Chapter 78

I tensed up, worried Dominic might recognize the currency, and answered,

“…Yes. He sent it as payment for the food.”

Fortunately, he showed no sign of recognizing the coin or recalling any memories.

Dominic chose his words with elegance.

“It seems his aesthetic sense is not bad.”

Perhaps because he had made it himself, he seemed rather pleased with it.

Wanting to inspect it more closely, Dominic climbed up my forearm toward the coin.

But there was nothing to be gained from letting him examine the Dark Star Fragment.

Pretending not to notice, I quickly walked over to the register and dropped the coin into the cash box.

At that moment, a system window appeared.

Immediately after the glitched system message, a sudden notification appeared.

The daily quota window appeared right afterward.

The moment I saw the amount, I cursed inwardly.

That damned Fire Dragon was trying to leave me with only another 500G.

‘Black Block-ssi, I’m counting on you.’

After taking a deep breath, I opened the money window and checked the number.

It hadn’t changed.

Just like during CallOVo, that meant my funds had exceeded the display limit.

No matter how much Infernum tried to gouge me through the quota, he couldn’t take away what existed beyond what the system could display.

No matter how much quota he collected, he was only scooping handfuls out of an enormous pile of money that exceeded the display limit.

In other words, I was practically in an infinite gold state.

‘Black Block-ssi!!’

I cheered inwardly, clenching my fist tightly before quickly fixing my expression.

At the same time, I became curious about the value of the Dark Star Fragment.

‘Just how much is this worth?’

I didn’t know exactly how the system judged value, but I’d expected Sla2Plate’s currency to be extremely cheap compared to the Dark Star Fragment.

Even so, after almost the entire display limit had been deducted as quota, the number hadn’t changed by even the slightest amount.

That meant the Dark Star Fragment itself was worth an astronomical sum.

‘At the very least… it must be worth hundreds of millions of won.’

That thought naturally reminded me of the butlers who had casually handed me such an incredible fortune.

Just as a deleted game disappears from memory, a closed Trial never appears again.

Every time I closed a Trial, I was permanently saying goodbye to its NPCs.

Even knowing it couldn’t be helped, I still felt a little lonely whenever I thought about it.

At the very least, I should take good care of the alien Pudding Slime out of gratitude toward the butlers.

Sneaking a glance over, I saw the Pudding Slime squishing contentedly around my wrist.

“Trainee! What is this?”

Just then, Mo Haein hurried over.

The quota window must have appeared for her as well. She had probably seen my current funds too.

“It seems an alien customer stopped by.”

“I didn’t see any strange-looking customer.”

“Aliens visit while looking exactly like humans.”

Since Mo Haein knew nothing about it, she had no choice but to accept my explanation.

“Even so… that much money…”

She still looked unconvinced, so I calmly added,

“Think of it like a game cheat. Honestly, I just got lucky. Most of the time it doesn’t work.”

I also explained that it was an anomaly, which was why I hadn’t wanted to use the method in the first place.

Since I’d already mentioned during yesterday’s meeting that I intended to create an anomaly, Mo Haein more or less accepted it.

Crossing her arms, she asked,

“So anyway, does that mean the standing restaurant is finished?”

“Yes, Captain Mo-nim.”

Business had already ended, so I planned to run straight into town and go on a shopping spree.

I told her about the restaurant’s new concept.

“From now on… it’s fine dining.”

I folded the newspaper with a faint smile.

A notification had appeared saying there was an article about the restaurant, and I was extremely satisfied after reading it.

They had done an excellent job describing the restaurant’s incredible transformation.

Of course, it wasn’t free.

It was a paid advertisement with a modest promotional fee.

Still…

‘It’s not false, exaggerated, or fraudulent advertising.’

Blessed with infinite gold, the restaurant had truly been reborn.

I had filled it entirely with the most expensive furnishings available, maxing out the reputation points obtainable through interior decoration.

The chandeliers alone cost over fifty million gold each, and I’d hung five of them from the ceiling.

That wasn’t all.

I’d hired musicians so a live string quartet would perform inside the restaurant.

And by limiting the number of guests accepted each day, it had truly acquired the atmosphere expected of fine dining.

Setting the newspaper down, I picked up a dessert plate and walked outside.

A refined scene unfolded before me, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the old marketplace.

“Today’s soup is a bisque made from fresh Lava Crab…”

Greeting customers with a gentle smile, Mo Haein had become the face of the restaurant.

