Chapter 48: This Wasn't in the Plan? (4) (48/225)
Each time the red circle on the navigator blinked, Jinseo grew more anxious. Worried that the fishermen of Orte Harbor might have taken their boats out and gotten caught up in it, he drove the food truck hard.
A scream came from the extra trailer, but Jinseo didn't care and didn't slow down. The moment they blasted past the midpoint at that speed, the red circle vanished completely from the navigation screen.
{ -The Kraken has been eliminated.- }
Seeing the AI notification on the status window threw Jinseo into deeper confusion. Who did it? And how did they take down that enormous monster?
In the end, he pushed the food truck even faster to confirm it with his own eyes. He even used the nitro booster twice on the way.
"We've arrived! I'm going ahead first!"
Jinseo slammed the brakes the instant they reached Orte Harbor. Unlike Jinseo, who rushed through the entrance in a panic, the two men who got out of the extra trailer staggered and clamped their hands over their mouths.
"Ugh… I feel sick…"
"G-Guh—!"
Unable to withstand that insane speed, the two ran to the nearby shoreline and generously fed the fish.
"So this is a fairly thriving port, compared to what I heard."
Stepping out of the passenger seat, Craid brought his right hand to the hilt of the greatsword slung diagonally across his back, but he only gripped it lightly and didn't draw. The Kraken was already dead, so there was no need for him to act.
Instead, he wanted to meet whoever had killed it. Meeting strong people made his heart race almost as much as delicious food did.
"…Is this really the place?"
Entering the harbor, Jinseo doubted his own eyes as he moved through the crowd. He asked the AI several times whether this was Orte Harbor, and it repeatedly answered yes.
But what he was seeing was far too different from his memory three months ago.
Back then, aside from the beach, the only place worth visiting had been the fish market. Now, shops had sprung up everywhere, mushrooming across Orte Harbor. The once-quiet streets were packed with customers, and the lively atmosphere everywhere made it feel like a festival was happening nonstop.
At most, only about three months had passed since he defeated the Kraken and salvaged a festival that was on the brink of ruin by using his bunsik. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out how Orte Harbor had become this prosperous.
"Orte Village exclusive! Come taste fried Kraken before you go!"
"We're selling grilled Kraken too! The special discount is only until today!"
The vendors calling out to passing customers sounded full of energy.
I'm curious how well they recreated the recipe I taught them. Should I try some?
Jinseo started to walk into a shop, then stopped.
What am I doing? This isn't the time. I need to ask about the Kraken…
"Hey! Isn't that Jinseo?"
"Huh?"
Hearing his name, Jinseo turned around. The man was short, but the arm muscles beneath his broad shoulders stood out. Jinseo had never met an old man who looked this healthy, but he definitely remembered that face.
"Are you… the village chief?"
"That's right! It's me! Long time no see! It's really good to see you!"
As the chief enthusiastically patted Jinseo's back, even his speech had changed along with his appearance. The timid old man who used to sigh about not being able to hold a festival was gone. In his place was an old man who laughed boisterously—an old man who didn't feel old at all.
"Good grief, what am I doing standing here? I need to tell everyone you're here! Hey! Our benefactor drove the food truck back!"
The moment the word "benefactor" was spoken, the shopkeepers nearby abandoned what they were doing and rushed into the street. They cleanly ignored customers complaining about when their orders would be ready.
"It really is him! It's Jinseo!"
"Was today the day you said you'd come? Or was it tomorrow? Either way, welcome back!"
"Thank you so much! Thanks to the bunsik recipe you taught us, we've been making a killing every day!"
"Haha… I'm glad to hear it."
In the middle of the cheerful chaos, Jinseo noticed something all these people had in common. Their faces were familiar, but their bodies had changed to a shocking extent.
They'd been fishermen, so they'd always been healthier than average to begin with. But now, to Jinseo's eyes, their physiques looked like they'd been forged through brutal weight training for years. That wasn't something that could happen in three months.
"Ah! I almost forgot to ask. Did any fishing boats go out today?"
"As long as the weather's good, sending boats out is just daily life. Why ask?"
