Chapter 69: Chapter 69

Translated by: ShawnSuh

Edited by: SootyOwl

Calling the mysterious number at once, Ho Sung waited patiently for someone to answer.

“Who are you? What was that message about?” Ho Sung asked.

“It means exactly what it says. Meet me at the address I send you. You’ll find what you’re looking for.”

With that, the call ended abruptly, and a message followed immediately after. It included an address, just like the man on the other end of the line had said. When Ho Sung called the number again, he wasn’t able to get a hold of the man.

“The person you’re trying to reach is unavailable.”

Staring intently at his phone, Ho Sung rushed to Min Sung’s room, knocked, opened the door, and called out to the champion, who was preoccupied with looking at the list of restaurants Ho Sung had put together.

“Sir!”

“What?”

“I got a message asking if I’m interested in knowing more about the demons and the Tower of Demons.”

“From whom?”

“He didn’t say. He just sent me an address and told me that I’d find what I’m looking for there.”

Nodding, Min Sung turned his gaze to the list of restaurants again and said, “You better get going, then.”

“… You mean by myself?” Ho Sung asked, a drop of cold sweat ran down his cheek. “What if it’s an ambush or something? How will you know about the demons or Tower of Demons then?”

“You wouldn’t have received a message if it was that simple to begin with,” Min Sung said.

“I… guess that’s true. Well, all right. I’ll go. Are you going out to eat?”

“I’m debating between pasta and Korean food.”

“Well, you’ve had Korean food recently, so pasta wouldn’t be such a bad choice.”

“I agree. Any recommendations?”

“Hm. I know a brunch place that makes some mean pasta, pizza, and gambas.”

The thought of subtly sweet pasta and pizza made the champion’s mouth water.

“What is gambas?” Min Sung asked.

“Well, it’s technically called Gambas al Ajillo. It’s a Spanish Mediterranean shrimp dish with an olive oil base and flavored with garlic. It’s a popular bar food there from what I’ve heard.”

‘An olive-oil-base shrimp dish that’s flavored with garlic…’ Min Sung thought, puzzled by Ho Sung’s description of the dish. He had no recollection of ever seeing or hearing about it until now. ‘Well, I’ll find out soon enough.’

—

After leaving the house for brunch, Min Sung arrived at an avenue. Savoring the beautiful scenery through the window of Ho Sung’s car, the champion felt a new, unfamiliar emotion filling his heart.

The trees lined up along the road gave it a unique look and gave those traveling through it a unique experience. Upon getting out of the car, Min Sung understood almost immediately why the place was such a popular attraction. Among the gingko trees lined up along the road, were cafes and clothing stores, and just being around them made Min Sung feel as though a wave of the new generation’s culture came flooding into his dry, drought-stricken soul.

“Here we are,” Ho Sung said, pointing toward the restaurant with the sign that read: Antique Bistro. The wooden interior gave its customers a warm, welcoming feel.

“Well, enjoy your brunch, sir,” Ho Sung said. Getting out of the car, Min Sung headed for the restaurant across the street without a delay. Upon opening the door, a cute jingle sounded from the bell attached to the door. A bulletin board and the wooden interior came into his view, and from the looks of it, the rooftop also seemed to be made of wood.

‘The weather’s nice out, so it might not be a bad idea to eat at the rooftop.’

“Hello! How many?” a cute, petite waitress rushed toward the champion and asked.

“One,” Min Sung replied. To which, she nodded with a friendly smile and said, “OK. Please feel free to sit wherever you’d like after placing your order!”

So, Min Sung ordered one pasta, one pizza, and the gambas, just like Ho Sung had recommended.

“One bacon carbonara, one margherita pizza, and one gambas.”

“OK! So, a combo meal then! We have a half and a full combo. Which one would you like?”

“I’m guessing half combo is for one person?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll take a half combo, then.”

“All right! Coming right up! Oh! So, our combo meals come with a drink. What would you like?”

“I’ll take a grapefruit ade.”

“Sure thing. Go ahead and take a seat, and I’ll bring the food out!”

Nodding affirmatively, Min Sung made his way to the rooftop. The open view of the avenue made for an elegant atmosphere. Sitting on an aluminum chair at a table made of the same material, Min Sung savored the view of the avenue and the pleasant, refreshing breeze. Then, the waitress came up to the rooftop with his pasta and gambas.

“Your pizza will be right out,” she said. When Min Sung nodded affirmatively, she gave him a friendly smile and made her way downstairs. Once she left, Min Sung picked up a fork with his right hand and a spoon with his left.

Adapted for Korean palates, the bacon carbonara was a cream-based pasta dish made using bacon, cheese, and eggs. The subtle yellow tinge of the noodles doused in the creamy sauce had a glow comparable to that of gold. Despite having been away for an entire century, there were still remnants of the subtle sweetness of the carbonara in the champion’s memory.

