Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 12
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 12. The Physician of Resurrection
Chang Ya-o, who had tried to kill Jeong Ho, was taken away without incident, but the cleanup fell to Jeong Ho.
Because of the Deep Cloud, the entire house was damp. The ramen he’d painstakingly boiled had swollen until it burst, then gone cold.
About to throw out the ruined mess, his hand froze on the pot at the sink.
‘Such a shame to waste it. It’s still food. Should I give it to Dae Young?’
Jeong Ho turned the idea over in his mind. What if he gave Dae Young this cold, bloated ramen?
–
That might be the reaction. Though odds were nine to one he’d turn his nose up—but that was fine too.
-See? If you want to eat delicious ramen next time, you’d better treat me well from now on.
Decision made. He’d dispose of the ramen through the Dimensional Store [Dapanda].
“Hero’s Tower, entry.”
Flash!
A blinding white light wrapped around Jeong Ho, then deposited him in the lobby of the Hero’s Tower ground floor.
“Dae Young, I brought ramen… Who are you?”
Where Dae Young usually stood, there was a stranger. A man holding a staff entwined with a serpent looked up from his book.
“Me? I am the Physician of Resurrection. And you are?”
The Physician of Resurrection? A serpent staff? Could it be—Asclepius from Greek mythology? A demigod!
“I’m Jeong Ho… if you don’t mind my asking, are you really him?”
“An odd question. If I’m not myself, does that make me a doppelgänger?”
Jeong Ho scratched the back of his head. Gang Tae-gong was the same way—everyone’s answers were vague somehow.
“Ha, yes, I suppose so. But where did Dae Young go? He’s usually here.”
“Dae Young went to fetch a book I asked him to find. He’ll be back shortly.”
“A book? When showing me things, you always pull them out from your body.”
“The book I’m looking for is rather rare.”
Asclepius snapped shut the book he’d been reading. The cover was filled with unfamiliar symbols—it looked like one of those alchemy texts Jeong Ho had seen online.
“Do you have an interest in this book?”
Asclepius’s eyes gleamed with an odd light. Jeong Ho had seen that look before—in the eyes of a professor during his university days.
‘Are you interested in graduate school?’
“No!”
The answer shot from Jeong Ho’s mouth reflexively. Asclepius studied him with an expression of intrigue.
“So you’re the one Dae Young mentioned. The one who skipped the Trial Tower and climbed to the second floor of the Hero’s Tower.”
“You know about me? Dae Young didn’t say anything too embarrassing, I hope?”
“He said you were interesting. That you bring something called ramen, and that it’s supposedly quite delicious.”
Asclepius’s gaze lowered. In Jeong Ho’s hand sat the pot of cold, bloated ramen.
“If I’m not mistaken, that looks like ramen. Would you mind if I had a taste?”
“This? Oh no, let me boil you a fresh batch. It’s gone cold and tastes awful, and the noodles are all swollen…”
“No matter. At my level, temporary variations in taste due to food’s condition are trivial.”
‘This isn’t temporary—it’s permanent! The noodles have absorbed all the broth and puffed up entirely…’
Slurrrp—
Before Jeong Ho could protest, Asclepius snatched the pot and devoured the cold, bloated ramen in moments.
Not Dae Young, but a great demigod—Jeong Ho felt he’d committed a grave sin.
“It’s an intriguing flavor. One that damages health. Almost as though damage were the intent. Physicians would hate it.”
Asclepius set down the empty pot and smacked his lips thoughtfully.
“Yet it’s delicious. If it had been freshly boiled, it would have been far superior. It harms the body’s health, but nourishes the spirit’s. A fascinating concept.”
Asclepius looked back at Jeong Ho, his expression suddenly apologetic.
“Ah, forgive me. You’re a cook, aren’t you? I’m sorry—I’ve essentially stolen your recipe. Don’t worry, though; I won’t set up shop nearby.”
“My recipe? But I never taught you anything.”
“One taste is enough. I’ve developed complex medicines by tasting them, after all.”
‘Even ramen factories keep their recipes classified. He figures it out from one taste? Even I’ve eaten ramen for decades and don’t know it.’
‘Terrifying. Is this what it takes to become a hero?’
Asclepius gazed at Jeong Ho for a moment, then fluttered his robe and withdrew a small notebook from his sleeve, offering it to him.
“Since I’ve received your recipe, I’ll give you mine. Let’s call it a fair trade. That way you won’t feel anxious, yes?”
Jeong Ho accepted the notebook in confusion. On the cover was written .
‘A potion?’
