The enigmatic world of the Core, once shrouded in mystery, was gradually revealing itself to the public. At the forefront of this rapid exploration stood Do-Jun, followed by Behemoth Guild on the fourth floor, and finally the Icarus Guild hunting on the first floor. The first floor of the Core was home to a marketplace that sold essential artifacts like weapons and armor, as well as survival supplies such as potions and various tools. However, adventurers had recently shifted their focus from these items and become increasingly fascinated by food—especially Earth’s cuisine. In a shop reminiscent of those at highway rest stops, adventurers slowly scanned the menu board. Sotteok-Sotteok[1], 30 stones Grilled Butter Squid, 50 stones “Shopkeeper, how do you read this?” One adventurer pointed at “Sotteok-Sotteok” and asked the shopkeeper, who patiently explained how to pronounce the word and what it meant to those unfamiliar with Korean. “Sotteok-Sotteok. It’s sausage and rice cake skewered together.” “Got it! The Korean alphabet sure is tricky.” “Haha. You’ll get the hang of it little by little.” Occasionally, Do-Jun would fill his Ivela’s Pouch with ingredients and hand them to Rohan, the king of the first floor. He would distribute these supplies throughout the marketplace, using the proceeds to further develop the first floor. “What about this one?” the customer asked again, pointing at another menu item: Seasoned Chicken Skewers, 40 stones. “Ah, um... let me check.” The shopkeeper opened Easy Hangul for Beginners. At that moment, Min-Hyuk approached, placed forty mastery stones on the counter, and said, “It’s pronounced ‘Seasoned Chicken Skewers.’ Reading consonants can be tricky at first, right?” “Ah, I see! Thank you. Come to think of it, you’re from Earth, aren’t you?” the adventurer asked. The adventurer sighed. “I envy you. I wish I could master Korean quickly.” Min-Hyuk scratched his head and looked around the first floor of the Core. What a peaceful atmosphere this was. But according to the adventurers, just a year ago, they had been fighting desperately to survive each day, often clashing with one another. The reason for this transformation was none other than Do-Jun. He had slain two mythical creatures, Entusha and Laikar, making the first floor a much safer place. “Sotteok-Sotteok in the Core, huh...?” Min-Ji murmured as she pulled a sausage off the skewer and ate it. Hunter’s Bureau, Chief’s Office. Young-Chul let out a soft sigh while reading a newspaper from a month ago. “Signs written in Korean in... the Core? Try the Core Sotteok-Sotteok.” The headline on the front page was bold and striking. When two S-rank Hunters from the Icarus Guild had completed the tutorial and reached the first floor of the Core, they found the place had changed significantly. The most striking feature? The use of Hangul, the Korean alphabet. A knock sounded on the office door, followed by Young-Chul’s secretary’s voice. “Sir, your guest has arrived.” Young-Chul quickly straightened his tie and moved swiftly to the door. Moments later, the door to his office opened, and Do-Jun walked in. The secretary began preparing tea. Do-Jun and Young-Chul exchanged glances as they sat on the sofa. It was an open secret among the Bureau’s executives that the Korean Hunter community, led by Young-Chul, treated Do-Jun, a mere city hall supervisor, with utmost reverence. But why? Despite his curiosity, the secretary chose not to delve further. He set the tea down and then left the room. Do-Jun’s eyes were drawn to the stacks of document files on the desk. Lately, Young-Chul had been busier than ever. While discussing various matters with Do-Jun, who had stopped by the Bureau’s Fissure Management Division regarding B-rank Great Fissure rights, Young-Chul handed him the newspaper he had been reading. “I didn’t realize you had such grand ambitions, Supervisor Lee,” Young-Chul remarked. The article detailed the adventurers on the first floor of the Core using Korean. That they were also enjoying popular Korean foods was a bonus. “Yes. I heard you introduced our language to them. It’s clear you aim to dominate not just with power but by slowly infiltrating their culture with our language. Brilliant strategy, Sir.” What was this man even talking about? Do-Jun sighed, exasperated. “That’s...” he trailed off. A while ago, Yong-Yong wanted to go on vacation to the beach. In fact, he even said it was “the only thing he ever wanted in life.” So Do-Jun had made some minor modifications to the first floor of the Core. Since food was essential for any gathering, he had filled Ivela’s Pouch with ingredients and taught the adventurers how to prepare a few dishes. Afterward, the king of the first floor, Rohan, had begged him to bring more ingredients occasionally. Naturally, this sparked a curiosity about Korean, so Do-Jun had given them a few beginner-level books on the language. Well, whatever, Do-Jun thought. Not wanting to waste his breath explaining further, Do-Jun let Young-Chul interpret things however he pleased. Meanwhile, Byeol, who had been sound asleep on the bed, woke up. She tossed off the blanket and climbed down from the bed. Retrieving a jelly she had stuffed under the bed last night, she started munching on it as she walked to the living room. Today was supposed to be a day for some Korean lessons, but for some reason, Karsiel wasn’t around. Resolving to study alone, Byeol headed outside. Still, she had to eat something before