#012
“Enough. What’s this about repaying me with just one meal? Hurry up and go downstairs to eat before it gets too late.”
Elmer turned away, displaying the typical character trait of speaking affectionately with a blunt tone. Seeing his hunched, thin figure from behind made my heart feel heavy again, so I quickly stood up from my seat. Let me just think about warm food. Immediately, I felt ravenously hungry.
Come to think of it, didn’t I spend the entire day today shivering from the cold, not eating anything while being tormented by small fry monsters? Now that the game has become reality, my stamina depletes on its own even without labor or combat. I desperately craved a hot soup dish.
I hurried down the stairs leading to the underground dining hall. The closed glass door had some condensation on it due to the heat from inside, but I could still clearly see the guild hunters eating their meals beyond it. Steam was rising from the dishes they were eating. It was an unexpectedly abundant scene given the circumstances so far. Just looking at it made my stomach growl and my mouth water.
I quickly opened the door and pushed myself inside. That was the moment. I reflexively hesitated and stepped back. Without realizing it, I covered my mouth and nose with my hand. A fishy, disgusting smell had suddenly wafted over.
It wasn’t simply the gamey or fishy smell of ingredients. It was different from the smell of old food or the musty smell of a poorly ventilated underground dining hall. Just then, a dining hall staff NPC passed in front of me carrying food. When I saw the contents of the food he was carrying on his tray, I was horrified.
“What is this?”
Floating in red broth dripping with oil were large eyeballs with clearly visible blood vessels. It was grotesque food. The staff NPC reacted to my scream-like exclamation. Thinking I was asking about the menu name, he pointed to the wall next to the entrance with a tired, dry expression.
Where he pointed was a bulletin board labeled “Menu.”
<Today’s Dinner Menu>
Laruby Hop Salad
Titalia Eyeball Soup
Sarin Lizard Tail Grilled
Yuma Tart
The moment I saw the menu, I thought my eyeballs would pop out. Laruby, Titalia, Sarin Lizard, Yuma… They were all monster names. They eat that stuff?
The staff explained bluntly.
“It’s been purified, so it’s fine. Once you get used to it, it’s edible.”
“Purified?”
Purified? They purify monster meat and eat it?
My mouth fell open automatically.
Right up until the tutorial, even though the world was completely contaminated, food was still food-like. Though it was scarce and poor quality, it wasn’t to the point of eating monsters. Though limited to certain areas, there were still things we generally called “ingredients” growing, and those that were somewhat contaminated but hadn’t become monsters could still be used as ingredients through purification.
But it seems that’s no longer the case. Has the food shortage become so severe that they have to cook and eat monsters? It was dizzying.
Originally, this game was famous not only for its beautiful scenery but also for featuring diverse cuisine from various cultures. There were many restaurants relative to the town size, and the food implementation was very high quality. Dating while conquering all restaurants or dating while cooking and eating several types of dishes was part of the romance quests. (Of course, most of them have failed and closed now.)
“Hey, why are you blocking the path at the entrance?”
Someone roughly pushed my frozen shoulder from behind. A burly mercenary glared at me as he passed by.
“If you’re going to dine, please take a seat.”
The staff member who had come after setting down the food looked at me with an uncomfortable expression.
I know. In a world where ingredients are running dry, being picky about food means I’m too well-fed. It’s not like I’ve never seen content about eating monsters as food. Comics, web novels, games – there are plenty, right? I could just accept that this game’s worldview is like that.
But I absolutely couldn’t overcome this smell and put food in my stomach. I might vomit the moment I take one bite. I needed time to get used to it. Maybe if I got hungrier, I could eat such grotesque food with gratitude, but not yet.
I staggered and turned around. Though my energy was drained, my steps climbing the stairs and closing the dining hall door were quick. I wanted to escape from that nauseating smell as quickly as possible.
Even while passing through the stairs and corridor, I felt like that disgusting smell was chasing me. Like shaking off a persistent pursuer, I fled to the lobby. I thought about returning Elmer’s token, but the counter where Elmer had been was empty – he must have stepped away.
