Chapter 273

A variety of ingredients were stacked on the dining table this morning.

Looking at the pack of cleaned chicken, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions, and various seasonings, Yoon-Hee’s face was filled with unease. Yong-Yong had taken them out, announcing that he was going to make spicy braised chicken first thing in the morning.

With a bright smile, he hopped around the kitchen, enthusiastically preparing for the dish. He and Do-Jun were heading to the Core today, and he was making spicy braised chicken for Cecilia.

“Yong-Yong?” Yoon-Hee called.

“Yeah?”

“Why are you taking out fish sauce...?”

“

Hehe

, it’s in the recipe!”

It really was—the spicy braised chicken recipe listed fish sauce as an ingredient. Looking closer, Yoon-Hee realized that all the ingredients Yong-Yong had gathered matched the cookbook exactly. For a moment, she thought he might actually pull off a proper dish.

“Hm, what should we do about breakfast...?” Yoon-Hee muttered, looking at the clearly occupied kitchen.

“Take Karsiel and Byeol and eat out,” Do-Jun suggested.

“What about you, Father?”

“I’m supposed to eat spicy braised chicken in the Core with—” Do-Jun’s words were interrupted by a loud

Boom!

An explosion went off in the kitchen.

Yoon-Hee jumped in surprise and spun around.

Do-Jun, who had been reading the newspaper, briefly lowered it and looked toward the kitchen. He locked eyes with Yong-Yong, whose face was now covered in soot.

“D-don’t worry, Master! Everything’s under control!” Yong-Yong assured him.

“Alright...” Do-Jun decided he didn’t care anymore.

***

The Core, Buffer Zone.

Cecilia basked in the warm sunlight as she lazily rolled across the field. As the creator of the Buffer Zone, her only job was to occasionally greet adventurers who ended up here as they moved between floors. Aside from that, her days were painfully dull.

A Fissure ripped open in the air, signaling that an adventurer was arriving. Cecilia’s gaze naturally turned toward the crack. When she saw Do-Jun and Yong-Yong coming out of it, her face lit up. She unfurled her pure white wings and flew toward them.

“Adventurer!” she exclaimed in excitement. “I’ve been waiting!”

Recently, the one thing she looked forward to was the delicious food Do-Jun always brought. For some reason, unlike other adventurers, Do-Jun was able to come to the Buffer Zone whenever he moved between floors. And each time, he brought dishes from Earth.

“It’s been a while.” Do-Jun greeted her.

“It really has! So, um, did you bring some today, too?”

Do-Jun averted his gaze slightly, and Cecilia, who had been smiling brightly, tilted her head in confusion at the ambiguous reaction.

***

Spicy braised chicken was a truly delicious dish. Cecilia had tasted it for the first time when Do-Jun brought it last time. It was an addictive, magical dish—one bite and you were hooked.

“Whoa,” Cecilia exclaimed as the fragrant steam billowed out when the lid was lifted.

Smiling proudly, Yong-Yong loaded Cecilia’s plate with chicken. He piled on potatoes, carrots, and onions, then poured on two ladles of broth. Even the freshly cooked white rice, made by Yoon-Hee that morning, was heaped into a bowl until it nearly overflowed.

Cecilia took a spoonful of the broth while Yong-Yong and Do-Jun watched silently.

Huh...?

she thought, surprised.

She took another sip. Then, the smile slowly faded from her face.

She grabbed a drumstick and took a bite, then asked, “What... is this?”

“

Haha

! Tasty, right? I made it myself!” Yong-Yong said happily.

“T-this is really...”

Do-Jun let out a short sigh. But then, Cecilia’s following words were unexpected.

“This is really amazing! It’s the best!”

What did she just say...?

Do-Jun doubted his ears.

If her sense of taste was even remotely normal, there was no way Yong-Yong’s spicy braised chicken could be good. The sour, bitter flavor was unmistakable.

