The dungeon smells like chicken. - Chapter 1

### My Grandfather’s Warning

Senna’s late grandfather had held her hand tightly and said,

“Senna, don’t ever sell this house. You must live here.”

Even though she knew it was a dream, Senna nodded, crying loudly.

“I’ll never sell it. I’ll live here until I die.”

“You’re such a good grandchild. But if a door opens… Kak-tok!”

Senna woke up abruptly from her dream. She checked her phone next to her and saw a message.

“[Are you awake?] 2:12 AM”

It was a message from her ex-boyfriend, who texted her every night.

Even though she blocked his number, he kept sending messages as “Unknown.” After a moment, another notification sounded.

[I think I’m too drunk. I miss you.] 2:12 AM

“Ugh, seriously…”

Now wide awake, Senna jumped out of bed. She felt so hot she needed a cold drink.

As she went downstairs, the old steps creaked. Her ex-boyfriend found it creepy, but Senna loved every sound. This house had sheltered her and her brother for ten years since their parents passed away.

But her ex-boyfriend kept pestering her to sell it.

“Let’s sell this place, add some money, and move to a 50-pyeong apartment. It would be great to live in a bigger house with my parents. What about your brother? He’s grown up. Let him live alone.”

The money he wanted to add was her parents’ life insurance. When she firmly refused, he got angry and caused a scene.

“I’ve never seen anyone as frustrating as you. Your brother is 17, right? At 17, a boy can live alone. Independence! Independence is important. Back in my day—”

Senna thought he was full of it, having grown up eating warm meals cooked by his mom and going to school. After a lot of bragging, he delivered the final blow.

“Your brother seems to be weirdly wary of me. Are you two in some kind of relationship? Hey, it’s just a joke. Why are you so angry?”

That led to a huge fight and a breakup. Looking back, it was the right decision.

“I should’ve slapped him.”

Senna gulped down cold water and sighed. Thinking about her ex-boyfriend made her feel suffocated.

She went out and sat on the porch. The cool night air helped her breathe easier.

Senna was 15 when her parents died.

Suddenly orphaned, she and her younger brother were taken in by their grandfather. He died two years later, leaving behind a will that they must never sell the house.

An old but large two-story house. A warm house with a porch and a wide yard.

Senna loved this house. Even without her grandfather’s will, she wanted to keep living there.

“Why should I sell it?”

She raised her middle finger toward her ex-boyfriend’s imaginary presence and lay down on the porch. The coolness made her sleepy.

Then it happened.

-Crash!

Senna was startled and sat up. There was a crashing sound from the basement.

“Did a cat get in?”

Once, a cat had gotten trapped in the basement and caused a ruckus. Senna grabbed a can and a net and headed for the basement.

“Here, kitty?”

She turned on the basement light and went down the stairs without thinking much. But what she encountered wasn’t a frightened cat.

A stranger was standing in the basement.

“Huh?”

Senna blinked in disbelief. But the man didn’t disappear.

It was the first time she had seen someone so tall. He looked about 2 meters tall. Dressed like a medieval knight, he held a blood-stained sword in his right hand.

“Huh? Huh?”

It was definitely a sword.

Terrified, Senna turned to run. She was so scared she forgot what she was holding.

The bent net hit the wall and pushed her down. Senna fell straight down.

Thud!

A dull pain spread through her body. Curled up in fear, she realized it wasn’t as painful as she thought.

“Are you alright?”

She opened her eyes to see a helmet right in front of her. Instinctively, she screamed.

The man gently set her down and stepped back. Kneeling on one knee, he spoke to her.

“I’m sorry for startling you. I am Michael, a member of the Iron Wolf Brigade.”

“Oh… uh…”

“I had no intention of threatening you. Please forgive me.”

Hearing his polite voice, Senna realized the man wasn’t holding a weapon.

The sword he had been holding was on the floor in the corner. He must have thrown it away to catch her when she fell.

‘It seems he doesn’t intend to harm me right away.’

Gaining some courage, Senna decided to ask the most pressing question.

“Why are you here in the middle of the night? This is my house.”

Her voice grew stronger as she claimed ownership. The man calmly answered.

“I was exploring the Great Wizard’s Labyrinth on the Duke’s orders. I lost my way, found a door, and ended up here.”

“Duke? No, wait, a door? What door?”

The man turned to point at the wall. When she looked, there was indeed a door she had never seen before.

Unconsciously, Senna stood up and approached the door, entranced.

Through the half-open door, she saw a landscape she had never seen before. Flickering torches illuminated stone pillars lined up on either side.

The ancient stone walls were covered with unfamiliar plants.

In the middle of the empty space lay a bizarre creature.

It looked like a giant centipede. The blood from its severed body parts had stained the floor dark. As soon as she saw it, Senna felt dizzy.

“Excuse me.”

A large hand covered her eyes. She smelled blood and metal from the cold glove.

After a moment, she heard the door close and the man’s hand fell away. Senna stared at him blankly.

“I thought you might be scared.”

The man spoke awkwardly and stepped back. Senna felt more confused.

‘What is this guy?’

His strange attire and sword. His talk of great wizards and labyrinths. The strange door and the unfamiliar creature.

