Chapter 24 : Main Quest Madness #3 - No Kidding, I’m an Extra

"It's really troubling, honestly." As he sorted through the meal tickets, he realized there were a whopping 50 of them. Leona, this girl, must have spent 1,500,000 won right then and there just because she saw a kid supposedly skipping meals? How many gambling debts would that have paid off? What a tremendously generous archangel. "Wow." But truly, as the young noble from a prestigious European lineage, she certainly did have grand gestures. To donate such a large sum immediately—praise to the Kainos family. Didn't they say it's a family belonging to 'Mister Dominators,' a powerful awakened group ruling Europe? I’m not quite sure what exactly they do, but they must be a good group. Definitely. My fondness for Europe is skyrocketing. The Europe that produced Leona must be a beautiful place. From today onwards, I won't stop singing about Leona’s kind heart. I should even write lyrics and compose a song to send her every night. "Meal tickets..." They're warm. Holding them makes me feel the warmth of Leona's kind heart. This warmth, yes. It feels like the minus 40-degree experience during outdoor extreme cold training for four nights and five days, akin to the combined warmth of eight heat packs inside a sleeping bag. I need to return them. Well, refusing all of them would be impolite to Leona’s feelings, so I’ll accept the one I was originally meant to receive along with another, considering her kindness. Altogether, I should keep two and return the rest. "Heh heh heh." Ah, shit, but receiving it nonetheless makes me feel good. Anyway, break time is over. He immediately went back to the field. "Geun Cheol-ah? What happened with Leona?" "Oh, Si Hoo." When he arrived, Si Hoo, seeing him, came over and asked. "Leona was running alone... She seemed like she was crying. What on earth happened?" Si Hoo asked with a peculiar expression, staring at him. "Well, look at this." "Huh?" He directly showed him the stack of meal tickets. "M-meal tickets?! What is all that?!" “Well, you know Leona, that angelic girl, she called me a kid without meals and handed them over. I was utterly shocked." "She gave you all that?!" "Yeah. But it’s way too much. I need to return it. Where’s Leona? Ah, there she is." Looking over, he saw Leona, arms crossed and head turned away. Did she see him and turn away, not wanting to show her tears? Angelic tears... Angel tears are precious indeed. He approached her, tapping lightly on the stack. "Hey. Archangel. Take this back." "I don't care! Go away! You kid without meals! Go find somewhere to eat without showing up in my sight!" Such a tsundere! "But hey, this is too much. I appreciate the thought, but it's not right to accept so much. Yet, I can’t refuse all of your kindness, so I'll take one. Thank you. Take the rest back." Thanking her, he waved the stack of tickets. "Just shut up and use it to buy food...! Ugh! This incomprehensible orphan boy, where do you get off rejecting my goodwill?! Unacceptable! Hmph! Get lost!" "Hey, you!" As she shouted those words, Leona slid her hand behind her neck, let her hair fall dramatically, then clicked her heels as she ran away, avoiding him again. "Taking this makes me more uncomfortable, you idiot!" "Kim Geun Cheol! Is this really the time for you to complain about being uncomfortable? Focus on filling your hungry stomach first! You malnourished Geun Cheol!!!" Who does she think she’s calling a pauper?! Though it's true! "What’s with this saint-like girl...!" Seriously, I've never met someone like this before! Ah, what should I even do! I'm really stuck not being able to return these! "Time for class! Kim Geun Cheol and Leona! Enough romantic antics; get back to your spots!" "Who said I'm dating this hungry monster?!" "It's impossible for my feelings to reach Angel Leona, instructor! It’s tragic! Compared to me, she is far too pure and virtuous!" "Stop talking nonsense... Kim Geun Cheol." There's nothing I can do but release this burning heart through training! *** And so, as the class ended and lunchtime came around, despite the meal ticket incident, he decided to keep them unused until he could return them. "Now's the time to enjoy the buffet, Si Hoo!" "Geun Cheol, your voice is way too loud...!" "Let's go eat!" "Please, speak