Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 34

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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 34. I Did Well to Naturalize
Two members of the Welcoming Ones fled across the field. One was of Russian descent, his skin so pale it held a ruddy tint; the other was Korean.
“Andrei. The explosion missed. You didn’t even kill Ronald, and the Management Bureau all survived.”
“Won-jae, run instead of complaining.”
Andrei glanced back over his shoulder. Jung Ho was sprinting after them in the distance.
“We’ve got a tail. Not the Korean Management Bureau, not Roger’s people either.”
“Probably just some Korean hunter passing by. Slow as they come, anyway. Let’s kick up our speed and lose him.”
“Roger.”
Whoosh! The distance between the Welcoming Ones and Jung Ho widened in an instant. His shouting from far behind grew faint and distant.
“Can’t see him anymore. Did we lose him?”
“Maybe. But we’ve picked up another tail. Andrei. Get ready to charge.”
Won-jae extended his hand. Ting! A sword that moved of its own accord struck down fiercely against a barrier.
“Taylor, America’s second-ranked. And—”
Won-jae stretched his other hand overhead. Flash! A vicious bolt of lightning crashed against the barrier.
“Eric, America’s third-ranked.”
Taylor retrieved his sword with a gesture. The recovered blade floated around Taylor like a guardian spirit. Sparks crackled from Eric’s palms. America’s second and third-ranked together commanded power equivalent to a middling nation’s authority—but—
“Andrei. The charge?”
“Twenty-three percent.”
“I’ll buy us more time. Hey! Have you two ever thought about how unjust this world is?”
Taylor and Eric ignored him, exchanging a knowing glance.
“Unjust? Absolutely.”
“Because we’re about to kill you both here.”
Flash! Lightning struck Taylor’s blade. The sword, saturated with electricity, flew toward Won-jae.
Ting!
The combined assault of America’s second and third-ranked was blocked without effort. A translucent blue protective barrier enveloped Won-jae like armor.
“You’ve got nerve disrespecting people like that. When someone asks you a question, you ought to answer.”
Sensing danger, Taylor tried to withdraw his blade, but Won-jae instead grabbed the lightning-wreathed sword with his bare hand.
“What? What the—!”
Crack! Won-jae destroyed the sword with his bare hands. Fissures splintered across it, and the warped blade clattered to the ground.
“Taylor Jenkins. America’s second-ranked. Unique Skill: Ego Weapon. Now you’ve got neither ego nor weapon, do you?”
Won-jae kicked the broken sword away. Clang! It skidded across the ground toward Taylor’s feet.
“And Eric Duke—”
Roooarrgh!!!!
A torrent of jagged lightning poured down like a waterfall. Won-jae stood unmoved by the cascade of electricity.
“America’s third-ranked. Unique Skill: Discharge. Hahahaha! A hunter’s unique skill is a battery? So when you use your phone, things must be pretty convenient?”
Taylor picked up the shattered blade and stashed it in his Inventory. After drawing a new sword and completing a quick attunement, a second blade floated around him.
“Ego Weapon elevates an item’s rank by one tier. I’m warning you. Unless you want to die, surrender. This next attack matches Legendary-rank power.”
“My Iron Wall Defense is unbreakable regardless. Even Ronald’s Incineration can’t pierce it.”
Won-jae exchanged a glance with Andrei.
“The charge?”
“Thirty-six percent.”
“I’ll buy us a bit more time.”
“Thirty-six percent is enough.”
Andrei extended both hands forward. Grain-sized particles of light drifted slowly through the air. Both Taylor and Eric sneered at the paltry luminescence.
“Is that all your skill amounts to—”
Flash—!!!
Light. Brilliance. Silence. Tempest. Ringing. A massive crater gouged the ground.
“Big Bang! Why judge by the seed alone? Tsk, tsk. Foolish Americans.”
Eric collapsed like a broken machine, sparks scattering wildly from his body, while Taylor barely endured by using his blade to shield against the blast—though deep fissures now cracked across it. Won-jae clapped at the sight of the shattered Ego Sword.
