SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon
chapter-158

However, Han Yiseong’s plan was met with opposition from his closest friend.

“No.”

Kwon Jiwoon said firmly, rubbing the dark circles around his eyes.

“What? Listen to me. Once you make up an excuse and put them together…….”

“Who do you think you’re trying to attach to someone else’s younger sister who’s really popular?”

Han Yiseong also had something to say about this.

“No, wait! If he’s the No. 1 in the ranking, he’s already the best suitor, so where’s the problem?”

“This is why Koreans tend to be so driven by results.”

“What……?”

‘Are you not Korean?’ Before Han Yiseong could retort, Kwon Jiwoon continued.

“Happiness is not in order of ranking.”

Stunned, Han Yiseong took a shot of the ice water on the table and shouted.

“I know you’ve been sulking because you’ve dropped down the rankings since Hunter Choi Yichan appeared……!”

Kwon Jiwoon’s brow furrowed slightly, having been poked in a place he didn’t really have a problem with anymore.

“Anyway, no. Go back.”

“Hey, don’t be so mean……!”

Bang! The door slammed shut, and the negotiation was over.

But it wasn’t enough to make him give up. He rummaged through the file cabinet at his side. Surely there was something here he could use…….

“Yes, this is it!”

Han Yiseong’s eyes lit up when he found the official letter.

***

Somewhere in Seoul, a few days before Han Yiseong came up with a devious plan to fulfill his duties as a perfect helper character.

Hunter Kim opened his eyes wide.

‘Wow, so many famous people…….’

He tried to keep his cool, but it was impossible. All around him were famous Hunters. Naturally, his head turned this way and that.

This meeting today wasn’t supposed to be for Hunter Kim. Even though he had risen quite a bit in the rankings this quarter, his skills were still mediocre at best.

‘If this was a Hunter movie, I’d be an unnamed extra, haha…….’

Hunter Kim walked on, self-pitying himself.

The meeting was being hosted by Muwon himself, who had just recently revealed his true identity. The attendees are the guild leaders of the major guilds, or at least people of equivalent skill. However, the leader of the guild Hunter Kim belonged to was unable to attend due to an upset stomach. As a replacement, Hunter Kim was both nervous and excited. It’s not every day that you get to see so many talented individuals at once.

He decided to sit in the corner like a shadow, listening and watching.

However, there must have been a mistake in the seating arrangement. Kim Hunter looked at the name tags in front of him in shock. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, and sure enough, their names were correct.

‘This is the famous spot….!’

To Hunter Kim’s left was the seat of the White Silver Guild, a guild that had been growing rapidly in recent years. He could see the A-Class healer and guild leader Kwon Jiwoon and S-Class Choi Yichan.

On the right is Ju Noeul of the Royal Guild, widely known as a family guild. It’s an open rumor that the ‘family‘ doesn’t refer to blood relations, but to some sort of secret dark organization.

Aside from the organizers, the Cheongna Guild, and the C&L Corporation, which is in the process of being disbanded, he sat on an isolated island next to the biggest Rankers.

‘Ugh, I’m nervous.’

Hunter Kim sat in a tense position and looked straight ahead, fearing that someone might touch his shoulder. His straight posture looked like something an orthopaedic model could use.

When everyone was seated, the door at the front opened.

Stomp, stomp, stomp….

Everyone forgot to breathe and stared straight ahead until the footsteps stopped in the middle of the room. It was Ki Yoohyun, and beside him were Han Yiseong, the deputy guild leader of the Cheongna Guild, and Kang Hyunwoo of the Dungeon Management Office.

“Everyone, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be part of this meeting.”

‘Wow…..’

Hunter Kim forgot his nervousness and admired the man in front of him. The man in front of him was absolutely perfect. Aside from his outstanding abilities, which would be recognised by all Hunters of this generation, he looked as perfect as he sounded: a beautifully chiselled face, a pleasant voice, and a polite yet relaxed demeanour.

It must be impossible not to like that kind of person.

“I don’t like him…….”

The voice was loud enough for Hunter Kim to hear.

“You’re being a jerk, again, and again.”

Is it okay to say something like that to the boss of the Family? Hopefully it won’t bring bloodshed. Hunter Kim, flabbergasted, glanced sideways at Ju Noeul.

“I’m not being a jerk….”

“That’s right. You met Hunter Ki Yoohyun at Cafe Rieul, but never! You didn’t say anything about him back then! You didn’t even notice him.”

“It’s not that, I just don’t like him…….”

“I agree with Hunter Ju Noeul. I don’t like him.”

This time, Kwon Jiwoon spoke from the other side. For Kim Hunter, who was caught in the middle, it felt like a death sentence. Hunter Kim thought, while desperately looked ahead with an expression that said, ‘I can’t hear anything.’

‘Please talk without me…….’

Ki Yoohyun smiled lightly and began to speak while looking at them.

“It seems like you have a lot to say. Before we get started, if you have any questions, please ask.”

“…….”

“…….”

There was silence. Ju Noeul and Kwon Jiwoon kept their mouths shut, as if they hadn’t complained at all. Instead, Ki Yoohyun pointed to the isolated island between them; Hunter Kim.

“What about you, Hunter Kim Cheolsu?”

Wow, awesome. Ki Yoohyun, the Muwon, had called his name. As thrilled as he was, Hunter Kim felt intimidated by the outpouring of attention. He had never been the center of attention from so many Rankers in his life, and his stomach began to ache.

But now, he had a chance to ask Ki Yoohyun a direct question, a chance that money couldn’t buy. Hunter Kim knew he had to strike a blow that would cut through all this chaotic atmosphere.

