Chapter 7

'I think I’ll understand if I just have one more taste.'

The next day, Jina headed straight for the place where the café had been.

Was it really the café where she had drunk coffee? Her memory was hazy due to the daze she had been in.

Contrary to Jina’s worries, the café was still there, just as it had been yesterday.

'It wasn’t a dream…'

The sign was still missing.

But the building, which had been cleaned spotlessly, stood out even from a distance. The retro red brick building looked well-maintained by its owner.

An old but cozy space, a sweet aroma of coffee wafted from somewhere. Jina was drawn inside by the scent of coffee.

"Yaaaoong!"

A tri-color cat, lying on the floor in the shape of a slice of bread, meowed at Jina. The cat was plump and had a soft-looking belly.

'I just want to pet it once.'

Jina instinctively reached out to stroke the cat’s belly.

"Kyaaoong!"

The cat yowled, dodged her hand, and sprang up. It then wobbled and went inside.

"Mium, why are you doing that?"

The café owner, whom Jina had met yesterday, came out from inside with a cereal box and noticed Jina.

"Ms. Jina, did you get home safely yesterday?"

"Ah, yes, yes!"

The café owner poured cereal into a bowl and placed it in front of the cat. The cat started to munch on the cereal noisily.

'Do cats eat cereal?'

But that wasn’t the important thing. Jina mustered her courage and spoke up.

"Um, about the coffee you gave me yesterday…"

"Ah, would you like a cup?"

Riel quickly made a cup of instant coffee and handed it to Jina. The warmth of the paper cup gently enveloped Jina’s hand. Unable to resist, she took a sip right away.

...Swallow.

Another sip.

The sweetness, the rich milk, and the bitter coffee aroma mingled in her mouth like a golden ratio.

And the moment she finished the cup.

Her head cleared, and she felt a surge of energy. Her shoulders felt lighter, and a mysterious sense of happiness lifted her mood.

Indeed, this coffee. This coffee was giving Jina strength.

"Really... It’s an incredible taste! How can coffee taste like this? And just one cup, and my head is clear and I’m full of energy! Wow, I’ve never had coffee like this before."

Riel listened to Jina’s words with a gentle smile.

Realizing she had been talking too much, Jina felt embarrassed. She cleared her throat softly and continued.

"Please, tell me where I can buy it!"

"It’s just instant coffee."

"But... It’s so delicious and has such an amazing effect! Do you have some special secret?"

"There’s no special secret... But I’ll make you as much as you want, so come often."

...Is she an angel?

Later, Jina would recall this event like this.

That day, she met an angel who protected office workers.

This was during an interview when Jina became the head of the Dungeon Management Bureau a few years later.

* * *

"Thank you. It’s delicious as always."

Jina bowed slightly as she took the cup of instant coffee. I, too, smiled contentedly as I saw the quest window appear in front of me.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Let’s start by practicing with the simplest coffee.

Make 100 cups of instant coffee: 79/100

The number changed to 80 the moment Jina finished her coffee.

Finally 80.

Thanks to Jina, who comes every day to drink coffee, the quest progress has increased significantly.

At this rate, I’ll complete the quest in a few days. The thought of receiving 5 million won made me smile naturally.

"...Miaoong (drooling)."

Startled, I wiped my chin, but it was clean. I glared at Mium.

'But Mium, can you do ventriloquism?'

Clearly, she was making a cat’s meow with her mouth, but I heard her voice in my head.

"Whyao, whyaoong (Ventriloquism! Don’t compare it to such a trick! It’s a special ability to transmit words directly through unique frequencies)!"

'But why are you making the meowing sound?'

It’s like telepathy, right? Then, you don’t need to make cat sounds, do you?

"Whyoong (That’s... I’m not used to it yet...)"

'Such...'

Anyway.

While 5 million won is important, I also want to get the recipe for an Americano.

An Americano is, after all, the most beloved menu item and potion for Koreans. It’s also the best-selling item in cafés, so it’s essential to learn it if I want to open a café.

Most importantly, this instant coffee is delicious, but I’m starting to crave other menu items.

"Phew, I feel better."

Jina finished the newly made instant coffee in one go.

Her complexion had improved, but she was still working late. She said she was planning to go to the dungeon 《Abyss》 after drinking coffee, even though it was already evening.

Is there something going on in 《Abyss》?

"Ah, that’s...," Jina answered with a dark expression to my question.

"A tutorial dungeon is scheduled to open soon. It shouldn’t be dangerous since it’s a tutorial, but senior hunters will also participate."

"Is that so?"

The tutorial dungeon is where newly awakened hunters are gathered and trained that year.

The training isn’t a class but a practical experience of clearing a dungeon, usually on the first floor of 《Abyss》.

"But everyone hates it..."

I understood. Since there’s no high reward, few senior hunters want to go to the tutorial.

That’s why Jina, a civilian, was busy with preparations.

"Also, a hunter from the U.S. is coming to observe, so I’m swamped. But I feel energized thanks to the coffee you give me, Riel."

"..."

"Riel?"

Sometimes, a small trigger can bring back a forgotten memory.

Hearing Jina’s words, I suddenly remembered an incident from before the regression.

At the time, the news was all over it, so why did I forget such a big event?

During the tutorial dungeon in the previous life, a monster suddenly burst out of the dungeon.

It was a level that an experienced hunter could handle, but since it happened during the tutorial, the monster wasn’t killed immediately.

This led to a dungeon break.

The monster escaped through the gate and attacked nearby houses, killing an American hunter who was visiting Korea.

And the place where the monster attacked was...

'Dungeon Gate 3.'

Wait, right in front of this shop?

Could the nearby houses be our shop?

"Riel, are you okay? Are you in pain?"

Jina looked at me worriedly.

Calm down. Huh, huh... Huh, huh...

I don’t remember the exact date of the incident. There might still be plenty of time.

"Ah, it’s nothing. When is the tutorial?"

"In four days."

It’s not far off!

After Jina left, I put my hand on my forehead and fell into deep thought. A monster will appear in front of this place in four days. What should I do?

Did I have to die in the previous life due to a rift and now face a monster in my front yard in this life? Maybe I should have done a ritual before preparing to open a café.

'Should I run away?'

I’m an F-rank café owner with no combat skills. If I encounter a monster, I’ll be killed instantly.

Just knowing what will happen in the future doesn’t mean I know how to solve it.

Yes, the best thing is to avoid danger.

I’ll run away.

"Why are you doing that?"

With a serious expression, I looked at Mium, who was lying on the floor and only lifted her head to look at me.

Mium doesn’t know that I’ve regressed.

Should I tell her? Will she think it’s absurd?

After hesitating for a moment, I decided to tell her. After all, I’m talking to a cat, so regressing from the future to the past might not be that strange.

"Actually, I..."

I briefly told Mium about my past. I lived as a corporate slave, died in a rift, and came back three years ago. According to my memory, a monster will come to this area in four days.

Mium listened to my regression story nonchalantly and then said something unexpected.

"Whyao. That’s strange. It’s rare for a monster to burst out of that gate."

"Really?"

"《Abyss》 is originally a system that □□□ □□□□..."

"What did you say?"

Mium’s voice sounded like it was distorted by noise. She raised her fur as if feeling suffocated and said again,

"Kyaaoong! For goodness’ sake, listen properly. 《Abyss》 is □□□□ □□□□ □□..."

It was as if someone was interfering, and I could only understand the important words.

What is this?

Moreover, a system window suddenly appeared in front of me.

This window was blinking red and wouldn’t disappear.

I’ve opened the system window many times, but I’ve never seen anything like this. It was so eerie that it gave me the creeps.