Chapter 35

SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon

Well, that’s enough.

I wasn’t that curious either. It’s best not to interfere with stories that have nothing to do with me.

I recalled the last time I worked for a company in my life; the painful memory of having to go hiking with my boss every Sunday after moderately agreeing that hiking is good for health. This is a lesson that I learned through my body.

I smiled lightly and changed the topic.

“Then, why don’t you come with Hunter Han Yiseong?”

“Uh? You mean me?”

Hunter Han Yiseong was flustered and waved his hand.

“I have an urgent matter to deal with from now on.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m sorry. Please have a good time together.”

….a good time?

I just recommended coffee, but the expression was a little strange.

Perhaps it was true that he had business to do, Hunter Han Yiseong left quickly. I thought it was an opportunity to make a new regular, but it’s a pity.

***

After Hunter Han Yiseong left, I returned to the store with Ki Yoohyun, who was left alone.

“Kids, I’m here.”

“Kkyuu!”

“Kyaooooo (Is he that human again)?!”

Mieum, who was welcoming me, or to be exact the cereal, said when she saw Ki Yoohyun, who followed me.

She’s a bit shy. Since they’ve met a few times, she’s slowly getting used to to Ki Yoohyun.

“Hello, Mieum.”

“Waeoong!”

As soon as Ki Yoohyun approached Mieum and greeted her, Mieum raised her flashy front paw and threw a meow punch.

Pakpak!

Oh, he avoided it.

Ki Yoohyun avoided all of Mieum’s front paws that flew quickly and stroked her chin gently. Mieum’s uncomfortable expression gradually softened at his tickling touch.

“Meooong…..”

What an easy cat. In the meantime, I poured cereal into Mieum’s bowl.

“I’m going to make a new menu today. Would you like to try it?”

“Ah, that’s great.”

Among the five basic cafe menus, the first menu to be made was cafe latte. It’s popular, and it’s the second most in demand basic menu after Americano.

I took out a thick porcelain cup for the cafe latte. Then, I brewed a shot of espresso and put it in.

Next, I had to heat up the milk. I took the milk out of the refrigerator. The “fresh milk” I bought at the Dimensional Shop earlier was cold. It looked very fresh and savory, as its name suggests.

“You are using unusual milk.”

“Ahaha, that’s right….”

Let’s keep it a secret that this is the milk of a Golden Triangular Rhinoceros.

‘Cafe in My Hand.’

[Recipe: You selected Café Latte]

Following the recipe’s instructions, pour milk into the milk pitcher, then dip the steam wand and activated it.

When I lowered the milk pitcher slightly, bubbles began to form. When adequate foam formed, the steam wand was locked and the milk pitcher was taken out.

Done, a velvety soft milk foam is completed. The temperature and foam of milk were just right.

After tilting the cafe latte cup at a right angle, I held the milk pitcher high in the other hand. I poured the milk in circular motions to mix it well, and when it is about 2/3 full, I placed the pitcher close to the cup.

After pouring until a white circle was formed in the middle of the coffee, I stopped and the cafe latte was finished just right.

[Item: Café Latte (★★★☆☆)

Status: Good (Time Remaining: 00:30:00)

Effect: 20% of maximum energy is restored.]

It has the effect of restoring energy at a ratio, not an integer. It’s quite an effect to fill up 20 percent of energy.

‘It won’t work for me….’

With my maximum energy of 100, if I drink it, only 20 will recover. However, if a person with high ability drank this coffee, it seemed that the amount of restored energy would be quite large.

‘For example….‘

I glanced across the seat.

‘This man whom I presumed to be strong.’

“What’s wrong?”

“….Nothing. Try it.”

I repeated the same process one more time to make another cup of cafe latte. I decided to make one for Ki Yoohyun and the other for me to taste. It was because I was quite curious about the taste of cafe latte made with milk that I bought on impulse.

I sat down at the table and immediately took the cup to my mouth.

“…Mmh.”

The exclamation naturally leaked out.

‘It wasn’t false advertising.‘

It was worth buying this milk using ruby. If I can buy this kind of milk easily, the system seems to be useful.

The elastic foam touched my lips first. Then, I felt a subtle sweetness. The rich taste of milk went well with coffee, and brought out the flavor even deeper.

I can’t believe that cafe latte is this delicious. I think I can drink even a few cups.

“It’s delicious. This … it’s really tasty.”

Ki Yoohyun also took a sip of the cafe latte and spoke briefly. There seemed to be no lie in his smirk.

At the same time, a golden bar appeared above his head.

I watched the golden gauge fill up above Ki Yoohyun’s head with a happy expression. The more he drinks cafe latte, the brighter it gets. The moment the bar kicked it to the end, I’ll get a message that I have made a deep connection with coffee

What?

However, no matter how long I waited, the message did not appear like it did on Choi Yichan’s case.

Why?

I frowned and glared at the gauge.

