Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Rin's First Outing Beyond the Rift

Yukgaejang, made with beef brisket, dried bracken, taro stems, green onion, mung bean sprouts, and oyster and shiitake mushrooms, all simmered together.

I had even added knife-cut noodles to the broth.

When the noodles were nearly cooked through, I poured in a beaten egg wash to finish.

I ladled it into large soup bowls and served them to the Emperor Guild members alongside rice.

So they could slurp the noodles first and then add rice to the remaining broth.

The side dishes were three kinds: homemade mixed radish kimchi, seasoned bean sprouts, and hobakjeon.

GULP!

The hunters swallowed hard at the sight of the served yukgaejang set meals.

"The smell and the presentation are incredible......"

"Do you know how long it's been since I've had spicy broth?"

"Yukgaejang with knife-cut noodles, and rice on top of that."

They began eating.

Some ate the noodles separately.

Others added rice to the broth and ate them together.

"This is insane, it's so good......!"

"I thought all yukgaejang tasted the same, but when a real chef makes it, it's a whole different story."

"Nice and spicy. I love it."

They ate with gusto.

Blade Saint Kim Gang-hyeon and the Emperor Guild executives also began eating as if spellbound.

'As expected, when it comes to Korean customers, nothing beats spicy food inside a Rift.'

After finishing his meal, the Blade Saint approached me at the open kitchen counter.

"That was an outstanding meal. It's surprising enough that there's a restaurant inside a Rift, but I never expected to eat food of this quality."

"Thank you for the kind words."

"I've also heard you sell something called stat dishes. Do I need to make a separate reservation?"

"Yes, stat dishes require a reservation. Would you like to see this menu?"

I pulled out a white menu from Acresia and handed it to him.

He opened it and began reading.

The menu listed stat dishes and buff dishes.

The buff dishes were:

Grilled Sous Vide Drake Sirloin Steak (Strength +1)

Drake Bolognese Pasta (Strength +1, Agility +1)

Glace Mushroom Horn Rabbit Restorative Soup (Agility +1)

Mackerel Mandragora Braise (Mana +2, Stamina +1)

Wine Imbued with Dragon Mana (Mana +3 (non-stackable))

Stats were stackable up to ten percent, excluding the wine.

Prices were based on the attached stats.

Strength and Agility: thirty million won each.

Mana and Stamina: twenty million won each.

In addition, the menu offered Applecherry fruit wine, which raised all attributes; Applecherry sandwiches, which raised combat-related stats; and Glace Mushroom liquor, among others.

After reviewing the menu, his jaw dropped.

"This is incredible...... Stats can stack up to ten percent......? The prices seem very reasonable as well."

As expected of the top-ranked guild master.

He focused on the ten-percent stacking and even called the prices reasonable.

Then again, he had to be swimming in money.

He continued.

"On top of that, the buff dishes are remarkable. The buff options are substantial, and they don't spoil......?"

"The prices are a bit steep, but they're worth every coin."

"Absolutely."

He asked me with a meaningful look.

"How on earth is any of this possible? Drake meat and horn rabbits, I can understand, but how do you procure such fantastical things like applecherry, Glace mushrooms, B-Rank vegetables, and dragon wine? And how did you manage to build a restaurant inside a Rift......?"

He seemed to have many questions.

"That's a trade secret."

"Hmm, I see. You really are as full of secrets as the rumors say."

"Something like that."

He fell silent for a moment, then spoke.

"In any case, just eating through every stat dish on this menu would raise one's stats considerably. I'll have to try them all. For tomorrow, I'd like to reserve four servings of the steak, including portions for my executives."

"Yes, reservation confirmed. Payment is upfront—the price is eight high-grade magic stones."

He handed over a total of eight high-grade magic stones, one mid-grade, and one low-grade, covering both tomorrow's reservation and today's meal.

The following day, he tasted the Grilled Sous Vide Drake Sirloin Steak and tried to reserve Glace Mushroom Horn Rabbit Restorative Soup for the day after, but I declined the reservation.

