184. Cream Bun Chef (4)
First.
Let’s see what kind of abilities Lamba gained.
Baek Jinwoo opened the status window for the first time in a while.
[Summoned Creature: Wind Fairy]
[Race: Fairy]
[Rank: EX-rank (Isolated)]
Isolated after being found to contain balance-breaking elements in certain situations.
[Level: 56]
[Owned Stats]
Strength: 30, Intelligence: 798, Stamina: 20, Agility: 858
HP: 6,500, MP: 5,500
Critical Hit Chance: 20%
Critical Hit Damage: 20%
[Owned Skills]
- Wind Pressure: Every time the staff is swung, the attack speed of a single target summoned creature is increased by 3%.
- Memories of Cream Buns: If the corresponding cream bun is eaten, the effect of 'Wind Pressure' doubles for 1 hour.
“Krrgh.”
The stats were just plain broken.
This was the effect of slathering even polish all over an endgame rune!
And on top of that.
A bizarre skill called Memories of Cream Buns had appeared.
If the Wind Pressure effect doubled......
That meant attack speed went up by 6% every time it was swung.
'The warm-up time should get a bit faster from now on.'
But there was one problem.
To use that effect, it meant they would have to keep eating those cream buns from now on as well......
Would they have to keep employing that woman, Marisa?
Or would just getting the recipe be enough?
That part could be tested later.
Paaang, paaaang!
With a celebratory fanfare for passing, the cream bun contest came to an end.
“M-me? I passed? Really?”
Marisa’s face flushed red.
She also covered her mouth with both hands, wearing an expression of utter disbelief.
The other chefs had no choice but to turn away with disappointed looks.
Of course.
A huge number of chefs from Portugal rushed toward Marisa all at once.
“Marisa! You did it!”
“How on earth did you do it?!”
“I-I just...... did it the way I always sold them.”
“Teach us too! At least let us taste it!”
“A p-passing contestant came from our country!”
They all congratulated her together.
Soon after.
There was an award ceremony.
It was not done on some grand scale, and instead Baek Jinwoo and Yoo Jia held individual interviews.
“Marisa.”
Yoo Jia smiled brightly.
“Congratulations. You really made an outstanding cream bun.”
“Oh, it was nothing. I was just lucky. I only made the bread I make every day.”
“First.”
Yoo Jia touched the documents on the table.
“Do you have any intention of officially joining our SKY Guild? If you do, as announced, you’ll receive a fixed annual salary of 100 billion won, and all of SKY Guild’s welfare benefits will apply to you—”
Because of Baek Jinwoo’s effect, the value of the Korean won had risen tremendously.
It was not yet at the level of a key global currency, but it would still be easy enough to exchange.
“Uaaah.”
Marisa hesitated.
“...The thing is, I have to run the shop.”
That was actually what had been giving her the biggest headache.
If she gave up on being hired?
It would end with the 100 billion won prize money.
There would be no welfare benefits either.
It was definitely more advantageous to join, but Lisbon held memories of her grandmother.
That was what weighed on Marisa the most.
“Do I need to give you an answer right away?”
“No, you may think it over as much as you need.”
Yoo Jia smiled leisurely.
In contrast.
'Hmm….'
Baek Jinwoo was getting a little anxious.
'She absolutely can’t leave......'
Then there would have been no point in unlocking Lamba’s latent ability.
Before coming here.
Just in case, he had called in Yoobaek’s dedicated chef.
He had the chef use the ingredients right there on the counter and recreate it exactly as they had just seen.
Swish, swish!
It was made quickly and eaten, but.
—Mmm, it tastes good...... It’s similar, but this isn’t it.
Lamba shook her head sharply from side to side.
For some reason, it seemed that girl named Marisa had something special about her.
* * *
At that same time, in Portugal.
“S-she passed?”
The president heard the news.
It still had not been officially posted on SKY’s homepage, but the agents who had gone there informed him first.
“Uahahahaha! Really? We passed! Kuhahaha!”
The president sprang up from his seat with a face full of ecstasy.
“Huaaah!”
Inside the room.
Someone let out a sigh of relief.
“Is that true? Who! Who on earth passed?!”
And others bombarded them with delighted questions.
“Her name is Marisa Soares! She’s 17, and apparently her skill was incredible.”
“Wow, how can a 17-year-old do that?!”
To explain just how amazing this was.
Craftsmen from all over the world had gathered. And out of all those people, only one could be selected.
They had definitely thought it would not be easy, but she had done it anyway.
“Uahahahaha!”
The president, the prime minister, high-ranking government officials.
They all started hugging each other and jumping around in excitement.
In the difficult situation Portugal was going through, this news was like rain after a drought.
“Marisa will save us!”
“That’s right! Once she joins SKY, the support and strength she receives will not simply belong to her alone. Baek Jinwoo, that man, is said to treat SKY Guild members like family, isn’t he?”
“Exactly. If family is facing a serious crisis, surely he wouldn’t just ignore it, would he?”
Present-day Portugal was overflowing with dungeons.
And that was not all.
In several regions, dungeon breaks had occurred so severely that a few cities had already been abandoned.
There was no helping it.
Portugal’s population was roughly 10 million.
It was a country with no Player Zone.
Naturally, compared to other nations, it had fewer skilled players, and as dungeons sprang up everywhere, the situation had become impossible to manage.
Hiring mercenaries every time was one thing or two.
If it continued any longer, the national treasury would be drained dry.
Things were so bad that some were even saying the country should just give up on continuing to exist.
“Marisa is a national hero.”
“That’s right! She should be given treatment worthy of that.”
