Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 6 - Hand It Over, Now

For six months, Bert and I were master and slave, nothing more, nothing less.

So, for him to show me any affection, or to talk about his own private matters was extremely rare.

'If anything, he beat me more when he was bored.'

But there was a day, about once a month, when a Bert like that would excitedly chatter at me, and that was the day after he had visited the red-light district.

— Hey, Flaco prepared some amazing girls.

That was the first time I heard it.

The name of Bert's red-light district mate, Flaco.

After that, I naturally came to know about him.

That he was this frontier town's only hunter, and the person who supplied meat to The Fairy's Leg.

Therefore, he was a bastard I couldn't help but see often.

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

BANG, BANG.

He was pounding on the shop door right now.

To think that today was the day the two of them met, about once a month.

'Of all days, on the day I killed Bert.'

I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to respond.

Ignoring him completely would be far more suspicious.

Then Flaco might report it to the guards.

'Dammit.'

If it gets out that Bert is dead, my deal with Jeros is over.

This shop will no longer be mine either.

'For now, let's just send him away somehow.'

I once again hid the kitchen knife in my waistband and approached the door.

Creeak.

Through the crack in the door, Flaco's eyes and mine met.

“……You outsider bastard.”

His sharp, hunter-like eyes stared at me.

“Where's Bert, that son of a bitch? Is this bastard standing me up on the day he promised to treat?!”

He tried to throw the door open and enter, but I instinctively blocked him without realizing.

'Oops.'

For a moment, I realized this action would look suspicious, but my mouth quickly went into damage control.

“My master left at dawn today and hasn't returned.”

I don't know if this statement would establish an alibi, but since my plan was just to send him away somehow from the start, I spouted whatever came to mind.

“What?!”

At that, Flaco's eyes became bloodshot.

“Fuck! So where did he go! Huh?!”

“I wouldn't know…….”

BANG!

Unable to contain his anger, he punched the door hard.

The size of his fist was not that of an ordinary person.

I couldn't even see the trajectory of his fist.

If that fist landed on my head, I'd be knocked out cold, wouldn't I?

“Bert, you son of a bitch!”

BANG, BANG!

Flaco mercilessly slammed his fist into the door, and my body, holding the door, was shaken violently.

BANG!

“Tell Bert this straight. Because of this, my mood is fucking ruined, so my meat deliveries to this shop are over.”

Flaco said, and with that, he spun around.

I was frozen in place, watching his retreating back, when I realized.

'Wait. No more meat deliveries?'

I was already planning to get fresh meat soon because of the gukbap.

But if my relationship with my supplier is broken like this, what will happen to my shop in the future?

In my regret, I couldn't say a word, nor could I close the door, and was just staring at Flaco's back, when—

'!'

Flaco suddenly spun back around, and stared intently at me.

I almost averted my gaze from his intensity without realizing, but I managed to meet it.

A moment later,

Flaco started walking back towards the shop.

Stride, stride.

Dammit. What is it?

Why is he walking back here?

“Hey, you outsider bastard.”

“Yes?”

Flaco's eyes, his excitement having seemingly subsided.

He sniffed the air and looked inside the shop through the crack in the door.

Could the smell of blood still be lingering?

“Have you ever heard of a hunter's intuition?”

I didn't know the exact details, but I could guess what it meant.

Because in , there was a special stat called 'Senses' that could sometimes predict danger.

But when I kept my mouth firmly shut, pretending to know nothing.

“Then again. What would an outsider like you know, but my long-honed hunter's intuition is telling me right now.”

“……”

“That you, right now, are lying.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his foot lifted, and…

KRAAANG!

My vision spun and my body went rolling.

It seemed Flaco had sent me flying by kicking the door in.

“Keuk.”

It was so strong that the taste of blood rose up in my mouth.

“Bert, you son of a bitch! I know you're in there! Get out here now!!”

Huffin and puffing, Flaco climbed the stairs to the second floor, to Bert's room.

I pushed myself up from the floor and calculated.

It was a monstrous strength that defied the common sense of a modern person.

'He's a guy who uses mana, at the very least.'

As expected of a hunter in a frontier town, he's no ordinary person.

Meaning, he's not someone I can deal with haphazardly like Bert.

If that's the case,

'If force won't work, I have to handle it with diplomacy.'

I immediately went into the kitchen and reached for the cupboard.

The coin pouch I had set aside while cleaning Bert's room.

'It's a good thing I took it out beforehand.'

I immediately took it, went up the stairs, and shouted.

“Flaco! I will confess everything!”

Flaco, who had been pounding on the door of the former Bert's room, now my room, and spewing curses, stopped and looked at me.

