I Got an Ex-Class Omnipotent System - Chapter 169

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 169
169: Is This the Captain’s Gift? (2)
* * *
As Vera followed the Dohyun Party, she sensed something peculiar. Watching them head toward the Inn District, far removed from the Dining Area, Vera tilted her head in confusion.
Inns did sell food, and since one could sleep there while eating dinner, she assumed they were trying to handle lodging and meals simultaneously. But as she continued following the Dohyun Party, she noticed they were venturing into increasingly shadowy territory, and her expression became visibly flustered.
Bamu was a city Vera visited occasionally, so while she didn’t know the geography in detail, she knew well enough that while there were inns in this direction, there were no places to eat.
So why were they heading this way? As that thought crossed her mind, she suddenly recalled the image of the Dohyun Party aboard the pirate ship and the fact that Dohyun had fought Ines to a draw.
‘Wh…what?’
A sharp sense of danger washed over her. Just as she was considering whether to flee, she remembered that they had formed a temporary party, and her pupils began trembling violently.
A temporary party was a function that allowed party members to temporarily belong to a different party—one of the Black Gate’s methods designed for those whose parties had been wiped out and couldn’t enter the Safe Zone.
The disadvantage of a temporary party was that it couldn’t be dissolved before a day had passed, so Vera was currently unable to return to her own dimension, causing her pupils to shake even more intensely.
In her growing anxiety,
she watched Dohyun glance around the surroundings, and Vera thought to herself.
‘Ah, he’s checking the area.’
Now she was beginning to misinterpret everything, and it all seemed to confirm her fears. She assumed he was making sure there were no witnesses.
But then.
“There are no other races around, so we can eat here. We can’t leave the Safe Zone anyway because of the temporary party.”
“We should have eaten before coming in.”
“Well, there’s no helping it. This is the first time we’re using the temporary party system.”
“Right? This is so inconvenient—how are we supposed to form parties like this every time? It would be easier to establish a peace treaty so we could form parties and enter smoothly.”
“Ugh.”
At Dohyun’s words, Jiyuchan let out a groan of resignation. Though he’d been pointed out, he didn’t seem particularly bothered, quickly brushing it off. Watching them, Vera blinked her wide eyes and looked at them as if asking what they were talking about.
Then the Dohyun Party, as if accustomed to this, spread out a mat and began unpacking food.
Vera wasn’t particularly surprised that they had three magic pouches, but she couldn’t help but be startled by the aroma emanating from the unpacked food.
“What is this…”
A pungent smell she had never encountered in her homeland.
The food the Dohyun Party had brought out today was a milky broth. As the seasoning dissolved, ham and sausages soon floated to the surface alongside a hint of red oil, and the moment the stew pot was placed over the burner, it began boiling vigorously.
Bubble, bubble, bubble.
The enchanting stew that had captivated even foreigners who came to Korea, transforming them into devoted Korean food enthusiasts.
It was budae jjigae.
The combination of its spicy yet savory aroma and the rich fragrance of oil was so intoxicating that even Hanalin, who prided herself on her refined taste, couldn’t help but drool.
For a while, since Baeryujin had been craving something rich, they’d been eating Western food like pizza and chicken, but now that they’d brought out Korean cuisine after so long, its impact was far greater than expected.
“I’ve been craving something for days anyway—this is perfect.”
“…Exactly.”
“Narin, how did you manage during your study abroad?”
“Ahem.”
At Dohyun’s remark, Hanalin’s face flushed red and she pretended not to hear. During her time studying abroad, she hadn’t realized Korean food was this good.
In any case, as the three of them chatted and prepared the food, Vera swallowed hard, her body trembling violently as she asked.
“What is this…gulp…what kind of food is this?”
Watching her reaction—drooling despite being a different race, not even human from another dimension—Dohyun couldn’t help but smirk.
“Budae jjigae,” I said. “It’s quite a popular dish in Korea.”
“Wow…”
Vera’s amazement had good reason. Celestials were living beings, so they naturally ate. But born from mana as they were, they subsisted solely on fruits grown from mana-infused trees, making such stimulating aromas entirely new to her.
It wasn’t that Celestials couldn’t eat other foods, but Vera wondered if consuming something so pungent by smell alone would make it impossible for her to return to her previous diet.
As she hesitated, the stew finished cooking, and I ladled a bowl and handed it to her.