‘100% … It’s not.’

At first glance, it seems 100%, but it was different. The gauge had stopped at about 98%.

In the past, I thought it was 100% by eye measurement, but in fact, there was a slight gap.

Ki Yoohyun closed his eyes and slowly savored the taste of the cafe latte. The expression was comfortable and soft.

But….

It’s not a lie to say it’s delicious, but….

It’s not the 100% satisfactory ‘Ultimate Coffee‘.

Slowly, my fighting spirit began to rise. I want to see a full golden gauge full like when I gave the coffee to Choi Yichan.

If you are not 100% satisfied with this delicious cafe latte, what did you not like?!

I asked Ki Yoohyun, who put down the empty cup.

“I’m actually working on a new menu. Is there anything lacking in that cafe latte?”

“No, it tastes great. It’s the first time I’ve ever had such a delicious coffee.”

Still, the gauge didn’t move a bit at 98%.

“Yoohyun-ssi, what’s your favorite drink?”

“Yes? Well, I drink everything well.”

“Umh….”

The word ‘drink everything well‘ also meant that he has no special preference. It is the opposite of Choi Yichan, who only likes sweet drinks. Rather, it would be easier to find the ‘Ultimate Coffee’ for someone with a clear preference like Choi Yichan.

The limitation of the skill ‘The Bond of a Cup of Coffee’ is to copy the skill of ‘The person who drank the Ultimate Coffee‘. In other words, in order to copy their skill, the person has to drink their favorite coffee.

So, in front of this man, whom I presumed to be secretly strong, I wondered what Ki Yoohyun’s skill would be. Maybe he has a very strong skill, so I might be able to copy and use it.

No, it’s too early to be discouraged. I’ve only made the first of the five basic cafe menus.

The next menu will definitely have a different reaction. It was unacceptable that this cafe latte was only 98% satisfactory.

I decided to make the next menu right away.

Next was cappuccino. Cappuccino is similar to cafe latte in that the milk is added to the shot of espresso, but the ratio of milk foam was different.

‘Cafe in My Hand.’

[Recipe: You selected Cappuccino.]

First I took out a smaller porcelain cup and then poured in the espresso. After that, I heated the milk again.

However, this time, the bubbles were enriched by injecting air longer than before. After scooping up the milk foam with a wide spoon, pouring it over the espresso, and pouring the remaining milk into the cup, it was finally done.

A golden circle of coffee appeared on the rim of the cup. Finally, when I sprinkled cinnamon powder, the status window appeared.

[Item: Cappuccino (★★★☆☆)

Status: Good (Time Remaining: 00:30:00)

Effect: 20% of maximum stamina is restored.]

This time, it was the effect of recovering stamina at a ratio.

This effect didn’t help me much either, but the coffee was still delicious. The rich milk foam was light and soft.

“How about this one?”

I looked at Ki Yoohyun with a pounding heart.

However, the gauge over his head stopped at exactly 98% this time as well. No matter how long I waited, the gauge didn’t seem to move.

“Thank you for the drink … is there anything wrong?”

“Umh….”

I forgot to answer Ki Yoohyun’s question and was lost in thought.

Was it a problem that it wasn’t a sweet drink?

Everyone likes sweetness. Even if it is bad for the body, the sweet taste is still sold well.

Even that cat alone likes Chex Choco the most among many cereals.

“Kiyaoong (Why are you looking at me all of a sudden)!”

After removing Mieum, who was trying to attack me with her front paws, from the scene, I took out the ingredients I bought from the Dimensional Shop from the cupboard.

It’s chocolate sauce.

[Item: Chocolate Sauce from Hell (★★☆☆☆)

A sauce made from the black fruit of the hell dungeon

Its bittersweet taste can be used for mocha coffee as well as various desserts.

Choose the number one premium brand’s chocolate sauce.]

Although the description was somewhat like a sloppy flyer, the smell of the bottle was very thick and sweet.

For the third menu, I decided to make Cafe Mocha. Since the chocolate sauce has a sweet taste, I thought that I would be able to get 100% satisfaction this time.

First, I put chocolate sauce in a cup and poured the espresso. Stir with a teaspoon to dissolve the sauce well, then pour the steam milk, and it was done.

It was time for him to taste again.

The image of Ki Yoohyun taking a sip of cafe mocha looked like a slow-motion scene from a movie.

Even though he was just picking up a cup of coffee and bringing it to his mouth, it felt like he was filming a commercial. His sparking eyes were filled with expressions.

No, it wasn’t the time to stare at his face and lose my mind.

The important thing is … satisfaction.

After slowly savoring the cafe mocha, Ki Yoohyun put down his coffee cup. He said something, but I couldn’t hear him. I was all focused on his head.

The gage above his head gleamed brightly. When I saw the beautiful light, I felt baseless confidence that it would work out this time.

But … the brilliant light stopped exactly at 98%.

98% again?!