Because we were closing the restaurant to go on a family outing.

***

Today was Rin's first day going outside the Rift.

Ria and I had discussed taking Rin out on multiple occasions.

We had also spoken with the Sword Saint and Director Jeong Jae-yong about it.

No matter how closely Rin resembled a human in appearance, she was ultimately not human.

If one had to classify her, she was a Dryad—a type of monster.

The Director had offered a solution.

—Based on what you've described, it sounds like Rin is a highly intelligent individual with no aggressive tendencies.

I had confirmed that was correct.

Out of consideration for me, he referred to Rin as an "individual" rather than a "monster."

—Then please bring her to the Rift Management Bureau. After an evaluation by our assessors to confirm she truly poses no threat and that she follows you both obediently, we'll register her as an individual under your and Ria's management.

Among hunters, some possessed druid-type skills that allowed them to raise monsters.

Those hunters received approval to keep monsters through assessments conducted by the Rift Management Bureau.

The Director was offering to let Ria and me undergo that same assessment despite not possessing druid skills.

Since both of us were S-Rank Hunters, he judged that we had sufficient capability to manage a monster even without the relevant skills.

We were now on our way to take that assessment.

I opened a Gate portal from the Rift house to the countryside house.

"Rin, are you ready?"

"Weady."

"Then let's go."

"Let's goo."

Rin repeated my words.

Ria picked Rin up and passed through the Gate portal first.

I followed them through.

After we arrived, Rin shielded her eyes from the sunlight with her hand while still cradled in Ria's arms.

I spoke to her.

"Rin, this is the world where I live."

"Seonu's world......"

With her hand still blocking the sun, Rin turned her head this way and that, looking around.

"Her reaction is just like Ria's when she first came here."

"I was like that too?"

"You were."

Ria then set Rin down on the ground.

Rin rubbed her forearms with her hands, seeming chilly.

"It must be cold since it's late autumn."

"It seems so."

"Then let's put on an outer layer and disguise her at the same time."

"Okay."

We fitted Rin with a black wig to hide her teal hair.

To conceal the small horn above her forehead, we put a children's beret on her.

To hide her teal eyes, we gave her children's mirror-coated sunglasses.

And to cover the vines wrapped around her arms while also keeping her warm, we dressed her in a coat.

"She's completely unrecognizable like this."

"Yeah, nobody would guess she's a Dryad."

She truly looked like a three or four-year-old child.

"Heh."

When we showed Rin her reflection in a mirror, she smiled, seeming amused by her disguise.

I picked Rin up, cradled her in my arms, and headed toward the car.

"Wooow......"

Even on the way to the car, Rin kept looking around in fascination, letting out exclamations of wonder.

"You're so cute, Rin."

Ria was beside herself at how adorable Rin was.

Once at the car, Ria got into the back seat with Rin.

She then seated Rin on her lap.

"I'll show Rin the scenery on the way there."

"Sounds good."

I drove toward the Rift Management Bureau.

Rin seemed fascinated by this unfamiliar world, unable to take her eyes off the scenery outside the car window.

We arrived at the Rift Management Bureau.

'I've been coming here a lot lately.'

We stepped out of the car.

The Director and Deputy Director, who had to be busy, had once again come out in person to greet us.

"This child...... is she Rin, by any chance?"

Director Jeong Jae-yong asked as he looked at Rin.

It was his first time seeing her.

"Yes, that's right. With the beret and sunglasses, she looks just like a three-year-old, doesn't she?"

"Yes, she really does."

The only outward differences from a human were her teal hair and eyes.

And the small horn on her forehead, the tiny flowers and leaves on either side of her head.

Her slightly pointed, elf-like ears.

And the vines wrapped around her body.

"Shall we proceed, then?"

"Yes."

We followed the Director and Deputy Director to the evaluation room.

"Where is the monster......?"

