Chapter 29.1 ?

They move to the dinner place by boat.

“This is the boat we’ll be taking.”

“Oh.”

Romantic youth Gio’s heart raced.

‘To travel by waterway to the restaurant….’

It felt just like being in Venice.

“With both roads and waterways around, it’s quite an unusual sight.”

“Is it? Well, I heard there were almost no waterways in Korea before the Great Catastrophe.”

“Why were they made?”

Thud.

Gio asked as he boarded the water taxi following Yoo Sung-woon.

“You’d need a large amount of water to create a waterway.”

“It wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t that they brought water in to make waterways, but rather there was just too much water, so they made the waterways to control it.”

“Are you saying there was that much water?”

“The water level was significantly high compared to the height of the land.”

It was so high that it would have been unbearable if they hadn’t made the waterways. Just how far this hellish Korea could go?

Yoo Sung-woon continued his explanation.

“Most of the areas are still unexplored by humans, but there are so many dungeons that appeared under the sea, and monsters that came out of them. I heard that the water level rose because the physical volume inside the sea increased.”

“If it’s that much, it must be hard for only one or two monsters to cause that.”

Just how many, and how big, must the monsters that settled on Earth be for it to be unbearable without creating waterways?

Yoo Sung-woon, understanding Gio’s question, spoke up.

“There are many underwater monsters large enough to easily surpass the size of a building.”

“I see.”

“And it’s not just one monster, there are various kinds with many of them, so naturally, the water level would have risen compared to before the Great Catastrophe. Actually, I heard that our country wasn’t originally a place where the seawater rose this much….”

“How do they manage the seawater that has risen in the countryside?”

“I’ve heard they’ve dug waterways enough that it doesn’t significantly harm farming or daily life too much. They made various paths to prevent the salt from the seawater from seeping into the land, but since they don’t have as much capital as the cities… farming near the waterways would be difficult, I suppose.”

“…….”

“So, the areas where the seawater flows in excessively have been focusing on fishing instead of farming from the beginning. Some fishes from famous areas are even imported to the cities.”

Despite the situation, it seems like everyone has found ways to survive.

‘Human adaptability is truly incredible.’

In any case, Gio was intimidated.

‘I should stay tucked away in the portrait.’

Earth had become a world where it was nearly impossible to survive with just romance, passion, and hope, without any practical power.

In such a tough world, how strong must one become to live while paying monthly rent on time? It was clear that this was a level Gio couldn’t even dream of.

“I believe you mentioned that the restaurant itself is floating on water.”

“Well, it’s more like a restaurant built on a small island than floating, really….”

“I heard it’s located within the Han River.”

As he sat in the taxi seat, Gio asked.

“Was there always an island there?”

He knew that there were small islands like Nodeul Island 31 years ago. But Yoo Sung-woon said that the restaurant was sitting alone without any other structures nearby, so he wondered how such a location came to be.

Yoo Sung-woon easily answered.

“That’s because it used to be the site of a fixed dungeon.”

“…A fixed dungeon?”

“…Oh, do you not know much about dungeons?”

Judging from his confused face, he must have assumed that Gio would naturally know about it. But unfortunately, reality wasn’t like that.

In the blink of an eye, Gio had become an ancestor from 31 years ago, unable to keep up with the changing times and thus left behind.

‘How did I, who once instilled social values in Korea’s children, end up like this?’

Kids, I miss being your teacher.

Thankfully, Yoo Sung-woon soon returned to his usual calm expression and began explaining.

“Dungeons are usually divided into fixed and mobile types. As the name suggests, fixed dungeons stay in one place, while mobile dungeons move according to their own rules. Fixed dungeons can even create terrain that originally wasn’t there.”

“Does that mean the restaurant we’re heading to now was built on such created terrain?”

“Yeah, that’s the theme of the restaurant in the first place. The dungeon that was originally there was related to cooking, and because it was moved by the food of an ordinary chef who wasn’t even a hunter but got involved by chance …. it was cleared.”

“Aha.”

The story was incredibly touching.

“A grand restaurant was left behind at the location where the dungeon was cleared, and the chef who participated in the conquest at that time was said to have inherited and run the restaurant ever since. He’s already 92 years old, but he’s still active on-site.”

“92 years old?”

“Quite long-lived for a human, right?”

Yoo Sung-woon laughed once and continued speaking.

“Since he was awakened as a chef after clearing a dungeon, he probably isn’t as affected by age. There would be support from skills or items, too. If you see him in person, he likely looks to be in his 50s.”

“…….”

“He often participates in national-level raids and takes care of the team’s meals, so seems like his combat skills must not be bad either. I haven’t seen it myself, but I heard his main weapon is a nail-studded baseball bat.”

“A baseball bat….”

“Surprising, right? I thought he’d use a kitchen knife. But he said in an interview, how could he use the knives he cooks with to slice monsters? I guess chefs really have a different mindset.”

“Oh.”

Gio felt like he understood that mindset, but in any case, he was still intimidated. Humanity had become stronger.

“Do Awakeners age more slowly?”

“As far as I know, most of them do. At least, if they’re C-rank hunters or higher.”

“So, C-rank is the standard for a good hunter….”

“The general reality or perception itself is along those lines.

It was truly a frightening world.

‘Everything Grandma said was right. Always live humbly and politely.’

He didn’t want to live only to end up being exorcised as a haunted portrait.

Gio was worried.

‘I also need to come up with a good survival strategy. If the portrait burns, I don’t know what will happen to my cabin, and just living diligently doesn’t mean I can prevent all disasters….’

But he didn’t want to pass as a human and return to live on Earth either.

“What are you thinking?”

“I think Earth is a scary place.”

“Huh…?”

It was really terrifying.

“Why are you suddenly scared? You’re not even a target for subjugation.”

“That’s true.”

But on the other hand, if he did become a target for subjugation, he might be torn apart.

‘I like things as they are now.’

Was there a way to keep being treated like a haunted portrait while avoiding criticism and attacks from people?

Gio decided to think more about how to ensure his comfortable survival.

“…….”

First, though, he needed to eat.