Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 5 - Regular Customer

There is a difference between the swordsmanship used by regular soldiers who go to war and that used by the guards.

While regular soldiers train in swordsmanship based on close-quarters combat, guards move in two-man teams, so they master cooperative sword techniques.

However, this is the case for ordinary guards.

Jeros was not.

From the very sound of his sword cutting through the air, he was different from the other soldiers.

Shwing.

A quiet and graceful sword, rarely seen in the north.

The Sword Path drawn by that sword flowed concisely and elegantly.

The translucent Sword Qi completely covering the blade was also maintained without breaking.

His form was on a different level from the other soldiers, and it captured everyone's attention.

“Is that person the 'Psycho Jeros'?”

A recently enlisted soldier asked his squad leader.

“Don't mind him. Get involved with him for no reason, and if he finds a weakness, you'll just get extorted for money.”

The squad leader tried his best to look away, but he too was watching Jeros's swordsmanship out of the corner of his eye.

Because it had been a long time since Jeros had revealed his Sword Qi to that extent.

Soon, the rookie asked.

“Even to my untrained eye, he seems extraordinary, so why is someone like that just a mere guard? Not even in the special forces?”

“……Everyone calls him Psycho Jeros now, but he was originally Ruffian Jeros.”

“Ruffian?”

“Yeah. Superiors, criminals, if he didn't like them, he'd beat the shit out of them. He also went around extorting money brazenly.”

“……How did he become Psycho Jeros now?”

“Look at him swing that sword. Do you think the Battalion Commander wanted to leave a guy like that as a simple guard? He even promised him a Company Commander position and tried to promote him to Platoon Leader.”

The Kaischen Duchy of the north, where the logic of power is applied as is, and an unconventional promotion made possible by the state of war.

“But the reason he's still a guard is……?”

“He said he doesn't want to be promoted.”

“Pardon? But can he refuse?”

A command from a superior, by a mere guard?

“On the very day the promotion order came down, Jeros challenged the Battalion Commander to a duel. He said that if he won, to just let him remain a guard.”

The rookie could finally understand.

That the nickname 'Psycho Jeros' wasn't earned for nothing.

“So did they do it? The duel?”

The squad leader answered with silence.

'My god.'

From the Battalion Commander's perspective, he couldn't have avoided a duel with a mere guard.

It would be better to fight and lose, because in the north, simply avoiding a duel would completely shatter a commander's dignity.

He didn't bother asking about the result of the duel.

Since Jeros was still a guard, he could already tell.

“Anyway, don't mind that psycho. Getting involved with him will only be tiring.”

Meanwhile,

Jeros was falling into a trance.

He wondered if he had ever been this immersed while swinging his sword.

That's how full of energy his body was.

'It's different.'

He could feel that his condition was on another level.

As he repeated his sword forms again and again,

'Ah!'

He had reached the stage where his sword and himself were becoming one.

Jeros closed his thin eyes completely and focused even more.

For training,

It was the perfect condition.

……

After Jeros left the shop,

< You have obtained 'Recognition' from a single customer 2 or more times. >

< A new function will be unlocked. >

As the system voice stopped,

“……What is this?”

At the top of the system window, next to [Shop Window], a new tab has appeared.

[Shop Window] [Regular Customer]

I was dumbfounded.

My special privilege ability wasn't just the Shop Window?

I didn't have to look to know how stupid my expression must be right now.

“Hoo.”

With a happy and excited heart, I clicked the tab.

[Regular Customer]

--------(Regular Customer List)--------

< [1] Jeros Silver >

└ Intimacy : 60%

└ Buff Application Rate : Intimacy / 2 = 30%

< [2] >

└ Intimacy : %

└ Buff Application Rate : Intimacy / 2 = %

A new window popped up.

It's not as intuitive as the Shop Window, but with my years of experience playing games, I could understand it.

'It seems the buffs from the Shop Window's food are shared.'

Whenever I was about to freeze to death, I'd eat garlic from the Shop Window and hear the system sound.

—

It seems that buffs like this are applied to general customers, however small,

And for regular customers, they're applied in proportion to their intimacy level.

