"An opportunity this big, and it started with toast."
But there was no point regretting it now.
All he could do was complete the First Mission and hope the next Mastery would be more interesting.
The problem remained the same.
"Just how much is a small amount of Reputation?"
The Archive didn't answer.
Jun-ho sighed.
"Forget it."
Then he suddenly remembered something.
Ever since acquiring the Gilgeori Toast Mastery, he had never tasted his own cooking.
The customers' reactions today had been wildly over the top.
Some had immediately bought another one.
Some had been willing to wait in line for dozens of minutes.
One person had even joined the line after tasting just a little of a friend's toast.
"Is it really that good?"
Jun-ho stood up.
A little while later, a delicious aroma filled his tiny room.
Jun-ho stared at the Gilgeori Toast he'd just finished making.
The bread was golden brown.
The egg, cabbage, and cheese were arranged neatly.
The sauce was spread in just the right amount.
"It does look good."
Jun-ho took a bite.
Crunch!
His entire body froze.
He chewed slowly.
His eyes grew wider and wider.
"This..."
Jun-ho took another bite.
"It's really good!"
Now he finally understood why the customers had reacted that way.
Even as the person who had made it himself, Jun-ho found it hard to stop eating.
"If it tastes this good..."
His confidence suddenly soared.
"I'll become the best Gilgeori Toast vendor in Busan!"
Jun-ho stopped.
He thought about every category in the Archive. Then he shook his head.
"No."
That goal was too small.
"If this Archive really has all those abilities, why should I stop at toast?"
Jun-ho clenched his fists.
"I'll master everything and make a fortune."
A voice suddenly came from the room next door. "Hey! Don't yell in the middle of the night!"
It was Park Dong-cheol, the elderly neighbor who lived next door.
Jun-ho snorted.
"It's called having a dream, Mr. Park!"
"You don't have to shout your dreams, either!"
Jun-ho was just about to fire back when his phone rang.
KakaoTalk.
A group chat with his old school friends was buzzing.
An account named Golden Spoon sent a message.
[Class reunion on October 1. We'll celebrate Teacher Han's birthday while we're at it. Everyone has to come!]
More messages immediately started appearing.
[I'm coming.]
[Of course. We can't miss Teacher Han's birthday.]
[Check your schedules. Don't let anyone be absent.]
Then someone tagged Jun-ho.
[What about you, Jun-ho? Taking two days off from selling toast won't be a problem, right? If you need it, I'll make up your earnings for those two days.]
[Hahahaha] [+1]
[+2]
Jun-ho frowned.
His fingers moved immediately.
[If you're going to make up my earnings for two days, you might have to sell your house.]
The replies came right away.
[Hahaha! Jun-ho's still as funny as ever.]
[Busan's tough, right? If you're having trouble making money, just come work for me. I'll find you a job.]
Kang Min-jae joined in.
[Hey, don't go too far. It is kind of sad, though. He's still young, but he's already selling food on the street.]
The next message appeared.
[Tomorrow's headline: Busan Youth Survives by Selling 100,000 Won Worth of Toast a Day.]
[If that's all he makes in Busan, he might end up sleeping on the street. Hahaha]
Jun-ho stared at the screen for several seconds.
Then he set his phone down.
There was no point replying.
They would only keep making fun of him.
"The reunion on October 1..."
It was still July.
There was plenty of time.
Jun-ho looked at the toast remaining in his hand.
'All the ingredients sold out today.'
The corners of his mouth slowly lifted.
'Just wait.'
But there was a much more important problem to think about right now. Jun-ho calculated the cost of the ingredients and his selling price.
With toast of this quality, plus the line that had formed today, his old price was obviously too low.
"I have to raise the price tomorrow."
Jun-ho nodded firmly.
"Otherwise, I could actually lose money."