Housekeeper in the dungeon

EPISODE 101

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

The cleaned vegetables were sliced into small cubes.

Chit!

The pork and cut vegetables were stir-fried in a moderately heated wok. The ingredients were cooked with the savory smell of oil.

Once the vegetables were cooked, I added the water and curry powder. All that was left was to bring it to a gentle simmer.

For reference, I asked the restaurant for white rice to go with the curry.

I put the lid on the large pot and wiped my dirty hands on my apron. She felt an unusually strong sense of pride, perhaps because she had cooked a large amount of food.

Hee-Na smiled and muttered to herself.

“I like curry because it’s so simple to make.”

The thought of the Hunters scooping up the curry with a series of “Yummy!” exclamations filled her stomach.

* * *

After delivering a bowl of hot curry to Kang Jin-hyeon, who was busy writing an overdue report, I grabbed the remaining pot of curry and headed to the Hunter break room on the 8th floor.

The pot of curry was almost as big as Hee-na’s torso. However, as a C-Rank, Hee-na’s stamina and muscle strength were considerable, and she could lift it with a single ‘grunt’.

“Here we go!”

“Finally!”

“Curry!”

As soon as they reached the eighth floor, Hunters who smelled the curry came out of the break room like bullets.

“Hee-na, I’ll lift it! Give it to me!”

“No, I’ll carry it!”

“What? You bastard, get out of the way!”

They fiercely wrestled for the pot of curry that Hee-Na had boiled. Hee-na warned them in a stern voice.

“Shhh. Be quiet. I’ll carry it myself, there’s a line in the break room.”

The offer to help with the heavy lifting was gracious, but not enough.

I knew from experience that if I let the other Hunter carry the curry pot, I’d end up with a whole pot of hollandaise.

“They’re a selfish bunch.

Hee-Na shrugged and walked into the common room.

The Hunter common room was already crowded. About thirty Hunters were huddled together, waiting for her.

It was unusual.

Hunters were rampantly individualistic outside of battle. Sure, they visited the common room to kill time and exchange information.

But this was probably the first time in the Blue Dragon Guild that so many Hunters had gathered together with a goal other than combat.

“Finally!”

“Is it that good?”

“Uh, it must be delicious, there’s no way it’s not.”

I could hear all the assembled Hunters giggling.

Meanwhile, white rice, bowls, and cutlery had already been prepared in a corner of the common room.

“Here we go. Scoop rice into your bowls, and I’ll scoop curry for you. If you mess up, I won’t give you any curry, so you have to behave!”

Hee-Na banged the pot with a large ladle and lined them up.

The Hunters obeyed her orders with relative docility.

By “relatively calmly,” I mean that there was no shouting, but there was some scuffling. The Hunters jockeyed for position, trying to get to the front of the line first.

“They’re like kids when it comes to food.

Hee-na gritted her teeth and clicked her tongue as she watched the Hunters shove each other’s shoulders.

Hunters belonging to Cheong ryong, one of the best guilds in Korea, could be so immature…….

I would never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.

However, the power of food was incredible.

Surprisingly, the Hunters accepted the curry without incident. It was a good thing I had made a generous portion. The curry ran out just as they finished eating.

“Thank you!”

“We’ll eat!”

The Hunters each thanked Hee-Na for the food.

“Enjoy.”

Hee-Na locked eyes with each of the Hunters. Their eyes sparkled like stars with excitement. It was a pleasant sight to behold.

The Hunters hurriedly began spooning without you or me.

The break room, which had been noisy with the curry, quickly became silent. Everyone was busy savoring the curry in their mouths.

The combination of perfectly sized, melt-in-your-mouth vegetables and chewy, savory pork was incredible. The curry was mildly spicy, and the more I ate, the more my mouth watered.

As the Hunters chewed the curry, they thought the same thing.

“This is unbelievably delicious!

How can I describe this exquisite harmony, this exquisite flavor?

The kimbap and peanuts were also delicious. But nothing compared to the freshly made, hot curry.

Every time something hot slid down my throat, I felt like the ice in my heart was melting away.

It was that moment.

The same status window popped up in front of everyone’s eyes.

.

