The World I Was Supporting Was Real - Chapter 102



102. Not Enough? Just Add More.

* * *

Having finished the ‘tingling water’ –

Now, the only thing left was to replicate the taste of cola.

In fact, in some ways, this was a far greater hurdle than what they had done previously.

“Maybe they mixed in some kind of spice?”

“I think we’ll know if we drink it a few more times….”

The most critical fact was that the amount of cola they had tasted was absolutely insufficient.

It wouldn’t be easy to imagine what it tasted like even after drinking it several times grasp, so how could they possibly its origin from having drunk barely a small shot’s worth!

“Well… Considering the sweetness, wouldn’t it be safe to say it’s definitely a fruit?”

“Was there a fruit with that kind of flavor?”

“Maybe they mixed several types of fruit, or it might be some kind of processed thing… .”

Rayna, who’d drunk the most cola there, squeezed her brain trying to recall the flavor as much as possible, but—

*’Maybe I should go to the cathedral right now and get some holy water to try making it again?’*

… … No. Using up that many ‘Plain Facts’ just to confirm the flavor was too wasteful.

Wasting Plain Facts—Neither Saint Erin nor she wanted that.

Besides, there was no guarantee that drinking more cola would help them figure out the flavor.

“…For now, let’s think about the color, instead of the flavor. “What do you say?”

Right.

Just like the tingly sensation that lingered in their mouths, the thing that had grabbed their attention was—that deep brown color, wasn’t it?

What on earth could they put in to create such a mysterious color?

“Hmm… .”

They huddled together in small groups, racking their brains, but—truthfully, no matter how much they pondered, there was a limit to what they could do.

They were, after all, mages.

They might know a thing or two about the ‘tingling sensation’ part, having used magic a hundred times, but when it came to taste, they were no different from regular people, their knowledge paling in comparison to cooks or farmers who were well versed in crops and ingredients.

Just as they were thinking of just throwing everything in and seeing what happened…

“Um… just a minute.”

Luca, who had quietly listened to their conversation after removing the aura from his longsword and hanging it on his hip, raised his hand with a cautious expression.

“Perhaps, for a problem like this, wouldn’t it be better to bring in someone with more expertise?”

“That would be ideal, yes… but, would there even *be* someone suitable…?”

“Well… there’s a royal chef I met recently while volunteering with the chicken donations. I was thinking, maybe we could bring him here.”

“Oh? That would be wonderful…!! But, I feel like we’re constantly putting you to trouble, Luka-nim…”

“No, it’s not trouble. Helping you all, who are carrying out the will of the gods, is what I, as a paladin, should do. I’ll go bring him right away. Please wait just a moment!”

After Luka disappeared, the mages of the Magic Tower all praised her character.

“A paladin’s workload must be beyond imagination, and yet she helps us without showing any sign of difficulty… she’s truly remarkable.”

“Thanks to Luka-nim, it seems like we’re making faster progress than I thought.”

“I looked down on her because she supposedly had the least renown among the three… I’m ashamed of myself.”

Compared to this generation’s icon Ophelia or the second princess Linea, Luka’s reputation was practically nonexistent.

Perhaps that’s why. When the concept of a ‘paladin’ was first introduced, she was the one who raised the most eyebrows among the public.

Some of the more radical ones even brought up ridiculous conspiracy theories, claiming that Luka had gotten the paladin position through some shady deal.

But after the paladins’ actions were made clear, that kind of public opinion had disappeared as if it had never been there.

“Let’s be a source of strength for Luka-nim to the very end, as well. Just as much as she’s helped us.”

“You speak truly.”

“Let’s be the straightforward facts that support Luka-nim!”

The rising supernova of the magic world, who had fallen into a rut due to a lack of competition—the public sentiment of the Wood Attribute Magic Tower was shifting toward the paladin, who was an icon of the religious world, second only to the Saintess .

—Just like the Head of the Fire Attribute Tower, even without confronting Erin directly, the number of mages being moved by the will of the gods was steadily growing.

* * *

“Hmm…”

The royal chef, brought by Luca, rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought.

After being asked, ‘Is there a fruit that boasts a brown hue yet yields a sweet, mysterious flavor?’ he’d pondered for a good while, before cautiously speaking—

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think I can achieve a similar color, so I brought this, for now.”

The chef carefully pulled something from his pocket.

“This is…?”

“It’s called ‘Crumble,’ and it grows deep within the dungeons. It’s a type of fruit, known for its incredibly high sugar content. Lately, using demon ingredients has been a hot topic among our chefs.”

With the sudden increase in interactions with demons, various ingredients never before seen by humans began flooding in—

And this Crumble seemed to be one of them.

“Could you start a fire for a moment?”

At the chef’s words, Yunos easily brought over some wood and built a small bonfire.

The chef skillfully crushed the Crumble into small pieces, then heated them.

How many minutes had passed?

