Chapter 90 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Reconciliation or Conflict, Symbiosis Dungeon (3)
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-Alright, now we begin the finals of the 37th National Master Chef Competition!
Go Eunjin pulled out her ingredients again and prepared them with utmost care.
What she made was a simple salad and salt-grilled skewers, but it took far more time than doing a veal steak.
"Tomato, basil, and cheese salad, along with salt-grilled skewers made from the foreleg meat of a black wolf."
-Oh, participant Go Eunjin! Astonishingly, she's made a dish using dungeon ingredients that people usually despise!
The audience in the stands let out gasps of admiration at the announcer's cry.
Asking for one last chance, and choosing polarizing ingredients? And not just any—using the meat from the black wolf she'd failed with before in a meatball dish, not even Donovan.
But the Heavenly Demon's expression remained impassive. He reached out and slowly picked up a skewer.
"Fhew."
The moment the skewer entered his mouth, it flooded with juices.
It looked like a simple charcoal grill, but she'd carefully scored it and marinated it with various spices.
She'd even brushed it with sesame oil midway through cooking to ensure it was evenly done inside and out.
Chew chew.
After chewing and swallowing the skewer thoroughly, the Heavenly Demon nodded with a subtle smile.
"You've brought out the flavor of the ingredients well. Why skewers with black wolf meat?"
"I figured you've been eating a lot of heavy stuff lately. Black wolf meat is a bit tough and gamey, but it's low in fat and lean…"
It was an uncertain answer, but the Heavenly Demon nodded.
"Not just plain salt-grill—you subtly layered on various seasonings for depth."
He'd said he'd only take one bite, but now he picked up some salad with his chopsticks.
"Hm, fresh."
He chewed the salad and nodded.
"But this doesn't pair well with the skewers…"
"I thought your palate might be fatigued, so I made it to refresh your taste buds."
"I see. Both are quite good."
-Ah! High praise from the notoriously stingy Heavenly Demon himself—"quite good"!
-The winner of this 37th National Master Chef Competition is Go Eunjin!
Bam ba ba bamm!
Blaring music filled the air as confetti rained down everywhere.
Amid the roaring applause, Go Eunjin suppressed her overwhelming emotions and waved both hands.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
As the teary-eyed Go Eunjin bowed deeply in gratitude.
"One thing."
The Heavenly Demon's flat voice cut in.
"Huh?"
She looked up, and the studio scenery had vanished, leaving only the empty dungeon interior.
"It's over."
Go Eunjin gave a hollow smile.
Though the cooking contest had been mere illusion, the Heavenly Demon's sharp advice lingered vividly in her mind.
"This time, I'll take the lead as always."
His tone was as stiff as a block of wood, but somehow it felt warmer now.
'I thought he was just a cow stuffing his face.'
Surrounded by belligerent yokai, Go Eunjin had always been the odd one out with her interest in cooking.
She'd been treated like a weirdo and ignored. No one around her had ever seriously critiqued her food.
'He doesn't just judge the taste—he even has a philosophy about cooking?'
She'd seen the Heavenly Demon as just another monster-like hunter, but he treated food more seriously than anyone.
He even had the philosophy that food should be made with care for the eater.
'Maybe… he's not such a bad senior after all.'
Anyone who recognizes effort and value in any field is cool.
Gazing at his profile, her heart fluttered a bit.
Not romance, but she found his serious cooking philosophy a little attractive.
"What is it."
"Ah, coming."
Looking at the urging Heavenly Demon, Go Eunjin showed a smile unlike any before.
The artisan spirit of devoting one's life to a single craft. The Heavenly Demon understood and respected it.
That was a rare grace, even among yokai who far outlived humans.
Rumble rumble.
The door at the dungeon's center opened, and Go Eunjin stepped inside.
But the faint smile on her lips evaporated the moment she scanned the interior.
-Bam ba ba bamm! Welcome to the Dungeon Karaoke Room!
The dungeon inside was decked out like a massive karaoke lounge you'd see at a company party.
-The rules of Dungeon Karaoke are simple! Each of you grabs a mic, and whenever the vibration hits, sing in turn.
Without preamble, a large machine began explaining. The Heavenly Demon tilted his head.
"What's all this noise."
"It's basically a song relay game."
Go Eunjin sighed.
"One person sings into the mic, and when the vibration comes, you switch songs immediately."
"I don't follow."
"For example, if I'm singing 'Hello there' and the vibe hits at 'Hel-', you have to pick up with 'lo there'."
"Singing?"
"Yeah, humming a tune."
-Now, today's song is… the one that made Min Hyun-gi famous after getting his sonic attack skill—"I'm a Treasure Hunter!"
"Hm?"
-Right, let's start now. I'm a Treasure Hunter!
At that instant, the Heavenly Demon's face hardened. Of all songs, it had to be that lunatic's noise pollution anthem?
-Ziiing. Zing zing zing. Ziiing zing zing!
As the intro played, dazzling lights enveloped the karaoke-style dungeon.
Go Eunjin grimaced at the karaoke screen.
"Ugh, I really hate this song."
The giant screen showed Treasure Hunter Min Hyun-gi in rocker garb, face full of self-adoration.
"You know this song?"
At her question, the Heavenly Demon nodded glumly.
He was the very inspiration behind it, after all.
-Ding ding ding.
