RPG Veteran Possesses Their Main Character

Deep in the underground dungeon, the Ant Hole.

In its center, there was an inexplicable food cart.

The interior of the Ant Hole, despite its name, didn't have ants, but was filled with a dark and damp atmosphere.

The sound of water droplets falling from the ceiling, faint cries of monsters heard from all directions, and a space where an eerie silence flowed without a single light.

In the center of it, there was a small, shabby food cart.

Lumiel looked at it.

A small stall selling various foods. Both its location and the items it sold were strange.

She had seen this food cart during her gaming days.

But most players just passed by this place, rarely using it properly.

The reason was simple.

The food sold at the food cart was overwhelmingly less efficient than potions.

Potions were items with immediate recovery effects. Once drunk, health and mana would instantly fill up.

On the other hand, the food sold at the food cart took time to eat had low health recovery, and minimal buff effects.

For someone at a level high enough to come to the underground dungeon, there was no reason to eat such food.

So among players, except for those who occasionally did role-playing to alleviate boredom, no one bought food from the food cart.

Lumiel too only thought, 'Oh, there's a place like this,' but didn't bother to buy food.

However—

Now the story is different.

This place was no longer just a 'game background'.

When playing the game, if health dropped, drinking a potion was enough.

But now that it had become reality, she couldn't just rely on potions.

There was a 'body' that actually felt hungry, thirsty, and tired. A person can't live on water alone.

Lumiel quietly smiled and entered the food cart.

As she gently pushed open the door of the food cart and entered, the inside was warmer than expected.

In contrast to the damp and cool air of the Ant Hole, a soft light lingered inside the food cart. Small lanterns were hung here and there, and a faint smell of broth wafted from somewhere.

Though it looked extremely shabby from the outside, the interior was unexpectedly neatly organized.

"What's this. What's a kid doing here?"

The food cart owner with dark skin and bushy beard asked gruffly.

A thick voice and rough tone.

It might have felt a bit intimidating if seen for the first time, but Lumiel's gaze was fixed as if his words didn't reach her ears.

Because the menu was right in front of her eyes.

Various food names were written large on one wall of the food cart.

Whole chicken 500 gold,

Long hot dog 600 gold,

Pizza slice 900 gold,

Hamburger 900 gold,

Fat hot dog 800 gold,

Salad 600 gold,

Kimbap 500 gold,

Clear water 400 gold...

Lumiel's eyes sparkled.

"Kid, what are you staring at so intently."

The food cart owner said, placing one arm on his waist.

"If you're hungry, order something."

"...A hamburger, please."

The deliberation was short.

Lumiel placed her order immediately.

The owner nodded and skillfully placed the patty on the griddle.

Sizzle sizzle—

Oil seeped out of the cooking meat, and the warm bread was lightly toasted, taking on a golden color.

Lumiel watched the scene with her hands clasped together.

A subtle smile was already on her lips while waiting.

Soon after, a large hamburger was placed on a plate.

It was a homemade burger that looked plentiful even from the outside. A thick patty, fresh vegetables, cheese, and soft buns.

It was perfect.

Lumiel carefully held the hamburger with both hands and with sparkling eyes—

Chomp!

She bit into it in one go.

Meat juice spread throughout her mouth.

A patty crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

The savory cheese and fresh vegetables created a harmony, delivering a fantastic taste.

"You're eating well."

The food cart owner smiled contentedly with his arms crossed.

But there was one problem.

Lumiel's mouth was small.

Too small, even.

"Oop."

She had taken a big bite, but the hamburger was too big to fit properly in her mouth.

Lumiel hurriedly chewed the hamburger while trying to catch the lettuce and tomato that kept falling out.

The lettuce kept precariously popping out, and pieces of tomato kept slipping and nearly falling.

She tried to quickly catch the spilling contents, but her hands were a beat too slow.

The onion dangled, half fallen out, and sauce dripped down, slightly staining the back of her hand.

Nevertheless—

"...!"

Eyes sparkling, she took another bite.

Lumiel's eyes widened at the rich taste spreading in her mouth.

The patty, crispy outside and juicy inside, was full of meat juice, and the warm toasted bread and cheese blended to create an exquisite balance.

The crunchiness of fresh tomatoes and lettuce filled her mouth, harmoniously blending together.

'Delicious!'