“

Haha

! Eat lots. I made extra!” Yong-Yong said proudly.

“Yes, yes! I’ll have another bowl later!”

Do-Jun took a sip of the broth himself. Then, he looked at the two, who were eagerly devouring the dish, with an expression of utter disbelief.

***

“That was truly amazing!” Cecilia said. She looked genuinely happy.

Do-Jun sealed the used dishes in a plastic bag and stored them in Ivela’s Pouch. At the very least, he was relieved that she had enjoyed the meal.

“I could eat this every day,” she said, sincerely.

“Really?” Do-Jun asked in shock.

“Yeah! I’m so jealous. Adventurer, you get to eat food like this all the time.”

Eating Yong-Yong’s braised spicy chicken every day.... Even for Do-Jun, that would be unbearable. Still, compared to the early days, this was a remarkable improvement.

“I’ll cook for you anytime you come to Earth,” Do-Jun said.

“I’d love that, but unfortunately, I can’t leave this world,” Cecilia replied with a bitter smile. “Well, of course, if I wanted to, I could leave at any time.”

“That’s contradictory.”

“Right... But I really can’t.”

“And the reason?” Do-Jun asked.

Cecilia wondered if there was even a point in explaining the reason to Do-Jun, but she decided to tell him anyway. “My physical body has already perished. That’s the reason. If I leave this world—the Buffer Zone I created—what’s left of my soul will disappear too.”

It was a rather heavy topic.

Do-Jun gazed at Cecilia in silence. It didn’t seem like a joke.

“But don’t worry! As long as I stay here, I’ll exist forever. That means I can keep helping you, adventurer. Of course, if you bring me more delicious braised spicy chicken, I’ll be even more motivated to help.”

She could provide artifacts or offer crucial information about the Core. Unlike other adventurers, Do-Jun was special. That much was obvious. She looked at the softly snoring Yong-Yong, who had fallen asleep after the meal. The fact that even the Overlord, the one who had once brought the world to its knees in the Great War, followed him was proof enough of his extraordinary nature.

One lingering question remained, though: why couldn’t she see through him with the Eye of Truth?

Do-Jun silently recalled something Tusitala had murmured once, back when he had completed the first stage of the Core’s tutorial and was about to advance to the second.

“He might be able to save you, Cecilia.”

And then he actually met Cecilia. By “save,” Tusitala must have meant saving her soul from perishing.

“Adventurer,” Cecilia called and smiled softly. “I believe that as long as we do our best in our own places, that’s enough. So what I’m trying to say is... I’ll do my best in my role, so you should do the same in yours.”

Her eyes and lips curved into a smile, but there was no mistaking it; Cecilia was trembling with anxiety. She was forcing herself to smile. What was causing her such fear?

Do-Jun let out a quiet sigh and gestured to her. It was a small motion, asking her to come closer.

“Hm?” Cecilia stepped forward, and a loud

thwack

followed.

“Ow! What was that for?!” She clutched her forehead, rubbing it furiously, her face scrunched up in complaint.

“Tell me,” Do-Jun said.

“Tell you what?”

“Why will your soul disappear if you leave the Buffer Zone?”

“That’s a secret...”

Do-Jun curled his fingers again, seemingly getting ready for another flick. Cecilia flinched in terror and instinctively covered her forehead with both hands, stepping back.

She blurted out, “I-it’s because of Baal! I’m currently trapped inside Baal... If I leave the Buffer Zone, my soul will definitely be devoured by him.”

“What if Baal is killed?”

“I’d still disappear.”

“Because your soul is inside Baal’s body?” Do-Jun asked.

“Yeah... Wait, you’re taking this surprisingly well.”

Cecilia let out a bitter chuckle. But it was fine. As long as she didn’t leave, Baal wouldn’t be able to obtain the Power of the Universe. If he ever managed to, things would become really troublesome, so maybe it would be better for her to disappear along with Baal. And as far as she knew, the only one capable of killing the current Baal was the Overlord. Or maybe....