I limped to a corner of the lobby, pulled out a blanket, wrapped myself in it, and collapsed. My churning stomach wouldn’t settle down easily. A slight fever rose from my body that had been minorly injured on the way from the forest to the town.
Though I tossed and turned for a while, my tired and exhausted body fell asleep like fainting at some point. I dimly woke up several times in between, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of the cold, the fever, or noise. Each time, I heard sounds of hunters or mercenaries returning and having various conversations with Elmer.
“…Raon…”
“Wanderer’s…? You mean…?”
“Hmm… probably Muchi… I think…?”
It seemed like someone was talking about me. Was Elmer conveying my request to the hunters? One of them had a very nice low voice. I felt like I might know who it was, but since I was half-asleep, I just thought I wanted to hear more. Unfortunately, he spoke too little. Mainly Elmer did the talking while the other person mostly just listened.
Suddenly, a shadow fell across my face. Someone was looking down at me with their back to the light.
I wanted to open my eyes and check, but my body wouldn’t obey. It felt like my eyelids were glued shut. Cold, firm fingers brushed against my eyes. Perhaps because my face was feverish, that coolness felt so good.
***
When I opened my eyes in the morning, the outside of the window was dimly brightening. For a moment I looked around blankly, unfamiliar with where I was, and only after spotting Elmer dozing at the counter did I realize I had fallen asleep in the hunter guild lobby last night. I also dimly recalled that someone had come during the night to talk with him, but I had no clear memories.
I shook out the blanket, folded it neatly, and brought it to the counter. Elmer, awakened by my presence, stretched and yawned.
“You’re awake now. How’s your body feeling?”
“What about you, ahjussi? Are you okay? It looks like you stayed up all night.”
I felt sympathy looking at Elmer’s face covered with fatigue.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Tommy will come at 9 to take over. Night shifts pay extra, so what can I do.”
That’ll shorten your lifespan. You’re not at an age where you can handle all-nighters anymore.
I almost started nagging without realizing it, then stopped. What business is it of mine to meddle with an NPC? I might die first anyway. In a world where you don’t know when you’ll die from hunger and disease, or encountering monsters, even if not from overwork. I don’t know about myself, but these people don’t really die anyway. When new players come in, won’t they all come back to life?
“I slept well with the blanket. Thank you, ahjussi. Oh, and this. I didn’t use it, so I’m returning it.”
I quietly held out the token. Honestly, I hesitated a bit about whether to return this or not. Since he already didn’t think well of me, I wondered if there was any need to give him more reason to think of me as pathetic. But no matter how much of an NPC he was, if he skipped meals because of me… that would be something to feel sorry about.
Sure enough, Elmer frowned slightly after checking the token.
“Why are you giving this back?”
But before I could make any excuses, Elmer seemed to understand on his own and muttered something to himself.
“Well, I suppose someone who only ate crops he grew himself would need time to adjust.”
Then while pocketing the token, he lectured me.
“Now it’s become a world where real food can only be eaten on special occasions. If you can’t adapt quickly, you’ll join the ranks of those starving to death.”
“Yes… But ahjussi, by any chance, were there any hunters who returned during the night?”
I obediently answered and immediately changed the subject. At my question, Elmer slightly avoided my gaze and scratched his chin.
“Well. A few came… and we did talk about you…”
Seeing him trail off, there was no need to ask in detail. It seemed like no hunter was willing to do it. Well, even close acquaintances would hesitate over such a matter – who would do life-risking business without even a down payment?
“I understand. It can’t be helped.”
Elmer glanced at my expression.
“…Are you going to request Muchi?”
“No way. If I get involved with that bastard, it’ll end with getting backstabbed. Monsters alone are trouble enough – how could I work while being wary of that guy too?”
“Well… that’s true. Then you’re going alone?”
I nodded.
“I have to.”
Elmer frowned.
“Without proper weapons… If it’s not that urgent, how about finding odd jobs in town to save up more money first? Of course, gathering herbs or hunting mobs would earn money faster, but if you recklessly go out and die, it’s meaningless, isn’t it?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