“Andrei! You just destroyed a Legendary-rank item. Are you that strong?”
“Ronald’s Incineration is child’s play before my Big Bang.”
Andrei stroked his mustache with satisfaction. Then the air grew taut.
“Incineration.”
Pop-pop-pop-pop!
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Countless gun barrels, weapons, and items erupting from portals trained themselves on the two Welcoming Ones.
Bang!!!
Billowing smoke. A second crater. Ronald squinted, piercing through the haze. Both members of the Welcoming Ones remained standing.
“Cough. Won-jae, Ronald’s Incineration is stronger than your Big Bang?”
Not a scratch on Won-jae. Andrei, who had used Won-jae as a shield to weather the assault, had his face blackened with soot and residue.

“Once I’m at one hundred percent charge, I’m stronger. I’m starting the charge now.”
Ronald shifted his gaze. America’s second-ranked Hunter, Taylor, and America’s third-ranked Hunter, Eric, lay sprawled on the ground.
‘Why did Eric and Taylor show up? The timing of the Welcoming Ones appearing is suspicious too. Someone’s manipulating this from behind the scenes.’
Ronald turned his attention back to the enemy in front of him. Andrei gathering magical power; Kim Won-jae buying time with Iron Wall Defense. It was an irritating combination.
Even firing Incineration twice more only left scratches on Kim Won-jae’s Iron Wall Defense. There was no way through it.
“You two. If you have Unique Skills that strong, why did you become Welcoming Ones?”
“We fell behind in the Trial Tower competition. Tower-clearing rank is all about time. Incineration is far more advantageous than Iron Wall Defense. But in reality, Iron Wall Defense is stronger than Incineration. Andrei!”
Andrei let out a laugh tinged with madness.
“Here we go!”
Small particles of light drifted slowly toward Ronald. He tracked each one with his eyes and hit it with Incineration.
Boom!!
Attacks poured from portals large and small, triggering cascading explosions in the light particles. After a deafening wave of concussion passed through the area, another particle of light drifted lazily forward.
A light particle roughly twice the size of the others. Suddenly, the terror of pure force overwhelmed Ronald.
‘If that detonates, I’m dead. Not just me—Taylor and Eric die too, guaranteed. I have to detonate it first. Incineration!’
Even on the third use of Incineration, the light particle remained unmoved. Like something from another dimension entirely, it drifted forward with serene inevitability, bringing predetermined death.
“Khihihi! Pointless! A one-hundred-percent charged Big Bang is as hard as a compressed planet! Even if Incineration is strong, it’s just a one-percent deception move—”
Strong Hunters have instinct. Both Andrei and Kim Won-jae felt terror even before anything happened.
Kim Won-jae reflexively raised Iron Wall Defense around himself, and Andrei hid behind him, but the invincible barrier looked like nothing more than a scrap of wet tissue paper.
“Fire Bolt.”
[Skill activated: Fire Bolt – Original]
[Launches a flaming arrow.]
[Hero’s Strength Stage 4 resonates!]
[Divided Mind activates!]
[Skill copied: Fire Bolt – Original]
A compressed sun swallowed the compressed planet. Silence. Annihilation. Massive explosion. Ronald, Andrei, and Kim Won-jae all flew through the air like paper airplanes.
“Huff… huff. Damn, that was fast. Hey, weren’t you guys the ones who came through a Gate at Lake Park a while back? Cough! The ones who set off the flash bang?”
Jung Ho, arriving belatedly at the scene, bent at the waist and caught his breath. With stats of Strength D, Constitution D, and Agility E, he’d barely managed to keep up and was nearly out of air.
“That flash bang earlier was you guys too, right? Huff… phew. Let me ask you something. What the hell are you doing?”
Jung Ho walked through the thick smoke, approaching them. Andrei and Kim Won-jae lay crumpled like figures in an Egyptian tomb painting.
