Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 16

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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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Episode 16. Ability Stats Improve
<XXX year, XX month, XX day. We survived the goblin raid and arrived safely.>
A mist clouded Jeong-ho’s vision, then cleared as he entered the world within the diary.
The Audience Chamber of a noble—a scene straight from a medieval fantasy game. The floor was covered in expensive crimson carpet, and armed guards stood in a tight perimeter.
At the far end, an arrogant noble was leafing through some document.
“So. Who are you and where are you from?”
“I’ve come from XXX fortress as XXX. I’ve completed the escort mission, so I request my payment.”
The man beside Jeong-ho answered. He said something, but Jeong-ho couldn’t catch the middle part—as if the information had been censored.
“You want money! Ha, you’ve completed the escort? Look here. The contract says you were supposed to bring thirty slaves, so how many actually arrived?”
The noble hurled the paper at the man.
“Ten! More than half are dead, so what do you mean ‘completed’?! If you have any conscience, get out of my sight!”
‘Wow. Tension’s thick in here.’
A passage from the diary flickered through Jeong-ho’s mind in that instant.
<We were neither nobles nor destined to become slaves. We bled fighting, but our blood was worth less than a single bead of sweat from this noble.>
This wasn’t negotiation—it was a dog fight waiting to happen. The man beside Jeong-ho reached for his sword, and the guards drew theirs with a metallic whisper.
“I must say, you have exemplary guards. If you had lent me even half of their skill, those thirty promised slaves would have arrived unharmed.”
The moment the man spoke, the noble’s gaze turned lethal.
“Ha! You dare suggest I weaken my guard? You’re a spy, aren’t you? Who sent you? XXX fortress? The XX family? Who?”
“I take orders from no one. I simply speak the truth. Had you sent even three of your guards, that caravan of thirty would never have been ambushed by goblins—”
“Ambushed by goblins! That’s a lie. You stole and sold my slaves! You dare lay hands on my property? Kill him at once!”
The guards drew their weapons and charged. Again, words from the diary surfaced in Jeong-ho’s mind.
<The noble tried to frame me as a spy and put me to death. I fought desperately, but couldn’t land a single fingertip on him.>
‘This isn’t negotiation anymore. I’ve been scammed by the diary.’
Jeong-ho was exasperated. What if the title was a con? Just as blade met blade, Jeong-ho sighed.
“Fire Bolt.”
Two blazing suns rose into being. The pompous noble, the guards, even the diary’s owner—all their eyes filled with the color of flame.
Boom—!
The Audience Chamber exploded. A clean hole tore through the castle’s outer wall. The noble lived, but his heart had been punctured just like the stone.
“Listen, mister. We might be spies, or we might not be. It’s all up to you.”
Jeong-ho approached the noble. The man shrieked in terror.
“Guards! Guards!! He’s, he’s trying to kill me!!!”
Smack! Jeong-ho slapped the noble’s cheek hard. The soft flesh felt satisfying.
“Y-you hit me. Even my father never—”
Slap! Slap! Slap! The sensation was intoxicating. Jeong-ho found himself grinning before catching himself and withdrawing his hand. The noble’s cheeks were already swelling.
“Mister. Answer me.”
“W-what?”
“Will you give us the money or not?”
The pathetic noble wouldn’t meet his eyes, fidgeting.
“I, I will give it to you…”
“Are we spies or not?”
“N-no. Absolutely not.”
“Right? Good. And about those guards—you’ve got more than you need. Will you lend us some?”
The noble’s eyes made it clear he wouldn’t. Jeong-ho didn’t care. He was an outsider, and this was the world inside the diary.
‘So I can do what I want, then.’
Jeong-ho pulled out the Hero’s Command Authority.
-Hero’s Command Authority (Unique): Compels the next action of any visible target. Without Heroic Power, it cannot be resisted. Single use.
He tore the Authority while holding the noble’s gaze steady. The noble’s eyes glazed over, power draining from them. But what should he command?
