The Core had seen countless adventurers come and go, yet its vast expanse concealed many undiscovered fields, monsters, quests, or trials. Even when these were discovered, most adventurers deemed them too overwhelming to handle and either ignored or bypassed them. However, that didn’t apply to Do-Jun. During his process of mapping the Core all the way from the Tutorial Zone, he managed to collect numerous Hidden Pieces, which were the treasures of the Core, awarded only to those who achieved remarkable feats. For most adventurers, obtaining even one Hidden Piece granted them immense power, enabling them to bulldoze through a large part of the Core thanks to their exceptional stats. One day, Hakase accidentally peeked inside Ivela’s Pouch belonging to Do-Jun and was stunned. It contained an incredible collection of artifacts, each boasting absurdly powerful attributes. Hakase couldn’t help but gasp. “W-where did you get all of this?” “My goodness... how many are there...?” Hakase had long been aware that Do-Jun was exploring the Core. However, he also knew that Do-Jun’s time there, less than a year, was minimal. His trips often resembled short evening strolls or weekend outings, but the sheer number of Hidden Pieces he had amassed was beyond belief. “Um... may I borrow some of them?” Hakase asked carefully. “You can borrow them any time.” Do-Jun handed Ivela’s Pouch to Hakase without a second thought. Although he planned to hand over the artifacts to Yoon-Hee or Behemoth at the right time, he saw no harm in lending them when Hakase needed. Returning to the food stall, Hakase couldn’t hold back a broad smile as he looked at the pouch Do-Jun had lent him. The thought of analyzing and studying the dozens of Hidden Pieces inside filled him with excitement. “Hey!” he called out to Kiriel. Kiriel was reading a comic book in the corner, completely engrossed in a gripping scene, and didn’t respond. Hakase considered smacking him on the head but decided against it and continued, “I’m going on vacation, so take care of the shop while I’m gone.” “Okay,” Kiriel said, nodding as he flipped a page. At least he was listening. Hakase gave him a quick rundown of what he needed to know before leaving the shop for seven days. Kiriel just nodded repeatedly, giving the impression he understood. “Just for seven days, got it?” With that, Hakase left. “Heh, that was a good one,” Kiriel said, setting down the comic book. He had read five books in one sitting. Reading comic books was pure joy, and with many new titles recently coming out that suited his taste, he had lost track of time. Gathering the comics in his arms, Kiriel headed to his “hideout,” located in an F-rank Fissure inhabited by goblins, where he had set up his comic book cafe. Acquiring shelves and a large collection of comics from a comic rental shop that went out of business was a great idea to set up his base there. Once he arrived at the cafe, he collected the cash from the money box. Today’s earnings were over 20,000 won. Although the actual amount was probably higher, Kiriel didn’t particularly care. After restocking snacks and drinks on the shelves, he spent another two hours reading comics. Kiriel returned to the food stall, carrying more than twenty comic books, and saw a man hanging around near the entrance. “Is no one working...?” the man muttered as he looked around the stall. Kiriel instantly realized that he was a customer. Dropping the comic books carelessly on a table inside, Kiriel frowned in annoyance and asked, “What do you want to eat?” “Huh?” The man was taken aback by the blunt tone and stared at Kiriel. This strikingly handsome young man with neatly styled hair was sighing as if irritated by a customer. The man pointed at the taiyaki and said in a flustered voice, “Three of these, please. Two with red bean filling and one with custard.” “No can do,” Kiriel declined the order. “We only have red bean. I forgot to pick up the custard for the filling on my way back.” The man stared at him in shock. What kind of business was this? He watched blankly as Kiriel bagged three red bean-filled taiyaki. Just as he was about to vent his frustration, Kiriel cut him off. “Just give me 500 won. Fair enough, right?” Kiriel took the man’s 1000 won bill and put it into the register, took 500 won from his own wallet, and then handed it back to the man. “A-are you sure?” the man asked, bewildered by this foreign concept. “Hurry up and leave. I’ve got comics to read.” Kiriel picked up one of the comics he had brought and began reading. Evenings were the busiest time of day for the food stall. Many office workers stopped by on their way home for a drink, while others visited the stall as their second or third place to drink that night. Kiriel closed the comic book he had been reading for a moment and frowned as he noticed four people approaching the stall. It was the fourth day since Hakase had left the food stall in his care. “This