearly full at 98%.
'For someone who can't taste, you sure seem to enjoy the coffee?'
"Meow (Of course! What do you think of my skill)?"
'...A coffee-making skill?'
"Meow (The coffee made with this skill reduces the influence of the fairy tale. In other words)..."
'In other words?'
"Why (You can taste this coffee)?"
At that moment, I felt a sting on my cheek and turned my head. Ki Yuhyun was looking back and forth between the crying Miumi and me. I almost became the weird person talking to a cat.
"Ahem, sorry."
"No, it's fine. I was just going to say that every time I drink Mr. Lee's coffee, I feel a warm sensation."
"..."
Imagine this.
Regardless of the cause, you can't taste anything.
Imagine receiving a delivery of chicken, pizza, or famous hotel buffets, and no matter how delicious they are, they all feel like mush. You eat only for nutrition, without any joy in the meal.
For me, it would be a tragic event that could ruin my character.
But here, you can taste the coffee. It's like painting a spot of color in a monochrome world. Only this coffee gives you the sensations of bitterness, richness, and sweetness.
It's so sad...
It's only natural that you want to drink the coffee I make every day. Your frequent visits lately must have been for this reason. Yes, it's because the coffee is delicious.
Feeling sorry for him, I told Ki Yuhyun that he could come anytime to drink coffee.
At that moment, my phone vibrated.
After checking the notification, I jumped up.
"Mr. Lee, what's wrong?"
"I've received the call I was waiting for."
It was perfect timing. I couldn't have operated the shop tomorrow anyway, as I had no more beans. I could take care of this errand now.
I wrote "Closed today due to lack of ingredients" on a piece of paper and stuck it on the door.
* * *
The large conference room was empty.
In the dimly lit room, a person was sitting inconspicuously.
A woman with long hair down to her waist and glasses, giving off a demure aura.
Her name is Joo Noeul.
She pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed deeply.
"Ah..."
Ding. Her phone rang. Joo Noeul quickly checked the Kakao message.
[<Cheongra Guild> - Han Isung Hunter]
Hunter Joo Noeul. I'm sorry for the late reply!
I won't be able to attend the Hunter Association meeting today, unfortunately.
I was looking forward to seeing you and having a meal together, but it's a shame ㅠㅠ
I'll treat you to a meal next time.
Though the message was long, it ultimately meant he wouldn't attend the meeting.
At least Han Isung had the decency to send a message. The CEO of <C&L> didn't even read or reply.
Noeul closed the chat window and muttered.
"These people are really too much..."
The Korean Hunter Association.
An autonomous organization that protects the rights of private guilds in South Korea and promotes the development of the hunter community through exchanges.
...as stated on their website.
However, few hunters know about the existence of this association.
'Because they don't do anything...'
Most hunter-related tasks are handled by the <Dungeon Management Office>, so the role of the <Hunter Association> has been greatly reduced. The lack of interest from hunters who only care about themselves also plays a part. Most people question the purpose of the association when they receive a bill for membership fees.
But even a nominal association needs to be run.
Unfortunately, Joo Noeul was chosen by lottery to be the president of the association for this quarter.
Today was the monthly regular meeting of the <Korean Hunter Association>. As expected, no one showed up. What a bunch of irresponsible people.
'Oh well, I don't know what to do...'
I'll just kill some time.
Joo Noeul leaned back in her chair and accessed the hunter channel on her phone. She browsed through the new posts and enthusiastically commented on slime-related articles.
Joo Noeul, 29 years old. S-rank summoner. She is the guild master of <Royal Guild>, one of the Big 3 guilds.
Her hunter channel nickname is LimeLove.
Checking the new posts on the hunter channel was a quick task. Of course, it was because Joo Noeul spent most of her day on the hunter channel, making her a community-addicted hunter.
'I might go to that cafe...'
Joo Noeul recalled an event from a few days ago.