‘One command only. I need to choose carefully.’
Jeong-ho thought of the Monkey’s Paw story. How many cautionary tales were there about wishes gone wrong?
His mind raced, but no clever solution came. Then inspiration struck.
“Mister? If you could give this man one command, what would it be?”
Asking the diary’s owner himself. After all, this person was the protagonist of the diary.
“I would command him to sign here. I’ve written down the method to correct the injustice I felt on the way here.”
It was a kind of contract. Looking it over, Jeong-ho could sense the anguish written into every word.
In places the pen had pressed so hard the letters were twisted, or the paper was scarred as if it might tear.
“Fine. You—sign here.”
The noble’s hand trembled as he signed. When the command’s effect wore off, he belatedly realized what he’d done.
“You have signed this contract. You are now bound to distribute ten percent of your monthly wealth, triple the military forces assigned to the roads, and double all public infrastructure investments.”
The diary’s protagonist spoke the terms. The noble’s face flooded with shock, then crumpled helplessly.
<I received no payment, escaping with barely my life, broken and humbled. I wept at the world’s injustice. I swore I would set it right.>
The diary entry surfaced in her mind again. As before, the diary’s contents didn’t match reality. A soft pop!
<A man who seemed like the embodiment of absurdity helped me. With a single word, he made the sun rise. That sun was dazzlingly beautiful.>
<With his help, I negotiated safely with the Noble. He paid the price he should have paid all along, and I set right a small absurdity.>
The diary’s contents had changed. Son Jeong-ho, who had been delighted about receiving proper Ability Stats rewards, sensed a gaze upon him.
A man who seemed to be the diary’s owner was smiling at Son Jeong-ho.
“This is the second time, isn’t it.”
Does this man remember our meeting from the diary?
“Indeed it is. Ha ha. Quite the coincidence.”
“I should like to know your name.”
“My name? I’m Son Jeong-ho. And you?”
“My name is…….”
Pop!
<Hero’s Diary – Chapter 2 has concluded.>
<You resolved the matter with the Noble through violence.>
<Strength Ability Stat increased: F→D>
Son Jeong-ho returned to reality. When his senses cleared, only the diary spread across the floor and he remained in the room. It was the same as before.
‘This time I only gained two ranks in Strength. Status Window.’
Pop!
[Name: Son Jeong-ho]
[Unique Skill: Hero’s Tower Entry]
[Ability Stats] [Level: 16]
-Strength: D -Agility: E
-Constitution: D -Perception: E
-Mana: F -Luck: C
-Heroic Power: Stage 3
[Common Skills: Trial Tower Entry, Fire Bolt Original, Distraction Art Original, Water Shield Original, Shadow Cut Original]
[Trial Tower Blessing: Blessing of Plenty, Blessing of Acuity, Blessing of Retrial]
[Hero’s Authority: Heroic Power Release, Gate Guide, Resonating Power]
He’d accumulated quite a lot. The F-riddled stats were nearly gone now—nothing but F in Mana remained.
He’d raised Constitution with Spirit Elixir, but the rest came thanks to the Hero’s Diary. As for Luck, he’d received the Trial Tower Blessing for that.
‘The Hero’s Diary is really something. The more I use it, the more I realize how useful it is—but what exactly is it?’
Son Jeong-ho carefully turned the diary’s page. He only wanted to peek at what Chapter 3 contained.
<Chapter 3: A Storm Descends.>
‘A natural disaster? Now I have to protect against natural disasters too?’
They say troubles multiply without end. What sort of life had this diary’s owner lived through? There was only one person he could ask about such things.
“Hero’s Tower Entry.”
Dae-young, the Great Shadow. The owner of the Dimensional Shop, Dapanda. If anyone would know, it would be him.
* * *
The Dimensional Shop, Dapanda, stood in the stone corridor of Hero’s Tower’s ground floor—an eerie place where cold, arid air hung heavy…….