“Ooh…”

A sticky, liquid substance oozed from the broken Crumble pieces, filling the area with a fragrance hard to describe.

It had a sweet, almost decadent feel to it.

Just the scent alone conjured up such a sensation in one’s mouth; it was clearly no ordinary fruit.

“There, it’s done, Tower Master. Would you like to try adding this?”

Reina, having received the heated Crumble juice from the chef, immediately poured a cupful into the ‘lightning-infused water’ and mixed it.

As the sound of the stick hitting the glass echoed—brown swirls began to paint the once-clear water, gradually deepening to a rich brown hue.

“Wow… it’s actually really similar, isn’t it??”

“Not perfectly the same, but… this is good enough, I guess…”

Raina drank it cautiously.

*Gulp, gulp!*

*Zzzzt!*

From noble mtl dot com

A faint jolt, like tiny lightning, grazed her mouth and throat, while a sweet taste surged upward.

Definitely… it was something you could call a drink to have instead of alcohol—

“It’s… edible, but it’s not quite cola.”

After Raina drank, everyone gathered there downed a cup of it, without exception.

“It’s sweet enough, it’s totally delicious?”

“But the god did tell us to make it as close to cola as possible…”

“By the way, Luka, what exactly are you doing right now?”

“Well…”

At the cook’s words, Luka summarized the situation simply.

“A drink given by the god… it’s similar to the chicken situation, isn’t it? Back then, the Saint told us the entire recipe.”

“I think that finding this process is probably a trial the god has given us.”

“Honestly, I don’t really understand what you’re saying… But the Saint who serves Igwogwodun-nim wouldn’t give a pointless order. Anyway, I think it’s time to head back, are you guys okay? I can definitely have Crumble sent here as soon as I get back.”

“Yes. You’ve helped so much already. Thank you for today.”

“Ah, and this is an extra that I brought—”

The cook said that, and he untied the bundle he’d brought.

“This is…!”

The luggage held a chaotic mix of ingredients, each different in shape and color.

You could safely say about 70% of it was fruit, as the moment it was opened, the scent of various fruits pleasantly tickled the nose.

“Based on the paladin’s description of a sweet and mysterious flavor, I brought all the types of fruit and sweet ingredients I could. I don’t know the taste of that drink called cola, but maybe those of you who’ve tasted it can figure it out somehow.”

“T-this is really helpful… Thank you…!”

At Reina’s words, the royal chef scratched his cheek, looking bashful.

“It’s nothing. Just as the Saintess cares about the development of culinary culture, we should also help when we can. I shall excuse myself then.”

After the chef disappeared.

Reina, energized by the abundance of new ingredients, shouted loudly, sparkling her eyes.

“Then, let’s start right away…! Let’s start by trying simple combinations, one at a time!”

And so, everyone began tackling the task of recreating the taste of cola with overflowing enthusiasm—

* * *

—Unfortunately, even after combining every ingredient as much as possible, they failed to reproduce that wondrous flavor.

It wasn’t even close, which naturally led to a disheartened feeling.

“Isn’t it something that can’t be made with ingredients humans can access?”

“That can’t be the case. The Saintess herself ordered it… There must be a way to make something similar.”

In a situation where they couldn’t even find a clue, the atmosphere might naturally slump—

Surprisingly, some of those gathered started suggesting completely different alternatives.

“This tastes better than cola, so why don’t we just show this to the Saintess?”

“Cohen. What is…?”

“The first thing we made! The fizzy water with crumble syrup and mixed with orange juice.”

Cohen gulped down what they were calling ‘Orange Juice Cola’.

“This! This taste! It’s freaking delicious! At least, I like it way more than cola. If God made something even tastier, wouldn’t he give us some due credit?”

“You, that’s blasphemy…”

Isaac said it like he couldn’t believe his ears –

But, actually, like Cohen said, not every result was a total flop.

Things like ‘Orange Juice Cola’, ‘Strawberry Juice Cola’, ‘Lemon Juice Cola’, ‘Cherry Juice Cola’ were getting high marks among the mages.

Most were undrinkable, true- they were just wildly different from the flavor of cola they were aiming for. Still, they had undeniably created quite a few drinks with their own unique charm.

“Hmm… this is tough.”

“Yeah…”

“Sir Luca. We’re grateful and all, but… It’s already late. Shouldn’t you be heading back to the cathedral?”

At Stella’s words, Luca smiled slowly.

“It’s alright. As I said, helping you all is following God’s will. I think the Saintess will understand. My companions also know where I am.”

“I’m sorry. I thought we’d figure it out sooner…”

Watching Luca wave his hand dismissively at Stella who was bowing her head, Reina felt conflicted.

‘He says it’s alright… but it doesn’t look like we’re getting anywhere.’

The imperial chefs would have brought every ingredient you could get on the continent.

There were ingredients used by demons left, but even waiting for that would take more time.

