By the time Yan finished savoring one roll, the S-rank individuals had already devoured ten rolls each and had moved on to the next dish.
Yan knew that those who use mana tend to eat a lot, but seeing the mountain of rolls disappear so swiftly was astonishing.
Yan picked up a new piece of meat.
When he gently pressed it with a knife, the meat slid off the bone as if it had melted.
As soon as he put it in his mouth, the juices burst with flavor.
The oiliness was just right—not too greasy.
He marveled, how did they remove the excess fat so perfectly while keeping all the juices?
The skin was perfectly crispy, and the seasoning of salt and spices was sublime.
The experience was filled with wonder.
He couldn’t stop himself from using his fork and knife, and he yearned for some wine.
At that moment, Khunak opened the bottle of wine that Yan had brought as a gift.
They passed the bottle around, filling their glasses with the rich, red liquid.
Thankfully, the wine paired exceptionally well with the food.
The wine washed away the meat juices and fat left in the mouth, enhancing the final flavors.
It was so smooth that it brought a smile to their face.
“Yan, this wine is delicious. Thank you for the gift,”
“It’s nothing. I’m the one who should be grateful to enjoy Ms. Doah’s cooking,”
Yan responded with a cheerful tone.
The simple and primal joy of eating something truly delicious filled him with happiness, allowing him to purely enjoy the moment.
“But I’ve heard that Khunak bought a house… and now Ms. Doah is cooking?” he asked, curious.
While eating, Doah explained the situation, from her desire to form a party to aiming for S-rank.
Yan nodded in understanding.
Even the absurd idea of conquering the ‘Shining Spring’ didn’t take away from the taste of the beef stew soaked in wine.
Savoring the melting meat in his mouth, Yan remarked,
“I should thank to Ms. Doah.”
“For what?”
“Because Khunak has a home now,”
Khunak raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing.
“And receiving gifts like this is perfectly fine. After all, Khunak is quite wealthy,”
Doah added with a chuckle.
“But still, this feels a bit excessive. Besides, I’ll eventually return to the Southern Continent, so I prefer to keep things light,”
Yan nodded in agreement at Doah words.
Between the dishes, he didn’t forget to cleanse his palate with more rolls.
When everyone was full, Doah brought out the final course—custard pudding.
“I promised to cook something with sugar, didn’t I? Sugar is expensive, so I could only make this much,” she said, handing out a pudding for each person.
Berry stared at his portion of pudding, then gave it a little poke with a small spoon.
The pudding wobbled back and forth with elasticity. It gave off a sweet and savory aroma.
Berry took a small spoonful and put it in his mouth.
“!!”
The taste was shocking.
It was Berry’s first time tasting sugar, and his first time eating pudding.
The milk and eggs, combined with sugar and heat, had transformed into something entirely new.
It melted in his mouth like cream, with no unpleasant or fishy taste.
The pure sweetness of the sugar had evolved into a completely different flavor within the pudding.
The pudding’s pure, soft sweetness blended perfectly with the slightly bitter caramel sauce that had developed from the heat.
“Meow, meow, meow.”
It was disappointing that the amount was so small. In the blink of an eye, it had disappeared like a dream.
Still dazed, immersed in the taste, Doah asked,
“How was it, everyone?”
Every bowl was empty.
The fact that all that food had vanished was the most honest compliment, but she still wanted to hear it directly.
“It was a meal suitable for an emperor.”
Robern said with an unusually serious expression. Yan nodded in agreement.
“It felt like my brain was shaking from the shock. Did you cook all of this yourself, Miss Doah? If you open a restaurant, you might get kidnapped.”
The taste was that remarkable.
Doah smiled proudly and said,
“So, who’s going to do the dishes, as payment for the meal?”
All four of them raised their hands willingly.
❖ ❖ ❖
They all moved to the drawing room to enjoy tea and coffee.
In the small drawing room, where the windows were wide open, the scents of coffee and tea mingled in the air.
Yan shook his head after hearing Doah’s plan to raise her reputation.
“If it were me, I’d wait a little longer to use that method. May I suggest another approach?”
Doah’s eyes sparkled at his words.