In the game, it would have ended with just a system message saying 'ate food'.

But not now.

Lumiel's tongue could feel the texture of the cheese slightly melted and combined with the patty.

With each chew, the savory taste of the appropriately seasoned patty burst on the tip of her tongue. And the soft bread tied all the ingredients together, creating a perfect taste.

Was food always this delicious?

The joy of seeing with her eyes, smelling, and chewing directly in her mouth.

All of these processes were new and fresh experiences for Lumiel.

After chewing for a while, she finally noticed the sauce on her hand.

Somehow, sauce had dripped and stained her fingertips, and was also smeared around her lips.

"...Uh."

After a moment's hesitation, Lumiel quickly wiped the sauce with the back of her hand.

"You're eating really well."

The food cart owner watched Lumiel with interest, arms crossed.

He looked on contentedly as she battled the large hamburger with her small mouth.

"You can eat slowly, kid. It's not like you're being chased by anyone."

Despite his words, Lumiel quickly took a second bite.

It was too delicious to stop.

In the game, it was just a simple 'item consumption', but now, each bite was an experience. And that experience was now filling her senses, bringing new joy.

Holding the hamburger tightly with her small hands, she takes another bite.

This time more carefully, but still combatively.

Although she spilled nearly half of it, she eventually finished the whole hamburger.

Perhaps due to her small body, she felt full faster than expected.

Nyom nyom— she licked her lips.

It was delicious, but eating more would be too much.

The aftertaste of savory patty and soft bread filled her mouth, but her stomach was too full to eat any more.

Lumiel neatly arranged the leftover hamburger wrapper on the table with a satisfied expression.

Then—

"...Hmm."

The food cart owner seemed to want to say something.

He opened his mouth several times, then closed it again, repeating this.

He looked like he was debating whether to speak or not.

Lumiel glanced at him.

As she tilted her head, the food cart owner finally opened his mouth.

"Did you come on the village chief's request by any chance?"

—The village chief's request.

As soon as those words came out, Lumiel's ahoge reacted.

It was familiar.

Extremely familiar, and at the same time, quite infamous—

It was one of the few 'trap quests' in this game.

At the end of the Ant Hole, there's a small shrine. It's an area where a mini-boss appears, and a strong barrier is placed at the entrance of the shrine.

The village chief's request was simple.

The barrier of that shrine seems to have weakened, so please just check it out.

The reward was generous too.

A whopping 50,000 gold and a nice chunk of experience points.

The quest conditions were very simple, you just had to go to the shrine entrance and look around, a very easy mission.

Up to this point, it seemed like a really good quest.

But the real problem was elsewhere.

The 'starting level' for this quest was 5.

And the biggest trap was that the quest-giving NPC was the village chief standing right in the beginner's village.

Newbies who had just left the beginner's village. It was natural for them who had no money and desperately needed experience points to be dazzled by the number 50,000 gold.

The moment they accept the quest—

Forced teleportation to the depths of the Ant Hole.

What greets them are the level 35 drakes that Lumiel just swept away earlier.

…There's no way newbies could survive.

The newbies fall into confusion as soon as they arrive, and are instantly shredded by the drakes without even getting a chance to attack.

And what's even more vicious.

Another trap of this quest was that in this game's system, when a player dies, they automatically teleport to 'a nearby safe place'.

And the place judged as 'nearby safe place' was—this food cart where Lumiel is now.

If they could return to the underground village, they might have been able to escape somehow, but because of this one food cart, they get trapped right in the middle of the Ant Hole, teeming with level 35 drakes.

If a user had completed Fiolo's quest, they could have barely escaped using the 'Village Return Scroll' received as a reward.

But the minimum level to accept Fiolo's quest is 7.

Moreover, the price of a Village Return Scroll sold in shops is more expensive than five potions combined.

So newbies wouldn't have a Village Return Scroll.

As a result—

The newbies get trapped.

Caught between a rock and a hard place.

A level 5 newbie gets trapped in the Ant Hole crawling with level 35 monsters.

What's worse, even if they die, they respawn at the food cart, so if they try to escape, they get hit by surrounding monsters and die again, falling into an endless cycle.

If they're lucky, a high-level user passing by might help.

But such a miracle is too slim a possibility to hope for.

In the end, most newbies had to resolve the situation by deleting their lovingly raised characters with tears in their eyes.

A sad affair.