SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon

SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon — Side Story 9

Translated by cabinfourtranslations.

“Okay, kids, get off. We’ve arrived.”

A beautifully landscaped path crisscrossed a meadow surrounded by dense forest. In the distance, I could see a barn with a pastoral atmosphere.

Gangneung Natural Monster Ranch. The large sign at the entrance stated. This ranch, run by a guild specializing in monster tamers, allowed visitors to freely encounter monsters in nature. It was run to improve awareness and protect tamed monsters.

People could also bring their own monsters, so I brought Corong, Lime, and Mieum to this place using the special monster vehicle.

“This way, kids. I bought your tickets, let’s go in.”

“Mmmmeeeee!”

“Kkyuu, kkyuuuu…..”

“You said it was a nice place, but what kind of place is this waeolgh!”

But the system said this…….

[Recommended place: Gangneung Natural Monster Ranch]

……..So, I decided to give the system a chance and trust its choice.

At the entrance, I submitted tickets for one person and three pets, then let Corong run free on the open meadow. The breeze blowing in from the forest was cool and refreshing. Inside this ranch, visitors could freely stroll around, graze on the grass, or encounter other monsters.

At first, my family seemed reluctant, but then they gradually became excited and began to roam the ranch.

“Kkkyuuuu!”

“Kkyuu, pi!”

“Kkyuu … kkyuuu!”

Lime chatted with some colorful slimes, although I had no idea what they were talking about, but she looked happy.

“Recognize and serve this great body …. waeooong!”

“Mieum-ah! Are you okay?”

“Wargh! That rabbit … That rabbit bullied me!”

“You were the one who started the fight…….”

Mieum picked a fight with a small, cute monster that resembled a rabbit, but was defeated by its front paw attack.

“Mmmooooo…….”

Corong walked leisurely and grazed on the meadows. It was a peaceful and relaxing scene. Watching my family members enjoying nature was soothing.

As I watched Corong play with the other cow monsters in the ranch, I suddenly had this thought: It had been quite some time since Corong had lived in my house since I brought her from Cthugha’s Garden. Although Lime and Korong had formed a bond that transcended species, or flora and fauna to be exact, I wondered if she would still feel lonely on her own.

“Corong-ah, don’t you want to go back to where you came from?”

“Mmeeeeh!”

“You’re mostly living in the barn now. If you miss your kind, I can send you back.”

“Mmeeeeeeeh!”

[Cornelia Longinus reveals that she is a Hikikomori¹]

“Is … that so?”

[Cornelia Longinus said that she is an introvert and prefers to stay at home.]

Well, if that’s the case, that’s great, but…….

Yes, since even the introverted Corong came to the ranch, we should enjoy ourselves to the fullest.

“Wow, they have bathing and brushing facilities here.”

As I strolled slowly, I came across a monster wash station equipped with a sink, special brushes, and exclusive shampoo. I picked up the shampoo bottle and gestured toward Corong.

“Corong-ah, come here.”

“Mmmeeee!”

First, I shampooed Corong thoroughly. However, once I dried her wet hair with the dryer, a shocking truth that had been hidden was revealed.

“Corong, you are … curly.”

Corong’s hair was lush and fluffy. After being washed and dried, the curls came out beautifully, making her look like a giant doll. Lime’s red color became more vibrant, and next, Mieum…..

“Meoooow……”

Before I could even call her out, she was already running away. No, I have to wash the ink off his front paws.

“Lime, Corong, catch her.”

“Kkyuuu!”

“Mmooo!”

“Do-don’t come near me! Waeolgh!”

“Heu … hufff … There’s nowhere to run now. Just accept your fate.”

After playing tag with Mieum for quite a while, I was finally able to wash her. She’s truly a difficult cat.

Having such a good time, we soon reached the end of the ranch trail. Near the exit was a large tank filled with seawater. Were there fish in there? I was about to take a look inside when I heard a voice behind me. It was the man guarding the souvenir shop.

“Miss, that part is still being prepared.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes. It’s empty right now, but it will soon have an occupier. Please visit again then.”

“Okay, I’ll definitely come back next time.”

The souvenir shop had quite a few different kinds of souvenirs. I was looking at the shelves, thinking about buying something for my house creatures, when the shopkeeper spoke again.

“Are they the monsters you bring with you?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He said he was a Hunter of the tamer class who established this ranch. Upon seeing Corong, Lime, and Mieum, with their fluffy curls, he spoke in a friendly tone.

“They all look so well cared for and lovely. How about a photo as a memento of your visit to our ranch?”

I glanced over and saw that the photo shoot was quite expensive. I smiled awkwardly and waved my hand, “No, thank you. We don’t need a photo.”

“Wow, the golden triangular rhino’s hair is so beautiful. You must have taken good care of it.”

“Ahahaha … thank you, I haven’t done much.”

“This slime is also vividly red. Oh, and this cat is..…”

“Waeolgh!”

“Isn’t this the cat that appears in the 7 o’clock drama? It looks even cuter in real life.”

Oops, I made a mistake. Mieum had already fallen into the trap

Unable to ignore Mieum’s eager gaze, longing to have her picture taken, I ultimately accepted the Tamer’s suggestion.

“Then, we’ll just take one.”

“Sure, I’m pretty sure it’ll be a great souvenir.”

Click, click! The Tamer took a camera in his hand and snapped a picture of me and the animals.

And about ten minutes later, I ended up purchasing a large photo, a frame, a cushion, an acrylic keychain, and even a handkerchief.

Oh no, I kept getting carried away by all the compliments about how cute my family members are……

“Thank you so much. I hope you had a great time at our ranch.” With a beaming capitalist smile, the Tamer saw me off.