All of it made her feel afraid.

Growl.

A loud sound broke the tense atmosphere. The man clutched his stomach, looking embarrassed. Senna realized the sound came from his stomach.

“Are you hungry?”

“I ran out of provisions and have been starving…”

He spoke in a small voice, embarrassed.

“Though it’s shameless of me, could I get some food and water? I’ll pay you as much as you want. Please.”

Senna looked at him, holding her confused head. He took out a thin metal badge from his pocket and handed it to her.

“This is my identification badge. I swear I won’t harm you.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

Senna muttered weakly.

Coming down to the basement at dawn, meeting someone from another world, seeing a strange place with a monster.

No one would believe her if she told them. Even the police would think it was a prank call.

“You just want food and water? You’ll really leave if you get that?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, the man wasn’t a robber. What he wanted was something she could provide.

‘I want to just give him some bread and tell him to leave, but if I treat him poorly, he might turn violent.’

He seemed calm now, but she couldn’t be sure. Senna decided to be as safe as possible.

‘Let’s feed him so well he cries tears of gratitude and leaves. Surely he won’t kill me if I treat him so well.’

And as soon as he left, she would call someone to seal off the basement.

‘Forget about the other world. The person in front of me is just a guest. Someone who will leave soon and is just dressed strangely.’

With her head almost bursting, Senna spoke.

“I don’t need money. I’ll serve you a meal. And food. But you need to leave your sword and armor here.”

“Thank you.”

The man said happily. Not wanting to hear his thanks, Senna waved her hand.

“First, help me block that door. We don’t know what might come in if we leave it open.”

They moved heavy furniture to block the door. The man lifted them effortlessly, so Senna only had to give directions. Then she helped him remove his armor.

“How did you put this on by yourself?”

“Usually, we get help from comrades.”

The man smiled at her as he took off his helmet. Senna’s eyes widened.

Soft cream-colored hair. Deep brown eyes. A gentle and noble face that somehow exuded elegance. He looked just like…

‘Like a Golden Retriever.’

He even had the same angelic smile. Seeing her dazed expression, the man looked concerned.

“Miss? Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine!”

Senna snapped out of it and stepped back. The man was watching her with worried eyes.

He was expressing, with his whole body, ‘I’m harmless! I’m worried about you!’ like a Golden Retriever. Her sharp wariness melted away.

“Um, what was your name again?”

“Michael.”

An angelic name. It suited him so well that Senna thought whoever named him did a great job and nodded absentmindedly.

Senna from South Korea, Michael from Nord. Two worlds intersected at that moment.

**Do You Want to Eat?**

Thick bacon sizzled as it turned brown.

Senna waited patiently until the bacon was perfectly crispy and tender.

“Great!”

She moved the perfectly cooked bacon onto a paper towel to drain the grease. Senna then cracked an egg into the pan where the bacon had been cooking. The fresh egg sizzled in the bacon grease.

“It’s not very healthy, but it’s delicious

.”

As the egg cooked to a perfect medium, Senna turned to the pot on the other burner.

The ingredients Michael had helped her prepare were bubbling away.

Thick pork bones, plump beans, and soft cabbage simmered together. The fragrance of the savory broth filled the kitchen.

‘Bacon, beans, and cabbage stew… It’s a bit heavy for breakfast, but he’ll love it.’

Senna stirred the pot and then peeked into the living room. Michael was sitting politely on the floor, his armor set aside.

“Just a little longer.”

“Yes, thank you.”

He answered politely and sat down again, waiting. He had helped her prepare ingredients without a word of complaint.

Senna, who had struggled with the heavy pork bones, thought he was quite impressive.

‘But more than that, this person looks like a Golden Retriever.’

That face full of sincerity. Even though she tried to treat him as an outsider, he felt familiar.

‘He’s not dangerous, right? He’s just like a Golden Retriever. No, he might be even more gentle than a Golden Retriever.’

Senna, now less worried, began to set the table.

‘He’s from another world, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be different.’

The sizzling bacon and savory stew filled her with confidence.

After a while, she served the food in front of Michael.

“It’s ready. Bon appétit.”

She placed a steaming plate of bacon and an overflowing bowl of stew in front of him.

Michael’s eyes widened as he looked at the food.

“This is…”

“Yes, it’s your breakfast. I made it as best as I could. I hope it suits your taste.”

“Thank you so much. I didn’t expect such a hearty meal.”

Michael looked at her with genuine gratitude. His golden retriever-like face brightened with a smile.

He took a spoonful of the stew and his eyes widened in surprise.

“This is…!”

He hurriedly ate another spoonful, then a piece of bacon. A satisfied groan escaped his lips as he chewed.

Senna watched him eat with a smile, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

‘He really likes it.’

Michael ate with gusto, savoring every bite. Seeing him eat so happily made her heart feel warm.

‘Maybe he’s not such a bad guy.’

As Michael ate, Senna decided to make a small request.

“By the way, Michael. After breakfast, could you help me clean the basement a bit?”

Michael nodded without hesitation.

“Of course. I’d be happy to help.”

Senna smiled, feeling more at ease with her new guest.