NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
**Dungeon Food Truck Owner – Episode 4**
“Looks delicious…”
The joy of cooking was significant, but the happiness of tasting the dish she’d made was even greater.
With a fluttering heart, Ji-eun picked up the sandwich and took a big bite.
*Crunch.*
The delightful sound accompanied the overflowing ingredients filling her mouth.
The fresh taste of eggs and bacon, generously added along with lettuce and tomatoes, was simply fantastic.
“Cough…”
Ji-eun glared at the speaker, having her happy moment interrupted. She had been feeling great until just now, and now this!
“Well, I’m alone, so I’ll eat alone!”
“Excuse me, truck spirit?”
Ji-eun, taken aback by the absurdity coming from the speaker, put down her sandwich and continued with a look of disbelief.
“If I invite you, can you eat?”
“No, think about it. You’re not even a person. How could a truck eat a sandwich? Should I just dump it into the oil compartment or something?”
“Huh? Manifest?”
She looked puzzled at the sudden statement. At the same time, a bright light began to flicker on the table where her sandwich was placed.
Startled, Ji-eun unconsciously took a step back. As the bright light gradually faded, a small black cat appeared.
“A cat…?”
“Oh my gosh!”
Watching the spirit start grooming itself with its little paws, She covered her mouth in awe at its adorable appearance.
A small black cat looked at her as it groomed itself. Its eyes were as black as its black fur.
As she reached out her hand, the black cat jumped into her arms without hesitation.
“Kkamang (black cat in Korean). This is a place for making food.”
<…?>
The spirit froze at being called by the strange name “Kkamang.” However, Ji-eun said with an expression that showed there was nothing she could do.
“I’m sorry, but animals are not allowed here.”
Immediately after hugging the cat, Ji-eun dashed outside the truck and set the cat down on the ground.
Meanwhile, the spirit who had been sitting and blankly staring at Ji-eun, who was starting to brush the hair off her clothes, spoke as if he were amazed.
“Of course. Which customer would want to eat food made in a kitchen with cat fur flying around?”
“Ugh! No way. Look, I just held you for a moment, and now I have fur all over. No animals in the kitchen, period!”
The spirit, speaking with an indifferent expression as if it were really a cat, gently tapped a small stone in front of it with its paw.
Ji-eun felt her heart waver for a moment, but she remained firm.
“No animals allowed in the kitchen!”
“What’s so hard about manifesting?”
“If it’s difficult, you can just talk through the speaker. Of course, I like seeing you like this more, but…”
“Then how about sitting next to the cash register? I’ll make a spot for you there later.”
Ji-eun thought that the best compromise would be the area near the POS system. It wasn’t directly where food was made, so it should be okay.
“Honestly, I’ve always wanted to have a cat. But my circumstances didn’t allow it…”
<…Why didn’t you have the circumstances? >
“I lived with my grandmother since I was little. My parents passed away when I was two. I honestly don’t remember their faces. I’ve only seen them in photos.”
<…>
“And my grandmother passed away when I was in my third year of middle school, and since then, I’ve been alone.”
Ji-eun smiled calmly at the hesitant spirit.
“It’s okay, really. The time I spent with my grandmother is a wonderful memory for me. So even though I became alone, I didn’t feel too lonely.”
<…She must have been a nice person, your grandmother.>
“Yes, I loved her the most. Thanks to her, I developed an interest in cooking. But sometimes, when I came home after school and no one was there, it felt a bit lonely.”
“…What if I had raised a cat?”
Ji-eun’s voice became slightly somber.
“If it hadn’t come to me, it could have lived happily, being loved freely. It would have to wait all day for an owner who leaves for school in the morning and comes back at 10 PM. All alone.”
<…>
“That’s… so sorry.”
Seeing her voice filled with sorrow, the spirit came closer and rubbed against her leg.
“By the way, what’s your name?”
<…Kkamang.>
“Huh?”
“No, I meant, what’s your real name?”
Looking down at the cat, she squatted down to meet its gaze and smiled brightly.
“Okay, Kkamang. Actually, I’ve always wanted to name a black cat Kkamang.”
“In that case, can I hug you just one more time?”
With permission granted, Ji-eun reached out her hand, embraced the Kkamang, and gently stroked its head.
Kkamang closed its eyes and began to purr, completely surrendering to Ji-eun’s careful touch. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Ji-eun found herself shedding tears and quietly sobbing.
Kkamang simply kept its eyes closed, gently wagging its tail as if comforting her.
How long had they stood together? Ji-eun finally wiped her tears, pretending it was nothing, and opened her eyes.
The quest section of the system window was shining brightly, indicating a new notification.
“Right. Let’s check it out?”
[Quest: Preparation for opening is complete!]
The preparations for starting a business, including menu selection and ingredient preparation, are all complete!
Now all that’s left is to turn the prepared ingredients into delicious food and sell it to customers!
[Final Tutorial Quest: “First Opening!” has begun]
Start your business and serve your first customer!
You need to get a good start to ensure smooth operations in the future. You should earn a lot of money now!
New Quest: Sell food to 10 customers (0/10)
Tutorial Completion Reward
Class-specific skill/item lottery ticket (1 time)
“Sell food to customers?”
“Meow? You’re totally a cat, aren’t you?”
“Hahaha. Was that a mistake? Or is it just instinct?”
As Kkamang began to sound more like a real cat, she chuckled and patted its back.
“Just 10 customers to serve! And look, I get a class-specific skill or item lottery ticket!”
“Are there difficult quests?”
“Got it!”
Saying that she closed the truck’s cooking station roof and took her phone to check the time.
It was 1:30 PM, just past the lunch hour.
The office workers in Yeouido were probably trapped back in their corporate prisons, yearning only for the freedom of quitting time.
“Kkamang! Get in the passenger seat! Shall we go for a drive?”
Sales can only be conducted inside the dungeon.
Sales can only be conducted inside the dungeon.
Sales can only be conducted inside the dungeon.
A dungeon where at least one person goes missing every day, and often more.
As Ji-eun pondered this, panic set in, but the system didn’t allow her to dwell on it.
A clear message appeared in front of her, ringing out with urgency.
[You have reached the final quest of the tutorial!]
[Time remaining until tutorial completion: 72 hours]
[71 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds]
[71 hours, 59 minutes, 58 seconds]
[71 hours, 59 minutes, 57 seconds]
As Ji-eun saw the countdown timer decreasing, her body froze in tension.
“Don’t long for a world different from yours; live a normal life.”
“That’s how you survive, dear.”
“Dear, that’s how you survive. Understand? Answer me that you understand.”
“Of course. Where would I go, leaving my dear behind?”
Kkamang had climbed into her arms and was gently stroking her hand with its little paw.
The soft, small paw continued to tap gently on Ji-eun’s hand.