“Sniff sniff. What is that smell?”
Today the air itself was different. There was something acrid and salty about it, yet oddly savory?
<Kufufu. Kufufufu. Didn’t I tell you? You’d figure it out someday.>
Dae-young, the Great Shadow, had turned his back and chuckled to himself. The source of the smell seemed to be Dae-young.
“Dae-young? What on earth have you been doing? What is this smell—wait!”
A flutter! Dae-young spread his shadow-form wide open. A copper pot sat there, steaming with bubbling red ramen inside.
<Kuhaha! Look at this—I made ramen. Do you know what this means? Never again will there be ramen discounts!>
“You, you actually made ramen? How on earth did you manage it?”
<Kufufu. It’s just ordinary food. The fried noodle dough was clever enough, but. Go on, have a taste. You’ll be amazed.>
Dae-young even produced chopsticks—wooden ones, their surfaces rough enough to grip the noodles well and cling to a bit of broth.
‘When did Dae-young become such a ramen connoisseur?’
The skill level was considerable. The noodle texture, the water control—flawless in every regard. In fact, Dae-young’s technique looked nearly as good as Son Jeong-ho’s own.
‘But the taste……? Did he really recreate the taste of real ramen?’
Slurrrp—
Son Jeong-ho took a cautious first bite. Then a bigger one. Then he drank some of the broth down in gulps.
<Kuhaha! How is it? Indistinguishable, right? In the end, ramen is just common, vulgar food!>
Son Jeong-ho set the pot down hard on the counter.
“It tastes bad.”
<What?! That can’t be! It’s a perfect recipe! Are you just being difficult?>
“No, truly. Something’s missing. Tsk. What is it? I actually brought real ramen with me, so let me cook it here and we can compare.”
Son Jeong-ho rummaged through his things. He lit up a camping gas burner, set a metal pot on it, poured in purified water, broke up the noodles, and let them simmer and bubble.
‘Brewed this way, it tastes completely different.’
What is that? Not even a proper pot. Isn’t this basically ramen cooked in a rice bowl?
“Just try it first. Here.”
The tall shadow figure, Dae-young, hesitated before taking a bite of the instant ramen. The moment it touched his tongue, his crimson eyes flickered uncontrollably.
Hold on, this is delicious! How can this be? My ingredients were far superior, and the cooking tools and process were……!
“I suppose something was missing.”
If he dares to say it’s sincerity or the cook’s touch, I’ll show him. What exactly is lacking? Where does this subtle umami difference come from?!
Umami? Isn’t that just the taste of seasoning? Jeong-ho didn’t bother saying it aloud. There was no point anyway—Dae-young was already too absorbed in eating the ramen.
Damn it! That such a crude dish as instant ramen could possess such profound depth. It’s worth the challenge.
Making assumptions on his own, reaching conclusions on his own. He certainly lived life easily, Jeong-ho thought.
“Now that you’ve finished the ramen, may I ask you one more question?”
Go ahead. Tch. What is it now?
Jeong-ho carefully pulled out the Hero’s Diary. The moment Dae-young saw it, he lunged forward.
“Why are you—why are you doing this?!”
Give it here! You brat, where did you get something like that……!
“Stop it! This is mine! Inventory!!”
With a whoosh, Jeong-ho hastily stashed the diary in his Inventory, physically prying the tall shadow away from him.
“It came from a Hero’s Proof Box draw. It’s mine—why are you trying to take it?”
It’s yours, you say! Good grief. I’m at a loss for words. It’s not even something you wrote in……
Dae-young grumbled. What’s wrong with him? You’d think it was his own diary.
“Is it your diary, Dae-young?”
Don’t talk nonsense. Why would I keep a diary? It’s not a proper item, so I was going to take it.
Dae-young trudged back to his seat, his emotions seeming more volatile than usual for some reason.
You and everything else—strange anomalies are increasing in the tower. Hmph. I wonder how much longer we can hold on.