And I immediately bowed my head deeply and offered the pouch with both hands.

“Actually, as my master was leaving, he asked me to give this to you, Flaco. As a sign of his apology.”

“……”

Jingle.

I heard the sound of him snatching the money pouch.

When I cautiously raised my head, I saw Flaco counting the copper coins.

'He said one prostitute costs 10 to 20 copper coins.'

It was not a small amount of money to give away, but it should be enough to calm him down and send him on his way.

Flaco, having finished counting the copper coins, grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.

“That's more like it. That bastard Bert can't ignore me.”

“Then, you'll continue the meat deliveries to the shop as before, right?”

“……Yeah. It's not like Bert and I have only known each other for a day or two.”

What a relief.

I could now get meat deliveries, and the atmosphere was such that the bastard seemed like he would return home quietly.

Is this over?

“But, that's that, you outsider bastard.”

“Yes?”

“Shouldn't you be punished for daring to try and pocket my money?”

The corners of Flaco's mouth lifted into a malicious smile.

Damn it. These goddamn medieval bastards.

“Grit your teeth. For Bert's sake, I won't kill you.”

Flaco's fist slowly clenched.

'I can't let that hit my head!'

I quickly raised a guard in front of my face with both arms—

WHAM.

“!”

I saw the ceiling.

Am I flying right now?

But where did I get hit?

I don't know. Because I didn't see it.

Thud.

I landed on my back and sprawled out on the floor, but,

I can't stay like this.

I struggled to somehow get up.

“Keuheuk.”

I couldn't muster any strength.

Through my blurring vision, Flaco's face and his intrigued expression came into view.

“You can even react, and you're not even knocked out? You can take a punch just like I heard! There was a reason Bert kept you alive for so long……”

Unfortunately, I didn't hear the rest.

……

“!”

I woke up, startled by the cold.

'I'm not dead!'

To think I'd be grateful for not dying after getting my ass kicked.

Fortunately, it seems he didn't use mana in his fist.

As I sat up, I first checked to see if my teeth were still properly in place.

Luckily, the feeling in my face is still there–

“Keuk.”

As the pain washed over me, I realized where Flaco had hit me.

The solar plexus.

When I opened my clothes, a bright red fist mark remained.

I belatedly felt a sensation of my guts twisting, but I couldn't just lie still.

“Damn it.”

I stood up to go to my room, where the bed and blankets were waiting.

But perhaps because I took a solid hit to the stomach.

My legs were trembling.

So this is why boxers aim for the abdomen. I'm learning something new again.

Flop.

I lay on the bed and covered myself with the thick blanket.

After a short while like that, warmth began to rise.

It was so cozy.

Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes.

To be lying in a bed for the first time in the six months since I fell into this world.

Compared to modern ones, the bed and blanket were endlessly shabby, but I was so grateful that it wasn't the stone floor of the kitchen.

And more than anything–

'I'm still alive.'

I was grateful that I hadn't died.

One way or another, hadn't I overcome the crises that befell me today?

I was almost killed by Bert.

I killed Bert.

Buried his corpse.

Someone else's shop became my shop.

Unlocked a new system.

Sent Flaco away with money.

'And got knocked out.'

It was too eventful for the happenings of a single day, but regardless, I had survived.

At the same time, I realized.

'It can't go on like this.'

In the case of large taverns or inns, they sometimes hired adventurers or mercenaries to prepare for brawls.

Even if Bert had friends like Jeros and Flaco, who he paid off,

'I have nothing.'

In fact, I might even be killed by Jeros and Flaco.

I was so excited about getting my own shop that I almost overlooked it.

In a way, I remembered something more important than running the shop.

'I have to get stronger.'

Because in this world, martial power is survivability.

Therefore, I have to receive buffs through the Shop Window's food like I did today,

And build up my physical strength through exercise first.

'And if I get the chance, I need to learn about mana too.'

Although, it remains to be seen if such a chance will arise.

Furthermore, I had to constantly research how to utilize the food buffs from the Shop Window.

And,

'I have to open the shop from tomorrow.'

Getting the shop in order was just for today.

From tomorrow, I had to properly serve customers.

In that case, I should slowly get to sleep, and I am getting sleepy…… but.

'Come to think of it, how did that bastard Bert wake up at dawn?'

I woke up in the kitchen as dawn broke because of the ventilation window,

But northern-style bedrooms don't have windows, so there's no light at…… all.

Wait,

By the way, the shop door……

Did I lock……

……it?

Immediately after, my consciousness was cut off by a wave of drowsiness that crashed over me like a tsunami.

……

“?”

It had been a long time.

