Right, this isn't the time to stand around. Kwon Yeeul must be worried too; I need to tell her this good news right away.
Kwon Jiwoon immediately picked up his phone and called Kwon Yeeul. However, the call only went to voicemail, and there was no response to the text message either.
"She's not answering the phone right now. I'll try to contact her again later."
"No, we don't have time. We need to meet her quickly!"
"Father, please calm down."
But Kwon Seokmin looked increasingly anxious. Eventually, Kwon Jiwoon, unable to withstand his father's nagging, got up.
"Yeeul recently opened a café. The location is quite unique, but... it's very delicious. If we go there, we might be able to meet her."
"I'll go with you."
Despite trying to avoid attention, there were several reporters gathered in front of the guild.
It wasn't easy to reunite with family. The three of them avoided the reporters and went out the back door, heading towards the café Kwon Yeeul was running.
And they were surprised.
"Son, I can't see the café. What's going on?"
"......Huh?"
At 16 Dungeon Gate 3-ga, Jung District, Seoul.
The entire café building had disappeared.
And at that very moment.
Another person was surprised to see the completely vanished "Café Yeeul."
"What is this...?"
Juno sighed.
It's like something out of The Wizard of Oz...
* * *
"Pepi, swimming, possible!"
At the bottom of the cliff, a quiet summer beach.
When the fire spirit Pepi made a big gesture, flames burst forth, and the waves parted to the sides.
...Is this really called swimming?
The heat from Pepi's body caused the seawater to evaporate, intensifying the smell of salt in the air. Soon, the bottom was completely exposed, and a yellow path appeared. Seaweed and shells were underfoot.
"This way, guests, banquet!"
"......Should we go?"
At the end of the path, a small island was visible. The star on the map pointed exactly to that spot.
There must be some event there. We have no choice but to go and see.
"Can't you do it more carefully, you brat, why!"
"......Walk yourself."
"Hmm, this is not bad."
The animals decided that Aswa and I would each carry one. I carried Lime, and Aswa carried Miumi.
Miumi, uncomfortable in Aswa's arms, wriggled around for a while before finally finding a comfortable position and started purring.
The golden triangular horned cow was left in the barn. It was too far to drag the cow along, and it seemed content in the barn, not wanting to move.
After walking for a while behind Pepi,
"Huff, huff......"
I was panting. My eyes stung from the sweat.
It was really scorching hot...
At least Lime's body was cool to the touch, which was somewhat comforting, but even that had its limits.
The effect of the iced coffee had worn off. Moreover, the heat only intensified with each step.
"Pepi, huff... How much longer?"
I spoke to Pepi, the only one who seemed fine.
"Almost there, arrive, don't worry!"
"Why is it so hot here?"
"Hot? Pepi, cool!"
Yeah, you would be... I'm not made of fire, I feel like I'm going to die...
Fortunately, as Pepi said, we soon reached our destination.
There was a village on a small island that would take about 10 minutes to walk around.
Pepi led us to the village. Stone houses were scattered here and there, and in the center of the village was a large temple, which seemed to be an altar for the worship of the Eternal Flame.
And soon, we discovered the source of the intense heat.
"Who, visit, guest?"
From behind the stone walls, fire spirits identical to Pepi poked their heads out. The heat they emitted was the reason for the intense heat.
"Pepi, welcome, return."
"Guest, welcome, banquet!"
The small spirits surrounded us and chattered excitedly.
If I could, I'd like to tell these spirits that Korean has particles. The bits of conversation I could make out seemed to be welcoming us.
The spirits led us to the center of the village for a welcome party. Among the fragmented words I could hear, there was an unexpected piece of information.
"Huh? There are other visitors besides us?"
"Traveler, shipwreck, visit."
Almost simultaneously, a strange voice came from ahead.
"Ah, hot, hot!"
No, it's not a strange voice.
"Hey, I understand you want to see, but touching suddenly is hot. Yeah, one by one, line up and take turns."
A man was showing his weapon to the fire spirits who had gathered around him. He had a slightly rugged look, with eyes that slanted upwards.
"Hey, these guys, hahaha. Do you want to shake hands with me? I can't shake hands because my palms are burning, but how about a signature?"
And that cocky tone.
...Could it be?
"......Oh!"
When he turned his head and saw me, Choi Sedric was surprised.
...Why are you here?
* * *
The table was set.
A large stone table was placed in the village square. The fire spirits had brought out a generous menu, fitting for a banquet.
Since the island was in the middle of the sea, the main dish was seafood. Fortunately, it wasn't cooked on hot stones or charcoal.
"Pepi, knows, humans, don't eat stones."
"Oh... I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."
"Food, delicious, eat!"
