Chapter 12 - Paradise (3)
Ron had taken to heart the saying that praise can make even a whale dance.
You're doing great, you're doing great—you have to say it for them to actually do well.
Moreover, endurance, aside from the chin, improved only by getting hit a lot.
"Even when getting hit, you must defend your chin. If you keep getting hit there, you could end up with a glass jaw later or faint consciously."
...Kuwek!
Ron was meticulous.
He consciously beat Taelon, distinguishing between the parts that were okay to hit and the parts that shouldn't be, allowing him to make the optimal choice.
If you are consciously hit enough, your subconscious will activate at the crossroads of life and death and could save your life.
That's how important a conscious reaction is.
'Goodness, I didn't realize how much time has passed.'
Though he was smiling, Ron's patience was gradually running out.
This was an unavoidable physiological instinct.
It was a situation where he had gotten off work and arrived right in front of his house.
But he couldn't go in because of a squabble with his superior right in front of it.
Any office worker would be more than angry; it would be like getting work instructions via chat message while at home.
And yet, the sight of him not losing his smile was the tragedy of a master-servant relationship based on top-down authority.
'...Aaargh, how long is he going to beat me!'
Regret washed over Taelon.
He should have stopped when he lost consciousness.
"You probably don't want to admit defeat like this. How about I break an arm and a leg? You need to do at least this much so that even if you lose, the grit of having resisted until the end remains."
"...?"
Taelon, who had been getting beaten for a while, was horrified.
If only he could move his body, he would have stood up as if having a seizure.
'...Is he joking?'
In all his life, he had no memory of being beaten like this.
Yet Ron was calmly saying he would break his arms and legs.
A fear greater than when he was flaring up in anger washed over him.
Ossak, burururu!
There was no killing intent.
That's what makes it scarier.
It felt as if he would benevolently smile and snap his limbs, ttok, ttok, like breaking a bird's leg.
And then, he might have to bring out gold and treasures from his house.
This guy was more than capable of doing so.
"...I lost!"
"Oh my."
Taelon swallowed dryly at Ron's disappointed exclamation as he licked his lips.
"Please stand up."
"...I can't stand up right now!"
"Hmph, you!"
"...I'm up, see, I'm up... huh? How is this possible?"
He thought he wouldn't even be able to support his own body, yet Taelon, seeing himself standing, cried out a miracle.
He realizes how amazing the human instinct to live is.
'If I hadn't stood up, he's the type of guy who would have stomped on me!'
Inspection is essential after a job is done.
Ron looked at Taelon and asked.
"Have your suspicions been resolved? If not, I will try a little harder."
"...It's resolved! It's all resolved! Can I go now?"
"When did I ever hold you here?"
"...Ah, right. I'll, I'll be going!"
"Please come visit anytime. I am always ready to take on a challenge for a tomorrow that is different from today."
"...Right, see you later!"
"I would be very happy to see you again."
Although it was the first time hitting him, Ron got a feeling.
If he came by often in the future, it would be perfect for relieving stress.
What's more, he was not the type of man to go around blabbing about what happened today due to his strong pride.
The fact that there were no repercussions even if he was beaten to a pulp was a wonderful advantage unique to the second young master.
Ssaeaeng!
The second young master also had excellent recovery.
He had barely been able to stand, yet he had already disappeared from sight.
Hmm.
Watching the disappearing second young master, he thought.
"As expected, he's useless."
Seeing as there was no change in the progress rate, the second young master was utterly worthless in Raising the Count's Family.
It seemed the frail one and the idiot would be the same.
Seeing how it particularly emphasized Adelia, it was also gender discrimination.
This is the problem with the count's family.
A count's family, in modern terms, would be a strong small-to-medium enterprise.
Even though it's at the level of a mid-sized company, it's being run as a family business, so how could it possibly do well with even a small misstep?
In any case, he was able to confirm the direction of Raising the Count's Family through Taelon.
"Shall I go in?"
Finally, he could enter his home.
It would have been troublesome if he had asked for a cup of tea.
He was of the mind not to let outsiders into his house if possible.
He grabbed the doorknob and disarmed the safety device.
Deureuk!
As he stepped inside, there was a 5-meter passage.
It was a peculiar structure.
It might be different for a mansion, but a house where a passage is visible as soon as the door opens was uncommon.
The floor was designed so that mechanisms would operate by pressure.
If it exceeded a set weight, you would become a hedgehog, and the passage would close.
He hadn't studied architecture, but he knew a fair bit about mechanical traps and formations.
"Flying through is outside the thought concept though."
It wasn't perfect.
There were no preparations against Fly magic.
Just in case, he had placed silver threads at the end.