'But why is my intimacy with Jeros as high as 60%?'

If this were a simple game, I'd worry about how to raise the intimacy to 100%,

But I don't really want to do that.

Because my opponent is the sly and frivolous medieval man, Jeros.

I, for one, had no intention of fully opening my heart to him.

'And besides, raising the intimacy level only benefits Jeros.'

I don't really see any advantage in it.

So, I'll pass on working on my intimacy with Jeros.

“Hmm. I wonder if I can remove this.”

When I casually touched Jeros's name,

< Do you want to delete from the Regular Customer list? (5pt consumed) >

Dammit.

It consumes a whole 5pt.

I wanted to remove him for the sake of a clean list, but I'll put it on hold.

Next, just in case, I pressed the empty slot [2] below Jeros.

< There are no customers who have granted 'Recognition' 2 or more times. >

< Cannot add a regular customer. >

Hmm. Two Recognitions, it says.

It doesn't seem like an easy condition.

Anyway,

It seems to be an ability that provides a small buff to general customers, and allows me to choose who gets a bigger buff.

Come to think of it,

“Buffs…… hmm.”

The only buff I had experienced so far was the body temperature increase from the garlic.

Because until now, the only food from the Shop Window I had consumed properly was garlic.

Therefore, I had expected that the other ingredients from the Shop Window would also give some kind of buff.

'But why was it quiet when I ate the pumpkin soup with sugar and the coarse salt?'

Perhaps because I ate too little?

That makes sense. The coarse salt was just a single grain, and I only had a taste of the pumpkin soup.

“If that's the case, shall I try eating it properly?”

I ladled a full bowl of pumpkin soup and placed it on the sink.

The tables in the hall are for the customers.

A person who works in the kitchen should eat in the kitchen; that's the proper way.

The pumpkin soup that had gone cold while Jeros ate four bowls and I checked the system window.

I took a spoonful of it and put it in my mouth.

“Mm!”

Even though it's cold, it's still delicious.

Rather, a chewy texture was added to the once-smooth soup.

“Yes. This is real food.”

The first proper food I've eaten since coming to this world!

I couldn't stop my spoon.

Just as I was about to empty the bowl, I heard the system sound.

< Concentration rises by a minuscule amount. >

< Vigor rises by a minuscule amount. >

Two buffs came in from the sugar.

The concentration one made sense.

Because when your blood sugar drops, eating something sweet wakes you right up.

But vigor? What is vigor?

It was a buff that wasn't very intuitive.

“Is it something like stamina?”

When I ate garlic, my body temperature rose immediately so I could feel it,

But since it just says 'vigor', I'm not really sure.

“I guess I'll have to exercise a bit to find out.”

As a modern person, I wasn't one to do things like primitive exercise.

But now that I've come to the Middle Ages, I couldn't afford not to.

Because a powerful body is directly linked to survivability.

I don't know when there might be another brawl or knife fight like this morning.

“Huff. Huff.”

I immediately started busting out squats.

10, 20,

And like that, 50 in a row without a break.

Next, push-ups.

Also 50 without a break!

Huh?

Wait a minute.

Me, who almost never exercised,

Is it right that I can do a total of 100 without a break?

Even now, my breathing was only slightly out of order.

Could this be the effect of the buff?

At that moment,

“?! Gasp. Gasp.”

My concentration snapped.

The duration was much shorter than I expected.

Did I exercise for about 3 minutes, no, 5 minutes?

Only then did I recall the system voice I heard when I ate all five cloves of garlic.

—

It seemed I had to consume a certain amount of the Shop Window food for the buff to last long.

“Hmm.”

A certain amount, it says.

Naturally, I thought of Jeros, who had polished off four bowls of pumpkin soup.

I did feed him before the system was unlocked,

but I wonder if this buff was applied to Jeros? The buff extension?

I don't know for sure, but he probably didn't hear the system sound.

If he had, he wouldn't have just stayed quiet like that.

“Hah. Is that what's important now.”

What's important is that I have to eat more of that pumpkin soup to exercise properly.

Damn it.