Especially, the fresh tuna sashimi was mouthwatering, and the grilled tuna had a savory aroma.
The heat from the fire spirits cooked the seafood in real-time.
"Why, whyoong (Not bad, the treatment is quite good)!"
"Kyouu..."
"......Not bad."
After confirming that the group was enjoying the food, I turned my head towards Choi Sedric. I didn't expect to meet him here.
"How did you end up here?"
"Huh? Me? I..."
Choi Sedric, who was about to eat a well-cooked piece of grilled tuna, put down his chopsticks and answered.
"I was feeling down."
"......What?"
Choi Sedric said he had a hobby of taking dungeon walks when he felt down.
Is the overdevelopment of big cities a problem? Is it because there's a lack of green space in Seoul? To walk in a dungeon instead of a park is not a hobby I can easily relate to... But everyone has different ways of relieving stress, so I'll understand.
"So I thought I'd take a walk in the Grand Dungeon 《Abyss》."
"Wait, this is 《Abyss》?"
"Yeah, didn't you know?"
"Of course not. I woke up to find my entire store here."
"My, listen carefully."
Choi Sedric continued in a boastful tone.
The Grand Dungeon 《Abyss》 has a layer called the "safe zone." It's hard to understand how "dungeon" and "safe" can be used in the same sentence, but that's how it is.
The massive dungeon appeared in the world 20 years ago. During those 20 years, hunters did not stop ascending the Grand Dungeon. The safe zone is where they installed a teleportation gate after defeating the boss.
"Hmm, I see. So this is the safe zone?"
I asked, eating a piece of squid that had just been cooked. However, Choi Sedric shook his head.
"No, I don't know."
"......What?"
Choi Sedric originally planned to take a walk in the safe zone and return. However, he kept going deeper and deeper, not wanting to go home. Then he was caught in a sudden ether wave and ended up in this field.
I had hoped for a systematic explanation, but it turns out Choi Sedric was also a castaway.
"Ha, I thought... you knew how to get out."
"Can you get out?"
"Uh?"
Choi Sedric pulled out a teleportation scroll from his inventory.
"It's a scroll that allows instant teleportation to a gate. You can use this."
"Why don't you go back if you have this...?"
"Just. I didn't want to go home today."
"Whyoong (Oh, this guy's natural flirting is quite good)."
"......Flirting?"
Aswa turned her head with a pouting expression.
I pushed a piece of grilled squid on the plate towards Miumi. Fortunately, Miumi stopped making unnecessary noises while tearing into the squid.
At that moment, a fire spirit called out to Choi Sedric.
"Human, friend, help."
"Hey, I told you, it's inconvenient if you keep calling me. Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming."
Thud, a freshly caught fish was placed on the table.
Shashashak.
Choi Sedric drew his sword and quickly filleted the fish. The fire spirit clapped and cheered.
"Knife work, awesome, perfect."
"What? You want me to do this too? Well, I can't refuse."
"Perfect, gorgeous, wonderful."
He's getting into it...
So, although I don't know the details, he didn't want to go home, and the spirits' reactions were impressive. He was so caught up in the spirits' enthusiasm that he decided to stay and spend time here instead of going back immediately.
After filleting a few more fish, Choi Sedric returned and handed me the teleportation scroll.
"I have extras, so use this if you need to."
"Huff, thank you. Really, thank you!"
I accepted it without hesitation. With this scroll, I can go back. As long as I can go back, the star on the map or the event doesn't matter.
However, I was devastated by what Choi Sedric said next.
"But can you use it?"
"Uh... Why?"
Is there some side effect? Or is it an item that F-rank Awakeners can't use?
"Didn't you say your store building came here whole? If you use the scroll to go back, what will happen to the real estate?"
...
...
Oh, right. My store...
If I just go back, I'll be left with no home or store, and several dependents to take care of...
Just as I was feeling frustrated, a large flame appeared in the sky.
The flame circled in the air, and a powerful heat rose, unlike anything we had experienced before.
The fire spirits prostrated themselves on the ground and cheered.
"Master, manifestation, welcome."
"Master, hooray, welcome."
[A Great One: The Eternal Flame Cthuga has appeared.]
[Welcome to the Garden of the Eternal Flame Cthuga.]
The flame floating in the air gradually took on a human form.
Red hair fluttered in the air.
With a thud, the man stepped onto the ground, looking like a human made of flame. He appeared to be in his 50s, with red hair, beard, and eyes.
Pepi ran forward and bowed.
"Master, Pepi, return. Humans, return, assist."
"......Hmm. You've done well."
Fortunately, the master of the spirits used particles correctly.
He looked at me with a tilted head and then scrunched up his face.