studying, right? Carrying her Children’s Hangul book, Byeol made her way to the street food stall. “Oh, little one, you’re here early today!” Hakase greeted her warmly. “Is there anything you’d like to eat?” The menu at the stall had expanded a lot compared to before. There were over twenty items, and Byeol carefully read the words on the menu board. “Egg woll, tempuwa, chick..en fe...et?” Egg rolls, tempura, and chicken feet. The pronunciation of chicken feet was particularly difficult. “Chi... chicken... pit, peet, feet.” After murmuring to herself, Byeol tilted her head in confusion and asked, “What’s that?” “Haha, it means the feet of a chicken, literally.” Byeol accidentally dropped her Children’s Hangul book with a small thud. “Ch-ch-chicken feet... you eat them?” “Oh my god!” The revelation left Byeol visibly stunned, rendering her speechless for a while. Hakase scratched his head awkwardly, then took some chicken feet from the freezer, coated them in seasoning, and grilled them over charcoal. Although it might be a bit spicy for a child, he wanted her to try it. “Is that the chicken feet?” Byeol asked. “Yep, just wait a moment.” Soon, Hakase served the boneless chicken feet. Byeol hesitated, poking one with a fork. Even as she held it, she couldn’t bring herself to eat it right away. The fact that chickens had every part of their bodies eaten saddened her, but she stuffed it into her mouth with a soft sob. “How is it...?” Hakase asked. Byeol swallowed the first piece and immediately picked up another, this time using her fingers instead of a fork. The tears that had been welling up stopped dripping. “I-I... this can’t be...” she muttered in disbelief. Hakase burst into laughter. Byeol, seemingly unable to stop, kept eating. The spice made her sniffle and breathe heavily, but she didn’t slow down. Her fingers, now covered in sauce, moved quickly as she devoured the chicken feet. “This is so yummy!” she said happily. “Mm! It’s amazing. How are feet so yummy?” Hakase chuckled as he picked up the Children’s Hangul book that had fallen to the ground and placed it on the table. Seeing the study book reminded him of how proud Kiriel had been yesterday when he returned from his Hangul class, boasting about his high test score. Hakase hummed thoughtfully as he recalled that Kiriel had gone to the Deep Realm today. Kiriel had been taking a Korean class for the past two months. It met three times a week in the second-floor multipurpose room of Bangbae-dong’s community center, for a monthly fee of 30,000 won. It catered to a wide range of students, from children to seniors. Kiriel had advanced to the upper level. In the Korean class, this meant students had mastered the basics like the alphabet and could now read and write at an elementary school level. “Fifty-five,” Kiriel muttered the score he got on the grammar test he took yesterday. Considering he had failed last week’s test with a score below forty, this was significant progress. Kiriel couldn’t help but think he might be a genius. The residents of the Deep Realm were gathered at Mount Yeongryunsan, but not to buy food from Wei Zhongqi. Standing on top of a boulder over a meter tall, Kiriel pulled out a sheet of paper from his robe. “Feast your eyes!” he exclaimed to the crowd. “Why did he call us here? I’m already busy enough as it is.” The residents murmured their complaints under their breath, sneaking glances at Kiriel. To help the “ignorant” residents understand, Kiriel used an artifact to magnify the paper’s appearance. Although the actual size remained the same, the artifact, called Deceiver’s Illusion, made it seem bigger or smaller depending on the viewer’s perspective. “What do you think? By the way, I got promoted to the upper level last week. My Korean teacher even praised me, saying I learn quickly. Heh. Not that I’m bragging—just stating the facts,” Kiriel stated proudly. The residents stared at him, puzzled. “Wei Zhongqi, what’s he saying?” asked one of the residents. Wei Zhongqi, who had been sweeping up a pile of fallen leaves, sighed deeply. It was obvious why Kiriel had gathered everyone. Although he claimed otherwise, he only wanted to show off his promotion to the upper level in his Korean class. “Ahem.” Feeling awkward at the lukewarm reactions, Kiriel cleared his throat. “Anyway, I called you here to share my Korean skills. Consider it a form of... community service.” With that, Kiriel quickly hung a banner on a nearby tree. Kiriel’s Korean Class The food stall was always bustling in the evenings. Today was no different, with many customers coming and going. Regulars were steadily increasing. Do-Jun dropped by briefly with Karsiel to buy some taiyaki. Hakase had been running the stall by himself for several days now. “Oh, you’re here. Please wait a moment,” he said upon noticing Do-Jun. “Take your time. Need a hand?” Do-Jun asked, seeing the bustling stall. Though he would never burden Do-Jun with such a trivial task, Hakase decided to accept some help, just for today. “Well... if you don’t mind.” Do-Jun smiled and nodded. He started clearing the bottles and dishes left on the tables by customers. Karsiel carried food from the stall as Hakase handed it to her. “Kiriel hasn’t been around lately,” Do-Jun said. “Oh, that’s because...” Hakase explained that Kiriel was currently in the Deep Realm, offering his Korean skills as a form of community service. 1. The “So” in Sotteok is short for “sausage,” and the tteok means rice cake! ☜