Well, that was it.

Eight years ago, a massive rift appeared at this ranch site. Fortunately, at that time, a group of people who happened to be visiting a nearby pension had their awakening en masse, and the rift was managed with minimal damage. However, since then, the soil has changed, and no matter how much fertilizer was applied, the crops would not grow in this land.

The land became desolate and forgotten. However, the monster tamers discovered new possibilities for this land. Despite the failure of normal crops to grow, the monsters felt at home in this place. It took a lot of hard work, but finally they were able to build a ranch for the monsters here.

Since it’s a place with such a backstory and my family also had fun, let’s accept them as mementos.

[Congratulations! You have completed ‘2. Spend Time With Your Animals’.]

Having completed the quest, I was just about to leave the ranch when a taxi stopped near the entrance. A man and a woman got out of the taxi, each carrying large bags.

Huh? Those people……?

They looked familiar, but weren’t they reporters? I wondered if they came to this remote place to cover a news story.

Well, it has nothing to do with me.

I gathered up my animals and headed back to the lodge.

***

[3. Solve Ash’s Quiz

Ash is stuck on a difficult problem.

Find him and help him solve the quiz.

Check the location ☞Click]

Quiz? Suddenly?

Today, Ash said he had promised to play with the twins, Joo Shinwoo and Joo Shinhee. I thought the three of them would be having a great time together by now, so why did they suddenly start solving a quiz? Were they working on a quiz book together?

But Ash’s location on the system didn’t seem to be related to a quiz at all.

“Hmm …. I’ll find out when I meet him.”

I headed over to where he was. It was a lake park not too far from the accommodation. The atmosphere was quite nice, with a walking path built around the lake. I thought it would be lovely to take a leisurely stroll here.

Ash and the twins were in front of the duck boat platform on the lake. Were they planning to take a duck boat ride?

Just then, I heard the booming voices of the children.

“Rock! Paper! Scissors!”

“Rock! Paper! Scissors!”

“……..”

I waited for a moment, but there was no sign that the game would end. The three of them stopped playing rock-paper-scissors and silently glared at each other.

I moved closer to them and called out, “Kids, hello. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, Eonni! Hello!”

“Oh, Noona! Hello!”

“You idiot, don’t copy me. I was the first one to say hello?”

“I was one second faster, you know?”

Joo Shinhee quickly came over and linked her arm with mine, while Ash, looking somewhat tired, spoke to me.

“Haa … did something happen?”

“Nope. I just saw you guys when I was passing by, so I came over.”

After calming down the bickering twins, I asked why they were playing rock-paper-scissors here. Ash let out a light sigh and opened his mouth, “That’s … we were all going to ride the duck boat together.”

“I see. But there’s only one left? Are the others all rented out?”

“That’s the problem.”

According to Ash, the situation was like this: when the kids came to ride the duck boat, coincidentally, there was only one left. For some reason, all the duck boats broke down last night. The duck boat was designer for two people, and everyone needed to cross to the other side of the lake. So they were discussing who should take the boat first.

“Then anyone can just get on first, right?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Hee.”

First, if Joo Shinwoo and Joo Shinhee get on first, and Ash remain.

“Who would want to ride with that idiot!”

“You idiot, I don’t want to either!”

Second, if Ash and Joo Shinhee get on first, and Joo Shinwoo remain.

“I want to ride with Ash too!”

Third, if Ash and Joo Shinwoo get on first, and Joo Shinhee remain … I was thinking if this was the correct answer.

“I don’t want to! He’s so slow, it will take forever. I’d rather go first before that idiot.”

For this reason, they remained at a standstill for quite a while.

If I remembered it correctly, there used to be a similar river crossing quiz in the past … where they took a sheep and a wolf across in a boat².

“Hey, guys, how about this?”

I thought about it for a moment and then told them what I had in mind. Luckily, everyone nodded in agreement.

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Translator’s Corner:

1. Hikikomori: (Japanese: ひきこもり or 引きこもり, literal meaning: “pulling inward, being confined“), also known as severe social withdrawal, is total withdrawal from society and seeking extreme degrees of social isolation and confinement. Hikikomori refers to both the phenomenon in general and the recluses themselves, described as loners or “modern-day hermits“. ↩︎
2. The wolf, goat and cabbage problem is a river crossing quiz. It dates back to at least the 9th century, and has entered the folklore of several cultures.

   The quiz is like this: a farmer with a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage must cross a river by boat. The boat can carry only the farmer and a single item. If left unattended together, the wolf would eat the goat, or the goat would eat the cabbage. How can they cross the river without anything being eaten? ↩︎

Happy halloween : D Hope you got a lot of treats and have fun with some tricks!

Anyway I solved my graduation outfit problem, I chose green color (definitely not because of this blog color palette … ha ha ….)

THE PHOTO PART IS SO RELATEABLE. I’ve never been to zoo before but when I was in the final year in school, the students always went for a school trip together. AND THE PLACE ALWAYS HAD INSANELY EXPENSIVE COST FOR THE TAKING PICTURES AS SOUVERNIR PART. The world is full of capitalism…. Come to think of it, I didn’t have any pictures from school trip. In middle school, I had no phone, and I didn’t join in the high school. It was quite regetful now that I think about it, I used to hate taking pictures because I thought I was ugly (what having too many relatives who liked to tease you did to a kid’s confidence….) but now that I grew up, I really like the idea of taking pictures and saving traces of today’s memories. Let’s take a picture with a lot of people, everyone ^^ You will never know when you will miss them~