"This is why creating an anti-theft system is so difficult."
He just wanted to protect his own home completely, but thieves didn't understand this owner's sentiment.
That's why the scoundrels who covet other people's things must be killed unconditionally.
If you're going to talk about unavoidable circumstances, you shouldn't have entered someone else's house in the first place.
He took off his outdoor clothes and washed up.
"Washing up was also a hassle."
After he first awakened to his past life, he had many difficulties with the water supply and sewage systems.
The hygiene problem was serious, but he couldn't say anything.
Back then, he was living off the old man's house, so he couldn't bring himself to complain.
In any case, before moving, the part he paid the most attention to when building the house was the water supply and sewage.
He dug deep into the ground to make a path underground and laid long pipes. Also, he installed a large water tank on the roof that collects rainwater so he could turn on the water to use it.
Although it's a basic facility for hygiene in the modern era, he had to go through quite a bit of trouble to make the water and sewage system himself. The trivial things, the things that felt like air, became a source of inconvenience in this world.
Swaaaa!
As he turned on the water, a stream of water flowed from the fixed showerhead. It had taken a considerable number of failures to make this showerhead as well. Now that the frame was made, he could take a shower like a modern person.
It would have been difficult even if he knew modern science, engineering, and technology, but in his past lives, Ron had been busy fighting.
It was a house made stitch by stitch through the dog-poop-like knowledge he had painstakingly acquired.
That's why he has a particularly deep attachment to the house.
Bugeul bugeul!
Of course, hot water doesn't come out.
Instead, he used Aura converted into heat to warm the water.
"It would be nice if I could get water automatically."
To make this possible, he would have to connect a pipe to a mountain top stream, but that was impossible for now.
Even if he made it, maintenance would be difficult.
There was also the uncomfortable gazes of, "What is this?"
It would be nice to make a pump to draw groundwater, but honestly, he had no idea how to make one.
The only solution was to learn magic and spirit arts, or use a magic tool.
However, he didn't want to go that far. At this age, when would he learn magic and spirit arts?
"Fetching water at night is romantic."
It was a bit much to do it during the day, so if water was scarce, he would fill it up at night.
He changed into a short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts. He had ordered several sets of clothes of the same color and shape.
He sat comfortably on the self-made sofa.
"Shop window."
As it was his own space where no one was around, he decided to receive the reward he had postponed.
Woong!
A space opened up in the air like a subspace, and the internal structure was permitted to Ron.
Huh?
It was a structure with two boxes arranged left and right.
On the right, items, weapons, and traits were equipped, and on the left, a very familiar name and goods were located.
[Grocery Corner] -Instant Food -Convenience Food -Snacks -Beverages -Seasonings
It was a convenience store, an essential life platform for modern people.
Although it was limited to the grocery corner, for Ron, it made him feel the nostalgia of modern civilization.
It was a structure he could enter.
He could touch it with his hands, but he could only take possession of the goods after paying for them.
The groceries were not fully stocked.
The scale was also on the small side, and there were empty spots here and there. Looking at the prices, it seemed that only items that could be bought with 1 coin were displayed.
If that was the case even though he currently had 6 coins, there was a possibility that the scale of the shop would change to a discount mart according to the progress rate. If this were a game, it was a passive trait for rewards to change according to rank.
But there was an expiration date.
Does that mean it will be sold after a certain time? The other side also had a set period, so if you couldn't buy it on that day, you might not be able to get it again. Was it a structure where if you made a wrong choice for a limited-time offer, you couldn't buy it again?
The sales period was random.
It was a bit disappointing, but to grumble that it wasn't unlimited would be a spoiled complaint.
Besides.
"RAMEN!!!!!!!!"
Limited time or whatever. The weapons, items, and traits on the right didn't even catch his eye.
1 coin was 10 packs of ramen.
With 6 coins, he could buy 60 packs, 2 boxes.
If the shop gets an upgrade.
Instant rice, cup noodles, soybean paste soup, kimchi stew, seaweed soup, lunch boxes, triangle kimbap (tuna mayo), kimbap, sandwiches, hamburgers, snacks... etc., etc.
Just imagining it.
Wow.
His mouth was watering.
But compared to the shock of seeing ramen, it wasn't that great. If you were to ask what food he wanted to eat the most after awakening to his past life, it was definitely ramen.
Why?
Because this artificial and stimulating taste was an essential nutritional food for a civilized person who had lived as a modern man.
How is MSG a nutritional food?
A knight who has learned Aura does not succumb to MSG.
The truth is, if you only eat bland and simple dishes, you can't help but miss MSG.
Ron did not hesitate and picked up 60 packs of ramen.