“What are you talking about? Hold on? What happens if you can’t?”
None of your concern. Not yet, anyway. But if you’re really that curious……I was planning to tell you something anyway.
The tall shadow figure Dae-young leaned his upper body forward. A small cosmos unfurled above Jeong-ho’s head.
Have you thought about properly climbing Hero’s Tower?
“Hero’s Tower? Not Trial Tower?”
Do as you like with Trial Tower, climb it or don’t. Either way, you have the qualifications to enter Hero’s Tower.
Dae-young circled around Jeong-ho like a squid trying to lure its prey. Then again, he’d never acted this way before.
And in any case, you safely climbed to the third floor.
Even Seeds who’ve climbed Trial Tower to the hundredth floor fail countless times.
While abnormal, you might indeed possess both qualifications and aptitude.
Want to seriously attempt climbing Hero’s Tower?
Climb Hero’s Tower? The sudden proposal caught Jeong-ho off guard.
Of course, he’d thought about climbing it. Someday, when the time was right. But he’d never seriously considered actually attempting it.
“What happens if I do?”
Hero’s Tower is a tower that winnows out true heroes. You will become a hero. Whether you wish it or not.
“……That doesn’t sound particularly beneficial to me, does it? Before you were saying not to talk about changing the world alone, or whatever.”
Ku-fu-fu. I thought you’d say that, so I came prepared with this.
Dae-young extracted an enormous root from within his shadow form. Jeong-ho’s eyes widened as though they might pop from his skull.
-Ancient Snow Ginseng Original (Legendary): Grants an extreme-cold constitution, and dramatically enhances all Ability Stats except Mana.
Dae-young gently waved the Ancient Snow Ginseng before Jeong-ho’s eyes.
Climb Hero’s Tower to the fifth floor, and this is yours. You were complaining that your Ability Stats are F-rank, weren’t you?
“This is……my goodness. Seriously? Just to the fifth floor, not the fiftieth? You’d give me this?”
That’s right! What do you say? At this rate, you’d want to climb Hero’s Tower, wouldn’t you?
“No. I don’t even know what’s waiting on the fourth floor yet—I can’t aim for the fifth based on that. Something immediately useful like a Spirit Elixir would be different.”
Jeong-ho remained levelheaded. The tall shadow figure Dae-young awkwardly put away the Ancient Snow Ginseng, then irritably rummaged through his form once more.
Tiresome boy. Won’t take the bait so easily. Reminds me of myself in the old days. Fine! Here!
A transparent liquid held in a small teacup. A sweet fragrance wafted from it, and it had a faintly viscous quality.
-Clear Stone Oil Original (Legendary): Permanently grants dramatic enhancement to Ability Stats. One random Ability Stat rises significantly.
A Spirit Elixir—the very one Jeong-ho had glimpsed on his first visit to the Dimensional Shop! His eyes widened in astonishment.
“You’re giving me this? Right now?”
Of course it’s not free. Hand over all the Mana Stones you’ve collected. I’ll give you only what your money’s worth.
“Of course! Here you go!”
Jeong-ho opened his Inventory and emptied out all his Mana Stones. In exchange, he received just three drops of Clear Stone Oil.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
[Warning! Mana Contamination 99%!]
[Warning! Mana Contamination 99%!]
[Warning! Mana Contamination 99%!]
The agony of Mana Contamination so severe his insides twisted—just how potent was this stuff?

Even Dae-young of the Shadow seemed to be laughing at him.
[You have consumed Spirit Elixir.]
[Your Ability Stats have improved!]
[Perception: D → B]
Three drops doing this much to my liver? That’s surprisingly effective.
Continues in next episode ▶
Obtained an endgame item with just a bowl of instant noodles
Author
Hayan Gotgam
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Contact Email
[email protected]
Publication Date
August 24, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260423069
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and duplication are prohibited. Violations may result in both criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram awaits your precious manuscript.

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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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