Potions are essential to Hunters. Whether in dungeons or Gates, Hunters are easily and frequently wounded. Healing through modern medicine alone takes forever.
So they drink potions. Minor wounds heal instantly upon drinking, and even serious injuries recover quickly with a good potion.
They say that with high-grade potions and recovery magic, even severed limbs can be reattached seamlessly—the effect is legendary. The problem is that materials are expensive and recipes complex, so the potion industry isn’t exactly booming.
“This is a potion suited perfectly to your level. Simple to make with easy-to-find materials, yet effective.”
Asclepius smiled faintly. Giving away something so rare for free—was he an angel? No, a demigod.
“Th-thank you so much! Out of sheer guilt, I should boil you more ramen…”
Dae Young set down the book and paused. His gaze flickered from Jeong Ho to Asclepius, then to the empty ramen pot.
“Dae Young! That’s not—I can explain! Please, calm down!”
* * *
The misunderstanding was smoothed over, but it left a small wound in its place.
“Well, some people do like burned ramen.”
No, that won’t do! Jeong Ho sighed inwardly. But if I brought him delicious ramen again, wouldn’t he reconsider?
“Do you read minds too?”
Dae Young’s gaze flickered toward Asclepius, who was completely absorbed in his book.
“Come on. Watch your words. Do I look like that kind of person to you?”
Dae Young didn’t answer. Jeong Ho, feeling awkward, spoke carefully.
“I was wondering… is there something that could help me sell things while keeping my identity hidden?”
“More than simple invisibility—something that blocks all kinds of tracking…?”
Dae Young pulled a ring from his body.
-Ring of Distortion (Legendary): A transcendent distortion spell is cast upon it such that no one can properly perceive the wearer of this ring.
Twenty thousand Superior ones? Not Intermediate? A basic Magic Stone costs fifty thousand won each. An Intermediate is a thousand times that, and a Superior is a thousand times again.
‘One quintillion won?!’
That’s more expensive than South Korea’s annual budget! How am I supposed to buy that?
That’s true, I suppose. Literally an invisible man. You could do anything anywhere and no one would interfere—if someone like Chang Ya-o bought it?
It’s practically invincibility. You could handle things right in the street and nobody would know. Really, one quintillion won is cheap. But I don’t need it that badly.
“Forgive me, but do you have anything cheaper?”
“Twenty-four Intermediate ones.”
“Steal them? I farmed them by clearing the Chaos Gate.”
Jeong Ho pulled out the Intermediate Magic Stones from his Inventory. Dae Young’s eyes brightened with satisfaction.
Dae Young handed over a scrap of paper with no cover. Not a Skill Book—it looked like something a mad scientist had scribbled on and thrown away.
“Dae Young, you’re not taking revenge for the food scraps by giving me trash, are you?”
“How does that block tracking?”
Jeong Ho looked at the Skill Book again.
-Skill Book: Shadow Severance (Original) (Legendary)
-Shadow Severance (Original): Separate your shadow from your body and control it like a puppet. Any action taken against the shadow does not reach the original body.
It’s good, certainly. A subordinate that will never betray you and leave no traces—a servant of my own.
“But why is it so cheap?”
He’d already guessed that much. Dae Young himself had called it a puppet.
“What’s the second reason?”
“What? That’s a dangerous skill!”
“That’s ruthless. When am I supposed to gather twenty thousand Superior Stones? I couldn’t do it even entering the Tower a hundred times a day.”
Jeong Ho flinched. Dae Young’s gaze glinted with something sinister.
“Then where would I gather them?”
“But the Chaos Gate is rare. I already check with the Gate guide. Besides, once a Gate opens, I can’t enter it again.”
Suddenly Dae Young leaned his upper body forward. His crimson eyes flickered with an eerie light.
“Huh? Really? That’s possible? How?”
Dae Young’s dark shadow tendril pointed toward the staircase.
* * *
[Skill activated: Trial Tower Entry]
[Entering Trial Tower, Floor 11.]
[Floor 11 Objective: Eliminate 24 elite goblin warriors]
From Floor 11 onward through Floor 15 of Trial Tower, elite goblins appeared. I’d already seen them in the Chaos Gate and in the Hero’s Diary, so they were familiar enough.
“Keehik? Keehihik?”
“Kishat kishat! Keehyahaha!”
The goblins bared their yellow teeth and snickered. They were genuinely repulsive each time. Under normal circumstances, one Fire Bolt would’ve ended them.
‘Inventory.’
Jeong Ho withdrew the Bow of Falling Cherry Blossoms from his inventory. I ought to test out this highest-tier epic item that dropped from the Chaos Gate.