Though Vera thought she should refuse, she accepted the bowl and, without thinking, picked up the spoon that came with it, bringing a thin slice of Vienna sausage along with the broth to her mouth.
Then.
Crunch.
Pop.
The Vienna sausage’s crispy texture burst, releasing concentrated ham juices. Rich and heavy as it was, the concentrated savory depth filled her mouth, and the spicy broth neutralized the oily ham flavor, leaving a lingering aftertaste across her palate.
“Haaa…”
The ham was hot, so Vera slowly opened her mouth to cool it, then unconsciously took another spoonful and brought it to her lips.
This time it was Spam instead of Vienna sausage.
Unlike the Vienna sausage’s soft texture, the Spam had a slightly firmer consistency, and as she chewed it, the salty ham flavor combined with the spicy broth felt refreshingly cool. Vera closed her eyes and gasped in delight.
“Mmm…”
As Vera expressed her admiration, Dohyun, Hanalin, and Jiyuchan watched her with satisfaction and asked.
“How is it?”
“Delicious, isn’t it?”
“Quite palatable, wouldn’t you say?”
When all three asked simultaneously, Vera opened her mouth without thinking.
“It’s absolutely incredible!?”
Vera covered her mouth, surprised at how loudly she’d spoken, but the Dohyun Party simply smiled warmly at the sight and said.
“There’s plenty, so please eat as much as you’d like.”
“Yes!! I’ve never tasted anything this delicious!!”
Everyone thought Vera was exaggerating, but she was sincere. Having eaten only mana fruits that carried the flavors infused in mana itself, when would she have ever experienced such salty, refreshing, spicy tastes?
Until now, Vera had never shown interest in foods from other dimensions, but this changed everything.
The food was so delicious that Vera found herself eating voraciously without realizing it.
Only after eating considerably more did Vera become aware of her lack of composure and swallowed hard.
This wasn’t what she’d intended, and then something suddenly occurred to her.
“Oh! That’s right. Team Leader.”
“Yes?”
At the word “team leader,” I turned my head. Celestials tended to call their party leader “team leader,” and knowing that Vera addressed me the same way, I responded immediately.
Then.
“The Captain gave me this to give to you, but I got so caught up eating that I forgot.”
“Hmm?”
The Captain—Ines—gave this to me? I thought, accepting the box Vera handed over.
It must have meant something for her to give it, but I wasn’t sure what. As I tried to open the box, I noticed a small note resting on top.
I opened it first and read it.
Then.
「You requested that I spar with you, but I too gained much from our sparring match. I felt the exchange was unfair as it stood, so I wished to offer you a gift.
Please accept it without any burden.」
Looking at what was written on the note, I couldn’t help but grin widely, thinking how thoughtful the Captain was to prepare all this. When Hanalin and Jiyuchan saw the note and shook their heads with expressions saying “of course he would,” I opened the box.
Curious about what could be inside, I opened it, and something far more impressive than expected emerged—my pupils trembled slightly.
『Twin Mountains』
▶「Knuckles said to have been used by a colossal giant in the past. For some reason, they have now been resized to fit human hands.」
▶「When worn on both hands, the coordination of your limbs becomes even more fluid.」
▶「Existing destructive power increases by 10%.」
▶「When using martial arts of B-Rank or higher, their power is amplified.」
“Wow.”
It was an incredibly powerful item that even made me exclaim in admiration. As I marveled at it and swallowed hard, Vera spoke as if she had forgotten something.
“Oh, right. I can appraise it for you.”
“Dohyun oppa can appraise items.”
“Yes, what?”
This strong and also capable of appraising? Well, he did seem superior to anyone in mana control and mana manipulation, so it was possible, but combat was a completely different field from mana techniques like appraisal—could he really excel at both?
Seeing Vera’s expression of disbelief, I asked her earnestly.
“Is this a gift from the Captain?”
“Yes. He, he definitely said to tell you that….”
“Wow.”
Among the items I currently possessed, the best was the small fang from Deathworm that I obtained after defeating it, but these weren’t far behind—perhaps just one tier below?
In other words, they were comparable to weapons obtained from defeating Zone bosses.
Having received such an extraordinary weapon, I couldn’t help but think I had no choice.
‘Since I’ve received a weapon like this, I can’t just sit idle.’
I need to take better care of Vera.
As I made up my mind, Vera inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine.
‘What was that…?’
She trembled briefly at that ominous feeling, but unfortunately didn’t realize what it meant.
Though it didn’t take long for her to find out.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————