CH.66 Judgment of Fire (Part 2)
“Ah, greetings, Holder Kang Juyeon.”
In response to the sudden appearance of Kang Juyeon, Shin Yuna lowered her head.
Kang Juyeon looked at her with an expression that wasn’t particularly friendly and replied, “… Yes, nice to meet you, Holder Shin Yuna.”
“Where have you been? Haven’t seen you all day,” Shin Yuna asked.
 I heard that Kang Juyeon had been assigned to Hunting Team 5 with me. So, I had planned to go to work with her today, partly to receive the Clan Tower introduction that I missed yesterday, but she hadn’t even shown up this morning.
Kang Juyeon turned her head in response to my question.Â
“I have something to discuss with the Master about the upcoming operation for Hunting Team 5.”
“Operation? I heard that’s going to be discussed in tomorrow’s meeting.”
“That’s an internal planning review meeting. The selection for the deployment is already done.”
Hunting Team 5 operation. And an operation significant enough to warrant personnel selection. Given the scale of <Judgment of Fire>, the possibility of dungeon conquest seemed likely.Â
With a slightly expectant expression, I asked her, “Could it be…”
“Yeah. It’s a long story related to your issue. Directly deploying an intern Clan member for an operation is quite unusual.”
âYes!âÂ
I silently rejoiced and tried my best not to show it.Â
If it had come to this point in the conversation, there was a high chance that I had been included in the deployment lineup for the conquest. Even one day of work in the Clan had been a headache, but now I had a chance to escape for a mission before even a single day had passed.Â
âThis is why people say Kang Juyeon, Kang JuyeonâŠâ
 Kang Juyeon had a stern and cold personality, but she was generous to those she saw eye to eye with. Once she became interested in someone, things progressed swiftly. This applied to Clan interns and those immediately placed into operations as well. It seemed like seizing opportunities was important.
“…So, have you been with Holder Shin Yuna all this time?”Â
Suddenly, Kang Juyeon alternated her gaze between me and Shin Yuna. For some reason, I sensed a chill in her voice.Â
Was I mistaken? I asked again to make sure, “What did you say?”
“It’s nothing,” she replied, but it wasn’t really nothing. She had definitely said something…Â
I felt quite uneasy about it, but I didn’t dig deeper. Leaving behind the odd cold atmosphere, Kang Juyeon adjusted her bag and said, “… Let’s go. I’ll continue with the Clan Tower introduction.”
“Is today’s first stop the Clan cafeteria?”
“Yes.”
Chatting about various things, quite some time had passed since the Hunting Team 5 members had left their locations. By now, when we reached the cafeteria, they would likely be eating without waiting. Kang Juyeon, myself, and Shin Yuna, who was awkwardly standing in the middle, walked toward the cafeteria.
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ippotranslations
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Clan Tower, 11th floor.
The Clan’s internal cafeteria.
We found a quiet spot in one corner of the restaurant. Looking at the splendid dishes in front of us, I was surprised and my voice filled with astonishment.
 “Wow… Buffet?”Â
On a large plate was beautifully arranged red beef. Beside it were various vegetables, including bean sprouts. There were numerous sauces and elaborate side dishes around them. In the center of the table was a small stove. A pile of charcoal lay inside the stove. A clean iron plate occupied the top. The setting was perfect for cooking top-grade Wagyu beef.
“It often comes out like this,” Kang Juyeon said nonchalantly.Â
Her words made my face fill with surprise. Seriously, what’s this?Â
Wagyu beef is served for lunch in the Clan cafeteria? Is this because it’s a wealthy large Clan? Or is it in line with the name <Judgment of Fire> that they’re presenting flame-cooked dishes…?Â
But Shin Yuna seemed accustomed to such sights. She naturally picked up her tongs and began grilling the meat. With an expression that seemed to understand my thoughts, she said, “There’s no need to be so surprised. I was amazed at first too, but considering the earnings of the Holders, it’s only natural.”
“Earnings?”
“Yeah. Even the basic salary alone is quite substantial, and those who go on missions, like the Hunting Team, earn substantial extra income. Since the income is quite significant, the Clan cafeteria menu is as luxurious as this.”
If the cafeteria menu wasn’t good, the Clan members wouldn’t bother eating there. They have money to spare, and if eating outside is an option, they’d choose that. So, the Clan provides such high-end dishes as an additional benefit… that was Shin Yuna’s explanation.Â
Now it makes sense. I guess âWagyu in the cafeteriaâ isn’t such a shocking sight after all. For Holders earning above C-grade, it probably wasn’t considered an extravagant dish.Â
Nodding my head, I took the tongs from Shin Yuna.
 “I’ll cook.”
“Huh? No, our Clan doesn’t have that kind of culture…”
“I’m grilling it well.”
No matter how you eat the meat, it’ll surely be delicious, but if possible, isn’t it even better to grill it to your taste? The domain of [cooking] surprisingly had a broad scope.