“… Are they dead?”
“They are not dead.”
Ronald, who had bounced away in the same peculiar fashion, straightened himself up as if reassembling his body.
“Ronald? Are you all right? No, you look terrible. What happened to you? Those bastards did this to you?”
‘You did.’
Ronald quietly swallowed his words. He’d known EX-rank was powerful, but he hadn’t expected it to be this strong.
He’d emerged unscathed from the combined assault of America’s second and third-ranked S-rank Hunters, Kim Won-jae’s Iron Wall Defense—which had only shown scratches from Incineration—shattered in a single blow, and the seed of a fully charged Big Bang vanished without ceremony.
“That aside, EX. Did you see just now? I finally succeeded in controlling Incineration.”
Embarrassed, Ronald changed the subject. Equally embarrassed, Jung Ho laughed awkwardly.
“Wow. Really? Congratulations. But what about these people?”
America’s second-ranked Hunter, Taylor, and America’s third-ranked Hunter, Eric, lay unconscious like figures in an ancient Egyptian wall painting.
* * *
He poured High Potion into the mouths of America’s unconscious second and third-ranked Hunters. True to their S-rank status, they had suffered no serious injuries despite being caught in the explosion.
They decided to bind up the Welcoming Ones and hand them over to the Management Bureau. The thick Iron Wire that Ronald carried in his Inventory proved useful.
“You carry something like that in your Inventory?”
“I didn’t used to. But I do now. Incineration has become a skill of neutralization rather than destruction.”
Ronald smiled faintly.
“Because you, an EX-rank, gave me the opportunity, I too have made my own efforts toward change.”
“You’ve developed considerably. Your complexion looks much better too. Korea must be agreeing with you.”
“It suits me quite well. But there is one regret…”
Growl.
Jung Ho looked at Ronald’s stomach. Now that he thought about it, Ronald did seem to have lost some weight. He looked somewhat gaunt.
“The food here doesn’t quite suit my palate. It’s embarrassing to say, but I was born and raised in the upper classes, so my tastes are rather particular.”
“Ah. Is that so? Then we should arrange separate meals.”
“Separate? You mean… you had a plan to share a meal with me?”
“Running into you here is chance enough. We caught the Welcoming Ones together too. I thought we might grab a bite, but if your tastes are particular…”
“Actually, I eat pretty much anything.”
Jung Ho gave Ronald a skeptical side-eye. Ronald looked awkward, like a child telling his first lie.
“It’s true. I’m not lying.”
It sounded twice as much like a lie. Still, since he was doing this to eat with Jung Ho, it was forgivable.
“All right. Let’s slip away before the Management Bureau people show up. If we get caught, we’ll be stuck answering questions and giving statements, and lunch will be completely shot.”
“An excellent idea.”
Jung Ho and Ronald left a brief note beside the bound Welcoming Ones—”Explosion” next to Andrei, and “Tank” next to Kim Won-jae.
“Though I must confess, I’m worried the Korea Management Bureau might be concerned if I disappear so suddenly.”
Ronald trudged alongside him through the grass, speaking even as his face broke into an easy smile.
“Just tell them you went to hunt down more Welcoming Ones. It’s not even a lie, is it?”
“Identifying the existence of other Welcoming Ones, no less. Truly, EX-rank worthy. Impressive.”
“I’m not asking for flattery… Sigh. This spot will do nicely.”
Jung Ho tossed the Miniature Tent onto a clearing. Pop! It expanded in an instant.
“?! That’s a one-touch tent?”
“Go ahead and look inside. I think you’ll be pleased.”
Ronald peered cautiously into the tent, and his mouth fell open involuntarily in astonishment.
“The interior is far more spacious than it appears from outside. Did this come from the Trial Tower?”
“You could say that.”
It had come from drawing Hero’s Evidence, after all. And since Hero’s Evidence itself was an EX-rank reward from the Trial Tower, technically it did come from the Tower.
