The Fighting Dog of a Ruined Organization

Goblin belly steak.

It means they cut and grill the bulging belly of that big-nosed bastard.

Why does such a bizarre food exist? Is Choi Ji-a perhaps an expert in British cuisine?

No, no. Even British cuisine experts would pass on this food, saying “This is a bit…”. Unless my common sense is wrong, there shouldn’t be humans who eat goblins.

Why? Because even though this world lacks fundamentals, it’s still a world where normal things like sirloin steak exist. Why would you make steak from goblin belly when there’s perfectly good beef available?

“Oh, a glass of makgeolli has arrived just in time to drink with the steak.”

“Has your head gone crazy? It’s not enough that it’s goblin belly steak, but why is it makgeolli instead of wine?”

What kind of combination is steak and makgeolli? I was trying to hold back, but this has crossed the line too much.

“I can’t even eat the goblin belly because it reminds me of their big noses, and now the drink is makgeolli? Do you think makgeolli goes well with steak?”

“Oh my, it seems Hero Woo Hyeon-woo doesn’t know because he’s never eaten such high-class food.”

“I don’t know because I’ve never eaten it?”

Is this what they call gaslighting or something? Is she fucking showing off that I’m an idiot and she’s some amazing noble?

“Yes, speaking of this makgeolli, you could say it’s 72-year-old aged makgeolli recognized by makgeolli sommeliers. Even the current king, Levinas XVI, enjoys drinking it.”

They said it was the Vermilion Bird Guild, but they’re clearly trying to trick my common sense. If I don’t leave this crazy place right now, I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.

“Excuse me, but let’s have the meal another time. I have a cute little sister waiting for me at home.”

“Oh my, if that’s the case, I must let you go. Next time, when you have the chance, we must definitely have a meal together.”

Choi Ji-a handed me a business card with her phone number on it. Is it this easy to get the phone number of the Vermilion Bird Guild master?

“Yes, then have a pleasant time.”

As I was about to leave with greetings, Choi Ji-a also stood up. Her fake breasts that didn’t jiggle at all were very annoying.

Normally, I would have just let it go, but since she tried to trick my common sense so much, I can’t let the vermilion bird job slide.

“And Ms. Choi Ji-a, please put an appropriate amount of padding in your chest. It’s too obvious that it’s fake.”

“Wha, what?!”

The face of Choi Ji-a, who seemed like she would be completely closed off, turned bright red. What? She can make such a face? It’s quite cute.

“Y-yes, yes…”

She even speaks formally now after speaking informally from beginning to end. Why is she suddenly acting like this? Was she that embarrassed about her vermilion bird job being exposed?

It’s stupid to think it wouldn’t be noticed.

After leaving the Vermilion Bird Guild like that, I regretted blurting it out without holding back because I was too upset.

It would have been good to have a conversation with the master to find out what kind of organization the Vermilion Bird Guild is. If they’re bad people, I could definitely deal with them later.

“No, no.”

They’re bad people from the moment they tried to feed me goblin belly steak and 72-year-old aged makgeolli or whatever.

But there might be retaliation, so I need to assess the situation. On my way home, I carefully muttered.

“Situation Observation, observation target─Choi Ji-a.”

Then I could see Choi Ji-a.

Huh, huh? Why is she crying?

“Why… does my chest hurt…?”

Choi Ji-a was placing her hand on her chest and shedding tears. Why is she acting like this?

“What’s the matter?”

The door opened and a woman presumed to be Choi Ji-a’s secretary entered. The secretary’s eyes widened in shock seeing Choi Ji-a crying.

“The Master is crying… Is this a sign that the world is about to end!”

Certainly, it would be scary if someone with a combat power of 80,000 is crying. I admit that.

“Master! What’s wrong? Why are you crying!”

“Secretary, it seems that at my age of 29, I’ve fallen in love for the first time…”

“What?!”

What did she say?

“Actually, I’ve been concerned about that person from the start. I tried hard to give lectures pretending not to care, but my eyes kept going to that person.”

“By ‘that person’, do you mean Mr. Woo Hyeon-woo?”

“That’s right. Why did that person participate so confidently in the goblin extermination party despite being incompetent? Usually, most people come to get some cores, but looking at his appearance, I thought he was completely different.”

“Certainly. If Mr. Woo Hyeon-woo hadn’t been there, this party would have been annihilated.”

“So when I received the report from Hunter Baek Ji-hwan, my heart was pounding… My thoughts were correct. That person had deliberately hidden his strength out of modesty!”

That’s not it.