Sizzle-
Chi, chiik-
After lightly coating the grill with butter,
I began placing the thick cuts of beef on the iron plate.
Even though there were already plenty of sauces on the table for marinating the meat, I sprinkled a little salt and pepper for seasoning.
I wanted the first taste to highlight the natural flavor of the meat.
To eat it as is without any sauce, like a roasted style that was my own.
Although Shin Yuna had said there wasn’t an old-fashioned culture like that in <Judgment of Fire>, she was now holding her tongue and letting me cook after obviously witnessing my cooking skills.
And then, cautiously, she addressed me, “By the way, Do Jae-hyun…”
“Huh?”
“I’m thinking… of having my own well cooked…”
“Phew- Got it.”
Although Kang Juyeon hadn’t said anything, she would probably go for medium half done. I knew her style from the time we went to the restaurant together.
As the meat cooked to perfection, Kang Juyeon brought up the topic she briefly mentioned earlier.
“The operation that the Hunting Team 5 will be assigned to this time… will likely be a dungeon that’s still unconquered by the Clan.â
As I expected, the operation would involve dungeon conquest. It seemed to be a Clan-owned dungeon that hadn’t been cleared yet. The importance of the first mission was greater than I had thought.Â
Grilling the meat, I asked, “Is it okay to talk about it already?”
“Yeah. It’ll be announced directly in tomorrow’s mission meeting anyway. For this operation, Do Jae-hyun and Holder Shin Yuna will be deployed.”
Upon hearing that, Shin Yuna was surprised and exclaimed, “Me, too?”
“Yes.”
Why was she so surprised? We were in the same rank, after all. According to Shin Yuna’s training plan from earlier, the Hunting Team 5 members would be divided into B-grade and C-grade. Probably to adjust the Holders’ ranks and hunting efficiency. Among them, Shin Yuna and I were in the C-grade category. It was natural that we would be assigned to the same mission.
“…But the party being deployed will likely be a B-grade party.”
“A B-grade party?”
“Yes. The monsters in the dungeon we’re planning to conquer this time are primarily B-grade monsters, occasionally A-grade. The dungeon boss is probably expected to be A-grade as well. So, except for you and Holder Shin Yuna, the entire party will be composed of B-grade members.”
This was unexpected. While it wasn’t unusual for an A-grade Holder to be included in a B-grade party as a leader, it was rare for C-grade Holders like me and Shin Yuna to be part of a B-grade party. The gap between C-grade and B-grade was significant. To be honest, this was quite an exceptional occurrence. This might be why Kang Juyeon was running late for her morning duties.
“But, is it alright for me and Shin Yuna? Even if we’re skilled, it doesn’t seem fitting to join a B-grade party…”
“It’s fine. Holder Kwon Oh-jun will participate as the party leader and a warrior-type.”
“Ah…!!”
Shin Yuna, who had been quietly listening, clapped her hands.
“So, that’s why we were deployed!”
“Yes. This operation is not only about dungeon conquest, but also focuses on the growth of Holder Shin Yuna. It seems that when Holder Kwon Oh-jun is promoted to A-grade and becomes the new team leader, the B-grade warrior positions will be vacant.”
“I understand… I’ll work hard…!!”
Shin Yuna said, gathering her hands, and Kang Juyeon seemed somewhat burdened, looking away as I continued grilling the meat.
I didn’t fully understand, but it seemed that the B-grade warrior positions in Hunting Team 5 had become vacant due to Kwon Oh-jun becoming the team leader and an A-grade Holder. So, they had requested additional members, and that’s why Kang Juyeon and I were temporarily assigned. It made sense. I can see now why Kwon Oh-jun seemed frustrated yesterday. To ask for B-grade members but receive C-grade interns for two months was undoubtedly a frustrating assignment from his perspective.
“Since we’ll have the mission meeting tomorrow and leave for deployment the day after… be prepared in advance.”
“Okay.”
“Understood…!!”
Dungeon deployment only three days after joining <Judgment of Fire>. Delivering this exciting news to everyone. Kang Juyeon picked up her chopsticks again. It was the continuation of the delayed meal.
Sizzle-
The sound of the beef sizzling on the grill.
I cut them neatly with a knife to make them easy to eat.
I arranged them neatly in a bowl.
Good food should also look good. Presentation is one of the principles of my cooking. Wagyu beef looked good in pretty dishes. The appearance was satisfactory. And as the meat was placed…
Kang Juyeon and Shin Yuna’s chopsticks moved at the speed of light.
Were they using their speed? It felt like they were.
Fast and precise movements. Thanks to that, there wasn’t a single piece of meat left on the grill. Not one.
“…”
I stared at this scene with a dazed expression. Seriously, is there no one to feed the person grilling the meat…?
Shouldâve worn a âKiss the chefâ apron đ