Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Juk-i lifted the cup noodles.

Dojae placed wooden chopsticks in Juk-i’s hand and showed him how to use them.

Juk-i seemed awkward at first but soon began using the chopsticks skillfully.

Slurp-.

Slurp, slurp.

“Hmph!”

Juk-i, who had a mouthful of noodles, twisted his entire body.

‘Human! What on earth did you feed me?! It’s agonizing. My tongue feels like it’s burning away. Could you possibly be planning to kill me and steal my sword? With the village chief right here?’

Juk-i writhed in agony as his tongue burned, frantically searching for water.

Then.

Dojae pulled something new out of his pocket.

It was a peach-flavored probiotic drink, said to be best when eating spicy food.

Dojae personally opened the cap and handed it over, ready to drink.

“Drink this.”

Juk-i stared at the paper carton in Dojae’s hand.

A reddish, cloudy liquid sloshed inside.

‘Is this poison this time?! You despicable bastard!’

Juk-i turned his head, searching for something drinkable.

But there was only hot water, steam rising from it.

“It’s fine, don’t worry and drink it.”

Juk-i hesitated.

Should he really drink the liquid that man gave him?

‘It doesn’t matter if I die this way or that way…’

Juk-i snatched the drink from Do-jae’s hand as if seizing it.

Then he began gulping it down.

Gulp-.

Juk-i, having drunk half the beverage.

His expression gradually brightened.

“Phew. I feel a bit better now!”

Juk-i let out a sigh.

Fortunately, the drink Dojae had given him wasn’t poison.

His tongue still tingled, but it was gradually returning to normal.

Juk-i, who had been about to get angry at Do-jae for feeding him such a terrifying food.

But for some reason, his mouth kept watering.

‘What the hell! Why am I constantly drawn to that bright red food? Is it some kind of enchanted dish?’

Juk-i lifted the noodles with his chopsticks once more.

This time, the portion was slightly smaller than before.

Slurp-!

Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp.

“Hmm… Why… Why is it so delicious?”

A bite of noodles, a sip of drink.

Juk-i, who had been alternating between the two, couldn’t help but marvel.

It felt like a fire ignited in his mouth—painful yet filled with subtle, complex flavors.

And he realized.

The nature of the pain was not poison, but heat.

Within the intense heat, sweetness and saltiness coexisted.

A subtle chicken flavor could be detected, and occasionally, savory grains could be chewed.

And when the pain reached its peak, the drink Dojae offered perfectly soothed it.

‘Delicious. So delicious! To think I’d get to eat such a dish in my lifetime!’

But Juk-ui’s culinary journey had to stop midway.

Because Dojae snatched it away.

“Human! What are you doing?! There’s still half left!”

Juk-ui stared at the empty spot where the cup noodles had been, a look of utter disappointment on his face.

He wanted more, he could have eaten more.

Just as he lifted his head with a resentful glare.

He could see it.

Dojae, grinning slyly.

***

Dojae was certain.

When Sari caught the scent of the leftover triangle rice ball he had eaten.

What had her expression been like?

And now.

Do-jae was certain this cup noodle could be worth money.

“Ten gold!”

“What… what did you say? Wait, what does that mean?”

“If you want more, buy it for 10 gold.”

Dojae was now using formal speech.

Because from now on, Juk-i was Dojae’s customer.

‘If monthly living expenses are 100 gold, then 10 gold—a tenth of that—isn’t exactly small change. But then again, there are plenty of rich people who spend hundreds of thousands of won on a single meal…’

The spicy chicken flavor stir-fried ramen had already proven its taste beyond Korea, worldwide.

Judging by Juk-i’s reaction, it seemed gray elves weren’t any different.

Even by human standards, it was expensive, but Dojae was certain this ramen would sell like hotcakes.

“No, still… 10 gold for this one little dish seems a bit much…”

Zukui made a disappointed face.

‘Ten gold is a bit steep, after all.’

It wasn’t even a full table spread with various dishes.

Ramen you can make and eat in four minutes costing 10 gold is probably a bit pricey after all.

“I agree. No matter how delicious it is, 10 gold is expensive. So… I’ll give you one more!”

Buy one, get one free.

So Dojae’s sales strategy is a 1+1 promotion.

Inside Dojae’s sub-space, boxes of cup noodles are stacked high.

At least 500 cups of instant noodles are waiting for the Grey Elves.

Inventory is plentiful, and gold is desperately needed.

If you slash the original price in half, the product’s perceived value drops accordingly.

However, if you offer one more for free, customers perceive it as an incentive.

It’s a strategy that maintains product quality while boosting customer satisfaction.

And Dojae’s prediction definitely paid off.

“Five gold pieces each… Still pricey, but that flavor is unforgettable!”

Juk-i disappeared into the blacksmith’s shop and soon reappeared holding gold coins.

Five gold coins worth ten gold each.

That’s five times Sari’s monthly living expenses!

“Human! Give it to me now! I need to eat another one quickly!”

Dojae pulled ten cups of instant noodles from his pocket dimension and handed them to Juk-i.

Then he pulled out his final trump card.

“This is cheese-flavored stir-fried noodles…”

Buldak Ramen is perfect on its own, but it also possesses tremendous potential.

Cheese flavor, jajang flavor, spaghetti flavor, rosemary flavor.

Only when you mix these flavors together can you truly say you’ve experienced the essence of Buldak Ramen!

