Exploration of dungeons and development of new menus.
And the recruitment of new members.
While dealing with this and that, the weekend passed in the blink of an eye.
“Monday again…”
“I don’t want to attend class. Hey, did you finish all the assignments over the weekend?”
Listening to the gloomy stories of students commuting from the dormitory, I felt strangely energized.
Monday.
A new start to the week.
“Victor, you seem to be in a good mood from Monday!”
“Nike, don’t ask obvious questions. I just want to quickly show the new products I’ve been working hard on all weekend to the students.”
“You’ve really worked hard! Will it be well received?”
“It will. 100%. Then let’s meet in front of the new teacher during lunchtime.”
“Sure!”
Nike and I briefly met before school to decide on today’s business plan.
I hoped lunchtime would come quickly as I entered the classroom, seeing many students nursing injuries here and there.
“Ouch, it hurts…”
“…I’m hurting too…”
I wondered why so many students were injured.
I recalled that Berzurak, the head teacher of Class A-1, had assigned the weekend homework of “exploring dungeons” to the students.
Still, the faces of some students seemed quite bright, probably indicating their success in conquering the dungeons. I wonder if they’re heading to the 「Cave of Greed」 where goblins appear?
“Good morning, Victor.”
Someone sat next to me at that moment.
“Enio, you seem quite cheerful. Did something good happen over the weekend?”
“How did you know there was something good over the weekend?”
Well, someone who’s smiling on a Monday morning must either be crazy or have had a really good weekend.
“Well, I’ll show something secret only to Victor.”
Enio swiftly put her hand into her skirt pocket.
What is she trying to show?
Finally, a round hand holding a clenched fist was extended to me. “Ta-da.”
「Duel Energy」.
In Enio’s hand was a round bead.
“So it’s Duel Energy. Did you explore a dungeon over the weekend?”
“You know that tropical dungeon? I caught ants there. The Empress ant didn’t show up, but I caught another big ant. Was it a Queen ant?”
I tried to invite her to go to the dungeon together, but she went separately.
Did she go with the three sisters?
This time, it seems a regular Queen Ant appeared as a mid-boss, not the Empress Ant.
If you deal with that one quickly, it’s easy.
Still, Enio seemed quite pleased to have cleared the dungeon herself.
I said.
“If you acquire any fruits in the future, bring them to the club room. I’ll buy them at a reasonable price.”
“Really?”
If Enio and the three sisters supply fruits steadily while exploring dungeons, it would be a profitable business for me.
Fruits are essential ingredients in cooking, so having plenty of them is advantageous.
With that feeling, a new class on Monday began.
“More students succeeded in dungeon conquests than I thought. It seems there weren’t only useless ones. But this…”
「Radiant Duel Energy」.
Berzurak grimaced even more severely as he looked at the assignment papers on my desk.
“Student number 15, Victor.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“Quite something.”
“Then give me a good score.”
“Your attitude remains unchanged. But Ludens is a place where only skill is evaluated. Your, Victoria’s and Enio’s performance evaluations are all A.”
Good.
This ‘Radiant Duel Energy’ seems to be rarer than I thought.
The modifier ‘Radiant’ was added to it.
I was expecting this.
Thanks to that, I could receive an A in the performance evaluation.
With this momentum, if I do well on the midterm or final exams, there should be no problem with next semester’s scholarship.
* * *
Teacher Berzurak.
He was slowly dying day by day.
He, who was once a Ludens student, stood in the teaching profession with bright hopes after graduation.
He hoped to cultivate outstanding students like the senior teacher Kairon and leave a name in Ludens’ history.
But reality was different.
The declining level of students every year.
There were no students like ‘Siegfried’ or ‘Arthur’ who showed heroic valor anywhere.
So, day by day, he was dying.
But then ‘that guy’ strangely touched a nerve.
Swoosh.
Berzurak opened the door to the faculty room after the morning classes were over.
The teachers seemed exhausted, as usual on Mondays.
He extended something round towards them.
“Does anyone know what this is?”
It was a crimson-colored bead, emitting a faint glow.
