◈ Everyone Else is a Regressor (33)

Chapter 7. Entering my Own Dungeon (4)

As the pressure cooker on the campfire, fueled by Ur's intense firepower, whistled, releasing steam, the delicious aroma of curry filled the air. The fairy, smelling it, was incredulous.

"Did you really make this just with what you gathered from the forest today?"

"Yeah. Compared to the tutorial channel, this forest is really diverse with fruits and herbs, so it was quick to make."

"Even with abundant ingredients, gathering, sorting, and turning them into something resembling curry in just one day... Ah, and you also cleared the dungeon today. That’s even more impressive."

The fairy knew well enough from KiJun's new contract with the Flame Spirit that this dungeon was no small feat. Clearing such a dungeon in mere hours and then casually cooking curry, and it even looked delicious!

As KiJun cautiously opened the lid of the pressure cooker to check the seasoning of the well-blended curry, the fairy, glancing at him, thought, 'My sister told me about him, but I couldn’t believe it until I saw him. If he doesn't meet an untimely death, he's destined to become a hero.'

Sometimes, in Reta, heroes appear who defy understanding.

KiJun's achievements today were undoubtedly impressive, but looking at the broader context of Reta, it wasn’t unheard of. Most of those who performed such feats became heroes representing their entire civilization or race.

What truly amazed her was that KiJun, a 'human,' achieved such feats. The fact that a human, a race known for its inferiority, produced a Spirit Master, a title supposedly bestowed only to those blessed by the heavens, was unbelievable. And not just that, but he already contracted with two impressive Spirits?

'Heroes of the human race, quite intriguing. I wonder how far he can go...'

Very few in Reta fully grasped his potential.

So, why not place a bet on him?

The fairy cleared her throat and asked, "Do you like black sugar?"

—I love it!

Lucy exclaimed, with her eyes sparkling.

The fairy, smiling triumphantly, pulled out a bag full of unrefined black sugar lumps, a bribe she had prepared knowing Lucy's taste for it. Seeing Lucy's eyes gleam, she knew it was a huge success.

—Amazing, KiJun... a real genius!

"Eh?"

The fairy, confused about why she was praising KiJun for black sugar, watched him swiftly take the bag and hand a lump to Lucy, then turned to her.

"Thanks, we'll enjoy it. Can I ask for this regularly? Of course, I'll pay."

"Does that mean you're interested in an exclusive contract? I'd like to discuss that in more detail..."

She deftly steered the conversation to her advantage, her eyes gleaming golden.

But feeling she might get carried away, she exclaimed, "Ah," remembering to add black sugar to the curry. "Black sugar adds a unique accent to the rich and spicy curry. It'd taste great even with bread. Let’s eat and talk. I want to hear how 'that matter' went."

"Right... I see."

The fairy, trying to hide her eagerness for a contract, nodded somberly.

KiJun and Earth's civilization were victims of the fairy's unforgivable misconduct. Reflecting on her previous thoughts of manipulating KiJun for a favorable contract, she felt ashamed.

Then, watching KiJun humming while stirring black sugar into the curry, she dismissed any notion of him being cunning. He seemed too genuine for such tactics.

"The curry seems ready. Pity we don't have rice, but I put plenty of potatoes."

—Curry with lots of meat and potatoes...!

"Kiiit!"

Both Lucy and Ur, already addicted to KiJun's cooking, cheered loudly. Though Ur, being a cat-shaped Flame Spirit, might need to cool the curry, it was adept at handling fire, relishing the steaming dish without issue.

"Kii, kiiii!"

"Ur, you like it? Good. Eat as much as you want."

—Me too, KiJun! Refill!

"Sure thing."

Lucy, adhering to her rule of transforming into a human form to eat heartily, received a surprised glance from the fairy. The fairy then took a small bowl of curry, spooning a taste.

The aroma alone promised a delicious curry...

Despite no meat, the potato-rich curry, cooked like a stew in the pressure cooker, was surprisingly similar to regular curry. Tasting a spoonful, the fairy's mind lit up.

Before she knew it, the bowl was empty.

"This... This is..."

"Good? Want more?"

"Yes, please... Wait."