However, a heavy blow from a humble man is bound to end in failure. This time, it was no different. While searching for a question, Hunter Kim suddenly remembered a rumor that had been circulating among the Hunters.

Hunter Kim was just trying to lighten the mood with the innocent question. Unknown to him, he just crossed the wrong line.

“Uh, I, then … Hunter Ki Yoohyun, is the rumor that you are very close to the owner of Cafe Rieul true?”

Snap! There was the sound of a table crashing next to him.

“Uh! Haha ha … sorry about that. The table must be made of cardboard, it’s so fragile.”

Choi Yichan scratched the back of his head while holding the broken table top.

***

Soon after Han Yiseong returned, still grumbling.

Kwon Jiwoon got up. The place he was heading to was a room that Choi Yichan used on the same floor.

His mind was racing. As he walked through the corridors, which were busier than ever with newly recruited Hunters, he thought back to the meeting Ki Yoohyun had organized a few days ago.

After the other attendees had left, with only a handful of people remaining, Ki Yoohyun had said.

“In the near future, the Demon God will be resurrected.”

The atmosphere immediately froze. The words were not entirely unexpected. The ether levels were fluctuating, and there had been a string of strange events recently. There was speculation that it might have something to do with the Demon God that was said to be dormant at the end of the Great Dungeon Abyss.

And the man known as Aeon, who was found to be the mastermind behind the latest events. As long as he hasn’t completely disappeared, he could reappear at any time.

We must prepare for the worst. Kwon Jiwoon planned to talk to Choi Yichan about this. He knew Choi Yichan had no special plans today and that he was dealing with an overdue expense report.

Before knocking on the door, Kwon Jiwoon took a moment to listen for signs of activity. Soon, he heard a voice from inside.

“Heuk … sniff….”

He has seen the article……

Kwon Jiwoon cared deeply for his younger cousin, but he didn’t want to pry into other people’s intimate feelings about her. It was truly a matter that he didn’t want to know.

“…….”

Kwon Jiwoon withdrew his hand that was about to knock on the door, and stepped back softly.

……Let’s leave him alone.

***

Early in the morning.

“Lime, come here.”

“Kkyuuu!”

Tak!

Tak, tak! Tak!

Tak-tak, tak!

Lime spit out the coffee berries, avoiding my touch. My forehead that was hit by the fruit hurt quite a bit.

“Please don’t do this today. Good boy, Lime-ah.”

“Kkyuuuu!”

Lime, who bounced its body with determination, was unexpectedly agile. After chasing Lime for a while to catch it, I got tired.

“Whoa, haaaaa…..”

This is too hard.

Today again, Ash has been out of the house since morning. He’s been like that for days. He dutifully works at his part-time job during the café’s opening hours, but other than that, he’s mostly absent.

Is this the puberty I’ve always heard about?

I couldn’t help but notice. He’s been acting weird ever since the paparazzi photos of me and Ki Yoohyun surfaced. However, I still have no idea why he keeps disappearing.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to interfere too much, so I’m just going to observe him for now…….

But first, let’s deal with this slime.

“Hyaaah!”

“Kkyu, kyuuuu!”

I pretended to give up and looked the other way, but when Lime was caught off guard, I jumped at it. Lime struggled in protest, but this time it couldn’t escape my grasp.

“Gotcha! Limey, stay still.”

I quickly put Lime in the slime carrier I’d bought yesterday via home delivery.

For several days now, Lime has not eaten anything and has been repeating the phrase, “What does slime live on?“. I couldn’t ignore it any longer. In addition to being worried, this morning I got this quest.

[Sub Quest: What Does Slime Live On?

This is bad news! Your slime is currently having existential doubts.

At this rate, Lime will continue to refuse to eat.

Let’s find out its favourite food.

Find the right food for Lime: (Incomplete)

Rewards: Increased Lime’s favorability, Knowledge of Slimes, Experiences (500 EXP), 1 random Skill Point

In case of failure: Lime’s favorability decreases]

It was not the right time to care about paparazzi articles that had already been denied. Aside from quest rewards, it is said that failure will lower Lime’s favorability. I have to solve this quest.

“I’ll be off then.”

“Meow.”

Mieum, the only constant in our store, saw me off while lying in front of the heater. Mieum, you look very comfortable. Yes, I’m glad you haven’t changed at all.

I headed to the Azalea Pawnshop, deep in the alleyways of Jongno 5th street.

As for why I went to a pawn shop instead of any other place to find out what the slimes were eating, I have a story that I cannot tell without tears.

Ju Noeul, the most knowledgeable slime expert around me, was absent for some kind of training. The animal hospital has a waiting list of at least a month for appointments, and the slime tamer consultation got cut by a second.

In fact, I’ve posted on the Hunter Channel myself.

[Question] What should I feed my slime?? Please tell me! (0)

Upvotes: 0 / Downvotes : 0

Writer: F-Class Cafe Owner

The slime in my house hasn’t eaten for several days ㅠㅠ

What should I give my slime as food???

But the response was strange. It was a very normal question, but the only response I got was telling me to stop trolling and f**k off. Why?!

When I reached this dead end, I remembered what Azalea, the pawn shop owner, had said the last time.

“Next time you need information, come to me. If you bring me something worthwhile, I’ll give you the information.”

Azalea said she doubles as an informant, so she might know something about this slime’s diet.

In case you want to, you can support this translation through buy me a coffee!

Translator’s Corner:

I gave up with Lime’s pronoun, I came back to ‘It’.

Also everyone let’s cast your bet about what our Lime actually eats 😀