SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon

Lee Chorok, the greatest expert in dungeon botany, stared blankly ahead.

On the first floor of a busy shopping mall, a spacious and comfortable store with a stylish interior. The freshly hung sign read, Happy Green Life Fruit Store 2nd branch.

“Huu….”

Unexpectedly, Lee Chorok was very competent as a part-time worker at the fruit store.

It all started when she casually advised an orchard owner whom she met by the chance on how to grow new varieties of grapes. After a quick tip to use soil with a high concentration of ether, they succeeded in cultivating a new variety that had previously been difficult, and the grape harvest was bountiful.

The orchard owner was so grateful that they offered her high-quality fruit at a low price, so she bought a lot of it. As a result, there was a long queue in front of the fruit store, and many people made reservations to be notified when the fruit was in stock.

Word spread that farming was better with Lee Chorok’s advice, and other orchard owners sought her out. The rare fruit, which is harvested in such small quantities that it is difficult to buy even in department stores, is sold at the production price to her.

It was literally a case of ‘I just gave farming advice, why are you doing this to me?‘

The business was so good that she opened a second store. Now she’s not a part-timer at the fruit store, but the owner of the fruit store.

In Dungeon, she also registered a patent for the development of ether soil for agricultural use.

At first, she was delighted by the luxurious life that was different from the past, but as time passed, she realised.

This emptiness in her heart cannot be healed.

‘No, I can’t go back to that life…….’

She repeated that, but she missed the crying sound of the tooth carrot.

Ding, ding, ding.

“Chorok-ssi! Long time no see.”

At that time, Kwon Rieul, who was Lee Chorok’s last guest during the Dungeon Farm days, appeared. Next to here were two men who appeared to be Hunters.

“I’m sorry for coming so late at night.”

“I was shivering like a monk here anyway.”

“Wow, is this the second store? The store is wonderful!”

She knew the compliment was purely out of goodwill, but a bitter smile naturally leaked out.

“Huh … It’s all just futile.”

“What?”

“Nothing. What did you want to see me about?”

“I need the help of Chorok-ssi, the dungeon plant expert!”

“That’s…….”

Lee Chorok frowned.

No way. When she closed the farm, she decided to never pay attention to dungeon plants again. Lee Chorok had been through a lot while running the dungeon plant farm. She even studied at graduate school, but she got scolded at home because she couldn’t make money. The business was not going well so she were losing money every month. The Dungeon Management Agency also fined her for her precious dungeon plants.

The last one was due to her own fault, but it didn’t matter. Anyway, she had a lot of heartache. She heartlessly even sent away the cute tooth carrot.

“I’m sorry. I’ll never go back to the Dungeon plant…….”

“Do you know anything about the Sephiroth branch of the false world?”

“……!”

The action was faster than thinking. Lee Chorok started speaking quickly without realizing it.

“Of course I know. How do you know that name? It is a very rare tree that only exists in literature but has never been discovered in reality. It’s dangerous and can’t be handled easily, but if you know its weaknesses…….”

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Lee Chorok then had a thought, After all, a dungeon plant farm is better than a fruit shop.

Perhaps it’s not her destiny to make a lot of money in this life.

***

Weewooo~

A siren broke the silence of the night. It was the sound of an ambulance.

Ki Yoohyun contacted the headquarters and relayed the current situation. The Dungeon Management Office was also aware of the emergence of monster branches.

The first thing they did was to inform people not to consume any more coffee from Super Buff Coffee and to gather the 999 victims in one place. They were also preparing for the arrest of the remaining members of the Seonghye Enterprise and a possible power outage.

Then, I came to Lee Chorok.

As I expected, she knew about the Sephiroth branch of the false world. Her blank expression quickly became lively, and she quickly poured out an explanation.

“Is that tree the World Tree?” I asked a point that bothered me.

Lee Chorok shook her head resolutely, “A world tree? No. It’s not that good. It’s just an A-Class dangerous plant.”

[You can view the ‘Sephirot Branch of the False World’ entry on Ether-Wiki.]

“… … !”

As I listened to Lee Chorok’s explanation, a system notification appeared.

Aha. In this way, the system will be updated only when the relevant information is obtained. I immediately checked the newly updated item.

《Sephirot Branch of the False World》

Type: Plant monster>Angiosperm>Dicotyledonous plant

Grade: Class A

Description: A cursed plant from outer space. It has beautiful silver branches that shimmer with light.

Its main food is human souls. It is especially fond of the souls of those who have drunk its golden liquor.

It is said that when a thousand branches sprout, the main body awakens and summons a terrifying being.

No matter how many times it is cut, as long as its soul is not released, it will not die and grow back.

It’s a plant recommended for beginners in the Otherworld because of its toughness.

It also grows well on verandas.

That was a gruesome description. Why would you grow something like that on a veranda?

It was good to be informed, but no matter how carefully I read it, it didn’t say how to get rid of the monster branches.

“By the way, could it be that the Sephiroth branch of the false world has appeared?”

“Yes, that’s right, and now people are being captured and … we’re looking for a solution.”

“A solution? That, the Mandragora, the dungeon ginger, is its natural enemy.”

The moment Lee Chorok casually revealed the answer, the notification rang again.