“Adventurer. Tell me something.”

“Hm?”

“Are you stronger than the Overlord?”

Cecilia thought it was an absurd question, but a thought occurred to her: maybe the reason the Overlord called him Master was that he had been subdued by sheer force. It was something she had been curious about for a while.

Do-Jun nodded.

“Seriously...?”

His eyes didn’t waver. It didn’t seem like he was lying.

It was an answer that was extremely hard to believe. She had thought his speed in clearing the Core’s floors was unusual, but how could subduing the Overlord ever be possible?

Cecilia leaned forward, her voice urgent. “If you go down to the Deep Realm, kill Baal!”

“Even though your soul will disappear?” Do-Jun asked.

“I don’t care. That’s the best option. It was my mistake for getting caught by Baal in the first place... And for losing the key... Yeah, this is the right choice.”

Do-Jun sighed. “If you die, someone will grieve. And I also don’t want that either.”

There could be more than one person, but at the very least, he knew of one for sure: Tusitala, the Core’s guide.

He suddenly recalled the way Cecilia had eagerly devoured Yong-Yong’s braised spicy chicken, declaring it the best thing she had ever eaten.

He chuckled, recalling her words,

“This is really amazing! It’s the best!”

Do-Jun said, “The food was good today, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah...”

“There are many more delicious things out there. Even I haven’t tried everything. When you come to Earth, I’ll let you eat to your heart’s content.”

“Really?”

Do-Jun nodded. “So, treasure your life.”

“What kind of build-up was that?” Cecilia let out a small laugh.

Then, she smiled sadly. “If that really happens... I think I’d be so happy, I’d cry.”

Just the thought of it made her eyes well up. But she couldn’t cry—at least, not yet. The time for tears would be when she was finally on Earth, enjoying those delicious meals.

Yong-Yong, meanwhile, was still fast asleep, utterly carefree.

Gazing at the sleeping dragon, Cecilia whispered to Do-Jun, “Adventurer. Honestly, today’s chicken wasn’t good.”

“I knew it.”

“But... it was delicious.”

This “delicious” wasn’t just about the taste being sweet or salty. It was about how Yong-Yong had poured his heart into cooking for her. How Do-Jun had brought the food to share with her.

That warmth itself had become part of the flavor.

Do-Jun smiled.

***

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

After an early dinner, Do-Jun was sitting in the living room, working on his laptop. Yoon-Hee and Byeol were taking a bath together, while Karsiel sat beside him, carefully folding laundry.

Boom!

Karsiel flinched. Something just blew up in the kitchen.

What might someone do while cooking to cause an explosion like that? Do-Jun was genuinely curious. However, he didn’t interfere.

Karsiel glanced toward the kitchen, where black smoke was rising.

“This is so strange...” Yong-Yong tapped the induction cooktop with his front paw, examining it closely. He had been acting like this since they returned to Earth from the buffer zone.

“Master...?” Karsiel called out to Do-Jun, feeling something was off.

“Yeah?”

Normally, a crime scene like this would have already been subjected to Do-Jun’s swift and merciless judgment. But this time, he took no action.

“I-it’s nothing,” Karsiel said.

He must have his reasons. Karsiel resumed folding the laundry.

Yong-Yong, meanwhile, was completely focused on making spicy braised chicken. He must have overheard Cecilia saying, “It wasn’t good.”

“What is the problem?” he muttered as he took a sip of the stew’s broth. It tasted amazing. What exactly had been bad about it?

“Karsiel,” Yong-Yong called out.

“Yes, Lord Izaas?”

“Taste this for me.”

Karsiel’s eyes widened as she looked around nervously.

She turned to Do-Jun. “M-Master...”

It was a plea for help.

But then, Yong-Yong said, “Master, you too, please give it a taste.”

Do-Jun’s fingers, hovering over the keyboard, came to an abrupt halt.