At that moment, a middle-aged man with glasses lit up.
“Isn’t that Radiant Duel Energy? It’s been a while since I’ve seen one in person. Where did you get it from? Surely you didn’t personally venture into the dungeon, Berzurak.”
“Teacher Kairon, this was brought by a student today.”
“No way…! Well, you wouldn’t lie to me, having known you since you were a student. Quite intriguing. Could it be that student you mentioned, Victor?”
“Yes.”
“Come to think of it, a student from our class also showed me one of these beads. Her name was Nike. Perhaps they visited the same place.”
A student from Class C?
The teachers, who had been quietly listening to the senior teacher’s story, were surprised.
Soon, there was a small commotion among the teachers.
Two students starting a “club” and rumors about the food they sold being as delicious and excellent as dishes from the mainland.
The chatter blossomed in the weary faculty room on a Monday afternoon.
Teachers couldn’t help it.
When they see students who seem promising, they get excited like this.
Then someone spoke up.
“…Hehehe. That ‘Victory’s Cook Club’. Don’t they still lack an advisor?”
At the rough voice, the chatter among the teachers abruptly stopped.
Turning their heads, they saw a woman with long, dark blue hair drawn back behind her ears, drawing lines at the corner of her mouth.
“…Domina.”
Berzurak disliked her as a colleague.
How many promising youths had been tainted by her hands?
“Just because they’re only second-year students, bringing Radiant Duel Energy. They might have engaged in illegal activities. That so-called cooking club is also suspicious. Berzurak, can I look into this?”
“…Go ahead.”
Berzurak’s mind conjured the face of a gruff male student.
‘Don’t resent me. If you can’t escape from the hands of Medusa Domina, then you’re nothing but a lost cause. But if you can overcome this trial…’
A cloak floated into his mind.
Berzurak, imagining a self-assured laugh and a club in hand, chuckled lightly, as if he were joking with himself.
‘No, that’s just an overly ambitious fantasy. They’re still just beginners.’
* * *
There was something I noticed while working part-time at the snack bar in front of the school.
It was how much women loved Tteok-bokki more than I expected.
It was almost crazy.
The spicier it was, the more popular it became.
It was a trend that brought in money for me, though I couldn’t understand why they loved torturing their taste buds with such spicy food.
“First, let’s prepare the 「Spring Sauce」 I had prepared in advance. Then, we cook the rice cakes and sausages bought from the underground market over the fire. It’s important to make the sauce slightly sweet.”
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
The seasoning, rice cakes, and sausages were being cooked on the pan.
“Arnay, are the eggs ready?”
“Why should Arnoy listen to what Victor says…? Arnoy is in the eighth year…! She’s supposed to be Victor’s Senior…”
“If you listen well today, I’ll give you a portion. Pack it up so you can have it for dinner later.”
“I’m bringing a lot of eggs…!”
Boiled eggs were added, and even though I made it, the Tteok-bokki looked quite impressive.
The skills I gained from working at the snack bar didn’t go to waste anywhere.
Practice and time never betray you, after all.
It’s just that Nike seemed a bit worried about this unfamiliar and red food.
“…Is it really okay? Will it taste good?”
“It’s 120% delicious.”
This 「Tteok-bokki」 wasn’t just about being spicy.
When consumed, it increased the basic attack power by 1 and also increased the maximum HP by 30.
Although compared to the 「Spice Soup」, which restored HP to full and increased it by 200 points, it felt somewhat trivial.
But who would eat food just for those effects?
You eat for the taste.
“One portion, please.”
Honestly, it was a bit expensive for Tteok-bokki.
But since I asked them to try it once…
But strangely, students didn’t come near.
Why?
Is this long, red food unfamiliar to them?
“Hey, look at that. Is it a new menu?”
“It looks tasty, but… it seems like it’ll be extremely spicy. I can’t eat the 「Spring Sauce Bulgogi」 because it’s too spicy…”
I recalled an anecdote about foreigners not daring to try the delicious seasoned chicken because it was ‘red’.
It couldn’t be helped.