[System information is being updated as a result of meeting the Causality rate.

There is one unconfirmed information. Please check your system.]

[Recipe: ???

Ingredients: Mandragora Dungeon Ginger, ???

How to make: ???]

“It doesn’t like the spicy taste of Mandragora Dungeon Ginger. It is said that if you keep them close, the branches of Sephiroth will avoid it.”

“Ew, it looks like it’s alive.”

“Plants are naturally alive…….”

Choi Yichan, who was listening to our conversation, suddenly asked, “But where can we get ginger?”

“It’s not just ginger, it’s Mandragora … haaa, whatever.”

And with that, the sparkle faded. I had heard that the fruit shop had prospered and made her wealthy, but Lee Chorok was no happier than before.

“Well, I’ve already closed my dungeon farm, so I don’t know where to get one.”

“The dungeon plants confiscated from Lee Chorok-ssi must be stored in the Dungeon Management Office. Let’s look there.”

Ki Yoohyun suggested, but Lee Chorok shook her head.

“No. It wasn’t among the confiscated children … huh! Oh, right! There it is! I remembered!”

“Really?!”

“There were some seeds that I gave to Rieul-ssi when I closed down my business! That seed is the seed of Mandragora Dungeon Ginger!”

Heck, that seed, I had completely forgotten about its existence. It was right in the backyard, no, in the space of my store?!

“I already tried everything, but it wouldn’t sprout. Is there any way?”

“Since they are old seeds I got on the black market, it needs a specialised Mandragora nutrient to make it sprout.”

[You can view the ‘Mandragora Dungeon Ginger’ entry on Ether-Wiki.]

The system is updated again. The content was almost the same as what Lee Chorok told me.

The system’s reaction reassured me that I was on the right track, but I still have some questions….

“Can I get that nutrient?”

“That’s …… I don’t have any.”

I got blocked by the wall again. Even now, the time remaining in the quest window was decreasing. It must have been chaotic outside, with people suddenly being eaten by branches.

I felt my nerves kick in. This quest wasn’t going to be that easy.

“Actually, I sold the nutritional supplements to a pawn shop when I had no money.”

Lee Chorok’s shoulders sagged as she shared her sad past.

“I really didn’t want to sell it! I didn’t want to sell it in case one day I wanted to grow the Mandragora, but … hick, I’ve been chewing on cabbage for a week, and I think I’m going to die, so I made that decision…….”

You’ve had a very difficult life…….

I suddenly felt a question.

Unlike the days when she only chewed cabbage and grew toothed carrots and flying spaghetti trees, Lee Chorok has became wealthy. Even the second branch of the fruit shop where we are now shows that a lot of money was spent.

If she had money, why didn’t she go to a pawn shop to get it?

To my question, Lee Chorok replied, “That pawnshop is a little strange.”

“What?”

“I told them I would pay them back immediately, but they refused. You have to make a bet with the pawnshop owner to get your stuff back.”

“…..”

“But I couldn’t beat that pawnshop owner no matter how hard I tried, and the farm had already been closed anyway so I gave up to get it back….”

Lee Chorok took out a piece of paper from her pocket, wrote down the address, and handed it to me.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. As long as you have the nutritional supplements, the Dungeon Ginger will grow right away. If it’s Rieul-ssi, I think you might be able to beat that crazy betting addict.”

The time limit for the quest is now about 23 hours away.

***

Hours before Kwon Rieul was struggling to defeat the monster tree branch.

Choi Cedric’ had hit the wall.

The keyword he’d found in Aeon’s office: ‘Grimoire‘. He had a feeling this was an important object, that finding it would answer his dilemma.

So, he tried to get information by visiting the libraries he had never been to before, but the results were zero. There were so many books called grimoires in the world, and he couldn’t even figure out which one he needed.

He even met a merchant who claimed to sell grimoires….

…and he got scammed.

In the meantime, all traces of Secretary Aeon were thoroughly erased from C&L Corporation. The office was completely demolished, and not a single photo was left. No one even seemed to remember the secretary anymore.

At one time, Lee Sein relied so much on her secretary … it’s strange for him to become something that didn’t exist in a moment.

After some thought, Choi Cedric tried using the Hunter Channel to obtain information.

But…..

[Issue] Muwon vs. Choi Cedric (317)

[Chatting] I’ve seen Kongdrick in person, but his personality is unique haha (12)

[Chatting] Choi Ce’s autograph is for sale for 100,000 won (0)

…….

[Chatting] Choi Ce’s autograph is for sale for 5,000 won (0)

“Ugh….”

What was at the bottom of Pandora’s box was the truth he didn’t want to know.

Choi Cedric calmly turned off the Hunter channel. He was having such a fruitless time.

Today, Lee Sein called him to the guild. Even as he made his way to the Guild leader’s office, his steps were heavy, for he had been avoiding her for some unexplainable reason.

It was definitely the Lee Sein he knew, but at the same time, she felt like a completely different person.

However, the moment he met Lee Sein, the feeling of discomfort vanished from his mind.

Because what Lee Sein said….

“I found a way to cure Rona.”

“Is that … really true?”

“Yes.”

It was something unbelievable to hear. Choi Cedric felt his whole body tremble.