Since I'd woken up from sleep feeling refreshed.

At the same time, the worries I had as I was falling asleep also came to mind.

'What time is it? The shop door?!'

I kicked off the blankets and left the room.

The light flowing in from the kitchen was faint.

It seemed like dawn was just breaking.

I figured out the secret to how Bert could wake up at dawn without an alarm.

It was his biological clock and habit.

So your eyes just open on their own.

“……Phew.”

Anyway, as expected of the crack of dawn, it was cold.

I went back into the room, put on my coat, and looked around the shop.

Fortunately, the fixtures and furniture were all as they were.

It didn't seem like a petty thief had broken in during the night.

If that's the case, now,

'I need to prepare to open.'

It became much warmer once I lit the fire for cooking.

Next, I began to cook the pumpkin soup according to my recipe.

Tap, tap, tap.

Bubble, bubble.

Even though I had cooked it once before, I put in all my effort just like yesterday.

Lastly, I bought sugar from the Shop Window.

'Let's not be stingy with the points. If you're stingy, you'll be ruined.'

And finished it by adding the sugar.

Ian-style pumpkin soup!

“……”

But there were no customers.

Since the place was originally known as a cheap diner, tavern, and inn, and usually had few customers anyway.

'It was fine when this was someone else's shop, but now that it's my shop, it's frustrating.'

This was the Middle Ages, with no promotional tools like SNS or flyers.

If that's the case, is there really only one way?

'Rebranding.'

I should probably change the shop's name and sign quickly.

I spent the morning like that without a single customer, and just as I was about to open the Shop Window out of boredom,

Creeak.

The shop door opened and the familiar regular customer appeared.

It was Jeros.

“You're here……?”

My words trailed off without me realizing.

Because Jeros, who usually came alone, had brought someone else with him.

“Ian! Say hello. This is Guard Squad Leader Ralph.”

Wow, a person's chin can stick out that much.

I bowed my head in greeting without a word and observed Squad Leader Ralph's complexion.

“Jeros. I told you I hate…… the pumpkin soup here. It really doesn't suit my palate.”

“Chief! Don't be like that. When have I ever asked you to eat with me? Heh heh.”

It seemed Jeros had dragged him here by force.

Just as expected of Money-parrot Jeros.

Since the shop's profits fall to him, it seems he's trying to drag people here.

Hmm. It wasn't bad.

Because touting for customers is also a proper means of promotion.

'Though it seems closer to a threat than touting.'

What do I care.

This is a world where force works better than the law.

Jeros forcibly sat the Squad Leader and two other guards down and said,

“Bring that stuff from yesterday.”

I quickly brought over the pumpkin soup.

“Enjoy your meal.”

The first time I've said that since crossing over to this world.

The difference between my shop and someone else's shop was this big.

Thump, thump.

But the expressions of the others, excluding Jeros, grew darker.

“What is this, Jeros? This thing that looks like orc diarrhea.”

The Squad Leader, and Jeros too.

I wonder if they've actually seen orc diarrhea to be saying things like that.

“Chief.”

“Yeah?”

“Just shut up and eat.”

Jeros immediately started spooning it up, and soon began to lift the bowl and drink from it.

Gulp. Gulp.

I couldn't tell if he was drinking soup, or chugging an energy drink in the summer.

But the expressions of the others, excluding Jeros, grew darker.

“Kuh. Ian! Another bowl!”

I silently took the empty bowl he handed me and was about to go into the kitchen, when…

“Hmm!?”

A guard who had eaten one spoonful shot up from his seat and stared at the soup.

His two eyeballs wide as if they were about to pop out.

“What's wrong, Loos.”

The Squad Leader asked as if concerned, but the guard named Loos muttered as if in disbelief.

“I-It's delicious. No, this is the first time I've ever tasted something like this in my life. What on earth is this?”

Loos sat back down and started using his spoon.

Hastily.

Soon, he too began to lift the bowl and drink from it like Jeros.

It's not just my imagination that it looks like tears are welling up in his eyes, is it?

“Hey, Ian! Bring me my pumpkin soup, quick! Don't just stand there staring blankly.”

Jeros's roar, interrupting me as I was trying to watch the customers' reactions.

Hmm, still, I don't feel bad.

“Yes, just a moment!”

I immediately went into the kitchen, ladled the pumpkin soup, and came out.

Slurp slurp.

Slurp. Gulp gulp.

The three men, excluding Jeros, were sucking down the pumpkin soup like crazy.

“Hey, Ian! Out with it, quick!”

Yes.

Until this moment, I didn't know.

That this collapsing, shabby inn,

would become the number one mess hall in the northern frontier town of Granpn.