quietly, Geun Cheol!" "Do I look like someone who can speak quietly right now? We’re going to a 30,000-won buffet. Are you serious? Do you even understand human feelings?" They say a king does not understand human emotions, and Si Hoo is exactly like that. "That’s not something a human would do... Are you even human? You faculty reject. Aren't you one of those parasitic aliens from the faculty?" "When will you stop with the ridiculous statements!" "Anyway, let’s hurry. Damn it, if we don’t move fast, all the ravenous ones will devour everything in the buffet." For today, he had a light breakfast. He absolutely wouldn’t let this opportunity pass. "Let’s go, Si Hoo. Today, I’ll guide us." "I already know the way without your guidance." "But there’s a thing called mood, you know? The mood." With that, he dragged Si Hoo across the dream bridge. Every step towards the buffet felt like crossing a legendary bridge from tales. The place they arrived at, then was. "The palace. I opened the gates of the palace." "Please stop the narration already...!" "As soon as I opened it, what I felt was honestly overwhelming despair." "Why despair now?!" "It's that." In this world. "The despair of realizing such a world just now. Had I been living all this time without knowing of such a place?" But beyond despair lies hope. Because all the food in this buffet was entirely mine. —Clunk. He immediately grabbed a plate and got in line. "Geun Cheol?!" —Line up. "Tears were already flowing." "Stop crying while narrating...! Hoo, he's! I can't hold back my laughter any longer!" "Ha, this guy. Seriously doesn't understand romance." Of course, What needed my attention wasn't Si Hoo. It was the array of food before me. "Braised pork. Sweet and sour pork. Fish-flavored shredded meat. Did they start with Chinese cuisine? The aroma and colors are perfect. It even seems freshly made." "They say it's principle to cook everything daily." "Indeed, it shows. But did they mix chicken skin dumplings with chili sauce? This is amazing. And spicy eggplant with Mapo tofu... marvelous." He scooped up the food almost as if mesmerized. Here was Chinese food, there was Japanese. Over there, Western and Korean, plus desserts? And what about this Eastern European cuisine? Separated from the Western section? Is this really a 30,000-won buffet? "Got beef noodle soup." First, he picked up a bowl of beef noodle soup. He filled his plate with only Chinese dishes. Then he swiftly moved to the dessert section to grab mini cakes, cookies, brownies, and drinks. He quickly moved to the table. "Si Hoo, please stop being so picky and sit beside me quickly!" "Geun Cheol, I know you’re excited, but calm down, please." "Hurry!" "Okay, okay. Don’t be so pushy." Si Hoo gathered his food and sat down beside him. And then, he plunged his spoon into his bowl, first tasting the broth of the beef noodle soup. The words that spilled out were just one. "Delicious." He then slurped up some noodles and picked up a piece of spicy eggplant and meat from the fish-flavored shredded meat dish. "Ugh...! The taste is so overwhelming...!" "Heh heh heh. It is delicious. Just watching you is making me happy. Well then... shall I have a taste? Ah." Si Hoo picked up some sweet and sour pork, and he, too, ate earnestly. It truly could be described as a noble and beautiful ceremony. Yes... a feast. If anyone were to paint me right now, it would become a great piece of art. "You hero trainees." These heavenly dishes. Here the trainees nonchalantly. Ate these every day. "This meal itself is what makes you heroes." And Leona, without any hesitation, offered me such a meal. Thinking about it, Leona was no longer just an archangel... What's beyond that? Yes. A goddess. "Leona is a goddess." "Pfft!" "To grant the right to eat this." "*Cough*...! Ahem. She seems nice." "Yes. She’s extremely nice." The sensation of deep emotion is overwhelming. Anyway. As they continued their meal. —Click clack. The familiar sound of heels from over there! "Meal ticket archangel Leona!" "Kim Geun Cheol...!" Leona called his name, approaching him. "Hmm, did you pick Chinese food quite nicely? People usually just pile whatever on their plates at buffets. You set a theme quite well?" "It’s a precious opportunity you gave me, so I must eat it perfectly. I