‘Since Ronald’s here today, I might as well try what I’ve been thinking about. Ground Manipulation.’
Crack-crack! An Aluminum Pot materialized at Jung Ho’s fingertips. He set it over a flame and poured water into it with a gentle stream.
‘After I got the Fire Bolt skill, I could hear the voice of fire. After I got Water Shield, I could hear water too. Now that I have Ground Manipulation, I should be able to hear the pot as well.’
Listening to the voice of elements—according to Big Shadow Dae-young, this was a remarkably high level of magical cultivation. But truthfully, what mattered more was that it helped with cooking ramen.
Artistic control of flame. Perfect control of water. Now even the pot was within his command. There was simply no way to fail at cooking ramen anymore.
“Hmm. What shall we have for lunch today?”
“Ramen.”
Jung Ho tore open a packet of ramen seasoning and poured it into the pot. Already, the aroma was appetizing.
“Ramen? Well… I confess it’s not typically my preferred cuisine.”
“You don’t like ramen?”
“The noodles tend to break apart. The broth is glutinous. The flavor is spicy and overstimulating, yet somehow it doesn’t leave one feeling particularly full…”
Jung Ho looked up to see Ronald wearing that awkward expression again.
“Truth be told, I love ramen.”
It was too strange to press further, and by the time Jung Ho looked away, the ramen was already done.
“Well then, let’s have you try a strand of this ramen that you love so dearly.”
Jung Ho set the pot of ramen on the table.
* * *
Ronald eyed the bowl of ramen with the wariness of facing a monster. He seemed more tense than during his battle with the Welcoming Ones.
He’d been born into the upper class, eating only the finest things his whole life—pesticide-free salads from his own garden, organic meat seasoned minimally. In comparison, ramen seemed like a clump of chemicals.
‘But this is an opportunity to share a meal with an EX-rank Hunter. I won’t pass this up for anything.’
Even if it were a genuine mass of chemicals, Ronald was determined to eat it. He lifted a single strand of ramen with clumsy chopstick technique.
“That’s all you’re having?”
“Just a small portion. I prefer to eat lightly.”
Ronald poured just one strand of ramen into a tiny dish, along with barely a spoonful of broth.
Slurp—
After hesitating several times, Ronald sucked in the noodle. The strand was chewy, filled with salty broth and a savory flavor.
‘Hmm? The taste is better than when I ate it before. Or am I imagining things?’
Ronald picked up another strand with his chopsticks and slurped it in. The chewy texture was quite pleasant.
‘That’s strange. Has my palate changed?’
Another bite. Still delicious. And another. Still delicious. Curious, Ronald even drank some of the broth. The rich, savory fat coat stimulated his satiety center.
‘Is this ramen? What have I been eating all this time?’
Ronald continued sampling the ramen, fascinated. Delicious. No matter how many times he tasted it, it was simply, unremarkably delicious.
‘This is strange. Is an EX-rank’s ramen also EX-rank? Where does this difference in flavor even come from? I feel like if I taste it one more time, I’ll understand it properly.’
Ronald reached out with his chopsticks to eat more ramen. Clink! Only the sound of chopsticks hitting an empty pot. The ramen pot was completely empty.
“Huh? The ramen…”
“It’s gone.”
Ronald looked at Jung Ho’s bowl. It was spotless—not a drop of broth had touched it. Only then did Ronald realize what he’d done.
‘I ate the entire pot of ramen by myself?!’
Ronald laughed awkwardly. Jung Ho laughed awkwardly in return.
“You really do love ramen. It was good, wasn’t it?”
Ronald set down his chopsticks and answered.
“…Yes. Better than any food I’ve ever eaten.”
Ronald thought he’d made the right choice in naturalizing to Korea.
Continued in the next chapter ▶
Achieved final form with one bowl of ramen
Author
White Dried Persimmon
Published by
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Contact
[email protected]
Publication Date
August 24, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260423069
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※ 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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