The fairy almost immediately asked for a refill but then paused, asking KiJun, "Your cooking skill... its grade?"

"Unique."

The fairy, accepting another bowl, thought deeply.

With cooking like this, could he conquer the universe?

"Yep, it's good. The unique sweetness of black sugar blends perfectly with the rich, spicy broth. The meat is incredibly tender, too. A bit more salt, and it'd be perfect with bread."

"Bread, you say... I’ll report that right away!"

Quickly finishing two bowls of curry, the fairy raised her voice to change the topic.

"Ahem. First, about the punishment for those fairies who acted wrongly. The two fairies who appeared where Earth's civilization was summoned have been dealt with by the summoners, and the NPC who indirectly provided them with critical information has also paid with her life."

"I see."

A bitter taste replaced the sweet happiness in KiJun's mouth. Setting his bowl aside, the fairy continued.

"However, this is a grave matter that cannot end with individual punishment. To instill a sense of responsibility in all NPCs, a penalty has been imposed on the entire Fairy Garden - this year's tax points have increased by 30%."

"The whole Fairy Garden?"

"Yes."

The fairy spoke with unwavering composure, but even KiJun, unfamiliar with Reta, understood the severity of the penalty.

"It was a mistake that should never have been made. Without such a severe punishment, maybe one day, not only fairies but other NPCs might commit such atrocities. Everyone in the civilization must bear the guilt of their own crime. Only then will no one ever dare to dream of such cowardly acts again."

"Are you... okay?"

"I am――."

Upon KiJun's inquiry, the fairy momentarily hesitated.

Although mentioning it might make the situation awkward, KiJun felt he couldn't hold back.

Even if it might hurt her.

"Your kin might resent you. ...If it had been just brushed under the carpet, nobody would have made an issue of it."

"Maybe for now, but…"

The fairy firmly responded.

"In the long run, for the Fairy Garden to survive, everyone will understand that my decision was right. It would have been uncovered eventually, anyway."

"...I see."

KiJun finally understood the pride of an NPC she had talked about earlier.

The fairy she had referred to as 'sister' was the very bug KiJun almost eliminated in the tutorial, but this fairy clearly possessed genuine pride.

Perhaps she was closer to the ideal of Übermensch that KiJun aspired to.

"Let's at least know each other's names."

By the way…

A novice like himself really stood no chance against a professional merchant.

A complete defeat.

"Interested in a fairy's name, are you?"

"Considering an exclusive contract? We should sign with our names, right?"

KiJun casually replied to the fairy, who playfully tilted her head, and she, finally smiling brightly, said.

"If that's the case, I'll gladly tell you. I am Viv, just call me Viv."

"Great. Thanks, Viv. I'm KiJun."

"KiJun, what a fine name. Shall we start drafting the contract?"

"Sure. Oh, let's also adjust the terms by adding some additional clauses. I suspect they're not in the contract you prepared."

"Additional clauses...?"

"Yes."

Viv, who was already beaming with the anticipation of victory, frowned at his suspicious remark. KiJun pointed at the curry pot, still full, and laughed.

"Like mutual conveniences we can provide to each other as part of the exclusive conditions. Like serving a delicious meal every time you visit."

"Oh."

Viv sighed.

Her winning hand seemed to be flipping again, thanks to his KiJun’s cunning mind.

So that's why he delayed the contract discussion until after the meal!

Feeling a thrill through her body, Viv cautiously spoke.

"May I think it over while eating another bowl of curry?"

Eventually, their contract was agreed upon on mutually acceptable terms.

Going forward, Viv would provide KiJun with useful information and conveniences within the rules applicable to NPCs, and in return, as KiJun thrived in Reta, Viv would earn more points through commissions and information fees.

Though there would be a fixed cost and immediate point expenditure, both were confident in gaining more benefits, with KiJun assured of earning far more points with his abilities.

"By the way, I forgot to mention something earlier."

After finalizing the contract, Viv, treating the magically signed contract like a treasure, slipped it into her inventory and casually mentioned.

"The additional 30% tax collected from the Fairy Garden as a penalty will be fully allocated as compensation."

"Compensation?"

"Yes. If their plan had been successful, Earth's civilization representatives could have died or, at the very least, suffered significant harm due to exposure to other civilizations."