“Would you like to try one?”

Juk-ui’s dark eyes flashed.

Dojae lifted the corners of his mouth.

***

“Here’s a Piscule 1 Gold! I’ll give it to you. It’s an excellent drink for neutralizing the spiciness.”

Grey Elves crowded in front of the blacksmith’s shop.

Gray Elves who’d heard the rumors began gathering one by one, and as word spread, they soon gathered in such large numbers.

And every single one of them clutched gold in their hands, eager to buy Dojae’s ramen.

“Chief, please give me one too!”

“Me too! Me too! My child really wants to try it. Give me four!”

“Ooooh! Indeed! It’s worth every gold piece!”

With gray elves buying for their families, gray elves tasting it right there on the spot, and countless others, Dojae couldn’t keep up.

And so, Dojae’s cup noodles sold out completely!

Only the empty boxes piled up in the back lay forlornly scattered about.

If Sari and Juk-i hadn’t helped, he never could have sold all these ramen.

“Ahh… I feel dizzy…”

“Chief! Are you alright?!”

Once all the Grey Elves had left, Sari collapsed onto the floor.

Zukui was also drenched in sweat.

Sari took on the role of collecting gold instead of goods, while Juk-i kept boiling water.

Both had endured their share of hardship.

Dojae pulled out two bottles of cold soda and handed them over.

“You’ve both worked hard.”

Sari, seemingly too exhausted to drink, set hers down beside her, while Juk-i immediately began gulping it down.

“Gulp! That’s refreshing! Human, how much is this? You don’t plan to sell this too? It’s refreshing all the way down to my stomach, feels great!”

“Well, I don’t have much cola left.”

“Hmph. That’s a shame.”

He would have loved to sell off the carbonated drinks too, but there were truly only a few left in Dojae’s pocket dimension.

He considered selling other instant foods too, but after the commotion had already ended, it was uncertain if the Grey Elves would gather like this again. Plus, Sari and Juk-i looked pretty exhausted, so he decided to call it quits.

More than anything, Dojae had made a decent amount of gold.

Enough to buy a sword and still have some left over.

“Sari, how much did we sell for?”

“About 4,300 gold…”

“You made 300 gold on top of the 4,000 gold?”

I thought I’d make around 4,000 gold, but unexpectedly, I made over 300 gold more than that.

“I made it for you and charged an extra 20 silver each time…”

“Hahaha, good job.”

Dojae laughed heartily at Sari’s clever idea.

He’d thought the Grey Elves fetched their own water, but it turned out Sari had made it and brought it over.

Realizing that her constant disappearances during sales were all for serving, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

‘The stuff I bought to feed the 3rd Squad kids ended up being this useful.’

The instant noodles and drinks he’d stockpiled for quick meals with Class 3 members during the Kaesong raid had come in handy this way.

Even though back then, everyone complained the ramen was boring, ate it a few times, and then it piled up as unwanted stock.

“Juk-i, take this. Sari too.”

Dojae gave 200 gold to Juk-i and 100 gold to Sari from the 4,300 gold.

Anyway, since they’d set up shop in front of Juk-i’s blacksmith and kept boiling water, he added an extra 100 gold.

Whether she knew it or not, Sari just stared at the 100 gold pieces right in front of her and chuckled softly.

“100 gold… 100 gold in just one hour…”

“Sari, take a break for a moment.”

Dojae’s original goal was to earn money to buy a sword.

He’d earned far more than that in his excitement, though.

“Zuk-i, I want to buy that sword from earlier.”

As it happened, Juk-i was holding the ‘Black Scale’ sword Do-jae had been eyeing.

“Human, since I’m in a good mood, I’ll give you a discount. Pay me 800 gold. And I’ll throw in the scabbard for free. I made this scabbard myself. There must have been a pair originally, but I only received the sword.”

Zukki placed the Black Scale into its scabbard and handed it to Dojae.

‘Not even a sword he made himself, yet he’s selling off someone else’s entrusted blade and acting all generous. Come to think of it, isn’t this sword an heirloom?’

Whoever entrusted this sword to Juk-i is surely dead by now.

Whether it was due to the Great Cataclysm or not, two hundred years have passed since then. There’s no way the sword’s owner could still be alive.

In a way, it might be a keepsake, just as Dojae suspected.

‘Well, it does feel a bit special, but it’s not bad.’

Dojae didn’t entirely dislike the feeling of inheriting an item from a human of this world.

After paying 800 gold on the spot, Dojae called Zukui back just as he was about to leave.

“I’d also like to purchase that one.”

What Dojae pointed to was the cheap dagger sitting on the shelf directly below the greatsword Sari had initially wanted to buy.

The handle was plain as could be, and the leather scabbard wasn’t just covered in dust—it was peeling and flaking in places, looking like it might crumble at any moment.

The only thing remotely special about it was the small snake ornament attached to the end of the handle.

“Hmph! Was that thing even in our forge? Fine, take that one too!”

“Thank you.”

Dojae quickly pocketed the dagger before Juk-i changed his mind.

He knew that if Juk-i knew about this dagger, or if he had pulled the sword from its sheath, he would never have given it away for free.

‘If this really is Srakka’s Fang…’

It might be worth several times, or even dozens of times, more than the black scales.

After all, it bore the same serpentine ornament as the legendary item wielded by Germany’s S-rank Hunter.