I Entered a Gacha Game That Had Been Abandoned for 10 Years

32 – Hope (1)

In Arteil, restaurants and cooking played a significant role.

When a restaurant appeared in the territory, the happiness of the residents increased, and labor efficiency improved.

Of course, taverns also had similar effects as restaurants, but compared to restaurants, their efficiency was quite minimal.

Moreover, restaurants played a crucial role not only in the development of the territory but also in the growth of heroes and soldiers.

The reason was that in Arteil, restaurants were the only place that could provide extensive buffs to heroes and soldiers, unlike other territorial buildings.

Even a small buff could increase the survival rate of soldiers.

In addition, for heroes, buffs were almost essential.

Due to the nature of the game, where it became increasingly difficult to raise stats as one grew, inflating specific stats for 4-star or 5-star heroes provided a significant sense of power.

Therefore, from a territorial or developmental perspective, restaurants were important, but more crucial than that was the chef.

No matter how high-level a restaurant was, it was useless without a chef who could provide buffs.

Naturally, the higher the star rating of the chef, who was treated as a supporting hero, and the more diverse their skills, the more buffs could be applied to the dishes created in the restaurant.

However, the reason Kim Hyunwoo didn’t have high expectations for Rani was that she was only a 1-star hero.

No matter how well her talent and skills matched, if she didn’t grow, she wouldn’t be able to unleash her full potential.

And in that sense, the dish that Rani had placed in front of Kim Hyun-woo at the moment was.

“This is a dish made by a 1-star chef? No, is it even possible for the stat increase to be this outrageous?”

It definitely wasn’t a dish that a 1-star chef could create.

Unbeknownst to himself, Kim Hyun-woo stared intensely at the dish.

It was a dish that brought about a stat increase that was absurd to even mention that it was created by a 1-star chef.

As he stared blankly at it, Kim Hyun-woo turned on Rani’s information window out of curiosity, but there was no change in her information window.

If there were any changes, it was just that her luck had increased by 1 recently.

However, Kim Hyun-woo who had a puzzled expression on his face, as a support hero, knew that an increase in stats did not equate to stars rising.

“Um, is there a possibility… that this isn’t it?”

He looked up at the voice that soon reached his ears.

In front of Kim Hyun-woo, Rani with a pitiful expression and tears in her eyes was looking at him.

Only then did Kim Hyun-woo realize that he had been mindlessly staring at the food and he nodded briefly before putting the stew she had made into his mouth.

And then.

“Oh.”

Unbeknownst to himself, Kim Hyun-woo let out an exclamation of admiration.

It was no wonder, since the food Rani made was quite delicious.

That’s why, when Kim Hyun-woo unintentionally turned his gaze towards Rani.

“?”

Kim Hyun-woo could only wear a bewildered expression.

It was because Rani, who had been looking at him with a worried expression until just a moment ago, was now holding a ladle and instinctively assuming a guarded stance.

“What are you doing?”

Kim Hyun-woo asked with a bewildered expression.

But rather than answering his question, Rani seemed to be even more flustered.

“Um, don’t hit me…?”

She asked like that.

“Yes…?”

“…?”

Kim Hyun-woo wore an expression of complete disbelief and wondered what kind of life Rani had lived, looking at her.

*Ahem-*

Kim Hyun-woo pretended to cough.

“I never intended to hit you. I didn’t even have the desire to hit you in the first place. Plus, I made such delicious food, so why would I hit you?”

“…hit me?”

“Didn’t I say it? You have talent in cooking. The stew is really delicious.”

He said.

So, the girl, who had never properly heard praise without anyone to rely on, unconsciously let down her guard and simply watched as Kim Hyunwoo ate with a vacant expression.

####

Two weeks later.

—-

Territory: Lartania

Territory Development: 257

Residents

[Humans: 1926]

Owned Buildings

[Lord’s Castle LV1 >>> Upgrade in progress 98%]

[City Walls LV2]

[Residential Zone LV2]

[Blacksmith LV2 >>> Upgrade in progress 0%]

[Barracks LV2 >>> Upgrade in progress 0%]

[Tavern LV2]

[Market LV1]

[Lumber Mill LV1]

[Restaurant LV1]

[Leather Workshop LV1]

[Stone Masonry LV1]

[Trading Post LV0 [Under construction] 63%]

Military Forces

-Regular Soldiers: 200

—-

Kim Hyunwoo looked at the changing landscape of the territory once again, along with the information window that appeared before his eyes.

Now, the territory in front of him began to feel more like a definite domain than a simple village neighborhood.

Kim Hyun-woo could see the processing plants lined up right next to the market, and beyond them, newly planted rice fields were growing.

As he observed this scene, Kim Hyun-woo thought to himself.

“Now that the processing plants are built, I should save the blue stones.”

Even though the resources obtained from the processing plants couldn’t keep up with the development speed of the territory, Kim Hyun-woo made this decision without hesitation.

The reason was obvious; the in-game currency, blue stones, could only be acquired through special events.

In addition, as all buildings started exceeding level 3, reliance on blue stones became inevitable.

From the outset, the management of Larutania’s territory seemed like a daunting task, with the resource requirements for all buildings skyrocketing.

Therefore, despite the current shortage of resources, Kim Hyun-woo deliberately refrained from using blue stones and waited for the trading post to be established.

“Once I build a paved road here, it will truly feel like a territory.”