Staring at Min Hyun-gi strumming an air guitar on screen, the Heavenly Demon's eyes lost focus.
Failure? Giving up? He didn't care.
No matter how much he wanted out, he refused to call that crap a song.
"I'm not doing it."
"Didn't hear you."
Eyes closed, the Heavenly Demon shook his head.
"I… can't do it."
"What? You're quitting after coming this far?"
"Quitting? This isn't quitting."
The Heavenly Demon shot to his feet and bellowed.
"That's not a song. Change it!"
"Wh-what?"
"Change it!"
Powering from his dantian, he roared.
"Hurry up and change it—!"
Furious to his core, his bellow unleashed inner energy like a lion's roar, exploding outward.
Wooong wooong wooong.
A heaven-shaking vibration rumbled everywhere, and suddenly the karaoke machine blared fanfare and cheers.
-Congratulations! 100 points! Perfect success!
The Heavenly Demon stared blankly at the machine screen.
"What."
"Wow."
Go Eunjin gaped at the screen in disbelief.
"The machine… must've glitched from the noise."
"I suppose."
What luck.
The Heavenly Demon swallowed those words. Too pathetic for the supreme master of an age.
Bam ba ba bamm!
Then triumphant trumpets blared, and the dungeon shifted again.
-Bonus stage for clearing the final gate with 100 points! Straight to Dance Dance game!
With a clunk, the floor became a glowing dance pad marked with footprints, and the ceiling exploded with psychedelic lights.
The dungeon center had turned into an arcade.
-Now, bonus stage starts!
Footprints flashed wildly on the giant pad as upbeat dance music pumped through the speakers.
Thump step thump thump thump!
But the screen still showed rocker Min Hyun-gi flailing like a drowned chicken alongside the arrows.
"This screen doesn't change?"
-Please both step onto the pad!
The dark-circled Heavenly Demon muttered low, and the announcer swiftly changed tack as if hearing him.
-No score matters—just enjoy!
Arrows poured from the screen, matching the pad's footprints in a frenzy.
Thump step thump step thump!
As the music sped up, the dungeon heated like a nightclub.
"Is this… footwork training?"
In the martial world, stone slabs etched with footprints for footwork practice were common.
The Heavenly Demon, wandering the jianghu once, had even found a stone with the orthodox sects' supreme footwork on some nameless peak.
"Unique method."
He stepped on a glowing footprint.
"Perfect!" the machine cheered, screen and pad flashing.
He moved again—buzzing vibes and cries of "Perfect!", "Superb!", "Style explosion!"
"Hm."
Slow at first, the footprints accelerated. Intrigued, the Heavenly Demon shifted nimbly—only for Go Eunjin to face him.
"What."
"Don't misunderstand."
Avoiding his gaze, she said.
"It's a two-player dance game. We have to do it together to clear."
"Then let's start."
As he aimed for another print, she shook her head.
"Wait. Step simultaneously. Can't go first!"
"Why not."
"Because… it's about syncing steps together."
"Something's off."
"What?"
Alternating glances between screen arrows and her moves, he stroked his chin.
"No matter how I analyze, this footwork seems useless."
"Useless?"
"Flailing like this… you'd just eat every enemy attack to the face."
"What?"
Go Eunjin studied him closely.
His troubled expression, awkward steps chasing arrows—he'd never looked so clueless.
"Pfft, pffft ha!"
She burst out laughing.
* * *
The next day.
Jang Chaewon opened the inner room door and gazed at the distant sky. Pacing anxiously, she paused at the store's back entrance.
'Symbiosis or clash?'
Had clearing the Symbiosis Dungeon together helped, as Kim Chanwon said?
Or would they clash explosively into disaster?
'No matter how I think, entering the dungeon won't change them…'
Worst case, fire Go Eunjin. It hurt, but necessary.
Jang Chaewon had to survive too.
Gulp.
Swallowing dryly, she squeezed her eyes shut and opened the door.
"Good morning!"
Bursting in, she heard the Heavenly Demon and Go Eunjin bickering.
"Look, you should organize the paperwork at least once."
"Refused. That's not my duty."
"Still, it'd help you grasp the dungeon ingredients, right?"
"No need. Nameless handles it."
The usual squabble race was on.
'Ah, wrong again.'
Stomach twisting, Jang Chaewon clutched her midriff for antacids—on reflex.
'Hm?'
Oddly, no pain.
Their bickering wasn't vicious like usual.
'Huh?'
Looking closer, Go Eunjin's expression during the spat was strange.
She seemed amused, her tone oddly soft.
'Something's different.'
The Heavenly Demon's gruffness was the same… but it felt like affectionate banter between close pals.
"Oh, boss is here?"
Spotting Jang Chaewon, Go Eunjin beamed a greeting.
Her smile was beautiful, fresh as a blooming flower.
'Eunjin can smile like that…'
Jang Chaewon realized her eyes had softened.
And her gaze at the Heavenly Demon held respect for a senior, not contempt.
'So that's how it went.'
Jang Chaewon nodded faintly.
The Heavenly Demon was overwhelmingly strong. He'd probably bulldozed the Symbiosis Dungeon, cowing Go Eunjin.
In truth, it was his serious cooking side—but she'd learn that later.
'Whatever. If they get along, great for me.'
Jang Chaewon smiled brightly at them, like a sunny sea.
"Hello, Eunjin. Heavenly Demon too."
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