I felt that the speed of my hand, which was cutting down the cucumber, had increased significantly.
The thickness of the cucumber, which has always been a problem, was even and appropriate.
Even the onion, which was the most difficult, was sliced instantly.
âWhoa⌠itâs brilliant.â
I was impressed by the thickness of the onion and cucumber. Geumdong from the side also clapped in admiration.
âApplause for the sacrificial onions and cucumbersâŚ!â
ââŚWill you be quiet?â
I glared slightly at Geumdong.
First, letâs focus on cookingâŚ
I made a sauce with sesame oil, minced garlic, vinegar, sugar, and mayonnaise. Then I took out the shredded onion and crab meat that I had stored well in the fridge.
âWell-cooked King Crab Tongs (D)â
I tore the crab meat into small pieces and mixed them.
It was sweet and sour when I seasoned it, so the perfect appetizer dish was completed.
When Geumdong and Toto also tasted it, they opened their eyes wide.
âIt tastes even better than before! The texture is definitely better than before!â
Even I feel the same way.
The original texture of the onion, which was crunchy but lost its spiciness, was revived as the cutting quality improved, unlike before when some onions were mushy.
Wouldnât this be enough to achieve 80% satisfaction?
I pointed to the table right next to the cafeteriaâs window overlooking the sea and said to Geumdong.
âWouldnât it be nice to set up a table here?â
It was calculated that eating while looking at the sea would increase his satisfaction even more.
Satisfaction when eating doesnât necessarily come from taste alone.
When eaten with uncomfortable people, expensive and delicious meals are like chewing stones, and cheap junk food can be more delicious than steak worth 50,000 or 60,000 won if eaten in a pleasant atmosphere with beautiful scenery.
âBut, Han Woohyun⌠does he like the sea?â
After I hesitated for a moment, Toto replied brightly.
âSome people like mountains a little more! But if you look at the mountains and sea statistics, surprisingly many people like the seaâŚ.â
I thought while listening to Totoâs explanation enthusiastically, including the statistics.
Hmm.
Then letâs go to a place where I can show what Han Woohyun likes.
* * *
Han Woohyunâs head was a little complicated.
He pretended like nothing was wrong in front of Junghyo, but the fact that Han Woohyun was suddenly in the presence of an S-class monster is surprising.
He somehow felt that it was drawn badly from the beginning.
The frequency of appearances of A-Class monsters was too high.
The feeling was completely different from the âCastle of the Demonsâ dungeon that Han Woohyun entered when he was a member of the Baekho Guild.
At the time, the pre-exploration team that Shim Jihyeok belonged to was seriously attacked, and one A-Class hunter died, and Shim Jihyeok was injured and treated by Yoojun.
âShim Jihyeok Hyung-nim, youâre completely out of your mind. If it were easy to deal with such a final boss, Hyung-nim would like it again.â
Yujun giggled as he looked up at Han Woohyun, who stepped on the corpse of the Fairy King.
It meant that Shim Jihyeok, who usually had a strong inferiority complex, would check Han Woohyun, who was a star hunter of the Baekho Guild at the time.
In addition, Shim Jihyeok attacked the A-Class hunter due to his weak mental barrier, and the A-Class hunter, who couldnât overcome the attack of the fairy king running from behind, died.
âNo matter what it is⌠you beat it in an instant?â
Han Woohyun looked around at the corpse of the Fairy King, who had been cut down with a single knife and felt curious.
At the time, there were two A-Class members assigned to the pre-exploration team.
There was a lot of speculation about whether an A-Class hunter could defeat an A-Class monster, but the established theory was that if there were two A-Class hunters, the A-Class monster could of course be defeated.
However, one A-Class hunter died and the other was seriously injured because the C-Class hunter ran out of control.
And Shim Jihyeok, who was a C-Class hunter, was injured and came back to lifeâ.
âHis rank had gone up.â
Han Woohyun terrifyingly remembered that fact.
âThe fairy king asked. Your choice is sacrifice or salvation?â
Sacrifice. Salvation.
Han Woohyun recalled the face of Junghyo, who muttered that word with a creepy face.
Then, did Shim Jihyeok grow stronger because he chose salvation?
It was a terrible family.
To be strong in exchange for anotherâs life.
How many people will try to realize such a terrible thing if it leaks out that this is possible?
It was a chilling story.
Just in case, he didnât tell the Hunter Association the story of salvation or sacrifice.
Anyway, if the association learns of the appearance of an S-class monster, they will officially call in themselves.
At that time, he planned to meet and talk with the associationâs president.
Of course, except that the information comes from Junghyo.
The associationâs president will doubt who the source of the information is, but if he takes it away, he will not be able to question it anymore.
As for JunghyoâŚ
Even without Junghyoâs request, he could never talk outside.
