Chapter 201
Chapter 201: Chapter 201
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The supercar made loud exhaust noises as it slowed down in front of a ship.
As soon as the supercar parked, Min Sung got out from the driver’s seat.
Min Sung closed the door and looked at the store sign.
[Filling Meal]
He came to the address Ho Sung Lee gave him.
The sign had a black background with the words ‘filling meal’ written in cute letters.
It looked more like a fancy café than a place that sold sausage stew.
He didn’t know if this place sold sausage stew just from looking at the sign, but he realized they did as soon as he saw their menu.
Min Sung entered through the glass door.
“Hello…!”
The employee greeted him, but when he saw Min Sung, he stopped himself and flinched.
Almost everybody knew who Min Sung was.
And the same went for the employees at this restaurant.
Including the employee, the rest of the customers inside the restaurant also stopped and looked at him blankly.
Since he wasn’t a celebrity but a hunter, he was harder to approach, which meant it was hard to go up to him and ask for a photo.
As a result, Min Sung’s appearance caused an awkward silence
Just like right now…
“I’ll have one order of sausage stew, please,” Min Sung said as he looked at the large menu board.
A moment later, the employee came to his senses and woke up to reality.
“Oh, sure! I-I’ll get that ready for you right away, sir!”
Min Sung sat down at a table near the window and looked around him.
Just like the fancy sign outside, the interior also looked clean as it was mostly made out of wood.
And compared to the interior, the prices were fair.
The sausage stew was 7 thousand won, and if he wanted to order Bossam with it, it was 9 thousand won.
Since Min Sung had already had Bossam not long ago, he ordered the sausage stew, but above everything else, the prices were decent.
Min Sung drank some cold water and wiped his hands with a wet wipe as he waited for his food.
After waiting anxiously for a moment, the rice and side dishes came out.
There were 4 different types of side dishes.
Garlic roots, Kimchi, fried potatoes, and macaroni salad.
Min Sung took out the chopsticks from the box and tasted the macaroni salad.
It was sweet and soft.
It was also chewy and hearty.
Because it was made with mayonnaise sauce, it had quite the stimulating flavors.
The only downside was that it was too heavy to eat continuously.
Min Sung proceeded to taste the garlic roots and enjoyed the sweet flavors.
While he snacked on the side dishes, his one order of sausage stew arrived.
What was unique about the sausage stew was that it came in a stone bowl.
But the fact that it came in a stone bowl made it convenient for one person to eat it.
And most importantly, the way it boiled and stayed hot in the stone bowl made for fantastic visuals.
Above the sausage stew was ramen and melted cheese.
Just looking at it made his stomach grumble.
Min Sung went for the ramen first with great anticipation.
The ramen had steaming cheese on it as he brought it up to his mouth.
Min Sung slurped the ramen with cheese on it into his mouth.
As he chewed on the curly noodles, the scent of the cheese filled his nose, and after that, he ate a spoonful of rice followed by some hot sausage stew.
The original flavors of sausage stew were evident, and the fusion of the cheese and ramen made the flavors comparable to a mural created by a genius.
The sausage was so delicious that it made him dizzy.
Min Sung ate the rice and the hearty sausage stew as he charged his energy right back up.
Once Min Sung finished his meal, he headed back home.
Since he was driving home, he saw the tree before his house.
In that short period of time, the tree had grown exponentially.
It was growing faster and faster.
It was already 2/3 the height of an apartment building.
Min Sung looked at the tree in dissatisfaction and stepped on his gas pedal.
As soon as he got home, many reporters were standing by to film him.
He hadn’t even gotten out of his car yet, but the flashes were going off like crazy.
After parking his supercar in his garage, Min Sung quickly headed inside.
Ho Sung Lee was already there.
“You’re here.”
He accepted Ho Sung Lee’s greeting as he looked around.
“Where’s Ji Yoo?”
“She’s getting ready for an official press conference regarding the tree here. There must be a lot to prepare.”
“They’re revealing it already?”
“No, not right away, but she’s getting it ready just in case that situation comes.”
Min Sung nodded.
“Let’s go,” Min Sung said as he headed to the yard.
Ho Sung Lee breathed in and out before gulping.
“Sir. Since you took care of the Demonic Realm, you’ll be able to clear it easily, right?”
“I’m not sure. We’ll see.”
Min Sung wasn’t positive.
“You said the fight against the Demonic Realm would be really difficult, but it was easier than you expected. I trust you, Sir.”