-6 Coins Consumed
As the coins disappeared, Ron thought, Oops!
"I didn't buy kimchi!"
He had forgotten about kimchi, the fantastic partner for ramen. But, the amount of kimchi for 1 coin was only the size of a soy sauce dish.
Should I say it's just like a convenience store?
It seemed like a bait product.
"You never know."
After buying the ramen, his sold-off mind returned. Only then did he see the weapons corner equipped on the right.
Low-grade weapons.
It consisted of various Murim-style weapons such as swords, sabers, spears, axes, staffs, etc., and Western-style cold weapons such as longswords, rapiers, claymores, morning stars, warhammers, battle-axes, bows... etc.
Armor, siege weapons, and firearms were not unlocked.
Seeing as they were low-grade weapons, the grade would probably be upgraded as the level went up.
He picked up a claymore.
Hmm.
He thought it wouldn't be that great since it was low-grade, but after holding it, he felt sorry to say that it was at least 3 times harder and sharper than his beloved standard-issue sword. It was also a cross-section that clearly showed the limits of the standard-issue equipment.
"A master calligrapher does not blame the brush."
Looking at the hefty 60 packs of ramen, Ron comforted himself.
Still, a good sword is a good sword.
The saying that a master does not blame the sword was just a prejudice. In reality, the more of a master you are, the more you want a famous sword because a minute difference can decide the match. There was a reason why the Murim world went crazy and bloody battles often broke out over a divine weapon. A martial artist isn't an idiot, would they run wild knowing they would die?
"I'm different, though."
If the difference in level was large, even a famous sword was useless.
He tried hard to ignore it and looked at the traits corner.
Stamina, Strength, Reflexes, Insight, Aptitude, Aura, Mana, Luck, etc.
They were attributes related to talent.
The stage that could be bought with 1 coin was 0.01 of the corresponding talent.
He didn't know the exact value yet.
Still, it probably wasn't much.
For a master, that small difference would be important in the outcome of a match, but for a beginner just starting out, it was a pie in the sky.
Of course, it would be good to have for both the teacher and the student.
"It's a bit disappointing, but if I roll with it, it'll work out somehow."
It didn't seem like there were only individual talents. Looking at the empty corner, it seemed there might be attributes related to managing the count's family. For example, things like resources, economy, culture, population, military, environment, combat power.
In any case, it was just a guess for now, and he had to put the water on.
He wasn't hungry, but looking at the ramen, he couldn't just let tonight pass.
Ramen at night may be the end of someone who has given up on tomorrow, but it was an intense temptation that was just as hard to quit.
Even if his face swells and he gains weight tomorrow, he had to eat it tonight.
Still, he should exercise some self-control.
Let's just eat one pack.
Even 60 packs would be gone in a flash if he kept eating.
"I'll need a gas stove too."
Starting a fire with the Samadhi True Fire is a one or two-time thing. If he boiled ramen with a pot on his palm, it wouldn't have that modern taste.
"Oh no, there's too much water."
Unfortunately, it was an amount that would require boiling 5 packs.
It was a mistake.
But he doesn't throw it away. In the desert, a sip of water could save a person's life.
Bogle, bogle!
He had no choice but to boil 5 packs together with the soup base.
Smelling the scent, it was a rich and spicy ramen from Ottogi.
"Wow, this is killing me."
As an experienced person, he tried not to get excited, but the unmoving heart he had built up was shaken by a single whiff of the ramen's artificial aroma.
It seems nature cannot beat the artificial.
Wu wei, the highest good is like water, my ass.
The food Ron hated the most was natural, healthy food. He'd rather eat weeds than that stuff.
Waiting for it to cook.
5 minutes is long.
If he had his way, he'd want to wolf down the half-cooked noodles, but as a cultured person who remembers his past life, how could he?
Finding his shaken, unmoving heart, he waited 5 minutes and then opened the lid of the pot. He didn't expect this, but it was a good thing he had made a pot. Whatever you make, it will be useful later.
Slurp, slurp!
It's a shame there's no kimchi, but kyaa, this is to die for!
It was a taste that would make you commit serial murder if two people were eating it.
As the taste of artificial seasoning entered his body, which had only eaten pollution-free, natural ingredients, his dopamine levels soared to the sky.
"This is paradise."
With ramen added to his peaceful current life, he finally felt like his life was complete.
No wonder it felt empty.
Haa.
A moment of paradise.
He polished off 5 packs of ramen in an instant.
"Damn it, only 55 packs left."
To think the value of 1 coin was this heavy, he had to eat sparingly for a while.
Nevertheless, a conflict arises.
"Would investment be better than saving?"