That day, she was browsing the hunter channel at the guild. However, all the posts were already read.
While looking for something interesting, she was lured by a viral post written by a high-level hunter and decided to check it out for fun.
A unique cafe near the entrance of the Abyss dungeon.
The coffee was delicious, and it had a strange effect, but what caught her eye was a red slime.
A pure, unadulterated red. In the slime world, where slight color differences determine the grade, a Real Red (Rre) was rare. She had always wanted to touch one.
In her long life as a slime enthusiast, this was the first time she had seen such a Rre.
The conference room was still empty.
"Alright, I'll go..."
However, Joo Noeul was disappointed 30 minutes later.
- Closed today due to lack of ingredients. -
"Too much..."
She rubbed her eyes and looked again, but the message on the door didn't change. The cafe, which had gained sudden popularity in a few days, was already closed.
"I want to see the Rre slime..."
Feeling disheartened, she knelt down when her phone rang. It was from a guild member of <Royal Guild>.
"What's up?"
- Guild Master, I've listed all the items in your office on Carrot, so you know.
"What! Do you know what those items are?"
- What items? They're all junk. Why did you buy so many slimes of the same color? Keep one and get rid of the rest.
"They're not the same color. If you look closely, there's a difference between (255, 0, 0) and (192, 0, 0)...
- What's the difference between them...
"Ah, no! I'll clean the office myself, just look at it once..."
- You said the same thing last week. No way.
"Can family members do this?"
- I don't have a family like you, Guild Master!
The <Royal Guild> is known as a family guild.
However, the guild members have different surnames and are mostly young hunters of similar age.
Thus, rumors spread that the "family" referred to organized crime or mafia.
'Nonsense...'
The reality was much simpler and... not much.
Seven years ago, in a pension in Gangneung, a meeting of the dying game club 'IQuitWhenYouQuit' was held. Joo Noeul was the organizer of the meeting.
However, a crack appeared in a nearby valley. The meeting participants, caught in the crack, collectively awakened and sealed it.
The problem was the TV interview that came to interview these heroes of Gangneung.
- Sir, what is your relationship with these people?
Living in different places, of different ages, schools, and jobs, the curious reporter's gaze fell on them. Joo Noeul, who had a hidden otaku trait, found it too embarrassing to say, "We're a game otaku club called 'IQuitWhenYouQuit'."
So, online family is family too.
The bond of cyber kinship is as precious as family!
Thus, Joo Noeul boldly declared,
- We are a family...
The name 'IQuitWhenYouQuit' was changed to <Royal Guild> due to resistance.
She established a precious cyber family and guild, and they actively participated, becoming one of the Big 3 guilds.
However, seven years were cruel. Seven years is a long enough time for someone to lose interest.
"Guild Master, I've quit that dying game."
"Too much..."
"I'm too old and tired to keep up with the hobby."
"Black, the day we collected the Platinum Royal Gorgeous Tea Set to reclaim the top spot from user 'R'... Where did that vow go?"
"Guild Master, quit that dying game and play a good game. They're giving items for pre-registration."
"...Traitor!"
I created a cozy otaku guild, but when I came to my senses, I was the only otaku left, and everyone had quit.
Moreover, the news of the game's shutdown.
After losing the main game, I wandered for months, and Joo Noeul had another otaku incident.
With slime otaku!
Finally, a major otaku hobby. I thought my otaku life would be smooth sailing from then on, but it was cruel to dispose of precious goods on Carrot.
Of course, filling the guild building with otaku goods was my fault.
After buying three of the same goods for practical use, storage, and promotion, I put them in the guild's shared storage.
When I suggested placing a giant rainbow slime statue at the guild entrance, I was rejected...
Feeling guilty, Joo Noeul muttered pitifully.
"Once a family, always a family. Online family is family too..."
- Ah, I already got a message from Carrot. I'll hang up.
"No, don't..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the call was cut off, and Joo Noeul was once again in despair.