“Don’t trust anyone. Only trust yourself,” Min Sung said coldly.
That sounded like he was saying he could be abandoned at any moment, which made Ho Sung Lee feel miserable.
As soon as Min Sung appeared, the researchers stopped their work to greet him before stepping back.
They already knew the gate on the tree had opened, and they received notice that Min Sung would come, so they quietly stepped out for him.
They were busy enough anyway.
If Min Sung was to go to the dungeon through the tree, the researchers were ready to study how the tree would change in the meantime.
For that reason, the researchers were either on their computers or organizing data material.
“Sir, General Kim called.”
At that moment, Ho Sung Lee handed him the phone.
Min Sung looked up at the tree and knitted his brows.”
“No.”
In response, Ho Sung Lee said, “He’s a little sensitive right now. He’ll talk when we’re back” and hung up the phone.
“Let’s go in.”
Min Sung touched the tree, and Ho Sung Lee, Bowl, and Ssol ran over and stood behind him.
[Gate Open]
[Player Check]
[Loading…]
[Ho Sung Lee may accompany as a supporter, but Ho Sung Lee is likely to die. Would you still like to take him along?]
“What do you want to do?” Min Sung asked.
“Pardon?”
“If I take you, it’s highly likely that you’ll die. Do you still want to go?”
“Am I allowed to stay?”
“Yeah.”
Ho Sung Lee wasn’t expecting that answer, so he looked at Min Sung and laughed bitterly.
“If you say that, that place must be really horrifying. That new dungeon that’s supposed to swallow the earth whole.”
“Stop the nonsense and tell me. Are you going or not?”
Min Sung asked while glaring at Ho Sung Lee.
“I told you. I’ve changed. Let me show you the results.”
Ho Sung Lee spoke confidently as he glared at the tree.
Min Sung touched ‘accept’ without any hesitation.
At that moment, their bodily senses felt weird.
They began to feel numb as if they were losing sense in their bodies.
While they felt their bodies stiffen, Min Sung, Ho Sung Lee, Bowl, and Ssol saw the tips of their fingers shatter as if they were computer graphics.
This was probably the process of entering the dungeon.
A moment later, their entire bodies shattered like CG, and their consciousness was overcome with darkness.
The entire world around them wasn’t dark for long, but it felt long to them.
And then…
Chirp! Chirp!
Min Sung, Ho Sung Lee, Bowl, and Ssol heard birds chirping.
The four players slowly opened their eyes.
They saw a green forest.
Ho Sung Lee, Bowl, and Ssol looked around them with big eyes as if they were very surprised.
And beyond the cliff was a beautiful scenery.
They saw a waterfall as well as a lake.
“Welcome to the new world. This is a world where legends and myths live and breathe. This place is called ‘Beatrice’. Congratulations on entering Beatrice for the first time!”
They heard an unfamiliar voice.
Min Sung turned toward the voice first, followed by Ho Sung Lee, Bowl, and Ssol.
They spotted a small baby floating in the air while fluttering its wings with just leaves covering its private parts.
Above the organism read [Fairy ‘Arin’].
“… Who are you?”
Ho Sung Lee asked as he took a closer look at the fairy Arin.
“I’m a fairy who’s here to explain more about Beatrice to you!”
“Haha, you’re cute.”
“Really? Thank you!”
The fairy Arin’s face flushed with joy, and it grabbed its cheeks out of embarrassment.
“Are you a boy or a girl?” Ho Sung Lee asked.
“I was born in the forest, so I have no gender. I’m a fairy, after all,” Arin said with its thumbs up.
“I see. So this is Beatrice? This is a dungeon, right?”
“Is that what they call it in the human world?”
At that moment…
Min Sung approached the fairy Arin.
The fairy Arin saw Min Sung’s cold expression and flinched out of fear.
“The tree connected to this world is called Beatrice. The tree in the human world. What do I have to do to get rid of it?”
“You want to protect the human world, huh? It’s simple.”
“Really?!” Ho Sung Lee asked.
The fairy Arin nodded up and down.
“If you rank at 1st place, you’ll get a special benefit. One of those benefits is to make the Iris Tree, which acts as a gate to this world, wither away,” the fairy Arin said while smiling.
“1st rank? How are the ranks decided? Does that mean there are other people here?” Ho Sung Lee asked.
The fairy Arin crossed its arms and opened its mouth with a serious look on its face.