If it were gukbap, I could down three bowls in a row,

But pumpkin soup is a bit…… much.

No matter how much more delicious it is than Bert's pumpkin soup, a million times over, pumpkin soup is still pumpkin soup.

Because I personally don't like sweet things.

Even so,

“I have to eat it.”

I have to eat, exercise, and build a strong body.

If I can survive, what is there that I can't do?

Let's live. Tenaciously.

'For the sake of survival, let's try building up my body!'

Steeling my resolve, I ladled pumpkin soup into the bowl again.

“Hoo.”

If I eat it with a spoon, I'll feel full, so let's just drink it down refreshingly.

Gulp. Gulp.

< Concentration rises by a minuscule amount. >

< Vigor rises by a minuscule amount. >

One more time. Guzzle!

< Concentration rises by a minuscule amount. >

< Vigor rises by a minuscule amount. >

Dammit.

The buff doesn't extend after just two times in a row.

“Buuurp.”

I was on the verge of burping, but I had to eat.

On top of that, unfortunately, only the last bowl of pumpkin soup was left.

Usually, when I make a pot, I assume it's 15 servings, but since I filled the bowls to the brim, it's already run out.

In effect, each bowl was two servings.

“Hah.”

If the buff still didn't extend after eating this much, I didn't know what I would do.

With this thought, I held back tears and drank down the pumpkin soup,

< Concentration rises by a minuscule amount. >

< Vigor rises by a minuscule amount. >

It worked!

If the condition had been five times in a row like the garlic, I would have been in big trouble, but thankfully, the buff extension occurred on the third bowl.

“Damn it.”

A curse that slipped out without me realizing, from a sense of accomplishment.

Next time, for the buffs, I should make a dessert that has a lot of sugar for its volume.

That way, the buff efficiency relative to fullness will be much better.

'But, I don't know how to make desserts.'

I shook my head vigorously.

This wasn't the time for stray thoughts.

I have to start exercising right now.

'The concentration buff definitely has an effect.'

Seeing as how it's blocking my stray thoughts.

'Anyway, let's begin!'

Wide squats, lunges, pike push-ups, leg raises, etc.

I performed the exercises I had learned during my time in the military.

My body is definitely in a lighter state than before.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

And it's much easier.

It felt like a performance that surpassed my time in the military, which was the prime of my physical life.

'Maybe my Shop Window buff ability is fucking awesome.'

For 30 minutes, I exercised without a break like this, pushing my body to its absolute limit, when a sudden pain struck my heart.

“Huuuuk! Huuuk!!”

It seemed that 'vigor' really was like stamina.

To think my lungs feel like they're about to explode just because the buff wore off.

It's painful. But I'm delighted.

It's also fun.

'This is a sensation I never felt in the modern world.'

It was an athletic ability my previously pathetic body could have never achieved.

The fact that I did it so easily was so enjoyable.

This led me to a thought.

'Couldn't I become strong, for real, like a game character?'

Because this world is a surreal medieval fantasy.

Later on, maybe I'll use auras like the character I raised, and stuff like that?

“……Maybe that's a bit much.”

Seeing as I'm having thoughts like this just because my workout went well, I guess I'm really living it up right after killing Bert.

'Sigh.'

What am I thinking, using auras?

I should only be thinking about surviving.

For now, let's run this shop well and save up money first.

Exercise is a bonus, a bonus.

As I was catching my breath with these stray thoughts, I noticed that it had gotten pitch black outside.

When did it get so late.

“Time for bed.”

Just as I was wiping the sweat with a dry cloth to end the long day,

BANG, BANG.

Someone pounded roughly on the shop door.

“Hey Bert! You in there?! Are you in there or not!”

Followed by a familiar voice.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

“Hey, you son of a bitch! You said you were treating today, and now you're ghosting me?”

Dammit.

I briefly debated whether I should answer or not, but ignoring him completely would be more suspicious.

I quickly hid the kitchen knife in my waistband and walked to the shop door.

Before opening the door, I took a quiet, deep breath.

Creeak.

As I opened the door…

His eyes and mine met.

It was Bert's red-light district mate, Flaco.