Of course, Junghyo is strong.
Junghyo made it clear that she was an E-Class, but the mana she used wasnât something an E-Class hunter could control.
That wasnât all. Even the skills Junghyo possessed were difficult to call E-Class skills.
In particular, the mental barrier Junghyo showed at the end was amazing.
Junghyo said she was no match for Han Woohyun, who was an S-class, so she called the hotel without stabbing him.
It would have been the same for Shim Jihyeok, who was in C-Class.
However, Shim Jihyeok borrowed the power of an A-Class monster to defeat the A-Class hunter and raise his rank.
Even in the midst of that, Junghyo thought realistically and made way for both of them to return alive.
It wasnât because of her intelligence, which she said was about E-Class, or because of the protection from her bracelet.
It was because of a certain âpowerâ that Junghyo had.
Junghyo herself, as expected, didnât know how far the possibility of that âpowerâ would go, and Han Woohyun didnât know either.
Finding out Junghyoâs identity, whether it was an association or a specific guild, was dangerous in such a situation.
Because Junghyo could have been used.
ââŚUh, Iâm sorry to disturb youâŚâ
It was then. In front of the terrace where Han Woohyun stood, Junghyo stuck her head out and called to him.
âI came up because I was worried you didnât come down for a long time.â
Junghyo bit her lips slightly with a troubled face.
The moment Han Woohyun saw that, he thought that perhaps all the reasons he thought of might be excuses.
Itâs not that he wants to protect Junghyoâ.
âYouâre the only one who knows my secret.â
Doesnât he want to be the only one who knows Junghyoâs secret?
One side of his chest ached.
How can he⌠easily become a terrible person like this?
When Junghyo was involved, it felt like he was being sucked into a deep pit.
Han Woohyun turned his gaze to the sea as if he turned his head away from such a poor self.
And he replied as if nothing was wrong.
âI was just about to go down.â
âYou like the sea too? I like it too.â
Junghyo suddenly came and leaned on the handrail Han Woohyun was holding onto.
I like it, too.
He was used to floating for a while and then sinking in a sentence that was spitting out without an object.
âBut well⌠it doesnât matter. The sea you see from there is closer and prettier.â
Junghyo said something mysterious.
Well.
Most of what Junghyo said was hard for him to understand.
* * *
âIsnât it pretty?â
He froze in front of the banquet hall where he arrived with Junnghyo, unable to move forward.
The moment he saw Junghyoâs face reflected on the large cloth.
Even Junghyo was smiling brightly in front of him and asking.
Isnât it pretty?
Was Junghyo really like that?
Like a man caught in a trap, he shut his mouth tightly and began to move his steps, calming his bewilderment.
He answered, trying not to look too long at the deep well-like eyes or straight lips reflected on the screen.
âThis⌠what is this?â
âA screen that shows you what you want to see.â
Junghyo looked up at the large white cloth and said.
Only then did he realize the identity of that evil cloth.
Thatâs why Junghyo doesnât know what heâs looking at right now.
She murmured with a smile.
âThe sea in Yeongchun-myeon is beautiful after allâŚ.â
And now sheâs looking at the sea through that cloth.
He resisted the urge to laugh bitterly.
He felt like he had been taken prisoner whenever he couldnât help but look at Junghyoâs face floating on the cloth.
âI know. Itâs pretty.â
It wasnât a lie.
The âthingâ he was looking at was incomparably pretty.
ââŚ.Enough to be submerged to death.â
Thanks to Junghyoâs ability to keep his eyes off the screen, he could see her side face for quite some time.
The saying that it would be as good as being locked to death was absolutely not a lie.
Then Junghyo opened her eyes round and stared at him.
She didnât even give him a chance to avoid her gaze.
âIn the mudflats⌠Wouldnât it be hard to die locked up? Your feet would drown.â
When he heard Junghyoâs uselessly realistic words, he laughed out loud.
âWhy are you laughing again?â
âJust because.â
He glossed over his words.
Itâs the same for a dying man, anyway. To drown in the foot or to die in the water.
âAh, right. This jacket. Thank you for lending me the other day.â
Then she held out a well-folded jacket.
He couldnât hide his regret when he accepted the jacket.
âYou can give it to me later.â
He and Junghyo sat down with a long table between them.
However, because Junghyoâs face reflected on the screen, Han Woohyun couldnât even properly touch the food in front of his eyes that Junghyo was pointing at.
Until Junghyo said this.
âOh, right. I did all this myself. I hope you like it.â
Not knowing that those words were actually Junghyoâs strategy to lower his opponentâs expectations, he chewed the crab meat with the cucumber on it without even raising his head.
It was that moment.
Satisfaction exceeds 300%. The effect of âWell-cooked King Crab (E)â is increased.