"It looked like a Kraken appeared out at sea. I was worried someone might've been caught up in it."
"A Kraken?"
Contrary to Jinseo's expectations, the chief didn't look serious at all. The others gathered around also didn't seem alarmed.
Instead, they wore meaningful smiles and patted Jinseo on the shoulder.
"Then today's a lucky day. I knew it—you really do bring us good fortune. Hahaha!"
"What?"
Craid's party arrived late and met up with Jinseo again at the docks. When Hayward asked if anything had happened, Jinseo silently pointed at a fishing boat returning to the harbor.
The three men fell silent just like Jinseo when they saw a Kraken being towed behind a much smaller boat, bobbing on the sea's surface.
As an eerie stillness settled among the four standing shoulder to shoulder, the boat hauling the Kraken docked at the pier.
"I'd heard it was big, but… I didn't think it'd be that big. It's even bigger than the cockatrice we took down last time…"
After getting a closer look at the Kraken's corpse, Hayward couldn't stop marveling.
"At that size, it's not just a Kraken. It's a Great Kraken."
"Great? Yeah, it's great alright. The cockatrice we fought doesn't even compare."
"But it's so big that I'm starting to feel numb about it."
"Seriously. Anyway, thank god it came in dead. I'm sick of fighting monsters that huge. Ugh…"
The brutal fight with the Cockatrice King, where he'd had to chug canned coffee just to keep up. The thrilling victory, followed by a full day of miserable insomnia. For Hayward, it had become an experience he never wanted again—and a trauma, too.
"Truly, the men of the sea are strong."
Watching dozens of fishermen drag the Great Kraken up onto the dock, a faint smile formed on Craid's lips.
Jinseo stared at Craid with a look that said this was absurd.
No, but this is too much.
A Great Kraken more than twice the size of the one Jinseo had defeated before. The idea that just ten fishermen had hunted it with harpoons and bare fists, without a single casualty, was impossible to accept.
Not until he remembered what the chief had said while going off to prepare a welcome party.
"Then that makes it our third hunt. I can't wait to see how good this one tastes. Hahaha!"
Still, just in case, Jinseo checked the fishermen's job food preference values around the Great Kraken through the AI.
What? These numbers are ridiculous.
The moment numbers started popping up above their heads one after another, Jinseo doubted his own eyes.
400… 460… 380… 500? AI, is that even possible?
{ -It is presumed that these individuals, belonging to the relevant job group, continued consuming fried Kraken even after the owner left this region.- }
Even so, that's way too high. With the amount I made for them, those numbers shouldn't be possible.
After the festival ended successfully, Jinseo really had made a huge amount of fried Kraken for the fishermen before leaving—so they'd have something on hand in case a Kraken appeared again.
AI, display the effects of fried Kraken.
{ -Activated effects: fatigue recovery; stamina enhancement; a slight increase in the probability of physical grade rising; when attempting to capture sea-dwelling monsters or creatures, attack power, defense, and reaction speed greatly increase; when cooking byproducts obtained through fishing, hunting, or other means, taste enhancement.- }
{ -These effects activate only for fishermen to whom the job preference for fried Kraken is applied.- }
The effects are good, sure, but I never expected they'd end up hauling in Krakens. But seeing it with my own eyes… I have to believe what the chief said.
After Jinseo left, Orte Harbor kept growing in an unexpected way. The residents began selling fried Kraken and various seafood dishes in earnest, following the recipes Jinseo had taught them. With the money they earned, they bought better boats and could venture farther out to sea.
For a month, their boats boasted record-breaking catches—until they encountered another Kraken. The fishermen trembled, remembering the terror of the Kraken attacking the docks.
But they decided that if they were going to die anyway, they might as well fight first. They charged the Kraken—and after a violent battle on the storm-tossed sea…
"I thought I was dreaming at first, you know? Who'd have thought the guys who went out to catch fish would come dragging a Kraken back like it was nothing? And it wasn't even you this time! Hahaha!"
They caught a Kraken, then ate it or sold it. The harbor swelled with customers. The fishermen grew even stronger, and then met Krakens at sea again…
In that repeated cycle, their job preference values skyrocketed, the village kept booming, and…
That was why the residents of the harbor couldn't help but welcome Jinseo when they met him again after so long.