“Prepare a national medal of honor immediately!”
Just as they were reveling in excitement.
“M-Mr. President!”
One of the officials, apparently having received some kind of message, came running in with a deathly pale face.
“What.”
“What happened?!”
And then.
“W-well...... it seems Marisa is going to reject SKY’s offer.”
“What?!”
“W-what did you say?!”
Everyone’s faces went pale.
No!
After pouring in every possible support and fairy assistance to get her into the contest, and just when they thought they were finally seeing some hope, what?
Rejecting the offer?
“Why?!”
“Why on earth?!”
“No, why would she turn down such an amazing opportunity?!”
Gulp.
The official holding the phone trembled violently.
“She says...... she has to keep running the shop her grandmother used to run in Lisbon.”
“This is insane!”
Foam practically flew from the president’s mouth.
“T-that’s worth abandoning the people for?! A-at once. Contact her! Make contact at once!”
“Directly with Marisa?”
“Yes! Tear off the land and the shop itself and send them to Korea if you have to, but make sure she can never return to Portugal!”
“......!”
Portugal’s fate was hanging in the balance.
It might be a bit harsh......
But whether that meant denying her entry or doing something else.
They absolutely had to make sure she would never slip out of SKY’s embrace.
* * *
The next day.
Marisa Soares came to see him.
Not Yoo Jia, but Baek Jinwoo, who was at the training grounds.
“Hm?”
The moment Baek Jinwoo spotted her, he immediately summoned the Interpreter Bird.
“What is it?”
“Well, um......”
She scratched her head with a look that said, Should I really say this?
Looking at Marisa, she definitely had that kind of medieval country girl vibe.
She just looked pure-hearted.
'Girls like this usually have something more important than money.'
In short, her grandmother.
Even now, wasn’t she worrying about having to protect that shop?
“You can say anything comfortably.”
Baek Jinwoo tried his best to soften his expression.
He even forced a smiling look with his eyes, something he normally never did.
Right now, she was the boss, the boss!
“Umm, if I join SKY, would it be possible for me to ask for help instead of a salary as a condition?”
In truth.
Marisa had spoken with the president yesterday.
Hearing his desperate voice, she had been persuaded almost immediately.
Her grandmother’s shop was important, but the neighbors in her hometown were just as important.
They were suffering.
How could she only insist on her own desires?
“Our country is suffering terribly because of dungeon breaks. Since we don’t have enough skilled players, it’s hard even to stop them as it is. I heard many people in my hometown are exposed to danger every single day. It may be an excessive request, but if I work for SKY as my reward...... could you please clean up Portugal’s dungeons just once?”
Heh, heheh.
Baek Jinwoo laughed inwardly.
What a tender-hearted girl.
For someone so young, the way she thought was truly mature.
“Of course I’ll do that for you.”
This.
Of course he had to do it.
Actually, it was even better this way.
Wasn’t this exactly the kind of thing his Explosive Dragon would build stacks on?
“R-really?”
Marisa was genuinely delighted.
Truthfully, she had felt burdened asking.
Wasn’t he the world’s number one ranker, the strongest person in the world?
A person who could do anything if he set his mind to it.
“But I have conditions too.”
“Yes, please tell me!”
“You’re taking the salary. Our guild isn’t so broke that we need to accept free labor.”
“Ah......”
“And you said you want to carry on your grandmother’s shop, right?”
“......Yes.”
“I’ll help with that too.”
“What?”
Marisa jolted in surprise.
How was he supposed to help with that?
“I’ll make it possible for you to sell it worldwide under the same brand name you used before. Your grandmother’s outstanding skill...... it would be even better if people all over the world knew about it instead of it being limited to Lisbon, right?”
Whether it was Lamba Cream Buns or Fairy Cream Buns.
He would give them a name and open chain stores all over the world!
Of course, that brand would have to go under one of Yoobaek’s subsidiaries.
“R-really?”
“Of course.”
Marisa stared at Baek Jinwoo with an expression of disbelief.
How could the world’s number one ranker have such outstanding character?
Rather than her heart pounding from joy, tears welled up in her eyes.
'Yes, if it’s this person......'
Marisa nodded.
Her grandmother would have liked him too.
She probably would have smacked her on the back and said, You absolutely have to go with him!
“Then...... I would be happier than I could ever say......”
It was the voice of someone so overwhelmed she did not know what to do.
When you are truly too grateful, you cannot even express joy properly.
You just become restless.
“Good.”
Baek Jinwoo smiled.
Of course, inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief.
‘I’m glad it worked out.’
“Please take good care of us from now on.”
He held out his hand.
And she carefully took it with her trembling hand.
* * *
The news broke.
It was breaking news all over the world.
[Cream Bun Contest, the competition with the largest number of participants in the world! Guinness world record.]
[A cream bun contest that lasted a full two weeks! The winner? A girl from Lisbon!]
[The winner of the cream bun lottery is a Portuguese chef!]
[Marisa Soares to join SKY! The people of Portugal erupt in celebration!]
What a strange thing.
She had merely joined SKY as a chef, yet they were that happy.
Then again.
Our country used to be like that too.
When a UN Secretary-General appeared, the whole nation used to feel proud.
That must be how high SKY’s status had risen.
“Everyone, gather up.”
For the first time in a while, Baek Jinwoo called together every guild member.
“You’ve all been so busy training that you haven’t had much chance to level up your summoned creatures, right? And since we’ve also recruited some new summoned creatures this time...... we’re doing a full month of field training.”
The destination?
Naturally, Portugal.
He intended to wipe out every last dungeon there.
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