"Really?"

KiJun hadn't yet told Viv he was one of Earth's representatives.

Of course, she might have already guessed, but given her tact, she wouldn't openly mention it.

"The point is... Remember what I mentioned before leaving last time? About a nominal fee being paid."

"I remember."

"You, KiJun, will also be included in the compensation distribution. In other words, the additional tax collected will be divided equally between the representatives of Earth and you."

"...Isn't that a huge deal?"

"It is. You might not know, but the taxes we fairies pay are quite substantial."

Unknown to Viv, there are three representatives from Earth, and KiJun is one of them. However, the compensation would be divided by adding 1 to 3, making four shares, with KiJun receiving half of the total as both a representative and a whistleblower.

She probably already knew, judging by the pleased look in Viv's eyes as she gazed at KiJun.

After all, the more points KiJun earned, the more he would spend, benefiting her as his partner.

KiJun felt a pang of conscience.

He already had plans for those points.

"Um, sorry, Viv."

"You don't need to apologize for receiving the compensation from the fairies' taxes. As I said earlier, it's a justified consequence, and you receiving those points is also rightful."

"What I want to say isn't that."

KiJun believed that money not earned through effort can lead to careless spending.

Once you start spending big, it's hard to go back to being frugal.

The worst part of overspending is the delusion that it's your own earning capacity.

Suddenly getting a fortune can make you lose your senses, and when the bottom falls out, you realize your mistake.

But it's not easy to change spending habits then― eventually, you might ruin yourself, unable to cope with the wastefulness.

"So, I plan to send all those points to Bice."

"Bice, oh, the Demon Lord. The one who taught you for 10 years in the tutorial channel."

Though it wouldn't fully repay her kindness, KiJun wanted to express his gratitude in that way.

He also believed that one who forgets kindness cannot succeed.

He somewhat guessed that Bice needed many points and couldn't ignore her generosity toward him.

"Why would someone be so..."

She couldn't say he was too righteous.

It felt like overvaluing her own actions.

Viv, lost for words and gaping, was gently reassured by KiJun.

"Don't be too disappointed. Even without that, I'll earn plenty of points."

"I trust that, but still... No, don't misunderstand. I'm not disappointed. It's just..."

Viv sighed after a moment of thought.

"I just thought I made a really good exclusive contract. We seem to match well. That's all."

"Good, I'm glad you see it that way. Thanks."

KiJun grinned.

Viv ended up laughing too.

By the way, she couldn't return the RetaPhone he took earlier but offered a voucher for a free latest model whenever he needed.

As their conversation seemed to wrap up, Lucy popped her head out.

"Contractor, I want to try the curry with bread!"

"...Lucy, are you planning to finish everything in that pot today?"

—I have premium bread. Let's eat together.

"Kiii!"

Ur cheered at the mention of bread.

KiJun managed to save some of the remaining curry for breakfast the next day, warding off his eager companions.

* * *

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Phew, it's over. What now, feeling shy? What's there to miss? Talk about lack of persistence. It hasn't been that long since we parted.]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Me too, a bit? This 'bit' means I miss your cooking. You didn't misunderstand, right?]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): I miss it. Your cooking.]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Why so shy all of a sudden? What happened? Hiding something from me? Better tell the truth before you get caught and scolded.]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Already cleared a ruin?! The title effect is really overpowered... But I feel like there's more than that.]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): The rest is a secret? You're funny. Thinking you can forget my scariness when I'm not around?]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Aaaaah! Don't say such embarrassing things in a message! Do you know how cringey it is for me to read, huh?!]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): It's not that I hate it! Sometimes, it's okay to express your reverence and longing for me frankly. Got it? I don't hate it. Sometimes, it's okay to do it, sometimes.]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): Be careful in Reta, okay? Well, apart from the obvious, maybe Overflow? No lies, about 30% of Reta's continent quests are handled by him. But annoyingly, there are no precursors.]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Waiting Room): What's Overflow? Hmm...]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Rift): Ah, another call. Well, I'm off. And about Overflow, right.]

[Bice♥(Dimensional Rift): If you feel a magical earthquake, find a place where you won't be surrounded! And survive!]

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