Jeong Ho assumed a rough archery stance. As he drew the string, a needle-sharp pink magic arrow materialized at his fingertips.
Fwip—thwack!
A goblin’s head became skewered like meat on a spit. Five hits or instant death didn’t matter—it was a one-shot kill. The only problem was.
[Warning! Magic Pollution at 99%!]
[Warning! Magic Pollution at 99%!]
[Warning! Magic Pollution at 99%!]
“Ugh. Oh no, nearly threw up again.”
Every arrow fired triggered 99% Magic Pollution. It wasn’t fatal, but it was still brutal. At this rate, Fire Bolt was better.
It wasn’t as if I had an archer or marksmanship-type skill anyway. The bow was powerful, but it wasn’t an item I could use.
‘The performance is excellent, but it’s a shame. Too valuable to sell, so I’ll hold onto it for now. Might need it later. Fire Bolt.’
Bang!!
[Trial Tower Floor 11 cleared!]
[Clear time—00:00:13 seconds.]
[Clear rank: EX]
[EX-rank reward: Obtained 59 Intermediate Magic Stones.]
[EX-rank special reward: Obtained 1 Hero’s Proof.]
[Reclaimed rank 1! Record updated!]
A slightly slower clear time than usual from testing out the bow. Still EX-rank though, even if 13 seconds.
‘I’ve tested the new item; now I should test the new skill I learned.’
Back home, Jeong Ho activated the Shadow Severance skill. His shadow stirred and rose, gaining substance like a puppet.
[Skill activated: Shadow Severance (Original)]
[Detach shadow from your body and manipulate it like a puppet. All damage inflicted upon the shadow does not reach the main body.]
‘It’s a bit creepy, honestly. So now I control the shadow… is this the feeling?’
As his consciousness focused, it shifted into the shadow. In shadow form, Jeong Ho pulled out his smartphone.
‘If I use the Hunter Auction House like this, my main body stays safe, right?’
Whether it was tracking or anything else, nothing would touch his main body. Though honestly, it did seem suspicious. After all, the auction ID was still Jeong Ho’s.
‘I’ll trust Dae Young. If it doesn’t work, I can just reveal I’m EX-rank.’
Jeong Ho listed 14 Intermediate Magic Stones on the auction house. I’d gathered 24 from the Chaos Gate, but used 10 to pay for the Shadow Severance Skill Book.
‘Intermediate Magic Stones go for 50 million won each, right? I’ll make about a billion.’
A billion. The words left Jeong Ho’s mouth without a second thought, then he jolted. A billion, just like that? His mom’s corporate-executive friend’s son would have a hard time ever handling a billion won.
‘R-right, the money only counts once it sells. Until then, I shouldn’t get careless.’
Jeong Ho listed 14 Intermediate Magic Stones at the starting price—the auction house average. He switched off his phone immediately, cutting off his attention.
It sounded nice to call it a billion won, but he had no idea what the actual selling price would be. Due to the limitations of the auction system. He could wind up selling for less than market value.
Even with magic stones, which had relatively stable prices, that was still true. If even incubator-grown cucumbers fluctuated wildly, what hope did hunter-harvested magic stones have?
‘Ah, whatever. Even if it sells cheap, how much money is that, really? It’ll be more than I’ve saved my entire life. I should shower, eat dinner, and take a walk.’
If he kept checking, he’d psych himself out. Jeong Ho made peace with it. That evening, relaxing as usual, just before sleep, he couldn’t help peeking at the price.
-Intermediate Magic Stones (14): Current bid—480,000,000 won
-Intermediate Magic Stones (14): Current bid—540,000,000 won
-Intermediate Magic Stones (14): Current bid—600,000,000 won
-Intermediate Magic Stones (14): Current bid—600,000,000 won
‘Wh-what is all this?! How many zeros are there?! One, ten, hundred, thousand… 600 million?!’
The next instant. Pop!
-Intermediate Magic Stones (14): 1,200,000,000 won
Breaking 1.2 billion. Jeong Ho’s mind went blank. 1.2 billion—how much was that, really? Could he buy an apartment in Seoul? Pay off all his loans in one go and have money left over?
As that thought crossed his mind. Pop!
-Intermediate Magic Stones (14): Current bid—2,000,000,000 won
Hourly rate broken past two billion won.
Jeong Ho stood dumbfounded.
Continued in the next episode ▶
Got an endgame item for the price of a bowl of ramen
Author
White Dried Persimmon
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Contact
[email protected]
Publication Date
August 24, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260423069
※ This e-book is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and duplication are prohibited. Violations may result in civil and criminal liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes your precious manuscripts.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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