A warm atmosphere bloomed in the break room. The coziness was soothing.

Someone mumbled with a spoon in their mouth.

“I’m happy…….”

Hee-na also felt the change in the atmosphere.

The air felt softer against her skin, and the sunlight shining through the windows sparkled beautifully.

Most importantly, everyone eating the curry had a faint smile on their lips.

‘You are genuinely happy to eat my food,’ I thought.

As a food person, what could be more gratifying than this?

Hee-Na thought that she would never forget this moment for a long time.

7. Self-improvement and housekeeping

“Yay!”

With a loud cheer, Hee-na charged in Kang Jin-hyeon’s direction.

“I can hit him this time!

Gritting her teeth, she swung the spear in her hand.

In her enthusiasm, she forgot that the spear had a sharp blade at the tip.

But Kang Jin Hyeon didn’t even bat an eye lash at his attack.

“No.”

He merely shook his head slightly.

“Aah!”

Hee-na let out an embarrassed scream and fell forward. She lost the center of gravity of the long spear she was holding and tripped over her toes.

“Ack!”

In a flash, the ground was close. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the fall.

“I’m going to fall again!

Just as she half-gave up and relaxed her body, a firm hand grabbed Hee-na’s waist.

It was Kang Jin-hyeon.

“It’s dangerous.”

He scolded, catching her as she fell forward.

“How many times have I told you? You must never close your eyes during battle.”

“I know, but I keep closing my eyes without realizing it…….”

Hee-Na waggled her eyebrows and muttered, then let out a deep sigh.

“I’ve failed again.

Ever since the kidnapping, Hee-Na had been focused. She decided to build up enough strength to protect herself and her family.

Her definition of ‘strength’ included power and connections, but it also included physical strength. At the very least, I needed the means to defend myself.

“I was so helpless when I was kidnapped.

Even if Hee-na was a non-combatant Awakened, being kidnapped by a hoodlum without being able to fight back was quite traumatizing.

Kang jin-hyeon strongly agreed with Hee-na’s opinion.

He argued that defending yourself requires not only defense but also offense.

He began to offer all kinds of armor and weapons to Hee-na.

“But this is a pearl necklace from a pig’s neck.

Hee-na looked down at the Class A forebrain spear in her hand and sighed heavily.

In her spare time, she and Kang Jin Hyeon had tested countless weapons. Swords, sabers, whips, spears, arrows, guns, and more…….

But none of them seemed to fit Hee-na’s aptitude.

In her head, she charged like a rampaging rhino, but in reality, she was no better than a raging Chihuahua.

A Chihuahua might have been better in terms of momentum.

“Is a kitchen knife and a broom the only thing that fits my hand?

Hee-na sullenly pulled away from Kang’s arms.

Then the arm that was holding her stiffened.

“Ha, but Hee-na is doing well enough. It’s not unusual for a non-combatant to show this much promise…….”

Kang jin-hyeon barely managed to squeeze out the praise that wasn’t there, as if he couldn’t remember the last time he’d calmly evaluated Hee-na’s skills.

“Is this the carrot and stick tactic?

Hee-na rolled her eyes and returned the Class A Forebrain Spear to Kang Jin-hyun.

“I don’t think this one’s for me either, it’s too heavy and too long for me to use…….”

“That’s……, yes……. I see, you’ll probably hurt Hee-na if you try to swing it.”

He shook his head and put the forebrain spear back into his inventory.

Hee-na’s throat tightened like a Zara at the look of concern on his face.

“I feel like I’m about to get yelled at by my parents over a failed test.

Kang jin-hyeon was one of the Hunters of the Blue Dragon Guild, a group that attracted only the best of the best.

What he’d think in the face of Hee-Na, who was nothing short of average, is beyond me. …….

‘Ehhh.’

Only a sigh came out.

“Don’t be disappointed. It’s very hard to find a weapon that fits your hand well. It’s too early to be disappointed already. Really.”

Kang jin-hyeon encouraged a dejected Hee-na.

But coming from someone who defeated monster bosses with her bare hands and no weapon, it didn’t resonate.

“Maybe you should go to a self-defense school instead. I feel like I’m just wasting your time if I keep failing like this.”