Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

If the cafeteria menu wasn’t good, the Clan members wouldn’t bother eating there. They have money to spare, and if eating outside is an option, they’d choose that. So, the Clan provides such high-end dishes as an additional benefit… that was Shin Yuna’s explanation.

Now it makes sense. I guess ‘Wagyu in the cafeteria’ isn’t such a shocking sight after all. For Holders earning above C-grade, it probably wasn’t considered an extravagant dish.

Nodding my head, I took the tongs from Shin Yuna.

“I’ll cook.”

“Huh? No, our Clan doesn’t have that kind of culture…”

“I’m grilling it well.”

No matter how you eat the meat, it’ll surely be delicious, but if possible, isn’t it even better to grill it to your taste? The domain of [cooking] surprisingly had a broad scope.

Sizzle-

Chi, chiik-

After lightly coating the grill with butter,

I began placing the thick cuts of beef on the iron plate.

Even though there were already plenty of sauces on the table for marinating the meat, I sprinkled a little salt and pepper for seasoning.

I wanted the first taste to highlight the natural flavor of the meat.

To eat it as is without any sauce, like a roasted style that was my own.

Although Shin Yuna had said there wasn’t an old-fashioned culture like that in <Judgment of Fire>, she was now holding her tongue and letting me cook after obviously witnessing my cooking skills.

And then, cautiously, she addressed me, “By the way, Do Jae-hyun…”

“Huh?”

“I’m thinking… of having my own well cooked…”

“Phew- Got it.”

Although Kang Juyeon hadn’t said anything, she would probably go for medium half done. I knew her style from the time we went to the restaurant together.

As the meat cooked to perfection, Kang Juyeon brought up the topic she briefly mentioned earlier.

“The operation that the Hunting Team 5 will be assigned to this time… will likely be a dungeon that’s still unconquered by the Clan.”

As I expected, the operation would involve dungeon conquest. It seemed to be a Clan-owned dungeon that hadn’t been cleared yet. The importance of the first mission was greater than I had thought.

Grilling the meat, I asked, “Is it okay to talk about it already?”

“Yeah. It’ll be announced directly in tomorrow’s mission meeting anyway. For this operation, Do Jae-hyun and Holder Shin Yuna will be deployed.”

Upon hearing that, Shin Yuna was surprised and exclaimed, “Me, too?”

“Yes.”

Why was she so surprised? We were in the same rank, after all. According to Shin Yuna’s training plan from earlier, the Hunting Team 5 members would be divided into B-grade and C-grade. Probably to adjust the Holders’ ranks and hunting efficiency. Among them, Shin Yuna and I were in the C-grade category. It was natural that we would be assigned to the same mission.

“…But the party being deployed will likely be a B-grade party.”

“A B-grade party?”

“Yes. The monsters in the dungeon we’re planning to conquer this time are primarily B-grade monsters, occasionally A-grade. The dungeon boss is probably expected to be A-grade as well. So, except for you and Holder Shin Yuna, the entire party will be composed of B-grade members.”

This was unexpected. While it wasn’t unusual for an A-grade Holder to be included in a B-grade party as a leader, it was rare for C-grade Holders like me and Shin Yuna to be part of a B-grade party. The gap between C-grade and B-grade was significant. To be honest, this was quite an exceptional occurrence. This might be why Kang Juyeon was running late for her morning duties.

“But, is it alright for me and Shin Yuna? Even if we’re skilled, it doesn’t seem fitting to join a B-grade party…”

“It’s fine. Holder Kwon Oh-jun will participate as the party leader and a warrior-type.”

“Ah…!!”

Shin Yuna, who had been quietly listening, clapped her hands.

“So, that’s why we were deployed!”

“Yes. This operation is not only about dungeon conquest, but also focuses on the growth of Holder Shin Yuna. It seems that when Holder Kwon Oh-jun is promoted to A-grade and becomes the new team leader, the B-grade warrior positions will be vacant.”

“I understand… I’ll work hard…!!”

Shin Yuna said, gathering her hands, and Kang Juyeon seemed somewhat burdened, looking away as I continued grilling the meat.

I didn’t fully understand, but it seemed that the B-grade warrior positions in Hunting Team 5 had become vacant due to Kwon Oh-jun becoming the team leader and an A-grade Holder. So, they had requested additional members, and that’s why Kang Juyeon and I were temporarily assigned. It made sense. I can see now why Kwon Oh-jun seemed frustrated yesterday. To ask for B-grade members but receive C-grade interns for two months was undoubtedly a frustrating assignment from his perspective.

“Since we’ll have the mission meeting tomorrow and leave for deployment the day after… be prepared in advance.”

“Okay.”

“Understood…!!”

Dungeon deployment only three days after joining <Judgment of Fire>. Delivering this exciting news to everyone. Kang Juyeon picked up her chopsticks again. It was the continuation of the delayed meal.

Sizzle-

The sound of the beef sizzling on the grill.

I cut them neatly with a knife to make them easy to eat.

I arranged them neatly in a bowl.

Good food should also look good. Presentation is one of the principles of my cooking. Wagyu beef looked good in pretty dishes. The appearance was satisfactory. And as the meat was placed…

Kang Juyeon and Shin Yuna’s chopsticks moved at the speed of light.

Were they using their speed? It felt like they were.

Fast and precise movements. Thanks to that, there wasn’t a single piece of meat left on the grill. Not one.

“…”

I stared at this scene with a dazed expression. Seriously, is there no one to feed the person grilling the meat…?