They couldn’t just keep obsessing over making cola, so maybe Cohen was right. Maybe they should just conclude, ‘This is our cola,’ and go see the Saintess, but-

‘…No.’

That fizzy kick.

That invigorating freshness.

Having felt that intensity firsthand, Reina, more than anyone, wanted to present something as close to the original form of cola as possible to everyone.

Reina carefully closed her eyes.

Then she clasped her hands.

Prayer.

Reina, once a rational mage—now prayed to the one and only god, Iguogwodun, whose existence no one doubted.

‘Lord Iguogwodun. Are you perhaps watching? We’re working hard, but we just can’t seem to replicate the taste of cola. Even a simple clue would be fine. Please, show us the path forward.’

‘If you are watching… unless you wish for us toil endlessly without finding the answer, please help us, Lord Iguogwodun… !’

Her prayer, perhaps because Reina wasn’t religion, was quite clumsy and secular—

but packed with genuine sincerity, it was deeply compelling.

* * *

‘Wow.’

I thought you could just click a button and that was it—

Turns out making cola is a lot tougher than I thought.

I figured the author would just describe some kind of ‘cola fruit’ or something.

Sure, in the story, they did introduce some weird fruit growing in a dungeon, which was a plausible solution to the difficult question of ‘how to make caramel coloring’—

but it seems like they can’t perfectly reproduce the taste of cola.

Is this detail the author’s stubbornness?

‘Well, I can’t reproduce that taste either.’

Honestly, even *I* don’t know how to make the taste of cola, so how much more would it be for the characters in the story, who live in a world far behind in terms of food engineering?

[ I_GweoGweodon : Hah… getting the cola in is seriously tough, fr. It’s harder than reforming a demon lord ]

[ I_GweoGweodon : I think I took spreading new worldly tech too lightly. [I’m reflecting on that]

[ GimmeTheMoney : It’s the task of recreating something from the divine realm, while suppressing the use of divine power as much as possible ]

[ GimmeTheMoney : I’m terribly sorry, but please understand that it will inevitably take a considerable amount of effort ]

[ GimmeTheMoney : Please be kind and consider the arduous journey that Ms. [Reina will have to go through to find the answer]

[ I_GweoGweodon : Nah, lol, wasn’t trying to call you out, no worries ]

After all, the manga artist is the one whose head’s gonna explode the most.

A request like ‘put in cola.’ But keep the costs as low as possible and use what the world has to offer to make it look real’— Honestly, isn’t that the kind of demand a shitty customer would make?

Still.

By zapping their mouth with lightning or utilizing strange fruits – it was kinda amazing that a plausible carbonated drink was created.

Although it wasn’t *actually* carbonated, and the bubbles didn’t rise, it still gave off a carbonated water-esque feeling.

‘The way they’re describing it makes me kinda want to try it.’

A writer who observes over these kinds of details of their world… there are probably only a few like that among major manga artists.

‘Hmm… ‘

Lost in thought for a moment, I typed out what immediately came to mind.

[ I_GweoGweodon : You know ]

[ I_GweoGweodon : What about not the cola itself, but the taste… like how much would it take to just recreate the “cola flavor”? ]

[ I_GweoGweodon : Since you’ve invented something similar to carbonation, wouldn’t it cost less than creating cola itself? ]

[ GimmeTheMoney : If it’s just about recreating the ‘flavor’… then yes, relatively less divine power would be needed ]

[ GimmeTheMoney : However, it’s still the act of pulling something from the divine realm into this place, so absolutely speaking, a substantial amount of divine power would be consumed ]

[ Lee Guo Guo Dian : How much? ]

[Give me some money: It’s hard to give an exact amount, as it’s deducted from your subscription-based sponsorship account]

[Give me some money: I can only cautiously estimate that an additional 300 to 500 won or so is likely to continue draining at a not-so-slow pace]

[Please give me money: Everything depends on how Reyna uses it, so I apologize that I can’t give you a definite answer]

That much, well… I guess it’s alright?

Even if she starts mass-producing cola, it’s not like this world has a factory-style mass production system, so she can’t churn out the same volume as they do in modern times anyway.

I checked my balance.

After sending the cola as is, and then the amounts that were used to make extra fertilizer or for binding lightning in water – the balance had definitely decreased –

‘I can handle it. This much.’

Reyna did say.

Unless she just wants to suffer, she’ll ask for help.

I mean, seeing her journey to finally achieve the taste of cola in this other world isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but –

‘I wanna see the kids guzzling cola and freaking out, pronto.’

[Lee Guo-guodun: Let’s just use the money to get the cola scent made]

[Lee Guo-guodun: Just pull it from the balance, yeah]

There were still hundreds of thousands of won left in my balance.

And—

‘If I run short, I’ll just add more.’

—the mindset I had when playing online games, started to slowly raise its head inside me.

* * *