is weird,” he muttered. “Why are there more customers than usual?” Yes, it was indeed odd. It was 9 PM on a weekday. Under normal circumstances, Hakase’s food stall would see about three groups of customers per evening, and that’s how it had been just days ago. Despite Kiriel’s intentionally cold demeanor toward customers to maintain a peaceful comic-reading environment, many of them kept returning. “Boss! I’m back again!” one of the four men greeted him cheerfully. This was his third visit to the stall. The man, Ha Young-Jae, had first stopped by to buy three taiyaki. Later that evening, he returned for drinks, and since then, he kept bringing his friends. He introduced himself as a columnist. Not knowing what that meant, Kiriel had looked it up on his smartphone and learned it referred to someone who writes critiques or commentaries for newspapers. “We’ll have one plate of stir-fried pork and two bottles of soju, please!” Kiriel looked at Ha Young-Jae and his friends. “Did you guys eat already?” he asked the group. “Tsk.” Kiriel frowned, knowing from experience that customers who hadn’t eaten before coming to the stall tended to linger longer, which was a headache for him. He reluctantly took out pork and fish cakes from the fridge. While cooking the stir-fried pork, he also started a pot of fish cake soup. Although one serving of stir-fried pork typically contained two hundred grams of meat, Kiriel added four hundred grams, doubling the usual portion. He also generously added more fish cakes than usual to the soup. He plated the stir-fried pork and brought it along with the soup pot to Ha Young-Jae’s table. He also served four bowls of rice from the rice cooker. “Eat this and don’t bother me anymore,” Kiriel said. To exaggerate a little, he set the table with so much food that the table legs looked ready to give way. Ha Young-Jae and his friends looked visibly startled. “W-we only ordered one plate of stir-fried pork...” “You said you didn’t eat. I know your type of people: finish the pork and then order more. I’ve given you plenty from the start, so just eat that and leave quickly. Got it?” As he retreated to his seat, Kiriel shouted, “Oh, and get your soju and beer from the fridge. You know the drill, right?” “Yep, got it!” Ha Young-Jae grinned, grabbing two bottles of soju from the fridge. With warm rice, soup, and stir-fried pork laid out, they eagerly dug in, eating heartily and helping themselves to more drinks as needed. Satisfied that they wouldn’t bother him further, Kiriel smirked. Though today’s losses would come out of his own pocket, he considered it a fair trade for uninterrupted comic-reading time. Hakase had spent his time happily analyzing and researching the Hidden Pieces borrowed from Do-Jun. But as the days went by, he began to feel uneasy. He had asked Kiriel to look after the stall, but what if things had gone wrong? What if he somehow managed to lose all their business? On the fifth day of his seven-day vacation, Hakase decided to return. “Here are the Hidden Pieces you lent me. Thank you, they were very useful,” Hakase said, returning the pouch to Do-Jun. Do-Jun said nothing about Hakase cutting his vacation short by two days; he knew exactly why. However, he had yet to discover the surge in customers at the stall. “Are you getting ready to open?” he asked Hakase. “Yes. I’ll head out now.” As Hakase left, Do-Jun resumed reading the newspaper column, stopping at a small piece on the back page. “A Food Stall Where Warmth Lives On” “When I stepped into the humble food cart, the owner asked me, ‘Have you eaten?’ “I was startled by this sudden, informal question. And when I said I hadn’t, he served not only the stir-fried pork I ordered but also fish cake soup and rice I didn’t order. “Though he had grumbled about not wanting to be bothered, he smiled warmly as we enjoyed our meal. “... when I visit Seoul again, that food stall will be my first stop, to feel that warmth once more.” A faint chuckle escaped Do-Jun. “Warmth, huh?” Suddenly, a loud bang from the road shook the ground like an earthquake. Sensing Hakase’s energy, Do-Jun rubbed his temples and stepped onto the balcony. He saw two young men arguing in front of the food stall. “You idiot! Did you seriously leave the stall closed for five days just to read comics?!” An infuriated Hakase started chanting a spell. Flames swirled in his right hand, forming a dark-red orb known as Hellfire. “What are you so mad about?! I worked efficiently for five days, you stupid lizard!” Kiriel retorted. “Then how come you’ve already read a hundred and twelve volumes of Wa Piece?!” “I told you I worked efficiently, you dumbass! I handled all those customers while sneaking in reading time!” Kiriel shouted. Magic condensed in Hakase’s left hand, forming a high-rank spell, Blizzard, compressed to its limit. “How the hell do you read a hundred and ten comics while working?! I’ll kill you!” Do-Jun let out a long sigh.