“Arnoy.”
“Why do you keep calling this Arnay?”
“Bring Victoria here. She must be in the student council room right now.”
“Why should Arnoy follow such orders?”
“Fruit juice to make in the future. I’ll give you that glorious first taste.”
“I’ll bring her right away…! But remember, it’s not just because of that first tasting right…”
With a swift dash, Arnoy soon brought Victoria.
Victoria said, “What is it, Victor? Calling out busy people. Do you think you can just summon anyone like that?”
But she came anyway?
I addressed Victoria.
“It’s a newly developed menu. Victoria, wouldn’t you like to try it first? Of course, I’ll charge you.”
“Me?”
Victoria licked her lips at the sight of the red dish.
Victoria loved spicy food, so she definitely wouldn’t resist.
And if Victoria enjoyed it?
Others might think, “Oh, I should try it too.”
That’s why famous people are used in advertisements.
As Victoria scanned the surroundings with her narrow eyes.
“Why not call Enio?”
“Victoria, you’re the first to taste it.”
Unfortunately, Enio didn’t like spicy food much.
“Hmm, that’s true. If I’m the first, then I guess I can’t refuse. Well, if you put it that way, there’s nothing I can’t eat. I wasn’t able to eat lunch because I was busy.”
Victoria seemed quite pleased.
No wonder, since Victoria, who loved spicy food, wouldn’t refuse Tteok-bokki.
With her lips parting, she took a bite of the long, red rice cake.
Her eyes widened as she savored it.
“It’s not as spicy as I thought. It’s… actually a bit sweet? I thought it would be similar to the Spring Sauce Bulgogi, but it’s different.”
“It seems it’s not as spicy as expected. I added a fruit blend I acquired recently.”
Who would eat something just because it’s spicy?
It has to be deliciously spicy.
But it’s tricky.
It took me months of learning from the snack bar owner’s shoulder to master it.
No one else can replicate it.
“So, how is it? Is it delicious?”
Tell the truth, Victoria!
“Yeah, it’s not bad. I could eat this every day. And there seems to be enough rice cake too.”
Saying so, Victoria emptied her bowl cleanly.
“But it’s still spicy.”
Victoria fanned her reddened tongue and grumbled.
It was a moment when her white and orderly teeth and the pinkish inside of her mouth were vividly revealed.
“You don’t need to show me inside your mouth.”
“W-who showed you? Don’t look! Anyway, I wish there was something to drink…”
“We have something like juice. But it’s still a prototype, so I can’t sell it yet.”
“Juice…?”
Anyway, using Victoria for viral marketing seemed to have some effect.
Students came flocking to buy Tteok-bokki.
“Arnoy, stop slacking off. Quickly take the money.”
“I’ve never heard of club members doing this…! This is clearly a scam…! I didn’t expect to be this busy…!”
“You didn’t ask.”
“Ugh…!”
What a strange one.
Cha-ching, Cha-ching.
The sales revenue kept increasing rapidly.
I continued to cook tirelessly, tossing in rice cakes, sausages, and vegetables.
Meanwhile, Nike brought desks and chairs to make makeshift tables.
“Victor, the tables for guests are ready!”
It was somewhat rough, but it was fast and efficient.
“It’s spicy.”
“But it’s delicious.”
“Try the eggs too.”
“I thought it was expensive. But compared to the school lunches, it’s better, isn’t it…?”
“I feel more energized…”
Now it felt more like a club activity.
At this rate, reaching a daily sales of 4 million wouldn’t be a problem.
As I was quietly cooking away, someone spoke up.
“You. Who gave you permission to sell food here?”
It was a languid yet subtly commanding voice.
It didn’t seem like the youthful voices of Ludens’ students, but rather someone with experience, probably not a young woman.
The students hesitantly stepped back, muttering, “It’s… i-it’s Domina…”
Among them, a woman approached with a clacking of high heels.
She had long, dark blue hair that stuck unnaturally close to her head, and she wore a suit that was so tight it seemed uncomfortable to look at.
I knew this woman’s name.
“Domina.”
