Yeoreum looked down at the sauce that Gyeoul had prepared.

It seemed like a random mix of available ingredients, but could it really be that delicious?

She recalled Gyeoul casually cooking minnows and decided to try the sauce with a bit of trepidation.

Yum~~~

“Hmm…?”

Isn’t this surprisingly tasty?

At that moment of pure admiration from Yeoreum, the mana inside her began to surge uncontrollably.

‘Huh?’

Her mana amplified, swelling like muscles.

The effect was significant enough to be meaningful in a dungeon.

She estimated the duration to be about a day.

At this rate, her ranking could climb several levels.

‘What’s this…?’

She had experienced a similar effect when she drank tea with dandelion flowers.

Maybe the food Gyeoul made had some doping effect.

‘But when I ate the boiled minnows last time, nothing happened?’

What was the difference between the boiled minnows and the food made this time?

After pondering, Yeoreum came to a conclusion.

The effect of food made for ‘survival’ might differ from that made for ‘rest’.

“Gyeoul, where did you learn to make this?”

“Oh, that, someone taught me before.”

Someone taught her?

Was there someone else taking care of Gyeoul?

Yeoreum felt a strange sense of relief at the thought that Gyeoul might not be alone.

“Gyeoul, do you have… friends? Do you meet someone?”

It was an innocent question.

Soon, Yeoreum realized she had made a grave mistake.

“……”

Gyeoul’s face turned pale.

She stopped chewing the meat in her mouth and just stared down at the ground.

Yeoreum regretted mentioning the word ‘friends’.

Feeling her brain go blank, she hastily waved her hand.

“I-I don’t have many friends either.”

“……”

She was at an age to be embarrassed about not having friends.

Actually, at any age, it’s embarrassing to have no friends at all.

It was a question she should never have asked a child in a difficult situation.

Yeoreum belatedly regretted her words.

“Um, Gyeoul…?”

You have me as a friend, Gyeoul.

Before Yeoreum could say those words, Gyeoul spoke first.

“I do have a friend…”

“Really?”

“Yes…”

Was this friend the one who taught Gyeoul how to make the sauce?

Yeoreum wasn’t sure, but she felt relieved knowing Gyeoul wasn’t alone.

“Can you introduce me to your friend later?”

“Yes, yes…”

Gyeoul nodded to Yeoreum, thinking to herself.

She had many good friends in her previous life.

Of course, in this life, Gyeoul didn’t have a single friend.

After finishing the barbecue, Yeoreum cleaned up and approached Gyeoul.

Gyeoul was diligently cleaning up the remaining trash.

“Gyeoul, I’m going to the guild for a bit, can you rest well while I’m gone?”

“Yes. You mean taking a rest, right?”

“Yeah. Don’t exert yourself and rest well, okay?”

“Yes…”

Dandelion tea and ssamjang.

After gathering what Gyeoul had made, Yeoreum headed to the main office of the guild.

She intended to report to the guild master about the abilities Gyeoul might possess.

Doping abilities were coveted even within the Yeomyeong Guild for their rarity, but her report wasn’t motivated solely by greed for these abilities.

If Gyeoul’s abilities became known, many would try to make contact.

Among them, there would undoubtedly be villains who specifically targeted individuals with unique abilities.

‘The Guild Master said not to spare any resources.’

The Guild Master would surely protect Gyeoul well.

Having finished her thoughts, Yeoreum knocked on the guild master’s office door.

Knock Knock

“Guild Master, may I come in?”

“Yes, come in.”

As Kang Jinho, the Guild Master of the Daybreak Guild, gave permission, Yeoreum opened the door and entered.

She was surprised to see strangers sitting behind the desk in the office she expected to be empty.

‘Beast-kin…?’

Occasionally, sentient beings from dungeons cross over.

Among them were beast-kin, like the wolf-eared woman and the man with lizard scales.

It was odd to see two rare beast-kin in the guild office.

“Come in and sit down.”

“Yes.”

Yeoreum cautiously observed the two beast-kin as she sat next to Kang Jinho.