The twins had also become remarkably skilled at serving, to the point where they looked perfectly natural as waiters.

“Eat well, mortal!”

“Eat lots. This one’s delicious.”

Their way of speaking wasn’t exactly suited for customer service, but no one dared complain to a Fire Dragon.

In fact, quite a few customers found it adorable.

Occasionally troublesome customers appeared, but they quieted down the moment they saw the twins’ fire show.

After confirming the twins and Mo Haein were doing fine, I set the dessert plate down on my original destination—the customer’s table.

Flame Berry Panna Cotta was an indispensable dessert on the Flame Course Menu.

The rich, creamy panna cotta made from goat milk paired perfectly with the sweet-and-tart flavor of the Flame Berry, making it an ideal palate cleanser.

It was served on a black plate carved from volcanic rock. When cut with a spoon, the crimson Flame Berry jam flowed out from the center, creating an attractive color contrast.

Wearing my customer-service smile, I asked,

“How was your meal today?”

As the chef, I personally served the desserts and asked each customer for their thoughts.

Doing so significantly increased both the one-line reviews they left behind and the rating score.

‘The tips go up too.’

After politely chatting with customers who ignored the dessert and kept trying to talk to me, I closed the restaurant at three in the afternoon.

The quota appeared, but I didn’t pay it any attention.

To someone with infinite funds, it was a meaningless amount.

‘My reputation score is progressing nicely.’

Just a few more days of business and I’d reach 1,000 points.

The dungeon side was progressing just as smoothly.

During the day, Je Hyun-oh and Kwak Hanmuk gathered ingredients.

At night, all of us entered the dungeon together and continued the conquest.

We had currently cleared up to the 92nd floor.

The uppermost floors required all five of us, along with puzzle-solving gimmicks and similar mechanics, so they took a little more time.

There had even been a few tense moments.

Like Captain wondering why four people could enter the upper floors.

Or Captain asking why there wasn’t a hidden boss on the 88th floor.

I brushed everything off as anomalies…

Anyway, tonight we would probably clear all the way to the 99th floor.

The True Ending was right before us.

“Little Lamb!”

Ella and Ellun came running over excitedly.

The twins flapped their wings, wagged their tails, and proudly recounted their exploits.

They giggled together while boasting about how majestically they’d dealt with the customers.

“Restaurant work is incredibly fun. Standing guard in front of the dungeon while waiting for adventurers all day was terribly boring.”

“It’s fun.”

After chatting excitedly for a while, they each grabbed one side of my clothes and happily listed the foods they wanted to eat.

“What’s for dinner today? I want to eat that Flame Wild Boar Steak from before again.”

“Little Lamb. Make omurice with phoenix eggs.”

I answered that I would, while secretly glancing at Ellun’s wing.

After steadily applying Flame Slime cores over the past several days, it had clearly improved.

The bandages were still on, but it looked like they could come off in a few more days.

Everything was going so smoothly.

Almost too smoothly.

Just then—

The restaurant door, though business had already ended, opened on its own.

“…!”

A sense of foreboding struck me, and I immediately turned my head.

Red entered my field of vision.

Mo Haein, who had been relaxing only moments ago, instantly sprang to her feet and drew her sword.

Her eyes sharpened with tension.

Slowly, I spoke.

“…Infernum-nim.”

The unwelcome visitor smiled leisurely as he said,

“My little one. You’ve worked hard.”

Normally, Infernum never visited the restaurant except the very first time he had given me the dungeon entry seal.

Yet here he was, personally stepping inside.

There was no way it could be a good sign.

Keeping my eyes fixed on him, I answered,

“Thanks to your care, I’ve been able to run the restaurant without incident.”

“Indeed. Your skill is remarkable. It seems the one guiding you has taught you well.”

Dominic…

He had spent the entire time doing nothing but squishing around on my head or shoulder.

But with Mo Haein here, I simply pretended not to notice.

At the words “the one guiding you,” Mo Haein narrowed her eyes.

Fortunately, Infernum’s wording was vague enough that she didn’t seem able to interpret it.

“Thank you for your praise.”

Carefully, I asked Infernum,

“May I ask what brings you to the restaurant?”

His reptilian crimson eyes filled with amusement.

His red gaze settled upon Ella and Ellun.

“I’ve come to take my subordinates back.”