Chapter 101 – Self-Development and the Homemaker

Chop, chop, chop, chop.

The cleanly prepped vegetables were cut into small cube shapes.

Sizzle!

The pork and chopped vegetables were put into a moderately heated pot and stir-fried. The ingredients cooked along with the savory smell of oil.

By the time the vegetables were cooked to a certain degree, she added water and dissolved the curry powder. Now, all that was left was to let it simmer moderately.

For reference, she had requested white rice to eat with the curry from the cafeteria.

Closing the large pot lid, she wiped her wet hands on her apron. Perhaps because she had accomplished a large-volume cooking, she felt exceptionally proud.

Hee-na muttered to herself with a broad smile.

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

Moreover, it tasted good compared to the effort. Remembering the Hunters who would scoop up curry while shouting ‘Delicious!’ made her feel full automatically.

* * *

After delivering a warm bowl of curry to Kang Jin-hyun, who was busy writing overdue reports, she headed to the 8th-floor Hunter lounge carrying the remaining pot of curry.

The pot containing the curry was as large as Hee-na’s torso. However, because Hee-na’s stamina and physical strength had become considerable since reaching C-rank, she could lift this much with a single grunt of exertion.

“She’s here!”

“Finally!”

“Curry!”

As soon as she arrived on the 8th floor, the Hunters who caught the scent of the curry rushed out of the lounge like bullets.

“Hee-na! I’ll carry it for you! Hand it over!”

“No, I will carry it!”

“What? You bastard? Move!”

Then, they engaged in a fierce physical struggle to receive the curry pot Hee-na cooked. Hee-na warned them in a stern voice.

“Shh. Quietly. I will carry it myself, so line up in the lounge.”

Although she was grateful for the proposal to lift the heavy load, she was utterly distrustful.

According to her past experiences, if she handed over the curry pot to another Hunter like this, there was a risk they would take off with the whole pot.

‘Since they are rather selfish people.’

Hee-na shrugged her shoulders and entered the lounge.

The Hunter lounge was already packed with people. About thirty Hunters gathered closely together, waiting for Hee-na.

It was an uncommon sight.

Individualism was rampant among Hunters in matters outside of combat. Of course, they did visit the lounge to kill time and share information.

Yet, having this many Hunters gather in one place for a purpose other than combat might be a first for the Blue Dragon Guild.

“We finally get to eat!”

“Is that really so delicious?”

“Yeah. It will definitely be delicious. There’s no way it’s not.”

The whispering sounds of the gathered Hunters could all be heard.

Meanwhile, white rice, rice bowls, and utensils were already prepared in a corner of the lounge.

“Now. If you scoop rice into your own bowl and come, I’ll ladle out the curry. If you cause trouble, I won’t give you curry, so behave yourselves!”

Hee-na lined them up, striking the pot with a large ladle with a clang.

The Hunters followed Hee-na’s words relatively gently.

Here, the meaning of ‘relatively gently’ was only that loud voices weren’t exchanged, but it meant a bit of physical struggle was accompanied. The Hunters subtly wrestled for power to stand in the front position.

‘They are just like children in front of food.’

Hee-na clicked her tongue as she saw the Hunters gritting their teeth and pushing each other’s shoulders.

For the Hunters affiliated with Blue Dragon, one of the best guilds in South Korea, to be this immature…

It was something she would never have believed if she hadn’t seen and felt it herself.

However, the power of food was great.

Surprisingly, the Hunters received the curry without any major accidents. It was a relief she made a generous amount. The curry ran out exactly as the distribution was completed.

“I’ll eat well!”

“Thank you for the food!”

The Hunters each greeted Hee-na, saying they would eat well.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Hee-na made eye contact with each of the Hunters. Their eyes sparkled like stars in anticipation. It was a gaze that made one feel good just by looking at it.

Every single Hunter hurried to shovel the food in.

The lounge, which had been noisy with curry distribution, fell into silence instantly. Everyone was too busy savoring the curry in their mouths.

The combination of the vegetables cut to appropriate sizes that melted in the mouth and the chewy, savory pork was tremendous. The curry was slightly spicy, stimulating the appetite the more they ate.

The Hunters thought the same thing while chewing the curry.

‘It is unbelievably delicious!’

How could one express this exquisite harmony, this exquisite savoriness!

Gimbap or peanuts were delicious too. But they couldn’t compare to freshly made, piping hot curry.

Each time the warm food slid down their throats, they felt as if the blockages in their hearts were melting away.

It was that moment.

The identical status window popped up before everyone’s eyes.