When an employee who appeared to be an assessor asked, Director Jeong Jae-yong scowled.

"Shh! I told you to refer to her as a Dryad, not a monster."

"Ah, I'm sorry. Then where is the Dryad?"

"Right there."

The Director pointed to Rin, who was hiding behind me with only her head peeking out.

"Excuse me......? You're joking, right?"

Every staff member gathered for the evaluation wore a look of disbelief.

To provide confirmation, I removed Rin's sunglasses, beret, and wig.

Her teal hair and eyes were revealed, along with the small horn on her forehead and the tiny flowers and leaves on either side of her head.

Everyone stared in astonishment.

"Oh my goodness...... she's adorable."

"This little one is so pretty."

"She has a tiny horn and flowers on her head. How fascinating."

"This child is really a mon— I mean, a Dryad?"

They seemed unable to believe it.

"She is indeed a Dryad. Rin, would you like to try the greeting you learned?"

Rin hesitantly emerged from behind my back.

Then she greeted everyone.

"Hewwo, my name ish Rin."

The assessors were astonished by Rin's Korean greeting.

"......She even greets in Korean."

"She's really a mon— I mean, a Dryad?"

"I don't even care, she's just too cute......"

"With this level of learning ability and intelligence, I'm not sure we even need an evaluation......?"

Our Rin was certainly brilliant.

Rin then hid behind me again, embarrassed.

Still, the tests had to be conducted.

Rin demonstrated making a flower grow from a potted plant that had been prepared for the test.

She also showed a small twig transforming into a Wooden Golem that moved on its own.

After observing Rin's abilities, an assessor asked me,

"Does she have any other offensive capabilities?"

"Currently no, but I've been told that as she grows, she'll be able to command Wooden Golems to attack, or grow vines for both attack and binding."

"So at present, her offensive capability is essentially zero."

Rin could barely maintain a Wooden Golem as it was.

So for now, she had to be considered to have no combat-related abilities.

"Yes, she's simply a pure-hearted child who loves nature."

"I see. No aggression, no offensive capabilities. Understood."

With that, the evaluation process concluded.

The assessors conferred briefly among themselves before delivering the result.

"The evaluation result is, naturally, a pass."

"Thank you."

The Bureau then proceeded with the registration of Rin as an individual under Ria's and my management.

After nearly two hours of waiting, they issued a bracelet engraved with a code certifying her registered status.

The Director came back and handed it to me, saying,

"The registration process is complete. It should absolutely never come to this, but if any issues ever arise involving Rin, simply show the code on the bracelet to any dispatched Rift Management Bureau staff."

"Understood. Thank you so much for your help."

"Thank you for helping us, Director."

Rin also gave her thanks.

"Thank yoo!"

The Director laughed heartily, looking thoroughly pleased.

I fastened the bracelet on Rin's wrist, put the wig, beret, and sunglasses back on her, then left the Rift Management Bureau.

Once outside, I said to Ria,

"Now we can take Rin anywhere freely."

"Yeah, this is wonderful. I always felt bad about leaving Rin behind."

"Same here. Then shall we take Rin on an outing right away?"

"Let's do it."

Our destination for the outing with Rin was the National Sejong Arboretum.

The site of the largest indoor greenhouse in the country.

We had chosen the location with plant-loving Rin in mind.

We got in the car and headed there.

Upon arrival, Ria and I each took one of Rin's hands as we got out of the car.

"Heh."

Rin looked overjoyed.

So were Ria and I.

"This really feels like a family taking their daughter out for the day."

"We are a family."

"You're right. We are."

With that, we headed toward the arboretum.

Before entering, I spoke to the staff member collecting admission at the gate.

"Two adults and one child, please."

I had always wanted to say that.

The staff member looked at Rin and asked how old she was, noting that she looked small.

"Three years old."

"Children under six years of age enter free. You only need to pay for the two adults. Admission is ten thousand won."

The staff member did not notice in the slightest that the disguised Rin was not a human child but a Dryad.