“I should listen carefully if it’s advice from the guild master,” she said, looking at him.
“But I’m not really sure what level you’re at, Miss Doah. Are you capable of clearing a B-rank dungeon on your own?”
Doah blinked.
A B-rank dungeon.
She spoke seriously,
“Honestly, I don’t know how skilled I am yet. I think I’m fairly capable, but I’ve never tackled a dungeon before.”
This time, Yan was the one surprised.
“Never? Are there no dungeons in the Southern Continent?”
“There are, but I only received training from my master.”
“What? Isn’t B-rank supposed to be practical training?”
Robern asked, sounding confused.
“No, I have done some practical work. I’ve fought monsters, but I haven’t had the chance to go to a dungeon yet,”
Doah explained, looking at Yan.
Leaning back slowly, Yan said,
“Of course, building your reputation by fighting other S-rank adventurers isn’t bad. But nothing beats the reputation you build in your primary profession.”
“!!”
Doah nodded vigorously. His words struck deep in her heart.
No matter how much fame is built on scandals, nothing beats excellence in your main profession.
Mastery in one’s field—this single phrase explained it all.
“You’re right. Absolutely right. The guild master is right,”
Doah repeated, nodding enthusiastically.
For an adventurer, it made sense to prove oneself by conquering dungeons.
“But since we don’t know your current abilities…”
“We can at least try the challenge, right?” Doah said, and Yan nodded, though his expression darkened.
“But it could be dangerous. Even more so if you go alone.”
“It’s okay. I’ll figure something out.”
If it came to it, she could always use a branch from the World Tree.
That would reduce the monsters’ ranks by two levels. In a B-rank dungeon, that would bring them down to D-rank.
No problem.
“And I think it’s better to aim big from the start.”
Steady progress and working hard step by step is admirable. It’s a good story, and virtuous.
But what always excites the public is the genius who appears like a comet.
A shining rookie.
People can’t help but be captivated by such a concept.
Doah smiled brightly.
“I’m going to challenge an A-rank dungeon on my own.”
❖ ❖ ❖
An A-rank dungeon.
Among dungeons, this is one of the highest tiers. Although there are S-rank dungeons above it, S-rank dungeons are akin to natural disasters.
They rarely appear, and even when they do, the chances of conquering them are slim.
To conquer a B-rank dungeon, you need an A-rank party, and to conquer an A-rank dungeon, you need a coalition of A-rank parties.
Conquering an A-rank dungeon solo? That’s something only an S-rank adventurer could even attempt.
“Let’s go with a B-rank,”
Yan suggested, his face showing signs of anxiety.
He had originally called for B-rank because he thought that would be the limit.
Even for an A-rank adventurer, conquering a B-rank dungeon solo was rare.
Those who could do it were all famous names—adventurers that anyone would have heard of.
But a B-rank adventurer conquering an A-rank dungeon? That was unheard of.
If Doah succeeded, her name would be etched in history forever.
“It’s fine,” Doah responded.
“Miss Doah,” this time it was Khunak who spoke.
After she began preparing to conquer the dungeon, Yan and Khunak had tried everything they could to dissuade her.
They explained how terrifying the dungeon was, how it was a den of horrors.
Miss Doah, who had never conquered a dungeon before, didn’t know what she was getting into, they said.
But their words didn’t reach her.
Compared to them, Robern had a strange look on his face and muttered,
“I still don’t know.”
“About what?”
“Whether she’s insane or just beyond extraordinary.”
“Well, she’s definitely not crazy, so I guess she’s beyond extraordinary,”
But was an S-rank adventurer saying that just to boast?
Meanwhile, Berry, tense and trembling, stammered,
“Th-then, I-I’ll come as a porter, r-right?”
When Doah replied, “No, Berry, it’s too dangerous this time. I’ll leave you behind,” Berry immediately began to cry.
“But what if you die, Miss Doah?” Berry sobbed.
“What? Why would I die? I won’t. Don’t worry, Berry. I’m strong.”
“But, but…”
Berry cried even louder, and Doah was left sweating, trying to calm him down.
Even as this was happening, preparations were moving forward.