simply can’t waste it." "Hmph. At least you understood something. Seeing you eating gives me relief. Go on, fill your starving belly while giving thanks to the Kainos family. This undernourished kid, Kim Geun Cheol." Leona spoke, then turned as if to leave. "Wait a moment!" "What?" "Hey! Sit here next to me!" "Excuse me?" "Thanks to you, I get to enjoy such a feast, so I must treat you in return." —Whoosh. He pushed the dessert-laden plate toward Leona. "Here, take all these. Damn it, I’ll treat you to everything. These are all premium desserts. Go on, dig in. There’s a fork too. And you can eat anything in this buffet today. I’ll allow it." "Really? Am I supposed to be amused by you pretending to treat me in a buffet? I can just grab a plate if I head over there!" "Hey, don’t be like that. Just accept it because I’m treating." "Treat, my ass!" "Then you’ll sit next to me, right?" "Hmph! I already have company!" Does she now? "By company, do you mean a public official?" "Do you really want to mess around right now, Kim Geun Cheol? Want another bombardment of meal tickets?" "Ah! Sorry! Sorry! Please don’t give me more! I’ll get in big trouble!" If he receives more, it’s genuinely troublesome! They'll end up stuck in his inventory, which would just block one of the slots! "Just let it go and come grab the meal tickets! I’ll give them back!" "I’ll decide whether or not you get them back based on how you behave, Kim Geun Cheol! Hmph!" Leona, making a hmph sound, flipped her hair and turned around! —Click clack! The sound of those persistent heels! "Phew." In any case, she’s truly a kind girl. "Hey, Si Hoo." As he was about to speak to Si Hoo. "Oh, right. Kim Geun Cheol." Returning, Leona spun around and addressed him. "What is it? Want to be treated?" "Want to be smacked with a plate? Do you know karaoke with a platter, Kim Geun Cheol?" "You know that too!" "Stop making corny jokes if you don’t want your head smacked with a platter! How ridiculous... Anyway!" Does she have something to say? "So, just before. I ran into Ryu Cheon Hwi before entering here." What? Met Ryu Cheon Hwi? "And?" "He suddenly called out to me. So I thought I’d mention school violence and ask why he summoned me, but then, for some reason, he started talking about you, Kim Geun Cheol." About me? "What, what is it? A warning for revenge?" "No, he just asked about what made you so happy during the break, Kim Geun Cheol." "It was the meal tickets." "Yes, I told him that. Then he just stormed off." "What could it be?" "That's what I’m wondering." Could he be fishing for my personal information? "Anyway, I've passed on the message, so I'll be on my way." "Oh... okay." He's sinking deeper into thought. "Geun Cheol." At that moment, Si Hoo called him. "Huh? What?" "The food's getting cold. Eat up." "Heh heh, you're right." "But you've really seemed to get close to Leona, huh?" "She seems to get along with everyone. She's got a kind heart." "..." But more importantly, this sweet and sour meatball dish—does it really taste like this? It's a world apart from the cafeteria version. I used to think it was just a three-minute meatball; turns out, this is real cuisine. "Hey! Screamer! You're actually eating in the dining hall today!" "Ken, you bastard. You here to eat too?" Behind Ken were other classmates. Faces he recognized but whose names he didn't know. Maybe they're Ken's friends. But then those kids stared at him. "Kim Geun Cheol?" That's what they called him. "Who are you? Just sit down over there." "What? You know me?" "We're in the same class. I recognize your face. But seriously, why are you calling me Kim Geun Cheol like that? Like I'm some kind of laborer uncle?" "Isn't that your nickname... haha!" The kid, along with Ken, naturally sat across from him. "You know, from that class where you cramped up." "Oh." "Every time I think about it. Ah, haha! Seriously, what a lunatic, cramping up like that. Thought you'd gone insane." "I thought I was going to lose it from the pain." "And then after, you went 'meow'! What was that about!" "If you get a cramp, you gotta call a cat." At those words— "What?! Ahahaha! A cat! A cat, really?! Are you crazy!" "Hehe... See, he's the Screamer!" "Wait, Geun Cheol? Is that why you made the cat sound? Pfft, haha!" All the kids burst out laughing.