"Jinseo's here!"
"The hero of Orte Harbor is back!"
"We've missed you so much!"
Upon hearing the news of Jinseo's arrival, the residents surged toward him in a mass. At the very front was the village chief, who had become absurdly healthy.
"Huh? I thought you looked familiar—so it really is Jinseo!"
"What? Jinseo's here?!"
The fishermen at the dock recognized him late and abandoned the Great Kraken to rush over as well.
"P-please calm down. Wouldn't it be better to finish what you were doing first?"
In an instant, the dock overflowed with people, and Jinseo struggled to keep his head straight under the countless gazes aimed at him—gazes that now saw him not just as a benefactor, but as a hero.
Of course he felt good that they were happy to see him. The problem was that they were too happy.
"What are you talking about? You're here—how can work matter right now?"
At the chief's shout, the residents folded their arms and nodded in agreement.
"Kids, we're closing up shop today. Kick all the customers out."
"I figured you'd say that, so I already processed refunds in advance so there won't be any trouble."
"Good, good. That's how it should be."
"…."
Listening to the chief and residents steamroll forward with no hesitation, Jinseo repeatedly scrubbed his face with dry hands.
"Good grief, I've been rambling. You came to get Kraken meat, didn't you?"
"I did. Haha…"
There was still plenty left in the food truck's subspace storage, but since it was a special kind of meat he could only get in unusual situations, Jinseo didn't want to miss any chance to secure more.
He'd stopped by the harbor to say hello after hearing there was more in stock, but he'd never imagined they'd have caught extra Krakens in abundance.
"If you're taking it, fresher is better, right? Take the one we caught today. It's bigger than the last one, so it's perfect to give you!"
"What? Are you serious?"
"You're giving him something that expensive?"
"I-is that really okay?"
Jinseo, Hayward, and Julien all widened their eyes in shock—along with even Craid, who had been watching the 'men of the sea' with satisfaction.
"Compared to what you did for our harbor, that's nothing. When we received your letter asking about Kraken meat, we residents agreed we'd give you at least one for free."
"Still, I can't just take something that valuable…"
"What's there to worry about? In another month, we'll catch another one anyway."
The sea's calamity, the Kraken. In Orte Harbor alone, it was no longer an object of terror—it had been reduced to a gift for the hero who returned after a long absence.
"If it really bothers you, we've been craving your bunsik. What do you say? We worked hard following the recipes you taught us, but compared to what you make yourself, it still falls short."
Orte Harbor entered its golden age thanks to the ripple effect Jinseo created. Even so, the residents couldn't forget the variety of bunsik from the food truck, and they missed it dearly.
And now Jinseo had come back on his own—there was no way their longing wouldn't flare up.
"If that's the case, I—"
"How about chicken?"
Hayward slipped into their conversation and winked at Jinseo, as if to say he couldn't possibly refuse now.
"I'm sorry, but chicken isn't finished yet—"
"Not finished? Your 'not finished' bunsik is a masterpiece to us! Hurry and serve it! Everyone heard that, right? Chicken! It's chicken!"
It had been three months since Jinseo left the harbor. Their benefactor, now elevated to hero, had returned with a new dish. He claimed it was unfinished and hesitated, but they already knew. Jinseo's food would never disappoint them.
"Chicken! Give us chicken!"
"We always welcome new bunsik!"
"Chicken! Chicken! Chicken!"
The residents surrounding Jinseo raised their right arms in time with the chant. The instigator, Hayward, quietly mixed into the crowd and started chanting along with them.
"…."
For Jinseo, half-and-half plus lots of pickled radish was an unshakable belief.
But sometimes, you were forced to bend your belief. Especially when you were surrounded by bronze-skinned, muscular men.
"Fine. I'll make fried chicken first. Boneless."
"There's other chicken too? And boneless?"
"Unfortunately, that's all I can serve right now. Look forward to it."
"Ooooooh!"
At Jinseo's confident declaration, everyone's excitement surged sky-high.
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