‘I had this with my grandmother before,’ he thought. Mixing the noodles, the cream sauce and pieces of bacon within it with his fork and twirling them against the spoon, Min Sung brought the mouthful of pasta up his mouth.

Followed by a pleasant sweetness, the rich aroma of the cheese followed and tickled his nose.

‘Tasty…!’

The rich, creamy sauce filled the gaps between the noodles, and the intense yet tender pieces of bacon made the dish even more satisfying. Swallowing the food, Min Sung looked down at the gambas, or Gambas al Ajillo in full. It was a Spanish appetizer made using shrimp, garlic, and olive oil.

The shrimp covered in olive oil flavored with garlic glistened enticingly in the Sun. Picking up a piece of it with his fork, Min Sung dipped the shrimp in the olive oil sauce and brought it up to his mouth. Fitting to the amount of oil used in it, the dish had a rich, oily flavor. On the other hand, it was not overbearing by any means. In fact, it was much cleaner-tasting than Min Sung had expected. Having tasted the shrimp, Min Sung looked at one of the slices of baguette soaking in the bed of olive oil. With a satisfying crunch, the soft, tender inside of the bread filled his mouth.

“Wow…!” Min Sung let out inadvertently, genuinely caught off guard. Should he have decided to not try the bread, the champion would’ve gone his entire life without knowing its delectable flavor when doused in garlic-infused olive oil.

‘Seems like the dish was supposed to be eaten with bread,’ Min Sung thought, seeming like a detective who had discovered the criminal behind a mysterious case. Without further ado, he placed a piece of shrimp and garlic on another piece of bread and munched away.

Though crunchy on the outside, the inside of the bread, which had been soaking in olive oil, was unbelievably smooth.

‘I’m liking this!’ Min Sung thought, looking down at the dish, impressed. At that moment, the pizza made its way to the table.

“Your pizza’s here!”

There was a candle underneath the pan in which the pizza was set, keeping it hot and fresh. Looking down at the pie, a smile spread across the champion’s face. When he picked up a slice of it, flour covered his fingertips. Feeling the warmth of the slice of freshly baked pizza, Min Sung opened his mouth agape and bit into it, narrowing his mouth in order to eat every bit of the cheese stretching endlessly. Min Sung took a sip of the ice-cold grapefruit ade. The simple flavors of warm tomato and cheese were striking an impressive balance without overpowering one another. In addition, the picturesque scenery also contributed to the experience of the meal. The calm, serene rooftop offered the perfect atmosphere for the brunch.

Smiling subtly, Min Sung savored his pasta, gambas, and pizza unhurriedly, thinking to himself, ‘Once the warp gate becomes commercialized, I better make the most of it and try out different cuisines overseas. Korea might be a culinary melting pot, but things will never taste the same as they do in their native countries.’

Taking his phone out, Min Sung looked up ‘warp gate’ on a search engine and found an article that had just come out on the internet.

‘Warp Gate Commercialization Confirmed! D-15.’

The commercialization process was happening sooner than the champion had expected.

‘Just over two weeks, huh? That’s much sooner than I thought.’

The fee was consistent with the amount Ji Yoo had told him: 120 million won per trip. Appropriate for its exorbitant fee, the warp gate users were granted enormous VIP benefits.

‘Holy! A hundred and twenty million?? That’s insane…’

‘I wonder what kind of person would actually pay that kind of money?’

‘Either hunters, successful businessmen, or politicians. Lol.’

‘I’d love to try it someday!’

‘So… It’s only for filthy, ungodly rich people.’

‘Seems like it. No commoners can afford that.’

‘Maybe it’s because it’s new? Who knows? The price might drop significantly in the future.’

‘I still don’t think it would be affordable though…’

‘This is mind-boggling.’

‘Who would waste their money on stuff like this?’

‘I feel like even the rich wouldn’t bother with this technology unless they had a really, really important matter to attend.’

After reading through the comments, Min Sung tapped the address of the official warp gate website at the bottom of the screen. Reading the detailed information on the technology and the VIP benefits that came with it, Min Sung drank his grapefruit ade casually.

—

Arriving at the address he had received, Ho Sung got out of the car and looked around, finding himself in a factory complex, where countless factories were lined up back to back. First, Ho Sung went around in search of the building labeled B-97. Should he have come at night, the process would have been much more difficult.

There was not a single living thing around, further adding to Ho Sung’s wariness. Soon, a plaque that read B-97 came into view.

“This must be it.”

After looking back and forth between his phone and the factory, he swallowed nervously and opened the door to the empty, nearly six-hundred-and-sixty-square-meter factory. In the middle of it, was a laptop set on an old, worn-out chair.

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