An A-rank dungeon is different in scale from others.
It’s a multi-layered dungeon, meaning it has several floors.
In a maze-type dungeon, the challenge increases even further.
If you unravel a thread, it’s long, but if it’s tangled, it’s very small.
Losing your way inside could cost a lot of time.
That’s why conquering an A-rank dungeon typically takes at least a month.
This is the minimum timeframe, but more often than not, adventurers set aside two to three months, taking their time to come and go as they conquer it.
“I’ve packed the food…”
Doah filled the saddle of Sea King with as much food as possible.
She spent all the remaining money to buy ingredients and prepared an enormous set of solid potions using herbal combinations.
Berry, still sniffling, helped Doah pack her things.
“Miss Doah, you must come back, okay?”
“Of course. In the meantime, make sure to practice your writing, alright? I’ll check when I return,” Doah said with a smile as she patted Berry’s head.
There were about ten A-rank dungeons that had yet to be conquered.
It was a considerable number, depending on how you looked at it.
Doah set out toward the nearest one.
It was a three-day journey from Gran, riding on Sea King back.
Around the dungeon, there were monsters attracted by the dungeon’s aura, which led to a few battles.
The entrance to the dungeon was ordinary, looking just like the mouth of a cave.
‘A cave-type dungeon. Pretty standard,’ Doah thought as she carefully examined her surroundings.
Khunak, who had accompanied her, asked in a nervous voice,
“Are you really not going to change your mind?”
“No, I’m not,” Doah responded calmly.
“Wow, this is fascinating.”
Near the dungeon’s entrance, a glowing red sphere floated in the air.
The Adventurer’s Guild scans the continent every 24 hours. When a new core energy is detected, it is registered according to its grade, and a glowing sphere appears near the dungeon’s entrance.
A red sphere the size of a tennis ball hovered in mid-air.
Doah pulled out her card and held it against the sphere.
Beep
The color of the sphere changed to yellow, indicating that the dungeon was now marked as ‘in progress.’ Every adventurer who enters is logged in real-time by the guild.
“Khunak, you should go back. Go sit and wait in the Adventurer’s Guild, so people won’t get suspicious.”
“Miss Doah,” Khunak said in a low voice.
“If you don’t return after a month, I’m coming in after you.”
“Uh… isn’t the minimum time for conquering this dungeon a month? Let’s say six weeks.”
“… Five weeks. I’ll hold off until then.”
Doah sighed, glancing at the sphere, and thought to herself.
Not all A-rank dungeons are the same, just as not all B-rank dungeons are the same.
If you were to set the standard at 100, some A-rank dungeons would score exactly 100, while some B-rank dungeons might score 99.
This A-rank dungeon was around 105.
It was on the smaller side for an A-rank dungeon.
“Alright.”
Doah nodded and said, “Let’s make it 35 days. You can come in on the 36th day.”
Having set the timing precisely, Doah mounted her seahorse.
“See you later.”
She waved casually as Khunak watched her with a worried expression.
Doah waved one last time before entering the dungeon.
At that moment, the scenery around her changed entirely.
“Wow,” she exclaimed the moment she stepped in.
The air was different. The atmosphere, thick with mana, was entirely unlike the mana-laden air of Rencia.
It gave her a strange feeling. Though she could breathe and move without issue, a small discomfort like this could accumulate and become a problem over time.
“How are you doing, Sea King? You okay?” she asked, patting the creature’s neck. Sea King let out a small grunt in response.
“Good. It looks like a regular cave for now.”
Being an A-rank dungeon, she figured it would go down pretty deep.
The cave was wide and spacious enough for her to ride the seahorse through comfortably.
It seemed true that the higher the dungeon rank, the larger it was in scale.
Splat!
Just then, something large fell from above.
It was a mass of slime secreted by a carnivorous plant.
The size was so great that it covered both Doah and Sea King.
“Ugh, ew, gross… you let your guard down, Kim Doah.”
If not for the protective shield from her ribbon headband, the slime would have landed directly on her face, likely feeling as if acid had been splashed on it.
‘If I didn’t have the shield, I would have died to a plant at the very start?’ she thought, shivering at the idea.