Thinking about laying a paved road once the trading post was established, Kim Hyun-woo then switched his attention to the military window.

—-

[Troop Type] Regular Soldiers.

Leader: Maron [Proficiency 75/100]

Number of Soldiers: 200 [View Details]

Battle Efficiency: Normal.

[No personnel available for upgrading to higher troop types.]

-Basic Equipment-

Head: Helmet.

Body: Lightweight Armor.

Waist: Leather Belt.

Legs: Leather-covered Greaves.

Armed with: Iron Spear. Unarmed: None.

※The armament of some soldiers is not yet perfect.

—-

“Hmm-“

Kim Hyun-woo nodded in satisfaction, as not a single soldier had died despite continuously sending troops into battle for the proficiency of the soldiers.

Furthermore, since the construction of the leather processing plant, as soldiers were properly equipped, the security that had gradually declined with the increasing number of territory residents had significantly improved.

“Impressive.”

Kim Hyun-woo looked at the two soldiers guarding the north gate, visible from the Lord’s Castle.

It was clear that before, he had appeared somewhat clumsy, but now, fully clad in armor, Kim Hyun-woo looked at the soldiers as if they were characters from a fantasy game, and a reliable expression appeared on his face.

Knowing that there were 200 armed soldiers following his orders gave Kim Hyun-woo a sense of security, even though he knew the approximate location of the soldiers in Arteles.

“…I have also grown a bit.”

Unknowingly, he opened his information window.

—–

Hero

Name: Kim Hyun-woo

Title: The King of Logs

Star Rating: ?? Star

Stats

Strength: 12↑ Agility: 13↑

Intelligence: 6 Luck: 9

Magic: 3↑

-Special Abilities-

Indomitable Spirit: Quickly regains composure in any situation if desired.

법멉몄긔뒷룩뚝겡:벨곕겨눋뜸렸걷걍베깸띈귁띱뢍뭄걍법멉몄긔뒷뢍뎐꽹뒵대겨늉등렷뭐걍법멉껌꽹뢨뉠륌볍궁띕머럼벴까때벋륫띕렌볍궉뢍벗꾀뚠넝륑닷궉렉노꾀뚠뉠뭏능궉롼딕걍벨뎨땍귀룡렷뤠꽥딩땡밉흐

(don’t report this in discord, its just like this)

—–

Although his ability score was pitiful to be called a hero, Kim Hyun-woo was clearly growing.

Not through training, but rather because of the food that Rani had been providing him at every meal for the past two weeks.

Starting from the moment he received praise two weeks ago, Kim Hyun-woo’s ability score had slowly been rising thanks to Rani, who brought him three different meals each day, as if wanting to hear even more praise.

“I have never seen permanent ability score increases in Arteles…”

In Arteles, there were no dishes or medicines that permanently boosted ability scores when consumed.

The developers were once so obsessed with money that they tried selling a 500,000 won random ability score increase potion, but when even the black sheep refused to buy it, they quickly ended the event.

What was even more surprising was that instead of rolling back, they ended it early with the excuse of not being able to refund the money…

Anyway, because the unheard-of permanent ability score improvement was attached to Rani’s cooking, he was inexplicably growing, even if only a little.

“…It would be great if I could use this to help Elena and the other heroes grow.”

Strangely enough, none of the soldiers, including Elena, experienced immediate effects like Kim Hyun-woo.

In other words, Kim Hyun-woo was the only one who could experience permanent effects immediately, which left him slightly disappointed.

“But still, I’m quite satisfied.”

Since the whole concept of eating the cook’s dishes and having ability scores increase was inherently unreasonable and felt like a scam, he had no complaints.

“However, it seems necessary to investigate the abilities.”

Kim Hyunwoo, who had decided to look into the permanent stats that could be obtained through Rani’s cooking, as they were elements not listed in attributes or skills.

“Now that the soldiers seem prepared, shall we proceed to attack the second floor in earnest?”

With such thoughts, he called Elena.

Soon, along with Elena nodding her head, he conveyed his intention to tackle the second floor.

“My Lord, may I ask one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Well, you see, I was assigned a room.”

“Oh, is it uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that, but the room is a bit—overall, it’s cluttered and messy. I tidied up, but there are scars on the walls and in the room that I couldn’t remove. Moreover-“

Elena spoke with a slightly disgusted expression.

“The buildings in the Lord’s Castle are ultimately yours, but they seem to be handled so haphazardly, making it unpleasant. Anyway, because of that, I can’t help wondering who stayed in that room.”

Kim Hyunwoo, momentarily considering the somewhat displeased expression on her face, recalled the owner of that room.

“Oh, that room belonged to Merilda.”

Soon after remembering that the room’s owner was Merilda, he pondered for a moment.

“Um, she was the first hero I recruited. The scars on the walls and in the room were probably from her time living as a Fairy.”

“A Fairy?”

“Yes, she was quite a reliable one. Probably because she was my first hero, I have some attachment to her,”

He murmured with a slightly nostalgic expression.

“Anyway, if you wish, I can move you to another room.”

As Kim Hyunwoo spoke, a gentle breeze passed by.

In the distance, on the hill, the tail of the wolf that had been lying still with a fierce gaze began to sway gently.

“Huh…?”

In her eyes, which had never shown signs of life in the ten years since the Lord had left,

Sway, sway—

Life began to circulate.