“So I found myself requesting a meal without realizing it. But he seemed confused, as if he was eating goblin belly steak and makgeolli for the first time…”

Who would have eaten such things before, you bastard.

“Certainly. Such high-class food would surprise someone seeing it for the first time. It would be burdensome too.”

It was burdensome in a different sense!

“In the end, Hero Woo Hyeon-woo left. Saying we’ll have the meal next time…”

“How rude! To dare reject the Master’s meal and leave, he has no manners at all!”

Ah, yeah. It was rude, that’s true. I have nothing to say to that.

“No, secretary. Don’t say such things. That person was truly a warm-hearted individual…”

What nonsense is this now? Are you perhaps a masochist?

“First of all, he was a caring older brother who had to hurry for his little sister.”

Actually, she’s not my little sister but my boss. A boss who’s like a daughter.

“Moreover, he knew from the start that my breasts were fake. But he didn’t point it out and kept quiet. Then, before leaving, he carefully let me know.”

That was careful?
In what way was that careful?

“Something close to advice, like saying it’s obvious they’re fake so put in a little less next time. But I was so ashamed of being found out that I blushed and broke etiquette.”

Choi Ji-a twisted her body and blushed.

“Secretary, is this the emotion called love? Having only hunted monsters for 29 years of my life, it’s unfamiliar as it’s my first time.”

29 years of life? Then it doesn’t seem like the previous master possessed her. There’s no need to act in front of the secretary.

“That’s right! For the Master to fall in love, I’m moved. I’ll do my best to make sure you and Hero Woo Hyeon-woo end up together!”

I have no intention of ending up with her, what nonsense is this?

“I-if I become like that with Hero Woo Hyeon-woo, I won’t have to hear the other masters call me an old maid anymore, right?”

“That’s right! Let’s definitely escape being an old maid!”

“S-secretary, were you an old maid too?”

“I’ve been single for 31 years…”

“Oh my, you were in a more urgent situation than me.”

“No! Still, the Master should be the priority!”

“I’m glad to have you as my secretary…”

“For the next meal, let’s have a commoner’s ox head soup!”

“That’s an excellent idea!”

If it’s ox head soup, I’d be thankful actually.

Just because old maids are encouraging each other doesn’t mean I have any reason to marry them. And with Choi Ji-a’s looks and abilities, she could easily get married if she wanted, but she’s not doing it because she’s too busy hunting monsters.

Why, are you, acting like this towards me?

“Hero Woo Hyeon-woo, the prince on a white horse of my life!”

Moreover, since she’s a possessed person, her inside is probably a dark man, so why is she acting like this?

I’d rather marry Eris than Choi Ji-a. At least Eris is cute. And there’s not much age difference between us.

Choi Ji-a is more than a decade older than me.

12 years difference? I respectfully decline.

“Well, I guess I don’t have to worry about retaliation.”

Still, I think it’s fortunate. If someone with 80,000 combat power started obsessing with malicious intent, it would have been a cosmic horror story.

“I’m home, Eris.”

When I opened the door after returning home, something jumped out and hugged me tightly. Looking down, I saw white hair. It was Eris.

“…I missed you.”

“You missed me?”

“Yes, I was so worried…”

“Why were you worried? Fantasy doesn’t die, you know.”

At those words, Eris looked up. Her red eyes, brimming with tears, were glistening.

“I’m glad… hic! You’re alive… hic!”

“Don’t cry, Miss Boss. You should show a boss-like dignity.”

At those words, Eris seemed to come to her senses. She broke away from my arms and proudly exclaimed.

“Right, I’m the boss! Hyeonu did very well! You brought me the goblin shaman’s skull for me! Kihihi…”

“That’s not a boss, that’s a third-rate villain from an evil organization.”

“I-is that so? Then what should I do…”

“Try to study it well. A boss should be able to do at least that much, right?”

“Okay! Hehe…”

Eris smiled innocently, so I patted her head. It feels like the Eris who comforted and patted me until yesterday has disappeared far into a dream.

But who cares? People have times like this and times like that.

“By the way, Yu Jin-ri, take a look at this. I brought all the ingredients you asked for.”

Saying that, I showed her the goblin shaman’s head, and Yu Jin-ri was shocked and immediately shouted.

“G-g-g-great discovery─!”

“What’s a great discovery?”

“That feather, it’s a phoenix feather! An ultra-ultra-ultra rare item whose value can’t be measured in money!”

What Yu Jin-ri pointed at was the orange feather that the goblin shaman had stuck in his head.

“I’ll start researching right away. Give it to me quickly!”

This, I might have gained a bigger profit than I thought?